Songcatcher
by Maggie Greenwald
from Lions Gate
Hauntingly beautiful folk music and stunning Appalachian scenery take center stage in this winner of the 2000 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for outstanding ensemble performance. Musicologist Dr. Lily Penleric has a deep love of English folk ballads. After a humiliating failure to make full professor, she heads off to visit her sister's tiny school in rural Appalachia and finds herself in folk music central. Lily is entranced, but the locals are suspicious of the outlander's motivations. Issues of tolerance, clashing cultures, and Big Bad Men abound, but Songcatcher wisely focuses on the music. Janet McTeer does fine with the "repressed academic gets in touch with the earth" role, but her truly outstanding work is in revealing scholar Lily's rapture in her discoveries. McTeer leads a truly great cast, including the wonderful Pat Carroll, and a just-for-the-hell-of-it cameo by bluesman Taj Mahal. Songcatcher has a healthy respect for the mountain people it portrays, and an absolute reverence for their music. --Ali Davis
When musicologist Doctor Lily Penleric (Janet McTeer) is passed over for a prominent teaching position, she leaves the city to visit her sister in the beautifully rugged mountains of Appalachia. It is here she discovers a wellspring of emotional tunes passed down from the original Irish and Scottish immigrants who settled in these parts. Determined to document the history of the songs, she immerses herself in mountain life, falls in love with a local musician, Aidan Quinn, and is profoundly changed by the generosity, strength, and freedom of the fiercely proud mountain people.
The Adventures of Pete & Pete - Season 1
by Damon Santostefano
from Nickelodeon
Pete and Pete took an alternative rock approach to the family sitcom. In other words, this wasn't your dad's situation comedy. Is it any wonder so many alternative musicians, like Juliana Hatfield, the B-52's Kate Pierson, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, and Blondie's Debbie Harry flocked to the (fictional) town of Wellsville? Nor could independent film actors, like Richard Edson (Stranger Than Paradise), Martin Donovan (Saved!), and Steve Buscemi (Fargo), resist the allure of the appealingly offbeat Wrigley family.
Meet the Wrigleys: redheaded teenager Pete (Michael Maronna, Home Alone), redheaded elementary school student Pete (Danny Tamberelli, The Mighty Ducks) and his tattoo Petunia, Dad (Hardy Rawls), Mom (Judy Grafe)--and the metal plate in her head. First season cast members include Big Pete's almost-girlfriend Ellen (Alison Fanelli), Little Pete's pal Natasha (Heather Matarazzo, Welcome to the Dollhouse), bus driver Stu (Damian Young), and Little Pete's personal superhero, Artie (Toby Huss), the strongest man in the world. Buscemi appears as Ellen's dad in "Apocalypse Pete" and would return for another episode in the second season.
The first season followed three years of 60-second shorts. It features 12 adventures (eight regular episodes plus four specials). Highlights include "King of the Road," in which the Wrigleys battle for road trip supremacy, "Tool and Die," in which Big Pete learns not to judge a shop teacher by his cover, and "Hard Day's Pete," in which Little Pete forms the Blowholes with Syd Straw and Marshall Crenshaw. Then there's "Don't Tread on Pete," in which Little Pete utters the immortal line, "Is this guy pickin' your scabs the way he's pickin' my scabs?" The Adventures of Pete and Pete ran on Nickelodeon for three well-loved, much-missed seasons. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
In THE ADVENTURES OF PETE & PETE, Pete and Pete are two redheaded brothers living in the somewhat surreal town of Wellsville. Pete, the older of the two, narrates the stories about their adventures in everyday life.
The Adventures of Pete & Pete - Season 2
by Damon Santostefano
from Nickelodeon
A new neighbor joins the redheaded brothers for their second season on Nickelodeon. The accident-prone Nona Mecklenberg (Michelle Trachtenberg) makes her first appearance in the premiere ("Grounded for Life"), where she is introduced as "the loneliest girl in Wellsville." By the end of the episode, that's no longer true as she and Little Pete (Danny Tamberelli) have become fast friends. Alas, nobody can take the place of his pet lizard, Gary, who makes his debut--and swan song--in the following adventure ("The Big Quiet'). Mona's dad, James (Iggy Pop, looking sharp in cardigan and khakis), will join the cast just in time for "Halloweenie," in which Pumpkin Eaters terrorize the neighborhood.
