Vincent Berry Movies
An FBI agent finds himself crossing the gender line again in the name of national security in this sequel to the comedy hit Big Momma's House. Tom Fuller (Mark Moses) is a computer whiz who is under investigation by the FBI, who suspect he may be the man behind a dangerous piece of underground software that would allow terrorists and criminals to access secured intelligence files online. The Bureau is looking for a way to get inside Fuller's home to find out what he's doing when a golden opportunity presents itself -- Fuller and his wife, Leah (Emily Procter), are in the market for a nanny to help look after their three children. The FBI sends in Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence), who will once again impersonate feisty septuagenarian Hattie Mae Pierce, better known as "Big Momma." Big Momma gets the job, but while trying to dig up the truth about Fuller's possible criminal connections, Malcolm also finds himself developing a close relationship with the suspect's wife and kids. Malcolm also finds himself offering unlikely romantic advice to his new partner, Kevin (Zachary Levi), and developing a new appreciation of the day-to-day travails of his wife, Sherrie (Nia Long). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, (more)
The Christmas season just got a lot less joyous in this very dark comedy. Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) is a con man and a thief who teams up with his friend Marcus (Tony Cox), a midget, for a very special scam each year during the holiday season. Willie gets a job as Santa Claus at a shopping mall, his pal tags along as an elf, and they use their employee status to crack mall security and rob stores blind just before Christmas. However, there's one flaw to this plan -- Willie is a bitter, foul-mouthed and perpetually grouchy alcoholic who doesn't care for kids, and it's all he can do to keep himself from getting fired while on the job. The mall's manager (John Ritter, in his last film appearance) is certain something's wrong with the Santa he's hired, so he asks the mall's chief of security (Bernie Mac) to do some research on Willie. Meanwhile, one of the kids Willie is forced to talk to becomes a regular customer; overweight, awkward, and the frequent target of bullies, the boy manages to arouse something like sympathy from Willie, who tries to give him some advice and develops something vaguely resembling Christmas sprit along the way. Bad Santa was directed by Terry Zwigoff, who enjoyed previous success with Crumb and Ghost World. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, (more)
- 2000
Written by the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall, Baby was produced for the TNT cable service. Set in New England, this is the story of the Malones, a family nearly torn apart by the death of an infant son. While trying to cope with this tragedy, Lily and John Malone are surprised by the arrival of an abandoned baby girl, left on their doorstep. Though at first reluctant to welcome the child into their home, the Malones soon become inextricably attached to her -- no one more so than 12-year-old Larkin Malone who, in a pathetic effort to use the baby as a replacement for her lost little brother, hides the letter written by the child's now-repentant birth mother. Despite such lighthearted scenes as a drunken tap dance rendition of "Singin' In the Rain", Baby is rather heavy going for the most part, especially in the scenes with the family's dying grandmother. Co-produced by actress Glenn Close, Baby was first telecast on October 8, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Farrah Fawcett, Keith Carradine, (more)
- 2000
A seen-it-all cop takes a walk on the weird side on this offbeat weekly comedy series. Daniel Henderson (Brian McNamara) was a Los Angeles police officer who enjoyed his work with the vice squad (especially when his work required him to dress like a woman) until his wife, an environmental activist, died while trying to save a school of dolphins. Not sure about what to do with his life now that he's a single parent, Henderson is offered a job as the sheriff of Manhattan, AZ, a town so small it doesn't even show up on the map. Henderson takes the position, and along with his teenage son (whose hobbies include looking for porn on the Internet) heads to Manhattan, only to find that the town's mayor, Jake Manhattan (Chad Everett), wasn't quite telling the truth about the full extent of his job; the town has enough eccentrics to make Los Angeles seem like Mayberry. Manhattan, AZ made it's premiere on the USA network on July 23, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brian McNamara, Chad Everett, (more)
- 1999
Carol (Julianna Margulies) tells Greene (Anthony Edwards) that she is pregnant, and offers some encouraging words to schizophrenic new mother Coco (Sheila Kelley). Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) finds her faith renewed as she cares for Rev. Matthew Lynn (Roscoe Lee Browne). Lucy (Kellie Martin) discovers that her young patient has been overmedicated. Carter (Noah Wyle) mentors a teenager named Antoine Bell (Corey Parker Robinson). And Romano (Paul McCrane) forces Benton (Eriq La Salle) into a crucial decision. There are a few light-hearted moments in this episode -- before everything is literally plunged into darkness. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1999
Teri Garr guest stars as patient Celinda Randlett, who claims to possess the incredible power of seeing "inside" people. In other developments, everyone in the ER finds out that Carol (Julianna Margulies) is pregnant with twins; Weaver (Laura Innes) brings in an abandoned child; Benton (Eriq La Salle) gets more bad news; a teenager (Corey Parker Robinson) whom Carter (Noah Wyle) previously mentored returns as a patient; and Lucy (Kellie Martin) is becoming more and more dependent upon Ritalin. Two romances -- one new, one renewed -- cap this episode, the last of ER's fifth season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1999
- R
Ten years after Allison Anders and Kurt Voss collaborated on Border Radio, a gritty and evocative look at life along the margins of the L.A. punk rock scene, the two have reunited for another look at the California music biz, this time aiming their sights considerably higher up the ladder. Sugar Town follows the interconnected lives of a handful of power brokers, wanna-bes and has-beens. Gwen (Jade Gordon), a self-centered would-be rock star who will do anything to further her career, is working as an assistant to production designer Liz (Ally Sheedy), but when Gwen discovers Liz has a date with famous producer Burt (Larry Klein), any loyalty she has to her boss immediately goes out the window. Burt's latest project is a comeback attempt from three aging Brit-rockers, Nick (Michael Des Barres), Clive (John Taylor), and Jonesy (Martin Kemp). Clive is married to Eva (Rosanna Arquette), an actress and one-time sex symbol depressed over her latest job offer -- playing Christina Ricci's mom. Nick has a dilemma of his own -- the band is strapped for cash, and Jane (Beverly D'Angelo), a potential investor, will write them a check only in exchange for sex with Nick... who unfortunately is only attracted to teenage girls. On the other side of town, Carl (John Doe) is a session musician with a pregnant wife (Lucinda Jenney), a flock of kids to support and bills to pay. When he's offered a spot in the touring band of a popular Latina singer, Rosio (Lumi Cavazos), Carl is torn -- his wife wants him to take the job, but Carl knows Rosio wants him for sex as much as music. Sugar Town, which premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, is authentically cast with many real-life rock musicians, including Doe (a member of L.A. punk legends X, and co-star of Border Radio), Taylor (from Duran Duran), Kemp (ex-Spandau Ballet), Des Barres (who has sung with Silverhead, Chequered Past and The Power Station) and Klein (a bassist and producer who's worked with Peter Gabriel and Joni Mitchell). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jade Gordon, Michael Des Barres, (more)
- 1998
- PG13
This supernatural chiller was made especially for the USA cable network. A couple teetering on the brink of divorce find themselves forced to pull together after an evil poltergeist enters their home and endangers, not only their lives, but that of their son. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ally Sheedy, Costas Mandylor, (more)
- 1997
T.J. Browner (Vincent Berry) feels neglected because his mom Sandra (Dee Wallace Stone) lavishes all her attention on his sister Rebecca (Anndi McAfee), a champion gymnast. Feeling worthless, T.J. reacts by mishandling valuable athletic equipment and committing petty thefts. Naturally, his negative behavior adversely affects Rebecca--but in a way it is a blessing in disguise, forcing Sandra (Dee Wallace Stone) to come to grips with the traumatic incident in her past that has compelled her to live vicariously through her daughter's accomplishments. Monica (Roma Downey) shows up as Rebecca's assistant, while Tess (Della Reese) appears as a TV sports producer, with real-life Olympic champs Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner as color commentators. And keep an eye out for NFL star Reggie White! This is the final episode of Touched by an Angel's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
In the third installment in the Free Willy series, Jesse (Jason James Richter), the once-troubled youth whose life was changed by his friendship with the killer whale Willy, is spending the summer on board a ship assisting a group a whale researchers, including his old friend Randolph (August Schellenberg), and Drew (Annie Corley), an oceanographer. Jesse once used a harmonica to communicate with Willy, and when he plays his mouth harp through the ship's underwater sound system, he is able to find his old friend, who is now raising a family of his own. As Jesse, Randolph, and Drew are out to study and assist the whales, a ten-year-old boy named Max (Vincent Berry) is accompanying his father John Wesley (Patrick Kilpatrick) on the fishing boat that John helps to run. Max soon discovers that John and the crew are not fishing for salmon, as he believed, but killer whales, which is illegal, but very profitable, as whale meat fetches $200 a pound on the black market. Jesse meets Max on shore, and when Jesse learns what John and his crew are up to, he tries to teach Max that while his father may not be a bad man, he's doing a very bad thing in killing the whales, who are intelligent, compassionate, and deserve the right to live; Jesse also acts to save Willy and his family from John and his fellow poachers. As in Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Free Willy 3: The Rescue used mechanical and animated whales rather than flesh-and-blood aquatic mammals. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jason James Richter, August Schellenberg, (more)
- 1994
- NR
A former guard in South American detention camp exacts his revenge on his cruel sergeant in this Chilean black comedy. When the odd-looking Ramirez sees a familiar face on the street, he follows him to a bar. The face belongs to Zuniga, a formerly domineering ex-sergeant in the desert known for his cruelty and itchy trigger finger. Ramirez was a guard under Zuniga and seeing him again triggered two powerful flashbacks. He remembered the time he allowed one prisoner to escape. Ramirez also remembered the incident where Zuniga calmly shot a pregnant woman. Rameriez returns from his reverie and begins plying the unrepentant Zuniga with beer and false camaraderie. He then invites the sergeant over to his house. While Zuniga comes, Rameriez quickly calls up his friend the escaped prisoner. Together they hatch their plot for revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nicholas Walker, Julio Jung, (more)
