Stephen Tobolowsky Movies
Perhaps one of the most instantly recognizable -- yet seemingly unidentifiable -- character actors to have succeeded in Hollywood, Stephen Tobolowsky's non-movie star looks have enabled the native Texan to portray a wider variety of characters more conventional movie stars simply could not. Born and raised in Dallas, Tobolowsky attended Southern Methodist University for his undergraduate degree and went on to earn a Master's degree in acting from the University of Illinois. While at S.M.U., the young Tobolowsky won his first film role in a low-budget horror film entitled Keep My Grave Open. Soon after finishing his studies, he went west to Los Angeles and started working somewhat consistently in both television and film in the early '80s -- while gaining some notice for his work in the films Swing Shift and Mississippi Burning. After toiling on the West Coast for a few years, Tobolowsky became a bi-coastal star with a role in a 1981 Broadway production of Beth Henley's play The Wake of Jamey Foster. In 1986, he collaborated with Henley -- who also happened to be a fellow student of Tobolowsky's during his undergraduate studies at S.M.U. -- and David Byrne to co-write the script for Byrne's 1986 film True Stories. The multi-talented thespian then went on to write and direct his own play, Two Idiots in Hollywood, which he also turned into a film in 1988. The early '90s brought Tobolowsky his greatest exposure to the movie-going public, with a number of diverse and interesting roles that highlighted the actor's great range and skill -- nearly to the extent of upstaging these films' higher-profile stars. Perhaps the most prototypical Tobolowsky characterization can be found in the 1993 Harold Ramis comedy Groundhog Day, in which Tobolowsky portrayed the hapless insurance salesman Ned Ryerson. Other memorable performances from this decade include Thelma & Louise, Basic Instinct, Sneakers, and The Radioland Murders. Tobolowsky continued creating endearing characters into the 2000s, starting with Christopher Nolan's indy hit Memento. As amnesiac Sammy Jankis, Tobolowsky created one of the most powerful dramatic performances of his career. His next significant film role came via the 2002 Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman film Adaptation, which further displayed the nearly chameleon-like actor's range and talent that make him one of the best character actors in the industry. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
A woman trying to help a disturbed child discovers his nightmarish fears are all too real in this sci-fi horror opus. Dr. Jennifer Stillman (Nastassja Kinski) is a child psychologist from New York City who takes a job working at an elementary school in a small Nevada community. Jennifer is seen as an unwelcome outsider by most of her neighbors and colleagues, but she does strike up a rapport with Ben (Bobby Edner), a troubled young student. Ben is haunted by fears he has a hard time talking about, and she learns that his mother died under unexplained circumstances -- a matter his father (Randy Quaid) is equally reticent to discuss. As Jennifer struggles to get to the bottom of Ben's traumas, she learns that a monster from another world and a terrible secret the town has been trying to hide are both parts of the puzzle. The Day the World Ended was loosely adapted from Roger Corman's 1956 film of the same name, which was the first monster movie the B-movie icon made for American-International Pictures; this version was created as part of the made-for-cable "Creature Features" series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Bobby Edner, (more)
Sci-fi novelist Bo Aikens (Jay Mohr) is fed up with life in Los Angeles. He heads out of the hustle and bustle of the big city to the small, idyllic town of Black River, where everyone is happy, contented and welcoming of strangers -- except for a burly redneck, but he'll be put straight soon enough. Not by Bo, but by an invisible force that rules the town. Troubled by various, peculiar Twilight Zone-ish twists of fate, Bo tries to leave Black River but finds he cannot -- at first because his car has been smashed into a cube, and later by deadly beams that rain from the sky. What's the sinister secret of Black River? Why is Bo being kept prisoner? And why is everyone so dang happy? ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Mohr, Diana Stevan, (more)
- 2001
