Victor Slezak Movies

2009  
PG  
Add Bride Wars to QueueAdd Bride Wars to top of Queue
A clerical error tests the lifelong friendship of two brides-to-be by scheduling their respective weddings at the famed Plaza Hotel on the exact same date in this romantic comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. Ever since they were little girls, Liv (Hudson) and Emma (Hathaway) have bonded over planning their weddings down to the very last detail. Now, both in their mid-twenties, Liv and Emma have each found the men they want to spend the rest of their lives with. But while most of the details regarding their respective weddings don't overlap, the one thing that both Liv and Emma have always dreamt of is holding their ceremony at the legendary Plaza Hotel -- New Your City's ultimate bridal destination. Unfortunately, a simple clerical error has scheduled both of their weddings on the exact same date, at the exact same place. As a high-powered lawyer who's used to getting her way, Liv simply isn't willing to settle for anything less than perfection. And though simple schoolteacher Emma has always placed the needs of others above her own, the prospect of making any sacrifices on her big day brings out her inner bridezilla in ways that shock her unsuspecting friends and family. There was a time when Liv and Emma would have done anything for each other, but now that the two best friends are at odds over who will get their dream wedding and who will have to settle for second best, the lacy gloves are off and it's all-out war. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Kate HudsonAnne Hathaway, (more)
2008  
PG13  
Add The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 to QueueAdd The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 to top of Queue
The 2008 sequel to the female buddy film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants constitutes an adaptation of Ann Brashares' novel Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood. Like the premier installment, this picture explores the seriocomic events that unfold one summer in the lives of four temporarily estranged friends as an extremely special pair of jeans works its way from one girl to the next. In one subplot, Lena (Alexis Bledel) travels to Providence, RI, and enrolls in a painting course; in another, Bridget (Blake Lively) embarks on an archaeological excavation in Greece; in a third, Carmen (America Ferrera) works on the backstage crew for a Vermont-based theater festival; and in the fourth, Tibby remains in New York and enrolls in summer courses. Sanaa Hamri, best known for her Prince and Mariah Carey music videos, directs; Elizabeth Chandler, who co-scripted the first film, adapts the Brashares book. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Amber TamblynAlexis Bledel, (more)
2008  
 
Add Taking Chance to QueueAdd Taking Chance to top of Queue
Inspired by the true story of the United States Marine who volunteered to escort the remains of a nineteen year old soldier who was killed in Iraq to his small hometown in remote Wyoming, Taking Chance stars Kevin Bacon in the feature directorial debut of Oscar-nominated producer Ross Katz. Lance Corporal Chance Phelps (USMC) was just nineteen years old when he was killed during active duty. Now, as Lance Corporal Phelps is prepared for his final journey back home, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl (USMC) (Bacon) makes it his personal mission to ensure that his fallen brother is laid to rest with the proper respect. As the journey begins, Lieutenant Colonel Strobl gains a greater appreciation of the sacrifices made in war than ever before. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Kevin BaconPaige Turco, (more)
2005  
R  
Add The Notorious Bettie Page to QueueAdd The Notorious Bettie Page to top of Queue
Celebrated and vilified in equal measure, the pinup goddess Bettie Page inspired a legion of followers -- and an indecency scandal -- by appearing in a series of nude, sado-masochistic, and/or revealing magazine spreads in the 1950s. An era later, writer/director Mary Harron casts a knowing eye upon the woman who indirectly gave birth to modern pornography in the biopic The Notorious Bettie Page. As a teen, Page (Gretchen Mol) is a smart, plucky girl with ambitions beyond her Tennessee roots. Suffering varying degrees of abuse from her father, her first husband, and suitors of dubious virtue, Page makes her way to New York City, where an amateur photographer discovers her lounging on the beach. It isn't long before images of the shapely brunette reach Irving and Paula Klaw (Chris Bauer and Lili Taylor), brother-and-sister entrepreneurs who publish illicit magazines dedicated primarily to men's fetishes. The casual nudist Page eventually finds herself acquiescing to their requests to don thigh-high boots, whips, and chains, which raise the ire of the smut-fearing senator Estes Kefauver (David Strathairn). The Notorious Bettie Page had its North American premiere at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Gretchen MolChristopher Bauer, (more)
2002  
 
More than a decade after his directorial debut, Moontrap, visual effects artist Robert Dyke took his second turn behind the camera as writer and director of this science fiction drama. Time Quest both asks and answers the question of what would have happened had President Kennedy (Victor Slezak) not been assassinated while riding in a Dallas motorcade, when a time traveler played by Ralph Waite (The Waltons) ventures back to November 22, 1963, and prevents the murder. The film also stars Caprice Benedetti as Jacqueline Kennedy and Vince Grant as Robert F. Kennedy. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

