UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital's 19th Annual “Party on the Pier” took place on Sunday, November 18, from 10:00am – 2:00pm at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier.
Rico Rodriguez and Raini Rodriguez at Party on the Pier
Credit/Copyright: Getty Images
Chaired by Hillary Milken, proceeds from the event provide unrestricted funding to launch high-priority programs that benefit children being treated at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and around the world. Guests of the party had the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of fun-filled activities including carnival games filled with fabulous Mattel, Inc. toys, unlimited access to rides, the Power of Play tent sponsored by the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation, cookie decorating provided by Ralphs/Food 4 Less, a Petite ’n Pretty makeover station, a celebrity photo booth, and much more!
Guests included Rachel Zoe, Leslie Grossman, Rico Rodriguez and Raini Rodriguez, Aubrey Anderson Emmons, The Stauffer Family, Lauren Elizabeth,...
Rico Rodriguez and Raini Rodriguez at Party on the Pier
Credit/Copyright: Getty Images
Chaired by Hillary Milken, proceeds from the event provide unrestricted funding to launch high-priority programs that benefit children being treated at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and around the world. Guests of the party had the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of fun-filled activities including carnival games filled with fabulous Mattel, Inc. toys, unlimited access to rides, the Power of Play tent sponsored by the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation, cookie decorating provided by Ralphs/Food 4 Less, a Petite ’n Pretty makeover station, a celebrity photo booth, and much more!
Guests included Rachel Zoe, Leslie Grossman, Rico Rodriguez and Raini Rodriguez, Aubrey Anderson Emmons, The Stauffer Family, Lauren Elizabeth,...
- 11/23/2018
- Look to the Stars
UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital's 19th Annual “Party on the Pier” will take place on Sunday, November 18, from 10:00am – 2:00pm at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier.
Proceeds from the event provide unrestricted funding to launch high-priority programs that benefit children being treated at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and around the world. Guests of the party will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of fun-filled activities including carnival games filled with Mattel, Inc. toys, unlimited access to rides, cookie decorating provided by Ralphs/Food 4 Less, photo booths with some of their favorite celebrities, and much more!
Expected guests include Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott, Rachel Zoe, Leslie Grossman, Rico Rodriguez and Raini Rodriguez, Aubrey Anderson Emmons, The Stauffer Family, Christy Carlson Romano, Lauren Elizabeth, Lauren Riihimaki (LaurDIY), Garrett Clayton, Lilia Buckingham, Nikki DeLoach, Sofie Dossi, Mackenzie Hancsicsak, Jonathan Adams, Landry Bender, Paxton Booth, Michael Campion,...
Proceeds from the event provide unrestricted funding to launch high-priority programs that benefit children being treated at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and around the world. Guests of the party will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of fun-filled activities including carnival games filled with Mattel, Inc. toys, unlimited access to rides, cookie decorating provided by Ralphs/Food 4 Less, photo booths with some of their favorite celebrities, and much more!
Expected guests include Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott, Rachel Zoe, Leslie Grossman, Rico Rodriguez and Raini Rodriguez, Aubrey Anderson Emmons, The Stauffer Family, Christy Carlson Romano, Lauren Elizabeth, Lauren Riihimaki (LaurDIY), Garrett Clayton, Lilia Buckingham, Nikki DeLoach, Sofie Dossi, Mackenzie Hancsicsak, Jonathan Adams, Landry Bender, Paxton Booth, Michael Campion,...
- 11/16/2018
- Look to the Stars
By Allen Gardner
The Samurai Trilogy (Criterion) Director Hiroshi Inagaki’s sprawling epic filmed from 1954-56 is an early Japanese Technicolor masterpiece, rivaling the scope of filmmakers like David Lean and Luchino Visconti. Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s greatest actor, stars as real-life swordsman, artist and writer Musashi Miyamoto, following his growth from callow youth to disciplined warrior. The three films: the Oscar winning “Musashi Miyamoto,” “Duel at Ichijoji Temple,” and “Duel at Ganryu Island” are an incredible story of human growth, tender love and sublime, blood-soaked action. Not to be missed. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with translator and historian William Scott Wilson; Trailers. Full screen. Dolby 1.0 mono.
The 39 Steps (Criterion) Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 story of spies, conspiracies and sexual tension put him on the map on both sides of the Pond. Robert Donat stars as an innocent thrust into a deadly plot alongside a cool blonde (Madeleine Carroll...
The Samurai Trilogy (Criterion) Director Hiroshi Inagaki’s sprawling epic filmed from 1954-56 is an early Japanese Technicolor masterpiece, rivaling the scope of filmmakers like David Lean and Luchino Visconti. Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s greatest actor, stars as real-life swordsman, artist and writer Musashi Miyamoto, following his growth from callow youth to disciplined warrior. The three films: the Oscar winning “Musashi Miyamoto,” “Duel at Ichijoji Temple,” and “Duel at Ganryu Island” are an incredible story of human growth, tender love and sublime, blood-soaked action. Not to be missed. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with translator and historian William Scott Wilson; Trailers. Full screen. Dolby 1.0 mono.
The 39 Steps (Criterion) Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 story of spies, conspiracies and sexual tension put him on the map on both sides of the Pond. Robert Donat stars as an innocent thrust into a deadly plot alongside a cool blonde (Madeleine Carroll...
- 7/9/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
The Movie Pool will pay any price for the fantastic Ransom 15th Anniversary Blu-ray!
The Set-up
An airline executive (Mel Gibson) turns the tables when a group of criminals kidnaps his young son (Brawley Nolte) and holds him for ransom. Also stars Rene Russo, Delroy Lindo, and Gary Sinise.
Directed by: Ron Howard
The Delivery
Ron Howard directs this fantastic suspense thriller that delivers at every turn. Mel Gibson is at his absolute best as Tom Mullen, owner of a small but successful airline who has not always played by the book. His past, it appears, comes back to haunt him as a mysterious kidnapper (who I won't reveal here in case you haven't seen it) takes his son for ransom.
As an FBI negotiator (the great Delroy Lindo) and his wife (Rene Russo, teaming up with Gibson again after Lethal Weapon 3) plead with him to follow the kidnapper's demands,...
The Set-up
An airline executive (Mel Gibson) turns the tables when a group of criminals kidnaps his young son (Brawley Nolte) and holds him for ransom. Also stars Rene Russo, Delroy Lindo, and Gary Sinise.
Directed by: Ron Howard
The Delivery
Ron Howard directs this fantastic suspense thriller that delivers at every turn. Mel Gibson is at his absolute best as Tom Mullen, owner of a small but successful airline who has not always played by the book. His past, it appears, comes back to haunt him as a mysterious kidnapper (who I won't reveal here in case you haven't seen it) takes his son for ransom.
As an FBI negotiator (the great Delroy Lindo) and his wife (Rene Russo, teaming up with Gibson again after Lethal Weapon 3) plead with him to follow the kidnapper's demands,...
- 7/7/2012
- by feeds@themoviepool.com (Victor Medina)
- Cinelinx
L to r: Meryl Streep, Billy Crystal, Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz
The Oscars is probably my favorite award show that takes place next door to a Claire's. I'm serious. Have you been to the Kodak Theatre? It's basically a big recess in a Hollywood Boulevard mall, one with a Claire's and a Guess and an Express for Men. I remember watching Kate Winslet pick up her Oscar in 2009, the year I moved to L.A., and saying aloud, "So she basically walked past a Claire's to win that." It's tragic and telling. And kind of appropriate, because the Oscars -- much as I literally can't stop thinking about them -- are a mall-brand affair. The nominees are palatable, the format is bland, and the whole ceremony is devoted to mainstream flattery and appeal. But here's the other thing: I shop at the mall. It's at least clean.
And thankfully,...