First seen over the Showtime cable network on June 29, 2001, On the Edge is a compendium of three short science-fiction films, each with a decidedly feminist slant. The first segment, directed by Helen Mirren, is "Happy Birthday," in which a straight-A student (Sidney Tamilia Poitier) seeks recourse after she is "quota'd out" of graduate school. Next up is "The Other Side," directed by Mary Stuart Masterson, wherein a scientific genius (Anthony LaPaglia) clones himself upon learning that he has inoperable cancer -- only to find himself and his clone as two points in a romantic triangle. Closing out the program is writer/director Anne Heche's "Reaching Normal," the tale of a bored housewife (Andie McDowell) and her "telepathic twin," an eccentric college professor (Paul Rudd). The best of the batch is "Happy Birthday"; the other two stories are distressingly predictable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andie MacDowell, Paul Rudd, (more)
A man is determined to find justice after the loss of a loved one, even though he is incapable of fully remembering the crime, in this offbeat thriller. Leonard (Guy Pearce) is a man who is struggling to put his life back together after the brutal rape and murder of his wife. But Leonard's problems are different from those of most people in his situation; he was beaten severely by the same man who killed his wife. The most significant manifestation of Leonard's injuries is that his short-term memory has been destroyed; he is incapable of retaining any new information, and must resort to copious note-taking and Polaroid photographs in order to keep track of what happens to him over the course of a day (he's even tattooed himself with a few crucial bits of information he can't get along without). Leonard retains awareness that his wife was brutally murdered, however, and he's convinced that the culprit still walks the streets. Leonard is obsessed with the notion of taking revenge against the man who has ruined his life, and he sets out to find him, getting help from Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), who appears to be a sympathetic barmaid, and Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), who claims to be Leonard's friend, even though Leonard senses that he cannot be trusted. Writer/director Christopher Nolan adapted Memento from a short story by his brother Jonathan Nolan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, (more)
Vince Vaughn stars in this drama as Pendleton "Penny" Wise, a gifted telemarketer who can sell almost anything over the phone. He's making a good living doing phone sales for Mick (Stephen Tobolowsky), until Mick's operation goes bust without enough funds to pay Penny or his co-workers Archie (George Wendt) and Gene (Wallace Shawn). Suddenly in dire financial straits, Penny is approached by Caitlin Carlson (Julia Ormond), who is recruiting telephone salesmen for Kelly Grant (Ed Harris). Grant is a legend in the telemarketing industry, but not always for positive reasons; one of his previous operations landed him in jail, and Penny isn't sure if Grant's latest scheme -- selling shares in a gold mine -- is on the level. Grant assures Penny that his new operation is legit, and even gives him a tour of the mining facilities; Penny signs on, though he still has his doubts. Soon Penny is outpacing his fellow sales people; he receives healthy bonus checks from Grant and has also become involved with Carlson; but he has a funny feeling that the good times can't last forever. The Prime Gig was the first feature film from successful theatrical director Gregory Mosher. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vince Vaughn, Julia Ormond, (more)
Michael O'Connell ran several video stores in Denver, CO, before taking up screenwriting, and the endless stream of direct-to-video thrillers that littered his shelves inspired his script for this satiric black comedy. Hutch Rimes (Steven Weber) runs an insurance company, and even though he's married, he's developed a bad habit of getting involved with his secretaries. Hutch's latest Girl Friday, Holly (Nina Siemaszko), is also married, but often finds herself being used as a punching bag by her loutish husband Cotton (Gregg Henry). Holly persuades Hutch to help her kill Cotton, but things don't go as planned, and Cotton pulls a gun on Holly; Hutch manages to escape just before Cotton kills his wife. Ten years later, Cotton is released from prison just as Hutch begins receiving a series of anonymous letters from someone who wants to kill him. But since Hutch is having an affair with his stenographer Olivia (Gail O'Grady), he's not sure if the angry party is Cotton or Olivia's husband, Dewey (Stephen Tobolowsky). Things get even stickier for Hutch when Olivia decides she wants out of her relationship with Dewey -- and asks Hutch to help murder her husband. Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes also features Swoosie Kurtz as Binny, one of Hutch's few female employees that he never gets around to sleeping with. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Weber, Swoosie Kurtz, (more)
