Marian Seldes

The Roan Stallion: By Robinson Jeffers from Folkways RecordsOriginal Publication Date: 1963Genre: Poetry

Suffering from the extreme bad luck of being released at the same time as the low-budget The Blair Witch Project, this adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House attempts to update Shirley Jackson's psychologically terrifying ghost story to the era of big-budget, computerized special effects. Does it work? Well, let's just say that showing isn't exactly the same as telling. A prime example of bloated studio filmmaking, The Haunting telegraphs all its frights so blatantly that it forsakes any of Jackson's subtle horrors for the remedial scares of a clunky carnival ride. The story remains basically the same, with four people called to an old mansion for experiments in the supernatural, but instead of getting inside the heads of its main characters (as the 1963 adaptation by Robert Wise did so well), Jan DeBont's film deserts character development for the huge, glorious set design provided by Eugenio Zanetti (Restoration). Thus, instead of a well-drawn story you get... a well-drawn house, one that four very talented and underutilized actors--Lili Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Liam Neeson, and Owen Wilson--wander around in endlessly (as Zeta-Jones puts it, the house is "sort of Charles Foster Kane meets the Munsters"). Taylor, as the hypersensitive Nell, is the unknowing lynchpin in the battle between good and bad ghosts and gets saddled with most of the expository dialogue of the mansion's gothic backstory. Zeta-Jones (showing some spark) and Neeson (showing none) are sadly reduced to providing reactionary shots of the film's disastrous climax, which mixes hapless new-age affirmations with computer-generated effects of ghosts and exploding windows, walls, doors, etc. For this haunted-house story, take a quick tour of the breathtaking rooms, but definitely don't stay the night. --Mark Englehart

This surprisingly absorbing drama, based on Conrad Richter's novel, tells the tale of the re-assimilation of Johnny Butler, kidnapped as a child by Native Americans (in this 1958 film, of course, called Indians), into the "white man's world." Reluctant and unfamiliar with his biological parents (Jessica Tandy and Frank Ferguson), he's befriended by frontiersman Del Hardy (Fess Parker, basically looking handsome and playing his popular image), also raised by the Indians and now an Army man. Johnny also meets and fancies Shenandoe--his aunt and nasty uncle's indentured servant girl, (a positively luminescent Carol Lynley, 16, in her first role), whose family was massacred by another tribe. While this is an action film set in 1764, made in the still politically insensitive 1950s, it manages not to paint stereotypes. But Light in the Forest is, more than anything, a love story. Shenandoe, terrified of Johnny initially, grows to love him. Johnny, burdened by not feeling he belongs in either world, finds solace in Shenandoe's sweet friendship. (Ages 8 and older) --N.F. Mendoza

The year is 1764, when a peace treaty between the Delaware Indians and the British requires that all white captives be returned to their people. Johnny Butler (James MacArthur), kidnapped by the tribe when he was a child and renamed True Son, is forced against his will to return to his white family in Pennsylvania. His escort, frontiersman Del Hardy (Fess Parker) and Shenandoe, a beautiful servant girl (Carol Lynley, in her feature film debut), try to help the boy adjust to his new way of life. But the white man's injustice and cruelty drive him back to the Delawares, where even greater dangers await him!

Being a good friend can be difficult, but the rewards are great. Two unruly boys, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, pledge their friendship to one another in anticipation of days filled with fun and laughter. Instead, the two witness a graveyard murder and swear an oath of silence to protect their own lives. Treasure hunting and Tom's budding friendship with his classmate Becky pale when the boys' silence threatens to allow an innocent man to hang for the crime, and Tom must choose between keeping his pact with Huck and justice for his friend Muff Potter. This 1995 Disney presentation of Mark Twain's classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, featuring Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Tom and Brad Renfro as Huck, reaffirms the notion that "When a friend's in trouble, you can't just run away." (Ages 5 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Jonathan Taylor Thomas (HOME IMPROVEMENT) stars as America's greatest teenage hero -- Tom Sawyer! No boy ever had so much fun, got into so much trouble, or had so many outrageous adventures! Disney's magic touch now turns Mark Twain's masterpiece into "An outstanding classic adventure film" (Kids News Network). Tom and his rebellious friend Huck (Brad Renfro) witness a midnight killing. They swear not to reveal what they saw -- but that causes a real problem. If Tom doesn't speak up, an innocent friend may be hanged. But if he does tell the truth, the real killer, knife-throwing Injun Joe, will come after him! TOM AND HUCK has it all -- a treasure hunt, a haunted house, a courtroom showdown, a scary chase in a cave, and a valuable lesson for young Tom: when a friend's in trouble, you don't run away! Now one of the world's great stories becomes a great addition to your family's Disney library!

The lives of three lesbian couples are explored in stories set in the same house over three different decades. First, Vanessa Redgrave must deal with discrimination and the loss of her longtime companion in 1961. 1972 finds Michelle Williams and Chloe Sevigny searching for acceptance and love in feminist and gay rights groups. Finally, Ellen DeGeneres and Sharon Stone try to have a baby together amid adversity in the year 2000. 96 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; biographies.

HBO caused a stir when it aired If These Walls Could Talk, a portrait of three women from three generations (all who occupied the same house at various times) who had unwanted pregnancies. HBO utilizes the same gimmick in the sequel, this time telling the story of women who love women.The three stories of If These Walls Could Talk 2 are uneven. Far and away the most powerful and moving story is the first, taking place in 1961, starring Vanessa Redgrave as a woman "widowed" when her partner of 50 years suddenly dies. Redgrave is phenomenal, and her piece alone makes this sequel worth watching. The 1972 portion stars Michelle Williams, who finds dealing with the sexual politics of the gay community increasingly more complex when she falls in love with a boyish woman (played by Chloë Sevigny). The most modern piece, taking place in 2000, portrays a contemporary lesbian couple (Sharon Stone and Ellen DeGeneres) determined to have a baby. The light nature of the story detracts from the more serious issues of the earlier segments. Despite the mixed fare, HBO once again proves itself on the cutting edge of moviemaking, with this rather daring film that will both provoke and entertain. --Jenny Brown

Suffering from the extreme bad luck of being released at the same time as the low-budget The Blair Witch Project, this adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House attempts to update Shirley Jackson's psychologically terrifying ghost story to the era of big-budget, computerized special effects. Does it work? Well, let's just say that showing isn't exactly the same as telling. A prime example of bloated studio filmmaking, The Haunting telegraphs all its frights so blatantly that it forsakes any of Jackson's subtle horrors for the remedial scares of a clunky carnival ride. The story remains basically the same, with four people called to an old mansion for experiments in the supernatural, but instead of getting inside the heads of its main characters (as the 1963 adaptation by Robert Wise did so well), Jan DeBont's film deserts character development for the huge, glorious set design provided by Eugenio Zanetti (Restoration). Thus, instead of a well-drawn story you get... a well-drawn house, one that four very talented and underutilized actors--Lili Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Liam Neeson, and Owen Wilson--wander around in endlessly (as Zeta-Jones puts it, the house is "sort of Charles Foster Kane meets the Munsters"). Taylor, as the hypersensitive Nell, is the unknowing lynchpin in the battle between good and bad ghosts and gets saddled with most of the expository dialogue of the mansion's gothic backstory. Zeta-Jones (showing some spark) and Neeson (showing none) are sadly reduced to providing reactionary shots of the film's disastrous climax, which mixes hapless new-age affirmations with computer-generated effects of ghosts and exploding windows, walls, doors, etc. For this haunted-house story, take a quick tour of the breathtaking rooms, but definitely don't stay the night. --Mark Englehart

In this special effects-filled version of Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House," Liam Neeson is a professor who recruits three people for experiments which he claims will help cure their insomnia. Little do they know that the house is haunted and they're in for the scariest evening of their lives! With Lili Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson, and Bruce Dern; directed by Jan De Bont ("Speed"). 113 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 5.1; biographies; featurette; production notes; theatrical trailers.

Julia Roberts's command of the screen is so effortless, it's easy for moviegoers to take her for granted--but we shouldn't. Mona Lisa Smile--about a noncomformist teacher at a private school who encourages students to pursue their individuality--is pretty much an all-girls version of Dead Poets Society that mixes '50s fashions with '70s feminist thought. However, its lack of ambition doesn't diminish the talent that's gone into it: The writing and directing are well-honed and skillful; the actors--a talent-studded cast featuring Marcia Gay Harden, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julia Stiles, and Juliet Stevenson--are uniformly excellent. But without question, Mona Lisa Smile rides on Roberts's shoulders and she carries it with ease. She's possibly the only contemporary actor who simply owns a movie the way Bette Davis, Jean Arthur, or Claudette Colbert once did, radiating a engaging mix of intelligence, drive, and emotional warmth that cannot be matched. --Bret Fetzer

Julia Roberts shines as a new art history professor at Wellesley College in 1953 who immediately draws attention at the elite women's school for her progressive teaching style and views. Among the students affected by her are Kirsten Dunst, a spoiled, nasty young woman with traditional attitudes; Julia Stiles, torn between marrying or going to law school; and rebellious party girl Maggie Gyllenhaal. With Marcia Gay Harden, Juliet Stevenson. 120 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: English, French; filmographies; featurettes; music video.

Deathrap was first presented by Alfred de Liagre, Jr. & Roger L. Stevens at The Music Box theatre in NYC on 2/26/1978. Directed by Robert Moore, William Ritman scenery, Ruth Morley costumes, Marc B. Weiss lighting. Action takes place in Sidney Bruhl's study in Wesport CT.

Summer stock theater is an American invention. From Memorial Day to Labor Day each year, rustic playhouses open their doors to the words of Ibsen, Shakespeare, Neil Simon and a host of others and the performances of big stars and aspiring beginners. While not exactly as depicted in the MGM film Summer Stock, these theaters allowed "city folk" partaking of the country life to spend their evenings in the worthwhile pursuit of culture. Martha LoMonaco's Summer Stock is both a terrific history of the Straw Hat Circuit and a look at how American leisure was shaped in the early twentieth century by a group of savvy theater entrepreneurs.