Movies & Television: Other › Item #124268691

WOMEN AND MEN - STORIES OF SEDUCTION: HBO presents another
original 90 minutes of programming with WOMEN AND MEN: STORIES OF
SEDUCTION. In these inspired dramas, three directors try their
hands at adapting famous short stories from popular authors,
resulting in what is as much a sincere tribute as a work of
entertainment. Frederic Raphael's THE MAN IN THE BROOKS BROTHERS
SUIT, based on a Mary McCarthy tale, finds Vicki (a brilliant
Elizabeth McGovern) in a train compartment with Gerry Breen (Beau
Bridges), a goofily sincere traveling salesman. Waking up the next
morning, she's startled to discover that alcohol, and her own
weakness, have led her to his bed. Ken Russell tackles Dorothy
Parker's DUSK BEFORE FIREWORKS, in which Kit (Molly Ringwald)
arrives at the lush apartment of Hobie (Peter Weller). Things begin
to take a turn for the sour when the phone starts ringing
incessantly, unleashing Kit's floodgates of jealousy. Finally, Tony
Richardson adapts Ernest Hemingway's HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS,
which tells the melancholy story of Robert (James Woods) and Hadley
(Melanie Griffith), two lovers who are stranded at a train station
in 1925 Spain. When Hadley informs Robert that she is pregnant, his
response threatens their already fragile relationship. Featuring
standout performances by its all-star cast, WOMEN AND MEN brings
these three classic stories to sparkling
life.&newline;&newline;WOMEN AND MEN 2: HBO presents this
dramatic trilogy of short films that are driven by male-female
relations. The series' second volume is based on the short stories
of three well-known writers. Walter Bernstein's RETURN TO KANSAS
CITY (based on a story by Irwin Shaw) concerns Eddie (Matt Dillon),
a struggling boxer who is trying to provide a decent life for his
wife, Arlene (Kyra Sedgwick). The only trouble is, Arlene hates her
life in New York City, and wants desperately to return to her
family in Kansas City. When Eddie is offered big money to fight an
extremely dangerous rival, he must decide if his wife's desire to
visit her home state is worth risking his life over. Kristi Zea's A
DOMESTIC DILEMMA (based on a story by Carson McCullers) tells the
somber tale of Martin (Ray Liotta), a businessman who is losing his
wife, Emily (Andie MacDowell), to the bottle. Struggling to keep
his children away from her while she's drunk, Martin tries to make
Emily realize the damage she is causing her family. Finally, in
Mike Figgis's MARA (based on a story by Henry Miller), Henry (Scott
Glenn), an American writer living in Paris, takes a troubled
prostitute (Juliette Binoche) under his wing, only to realize that
his kindness is too much for her to handle. Poignant and touching,
WOMEN AND MEN 2 is another example of HBO's commitment to producing
thoughtful, mature entertainment.