A tribute to the fabled jazz scene of L.A.'s Central Avenue during the 1930s and '40s, Stanley's Gig opens on a Hawaiian cruise ship where charismatic waster Stanley Myer (William Sanderson) has gotten a gig playing his ukulele for a group of filthy rich businessmen. The gig, arranged by his friend Leila (Faye Dunaway) helps to stem Stanley's overriding debt, but after it ends, he's desperate for another job. He finds one as a recreational therapist at a nursing home, where he wins the affections of all of its residents save for Eleanor Whitney (Marla Gibbs), a faded jazz great who now lives in self-imposed emotional exile. Eventually, a friendship forms between Stanley and Eleanor, and Stanley becomes determined to arrange a return performance for his friend at Honey Brown, the jazz club she used to headline. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Sanderson, Marla Gibbs, (more)
Jon Dichter directs this taut psychological thriller about a narcissistic man getting his overdue comeuppance from a vengeful telephone operator. Lawyer Gary Wheelan (Michael Laurence) lives the good life -- he has a beautiful wife, a huge bank account, and an excess of young female associates. He is accustomed to getting what he wants, and he tends to have a fit when he does not get it. Dissatisfied with his phone service, he berates the operation with such vituperation that the badly rattled woman (Jacqueline Kim) resolves to fight back. Using a vast computer network, the operator slashes his credit rating, drains his bank account, and eventually ruins his marriage. The formerly smug Gary is soon overwhelmed and frantic as he tries to regain control of his life. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frances Bay, Brion James, (more)
- 2000
- R
Recalling late period films from Francois Truffaut and American 1930s screwball comedies, Bruno Barreto directs this elegant romantic comedy set in Brazil. Mary Ann Simpson (Amy Irving) is a middle-aged American widow teaching English in Rio de Janeiro. Since her pilot husband died two years previously, Mary Ann has more or less dispensed with any ideas of a second chance at love. When one of her nubile young students mentions that she found her perfect match, Mary Ann insists that one can only meet Mr. Right in the flesh. Later, she shares an elevator with suave attorney Pedro Paulo (Antonio Fagundes), who is in the throes of a painful transition after his wife Tania (Debora Bloch) dumped him for a tai chi instructor. Pedro is struck by Mary Ann immediately, and he decides to sign up for one of her classes even though he is thoroughly fluent in English. Meanwhile, soccer ace Acacio (Alexandre Borges) is struggling through Mary Ann's language classes in order to play for a U.K. team. The good-looking athlete flirts with his teacher for a while, complicating things for Pedro Paulo, before becoming infatuated with Pedro's sexy law clerk. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Irving, Antonio Fagundes, (more)
The Insider tells the true story of a man who decided to tell the world what the seven major tobacco companies knew (and concealed) about the dangers of their product. Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) was a scientist employed in research for a tobacco firm, Brown and Williamson. Not long after he was fired by Brown and Williamson, Wigand came into contact with Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), a producer for 60 Minutes who worked closely with journalist Mike Wallace (played here by Christopher Plummer). Bergman arranged for Wigand to be interviewed by Wallace for a 60 Minutes expose on the cigarette industry, though Wigand was still bound by a confidentiality agreement not to discuss his employment with the company. Despite Wigand's willingness to talk, CBS pulled his interview from at the last minute after Brown and Williamson threatened a multi-billion dollar lawsuit. The staff of 60 Minutes and CBS News were soon embroiled in an internal struggle over the killing of the story, and Wigand found himself the subject of lawsuits and a smear campaign, without his full story reaching the public. The Insider was directed by Michael Mann and also features Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall, Debi Mazar, Colm Feore, and Rip Torn. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, (more)
- 1999
Mel Brooks is back as Paul's redoubtable Uncle Phil. As Paul (Paul Reiser) stands on the sidelines with mouth agape, Uncle Phil elects to go for his high school diploma -- some 63 years after dropping out. This plot development is almost as fascinating as the breast-transplant treatment undergone by Jamie's (Helen Hunt) mercurial sister, Lisa (Anne Elizabeth Ramsay). ~ All Movie Guide
