Hira Ambrosino Movies
- 2007
Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) assigns House (Hugh Laurie) to treat John Kelley (Marc Blucas), an Iraq war veteran who may or may not be suffering from Gulf War Syndrome--and who happens to be the nephew of one of the clinic's biggest donors. This proves to be a major freak-out for House: He's been having a recurring nightmare in which the principal character is a Marine who looks just like Kelley! As if this wasn't enough for him to worry about, House's leg pains are getting worse by the hour. Meanwhile, Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and Chase (Jesse Spencer) are caught in the act while engaging in "uncomplicated sex". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2007
After weeks of mental warfare between Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) and vengeful detective Michael Tritter (David Morse), House suddenly does an about-face, apologizing to Tritter and agreeing to enter drug rehab in exchange for having all charges against him dropped. But can House be trusted? This question looms large over the rest of the episode, which otherwise concerns itself with a firefighter named Derek (Tony Kittles) who suffers uncontrollable shivers whenever he comes near a fire--and whose problem may never be resolved unless he agrees to have his romantic yearnings for his brother's fiance surgically removed (literally!) And speaking of resolutions, wait until Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) gives her testimony when House goes before the judge! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2007
The clinic is in a minor uproar over 16-year-old Stevie (Jake Richardson), who suffers respiratory distress after having sex with his girlfriend. Before long, Stevie's Gypsy relatives are crowding into the building, making no secret of their intense distrust of doctors. Normally, House (Hugh Laurie) would be preoccupied with the mysteries surrounding Stevie's ailment, but he has more pressing matters on his mind: Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) has given House's handicapped parking space to wheelcheir-bound researcher Julie Whitner (Wendy Makkena). Determined to prove he's more "deserving" than Dr. Whitner, House begins perambulating about in his own wheelchair--and refuses to stand up until he gets his space back! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2006
It promises to be a busy week at the Federal courthouse in this final episode of Monk's fourth season. The Feds are prepared to escort "most-wanted" criminal Miguel Escobar (Carlos Gomez) to his long-overdue trial, and Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is summoned to jury duty on a minor robbery case. Though it makes him queasy to be locked in a room with eleven strangers, Monk appears to be in no hurry to leave when he is the only one to vote "Not Guilty." As he tries to sway the other jurors to his way of thinking, Monk finds himself saddled with another legal headache when the body of a dead woman is found stuffed in a dumpster just outside the courtroom. This being Monk, it is virtually a foregone conclusion that our hero's "Not Guilty" ballot, the woman's death, and the impending Escobar trial are all linked together. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A woman stuck in middle age may yet find love if her mother can stay out of the way in this comedy from first-time director Frank Lin. Yvonne (Sylvia Chang) is a divorcee who is about to turn fifty and feels as if life is passing her by. Yvonne works for a throw-away newspaper where ad sales is more important than content, and her life is dominated by her overbearing mother (Lan Yeung), and to a lesser extent her slacker son, Joshua (Randall Park). When Yvonne meets Jose (Esai Morales), a handsome dentist, while working on a piece for the paper, the two hit it off and begin dating. However, Jose is Hispanic, and Mother is horrified at the prospect of her daughter marrying a Mexican-American, and with Mother about to undergo major back surgery, her stranglehold over the family is stronger than ever. Can Yvonne choose between her own happiness and that of her mother? American Fusion also stars Pat Morita, Collin Chou and James Hong. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sylvia Chang, Esai Morales, (more)
- 2004
Upset over her dad's heart attack, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) comes on to Ross (David Schwimmer) -- but he refuses to rekindle their romance under such circumstances, no matter how much he wants to. Meanwhile, adoptive birth mother Erica (Anna Faris) informs Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) that the father of their soon-to-be-adopted baby may well be the infamous "shovel killer." And, just as the episode's title reveals, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) takes French lessons from Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) in preparation for a movie audition. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Anna Faris, Ron Leibman, (more)
- 2004
The grandmother of law student Julie Parlo (Rachel Dratch) is kidnapped, apparently by a long-dormant 1970s radical group called the Lightning Brigade. Though grandma is returned unharmed, Julie asks Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to locate the old woman's abductors, promising to get him reinstated to the plice force as he does so. Monk's investigation leads him to a pair of pretentious antique dealers, Harold and Carol Maloney (Currie Graham, Eden Rountree)--but since their only likely "motive" involves a stolen cat (a fact that sets the highly allergic Monk to sneezing even before he meets the feline!), they hardly seem capable of being kidnappers or even former radicals. As usual, however, there's more to the case the meets the eye. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2003
Glenne Headly makes her first appearance as Karen Stottlemeyer, the woman whom Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) disdainfully dismisses as "my hippie wife." While filming a documentary about Miles Holling (Patrick Cranshaw), the world's oldest man, Karen is thrown for a loss when Holling dies in bed. Though her husband is certain that Holling succumbed to natural causes (he was, after all, just one day shy of his 115th birthday!), Karen is convinced that the man was murdered--and she wants Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to prove it. In the course of his investigation, Monk uncovers a surprising link between Holling's death and a hit-and-run fatality that occurred five years earlier--the only unsolved case in Captain Stottlemeyer's career. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2002
Season ten of Frasier gets under way not long after Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves) have eloped to Reno. Feeling guilty over leaving Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Martin (John Mahoney) out of their wedding plans, the couple pretends to still be unhitched so that a more formal ceremony can take place in Seattle. What they hadn't counted on was the persistence of Daphne's mom, Gertrude (Millicent Martin), who demands a third ceremony at a place of her choosing; nor are they prepared for the return of Daphne's jilted ex-fiancé, Donny Douglas (Saul Rubinek). ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Millicent Martin, Saul Rubinek, (more)
- 2002
A stolen-goods fence is fatally shot in the groin by an elusive gunman. The investigation of this killing leads to the victim's girlfriend and one of his disgruntled customers -- and, inevitably, to another murder. Elsewhere, Connie (Charlotte Ross) suspects that her sister Michelle (Katherine La Nasa) is being abused by Michelle's no-good husband Frank Colohan (Nicholas Lea, in the first of three guest appearances). The guys at the 15th precinct decide to help Connie out by "talking" to the scuzzy Frank. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Henry Simmons
