J.C. Quinn Movies
Supporting player, onscreen from the '80s. ~ All Movie Guide
Mike Nichols directed this Elaine May screenplay adapted from the 1996 bestseller by "Anonymous" (Joe Klein), who fictionalized Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. In the New Hampshire primary, Governor Jack Stanton (John Travolta) convinces Henry Burton (Adrian Lester), grandson of a respected civil rights pioneer, to become his deputy campaign manager. Stanton's smart wife Susan (Emma Thompson) always comes through with public support for her philandering husband. The film's parallel for James Carville is Stanton's redneck advisor Richard Jemmons (Billy Bob Thornton), who knows every strategy and tactic but worries, "The woman thing, that's the killer." Sure enough, problems during the New Hampshire primary include charges of adultery. To get a handle on past peccadillos, Stanton's staff brings in an old family friend, lesbian Libby Holden (Kathy Bates), who knows how to clean up dirt. Stanton, a strong debater, moves on to Florida and New York. When one opposing candidate drops dead of a heart attack, he's replaced by Florida's Governor Fred Picker (Larry Hagman), but Holden holds the skeleton key to the skeleton in Picker's closet. Just how the Stantons put this information to use reveals whether they are ruthless politicians or inspirational leaders with ideals. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Emma Thompson, (more)
- 1997
- PG13
This made-for-cable sequel to the 1990 TV-movie thriller Buried Alive picks up where the earlier film leaves off, with the death of the sheriff who solved the mystery in the original. Old Sam has left his money (a hefty sum indeed) to his niece Laura (Ally Sheedy), who is married to a no-account named Randy (Stephen Caffrey). Hoping to get his mitts on all of Laura's dough, Randy conspires with his mistress Roxanne (Tracey Needham) to arrange an "accidental" demise for his unwitting wife. On cue, Laura dies after consuming a poisoned meal, the authorities are satisfied that no foul play has occurred, and the girl's body is shipped off to the embalmer. Thanks to a power outage, the embalming process is halted and Laura is buried "intact" -- and of course, still alive! Once she's dug herself out of her grave, Laura embarks upon a campaign of vengeance, aided and abetted by a shadowy stranger who turns out to be the "murder victim" from the earlier Buried Alive, Clint Goodman (played again by Tim Matheson, who also directed this film). Entertaining in its own "they liked it once, they'll love it twice" fashion, Buried Alive II premiered February 4, 1997, on the USA network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ally Sheedy, Stephen Caffrey, (more)
Deserted by her no-good mother Angie (Ally Sheedy), Emma Baker (Rachael Lee Cook) has been raised by her grandfather, a tough but compassionate old coal miner named Clayton Hayes (George C. Scott). Now 15 years old, Emma insists upon a reunion with her drink-sodden mom--only to be raped and impregnated by Angie's current lowlife boyfriend Ray Wilcox (Don Diamont). When Clayton goes to court in hopes of adopting Emma's sickly baby, he is thwarted by a misguided legal system that regards Wilcox as a more suitable guardian! Outraged, Clayton steals the baby and embarks upon a lengthy odyssey, with the authorities dogging his trail and a virtual battalion of truck drivers and other "little people" treating the old man as a folk hero. Produced for the CBS network, the made-for-TV Country Justice premiered January 14, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George C. Scott, Ally Sheedy, (more)
Hit Me is a film adaptation of Jim Thompson's crime novel, A Swell-Looking Babe. Sonny (Elias Koteas) lives with his retarded older brother, Leroy (Jay Leggett), and works very hard as a bellhop at a second-rate hotel. This changes when Monique (Laure Marsac) a beautiful, suicidal nut-case checks in. Sonny delivers her room service order and finds her bleeding from the wrists. She and Del (Bruce Ramsay), a male prostitute, draw Sonny into a robbery scheme which quickly begins to unravel. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elias Koteas, Laure Marsac, (more)
An unhinged city dweller becomes a vigilante as he tries to protect a troubled teenager. The fellow is Ernest, who came to LA in search of his fortune and who ends up addicted to coke and managing a pornographic video store. When he makes an awkward play for the boss's daughter, he loses his job. Unable to deal with it, he becomes really unstable. He murders his drug dealer and then becomes friends with the teen Christiane who is trying to cope with a stepfather who molests her and a mother who doesn't care. Ernest takes Christiane away from home and then helps her try to find her long-lost sister. Along the way he makes sure that anyone who ever harmed her is made to pay. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Sydney Carpenter (Vanessa Marcil) has just learned that her husband is a low-down crook. Not long afterward, both Sydney's husband and her son are lost at sea. Though she grieves for her son, there is clearly an air of relief about Sydney whenever she discusses her hubby. Even so, when evidence surfaces that the deaths have been faked and that at least one of the two "victims" may still be alive, Sydney engages the services of a police detective, Jim Sanders (James Wilder), to uncover the truth--this despite the fact that the FBI has ordered Sanders and his department to steer clear of the case. To Love, Honor and Deceive first aired December 15, 1996 on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Marcil, James Wilder, (more)
The directorial debut from Highlander screenwriter Gregory Widen stars Christopher Walken as the angel Gabriel, who, fed up with God giving all of his attention to humans, decides to stage a sort of coup. With plans of killing all of the good angels, Gabriel decides to enlist the help of a recently deceased and inhumanly malevolent army general. In order to prevent Gabriel from obtaining the help of the vicious Korean War vet, good angel Simon (Eric Stoltz) stashes the general's soul in an unsuspecting young Native American girl named Mary (Moriah Snyder). As Gabriel gets closer to finding Mary, an ex-seminary-student-turned-cop and a school teacher, played by Elias Koteas and Virginia Madsen, team together to protect her. Meanwhile, Satan (Viggo Mortensen) enters into the mix, concerned over the implications the heavenly war may have on his dominion. Later spawning a series of sequels, The Prophecy was released in the U.K. under the title God's Army. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, (more)
A dysfunctional family reunites during the Apollo XI moon landing in this drama starring real-life couple Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. In 1969, eccentric teacher Washington Bellamy (Danson) turns the arrival of men on the moon into a science project for his son Andy (Ryan Todd). They drive across the country to Idaho's Spires of the Moon National Park, where the odometer of Washington's classic Pontiac Chief will read 238,857, the exact mileage traveled by Apollo XI. Left behind is wife and mother Katherine (Steenburgen), an agoraphobic who never recovered emotionally from a miscarriage seven years earlier. On the road, Washington and Andy encounter a Native American soldier (Eric Schweig), a flirty barfly (Cathy Moriarty) and Washington's long-lost brother (Max Gail). Back home, Katherine nervously ventures outside to follow her family. When Washington's car breaks down, he steals a new engine, bringing the authorities after him and leading to a rendezvous at the park between father, son, mother, and cops, as the astronauts simultaneously land on the moon. Pontiac Moon (1994) was a critical lemon for director Peter Medak, who enjoyed more success with his British crime dramas such as The Krays (1990) and Let Him Have It (1991). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, (more)
Eastern State University isn't particularly notable for anything except its football program. Lately, even that hasn't been doing too well, and the athletic staff led by Coach Winters (James Caan) are under considerable pressure by the administration and alumni to bring in a winning season. To do that, he has to recruit some able, promising young players out of high school. It's not too surprising to learn that he will do almost anything to get these kids, and its even less surprising that, as long as they keep producing on the field, he and the college will overlook almost any obnoxious behavior the boys can perpetrate to the limit of their ability. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Halle Berry, (more)
John Goodman is cast as the Sultan of Swat, whose excesses -- especially drinking -- and private demons can (in this context) be excused in view of his genuine love of baseball. The facts never get in the way of a good story for screenwriter John Fusco; we're even offered the umpteenth rehash of "Little Johnny", the largely fanciful tale of the invalid boy who promises to get well if Babe hits him a homer (as in Pride of the Yankees, the cured Johnny makes return a appearance as grownup). The most amusing fabrication is the casting of narrow James Cromwell as the Babe's orphanage mentor Brother Mathias, who in real life weighed 300 pounds. Many of the characters are composites, notably Bruce Boxleitner's Jumpin' Joe Dugan. At least Ruth's two wives--Trini Alvarado as Helen, who suffers Babe's many peccadilloes and dies under strange circumstances, and Kelly McGillis as Claire, who keeps Babe on a very short leash-are depicted with a modicum of accuracy. The baseball sequences are well handled (though there could have been less slo-mo) while Elmer Bernstein's charmingly old-fashioned musical score is right in tune with the film's approach to its subject. The Babe is rated PG; had this been the whole truth and nothing but, and R rating would probably have been in order. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Goodman, Kelly McGillis, (more)
- 1992
Although Gary's Old Towne Tap is under new ownership, the gang at Cheers intends to reinvigorate its war of practical jokes against the rival pub. Alas, Gary's taciturn owner (Harry Guardino) doesn't find the pranks very funny -- but then, not too many mobsters are known for their sense of humor. Senator John Kerry appears as himself in the opening scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Goldie Hawn makes a change of pace in this downbeat drama about a mother' sacrifice for her family, and her son's attempts to save her from herself. When John Cross (Keith Carradine) returns home to Key West, Florida in 1969 after a tour of duty as a fighter pilot in Viet Nam, he's an emotionally shattered man; he begins drinking heavily and, in an desperate effort to find himself, abandons his wife Tracy (Goldie Hawn) and their 12-year-old son Chris (David Arnott) to live in a monastery, where he takes a vow of silence. Left with no means of support for herself or her son, Tracy takes a job as a bartender at a sleazy strip joint, but when she finds out how much more money the dancers are making, she reluctantly moves on to a career as a go-go girl. When Chris finds out about his mother's new job, he wants to rescue her from a shameful and humiliating (if profitable) career and stars taking odd jobs, including running fresh catch from a local fisherman to the restaurant in a resort hotel. However, Chris soon discovers that's he's actually being making cocaine drops, with the drugs hidden inside the fish; Chris makes the dangerous decision to steal the drugs and sell them himself. The supporting cast features Arliss Howard and Steve Buscemi. