Nicholas Worth Movies
- 1999
No sooner have they escaped a war-ravaged Parallel Earth than the Sliders find themselves in an even more hostile world, where possession of any sort of technology is a capital crime. Worse still, the "Maggie" who has arrived along with Quinn (Jerry O'Connell), Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks) and Colin (Charlie O'Connell) is actually a double. Meanwhile, the real Maggie (Kari Wuhrer) faces a bizarre form of execution for the misdeeds of her lookalike. John DeMita appears as Maggie's husband Steven Jensen, a role previously played by Mark Kiely. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A determined band of show-business bottom feeders struggle to rise through the food chain in this satiric comedy. Paulette Gittleman (Katherine Morgan) is an aspiring documentary filmmaker whose father (Nicholas Worth) is a top executive at a major film studio. Paulette, who doesn't get along especially well with her father, has decided to give the hand that feeds her a strong bit by making a film about the hapless souls who struggle along the lowest rungs of the entertainment industry, taking all manner of abuse in the hope that they'll some day rise to a position in which they'll get to do what they want. Paulette's subjects include Fisher (Hill Harper), personal assistant to a sleazy music video producer; Thomas (Howard Scott), who sorts mail and dodges abuse at a major talent agency; Dean (Andre Barron), an out-of-work filmmaker who thinks the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock speaks to him; George (Elliot Markman), another mailroom worker whose boss is literally in league with the devil; and Roman (Rob Hyland), who appears to have already learned the lesson that the sleaziest tend to survive best in Hollywood. Slaves of Hollywood was the first feature film from writing and directing team Terry Keefe and Michael Z. Wechsler. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heather Morgan
- 1997
Day Young guest stars as Arissa, a young woman who Odo meets in Quark's bar. Impressed by Arissa's beauty and uncanny powers of observation, Odo is both shocked and disillusioned when Arissa is arrested for trying to break into DS9's computer. It soon develops that the poor girl is under the thumb of the vicious Orion crime syndicate, and she now wants out, even if it means her own death. Written by Rene Echevarria, "A Simple Investigation" first aired March 31, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
A young gay man goes looking for love in at least one of the wrong places in this comedy set in Los Angeles. Kyle (Sean Tataryn) is an 18-year-old aspiring poet who has found his way out of the closet and now has left behind the stifling environment of the Valley for the more bohemian surroundings of the Silverlake district. Naive Kyle spends his days in coffee shops working on his maudlin verse and looking for love, and he thinks that he may have found it when he meets Mike (Christopher Bradley), a ruggedly handsome 30-year-old man who works in construction and has a taste for aggressive sex. Mike picks up Kyle and soon has him at home and in handcuffs; Kyle is hoping for a bit more tenderness in a relationship, but Mike is good looking enough that he doesn't complain too loudly. However, it isn't long before it becomes obvious that the two have almost nothing in common, and while Kyle wants to make their romance work, Mike can hardly be bothered and is already looking for new prospects as Kyle tries to psych himself up for his first major reading. Mink Stole, best known for her work in the films of John Waters, appears as the owner of a coffee house that Kyle frequents. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Bradley, Sean Tataryn, (more)
- 1994
This science fiction adventure, set in the future, depicts an Earth so polluted that people must live underground to avoid the deadly air. It is the sequel to 1989's Circuitry Man. In this new world, people who once would have plugged into drugs for illicit fun, now turn on with computer chips. The evil Plughead, a biosynthetic man, has a revolutionary chip that allows humans to live a decade beyond normal life expectancy but to manufacture it they must torture innocent people until they die. Plughead has no problem with that; in fact, he rather enjoys it. Plughead's nemesis, Danner is also a biosynthetic man, but he is a good guy. FBI agent Kyle is using Danner to help her find Plughead. Together they travel to a barren desert in search of their foe. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vernon Wells, Deborah Shelton, (more)
- 1994
This Southern Gothic drama of a deeply troubled family was written by leading man David Steen, who adapted the screenplay from his own play. Ma Samuals (Sharon Farrell) lives in a poor section of rural North Carolina during the 1970s. Her slightly retarded son Charlie (Steen) was the product of an incestuous relationship with her uncle, a preacher who seduced her when she was only 12; despite this experience, Ma remains a devout Fundamentalist Christian. Ma also lives with her adopted daughter, Messy (Gigi Rice), though it's obvious that Charlie is the favored child, and Messy is often the target for Ma's abuse. When Cousin Anna (Sarah Trigger) is orphaned, she comes to stay with the Samuals family, which upsets the household's already shaky emotional balance. Ma disapproves of Messy's new friendship with Anna, believing she's a poor influence on her daughter, and when Anna begins spending time with Charlie, her obsessive love for her son (which has already spilled over into incest) threatens to push her over the brink. A Gift from Heaven marked the feature debut for both screenwriter Steen and director Jack Lucarelli. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sharon Farrell, Gigi Rice, (more)
- 1994