The Oscars is probably my favorite award show that takes place next door to a Claire's. I'm serious. Have you been to the Kodak Theatre? It's basically a big recess in a Hollywood Boulevard mall, one with a Claire's and a Guess and an Express for Men. I remember watching Kate Winslet pick up her Oscar in 2009, the year I moved to L.A., and saying aloud, "So she basically walked past a Claire's to win that." It's tragic and telling. And kind of appropriate, because the Oscars -- much as I literally can't stop thinking about them -- are a mall-brand affair. The nominees are palatable, the format is bland, and the whole ceremony is devoted to mainstream flattery and appeal. But here's the other thing: I shop at the mall. It's at least clean.
And thankfully,...
- 2/27/2012
- by virtel
- The Backlot
Happy Birthday to Nick Nolte - the Hollywood actor turns 70 today, February 8. The two-time Oscar nominee rose to fame with a role in the hit 1970s miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man", while his 1980s buddy cop movie 48 Hrs. launched the big-screen career of his co-star Eddie Murphy.
An all-around renaissance man, Nolte has made a name for himself as an athlete, model and producer, and he's played a wide range of characters in more than 40 Hollywood movies.
To celebrate his big day, WENN has dug up 10 weird and wonderful facts about the star that may have passed you by:
As a student at Eastern Arizona College, Nolte played on the basketball, football and baseball teams.
One of his first jobs was working at the Falstaff Brewery in Omaha, Nebraska, which was once one of the largest breweries in America.
In 1972, he bared his chest to pose in a campaign for a hair lightening product,...
An all-around renaissance man, Nolte has made a name for himself as an athlete, model and producer, and he's played a wide range of characters in more than 40 Hollywood movies.
To celebrate his big day, WENN has dug up 10 weird and wonderful facts about the star that may have passed you by:
As a student at Eastern Arizona College, Nolte played on the basketball, football and baseball teams.
One of his first jobs was working at the Falstaff Brewery in Omaha, Nebraska, which was once one of the largest breweries in America.
In 1972, he bared his chest to pose in a campaign for a hair lightening product,...
- 2/8/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Happy Birthday to Nick Nolte - the Hollywood actor turns 70 today.
The two-time Oscar nominee rose to fame with a role in the hit 1970s miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, while his 1980s buddy cop movie 48 Hrs. launched the big-screen career of his co-star Eddie Murphy.
An all-around renaissance man, Nolte has made a name for himself as an athlete, model and producer, and he's played a wide range of characters in more than 40 Hollywood movies.
To celebrate his big day, WENN has dug up 10 weird and wonderful facts about the star that may have passed you by:
- As a student at Eastern Arizona College, Nolte played on the basketball, football and baseball teams.
- One of his first jobs was working at the Falstaff Brewery in Omaha, Nebraska, which was once one of the largest breweries in America.
- In 1972, he bared his chest to pose in a campaign for a hair lightening product, sitting on a log alongside a blonde Sigourney Weaver.
- His Hollywood career nearly finished before it began when he was arrested for selling counterfeit documents and was given 45 years in jail. The sentence was later suspended.
- Nolte's conviction kept him from joining the military and serving in the Vietnam War, which he felt compelled to do as a young man.
- His first Academy Award nomination was in 1991 for his role in The Prince of Tides - but he lost to Anthony Hopkins for The Silence of the Lambs.
- The following year he was given a boost when People Magazine named him their Sexiest Man Alive.
- His son Brawley Nolte is also an actor - he played Mel Gibson's kidnapped son in the 1996 thriller Ransom.
- He has been married and divorced three times, and been in high-profile relationships with actresses Vicki Lewis and Debra Winger.
- His 1998 drama Affliction garnered him his second Academy Award nod - but Italian actor Roberto Benigni scooped the prize for Life Is Beautiful.
The two-time Oscar nominee rose to fame with a role in the hit 1970s miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, while his 1980s buddy cop movie 48 Hrs. launched the big-screen career of his co-star Eddie Murphy.
