63% (3) Little Odessa 98 min, R, [Crime, Drama] [James Gray] [19 May 1995]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 68%, Rotten Tomatoes: 61%, Metacritic: 62%, External Reviews
Awards: 4 wins & 6 nominations.
Actors: Edward Furlong, Moira Kelly, Tim Roth, Vanessa Redgrave
Writer: James Gray
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: This film tells a bitter tale of a dysfunctional family. Joshua, a cold-blooded professional killer, returns to his Brighton Beach boyhood home for a "job." He knows it will be difficult to return to the Russian-immigrant community of his youth--in his eyes, we see anticipation of the inevitable emotional pain and psychic turmoil that seeing his forsaken family and estranged companions will bring him. To do his job, and try to maintain some semblence of sanity, he has had to wall off his humanity from even himself. Seeing his kid brother, who adores him, talking with his dying mother, who still loves him, and yes, arguing with his abusive father, begins to wreak havoc with his personal defenses. As his steely demeanor begins to dissolve, we are shown the soul of a hit-man crumbling away, piece by piece. Finally, all that he now allows himself to admit that he loves is agonizingly torn away from him and he is left with the ultimate punishment for his transgressions.
Rotten Tomatoes: A somber portrait of organized crime and family trauma, Little Odessa centers on the trouble caused when hit man Joshua Shapira (Tim Roth) returns to his old neighborhood of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. A hired killer for the Russian Mafia, Joshua is given an assignment in his hometown, where he renews contact with his younger brother Reuben (Edward Furlong) and an old flame (Moira Kelly). But others do not welcome Joshua's return, particularly his harsh, estranged father (Maximillian Schell), who had disowned Joshua years before and currently attempts to keep him from visiting his seriously ill mother (Vanessa Redgrave). The pressure of these family crises combine with Joshua's deepening involvement in the local crime scene, ultimately triggering a bloody confrontation. First-time director James Gray creates a solemn, oppressive atmosphere that emphasizes the already grim nature of his story. The slow pace and familiar crime narrative were attacked by many viewers, contributing to a mixed critical reaction, but Little Odessa nevertheless won admiration for Gray's visual sense and the skilled performance by Roth in the unsympathetic lead role.
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66% (2) The Cutting Edge 101 min, PG, [Drama, Romance, Sport] [Paul Michael Glaser] [27 Mar 1992]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 69%, Rotten Tomatoes: 45%, External Reviews
Actors: D.B. Sweeney, Moira Kelly, Roy Dotrice, Terry O'Quinn
Writer: Tony Gilroy
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English, French Country: USA
Plot: At the 1988 Winter Olympics at Calgary, we see Doug Dorsey battered in a vicious hockey game against West Germany. We then see Kate Moseley doing her program and falling when a lift goes bad. Both have fought all their life to get to the Olympics and suddenly the dream has been shattered. The movie then follows Kate, a tempermental but talented figure skater, through many partners until finally her coach resorts to recruiting a hockey player. Through the difficult training of 15 hours of skating a day they finally prepare for Nationals and the Olympics. A romance is budding and their final show could bend or break them as they try to achieve their dreams of an Olympic Gold medal.
Rotten Tomatoes: Can a rough and tumble hockey player and a snooty ice dancer find love and a gold medal at the same time? That's the burning (or more appropriately freezing) question in this romantic drama. Kate Moseley (Moira Kelly) is a world-class figure skater training for the Olympics; she has genuine talent, but years of being spoiled by her wealthy family have made her all but impossible to work with. Doug Dorsey (D.B. Sweeney) is a hockey player with drive, skill, and a full complement of arrogance; his team is also on the fast track to the Olympics. Unfortunately, an eye injury suffered during a game affects Doug's peripheral vision enough to put him on the bench for the rest of the season. At the same time, Kate's colossal ego scares off yet another skating partner, and her coach, Anton (Roy Dotrice), needs to find a replacement as soon as possible. Desperate to stay in Olympic competition, Doug agrees to try working as Kate's partner, even though he has a hockey player's macho contempt for figure skating. Needless to say, the first few practices between Kate and Doug do not go well, but in time they learn to work together and become a pair to be reckoned with both on and off the ice. The Cutting Edge was released within a few months of the 1992 Winter Olympic Games.
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56% (2) Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story 110 min, PG-13, [Biography, Drama, Romance] [Michael Ray Rhodes] [27 Sep 1996]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 63%, Rotten Tomatoes: 50%, External Reviews
Actors: Lenny von Dohlen, Martin Sheen, Melinda Dillon, Moira Kelly
Writer: John Wells
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: The phrase "entertaining angels" refers to the practice of treating all guests--be they kings or peasants--as if they were visiting angels. This is the challenge for all humble Christians and the one Dorothy Day rises to meet.
Rotten Tomatoes: This biographical drama was based on the true story of Dorothy Day, a devout Catholic who devoted much of her life to working with the poor and homeless on New York City's Lower East Side. Born in an Episcopalian household in 1897, Day (played by Moira Kelly) was a free-thinking agnostic in her young adulthood; she contributed to radical leftist journals and was friends with the likes of Eugene O'Neill (James Lancaste) and Mike Gold (Paul Lieber). After undergoing a painful abortion and giving birth to another child out of wedlock after her lover, Foster Batterham (Lenny Von Dohlen), abandoned her rather than marry, Day embraced Catholicism, a faith she would cling to strongly for the rest of her life. Day's leftist politics and her sense of personal activism remained; she established a political journal, "The Catholic Worker," in association with self-described Christian anarchist Peter Maurin (Martin Sheen), and was a tireless and outspoken champion of the rights of the poor and disenfranchised. Day came under heavy criticism for her political and social activism; as she put it, "If you feed the poor, you're called a saint, but if you ask why they're poor, you're called a Communist." However, Day continued her mission undaunted until her death in 1980, when she was called America's Mother Teresa. Entertaining Angels was produced by Paulist Pictures, a Catholic organization who also produced Romero, another film about a noted Catholic activist.
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42% (2) With Honors 101 min, PG-13, [Comedy, Drama] [Alek Keshishian] [29 Apr 1994]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 67%, Rotten Tomatoes: 17%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations.
Actors: Brendan Fraser, Joe Pesci, Moira Kelly, Patrick Dempsey
Writer: William Mastrosimone
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Monty is a student, and when his computer crashes, he's left with only a single paper copy of his thesis. Frightened of losing it, he immediately rushes out to photocopy it, only to stumble and drop it down a grate. Searching the basement of the building, he discovers that it has been found by Simon, a squatter. Simon makes a deal with Monty: for every day's accomodation and food that Monty gives him, he will give a page of the thesis in return.
Rotten Tomatoes: In this politically correct drama an arrogant college student is humbled by a bum. Monty is a cynical, conservative student at Harvard. One day Monty accidently drops his only copy of his 100 page thesis. The work is caught by Simon, a bum who lives under the college library. Monty, desperately needing his thesis, demands that Simon return it. Simon, offended by the young man tells him where to go, but then sees a golden opportunity and makes a deal with Simon. He will return one page of the thesis in exchange for each favor Monty does for Simon. Monty reluctantly agrees and learns valuable lessons about life and himself.
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29% (2) The Tie That Binds 99 min, R, [Crime, Drama, Thriller] [Wesley Strick] [08 Sep 1995]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 50%, Rotten Tomatoes: 8%, External Reviews
Awards: 1 nomination.
Actors: Daryl Hannah, Keith Carradine, Moira Kelly, Vincent Spano
Writer: Michael Auerbach
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: John Netherwood and his wife Leann are fugitives who are both wanted for murder. They have a young daughter named Janie. John and Leann are in the process of robbing a house when the two ...
Rotten Tomatoes: In this graphically violent thriller, outlaws John and Lean Netherwood are forced to leave their little daughter Janie behind when they flee the scene of their last crime. The traumatized little girl is taken in by a patient, loving couple, but trouble ensues when her evil birth parents return for her.
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48% (1) Daybreak 91 min, R, [Action, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi] [Stephen Tolkin] [08 May 1993]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 48%, External Reviews
Actors: Cuba Gooding Jr., Martha Plimpton, Moira Kelly, Omar Epps
Writer: Alan Bowne (play), Stephen Tolkin (teleplay)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Drama based on Alan Bowne's play Beirut, takes place in the decrepit New York City of the near future, controlled by a fascistic government.
Rotten Tomatoes: In this chilling made-for-cable drama, the population of the United States is nearly wiped out by a sexually transmitted disease. In order to stop its spread, those infected are sequestered in special camps. To make sure no infected person is allowed to go free, a group of vigilantes begins terrorizing city streets in search of carriers. The story is based on an off-Broadway play by Alan Browne.
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