A beautiful devil-girl tires of torturing the souls of the damned and so busts out of hell to visit the mortal plane. Finding it nearly as debauched and wicked as her home, the girl decides to take care of the villainous and evil before they get down to the Devil's domain. Soon the blood begins flowing like sacramental wine. During an accident she is seriously wounded, and a kindly young doctor helps her recover and as he does, she cannot help but fall in love with him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
An engineer tries to save people trapped on a nuclear-war-ravaged planet in this made-for-cable science-fiction fare. Stephen Baldwin stars as Adams, an engineer who is dumped onto a sand planet of the future, where the harsh conditions lead to constant fighting and brutality. The inhabitants have reverted to primitive tribal societies. He tries to teach the those left about farming and irrigation in hopes of saving them from destruction, but soon learns that peace cannot be had so easily. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1993
In Best of the Best 2, Alex Grady and his partner, Tommy Lee, turn their karate talents toward crime fighting. An illegal fighting club, headed by Wayne Newton, is a center for crime and criminals. Alex and Tommy decide to take it down but first they have to fight their way through Brakus, the big evil, and his growth protein-engorged posse. ~ Brian Whitener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Roberts, Phillip Rhee, (more)
- 1993
Evacuating a planet in preparation for a mining project, Kira confronts a curmudgeonly old farmer named Mullibok (Brian Keith). His pointed words force Kira to look within herself to determine if she has changed for the better or worse since aligning herself with the Federation. Meanwhile, Nog and Jake get mixed up in a series of trades, with curious results. Written by Peter Allan Fields, "Progress" was originally broadcast on May 8, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
With a scant few days left before his wedding, Bull (Richard Moll) participates in yet one more weird ritual. It's all for the purpose of performing another "miracle"--in this case, the restoration of Bull's virginity. Meanwhile, Christine is disillusioned by the off-the-bench behavior of former law professor Peter Collingswood (George Coe), a man she has idolized all her life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Upon learning that the late derelict Phil Sanders was actually an incognito Wall Street millionaire, Dan (John Larroquette) is thrilled with the news that he has been named sole heir in Phil's will. Unfortunately for Dan, Mr. Sanders' $8.5. million fortune is to be invested in its entirety in something called the Phil Foundation, for which Dan must serve as executor without ever seeing a penny of the money. Meanwhile, Bull (Richard Moll) eagerly anticipates the arrival of his mother Henrietta "Hank" Shannon (Paddi Edwards), who has dropped anchor in New York after a lifetime on the high seas. This episode was originally scheduled for January 23, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Billy Zane stars in this direct-to-video gem as a spectacularly unsuccessful car thief. Hoping to reform by leaving LA, Zane must scare up $400 worth of exit money. He decides to pull off one last job, stealing a TV from William Bastiani. An ill-tempered criminal, Bastiani stabs Zane, who then runs off blindly into a cemetary ("Blood" and "Concrete": get it?) Weaving around the tombstones, Zane makes the acquaintance of would-be suicide Jennifer Beals. Love blooms, but it might be too late for both of them: Bastiani is found murdered, and Zane is suspect number one-forcing him to hide out from both the cops and the mob. Luxuriating in its tawdriness and cheapness, Blood & Concrete: A Love Story actually has an offbeat charm all its own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Zane, Jennifer Beals, (more)
- 1990
This detective movie is set in Hollywood, circa 1949. Hard-bitten detective Dan Turner gets entangled with an extortionist after he begins looking into the life of a movie mogul's beautiful wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
The Night Courters believe they has scored a coup when they arrange for Mel Torme to sing at Harry's 40th birthday party. Alas, as the big evening approaches, it looks like the Velvet Fog will be a no-show. And the fault lies with Harry (Harry Anderson) himself: honoring duty over adulation, the Judge has jailed his idol Mel for nonpayment of traffic tickets! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
The second of two TV-movie attempts to revive the Dobie Gillis sitcom series of the 1950s and 1960s, Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis rounds up as many cast members of the old show as humanly possible. Dwayne Hickman took a break from his busy career as a CBS daytime-drama executive to recreate the role of Dobie Gillis, while Bob Denver was back as his beatnik "good buddy" Maynard G. Krebs. Also making return appearances are Sheila James as Zelda Gilroy (now Mrs. Dobie Gillis), Steve Franken as ridiculously wealthy Chatsworth Osborne Jr., and William Schallert as Dobie's college teacher Mr. Pomfritt. The plot concerns the attempts by Dobie's former high school sweetheart, the ever-mercenary Thalia Menninger, to wrest Dobie away from wife Zelda and claim him for her own. Tuesday Weld, the original Thalia, wasn't interested in reprising the character (nor was Dwayne Hickman interested in working with the troublesome Ms. Weld again), so the role was assumed by another 1950s TV icon, Connie Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Denver, Dwayne Hickman, (more)
