Gene Quintano Movies

When a rogue CIA agent and a kung fu fighting chimp named Clemens stage a daring escape from a top-secret government testing facility, the stage is set for an adventure that's sure to please the entire family in this primate crowd-pleaser featuring Matthew Modine, Seth Adkins, and Roma Downey. Appalled at the conditions under which chimpanzees are transformed into kung-fu fighting soldiers in a high-tech government lab, sympathetic trainer Jack McCall (Modine) smuggles experimental test subject Clemens out of the lab -- but not before being noticed by the nefarious henchmen who guard the facility. As the government agents close in, Jack and Clemens seek refuge in the house of single mother Megan Dean (Roma Downey) and her young son, Michael (Adkins). When the escape plan goes sour and Clemens is taken back into custody, it's up to Jack and his new friend Michael to bust their hairy pal out of primate prison! ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Based on the (somewhat darker) novel by Gregory Maguire, the made-for-TV movie Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister offers a refreshing revisionist spin on the old Cinderella legend. Having squandered her late husband's fortune, 17th century widow Margarethe (Stockard Channing) moves from London to her native Holland, in hopes of snagging wealthy tulip merchant Van Den Meer (David Westhead) as Hubby Number Two. Going along for the ride are Margarethe's two daughters, Iris (Azura Skye) and Ruth (Emma Poole), whom their mother regards as hopelessly homely and awkward -- especially when compared to Van Den Meer's gorgeous, aloof, and chronically agoraphobic daughter Clara (Claire Harrison). Though unattractive by her mother's idiotically exacting standards, Iris glows with beauty from within, especially when her artistic soul is unleashed by a wise old mentor known as the Master (Jonathan Pryce) (who, without giving too much of the game away, bears a remarkable resemblance to the great Rembrandt). When Margarethe selfishly attempts to marry off Iris to a handsome Prince, ignoring the girl's growing fondness for the Master's humble apprentice Casper (Matthew Goode), Iris formulates a plan to draw Clara out of her shell and prepare her unofficial stepsister for a royal marriage. Deftly challenging still-prevalent notions of "ugly," "beautiful," "good," and "evil," Confessions of an Ugly Sister was a Canadian-Luxembourg coproduction, filmed in 2001 and first telecast as part of ABC's Wonderful World of Disney anthology on March 10, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

With this western saga, the TNT network pays tribute to the Spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone. Featuring the original crew responsible for the Italian helmer's most famous genre entries A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the film was primarily shot in Spain. The tale is set just after the American Civil War and follows the efforts of a tormented cowboy and his strange partner to seek out a cache of gold hidden in the badlands by Confederate soldiers. The all-star cast includes Emilio Estevez and William Forsythe. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Pittsburgh Penguins owner Howard Baldwin was the producer of Sudden Death, and the action is set in his hockey arena, in which the Penguins are playing the Chicago Blackhawks. Pittsburgh fire inspector Darren McCord (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is attending the game with his two children. He's quit fighting fires because of a tragedy a few years earlier involving a child he couldn't save. Also at the game is the vice-president of the United States (Raymond Barry), who is the target of a terrorist plot. The terrorist leader, an insane ex-CIA agent named Joshua Foss (Powers Boothe), has masterminded a scheme to hold the vice-president hostage in his luxury suite while demanding that payments be transferred to his account electronically at the end of each period of the game. If he doesn't get his money, he will kill one member of the vice-president's party at the end of each period, and at game's end he will order ten bombs hidden in the arena to be detonated with all 17,000 fans present. McCord discovers the plot while his daughter Emily (Whittni Wright) is kidnapped by the terrorists too. McCord must dispatch the villains and find the bombs, while saving all the hostages. Luckily, he is adept at martial arts. He fights one henchman dressed in a Penguins mascot outfit in the arena's kitchen, and another terrorist on the arena's retracting dome. At one point, McCord switches identities with a player, is sent into the game, and scores a goal. Director Peter Hyams also directed Van Damme in the blockbuster Timecop. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

When an eight-year-old black youth (Norman D. Golden II) witnesses a mob hit, he orders the police to make him a cop for a day before he will help identify the killer. Detective Nick McKenna (Burt Reynolds) is the unfortunate assigned to the case. ~ John Bush, Rovi

In this comedy, the ancient curse of a priceless ruby, known as the Byzantine Fire, comes into play when it is accidentally stolen by a group of thieves, headed by Gus Cardinale (Christopher Lambert). The crooks soon discover that their heist might have been more trouble than it was worth when they are pursued by the police, the CIA, the Turkish government, and the local underworld. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

After receiving a mysterious gold piece, Quatermain travels to Africa to find his brother, who is searching for a lost white tribe. In his search, Quatermain discovers a lost civilization. This film is a follow-up to King Solomon's Mines. ~ Rovi

The action in this routine adventure film would be modeled on the enormously successful Indiana Jones but it is too much, too fast, too deja vu. It all starts when Jessie Huston (Sharon Stone, before stardom) talks adventurer Allen Quatermain (Richard Chamberlain) into helping her find her father, an archaeologist. He has been kidnapped in Africa by a Turk (John Rhys-Davies) and a German colonel (Herbert Lom) who are determined to extract the secret location of King Solomon's mines from the stubborn man. As Jessie and Quatermain head off into the unknown, there are crocodiles, lions, and other human beasts to conquer before the father or the mines hove into view. A sequel was soon to follow. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this 3-D adventure, a knock-off of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a mercenary history professor and his crack team of commandos head out to retrieve four stolen crowns said to possess the power of good and evil. It will not be an easy task as the crowns are being held by a mad cultist. The second three dimensional collaboration between Tony Anthony, Gene Quintano, and director Ferdinando Baldi, this follow-up to Comin' at Ya! was not nearly as successful as their first outing. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi