Peter Anderson Movies

In director Dennis Hopper's comedy reminiscent of The Last Detail, Rock Reilly (Tom Berenger), a gruff naval veteran who plays by the rules, arrives at a Marine base, in tow with his wheeler-dealer companion Eddie Devane (William McNamara), and finds himself assigned to escort the voluptuous Toni Johnson (Erika Eleniak) to military prison, Toni being sentenced from seven to ten years for assault and going AWOL. As in The Last Detail, the three service-persons get to know each other (in the case of Toni and Rock, they get to know each other intimately) as they make their way across the Southeastern seaboard to deliver Toni to prison. As they travel on, Toni repeatedly tries to escape from the two men as the trio encounters an array of guest-star cameos (Gary Busey, Seymour Cassel, Crispin Glover, Dean Stockwell, Frederic Forrest, and Marilu Henner -- among others). Even Hopper himself makes an appearance -- as a dirty old man with an inflatable date. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

The tragic wreck of the super-tanker Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alaska on March 24, 1989 was one of the most devastating ecological disasters in recent history. Immediately after the ship ran aground and began pumping over 11 million gallons of suffocating oil from its ruptured hold, experts were sent out to assess the damage and clean up the mess. This gripping docudrama tells their story. Much centers on the conflict between local officials, the fishing industry, and the Exxon official sent out to oversee the clean-up and take the rap. With unflinching moral outrage, the filmmakers point out that much of the aftermath could have been minimized had the officials in charge been better prepared and not spent so much time involved in useless red-tape and petty bureaucratic bickering. Most of the film was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, but it also utilizes archival filmclips of the actual disaster and clean up efforts. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Not many people know about it, but there is a sizeable Swedish Jewish community even today. In this story, the sixtieth birthday of Cohen-family matriarch Rosha is the occasion for a gathering of her children from the diverse places around the world where they have settled. The central character in this drama, however, is Angelique, whose interest in psychoanalysis has earned her the nickname of "Freud." Her older brother is gay and lives in Florida with his lover. Her older sister has married into an Orthodox family, and lives in Jerusalem. They have all gathered in Sweden for their grandmother's birthday. Meanwhile, Rosha's daughter, the mother of these diverse children, has taken ill and is in the hospital. She has been diagnosed with a very advanced, inoperable brain tumor. Freud, who never left home, is perhaps as upset by this news as anyone, and she startles everyone by going out and beginning an affair with a biker. However, she is deeply involved in the new situation: she insists that their mother be brought home from the hospital rather than being allowed to suffer and die there, and the party, now a much more dramatic event, eventually takes place. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Disney's The Journey of Natty Gann stars Meredith Salenger in the title role. During the Depression, Natty's father (Ray Wise) takes a job in a Northwestern lumber camp, leaving his daughter behind in Chicago with the promise that he'll send for her when he's put together enough money. Unwilling to wait that long, Natty runs away from her guardian (Lainie Kazan) and hops a freight bound for her dad's camp. In addition to the human friends she accrues along the way, including vagabond John Cusack and tough-but-nice juvenile delinquent Barry Miller, Natty is protected on her journey by a friendly wolf (actually a dog, but you try training a wolf). Journey of Natty Gann stretches its "PG" rating as far as possible, but it's still safe and sane entertainment for the younger crowd. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Golden Seal manages to be excellent family entertainment without ever resorting to gimmickry or phony sentimentality. The story focuses on a family living in the Aleutian Islands. The father, Jim Lee (Steve Railsback), has long been awaiting the return of the fabled golden seal, which comes to the islands to give birth every seven years. Like many of the other locals, Jim intends to capture the seal and turn it in for a huge reward. But Jim's 10-year-old son Eric (Torquil Campbell) endeavors to save the golden seal from harm. Told in a leisurely, unforced fashion, The Golden Seal is a fairly faithful adaptation of A River Ran Out of Eden, a novel by James Vance Marshall. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi