R.J. Williams Movies
- 1990
Surprisingly, the only person in the Tanner household without a date on New Year's Eve is Joey. Thus, Danny (Bob Saget) and Jesse (John Stamos) send a tape of Joey to a dating service, and the result is a thrilling night on the town with the gorgeous Christine (Yvette Nipar). But after they usher in the New Year, will Joey and Christine feel the same way about each other in the cold light of day? Elsewhere, Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) shares her first kiss with a most unlikely recipient; and Kimmy (Andrea Barber) holds an "intimate" party for 400. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Aware that DJ (Candace Cameron) has a crush on the new paperboy, practical joker Rusty (Jordan Christopher Michael) writes a phony "secret admirer" love letter and instructs Michelle (played by the Olsen twins) to deliver it. Unfortunately, Michelle bungles the assignment, and the letter ends up in the hands of practically everybody except DJ. As a result, Danny (Bob Saget) is now worried that Jesse's fiancee Becky may be falling for him--and teenaged Kimmy (Andrea Barber) is convinced that Jesse has set his sights on her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- R
Spanish director José Antonio de la Loma helmed this 1988 coming-of-age drama starring Anthony Quinn as an aging retired artist. When Quinn's ambitious daughter leaves her home to seek fame and fortune, she sends her young son to live with his grandfather, who resides on a Mediterranean island. While living together, Quinn fills the awkward and nervous boy in on the ins-and-outs of life, love, and sex. Also starring Maud Adams and Elizabeth Ashley, the original Spanish-language title of A Man of Passion was Pasión de hombre. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, R.J. Williams, (more)
- 1988
On November 26, 1988, Star Trek: The Next Generation launched its second season with this compelling dramatic episode. While most of the reviewers were preoccupied with the addition to the cast of Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan, the Enterprise crew went about their usual business, conducting a search for samples of a deadly virus for research purposes. During this mission, the starship is visited by a mysterious energy source, whereupon Counselor Deanna Troi suddenly announces that she's pregnant! Giving birth less than two days later, the already astonishing Troi is further amazed to watch her baby mature into a 4-year-old right before her eyes. Quickly advancing several more years, the child (R.J. Williams) begins making enigmatic statements, suggesting that his accelerated growth is somehow tied in with the aforementioned virus samples. Written by Jaron Summers, Jon Povill, and Maurice Hurley, "The Child" was originally intended as the pilot episode for an attempted 1978 revival of the original Star Trek. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
A dour Magnum (Tom Selleck) retreats to a mountaintop to mull over the recent failures in his life--specifically, an investigation from which he was fired, and the apparent loss of his most treasured friendships. In mid-meditation, Magnum stumbles upon the wreckage of a WW2-vintage airplane. Ultimately he finds himself helplessly pinned under the wreckage, miles from any help. . .or hope. The "flashbacks" in this episode consist of choice clips from such previous Magnum, P.I. entries as "Home From the Sea", "Distant Relative", "Paper War", "Did You See the Sunrise?", "The Man from Marseilles" and "Death and Taxes". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
An exciting climax at a gymnastics competition highlights this sports-themed drama. Steve (Olympic champion Mitch Gaylord) finds his hopes for a successful career are in doubt when his family relationships suddenly fall apart. He and his father are continually at odds while his younger brother and mother can do nothing about it. Gymnast Julie Lloyd (Janet Jones) arrives on the scene and a romantic liaison with Steve is in the works. A big championship competition looms ahead on the horizon as both Steve and Julie prepare for a final challenge. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mitch Gaylord, Janet Jones, (more)
- 1985
Art Carney effectively portrays a weary, wisecracking Santa Claus (not the department store variety, but the real McCoy) in the made-for-TV The Night They Saved Christmas. Right now, Santa has very little to be jolly about: his North Pole toy factory is threatened with demolition by greedy oil prospectors. Eco-conscious Jaclyn Smith and three kids come to the rescue. The film is highlighted by several songs written by Paul Williams, who co-stars as chief elf Ed. Filmed in part at the Arctic Circle, The Night They Save Christmas was a Holiday perennial for several years after its December 1984 debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
