Steve Carlisle Movies
Though serving a prison sentence for using his computer to embezzle from an international corporation, Dodge (Stephen Baldwin) still thinks of himself as an ordinary criminal. His fellow convict, Piper (Lawrence Fishburne), whose basic decency leads him to protect Dodge from an assault by another prisoner, thinks the same. Neither Piper nor Dodge particularly like each other; matters are not improved when they are chained together. When a prison riot transforms into a break-out opportunity, they get to know one another better on the run, and neither is any too thrilled about it. The action soon grows fast and furious when they realize that they are not only on the run from the usual police authorities, but from several different kinds of police and a gang of mobsters, whom Dodge has unknowingly endangered. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Fishburne, Stephen Baldwin, (more)
Tim Robbins' second directorial effort (after the political satire Bob Roberts) was this drama based on a true story, which explores the issue of capital punishment. Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon) is a nun and teacher living in rural Louisiana. One day, she receives a letter from Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn), who is scheduled to be executed soon for the rape and murder of two teenagers. After meeting Matthew, Sister Helen agrees to serve as spiritual counselor and see what she can do to stay the execution. However, Matthew's claims of innocence seem shaky at best, and it's clear he's a reprehensible, amoral racist. When it becomes obvious that Matthew's sentence will be carried out, Sister Helen offers what comfort she can to Matthew, but also tries to guide him to an open admission of the extent of his crimes and an acceptance of divine forgiveness, telling him "I want the last face you see to be the face of love." Susan Sarandon won an Oscar for her performance as Sister Prejean, and Sean Penn was similarly nominated for Best Actor as Matthew. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, (more)
- 1993
Cybill Shepherd stars in this heart-tugging drama as a mother whose baby was abducted out of his bed. Fifteen years pass and she is working as a middle-school teacher in a different town. One of her students is a defiant 15-year-old. Despite the trouble he gives, there is something about the boy that draws her to him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cybill Shepherd, John Heard, (more)
When an eight-year-old black youth (Norman D. Golden II) witnesses a mob hit, he orders the police to make him a cop for a day before he will help identify the killer. Detective Nick McKenna (Burt Reynolds) is the unfortunate assigned to the case. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Norman D. Golden II, (more)
Phillip Noyce directed Joe Eszterhas's adaptation of Ira Levin's novel about voyeurism, starring Sharon Stone as Carly Norris, a book editor on the rebound from an emotionless seven-year marriage. Carly decides that a change of location will help her in the healing process, so she moves into a sleek Manhattan high-rise. In her new apartment, she meets a collection of curious neighbors --Vida (Polly Walker), who snorts cocaine along with ingesting all the dark secrets of the building and its tenants; Jack Landsford (Tom Berenger), a successful writer who also wants to also be successful with Carly; and Zeke Hawkins (William Baldwin), Carly's new landlord. Carly is attracted to Zeke, but she sees that he is hiding something from her. Unbeknownst to Carly, Zeke, an obsessive voyeur, watches his tenants from a bank of television screens at his headquarters. But when Carly discovers Zeke's voyeurism, she herself becomes obsessed with the daily lives of her neighbors. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, (more)
- 1988
- R
The story contained in this bizarre psychological drama/horror movie adds a new dimension to the term "dysfunctional family." It is set in a small town in New Mexico and is told through the eyes of "Sonny Boy," a horribly abused child who was raised by the brutal giant Slue, who rules Harmony with an iron fist and makes his money stealing and fencing televisions. Slue's "wife" and fellow gang member is the cross-dresser Pearl. They get Sonny Boy after their fellow gang-mate Weasel botches a car theft and kills the owners. He brings the car back and that's when they find the baby, whom Slue would have fed to the hogs had not Pearl begged him to let him raise the child. The kid might have been better off dead, for Slue constantly tortures the boy and even sets him afire one day. When not "toughening the boy up," Slue keeps him in a water tower and only feeds him live chickens to give him a craving for fresh blood. Seventeen years pass in this way. One day, Slue gets angry with the town mayor, loads Sonny in an ice cream truck and takes him to visit the town leader. Sonny Boy rushes in and bites the hapless mayor in the neck. From then on, Slue uses the poor teen to terrorize the town. One day, he leaves the boy briefly in a bar where Sonny meets seductive Sandy and is attracted to her. Had Slue not cut out his tongue, to keep Sonny from telling secrets to the police, he would have talked to the girl. Later Slue goes off on a business trip and Weasel and another take Sonny Boy out to kill a prospector for his gold. This is the final straw and the townsfolk finally retaliate. Sonny Boy survives the ensuing massacre and for the first time in his life is given a chance for normalcy and maybe even happiness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Paul L. Smith, (more)
- 1987
- R
This awful horror film, the directing debut of actor David Keith, is the second major adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space, first brought to the screen in Daniel Haller's Die, Monster, Die. Wil Wheaton stars as Zack, eternal whipping-boy of a rural farm family headed by his religious fanatic stepfather Nathan (Claude Akins). A large meteor comes zipping through the clouds and crashes in the yard, where local scientist Carl Willis (John Schneider) cracks it open to leak slime into the water supply. Soon, tomatoes are squirting blood, the lettuce oozes pus, apples are full of worms and little Alice (Wheaton's real-life sister Amy) is pecked bloody by crazed chickens. Eventually, the bad water begins affecting other members of the family, until Willis shows up to save the day. Keith's direction is sluggish, the acting is horrid, and even the involvement of associate producer Lucio Fulci couldn't save the wretched effects-work. The cast doesn't even seem to be paying attention most of the time, as in the priceless moment when Zach's mother tells him, "Eat your eggs, Wil." The Curse is an utter abomination which somehow produced three unrelated sequels. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wil Wheaton, Claude Akins, (more)