An all-around renaissance man, Nolte has made a name for himself as an athlete, model and producer, and he's played a wide range of characters in more than 40 Hollywood movies.
To celebrate his big day, WENN has dug up 10 weird and wonderful facts about the star that may have passed you by:
- As a student at Eastern Arizona College, Nolte played on the basketball, football and baseball teams.
- One of his first jobs was working at the Falstaff Brewery in Omaha, Nebraska, which was once one of the largest breweries in America.
- In 1972, he bared his chest to pose in a campaign for a hair lightening product, sitting on a log alongside a blonde Sigourney Weaver.
- His Hollywood career nearly finished before it began when he was arrested for selling counterfeit documents and was given 45 years in jail. The sentence was later suspended.
- Nolte's conviction kept him from joining the military and serving in the Vietnam War, which he felt compelled to do as a young man.
- His first Academy Award nomination was in 1991 for his role in The Prince of Tides - but he lost to Anthony Hopkins for The Silence of the Lambs.
- The following year he was given a boost when People Magazine named him their Sexiest Man Alive.
- His son Brawley Nolte is also an actor - he played Mel Gibson's kidnapped son in the 1996 thriller Ransom.
- He has been married and divorced three times, and been in high-profile relationships with actresses Vicki Lewis and Debra Winger.
- His 1998 drama Affliction garnered him his second Academy Award nod - but Italian actor Roberto Benigni scooped the prize for Life Is Beautiful.
- 2/8/2011
- WENN
With Father's Day approaching, framescourer chooses the cathartic cameos and double-takes that capture dads and their offspring in the same frame
Many of the most intriguing father and son partnerships are divided by the camera: as a director, Clint Eastwood has used his son Kyle's music in a number of his later films; sadly, tantalisingly, John Huston was too ill to participate in Mr North, his son Danny's directorial debut. There are some near misses too: it might perhaps have been a relief to both Brawley Nolte and his father, Nick, that, playing the same character at different ages in the violently semi-Oedipal Affliction, they were safely separated by the buffer of flashback.
Yet it's having father and son in the same frame that really intrigues. To what extent is it representative of the off-camera dynamic? Will either party take the chance to get something off his chest, overstepping some...
Many of the most intriguing father and son partnerships are divided by the camera: as a director, Clint Eastwood has used his son Kyle's music in a number of his later films; sadly, tantalisingly, John Huston was too ill to participate in Mr North, his son Danny's directorial debut. There are some near misses too: it might perhaps have been a relief to both Brawley Nolte and his father, Nick, that, playing the same character at different ages in the violently semi-Oedipal Affliction, they were safely separated by the buffer of flashback.
Yet it's having father and son in the same frame that really intrigues. To what extent is it representative of the off-camera dynamic? Will either party take the chance to get something off his chest, overstepping some...
- 6/16/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
Actor Nick Nolte's son has been arrested in Santa Monica, California on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Brawley King Nolte was busted by police on Tuesday after trying to change lanes and colliding with another car.
He was taken into custody after failing field sobriety tests and showing signs of impairment, and was booked for DUI and possession of a controlled substance.
The 23 year old is currently being held on $5,000 (£3,330) bail, reports TMZ.com.
Nolte Sr., 68, was sentenced to three years' probation himself after he was caught driving under the influence in Malibu, California in 2002.
Brawley King Nolte was busted by police on Tuesday after trying to change lanes and colliding with another car.
He was taken into custody after failing field sobriety tests and showing signs of impairment, and was booked for DUI and possession of a controlled substance.
The 23 year old is currently being held on $5,000 (£3,330) bail, reports TMZ.com.
Nolte Sr., 68, was sentenced to three years' probation himself after he was caught driving under the influence in Malibu, California in 2002.
- 10/7/2009
- WENN
TMZ has learned Nick Nolte's son was arrested for suspicion of DUI and possession of a controlled substance yesterday in Santa Monica. Law enforcement sources tell us Brawley King Nolte -- who starred as the kidnapped kid in "Ransom" back in the day -- struck another vehicle while making a lane change yesterday afternoon. When cops arrived, we're told the 23-year-old showed signs of impairment, so cops conducted field sobriety tests and eventually arrested him.
- 10/7/2009
- TMZ
The parents of a girl who was 15-years-old when she had sex at Nick Nolte's home have settled their lawsuit against the actor and his son. The girl, now 18, was 15 when she attended a party at the actor's Malibu, California home in January 2003 and because of her age, was found to be a victim of statutory rape. Her parents sued the actor on her behalf in November 2004, alleging Nolte was liable for damages because his home has had "a long history of furnishing drugs and/or alcohol to minors." Nicholas Woodring, a 20-something friend of Nolte's son, Brawley Nolte, was convicted in March 2004 of a misdemeanor count of having sex with a minor. A final status conference in the case was scheduled for Tuesday, but it was cancelled after a settlement notice was filed in a Santa Monica, California court last Thursday. The terms of the agreement were not available in the court records. The actor was not home during the party, according to his publicist. According to the civil suit, Nolte's son conspired with Woodring and another unnamed defendant to plan and execute the sexual assault. The Noltes contend in their court papers that they were named as defendants in the lawsuit solely for "their given high profile, star power and deep pockets." In January, the 64-year-old actor successfully completed his probation stemming from a 2002 no-contest plea to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of GHB. Nolte was arrested in 2002 after driving erratically and claimed that he inadvertently consumed GHB in the course of taking a weight-lifting supplement.
- 6/29/2006
- WENN
Movie star Nick Nolte and his son face a legal battle after a California Superior Court judge refused to dismiss a case claiming they drugged and molested a teenager three years ago. The lawsuit, filed by the girl's parents on her behalf, is scheduled for trial in Santa Monica next month. The allegations contend that the woman, now 18, was plied with the 'date-rape' drug GHB (gamma hydroxybutyric acid) at a party at Nolte's home in Malibu, California. Another defendant, Nicholas Woodring, was convicted for having sex with a minor. Nolte's son, Brawley, is accused of planning the attack with Woodring. Nolte's publicist insists the 66-year-old Hotel Rwanda actor wasn't at home at the time of the party. But he remains accused of negligence, and "a long history of furnishing drugs and/or alcohol to minors." Both Noltes insist they are simply being targeted because of "their star power" and "deep pockets."...
- 5/15/2006
- WENN
Actor Nick Nolte's teenage son Brawley Nolte has been arrested and charged with marijuana possession with intent to supply. The 18-year-old and a friend were pulled over by police on Sunday after the authorities spotted a faulty headlight on their car. Police allegedly confiscated 70 grams of marijuana after its strong aroma prompted the authorities to search the car. Nolte and his accomplice were both spared a night behind bars - they were released on bail that night.
- 4/26/2005
- WENN
Hell-raising actor Nick Nolte has been in trouble with the police again after they received complaints about the volume of the star's electric guitar. The 62-year-old Hulk star, who has an extensive history of drink and drug abuse, was informed of his offensive musical outpourings by his teenage son, when the police knocked on his Malibu, California, home. Young Brawley Nolte answered the door to the angry officers, before apologizing on his father's behalf and assuring them he'd ask the Cape Fear star to turn the volume down. Nolte says, "All of a sudden, he tapped me on the shoulder and scared me out of my skin. I said, 'What, what, what, what Son?' And he said, 'You're too noisy.'"...
- 8/26/2003
- WENN
Mel Gibson doesn't have to paint his face blue in "Ransom" because he's positively blue in the face, expressing the rage of a father whose son has been kidnapped. A knuckle-tightening thriller directed by Ron Howard and featuring a full-throttle, pull-no-punches performance from Gibson, this Touchstone film should capture a king's ransom at the boxoffice for Buena Vista.
