Joel Silver Movies
A movie buff practically since infancy, American producer Joel Silver attended the film school at New York University. After graduation Silver quickly worked his way up to an assistant producer post under Universal's Lawrence Gordon; after considerable success with a series of popular pictures, including a handful of Burt Reynolds vehicles, Silver was appointed president of Lawrence Gordon Productions. As head of his own Silver Pictures in 1980, Silver began inauspiciously with the mishmosh Olivia Newton-John vehicle Xanadu before finding his niche with the stylized violent action of 1984's Streets of Fire. Intense and demanding, Silver drove his staff, cast and crews mercilessly, but such prize properties as the Lethal Weapon and Die Hard series made the effort worthwhile. Silver was able to maintain his industry standing on the basis of these successes, permitting him to ride out his many failures, including Jumpin' Jack Flash (1985), Ford Fairlane (1990), and the potentially career-busting Hudson Hawk (1991). Silver more or less played himself (loud clothes and all) in the on-camera role of an explosive cartoon director in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2012
In a future where the masses are systematically put to death upon reaching a certain age, those who attempt to cheat death are dubbed "runners" and pursued by formidable operatives known as Sandmen. Logan is a Sandman who is fast approaching that fateful age, and when he decides to run, the stage is set for the ultimate chase. Former commercial filmmaker Joseph Kosinski makes his feature directorial debut with a low-tech sci-fi thriller written by Tim Sexton, and inspired more by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson's 1967 novel than the 1976 feature starring Michael York and Jenny Agutter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2011
Changeling screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski heads up the Forbidden Planet remake for Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures. The 1956 original followed a space expedition's trek to Altair-4, a remote planet where an Earth scientist has progressed his intellect far beyond that of normal human capability with the help of a long-lost race and his helping robot, Robby. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2011
DC Comics' two-fisted, beer-swillin' bounty hunter, Lobo, makes his trip to feature film-land with this Warner Bros. production, spear-headed by director Guy Ritchie. Don Payne provides the scripting duties on a story that sees the heavy metal antihero making his way to Earth to hunt down three intergalactic outlaws. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
A man (Liam Neeson) wakes up from a coma while on a business trip to Europe only to find that some other man has taken his identity and stepped into his life. Diane Kruger and January Jones co-star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
A group of black mercenaries plan their revenge against the government that set them up for death in the Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. adaptation of the Vertigo comic. Stomp the Yard's Sylvain White directs from a script by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac). Watchmen's Jeffrey Dean Morgan heads up the cast, which also includes Chris Evans, Zoe Saldana, and Idris Elba, with Jason Patric handling the villainous duties in the film. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Patric
- 2009
John Cusack stars as cop whose obsession for catching a serial killer is pushed over the edge when his daughter goes missing in the Dark Castle picture The Factory for Warner Bros. Pictures. Australia's Project Greenlight winner Morgan O'Neill helms the production from a script he co-wrote with Paul Leyden. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack
- 2009
Virgin Comics' series The Gamekeeper is being developed for a movie treatment by book creator and filmmaker Guy Ritchie. The revenge tale follows a country caretaker who hunts the city streets for the killer of his son by adapting his keen ability to understanding animal behaviors. Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute, with producing duties going to Joel Silver. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
"Being a vampire sucks." This pretty much summed up the attitude of the protagonist of this heady CBS mixture of suspense and the supernatural. Alex O'Loughlin starred as LA private detective Mick St. John, who'd become an "undead" vampire way back in 1947 thanks to his fang-bearing former wife Coralyn (Shannyn Sossamon. Though obliged to drink blood and avoid sunlight to survive (luckily he was impervious to such usual vampire repellants as wooden stakes and garlic), Mick made the best of a bad situation by taking a job that allow him to work nights and to spend his days sleeping in a freezer; and, good-hearted soul that he was, Mick sidestepped the embarrassing necessity of killing people for their blood by forming a strong friendship with morgue attendant Guillermo (Jacob Vargas), who provided him with an endless supply of fresh corpses. Against his better judgment, Mick fell in love with a mortal, intrepid girl reporter Beth Turner (Sophia Myles), who worked for the Buzzwire news service and who frequently accompanied Mick during his investigations. Rounding out the regular characters were Mick's mentor and best friend Josef (Jason Dohring), a remarkably well-preserved 400 year old vampire who supported his luxurious lifestyle as a professional fund trader, and who lacked Mick's compassion for human beings but was willing to avoid biting necks when Beth was around; and police lieutenant Carl Davis (Brian White), who by default was the only entirely normal character on the show. Curiously, the vampiric elements of the series took a back seat to the detective work, which followed the "procedural" format of such series as Law&Order and CSI. Created by Ron Koslow of Beauty and the Beast fame, Moonlight first flapped its wings on September 28, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia Myles, (more)
- 2007
A mysterious, mind-altering epidemic has infected mankind, and when a Washington, D.C. psychiatrist discovers that the outbreak seems to be extraterrestrial in origin, she struggles to save her son from infection in this sci-fi thriller starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel (Das Experiment). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The Next Action Star reality show winners Corinne van Ryck De Groot and Sean Carrigan star in this take on The Most Dangerous Game that finds an indebted former professional quarterback agreeing to pose as the prey in a particularly heated hunt. Sonny Briggs (Carrigan) was once the king of the gridiron, but mounting gambling debts have left him with little to show for his glory years. When Sonny is offered the opportunity to earn $2.4 million if he can stay alive for twenty-four hours while being stalked by an eccentric millionaire (Billy Zane) and a stealthy female hit-woman (van Ryck De Groot), he reluctantly agrees knowing that such a hearty paycheck will allow him to pay off both his creditors and the assassin. After narrowly escaping a bullet in Las Vegas, the hard target next makes his way to Cleveland, Ohio in hopes that the crumbling inner-city will provide just the cover needed to keep out of the crosshairs. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Carrigan, Corinne van Ryck de Groot, (more)
- 2004
The weekly, hour-long series Veronica Mars starred Kristen Bell as the 17-year-old title character, formerly the most popular girl in her high school in the affluent community of Neptune. Ever since her sheriff father, Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni), was fired and publicly disgraced for daring to suggest that Jake Kane (Kyle Secor), the town's wealthiest man, may have been responsible for the murder of his own daughter, Lilly (Amanda Seyfried), Veronica had been a social pariah, shunned by all of the "right" people and the "coolest" kids -- including her former boyfriend, Lilly's troubled brother, Duncan (Teddy Dunn). Determined to solve the murder of her best friend Lilly and clear her father's name, Veronica became a crusading reporter for her school newspaper, under the watchful eye of journalism teacher Mallory Dent (Sydney Tamiia Poitier). She also moonlighted as a private eye, helping her dad Keith run his private detective agency, Mars Investigations. In so doing, Veronica forced many of her antagonists in Neptune to face up to the unpleasant truths hidden away in their own souls, and also dug up more than a few inconvenient skeletons in a few high-maintenance closets. The cast included Percy Daggs III as Wallace Fennel, the nerdy new kid in school who became the closest ally of fellow outcast Veronica; Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls, the wildly undisciplined son of Neptune's two resident movie stars, Aaron and Lynn Echolls, and Duncan Kane's closest friend; and Francis Capra as punkish Eli "Weevil" Navarro, head of the school's most feared gang, the PCH Biker Boyz, who through a series of fascinating plot contrivances found himself begrudgingly helping Veronica in her crusade to see that justice was served at all times. Veronica Mars made its UPN network bow on September 22, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Season one of Veronica Mars finds both the title character (Kristen Bell) and her ex-sheriff father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), regarded as lepers in the affluent community of Neptune -- and it's all because Keith made public his suspicion that Jake Kane (Kyle Secor), the town's richest man, killed his own daughter (and Veronica's best friend), Lilly (Amanda Seyfried). Hoping to find Lilly's murderer and redeem her father's reputation, 17-year-old Veronica assists Keith in his efforts to run a private detective agency -- and while in school, she tirelessly crusades for justice as a reporter for the student newspaper. Early in the season, Veronica finds herself with two loyal allies when she protects nerdy new kid Wallace (Percy Daggs III) from school bully Weevil (Francis Capra) -- and then, in the spirit of "fair and balanced" dispersion of justice, she clears Weevil from an unfounded charge of theft. Meanwhile, several of Veronica's fellow Neptunians display bizarre behavior suggesting that they know more about Lilly's death than they're willing to admit, notably Lilly's seriously disturbed brother, Duncan (Teddy Dunn), and his wealthy, arrogant best friend, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). Also, Veronica finds time to delve into the mystery of her mother, Lianne (Corinne Bohrer), who for apparently no reason had abandoned her family a year earlier. And all the while, Veronica does the "Nancy Drew" bit, 21st century style, using her acute detecting skills to restore shattered reputations, expose the dangers of cult worship, and gather vital clues pertinent to kidnappings, switched-at-birth cases, instances of alleged sexual harassment, and illegal fight clubs. The season ends with the episode "Leave It to Beaver," in which Veronica at long last has the opportunity to solve Lilly's murder -- but in so doing she may betray the trust of one near and dear to her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, (more)
- 2003
- Add The Animatrix [Animated Series] to QueueAdd The Animatrix [Animated Series] to top of Queue
Raising the anticipation level for the two Matrix sequels, the Wachowski brothers opened up the franchise to a handful of animators. The project resulted in nine animated shorts that present stories related tangentially to the feature films. World Record features a track star who gets a brief glimpse of life outside the Matrix; A Detective Story chronicles an old-fashioned private eye's attempts to track down the mysterious Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss); Beyond finds a young woman exploring a strange abandoned building; Final Flight of the Osiris includes events that occur just before those in The Matrix Reloaded; Kid's Story follows a teenage boy as he attempts to break out of the Matrix; Matriculated shows a group of humans trying to reprogram a sentient robot; Program features a battle within a simulated samurai fight-training program; and The Second Renaissance Part 1 and The Second Renaissance Part 2 are pseudo-documentaries that reveal how the machines came to take control of the Earth. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Josh Oreck directed this look at the making of The Matrix. In addition to an explanation of the technical achievements, the documentary contains behind-the-scenes footage of stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Laurence Fishburne. One of the most informative sections of the film details the work that went into creating the thrilling fight sequences that appear in the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Kevin Elders directs the USA original movie Jane Doe, a complicated thriller about a woman forcibly implicated in an extortion. As a security officer at weapons development firm CY-KOR, Jane (Teri Hatcher) has access to the company's computer systems and passwords. After her teenaged son Michael (Trevor Blumas) has been kidnapped, she is forced to download classified files from CY-KOR's database and discard evidence of an assassination. Finding herself framed for murder and trying to escape both the police and the kidnappers, Jane manages to rescue Michael and hitch a ride with a truck driver. However, they are soon brought to the Defense Intelligence Agency to meet up with David Doe (Rob Lowe), Jane's ex-husband and Michael's father. He reveals some painful secrets that send the mother and son team on the run again, this time trying to outwit the criminals with their computer skills. Jane Doe should not be confused with the Calista Flockhart movie from 1999 with the same title. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 2000
A handful of ragtag warriors take it upon themselves to win back America's freedom in this weekly action series. In the near future, the democratic government of the United States of America is overthrown in a military takeover, with Col. Devon (James Morrison) ruling the land through martial law. Those who dare to oppose Devon and his forces are imprisoned, but four inmates of William Jefferson Clinton Federal Prison are plotting an escape -- Holt McCallany (Owen Decker), who lost his wife and son during the overthrow; James Barrett (Darius McCrary), a street fighter of remarkable skill; Becca Shaw (Scarlett Chorvat), a beautiful but deadly martial arts master; and Londo Pearl (Bodhi Elfman), whose sense of humor does not disguise his keen strategic skills. Once the foursome manage to escape, they organize an underground movement to depose Col. Devon and restore the rule of the people to the United States. Freedom's regular cast also includes Georg Stanford Brown and Francoise Yip; the series debuted on the UPN network on October 27, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Holt McCallany, Bodhi Elfman, (more)
- 1990
- Add The Adventures of Ford Fairlane to QueueAdd The Adventures of Ford Fairlane to top of Queue
Controversial and often offensive stand-up comedian Andrew Dice Clay made his debut as a feature film star in this crude comedy. Fairlane is a "rock and roll detective" who works in the music business, has an office on Sunset Boulevard, and drives a 1957 Ford, with clothing to match. He floats through the rock clubs of Hollywood, picking up women and clients, and soon stumbles into a case involving the death of a heavy metal singer, a corrupt music executive (Wayne Newton), the murder of a radio shock-jock (Gilbert Gottfried), and the kidnapping of the jock's daughter (Maddie Corman). Music stars like Sheila E. and Motley Crue singer Vince Neil also have cameos in the film, which attempts to transplant Clay's aggressively obnoxious stage persona into a movie environment. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrew Dice Clay, Wayne Newton, (more)
- 1989
It isn't often that a popular TV series is inspired by a literary property that all but destroyed a particular industry, but such was the case with the weekly, half-hour horror anthology Tales From the Crypt. Most of the episodes depicted herein were based on stories originally published in the EC comic book series Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, and Shock Superstories in the 1950s. In these grim little morality plays, a number of nasty characters deservedly met grisly fates appropriate to their misdeeds. Examples included the compulsive neat freak who is cut up into little pieces and then tidily repackaged into carefully labeled mason jars, or the homicidal baseball player whose bloody body parts are used as bats, balls, and bases in a grim nocturnal ball game played by the vengeful teammates of his last victim. It was this sort of merry mayhem that brought down the wrath of professional do-gooders (such as the infamous Dr. Frederick Wertham) and their political co-conspirators, who demanded that the comic book industry immediately purge itself of all horror magazines -- and never mind these were among the best written and illustrated comics in the business.