A little known chapter from the Mexican-American War is brought to the screen in this historical drama based on fact. In 1846, shortly before the United States turned its aggressions against Mexico into armed conflict, John Riley (Tom Berenger) and a group of U.S. soldiers crossed the border into Mexico to attend Mass. Riley and his fellow soldiers were Irish nationals who had come to the United States to escape the economic devastation of their homeland, brought on by the Potato Famine. Like many other Irish immigrants, Riley was promised citizenship in exchange for serving a tour of duty in the Army, but the Irish Catholics soon found themselves treated like second-class citizens in the largely Protestant American military. Riley and his men are severely punished for traveling into Mexico, and Riley decides he can no longer abide the United States Army and its treatment of his fellows. Riley engineers an escape from the stockade and the Irish troops travel into Mexico, a peaceful Catholic nation where they believe they will be welcomed. However, as Riley and his men march into the mountains of Mexico, they encounter guerilla leader Cortina (Joaquim de Almeida), who is naturally suspicious of soldiers in U.S. uniforms. The Irish soldiers are taken prisoner and Riley is wounded in the skirmish, but in time Cortina and Riley come to see each other as allies rather than enemies. Riley also falls in love with Marta (Daniela Romo), a Mexican patriot and Cortina's lover. In time, Riley and his men form The Saint Patrick's Battalion and become one of Mexico's most effective fighting units. Tom Berenger served as co-producer for One Man's Hero as well as playing Riley. The film was originally slated for release in the fall of 1998, but was shelved for a year after Orion, the studio which produced the film, was purchased by MGM, who eventually released it in Ireland in August, 1999, and the United States and Mexico later in the fall. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Joaquim de Almeida, (more)
Kevin Hooks (Passenger 57) directed this action drama about an ex-convict tricked into trucking illegal weapons across state lines. Truckdriver Jack Crews (Patrick Swayze) fell asleep at the wheel, resulting in an accident that brought him a conviction of vehicular manslaughter and a two-year prison sentence. Minus a license to drive the big rigs, Jack works for a trucking firm as a mechanic to support his wife (Brenda Strong) and daughter (Erin Broderick). His paycheck doesn't cover his overdue mortgage payments, so Jack reluctantly accepts an offer from his new boss Cutler (Graham Beckel) to make $10,000 "off the books" with a no-questions-asked delivery of toilets from Georgia to New Jersey. Jack has doubts after he goes to Georgia to get his rig; Cutler's associate Red (Meat Loaf) gives Jack a driving partner (Randy Travis) and an armed duo (Gabriel Casseus and Brian Vincent). After the four depart, Red orders others to hijack the cargo. A lengthy chase begins -- with various vehicles from motorcycles to 18-wheelers trying to get Jack off the road. After Jack learns his truck is not flush with toilets but instead is filled with a cargo of AK-47s, he phones Cutler to resign, prompting Cutler to take Jack's wife and child as hostages. Jack then moves from neutral to high gear -- with smash-ups and shootouts just around the next curve. The soundtrack includes Rhett Akins' new interpretation of "Drivin' My Life Away" by Eddie Rabbit (who died at the age of 53 during the week this film was released). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Swayze, Meat Loaf, (more)
Action-adventure director Stanley Tong (Supercop, Rumble in the Bronx) did a change of pace by directing this live-action adaptation of UPA's bumbling, near-sighted Mr. Magoo the animated-series character created during the '40s by John Hubley and others for the cartoon short Ragtime Bear (1949). Millionaire Quincy Magoo (Leslie Nielsen) won't admit he needs glasses, so nephew Waldo (Matt Keeslar) removes obstacles in Magoo's path. At a museum exhibition, when Magoo steps up to cut a ceremonial ribbon but instead severs a power line, it sets in motion events making Magoo the target during an international manhunt -- while he continually escapes mishaps by inches. Greg Burson does the voice of Magoo in animated sequences at the film's beginning and end. During the '50s, the animated character (voiced by Jim Backus) led to two Oscars -- for the jazz-scored Rooty Toot Toot (1952) and the CinemaScope When Magoo Flew (1955). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, Kelly Lynch, (more)
The second outing in the Boys Life series collects another set of gay-themed shorts. Must Be the Music follows a group of Los Angeles teens, three gay and one straight, through a night of romantic misadventures at a hip dance club. In Nunzio's Second Cousin, police Sgt. Tony Randozzy (Vincent D'Onofrio) turns the tables on a group of homophobes (one of them played by Seth Green) and forces one of them, Jimmy (Miles Perlich), to have dinner with him and his mother (Eileen Brennan). Alkali, Iowa uses the backdrop of a Midwestern agricultural community to tell the story of Jack (J.D. Cerna), a gay teen who discovers tantalizing glimpses of his dead father's life buried on the family farm; Mary Beth Hurt plays the boy's distant, defeated mother. The Academy award-winning Trevor relates the tale of a chunky, effete youngster (Brett Barsky) whose love of Diana Ross is matched only by his obsession with Pinky (Jonah Rooney), a handsome classmate. For Boys Life 2's video and DVD release, The DadShuttle replaced Trevor, which had received a video release of its own. An almost plotless tale that takes place during a single car ride to the airport, The DadShuttle focuses on the emotional distance and between a city-dwelling gay man and his suburban father. Alkali, Iowa director Mark Christopher would go on to direct the Hollywood feature 54, while Nickolas Perry, director of Must Be the Music, would go on to helm the Gus Van Sant-produced Speedway Junky. Before directing Trevor, Peggy Rajski was known primarily as a producer; her credits include the Jodie Foster directorial efforts Little Man Tate and Home for the Holidays. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
First, a little background: in 1955, the Director's Guild of America created the pseudonym Alan Smithee, which film directors are allowed to use if they feel their work has been tampered with to such a degree that they no longer want the credit. (For example, if you look at the credits of the expanded and heavily narrated TV version of Dune, you'll notice the director is not listed as David Lynch, but as Alan Smithee.) An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn is a comedy about a film editor (played by Eric Idle) who finally gets his big break -- he's given the opportunity to direct a big-budget action film starring Sylvester Stallone, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jackie Chan. But filming does not go well (the budget eventually balloons to 200 million dollars) and the producer, James Edmunds (Ryan O'Neal), tampers with the final cut of the film. As a result, the hapless neophyte director doesn't want his name to appear on the credits. But his real name is Alan Smithee, so what's he supposed to do? In a stunning example of art imitating life, director Arthur Hiller was supposedly unhappy with the interference of screenwriter and producer Joe Eszterhas on this project and chose to remove his name from the credits -- so An Alan Smithee Film carries the directorial credit of none other than Alan Smithee. Rappers Coolio and Chuck D appear as the filmmaking Brothers Brothers; Chuck D also contributed to the film's score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan O'Neal, Coolio, (more)
- 1997
Assigned to take care of Mrs. Louder's prize purebred dog during her absence, Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson) shifts the responsibility to Drew (Drew Carey)--without Drew's knowledge. Finding what he thinks is a stray mutt on his premises, Drew unwittingly has the prize pooch shaved and neutered. The rest of the episode is a mad scramble to earn the $5000 necessary to replace the purebred, culminating in an all-stops-out lampoon of the recent "male stripper" movie hit The Full Monty--replete with four members of the original cast (this time fully clothed)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
- G
- Add Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco to QueueAdd Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco to top of Queue
Two dogs and a cat, separated from their human family, must find their way home and face the dangers of a big city for the first time in this adventure story for the whole family. Bob Seaver (Robert Hays) and his wife Laura (Kim Greist), who live in Northern California, are taking their kids on a camping vacation in Canada, and they're bringing along their pets -- spunky bulldog Chance (voice of Michael J. Fox), self-centered Himalayan cat Sassy (voice of Sally Field), and wise old Golden Retriever Shadow (voice of Ralph Waite). However, Chance doesn't like being cooped up in his travelling cage at the airport, and when he escapes, Sassy and Shadow follow him to the nearest city, San Francisco. After a scary night on their own, the trio