Thom Adcox Movies

Although the concept of a children's cartoon series starring a cast of flying insects was hardly original to The Buzz on Maggie, this weekly, half-hour Disney Channel series set itself apart from such earlier endeavors as Honeybee Hutch and Maya the Bee by relying upon computer-generated imagery rather than traditional cel animation. The series was set in Stickyfeet, a city largely populated by flies. Heroine Maggie, who in "anime" tradition boasted an oversized head and enormous eyes (with lashes!), was fun-loving and adventurous. Her efforts to buck convention and explore the world beyond Maggie drove her friends and family crazy and often placed herself in jeopardy, but in general her strong, forceful attitude proved a positive role model for the kids at home. Other characters included Maggie's older brother Aldrin, her kid brother Pupert, Aldrin's girlfriend Dawn, and Maggie's best friend Rayna. After debuted over the Disney Channel on June 17, 2005, The Buzz on Maggie was picked up by sister network ABC in the fall of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mark Twain's classic novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is re-created here as an animated adventure movie. Featuring a country music soundtrack with songs by Hank Williams Jr., Waylon Jennings and Lee Ann Womack, the video is also accented with famous voices, like those of Don Knotts and Betty White. The characters have all been resurrected as animals; Tom and Becky are cats, Huck is a fox, and Injun Joe (more sensitively corrected to be "Injurin' Joe" in this production) is a bear. The animation is excellent, though the plot itself is a looser interpretation of Twain's story. Children aged five to 12 should enjoy the story and lively animation while getting a basic introduction to a classic piece of literature. ~ Sarah Block, Rovi

Alien invaders descend upon a peaceful desert community and take over the minds and bodies of the residents. Now only a brave photographer can save them. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Bette Midler stars as a Martha Raye-type entertainer during the World War II era in this big-budget nostalgia piece. Midler plays big-band singer Dixie Leonard, who is chosen to perform at an overseas USO Christmas show by her uncle Art Silver (George Segal), a comedy writer for famed comedian Eddie Sparks (James Caan). Dixie is shuttled to London, where she is thrown on-stage with Eddie, who takes an immediate dislike to her. But her performance is a sensation, and the audience can't stop howling at Dixie's smart one-liner comebacks to Eddie. Dixie is catapulted to stardom, and the repartee between Eddie and Dixie becomes the stuff of legend. The two spar together through World War II, the McCarthy era, and Vietnam. But Dixie stops speaking to Eddie when he fires a writer for being a communist sympathizer and, later, she doesn't speak to him again after he arranges for a reunion between her and her son on the battlefields of Vietnam. Finally, Dixie, now an old woman, is cajoled to appear on a television awards show to reunite with a now decrepit Eddie, age 91. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In this off-beat horror outing, a band of film students decide to scare up some cash by holding a film festival celebrating horror films from the '50s. Its all great fun until they discover that the projectionist is a homicidal maniac. Gory violence ensues as audience members begin dying in horrible ways. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

One of two "dueling" TV biopics of 1988, Liberace stars Andrew Robinson (who'd once played the giggling killer in Dirty Harry!) as the titular flamboyant entertainer. The film recounts Liberace's rise to fame thanks to TV exposure during the 1950s, but does so with distressing disregard of the facts: at one point, Liberace manages to mispronounce the name of his Wisconsin home town! A thin veneer of authenticity is maintained by the use of Liberace's actual piano-shaped swimming pool and his real jewelry and wardrobe. The AIDS angle is barely touched upon in the final scenes, thanks to the intervention of the entertainer's family and lawyers. Of the two Liberace films, Liberace runs a distant second to Liberace: Behind the Music (telecast the following October week of 1988 by a rival network), though Robinson does rather well in the leading role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi