Jerry Stahl Movies

Johnny Depp re-teams with his Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides director, Rob Marshall, on this remake of the 1934 classic The Thin Man. David Koepp provides the script. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Hubert Selby Jr. was a powerful and influential literary figure whose best-known novels, Last Exit to Brooklyn and Requiem for a Dream, dealt with the dark underside of life in a way that was bleak and often shocking, but also laced with compassion and understanding for the tortured lives of his characters. Selby only completed the eighth grade when he became a merchant marine and contracted a severe case of tuberculosis from infected cattle. While Selby survived thanks to bootleg antibiotics, he lost a lung and had to give up his physically punishing work at sea. Selby took up writing and developed a unique style that helped make his first novel, 1964's Last Exit to Brooklyn, a critical success and a controversial best-seller. However, Selby developed a massive appetite for alcohol and drugs which derailed his career, and by the time he published his second book, 1971's The Room, Selby was all but forgotten. However, Selby's work developed a passionate following in Europe, and was rediscovered in the United States after a successful film adaptation of Last Exit to Brooklyn was released. Hubert Selby Jr.: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow is a documentary which explores the life and work of this unlikely literary icon, and features extensive interviews with Selby as well as his friends and admirers. Interview subjects include Lou Reed, Henry Rollins, Richard Price, Nick Tosches, Ellen Burstyn, Darren Aronofsky, Uli Edel, Amiri Baraka, and Jerry Stahl. Robert Downey Jr. serves as narrator. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This exhaustively researched cable-TV documentary traces the history of drug movies, from camp classics like Reefer Madness to more serious and sober examinations like Requiem for a Dream. Top-heavy with clips from such once-shocking groundbreakers as The Man With the Golden Arm, the "head" flicks of the 1960s and '70s (Easy Rider, the Cheech and Chong vehicles, et al.), the goofy dope-head comedies and the straightforward "wasted-teen" dramas of the '80s (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Drugstore Cowboy) and cautionary epics about the ruined lives of the rich and famous (The Doors) and international narcotics-financed corruption (Traffic), the film illustrates how the truth about the drug culture has been both accurately chronicled and pathetically misrepresented by Hollywood. Several actors, writers, and directors who have worked in films detailing drug use and abuse are interviewed. Assembled by Oscar-winning moviemaker Bruce Sinofsky, Hollywood High was originally telecast by the AMC cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Stars Martin Lawrence and Will Smith return along with director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer for this sequel to the 1995 sleeper hit Bad Boys, the film that sparked the careers of both actors, as well as Bay. Once again, Lawrence and Smith play hotshot, wisecracking Miami narcotics officers Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey. This time around, Burnett and Lowrey have been assigned to head up a task force to investigate the illegal trafficking of ecstasy into the city. They discover that an underground gang war has been instigated by drug kingpin Johnny Tapia (Jordi Molla). In order to cut off the flow of the designer drug, they have to take down Tapia. Unfortunately, there's a wrench thrown into the gears in the form of Burnett's sister Syd, whom Lowrey takes a liking to and begins a relationship with. Tensions rise between the partners, threatening both their friendship and the investigation and putting Syd in harm's way. Also returning from the first film are Joe Pantoliano as Captain Howard, Theresa Randle as Burnett's wife Theresa, and former-NBA star John Salley as 'Hacker' Fletcher. Among the supporting players new to this entry in the series are Peter Stormare and musician, spoken-word artist, and sometimes-actor Henry Rollins. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

The CSI team is called in after four monks are shot to death at close range while worshipping in a Buddhist temple. As Grissom (William L. Petersen) looks into this possible hate crime -- and also advises Sara (Jorja Fox) to be more respectful of the dead than usual -- Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) dolefully reopens a homicide case in which her best friend was killed. It seems that the man convicted of the crime has sworn on his deathbed, and before the cameras of a TV news program, that he is innocent. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Grissom (William L. Petersen) investigates when a jogger is apparently killed by a wild animal. Things get more and more curious when it develops that the victim's liver was removed before the authorities arrived. While the men of the CSI handle the jogger investigation, the women look into the death of a six-year-old child at a seedy carnival. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cicely's resident hermit, Soapy Sanderson (John McLiam), whose scruffy appearance and austere lifestyle belies his expensive education and fabulous wealth, passes on, but not before asking Joel (Rob Morrow) and Maggie (Janine Turner) to oversee the administration of his estate. Among Soapy's holdings are a pair of prized huskies, a bottle of Lafite Rothchild (1975), and acres and acres of land, which the old man wanted to donate free of charge to the local Native Americans. Ultimately, Joel gets on the wrong side of Maggie (again!) by arranging to sell the land for 50,000 dollars to a business-minded Indian chief who needs a tax write-off this year. Meanwhile, a pair of film students want to make a documentary about Soapy, a project that piques the interest of would-be movie "auteur" Ed (Darren E. Burrows). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

His face ruined by plastic surgeon Dr. Simon Brill (Nicholas Pryor), wealthy recluse Leslie Hunzinger (Andrew Robinson) wants to sue Brill for malpractice, and hires David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) to gather the necessary investigation. Their investigation leads the detectives down a long and winding trail of broken hearts and vengeful females. In fact, things get so complicated that at one point, the comment is made that Moonlighting probably won't be able to get 22 episodes in the can this season after all! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A dying burglar hires Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) and David (Bruce Willis) to investigate a heist committed 25 years ago. No, the old man doesn't want to clear his name; instead, he wants to prove to the cops that he has committed the "perfect crime." Maddie wants no part of this, but David is intrigued. And besides, it will get their minds off the much-talked-about "Anselmo Case" (remember?) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi