May Quigley Movies
Friends star Jennifer Aniston made her debut as the leading lady of a feature film in this romantic comedy. Kate (Aniston) is an art director with an advertising agency whose personal and professional life is stuck in neutral; while her work is good, her boss Mr. Mercer (Kevin Dunn) won't give her a promotion, and while Kate is attracted to co-worker Sam (Kevin Bacon), he's not interested in her. Kate learns that Mercer is loath to promote single people, because without permanent attachments they're free to leave whenever they wish. Kate's friend Darcy (Illeana Douglas) comes up with a possible solution: use a photo of Kate with handsome stranger Nick (Jay Mohr) to convince Mercer that she's engaged to be married. The ruse works -- Kate gets her promotion, and Sam, who's attracted to women who are already spoken for, starts showing her some attention. But soon Mercer wants to meet Kate's husband-to-be; Kate tracks down Nick and persuades him to pose as her intended for an evening, but Nick decides at the end of the night that he's in love with her. Picture Perfect was written and directed by Glenn Gordon Caron, who created the TV series Moonlighting. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Jay Mohr, (more)
- 1992
When a successful newswoman receives an on-the-air shock, she begins to analyze her relationship with her philandering husband. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Connie Sellecca, Kevin Dobson, (more)
Combining elements of A Christmas Carol and Rain Man (1988), this modern-day parable of greed and redemption was crafted with generous helpings of sentimentality by director Mike Nicholas. Harrison Ford stars as Henry Turner, a slick, ruthless corporate attorney willing to spin any falsehood to win a case. A bully to his teenage daughter Rachel (Mikki Allen), Henry also cheats on his wife Sarah (Annette Bening) and treats everyone from the maid to his assistant with cruel selfishness. Stepping out to a local mini-market for a pack of cigarettes late one night, Henry accidentally interrupts a burglary and is shot in the head by a stick-up artist. After a long coma, Henry survives only to find that he has no memory and must re-learn everything from reading to tying his shoes. Reborn as a friendly, childlike innocent, Henry charms his therapist (Bill Nunn) and reconnects with his wife and daughter, only to uncover some secrets about how truly appalling he once was. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harrison Ford, Annette Bening, (more)
- 1991
Because sources gave contradictory information on this made-for-TV film--two different plot synopses from two different sources--the information here is based on the scattered TV listings found for the film. Mare Winningham plays Jamie Hurd, a young mother whose life is put in danger by a photograph. The picture reveals vital evidence pertaining to a recent mob hit. Jamie comes into possession of the fatal snapshot when her order is mislabeled at the local camera shop. And so it goes for the next 97 minutes. Fatal Exposure debuted February 6, 1991, over the USA Cable Network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mare Winningham
This is almost a follow-up to its relative The Exorcist, since it stars Linda Blair, also the leading lady in the '70s head-spinner tale. In Repossessed, a grown-up Blair plays a housewife who becomes possessed by the Devil while watching TV. Leslie Nielsen plays Father Mayii, who gets called to exorcise the intrusive being. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Blair, Leslie Nielsen, (more)
Where the original Gremlins was a horror film spiked with comedy, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is essentially a black comedy, with a couple of horrifying touches. As the film starts, the fantastical trinket shop in Chinatown, which sold the Mogwai in the first film, is demolished by a crazed multi-media businessman called Daniel Clamp (John Glover). The heroes from the first movie, Billy (Zach Galligan) and Kate (Phoebe Cates), happen to work for Clamp in his huge high-rise. They find the Mogwai within Clamp's building, but not before he has accidentally spawned legions of mischievous, lizard-like Gremlins. Soon, the Gremlins are wreaking havoc throughout the building. In the original film, their misdeeds were violent, but here they're also goofy and satirical. Director Joe Dante has filled the film with quick verbal and visual jokes, which, for many, makes Gremlins 2: The New Batch a satire and inversion of the typical horror film. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, (more)
The made-for-TV Murder C.O.D. has a plot almost as complex and clever as its psychotic "protagonist." William Devane plays an adroit hitman who selects his victims before he's been hired to kill them. His modus operandi is to approach the person or persons who'd most benefit from the murder, then charge a $100,000 fee to go through with the plan. Patrick Duffy is the cop on the case, who periodically runs out of breath trying to keep up with the slippery Devane. While Duffy loses the acting sweepstakes to Devane, the viewer can be assured that Duffy's character in Murder C.O.D. will emerge triumphant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
A charity auction held at Cheers puts eligible bachelors Sam (Ted Danson) and Woody (Woody Harrelson) up for bid. Alas, the winners of the auction are not entirely to the boys' liking. Sam ends up being "purchased" by Frasier's amour Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) and Woody is saddled with a terrifyingly libidinous female. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Jonathan Kellerman's Edgar Allan Poe Award-winning novel When the Bough Breaks was evocatively adapted for the TV screen in 1986. Ted Danson plays a clinical psychologist, brought in to tend to an emotionally withdrawn little girl (Rachel Ticotin). There's a possibility that the child may have witnessed an unsolved double murder. As Danson and the girl draw closer, he becomes enmeshed in a homicidal conspiracy sparked by a clique of wealthy, well-connected men. Ted Danson also coproduced When the Bough Breaks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Danson, Richard Masur, (more)