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2001  
 
Martha Coolidge (Real Genius, Out to Sea) directed this light PBS drama about a rich eccentric who is overly generous with his fortune. Ally McBeal's Peter MacNicol stars as Daniel Ponder, the wealthy man in question, who finds himself charged with murder after his young bride is found dead. Produced in 2001, The Ponder Heart co-stars JoBeth Williams, Angela Bettis, Boyce Holleman, and Star Trek: The Next Generation's Brent Spiner. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

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2000  
 
This adaptation of J.G. Ballard's acclaimed avant-garde novel follows Travis Talbert (Victor Slezak), a university professor who is fascinated with humankind's history of violent self-destruction. Joining with his colleague Dr. Nathan (Michael Kirby) and his lover (Anna Juvander), Talbert begins staging elaborate reenactments of humanity's most grotesque and infamous acts against itself, while Talbert ponders using his talents to begin World War III as the ultimate nihilist statement. The Atrocity Exhibition was the debut feature for writer and director Jonathan Weiss. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Victor SlezakMichael Kirby, (more)
2000  
 
An extremely likely suspect is arrested after a woman is found murdered in a subway car. Unfortunately, he may be able to beat the rap if it is proven that, due to budget cutbacks, he wasn't provided proper medication in prison. This Law & Order episode provides an interesting contrast to earlier plot lines in which the right of mentally disturbed people not to submit to treatment was the crux of the case. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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2000  
R  
Add Lost Souls to QueueAdd Lost Souls to top of Queue
A woman who has survived the touch of ultimate evil must now save one man from the same fate in order to protect the world in this supernatural thriller. Maya Larkin (Winona Ryder) is a devout Catholic who is said to have been possessed by a demon as a child; she now works with Father Lareaux (John Hurt) and John Townshend (Elias Koteas), fellow believers who perform exorcisms on troubled souls they believe are controlled by Satan. While performing an exorcism on a mass murderer, Henry Birdsong (John Diehl), Maya, and her cohorts come in contact with Peter Kelson (Ben Chaplin), a journalist and noted authority on the criminal mind who believes the notion of "evil with a capital E" is absurd. Peter is an agnostic despite being raised by a Catholic priest; his uncle, Father James (Philip Baker Hall), raised Peter after the death of his parents while he was still a child. During their failed exorcism, Birdsong tells Maya that Satan will return to Earth, inhabiting the body of a man in order to reclaim this world. As Maya attempts to unravel the code of who the devil's victim will be, she comes to the awful realization that the most likely candidate is Peter Kelson. Lost Souls marked the directorial debut of cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, whose camera credits include Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, and Jerry Maguire. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Winona RyderBen Chaplin, (more)
1999  
 