We know we're in a 1988 film when we're invited to laugh at O.J. Simpson in an opening slapstick sequence. We can also pinpoint the year of production when hard-nosed cop Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen), during a scuffle with the world's leading dictators, wipes the wine-colored birthmark off the head of Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. Those wacky ZAZ boys -- David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker -- serve up a feature-length spin-off of their cult favorite TV show Police Squad!. Seeking vengeance when his partner (Simpson) is shot full of holes by drug dealers, dead-pan and dead-brained Lt. Frank Drebin searches for the Mister Big behind it all. Drebin suspects above-reproach shipping magnate Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban), but he can't prove a thing. Bumped from the force by the mayor (Nancy Marchand), Drebin, with the unexpected assistance of Ludwig's ex-girlfriend (Priscilla Presley), manages to nab the bad guy at a baseball game, where Reggie Jackson has been programmed to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. MGM mogul Irving Thalberg once reportedly told the Marx Brothers, "You can't build jokes on top of jokes." The producers of Naked Gun prove otherwise; indeed, one could develop writer's cramp just listing the gags in the film's first 20 minutes. Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad was followed by two lesser but still hilarious sequels, Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, George Kennedy, (more)
- 1986
In the first episode of a two-part story, Dan (John Larroquette) insists upon disobeying his doctor's orders by returning to work immediately after minor ulcer surgery. Predictably ending up back in the hospital, Dan is still determined to prove that he's far from incapacitated, this time by making whoopee with sexy Sheila (Leslie Bevis) in his hospital bed. This, coupled with some angry words from Harry (Harry Anderson) , causes Dan to lapse into a coma--and to very nearly become a candidate for the morgue! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Married...With Children's Ed O'Neill guest stars as parole officer Dan Colson, an old pal of Detective Sgt. Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer). Unfortunately, the pressures of having to deal with the scum of the earth (to say nothing of enduring the murder of a close friend) have pushed Colson off the deep end, and now he is practicing his own bloody brand of vigilante justice. Grimly, Hunter sets about to stop Colson from murdering a framed parolee. Watch for a young Frances McDormand in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Made for television, Broken Badge originally aired as The Rape of Richard Beck. Richard Crenna plays Beck, a hard-bitten cop who has little patience for female rape victims. Then he himself is sexually assaulted by two assailants. Crenna's excellent performance notwithstanding, the teleplay by James G. Hirsch is a bit simplistic, drawn up along the lines of the old bromide "a conservative is a liberal who's been mugged" Meredith Baxter Birney is seen all too briefly as a rape counsellor. The Rape of Richard Beck premiered on May 27, 1985, as an "ABC Theatre" presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This minor made-for-TV effort from horror auteur Wes Craven is one of the oddest attempts at seriously blending supernatural horror and science fiction elements, which amounts to a muddled but amusing failure. The convoluted plot involves scientist Robert Urich's experiments with a new spacesuit designed to detect non-human lifeforms for a proposed expedition to Venus. When a sultry succubus (Susan Lucci, who was born for such a role) begins exerting her demonic influence on the members of a country club -- including Urich's wife and children -- he dons the completed suit for a literal journey into hell itself to rescue them. Craven's skill manages to elevate this loopy premise slightly above the level of pure nonsense, but low production values and the constraints of TV censorship prevent it from being adequately explored. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Lucci, Robert Urich, (more)
- 1982
A young Jim Belushi appears as Wheezer, the new man in Laverne's life. Unfortunately for his ego, Wheezer exhibits a cowardly streak when Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Carmine (Eddie Mekka) are harrassed by a gang of bullies. Hoping to build up Wheezer's self-esteem, Laverne arranges for him to become a "hero"--with the requisite disastrous results! This episode was directed by Paul Sills, creator of the famed improvisational "Story Theatre" troupe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
This 1981 sequel to the 1979 made-for-TVer Goldie and the Boxer once again stars O.J. Simpson and Melissa Michaelsen as, respectively, boxer Joe Gallegher and Joe's 10-year-old manager Goldie Kellog. When Joe incurs the wrath of an evil promoter, he and Goldie high-tail it to Hollywood. They take refuge in the home of Babe (Stubby Kaye) and Cuddles (Sheila MacRae) a pair of Tinseltown "fringies" distantly related to Joe's trainer Wally (Jack Gilford, taking over for the first film's Phil Silvers). Produced by Orenthal Productions (guess who ran that company?), Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood first aired February 19, 1981. It has been rerun incessantly since June of 1994, thanks to the latter-day notoriety of star O. J. Simpson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- O.J. Simpson, Melissa Michaelsen, (more)
- 1979
While doing volunteer work at Willowdale, a sanitarium which houses convicted criminals who have been deemed mentally incapable of serving prison time, Quincy (Jack Klugman) hears rumors that some of the inmates are being forced to participate in illegal boxing matches. After the mother of a recently deceased inmate comes forward insisting that her son's "accidental" death was anything but, Quincy is all the more determined to find out what's really going on--and not surprisingly, imperils his own life in the process. This is one of a handful of fourth-season Quincy M.E. episode deemed worthy of three prime-time NBC telecasts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
