Lili Taylor

[7] Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon) directs this crime thriller about a wealthy businessman (Mel Gibson) whose young son is kidnapped and held for ransom. With the boy’s life hanging in the balance, Gibson must decide whether to take the FBI’s advice or go with his gut on the best way to see his son alive again. Ransom moves briskly and offers a few …

[6] Lili Taylor and River Phoenix star in this ‘all in one night’ drama about a marine who participates in a dirty game where men try to win a betting pool by bringing the homeliest woman to a dance. Taylor has a juicy part and makes the most of it. Her character goes from innocently optimistic, to angry, to forlorn, and back again — and …

[6] The Conjuring, written by twin brothers Chad and Carey Hayes and directed by James Wan (Dead Silence, Saw), is an old-fashioned haunted house story that morphs into one of demonic possession. After some clunky exposition, the first half of the film is a solid tension-filled spook fest. Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston play parents of four young girls who unwittingly move their family into an …