Cyndi Lauper Movies
Awarded a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1984, the inimitable Cyndi Lauper has also accumulated a sufficient amount of screen and TV credits. Other than brief cameos in WWF videos during her bizarre wrestling-crossover phase, Lauper's first feature-film venture was in 1985, singing the theme song for The Goonies. She would appear on several other soundtracks throughout the decade (including singing the theme song for Pee-Wee's Playhouse), but her acting debut was in the star vehicle Vibes (1988), which didn't do too well at the box office. Her next leading role was in another flop, Off and Running (1990), where she met her husband, actor David Thornton. She had a small role in the family comedy Life With Mikey in 1993, as well as contributing to the musical score. While she continued to put out albums, she made a few guest appearances on TV shows. In 1995, she won an Emmy award for her role as Marianne on the sitcom Mad About You. It wasn't until her role as Sally in the independent film The Opportunists in 2000 that she got some critical acclaim for her acting performance in a film. She would follow this with a handful of selective appearances on screen over the coming years, playing cameo roles on shows like That's So Raven, and in films like National Lampoon's Dirty Movie. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide- 2007
Backyardigans: International Super Spy features an international adventure that finds the friends attempting to stop special items being stolen. In order to complete their mission, the group visits locations as far-flung as Miami, London, and Switzerland. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2006
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The lives and experiences of four students attending the first lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer high school in the nation are explored as musicians Rufus Wainright, Sleater-Kinney), Jonathan Richman and more step into the studio to record a benefit album featuring songs from John Cameron Mitchell's film Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The Hetrick-Martin Institute is home to Harvey Milk High School, the first learning institute in American designed specifically to meet the needs of LGBTQ students struggling to find their way in the world. In this documentary, viewers are invited to follow these students as they explore a whole new world of educational possibilities. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
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The biggest names in modern music all come together on one stage for this landmark concert organized to raise funds for the relief and rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Katrina and featuring special appearances by a number of New Orleans legends. Featured performers include Aaron Neville, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimmy Buffet, John Fogerty, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Irma Thomas, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Lenny Kravitz. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
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A pair of pint-sized rock stars wrestle with the perils of stardom, icky girls, and too much soda pop in this mockumentary comedy. Nine-year-old Nat Wolff is the singer, guitarist and songwriter for a rock band known as the Silver Bullets, which features his six-year-old brother, Alex Wolff, on the drums. With the help of their equally youthful bandmates Joshua Kaye, Thomas Batuello, and David Levi, Nat and Alex have built the Silver Bullets into one of the most popular groups on Earth, thanks to the business acumen of their manager, Cooper Pillot, and despite the uncalled-for assistance of Nat and Alex's accordion-wielding father (Michael Wolff). But life at the top isn't always easy, and creative differences begin to drive a wedge into the group when Nat insists they record a love ballad dedicated to his nine-year-old girlfriend, Rosalina (Allie Dimeco), while his bandmates would prefer to cut Thomas' "Boys Rule, Girls Drool." As the squabbling continues and Alex becomes addicted to lemon-lime soda, the Silver Bullets break up, but will the pleas of their many fans encourage them to reunite? The Naked Brothers Band was written and directed by Polly Draper, who happens to be Nat and Alex's real-life mom; the Silver Bullets write and perform their own material, and Draper was inspired by her kids' pre-teen musical exploits. Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman, and Cyndi Lauper make cameo appearances as some of the group's better-known fans. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nat Wolff, Alex Wolff, (more)
Cyndi Lauper took the stage at the Town Hall in New York City for a long-awaited live performance of some of her most-loved songs. Recorded March 11, 2004, the concert included favorites such as "She Bop," "True Colors," "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time," "She Bop," and "Unchained Melody." ~ Sarah Block, All Movie Guide
- 2003
A woman living alone on an island must fight for her life in the directorial debut of filmmaker Elizabeth Dimon. Although reluctant to do so, island recluse Tess (Mirjana Jokovic) offers her home to Sam (David Thornton) and Nigel (Tomas Arana), a pair of tuxedo-suited (and blood-soaked) strangers who arrive via motorboat with an exotic animal in tow. Allowing them to heal their wounds but desperate to get them out of her home, Tess immediately hides her valuables and frequently makes for the cellar where she appears to speak with an unseen housemate. As the trio engage in a series of complex mind games, it becomes obvious to all that nobody is who anybody else thinks, and mysterious motivations drive Sam and Nigel to extreme measures. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mirjana Jokovic, David Thornton, (more)
In this downbeat drama, a reformed criminal finds himself led back to a life of crime. Fresh out of prison, former safecracker Victor Kelly (Christopher Walken) wants to support his daughter Miriam (Vera Farmiga) and Aunt Dierdre (Anne Pitoniak) with his new career in auto repair. But Victor's deep in debt, and he's in no position to say no when he and his Irish gangster cousin Michael (Peter McDonald) hook up with two security guards (Jose Zuniga and (Donal Logue) looking for someone who can open a safe. The Opportunists was written and directed by Myles Connell in his feature debut; the supporting cast includes pop singer Cyndi Lauper as Victor's girlfriend. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Farmiga, Cyndi Lauper, (more)
- 1999
When Paul's father, Burt (Louis Zorich), refuses to sell his broken-down bucket of a car, Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) conspire to steal the vehicle. Elsewhere, Paul's cousin Ira (John Pankow) tries to remember a date he missed 20 years earlier. The upshot of these complications include a reunion with Ira's wacky ex-wife, Marianne Lugasso (Cyndi Lauper), and a run-in with a very familiar-looking police detective. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1999
This final episode of Mad About You is set approximately 22 years in the future. Mabel Buchman (Janeane Garafolo), grown-up daughter of Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt), follows in her dad's footsteps by producing a documentary film about her family. Several former series regulars and guest stars make cameo appearances as Mabel tries to trace the progress of her parents' marriage after a startling discovery made by Paul's sister Debbie (Robin Bartlett). Series star Helen Hunt directed this one-hour closer, which since its original network telecast has been divided into two half-hour episodes for syndication. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1999
Part one of Mad About You's series finale is set approximately 22 years in the future. Mabel Buchman (Janeane Garafolo), grown-up daughter of Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt), follows in her dad's footsteps by producing a documentary film about her family. The starting point is the startling revelation that, thanks to a genealogical snafu, Paul and Jamie were never really married. Originally telecast as an hour-long special, this episode has since been divided into two half hours for syndication. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
No one quite knows why the old lady swallowed a fly, but in this animated children's tale viewers can find out just how much other interesting stuff the old lady can fit in her stomach. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
When Monty stops by Elmo's Exercise Camp to do a report, he ends up joining Elmo, Rosita, and Tarah in the fitness fun. Kids will bend, twist, hop, and jump into shape as they learn body parts through songs such as "Elbows and Knees," "Elmocise," and "Do the Benny Hop." This video is perfect for youngsters. It is short and emphasizes movement and health over structured exercises. It also provides an excellent role model for children of all ability levels, as Tarah is in a wheelchair. Preschoolers who like to shake and move should also try Dance with the Teletubbies. ~ Heather M. Fierst, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cyndi Lauper
- 1995
Cyndi Lauper won an Emmy award for her performance as Marianne Lugasso, the redoubtable ex-wife of Ira Buchman (John Pankow). Ira doesn't quite know how to react when Marianne returns from Luxembourg, single again and now filthy rich. But Ira's cousin Paul (Paul Reiser) makes no secret of his discomfort, especially when Marianne decides she wants a piece of Paul and Ira's catalog business. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
