The Ice Storm 1997 R, 113 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Ang Lee Cast: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Henry Czerny, Sigourney Weaver, Jamey Sheridan, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, Courtney Peldon, David Krumholtz, Adam Hann-Byrd, Tobey Maguire, Kate Burton, Katie Holmes, Maia Danziger, Michael Cumpsty
Set in Connecticut during the weekend after Thanksgiving, 1973, this is a tale about members of the wealthy Hood and Carver families who have lost purpose in their lives. Sixteen-year-old Paul Hood (Tobey Maguire) is home from prep school but wishing he was nearer to Casey (Katie Holmes) who he has a crush on. Meanwhile, his 14-year-old sister Wendy (Christina Ricci) has been playing around sexually with neighbor Mikey Carver (Elijah Wood)–whose mother Janey (Sigourney Weaver) is having an affair with Wendy's father Ben (Kevin Kline). Ben's wife Elena (Joan Allen) knows that there are problems but has no idea of how to cope. The ice storm hits, and they find things turning from bad to worse.
|  | |
Starting Out in the Evening 2007 PG-13, 111 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Andrew Wagner Cast: Frank Langella, Lauren Ambrose, Lili Taylor, Adrian Lester, Jessica Hecht, Michael Cumpsty, Jeff McCarthy, Patti Perkins, Karl Bury, Anitha Gandhi, Dennis Parlato, Sean T. Krishnan, Joel West
The life of aging, out-of-print novelist Leonard Schiller (Frank Langella) is changed when grad student Heather Wolfe (Lauren Ambrose) enters the scene. She wants to write her master's thesis on Leonard's novels and asks for his assistance. Leonard is flattered and agrees to help, but his reclusive 34-year-old daughter Ariel (Lili Taylor) is suspicious of Heather's attentions. Ariel is also just coming out of a long depression and worries over whether or not she wants ex-boyfriend Casey (Adrian Lester) back in her life and fathering the baby she so desperately wants. Will these four mismatched people find the steps necessary to help themselves find new beginnings?
|  | |
The Visitor 2008 PG-13, 108 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Thomas McCarthy Cast: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Jekesai Gurira, Hiam Abbass, Marian Seldes, Maggie Moore, Michael Cumpsty, Bill McHenry, Richard Kind, Tzahi Moskovitz, Amir Arison, Neal Lerner
Sixty-two-year-old, Connecticut economics Professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) has lost his purpose in life. When he attends a conference in New York City, he finds a young couple–Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira)–residing in his seldom-used Manhattan apartment. They had rented the apartment from a con man who knew that Walter was not living there. Walter allows them to stay, and that decision opens up a new world for him. Tarek teaches Walter how to play the African drum, and Walter is delighted to discover the world of jazz. When Tarek is arrested as an illegal immigrant, Walter comes to his aid. Tarek's mother Mouna (Hiam Abbass) arrives in the city looking for her son, and romance also enters Walter's world. Cultural differences have fallen by the wayside. Jenkins received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
|  | |
| 1. The Ice Storm (1997)
2. Starting Out in the Evening (2007)
3. The Visitor (2008)
In The News
|