As for Big Pete (Michael Maronna), he'll finally ask Ellen (Alison Fanelli) out in "Time Tunnel". Endless Mike (Rick Gomez), in a rare moment of kindness, will lend him his car. It won't really change things, however. Maybe some people are meant to be friends--and others to be enemies. Then there are the Wrigley parents. In the first season, Dad (Hardy Rawls) fought for road trip supremacy. Now it's about having the best lawn and catching Bob, the biggest fish in the lake. Metal plate aside, Mom (Judy Grafe) does what she can to keep the craziness in check.As before, Big Pete narrates in that delightful deadpan, and many old favorites are back: bus driver Stu (Damian Young), math teacher Miss Fingerwood (Syd Straw), Ellen's dad, Mr. Hickle (Steve Buscemi), and strongman Artie (Toby Huss). Little Pete's personal superhero will make his final appearance in the two-part "Farewell, My Little Viking." Guest stars include Gordon Gano as substitute teacher Zank ("X=Why?"), Bebe Neuwirth as McGinty the mailcarrier, David Johansen as park ranger Thorsen ("On Golden Pete"), and Chris Elliot as psychic meter man Ray ("Sick Day"). --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Comfort and Joy
by Maggie Greenwald
from Lifetime
High-powered singleton Jane Berry is focused on the important things in life, such as advancing her career and spending a bundle on fashionable shoes. But then a car accident on Christmas Eve changes her forever: Jane wakes up after the crash to discover that she is a married stay-at-home mom with two kids and a passion for charity work. Is she dreaming? Crazy? Is this a strange twist of fate?
Get a Clue
by Maggie Greenwald
from Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney
Teen sensation Lindsay Lohan stars as Lexy Gold, budding journalist and fashion queen of Millington Preparatory School in Manhattan. Together with her best pal Jennifer (Brenda Song), Lexy's always on the lookout for the latest scoop and the latest style. When one of her teachers mysteriously disappears, Lexy goes from school advice columnist to determined investigative reporter. And with a little help from her friends Jennifer and Gabe, and her street-smart editor Jack, Lexy vows to get to the bottom of the mystery. Before they know it, they find themselves hot on the trail of a story bigger than they could have ever imagined!
Songcatcher
by Maggie Greenwald
from Lions Gate
Hauntingly beautiful folk music and stunning Appalachian scenery take center stage in this winner of the 2000 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for outstanding ensemble performance. Musicologist Dr. Lily Penleric has a deep love of English folk ballads. After a humiliating failure to make full professor, she heads off to visit her sister's tiny school in rural Appalachia and finds herself in folk music central. Lily is entranced, but the locals are suspicious of the outlander's motivations. Issues of tolerance, clashing cultures, and Big Bad Men abound, but Songcatcher wisely focuses on the music. Janet McTeer does fine with the "repressed academic gets in touch with the earth" role, but her truly outstanding work is in revealing scholar Lily's rapture in her discoveries. McTeer leads a truly great cast, including the wonderful Pat Carroll, and a just-for-the-hell-of-it cameo by bluesman Taj Mahal. Songcatcher has a healthy respect for the mountain people it portrays, and an absolute reverence for their music. --Ali Davis
The Ballad of Little Jo
by Maggie Greenwald
from New Line Home Video
Starring Suzy Amis. Disgraced, a 19th century society girl journey's west disguised as a man. Inspired by a true story. Year: 124 Director: Maggie Greenwald Starring: Suzy Amis, Bo Hopkins, Ian Mckellen
Songcatcher
Hauntingly beautiful folk music and stunning Appalachian scenery take center stage in this winner of the 2000 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for outstanding ensemble performance. Musicologist Dr. Lily Penleric has a deep love of English folk ballads. After a humiliating failure to make full professor, she heads off to visit her sister's tiny school in rural Appalachia and finds herself in folk music central. Lily is entranced, but the locals are suspicious of the outlander's motivations. Issues of tolerance, clashing cultures, and Big Bad Men abound, but Songcatcher wisely focuses on the music. Janet McTeer does fine with the "repressed academic gets in touch with the earth" role, but her truly outstanding work is in revealing scholar Lily's rapture in her discoveries. McTeer leads a truly great cast, including the wonderful Pat Carroll, and a just-for-the-hell-of-it cameo by bluesman Taj Mahal. Songcatcher has a healthy respect for the mountain people it portrays, and an absolute reverence for their music. --Ali Davis
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