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Sony and Epic present this collection of music videos by 80s pop-diva Cyndi Lauper. Released in 1994, Cyndi Lauper: Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some includes the videos for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time," "Change of Heart," "What's Going On," "I Drove All Night," "The World Is Stone," "I'm Gonna Be Strong," "Who Let in the Rain," and six more of Lauper's most popular songs. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
James Lapine, whose Broadway credits as a writer/director includes work with Stephen Sondheim, made his Hollywood debut with this comedy. Michael J. Fox plays Michael Chapman, who once upon a time was a wise-cracking child star on a situation comedy called "Life With Mikey." Now in his thirties and on the skids, Michael makes personal appearances at grand openings of hamburger stands, and runs an unsuccessful talent agency (specializing in kids) with his brother Ed (Nathan Lane). The agency's only successful client is Barry Corman (David Krumholtz), a fourteen-year-old with an attitude who is known as "the cereal king" for his appearances on television commercials. Ed is trying to talk Michael into closing the agency and Barry is threatening to go elsewhere when a sprightly 10-year-old reprobate named Angie (Christina Vidal) tries to pick his pocket. When Angie delivers a heart-rendering tale of questionable honesty about being an orphan from Queens, Michael realizes that Angie would be perfect for a Sunburst Cookie commercial. She clicks in the commercial, and both her career and the agency's soar. In the meantime, Angie movies in with Michael, and as they bond, Michael realizes how to act like an adult and Angie realizes how to act like a child. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, Christina Vidal, (more)
- 1992
- PG13
Two people fleeing different sorts of danger find one another in this screwball romantic comedy from France. Danny (Edouard Baer) is a professional magician who has been struggling to find work and has somehow managed to get on the wrong side of his emotionally unstable brother-in-law Max (Joey Starr). With Max eager to hurt him, Danny decides to leave town, and drops his aging and senile mother (Bulle Ogier) off at a mental hospital, where he meets Sonia (Melanie Bernier), who seems a bit too interested in the opposite sex. As Danny hits the road, he picks up at attractive hitch-hiker, Irene (Nathalie Baye), who is carrying a large purse and gets frequent phone calls from men Danny assumes are her current or former lovers. But Danny doesn't know the half of Irene's story -- she's the paramour of a powerful politician (Guy Marchand) who has become involved in an illegal deal to sell arms to North Korea, and Irene is carrying both the politician's cash and evidence of his wrongdoings. Irene is also involved with a well-connected Korean gentleman (Park Jung-hak) and is dodging calls from both her lovers as she and Danny motor away in search of relative safety, and it isn't long before the traveling companions become attracted to one another. Passe-passe (aka Off And Running) also stars Maurice Benichou, Sandrine Le Berre and Hippolyte Girardot. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cyndi Lauper, David Keith, (more)
- 1990
An all-star cast is included on this children's adventure that follows a search for Mother Goose by her son (Dan Gilroy) and Little Bo Peep (Shelley Duvall). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1989
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This large musical project features Pink Floyd, along with a cast of hundreds in the performance of The Wall. Includes a look at the historic Berlin Wall collapse and features interviews and some behind the scene views. ~ All Movie Guide
Two hapless psychics unwittingly aid a criminal in his quest to obtain a mystic relic in this farcical adventure. Street smart beauty-school dropout Sylvia Pickel (Cyndi Lauper) navigates life with the counsel of a spirit named Louise, while genteel Nick Deezy (Jeff Goldblum) has the ability to "read" an object's past just by holding it. Harry Buscafusco (Peter Falk) is the treasure hunter who brings them together for a trip to Ecuador to find his missing son. Nick and Sylvia don't get on at first, their animosity only amplified by various slapstick escapades that find them posing as siblings and hobnobbing with monied jet-setters. Eventually, Buscafusco's missing-child premise turns out to be a ruse; his true intentions envelop Nick and Sylvia in serious peril just as they're beginning to let down their guard and fall for one another. The action climaxes in a special effects-laden jungle sequence. Vibes marked the screen debut of pop singer Cyndi Lauper, whose single "Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)" graces the closing credits. Despite the poor box-office results of Vibes and the generally poor reviews for her performance, Lauper would go on to earn an Emmy award for a guest stint on TV's Mad About You and appear with Christopher Walken in the indie drama The Opportunists. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Goldblum, (more)