In this tight and twisting thriller, Gibson stars as Tom Mullen, a self-made millionaire whose against-the-grain sensibilities and can-do gumption have made him an airline tycoon. An edgy and instinctive guy, Mullen has also succeeded on the family front just as spectacularly. With a supportive and striking wife (Rene Russo) and a rambunctiously smart son (Brawley Nolte), he's the king of his Manhattan penthouse world.
Common to all those who have ascended so fast, Mullen has also ruffled a few feathers along the way and caught the attention of those who wish to profit from his success. He's been investigated for bribing a union official to avert a strike against his airline, and his brash ways have obviously rattled other cages. Not surprisingly, the charismatic, high-profile business tycoon is targeted by a devious band of criminals who consider him a bird for the plucking. Led by an egomaniacal and technically savvy ringleader (Gary Sinise), these desperate goons kidnap Mullen's young son, demanding a $2 million ransom.
Playing by the rules, Mullen calls in the FBI, but things go awry when standard procedure botches things up: He fears that going by the book will only get his son killed. He's always followed his instincts and he senses, quite rightly, that the kidnappers' cunning leader will surely kill his son once the money is delivered. Mullen's whole life has been based on daring, and he's not one to sit passively by while law enforcement performs like automatons.
In this psychologically perceptive scenario, Mullen turns the tables on the kidnappers, going on TV and announcing that not only will he not pay the ransom but he will use that money as a reward. He reasons that the only way he will see his son alive is to keep the kidnappers off-balance. The FBI is irate, and Mullen's brainy wife goes berserk, thinking his actions will surely lead to their son's death.
Spiked with the passions of a strong personal story and perambulating down unexpected plot corridors, "Ransom" gyrates with a chilling and ever-escalating intensity. Screenwriters Richard Price and Alexander Ignon have carefully steeped the story stakes in deeply personal passions and ignited a highly combustible series of dramatic explosions. In turn, director Howard has kept the story dial on a high chill, tightening the screws as well as unleashing its sinister, implosive forces.
It's Gibson's raging performance as the fiercely protective father that torches this production to its highest flashes. His edgy ferocity, capturing both his character's bravery and decency, is wonderfully explosive and genuinely sympathetic. Similarly, Russo's performance flashes with maternal mettle, evincing a woman torn between belief in her husband and love for her child.
In this type of chiller, the film is only as good as the badness of the villain, and Sinise is terrific -- rivetingly sinister as the egocentric sociopath who takes sadistic pleasure in his dark deeds. Delroy Lindo is also outstanding as a conscientious FBI agent whose sincere professionalism is tested by Mullen's manic methods.
RANSOM
Buena Vista
Touchstone Pictures Presents
A Brian Grazer/Scott Rudin production
A Ron Howard film
Producers Scott Rudin, Brian Grazer,
B. Kipling Hagopian
Director Ron Howard
Screenwriters Richard Price, Alexander Ignon
Story Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum
Director of photography Piotr Sobocinski
Production design Michael Corenblith
Editors Dan Hanley, Mike Hill
Costume design Rita Ryack
Music James Horner
Executive producer Todd Hallowell
Co-producers Adan Schroeder, Susan Merzbach
Casting:Jane Jenkins, Janet Hirshenson
Associate producers Aldric La'Auli Porter,
Louisa Velis
Sound Danny Michael
Color/stereo
Cast:
Tom Mullen Mel Gibson
Kate Mullen Rene Russo
Sean Mullen Brawley Nolte
Jimmy Shaker Gary Sinise
Agent Lonnie Hawkins Delroy Lindo
Maris Connor Lili Taylor
Clark Barnes Liev Schreiber
Cubby Barnes Donnie Wahlberg
Miles Roberts Evan Handler
Agent Kimba Welch Nancy Ticotin
Agent Jack Sickler Michael Gaston
Agent Paul Rhodes
Kevin Neil McCready
Running time -- 122 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
In this tight and twisting thriller, Gibson stars as Tom Mullen, a self-made millionaire whose against-the-grain sensibilities and can-do gumption have made him an airline tycoon. An edgy and instinctive guy, Mullen has also succeeded on the family front just as spectacularly. With a supportive and striking wife (Rene Russo) and a rambunctiously smart son (Brawley Nolte), he's the king of his Manhattan penthouse world.