A road comedy that touches on issues of racial and personal identity, Fools Gold was the feature-length debut for writer/director Jeffrey Janger. Flimp Lopez (Billy Gallo) is Hispanic and Sam Wechter (Blair Singer) is Jewish, which makes both of them outsiders in Oiltown, OK, where they work in a salvage yard. When Flimp hears that a wealthy Latino has moved into one of the town's most expensive dwellings, he's naturally curious and wants to stop by and take a look; Sam tags along. When they get to the house, they discover that something has gone horribly wrong and suddenly they're leading suspects in a violent crime. The pair makes tracks out of town, picking up two sales clerks from a roadside stand along the way, but soon the FBI is following close behind. Fools Gold was shown as part of the American Spectrum series at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Blair SingerBilly Gallo, (more)
1998  
R  
Add One Tough Cop to QueueAdd One Tough Cop to top of Queue
Brazilian director Bruno Barreto helmed this Jeremy Iacone screenplay "inspired by" New York detective Bo Dietl's 1988 autobiography, One Tough Cop: The Bo Dietl Story. However, the credits display this line: "Except for the character of Bo Dietl, all characters and situations portrayed in this film are fictional." During a routine drug bust, Bo Dietl (Stephen Baldwin) and his short-fused partner Duke (Chris Penn) encounter a hostage situation when Popi (Luis Guzman) kills his unfaithful wife. Bo gets Popi to release his young daughter, but the man kills himself. Bo's lifelong buddy Richie La Cassa (Mike McGlone), owner of the plush La Cassa club, didn't let marriage keep him away from attractive Joey O'Hara (Gina Gershon) -- an affair brought to a close by Joey. After she takes an interest in Bo, the atmosphere heats up considerably, causing a rift with Richie. In a sequence based on a 1981 incident, a nun is raped and mutilated at a Harlem convent school. Bo and Duke are not part of the investigation, which leads to trouble when they begin to get an inside track on the case. Their mob contacts attract the attention of two FBI agents (Amy Irving and Victor Slezak), who put pressure on Bo and Duke as part of a federal investigation. When Duke's debts to crime bosses become a problem, Bo steps in, creating yet more friction with his old pal Richie. Filmed in New York and Toronto, this film was shown at the 1998 Mill Valley Film Festival. The real-life Bo Dietl occasionally turns up as a guest on The Howard Stern Show. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Stephen BaldwinChris Penn, (more)
1997  
R  
Add The Devil's Own to QueueAdd The Devil's Own to top of Queue
A policeman plays Good Samaritan to a visitor from Ireland, only to discover that he has a potentially deadly secret. Belfast-born Frankie McGuire (Brad Pitt) saw his father gunned down by enemy soldiers at the age of eight, and when he grew up he joined the Irish Republican Army, determined that one day his father's death would be avenged. An especially ruthless "volunteer," Frankie is responsible for the death of 13 British soldiers and 11 policemen. After a particularly bloody battle, Frankie sails to the United States in a ragged tugboat he has restored; with a huge bundle of cash, Frankie intends to buy a stock of Stinger missiles from an underground arms dealer in America, Billy Burke (Treat Williams). Upon arrival in New York, Frankie is met by a judge who is sympathetic to the IRA's cause and who arranges a place for him to stay. Using the name Rory Devaney, Frankie moves into the home of Tom O'Meara (Harrison Ford), a scrupulously honest cop. Tom is already in the midst of a personal crisis; his friend and partner Edwin Diaz (Ruben Blades) recently shot a man that he knew was unarmed in the line of duty, and while Edwin wants Tom to help him cover up the matter, Tom's conscience will not allow it. When Tom begins to realize that "Rory" is not simply a man running from the violence of his homeland, he's torn between his sympathy for Frankie's tragic childhood and his desire to see justice served and prevent needless death in Ireland. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Harrison FordBrad Pitt, (more)
1996  
 
The detectives investigate when Richard Spiegel, chief financial officer for an upscale family owned department store, is found murdered. As usual, the case is top-heavy with likely suspects. Eventually the field narrows to two women, the dead man's widow (Anne Twomey) and his possible mistress (Jean de Baer) -- both of whom are daughters of the store's owner Seymour Bergreen (Joseph Wiseman). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1995  
R  
Add Beyond Rangoon to QueueAdd Beyond Rangoon to top of Queue
In a role originally intended for Meg Ryan, Patricia Arquette plays Dr. Laura Bowman in director John Boorman's film of an American abroad in a strange country. It's 1988 and Laura is desperate to flee the United States and the memory of her husband and son's murders. Accompanied by her sister, Andy (Frances McDormand), she heads for Burma just as the peaceful protests against the country's military government take a more violent turn. Andy and the rest of their party flee in a hurry, but Laura is forced to stay behind when she loses her passport. A former professor (Aung Ko) offers her guidance to the border of Thailand, where they both hope to make their escape. Boorman's scenes of action and violence are well-staged, but Arquette is not big enough to carry the film and her plight seems inconsequential next to that of the Burmese as the military begins its ruthless crackdown. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Patricia ArquetteFrances McDormand, (more)
1995  
PG13  
Add The Bridges of Madison County to QueueAdd The Bridges of Madison County to top of Queue
The brief, illicit love affair between an Iowa housewife and a post-middle-age free-lance photographer is chronicled in this powerful romance based on the best-selling novella by Robert James Waller. The story begins as globetrotting National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid journeys to Madison County in 1965 to film its lovely covered bridges. Upon his arrival, he stops by an old farmhouse to ask directions. There he encounters housewife, Francesca Johnson, whose spouse and two children are out of town. Thus begins their four-day affair, a liaison that fundamentally changes them both. Later Francesca chronicles the affair in a diary which her flabbergasted grown children read; never would they have expected their mother to be capable of the passion she experienced with Kincaid. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Clint EastwoodMeryl Streep, (more)
1995  
R  
Add Just Cause to QueueAdd Just Cause to top of Queue
The novel by John Katzenbach becomes this legal thriller starring Sean Connery as Harvard Law School professor Paul Armstrong. A legal expert whose days of trying cases are long behind him, Armstrong is moved by a plea he receives from a Florida death row inmate, Bobby Earl (Blair Underwood). It seems that the educated, upstanding Earl has been railroaded by an overeager sheriff (Laurence Fishburne) zealously trying to solve the kidnapping and murder of a little girl. Once Armstrong arrives in Florida, he is able to locate the murder weapon and cast doubt on Earl's innocence, even identifying a much more likely culprit in the homicidal genius Blair Sullivan (Ed Harris). All is not as it seems in the case of Bobby Earl, however, and Armstrong is going to end up regretting his interest in the case. Ruby Dee, Kate Capshaw, and Ned Beatty costar in this film from producer-turned-director Arne Glimcher. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Sean ConneryLaurence Fishburne, (more)
1994  
 