- 1986
Pee-wee Herman, the effervescent man-child created by actor Paul Reubens during his years with the Groundlings comedy troupe, was the star of the delightfully "retro" CBS kiddie show Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Each week (beginning Saturday, September 13, 1986), the titular hero whisked the viewers to puppetland, a magical world filled with anthropomorphic furniture, talking animals, and some of the zaniest human characters this side of the Milky Way. Joining Pee-Wee in his surrealistic adventures were Lynne Stewart as Miss Yvonne, "the most beautiful lady in Puppetland"; John Paragon as Jambi, a disembodied genie head who grants Pee-Wee one wish per week; Gilbert Lewis and later William Marshall as the King of Cartoons, who showed vintage animation clips on his own portable projector; Shirley Stoler and Suzanne Kent as Pee-Wee's neighbors Mrs. Steve and Mrs. Rene; and Gregory Harrison as Conky, a frequently malfunctioning robot. Prominent amongst the very animated inanimate objects in Pee-Wee's oddly shaped (but warmly inviting) playhouse were Chairry the Chair, Globey the Globe, a bunch of talking flowers, the all-purpose Magic Screen, and even a chatty floor named Floory. And there was a veritable honor roll of puppet and marionettes characters, ranging from Countess the Cow to red-headed troublemaker Randy. Oh, and let's not forget such peripheral personalities as the Dinosaur Family, the Ant Farm, and Penny (all depicted via stop-motion animation), and, during season five, a Spanish-speaking cartoon superhero named El Hombre. In addition to the above-mentioned "regulars," Pee-Wee's Playhouse featured a number of stellar performers on their way up. Laurence Fishburne was seen as rope-twirlin', knee-slappin' Cowboy Curtis, Phil Hartman showed up as crusty Captain Carl, Law & Order's S. Epatha Merkerson popped in as Reba the Mail Lady (replacing Johann Carlo, who during the series' first season was cast as trumpet-blowing mail carrier Dixie), and future leading lady Natasha Lyonne was Opal, one of the many children who congregated at the Playhouse each week. And speaking of children, the kids at home were invited to join in on the fun by "screaming real loud" whenever anyone spoke the Secret Word of the Day. The bulk of the series' 45 half-hour episodes -- which featured everything from indoor luaus to sleepovers to space travel -- were filmed during the first three seasons, with seasons four and five yielding only a handful of new installments. Contrary to popular belief, Pee-Wee's Playhouse was not canceled by CBS in the summer of 1991 due to adverse publicity involving Paul Reubens' private life; rather, Reubens himself had already made the decision to pull the plug on the show at the end of season five. The recipient of no fewer than 22 Emmy nominations, Pee-Wee's Playhouse has also been voted one of the Top 25 Cult Shows by TV Guide -- and like most cult shows, it entertained on two levels, as nonstop fun for the kiddies and sly satire for adults. To quote Jambi the Genie, "Mekka-lekka-hi, mekka-hiney-ho!" ~ All Movie Guide
Leonard Maltin wasn't alone when he noticed similarities between Goonies and the 1934 Our Gang comedy Mama's Little Pirate. Adapted by Chris Columbus from a story by Steven Spielberg, the film follows a group of misfit kids (including such second-generation Hollywoodites as Josh Brolin and Sean Astin) as they search for buried treasure in a subterranean cavern. Here they cross the path of lady criminal Mama Fratelli (Anne Ramsey) and her outlaw brood. Fortunately, the kids manage to befriend Fratelli's hideously deformed (but soft-hearted) son (John Matuszak), who comes to their rescue. The Spielberg influence is most pronounced in the film's prologue and epilogue, when the viewer is advised that the film's real villains are a group of "Evil Land Developers." The musical score makes excellent use of Max Steiner's main theme from The Adventures of Don Juan, not to mention contributions by the likes of Richard Marx and Cyndi Lauper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, (more)
- 1985
Wrestling takes center stage in this collection of great scenes. Cyndi Lauper puts in an appearance as a manager for Wendi Richter. ~ All Movie Guide