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Goldie Hawn, Arliss Howard, (more)
- 1991
In this ironic drama, a hard working, devoted doctor finds herself accused of murder after the man who raped her dies under her care. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
Corey Haim takes on white supremacist rollerbladers in Prayer of the Rollerboys, the futuristic tale of teen angst and sweet love on skates. Haim stars as Chris Griffin, a pizza delivery boy whose younger brother Miltie (Devin Clark) gets caught up with the local drug-pusher gang, the Rollerboys. With the help of Casey (Patricia Arquette), a female cop out for revenge for her own brother's death, they help bring down the dreaded 'boys for good. But the deeper Chris and Miltie get into the crew, the scarier their racist attitudes become, especially when its revealed that repeated use of their drug will sterilize the entire population of L.A. outside of the Rollerboys' inner circle. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corey Haim, Patricia Arquette, (more)
- 1991
- R
In a futuristic world, the U.S. is ruled by a repressive government that bans most forms of media. As part of the enforcement, a cop (Billy Zane) is sent to the rebel state of Megaville on an undercover mission to infiltrate an unlawful media organization. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Zane, J.C. Quinn, (more)
- 1991
Since graduating from Happy Days, Anson "Potsie" Williams has carved himself a comfortable Hollywood niche as a prolific director of straight-to-video movies. In Williams' All-American Murder, Charlie Schlatter stars as a James Dean-ish young troublemaker. When a beautiful college coed is murdered, Schlatter tops the suspect list. Cop Christopher Walken doubts Schlatter's guilt; he gives the suspect 24 hours to prove his innocence. But when more murders occur, we are forced to ask ourselves: Just what is Schlatter's agenda? It may seem like an exercise in the Obvious, but All-American Murder keeps you guessing right up to the end. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Walken, Charlie Schlatter, (more)
The Top Gun team of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, director Tony Scott, and superstar Tom Cruise reunite for this excursion into stock-car racing that incorporates the vroom and rumble of deafening car engines with a rehash of the same elements that worked so effectively in Cruise's Top Gun, The Color of Money, and Cocktail. Cruise plays stock-car driver Cole Trickle, a young fireball on the Southern stock-car circuit who has loads of talent but no conception of how to channel that talent in to racing success. When Tim Daland (Randy Quaid) commissions veteran stock-car racer Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall) to built a car and hires Cole to drive it, Harry must instill in Cole his philosophy of winning and teach him how to channel his raw talent into success -- or, as Harry puts it, "controlling something that's out of control." Cole immediately comes into conflict with the circuit's star driver, Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker), and their hijinks on the track causes them to smash up their cars and lands them both in the hospital. Because of his injuries, Rowdy is forced to withdraw from the circuit competition. With no rival to torment, Rowdy becomes Cole's supporter and friend, while Cole revs up his motors for Dr. Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman), the attractive brain specialist who supervises Cole's recovery from the crackup. Cole's health is restored, and he begins to race again, chastened and hanging onto Harry's every word. Cole appears to have centered himself for success, but in an orgasmic grand finale, Cole must compete against Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes), a dastardly driver who not only wants to see Cole defeated but permanently disabled. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, (more)
- 1990
LA Law's husband-and-wife costars Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry are top-billed in this TV movie tailored to their talents. Tucker is a minor league crook who can't seem to do anything right. Eikenberry is a bored housewife who is inadvertently kidnapped by Tucker during a bank robbery. Eventually kidnapper and kidnapee find that they are kindred spirits--two misfits in a world full of conformists. A true family affair, Secret Life of Archie's Wife also features Michael Tucker's real-life daughter Alison in a supporting role (Archie, incidentally, is played by Ray Wise). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In this made-for-cable chiller, a psychopath provides himself with a veritable smorgasbord of victims by masquerading as a member of the California Highway Patrol and bedeviling the residents of a small desert town during his vacation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Skerritt, Michael Parks, (more)
