Liane Curtis

Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue -- Set in the late 50s, the daughter of a jazz musician is left homeless and penniless when her father dies in a heroine-induced auto accident. To make ends meet, she begins to work as a call girl for a high-class madame with society's elite as her clientele.

The Brother from Another Planet -- An alien from outer space lands on the mean streets of Harlem but is quickly adopted by the local residents. This film is directed by John Sayles and features an early performance by Academy Award nominee David Strathairn. From IFC Films.

When a 15-year-old boy is reluctantly involved in a robbery and struggles to survive in a hostile Tennessee legal system, a young female social worker seeks better treatment for him and soon becomes interested in more than his rehabilitation. Monologuist Spalding Gray ("Swimming to Cambodia") co-stars with Martin Donovan ("The Unbelievable Truth") and Oscar-nominated writer/director John Sayles ("Lone Star," "Brother from Another Planet"), appearing in one of his few acting roles.

In this black comedy from John Sayles, a terrified space pilot (Joe Morton) is forced to ditch his rickety-looking UFO in the Hudson River. Dawn breaks over the twin towers of the World Trade Center as The Brother begins to explore his new surroundings. On the streets of Harlem, surrounded by people who look like him but could scarcely be more different, even ordinary sights and sounds are fascinating and at times, terrifying. The Brother finds a haven in the friendly neighborhood bar run by Odell (Steve James), where the regulars are puzzled by The Brother's mute, inquisitive presence. The fastidious Walter (Bill Cobbs) worries about germs and dirt and mourns the passing of Harlem's glory days. Hard-drinking Smokey (Leonard Jackson) conducts a few experiments with a shot of whiskey and a handy paper bag, determining that while The Brother is not "deaf," he is unable to speak. And Fly (Daryl Edwards), a video-game fanatic, discovers one of The Brother's special talents: he can fix any machine with a touch of his hand. This indie comedy from IFC Films features cameo appearances by John Sayles and David Strathairn as mysterious visitors from Somewhere Else. Armed with a set of mug shots and an ESL textbook, these ungainly men claim to be hunting an "illegal alien."