David Sacks Movies

Filmmakers Mark and Lindsay Goffman train the spotlight on five ventriloquists who have devoted their lives to making audiences laugh with the help of some truly colorful friends. When withdrawn 13-year-old Dylan finds his voice in the form of a flippant black puppet named Reggie, his father just wishes he would put down the doll and play football. Meanwhile, former beauty queen Kim keeps schoolkids in stitches while seeking a job on a cruise ship, veteran cruise-ship performer Dan strives to stay in his wife's good graces, Terry makes a play for the top prize on America's Got Talent, black sheep Wilma brings smiles to senior citizens and Walmart shoppers, and a visit to the annual Vent Haven convention in Ft. Mitchell, KY, finds ventriloquists from all around the world converging to exchange jokes and bond through puppetry. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

UPN's first prime-time CGI-animated comedy series, Game Over dealt with the Smashenberns, a family of computerized video game characters. Mom Raquel Smashenbern (voiced by Lucy Liu) was a dead ringer for Lara Croft, dad Rip Smashenbern (voiced by Patrick Warburton) would not be out of place as a Grand Prix racer, and 13-year-old Billy and 14-year old Alice spent most of their time figuring out just what game they'd be best suited for (you know those teenagers; they never feel like they quite belong). Also in the cast was the family's 300-pound pet, Turbo, one of those amorphous, unrecognizable blobs that tended show up in real video games if the player forgot to defrag. The Smashenburns' nutty neighbors were the Changs, a clan of battling Shaolin Monks. Living in the alternate "afterworld" of Game Over, the main characters struggled to fulfill their strenuous video game duties while trying to maintain a semblance of normality in their private lives. In several instances, genuine video game characters showed up in guest roles. Debuting March 10, 2004, Game Over, produced by the same people responsible for 3rd Rock From the Sun and That '70s Show, lasted a scant six half-hour episodes, only five of which were seen before it was canceled by UPN. The network also briefly maintained an online PC game to be played in conjunction with the program. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Acting on orders from Mr. Lansing (Garry Marshall), Jim (Charles Kimbrough) takes on the challenge of transforming vapid "Front and Center" host Miller Redfield into a "real newsman." The "FYI" staff is astonished that stuffed-shirt Jim would accept such an demeaning (and seemingly impossible!) assignment. But as it turns out, Jim has his own personal reason--one might even call it payback--for helping Miller gain respectability. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi