Kevin Reidy Movies

An ambitious and talented small town reporter struggles to balance morality with career ambition while covering the so-called "Scopes Monkey Trial" that took the theory of evolution into the courtroom in 1925. His father the founder of a respected Tennessee newspaper, journalist Charles Anderson (Nathan West) is constantly on the hunt for the story that will make him famous. When high school science teacher John Scopes is accused of violating the state's Butler Act, which strictly prohibited the teaching of Evolution Theory in public classrooms, staunch anti-Darwinist William Jennings Bryan (Fred Dalton Thompson) and famed Defense Attorney Clarence Darrow (Brian Dennehy) each begin preparations for a complicated - and controversial - trial. But as the case gets under way and the media frenzy begins, Baltimore Sun editor H. L. Mencken (Colm Meaney) convinces Charles that it's sensationalism - not facts - that sells newspapers. With his fiancée Rose (Ashley Johnson) increasingly opposed to his reporting of the "facts," Charles reaches a crucial impasse at which he must weigh his beliefs and personal relationships against his growing appetite for fame and recognition. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Carl Franklin (One False Move, Devil in a Blue Dress) helmed this adaptation of Rudolfo Anaya's controversial novel about a young boy and the enigmatic healer who opens his eyes to the wonders of the spiritual realm. New Mexico: the early '40s. As the entire world is plunged into war for a second time, Antonio Márez (Luke Ganalon) grapples with the harsh realities all around him. His life is forever changed by the sudden arrival of Ultima (Miriam Colon), a woman with supernatural healing powers, who has come to his family on a mission of kindness. As Ultima inspires Antonio to question authority and see the world from a new perspective, the young boy witnesses a series of seemingly impossible events that have a profound impact on his concepts of divinity and fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Three kids have an unexpected adventure as they try to protect some rare birds in this comedy drama based on a book for young adults by Carl Hiaasen. Roy Eberhardt (Logan Lerman) is a 14-year-old boy whose family has moved so often he's literally lost count of the number of times he's changed schools in the last ten years. Roy ought to be used to being the new kid at school by now, but making the switch from the big sky of Montana to the Gulf Coast of Florida proves to be a major challenge. While Roy quickly becomes the target of school bully Dana Matherson (Eric Phillips), he's befriended by Beatrice Leep (Brie Larson), a spunky girl with enough nerve to stand up to Dana, and her brother Mullet Fingers (Cody Linley). Beatrice and Mullet share their big secret with Roy -- they have a hidden hideaway where they look after a flock of wild owls. The owls in question are on the endangered species list, but that's of little concern to Chuck Muckle (Clark Gregg), a top executive from the Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House chain, who is planning to build a new restaurant in the hollow where the owls nest. Roy, Beatrice, and Mullet are determined to find a way to save the owls, but Muckle and his right-hand man, Curly Brannitt (Tim Blake Nelson), are less interested in saving the birds than in turning a profit. The kids have a plan, however, and they uncover some evidence of interest to David Delinko (Luke Wilson), a well-meaning but slow-witted policeman investigating some dirty doings tied in to the pancake house. Hoot features a handful of new recordings from popular Florida musician Jimmy Buffett, who also helped produce the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Carl Franklin and actor Denzel Washington team up again (following 1995's Devil in a Blue Dress) for the crime thriller Out of Time. Washington stars as Matt Lee Whitlock, the well-respected chief of police in a quiet Florida community. While in the process of getting a divorce from fellow detective Alexandra (Eva Mendez), Matt engages in an affair with his high school sweetheart Anne (Sanaa Lathan). Unfortunately, Anne is married to the extremely jealous Chris (Dean Cain), a former pro football player who works as a security guard. After a major murder occurs in the community, Matt finds himself the main suspect. With the help of his medical examiner pal Chae (John Billingsley), Matt must solve the case before he is found guilty himself. Out of Time premiered at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Moral hypocrisy and the woes of America's public schools and educational system are the focus of Cheaters, which is based on a real-life 1995 cheating scandal at a Chicago high school. In a working class area of the city, teacher Dr. Gerald Plecki (Jeff Daniels) is desperate for his students to triumph at an upcoming academic decathlon against students of a more affluent high school across town. His desperation causes him to cast a blind eye when one of his students gets hold of a copy of the decathlon test -- and, thanks to their combined dedication to cheating -- the team wins the competition with the highest total score in state history. Of course, the score leads to suspicion on the part of Illinois officials, and the resulting scandal is accompanied by a media frenzy of monolithic proportions. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Andy Tennant directed this Cinderella variant. The Brothers Grimm arrive at the home of a wealthy Grande Dame (Jeanne Moreau) who speaks of the many legends surrounding the fable of the cinder girl before telling the "true" story of her ancestor. In flashback, the story then focuses on eight-year-old Danielle, daughter of a wealthy widower, a 16th-century landowner. After returning to France with his new wife Rodmilla (Anjelica Huston) and her two daughters, he dies of a heart attack. Ten years later, Danielle (Drew Barrymore) is now treated as a servant by the trio. Fortunately, she has an encounter with Prince Henry (Dougray Scott), who is fleeing an arranged marriage. Later, when Danielle poses as a Lady, the Prince takes an interest in her. Inventor-artist Leonardo da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey), accepting the French court's patronage, offers advice to Prince Henry on matters of the heart. George Fenton's music adds an accompaniment to the lush look of this period romance. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

A touching and unusual love story, The Whole Wide World was based on a memoir by Novalyne Price Ellis, in which she recalled her brief romance with Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian and one of the finest and most prolific pulp writers of his day. In 1933, Novalyne Price (Renee Zellweger) is a pretty but shy Texas schoolteacher who would like to be a writer some day. A friend offers to introduce her to Howard (Vincent D'Onofrio), who writes broad, bold yarns about superhuman heroes and damsels in distress and has little patience for writers of more pretentious fiction. Novalyne likes Howard and he seems to like her, but she finds him a hard man to deal with. He lives in the world of his stories, and he devotes as much time as possible to his bedridden mother, which leaves him little time to pursue a romance. But when Howard discovers that another man has been courting Novalyne, he's heartbroken -- even if they didn't have a conventional romance, he felt there was a special emotional bond between them, and he hates to see it thrown away. Renee Zellweger and Vincent D'Onofrio both deliver fine performances and are a believable (if unconventional) romantic couple; D'Onofrio also co-produced. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In Rage and Honor, Cynthia Rothrock is featured as a full-time high-school teacher/part-time karate instructor who's out to protect one of her students who innocently witnesses and films a mob drug transaction. He's caught and beaten but keeps the film from the bad guys. Finding and helping him is an Australian foreign-exchange cop who also gets involved in the fracas when he's set up for a murder by some cop cohorts who've gone bad. ~ Rovi

Set the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, December focuses on five prep-school students (Wil Wheaton, Balthazar Getty, Brian Krause, Jason London and Chris Young) who are of enlistment age. Though encouraged by their headmaster to enter the army, the boys are wary of battle, and discuss the pros and cons of the situation. ~ John Bush, Rovi

Ray Sharkey plays Detective Vince Capra of the LAPD whose job it is to discover the identity of a serial killer who has been murdering rich single ladies when the rain falls. He's saddled with an FBI agent who's supposed to assist him in solving the crime, but tends to get in his way. There are several twisting turnabouts to this film that keep the viewer guessing who the killer is, and when they find out who the killer is, the next question is: Who will be the next victim? ~ Rovi