When wealthy businessman Richard Kennerly (Richard Crenna) dies, he leaves behind a great many unresolved issues. More specifically, he leaves behind a wife named Catherine (Joanne Woodward) a mistress named Nina (Lindsay Wagner)--and the children from both liasons. Upon learning of Nina's existence, Catherine gears herself for a confrontation with her romantic rival. Things take an unexpected turn when both women discover that Richard left no provisions in his will for his illegitimate 6-year-old son. Made for television, Passions premiered October 1, 1984 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
- PG
Jack Lemmon stars in Mass Appeal as a popular Los Angeles parish priest, who has retained the good will of his parishioners by cracking jokes and never taking a stand on crucial matters. Enter young seminarian Zeljko Ivanek, whose rebellious reputation threatens to earn him an expulsion. Lemmon is expected to bring Ivanek around to the Church's "party line," but the younger man resists the older man's advice--quite loudly at times. The audience is fully aware that, by film's end, Ivanek will have converted Lemmon instead of the other way around, but the sheer joy of watching two superb actors at work transcends the story's predictability. Mass Appeal was based on a play by Bill C. Davis, and produced by none other than the widow of McDonalds mogul Ray Kroc. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Zeljko Ivanek, (more)
- 1983
The fourth season of Magnum, P.I gets under way with one of the series' most famous and best-remembered episodes. Honoring his self-promise to spend each July 4th by himself on the high seas, Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) ends up stranded in the middle of the ocean after his surf-ski capsizes. With his friends unaware of his plight (except for some disturbing premonitions), Magnum must somehow keep his head above water until help arrives. . .if it ever does. Throughout this terrifying ordeal, Magnum experiences flashbacks to the more traumatic incidents in his past, including the funeral of his Naval-officer father in 1951, and his brief wartime marriage in Vietnam. Many viewers consider this to be Magnum, P.I.'s finest hour; few will hold it lesser esteem. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Directed by seasoned comedy man Melville Shavelson, The Other Woman is a "menage a trois" TV movie with a twist. The stars are middle-aged Anne Meara and Hal Linden, and youngish Madolyn Smith. The twist? Linden, a book publisher, is married to half-his-age Smith, a fashion designer. It is Anne Meara, a fiftyish divorcee and aspiring romance novelist, who turns out to be the "other woman!" Ms. Meara cowrote the teleplay for this engaging contrivance, in which everyone is so essentially likeable that we genuinely care how things turn out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Linden, Anne Meara, (more)
- 1981
- Add Alvin & the Chipmunks: A Chipmunk Christmas to QueueAdd Alvin & the Chipmunks: A Chipmunk Christmas to top of Queue
Several years after the death of novelty album recording artist Ross Bagdasarian, his son Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. brought his father's most popular creation, Alvin and the Chipmunks, back to life with a record album called Chipmunk Punk (1980). The resurgence in popularity of the high-pitched, squeaky-voiced, animated chipmunks Alvin (the mischievous one), Theodore (the giggly, shy, fat one) and Simon (the brainy one) allowed Bagdasarian, Jr. to follow that project with Alvin & the Chipmunks: A Chipmunk Christmas (1981), a half-hour television special and accompanying record album. Voicing the same character Bagdasarian had, that of the chipmunks' "father" Dave Seville, Bagdasarian, Jr. created the story of the chipmunks preparing a Carnegie Hall appearance, only to realize that Alvin has given away his harmonica, an instrument with which he's scheduled to perform a solo. On the play list for their big show was "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas, Don't Be Late)," the single that launched the chipmunks' decades-spanning career in 1958. So popular was Alvin & the Chipmunks: A Chipmunk Christmas, that in 1983, NBC produced a second chipmunks TV series, Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983-1990), which ran as a Saturday morning children's program, spawning a variety of videos and further record albums. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., Janice Karman, (more)