The crew of an experimental, high-tech submersible is called into action to investigate a mysterious nuclear submarine crash. A series of strange encounters leads the crew to suspect the accident was caused by an extraterrestrial craft, and that they may be participating in an encounter with an alien species. However, in order to make contact, they must not only brave the abyss, an exceedingly deep underwater canyon, but also deal with the violent actions of one of their own crew members, an increasingly paranoid Navy SEAL officer. Approved by director James Cameron, The Abyss: Special Edition is an extended director's cut of the 1989 underwater science fiction epic, reinstating nearly a half hour of footage removed from the original release under studio pressure. Much of the restored footage places the film's events in a grander political context, as the crew's mission becomes a factor in the dangerous escalation of nuclear tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The largest change involves the film's ending, which provides further information on the aliens' mission on Earth, bringing the film to closer to Cameron's intention: a modern remake of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, (more)
One by-product of two consecutive Oscar wins is that Tom Hanks no longer has to appear in such potboilers as Turner and Hooch. Hanks plays Turner, a meticulously groomed, excruciatingly well-organized detective working in a small California coastal town. When local "character" John McIntyre is murdered by drug smugglers, the only witness is McIntyre's slobbery, smelly mutt Hootch. You're way ahead of us, folks: Turner, who despises dogs in general and Hooch in particular, is compelled to put the cantankerous dog up as his house guest. Also easily predictable is the fact that Turner and Hooch will, by the next-to-last reel, become boon companions. To its credit, the film has an abundance of laughs and thrills...but, gee, that ending! Neither terrific nor terrible, Turner and Hooch is a pleasant time-filler; we do wish, however, that more time had been spent on the budding romance between Turner and veterinarian Emily Carson (Mare Winningham). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Hanks, Mare Winningham, (more)
- 1989
- PG13
A college student clashes with his co-ed roommate, then falls for her in this romantic comedy. Sheltered freshman Chris Wooden (Patrick Dempsey) arrives at his university ready to hone his writing skills. His hard-partying roommate, however, proves to be a distraction. Alex Page (Helen Slater) -- short for Alexandra -- has been placed on a guys' floor by mistake, and the aspiring actress/good-time girl drives Chris crazy. Eventually, as both students hone their respective crafts and spend more time together, they become friends and finally lovers. But Alex's freewheeling ways put a kink in things; Chris is an old-fashioned guy, and he wants a plain-vanilla girlfriend. Things come to a head when a random biker Alex promised to marry shows up looking to rearrange Chris' face. Happy Together is one of the few feature credits of Mel Damski, who has directed countless TV movies since the late '70s. Astute viewers will notice a pre-Thelma and Louise Brad Pitt in a small role. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Dempsey, Helen Slater, (more)
Gross Anatomy is to medical school what Paper Chase was to law school, with perhaps a little less sobriety. Mathew Modine plays a blue-collar kid attending a posh school of medicine, where everyone--teacher and student alike--seems to be well above Modine's social strata. Perhaps as a reaction to the snobbery all around him, Modine behaves as irreverently as possible. Neither teacher Christine Lahti nor lab partner Daphne Zuniga finds Modine's what-the-hell act appealing, but both are fully aware that he is a talented young man with a brilliant future. The climax of the film lays it on pretty thick in defining Modine as an all-around good fellow despite his cheekiness (he even delivers a baby just before taking his finals!), but Gross Anatomy strives successfully to be a "feel good" movie--albeit brought ever so slightly down to earth by the death of one of the principal characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Daphne Zuniga, (more)
- 1989
- R
This film, loosely-based on the book by Bob Woodward, follows the career of comedian John Belushi (Michael Chiklis) as his spirit is guided through the past by the Angel Velasquez (Ray Sharkey). ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, Ray Sharkey, (more)
- 1989
Based on a true story, The Preppie Murder begins on August 26, 1986. This was the day that 18-year-old Jennifer Levin (Lara-Flynn Boyle) was strangled to death in Central Park. The prime suspect, Jennifer's 19-year-old boyfriend Robert Chambers (William Baldwin), confesses to the crime. The well-to-do young man insists that the killing was accidental; he claims that it occurred during a "rough sex" session that Jennifer had inaugurated. The ensuing media frenzy forces the old "she asked for it" defense to rear its ugly head. The Preppie Murder's attempts at fairness caused a great deal of critical turmoil when the film first aired on September 24, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