A pedestrian is struck and killed by a truck. An accident? Not so, insist the detectives and the D.A.'s office, especially when evidence reveals a link connecting the victim, a prominent baby food manufacturer, and the Russian mafia. Assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) promises that no harm will befall an important witness -- a promise which he is tragically unable to keep. This final fourth season episode of Law & Order also represented the series swan song of co-star Michael Moriarty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1993  
R  
Danny Glover plays Jerry, a caring street person who takes a mentally retarded Matthew Dillon under his wing, teaching him the survival smarts so necessary to society's left-overs. The two team up with three other vagrants in an attempt to build a nuclear group-support community and find little lasting security in the cold NYC street world. ~ All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Danny GloverMatt Dillon, (more)
1992  
 
A mysterious stranger has a surprising effect on three generations of women in this romantic comedy-drama. Ruth (Colleen Dewhurst) is a widow who runs a bed and breakfast in a small New England tourist community. Ruth shares her home with Claire (Talia Shire), who recently lost her husband, a well-known 1960s political activist, and Claire's daughter Cassie (Nina Siemaszko). Claire has to deal with the humiliation of a recent biography of her late husband that reveals the impressive degree of his infidelity, while Cassie is expected to follow in her father's political footsteps, even though she'd rather pursue a career in music. One day, the three women discover a gentleman who calls himself Adam (Roger Moore) has washed up on the shore. Adam is a con artist who was literally thrown off the yacht of someone he was trying to cheat, and now he fakes amnesia while he tries to get back on his feet and hide from his most recent victims. He does some odd jobs around the B&B to earn his keep and begins courting Claire, while he urges Ruth to take a chance with the lobster fisherman who has been after her for a date and encourages Cassie to follow her dream of making music. Bed and Breakfast was directed by Robert Ellis Miller, best known for his TV work and the feature Reuben, Reuben; the film was shot in 1989 but didn't receive its limited release until three years later. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Roger MooreTalia Shire, (more)
1992  
 
There is no shortage of suspects when a famous Wall Street corporate raider is murdered. Virtually everyone in New York had ample reason to hate the "King of the Takeovers" -- but did that hatred extend to the ailing union leader (Eli Wallach) whose gun was stolen to possibly commit the crime? Worse still, one of the prime suspects is former governor Dwight Corcoran (William Prince), a lifelong friend of District Attorney Adam Schiff (Steven Hill). This episode of Law & Order brought the series' second season to a powerful conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1992  
 
Add Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story to QueueAdd Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story to top of Queue
Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story is a made-for-cable adaptation of James Neff's Mobbed Up, a real-life account about Teamster president Jackie Presser. Brian Dennehy plays Presser, who was Jimmy Hoffa's successor as president of the Teamsters. Like Hoffa, Presser was caught between the Mafia, the FBI, and his own ambitions, and the film follows his rise to power, as well as all the trials and tribulations that arose while he was president of the Teamsters. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Brian DennehyJeff Daniels, (more)
1991  
PG13  
Add Strictly Business to QueueAdd Strictly Business to top of Queue
In this lively comedy, an African American yuppie rethinks life on the corporate fast-track after he falls in love with an ultra hip club promoter. Knowing that she finds him a total square, he seeks the advice of a swinging young mail boy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Tommy DavidsonJoseph C. Phillips, (more)
1987  
R  
Add Five Corners to QueueAdd Five Corners to top of Queue
Quirky comedy, intense drama, and warm nostalgia are all combined in this eccentric look at one night in 1964 amongst the residents of the Five Corners neighborhood of the Bronx. The bulk of the film concerns Linda (Jodie Foster), a young woman who finds herself stalked by a disturbed rapist fresh out of prison. Needing protection, she turns to her formerly tough ex-boyfriend, only to discover that a recent political awakening has transformed him into a pacifist. The tension of Linda's situation is leavened by the film's attention to its bizarre subplots, which include a stolen penguin, partying teenagers who encounter trouble with an elevator, and a pair of detectives investigating a series of mysterious bow-and-arrow attacks. The script by John Patrick Shanley, who won the 1987 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Moonstruck, manages to (for the most part) bring these seemingly unrelated stories together into a fairly logical conclusion. Even though numerous critics felt that Five Corners' mixture of widely disparate tones was not completely successful, the end result is a surprisingly charming and unique tribute to a time and a place. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Jodie FosterTim Robbins, (more)

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