At any rate, the old EC comics had become classics by the time Tales From the Crypt made its HBO debut on June 10, 1989. The series, like the comic books that inspired it, was hosted by the ghoulish "Cryptkeeper," seen here as a skeletal animatronic puppet whose voice was provided by actor John Kassir. Cracking delightfully gruesome jokes all the while, The Cryptkeeper introduced each episode, and showed up at the denouement to make a few additional creepy comments. In keeping with the standards set by the comics, the individual episodes dealt primarily with unpleasant people who were given their just desserts in an even more unpleasant fashion, usually with supernatural assistance. Several top filmmakers contributed their directorial talents to Tales from the Crypt, among them Robert Zemeckis, Walter Hill, Steven E. de Souza, John Frankenheimer, Elliot Silverstein, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Hanks. The casts were equally impressive, boasting the likes of Joe Pantoliano, Amanda Plummer, Kirk Douglas, Miguel Ferrer, Teri Hatcher, Harry Anderson, Teri Garr, Beau Bridges, Christopher Reeve, Mimi Rogers, Martin Sheen, Shelley Hack, Natasha Richardson, and Ewan McGregor. The seven seasons of Tales from the Crypt, totalling 93 episodes, aired first in uncut, uncensored form on HBO, then were rebroadcast with a few judicious trims and expurgations here and there by the Fox Network. The last first-run episode was telecast July 19, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
At any rate, the old EC comics had become classics by the time Tales From the Crypt made its HBO debut on June 10, 1989. The series, like the comic books that inspired it, was hosted by the ghoulish "Cryptkeeper," seen here as a skeletal animatronic puppet whose voice was provided by actor John Kassir. Cracking delightfully gruesome jokes all the while, The Cryptkeeper introduced each episode, and showed up at the denouement to make a few additional creepy comments. In keeping with the standards set by the comics, the individual episodes dealt primarily with unpleasant people who were given their just desserts in an even more unpleasant fashion, usually with supernatural assistance. Several top filmmakers contributed their directorial talents to Tales from the Crypt, among them Robert Zemeckis, Walter Hill, Steven E. de Souza, John Frankenheimer, Elliot Silverstein, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Hanks. The casts were equally impressive, boasting the likes of Joe Pantoliano, Amanda Plummer, Kirk Douglas, Miguel Ferrer, Teri Hatcher, Harry Anderson, Teri Garr, Beau Bridges, Christopher Reeve, Mimi Rogers, Martin Sheen, Shelley Hack, Natasha Richardson, and Ewan McGregor. The seven seasons of Tales from the Crypt, totalling 93 episodes, aired first in uncut, uncensored form on HBO, then were rebroadcast with a few judicious trims and expurgations here and there by the Fox Network. The last first-run episode was telecast July 19, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Robert Zemeckis' "And All Through the House" is about a psychotic Santa Claus (Larry Drake) who has just escaped from an insane asylum and comes knocking at the door of a woman (Mary Ellen Trainor), who's fresh from killing her husband for greedy reasons. The episode is a remake of one of the segments of the 1972 Tales from the Crypt feature directed by Freddie Francis and starring Joan Collins. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Drake, Mary Ellen Trainor, (more)
A variation on the "buddy-cop" hybridized genre, 48 HRS. greatly bolstered the career of Nick Nolte and made comedian Eddie Murphy a bonafide box-office sensation. When a pair of reckless cop-killers break out of prison, grizzled detective Jack Cates (Nolte) is left no alternative but to spring fast-talking hustler Reggie Hammond (Murphy) from the penitentiary in order to find the criminals. The catch: the pair only have 48 hours to complete their assignment before Hammond must return to prison. Naturally, the two despise each other and even engage in fisticuffs, but eventually the danger facing them proves a strong enough common bond for them to play on the same team, and even achieve a little mutual admiration. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, (more)
- 2010
- R
- Add The Book of Eli to Queue
In a post-apocalyptic America where the once-picturesque countryside has become a desolate and violent wasteland, one man (Denzel Washington) fights to protect that sacred tome that could hold the key to the survival of the human race in this futuristic thriller from filmmaking duo Albert and Allen Hughes (From Hell and Dead Presidents). Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, and Ray Stevenson co-star in the Warner Bros. production. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington
