Jay Underwood Movies

A woman in need of a miracle finds one in an unexpected manner in this inspirational comedy-drama. Amanda (Julie Condra) works as a secretary for Sully (Leo Rossi), a mid-level mobster working out of Las Vegas. Amanda, who seems to be perpetually at the end of her rope, and her spineless live-in boyfriend Alan (Jay Underwood), have a habit of living beyond their means, and they find themselves deep in debt. Unable to pay their bills, Amanda gets the bright idea of "borrowing" $250,000 from Sully without telling him, and putting it on a "sure thing" at the racetrack. However, the horse that couldn't lose does just that, and Amanda has to come up with a quarter-million dollars before Sully gets wind of her embezzlement. Amanda learns she has a grandfather that she's never met, Nathan (Pat Hingle), and it seems Grandfather is a multi-millionaire. Amanda tracks Nathan down, and to her relief, he agrees to lend her the money. But there's a string attached -- Nathan, who is in a convalescent home, wants to visit his favorite fishing hole in Redemption, MT, one last time before he dies, and he'll give Amanda the money only if she'll escort him there. Amanda and Nathan soon hit the highway, with Sully's men following close behind, and as Amanda finds herself in the middle of a series of unexpected adventures, she also learns something about her grandfather's deep and abiding Christian faith. Road to Redemption was produced by World Wide Pictures, a media outlet of the Billy Graham Crusade (excerpts from Mr. Graham's radio broadcasts can be heard in the film, though he does not appear on camera). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Reggie Rock Bythewood makes his directorial debut with this sharp comedy-drama about love, compromise, and TV. The film opens with the parallel childhoods of Tomasina "Tommy" Crawford (Nicole Ari Parker) and George Washington (Isaiah Washington). Both were utterly shaped by television -- watching Roots was one of the few times that Tommy's parents stopped fighting long enough to sit on the couch together, while George was traumatized by being banned from TV for a month after swiping some church donation cash. As adults, George is a programming executive at the WPX network where fledgling writer Tommy tries to pitch shows. On the strength of both her passion for her craft and her striking good looks, George decides to champion her show called "Just Us," a serio-comedy about a juvenile offender adopted by a judge. They shoot the pilot, the network greenlights the project, and eventually they fall in love. Even though Tommy longs to present her characters in an uncompromised, unvarnished manner, pressure from network execs and advertisers forces her to water down the plot. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Tom Kale (Joe Reynolds) works as a security guard at a motel, where he wiles away his significant amount of free time talking with desk clerk Gordon (John Durbin) and engaging in a furtive affair with housekeeper Diane (Suzanne Carney), despite the fact she's married. A not-entirely-welcome interruption of this routine occurs when Tom's brother Derek (Jay Underwood) and his girlfriend Carmen (Margot Demeter) arrive for a visit. There's a bit of tension between the two brothers; Carmen was Tom's sweetheart until she left him for Derek, and while Tom works on the low rungs of law enforcement, Derek and Carmen support themselves by knocking over convenience stores. As it turns out, Derek and Carmen are mixing business with leisure with their visit; they intend to rip off the motel's safe and want to know if Tom is interested in helping. Dead Dogs was the feature-film debut for director Clay Eide; it received enthusiastic reviews and the American Independent Award after its screening at the 1999 Seattle Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The true story of one of the most unlikely love stories and show biz successes of the '60s is reenacted in this made-for-cable comedy drama. Sonny Bono (Jay Underwood) is a guy determined to get his foot in the door of the Los Angeles music business; he pitches his songs to artists and producers when he's not busy with his day job, and will do nearly anything to climb the ladder of success. In time, Bono makes his way into the session band for famous record producer Phil Spector (Christian Leffler) and gets a job signing acts and producing sessions for a small independent label. But Bono gets his biggest break when he's fixed up on a date with one Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre (Renee Faia), who, as it turns out, is a singer struggling to make it in Hollywood. Sonny sees talent in the girl called Cher for short, and he puts his money and career on the line to make a duet record with her. The two also fall in love and are happily married by the time "I Got You Babe" makes them pop stars. But as their career goes through peaks and valleys, so does their relationship, and as their act reaches a crossroads they divorce, forcing both to reestablish themselves on their own. And the Beat Goes On: The Sonny & Cher Story was first broadcast on February 22, 1999. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A man who went astray in a moment of weakness finds his mistake coming back to haunt him in this thriller. Mack Maddox (C. Thomas Howell) appears to have a happy, ordinary life -- a nice home, a happy marriage, and a loving daughter. But not all has been perfect in Mack's life and he gets a sudden and startling reminder of his checkered past when he's called up for jury duty. Mack will be hearing the trial of Ezra Tyler (Jay Underwood), who stands accused of killing his wife, and as the testimony goes on, Mack remembers that he actually knew Mrs. Tyler -- and had a brief affair with her. Ezra's morbid jealousy led him to murder his wife and Mack beings to wonder if he knows about his wife's infidelity. Soon Mack has become obsessed with Ezra, and when the trial is called off on a technicality, he discovers that Ezra is following his trail. Stalker was also released under the title Fatal Affair. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A young employee of a large corporation (William R. Moses) finds out that a fellow employee has been stealing money from the company. He informs his superiors of the man's embezzlement, which results in the embezzler killing his wife and his son, then shooting himself. The embezzler's daughter, a nurse, vows vengeance on the man she holds responsible for the deaths. When the informant suffers a stroke that leaves him paralyzed and hospitalized, the nurse sees her opportunity and, using another nurse's identity, gets the job of caring for him at the hospital. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

This horror film begins on a typical night in 1978 as seven-year-old Griffin Davis' parents are telling him a bedtime story about the Sandman. Meanwhile a serial killer with a taste for slaughtering families is dangerously close. Each of the families had a boy Griffin's age. His parents finish their story and leave the room. Later the police arrive just in time to save the frightened boy and capture the killer. Seventeen years pass and the murderer, known as The Sandman, is being prepared for execution. At the same time, Griffin, a rookie journalist and Megan, a photographer feel attracted to each other as they wait for the death. In his death row cell, Sandman is visited by a strange clergyman who bestows the killer with supernatural powers. After he is executed, his body changes into real sand. Assuming human form, the walking dune takes off after Griffin to finish what he started so long ago. Mayhem and murder ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A tranquil Arizona community is being terrorized by a series of robberies staged by an elusive truck-stop bandit. In addition, a number of disreputable-looking strangers have descended upon the community in search of buried treasure. Fortuously visiting a friend who lives near the town in question, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) ends up helping the new, inexperienced sheriff handle the onslaught of trouble--which of course is capped by a murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Unreleased to the general public and infamous for its poor quality within geek circles, this Roger Corman adaptation of the Marvel Comics supergroup is an interesting cult item that ranks up there with the dismal Captain America feature and the cheap Hulk TV movies. The story of the film goes back to the late '80s when Marvel Comics were licensing out their characters for mild profit in a time when the comic industry was failing. Enter a German company called Neue Constantin and producer Bernd Eichinger, who held the rights for almost four years before their contract was about to run out. In order to retain the rights to future remake/options and get out of paying a five-million-dollar fee, Neue were forced to put something to film, so they made a deal with Roger Corman's New Horizons studio to make the film quick and on the cheap for $1.5 million. Once the film was finished, Eichinger bought out Corman's interest, then turned around and sold it to 20th Century Fox, who were then prepping a 50-million-dollar adaptation with director Chris Columbus. The film then dove into virtual obscurity, save for the comic convention bootlegs and later through the internet. The storyline follows the basic framework of the comic, with the exception of a few minor details, including the introduction of a new villain, The Jeweler, who directly becomes responsible for the team's mishap in space and takes liberally from another one of the comic's famous villains, The Mole Man. In reference to its underground popularity, Corman now regards it as his most profitable film that never saw release, while Marvel president Avi Arad reportedly burned Fox's only print. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Adapted from Robert Sam Anson's fact-based book Best Intentions, Murder without Motive stars Curtis McClarin as Harlem teenager Edmund Perry. A brilliant student, Perry is transferred from the inner city to an exclusive prep school principally attended by whites. Ten days after graduating with honors, the 17-year-old Perry is killed by a white undercover policeman, who claims he was attacked by Perry and his younger brother Jonah (Guy Killum). Though unsparing in its indictment of racism and police brutality, the Murder without Motive attempts to be fair to both sides, showing the many external pressures which led both killer and victim to their fatal meeting in the spring of 1985. This made-for-TV film was first shown January 6, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A substantial improvement on its predecessor, this in-name-only sequel retains only a few characters from the original To Die For, standing alone as an effective vampire tale in its own right. The complex plot revolves around the facilities of vampire Doctor Max (Michael Praed), whose stores of whole blood provide temporary food supplies for wayward bloodsuckers in need of a fix. Into Max's clinic arrives young Danny (Jay Underwood) and his sister Nina (Rosalind Allen), whose adopted baby is suffering from an unknown affliction. While Danny eventually falls under the seductive spell of the translucent-looking Celia (Amanda Wyss), Max's predatory brother Tom (Steve Bond) sets his sights on Nina's unprotected neck, leading to a confrontation with Max over the fate of Nina and her child, revealed to be a human/vampire half-breed, of whom Max is the father. Events are further stirred by the arrival of manic vampire hunter Martin (Scott Jakoby), who is obsessed with destroying them all. This slick and stylish production belies its low budget with technical panache (aside from occasional cost-cutting measures in the special effects department), which includes superb photography, razor-sharp editing, and a script that provides dimension and believable motivations for its characters without skimping on scares. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Originally telecast in two parts, Blind Faith was adapted from a fact-based book by investigative author Joe McGinniss. The scene is Toms River, New Jersey; the year is 1984. Insurance salesman Rob Marshall (Robert Urich) informs the authorities that his wife Maria (Joanna Kerns) has been murdered by a band of marauding thieves. Marshall claims that he and his wife were ambushed at a remote picnic area, and for a while everyone believes the man. But further investigation leads to the conclusion that Maria was the victim of a murder conspiracy, fomented by Marshall himself in order collect his wife's insurance. The climactic trial forces Marshall's three teenaged sons to bear witness against their own father. With grim irony, Blind Faith was first broadcast just before Valentine's Day, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide