ABCs at the Movies: The Doubles Round!

[Lynne]

Perfect Stranger (2007) starred Halle Berry, who starred with Heath Ledger in Monster's Ball.

[Fran]

"Queerspiracy" featured Darrel Guilbeau, who also appeared in "Windtalkers" with Mark Ruffalo, who will appear in "Shutter Island" with Michelle Williams, who appeared in "Brokeback Mountain" with Heath.



From IMDb:  Can attending a gay pride parade turn your child gay?  NewsCorridor's Dan Stewart investigates.

"Queerspiracy" was nominated for the "Best Gay/Lesbian" award at the 2007 Great Lakes Independent Film Festival.

[oilgun]

Paul Bettany who was in this film was also in A KNIGHT'S TALE with Heath Ledger!



Synopsis
Willem Dafoe (SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE) and Paul Bettany (MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD) deliver powerful performances in this riveting story of temptation, murder and redemption.

Against the turbulent backdrop of England during the Middle Ages, a priest (Bettany), on the run from his disgraceful past, encounters a ragtag band of travelling actors who are searching for their next performance. Soon after arriving together at an unknown village, the troupe discovers that a mute woman has been sentenced to death for the murder of a local boy. To seek out the truth, the leader of the actors (Dafoe) decides to break tradition of performing biblical plays and stages a performance based on the alleged facts of the crime.

Suddenly, the stage becomes the setting for solving a spellbinding murder-mystery...one that will reveal the power of art, the temptation of evil and the ultimate cost of justice.

[southendmd]

Michael Caine starred in this remake, and also with Heath in The Dark Knight.

IMDb:  On his sprawling country estate, an aging writer matches wits with the struggling actor who has stolen his wife's heart.

The NY Times hated it.  Here's the beginning of the review:

By MANOHLA DARGIS
Published: October 12, 2007

If you like your contempt for humanity served overcooked and oozing fatty blobs of preening, lazy self-regard, you could not improve on Harold Pinter’s redo of the 1970 Anthony Shaffer play “Sleuth,” which Kenneth Branagh has used to remake the 1972 Joseph L. Mankiewicz film of the same title. (Got that?) The result is that what was once insignificant is now insufferable, though, at 86 minutes, almost an hour shorter.


(ouch)

[Fran]

Tom Budge, who was in this film, was also in "Candy" with Heath.

From IMDb:  THREE DOLLARS is the story of Eddie (David Wenham), an honest, compassionate man who finds himself with a wife, a child, and three dollars.  Eddie's world revolves around the three women in his life:  his brilliant wife Tanya (Frances O'Connor), a passionate academic; their six-year-old daughter Abby (Joanna Hunt-Prokhovnik), who heightens the stakes on every decision Eddie makes; and his childhood sweetheart, the beautiful, privileged Amanda (Sarah Wynter), who re-appears in his life with mathematical certainty every nine and a half years.  Surviving with a blend of self-depreciating wit, spirited sensitivity and a big heart, his life is rich with the pleasures and pains of love, family, friendship and marriage.  But with only three dollars to his name. Eddie will be faced with a choice that will change the direction of his life forever.

[oilgun]

Bruno Bilotta, the star of this film, which rates a big 2.5 stars on IMDB, was also in THE ORDER/SIN EATER with Heath Ledger!

Plot:  Three technicians working in an underground laboratory discover that a nuclear war has destroyed most of the aboveground world. After a brief search for food, the trio find that gangs of murderous mutants want them for their next meal. Will the scientists be able to find other uncontaminated humans to rebuild civilization with, or will they all end up as mutant chow?

I think that's him having a swig...

[southendmd]

AKA National Lampoon's Vacation starred Anthony Michael Hall who also plays with Heath in The Dark Knight.  Bonus:  it also starred Randy Quaid!

IMDb:  The Griswold family's cross-country drive to the Walley World theme park proves to be much more arduous than they ever anticipated

[memento]

War Hunt starred Robert Redford, who costarred in Lions for Lambs with Meryl Streep, who was in The Devil Wears Prada with Anne Hathaway, who was in Brokeback Mountain with Heath.



IMDB: This character study remains one of the best intimate views of conflict ever filmed, and features Robert Redford's first film appearance. There's also a major appearance by actor Sydney Pollack, before he made his mark as a major director. It's starkly made, grim, and engaging, without any of the jingoism and/or sentimentality applied to most older and recent Hollywood product. The moody score was provided by jazz composer Bud Shank. Nice.

[Meryl]

Ashecliffe, formerly titled Shutter Island, is an upcoming American thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is based on the 2003 novel Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. Production started in March 2008. Ashecliffe is slated to be released on October 2, 2009.

Michelle Williams is in the cast as the wife of Leo DiCaprio's character.

[oilgun]

Peter Boyle was in this film and in MONSTER'S BALL with Heath Ledger!

Plot: Yellowbeard, a pirate's pirate, is allowed to escape from prison to lead the authorities to his treasure. He finds that his wife neglected to tell him that he now has a son, 20, and shame of shame, an intellectual. The British Navy, Yellowbeard, his son, and members of Yellowbeard's old crew all go after the treasure.

Couldn't believe this didn't show up in a search of the movies played.  Hope it's legit! 

Oops, it was played in this round already.  Check out the letter B. 

Edit by Meryl:  Duh!  Thanks, Gil!  Duly corrected.