Common to all those who have ascended so fast, Mullen has also ruffled a few feathers along the way and caught the attention of those who wish to profit from his success. He's been investigated for bribing a union official to avert a strike against his airline, and his brash ways have obviously rattled other cages. Not surprisingly, the charismatic, high-profile business tycoon is targeted by a devious band of criminals who consider him a bird for the plucking. Led by an egomaniacal and technically savvy ringleader (Gary Sinise), these desperate goons kidnap Mullen's young son, demanding a $2 million ransom.
Playing by the rules, Mullen calls in the FBI, but things go awry when standard procedure botches things up: He fears that going by the book will only get his son killed. He's always followed his instincts and he senses, quite rightly, that the kidnappers' cunning leader will surely kill his son once the money is delivered. Mullen's whole life has been based on daring, and he's not one to sit passively by while law enforcement performs like automatons.
In this psychologically perceptive scenario, Mullen turns the tables on the kidnappers, going on TV and announcing that not only will he not pay the ransom but he will use that money as a reward. He reasons that the only way he will see his son alive is to keep the kidnappers off-balance. The FBI is irate, and Mullen's brainy wife goes berserk, thinking his actions will surely lead to their son's death.
Spiked with the passions of a strong personal story and perambulating down unexpected plot corridors, "Ransom" gyrates with a chilling and ever-escalating intensity. Screenwriters Richard Price and Alexander Ignon have carefully steeped the story stakes in deeply personal passions and ignited a highly combustible series of dramatic explosions. In turn, director Howard has kept the story dial on a high chill, tightening the screws as well as unleashing its sinister, implosive forces.
It's Gibson's raging performance as the fiercely protective father that torches this production to its highest flashes. His edgy ferocity, capturing both his character's bravery and decency, is wonderfully explosive and genuinely sympathetic. Similarly, Russo's performance flashes with maternal mettle, evincing a woman torn between belief in her husband and love for her child.
In this type of chiller, the film is only as good as the badness of the villain, and Sinise is terrific -- rivetingly sinister as the egocentric sociopath who takes sadistic pleasure in his dark deeds. Delroy Lindo is also outstanding as a conscientious FBI agent whose sincere professionalism is tested by Mullen's manic methods.
RANSOM
Buena Vista
Touchstone Pictures Presents
A Brian Grazer/Scott Rudin production
A Ron Howard film
Producers Scott Rudin, Brian Grazer,
B. Kipling Hagopian
Director Ron Howard
Screenwriters Richard Price, Alexander Ignon
Story Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum
Director of photography Piotr Sobocinski
Production design Michael Corenblith
Editors Dan Hanley, Mike Hill
Costume design Rita Ryack
Music James Horner
Executive producer Todd Hallowell
Co-producers Adan Schroeder, Susan Merzbach
Casting:Jane Jenkins, Janet Hirshenson
Associate producers Aldric La'Auli Porter,
Louisa Velis
Sound Danny Michael
Color/stereo
Cast:
Tom Mullen Mel Gibson
Kate Mullen Rene Russo
Sean Mullen Brawley Nolte
Jimmy Shaker Gary Sinise
Agent Lonnie Hawkins Delroy Lindo
Maris Connor Lili Taylor
Clark Barnes Liev Schreiber
Cubby Barnes Donnie Wahlberg
Miles Roberts Evan Handler
Agent Kimba Welch Nancy Ticotin
Agent Jack Sickler Michael Gaston
Agent Paul Rhodes
Kevin Neil McCready
Running time -- 122 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 11/4/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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