are befriended by a gang of stray dogs and cats who have learned to live on their own after running away from their cruel masters. However, Chance, Sassy, and Shadow soon realize that life on the streets is not for them, and they set out to find the Seaver house they call home. Sports fans take note: Bob Uecker, Tommy Lasorda, and Al Michaels appear as themselves and also provide the voices of their pets. The voice of Shadow was performed by Don Ameche in the preceding film Homeward Bound; it proved to be Ameche's last film released before his death in late 1993 (his final film, Corrina, Corrina, didn't reach theaters until several months after his passing), leading the producers of this sequel to cast Ralph Waite in the role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Hays, Kim Greist, (more)
Two cops with almost nothing in common find themselves brought together to capture a psychotic murderer in this action thriller. Jack Cole (Steven Seagal) was once a government intelligence operative known as "The Glimmer Man," because he could move so quickly and quietly that his victims would only see a glimmer before they died. Having left international espionage behind him, Cole -- steeped in Eastern mysticism and not used to working with others -- has become a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, where he's paired up with Jim Campbell (Keenen Ivory Wayans), a tough, no-nonsense cop with a weakness for weepy movies (Casablanca is one of his favorites) and little patience for Cole's New Age philosophies and outsider attitude. Cole and Campbell have to set aside their differences when they're assigned to track down a serial killer the press has dubbed "The Family Man," for his habit of dispatching entire households at once. However, when the Family Man's latest victims turn out to be Cole's former wife and her current husband, Campbell learns about Cole's secret past, and they both think that Cole's former bosses may somehow be involved with this current crime wave. Leading man Seagal also wrote and played guitar on several blues-based songs that appear on the film's soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Keenen Ivory Wayans, (more)
- 1996
- R
An LA radio talk show host with a night call-in program finds his rating soar after a psychopathic killer becomes a regular caller in this low-budget thriller. Dee jay Karlin Pickett is known for being a wild and crazy guy. He is first seen working in Phoenix. He picks up a girl in a bar and shortly thereafter, she is killed. This is naturally upsetting to Pickett who then moves to LA to take a better job. Soon the antics of himself and his new side-kick Jon catch fire and they become one of the most popular shows around. Then the killer calls and announces that he has killed the woman he just slept with. No one but Detective Dimotto takes it very seriously; it is just good for ratings. When another woman dies, Dimotto moves in and solves the case, something perceptive viewers will have done long before the story's grand finale. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Roberts, Jason Gedrick, (more)
- 1996
Following her brother's death, a graduate student looks into his demise and finds that he had stolen a box filled with alien remains. Now she too is in terrible danger as the government is determined to keep the secret. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Faith Ford, Thomas Gibson, (more)
Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of a man whose scientific meddling has unexpected results gets a cross-gender update in this comedy. Richard Jacks (Tim Daly) is a research scientist trying to work his way up the ladder at a major perfume company when he inherits the notebooks of his great-grandfather, Dr. Henry Jekyll. Fascinated by Jekyll's ideas about the duality of man, Jacks starts performing experiments to refine his potion that would isolate man's good and evil natures. However, Richard's version has a very different result than the old Jekyll formula, instead of turning him into a snarling beast, the drug transforms him into Helen Hyde (Sean Young), a beautiful and powerfully sexy woman with a slight case of nymphomania. Jacks figures that a good looking woman willing to sleep with nearly anyone should have no trouble rising to a position of power within the company, so his alter-ego Helen may be his ticket to a room at the top. But this plan may require a bit of explaining to Jacks' girlfriend, Sarah (Lysette Anthony). The supporting cast includes Polly Bergen, Jeremy Piven, and Harvey Fierstein, who is so awestruck by Helen Hyde's allure that he's rendered heterosexual by the experience. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Young, Tim Daly, (more)
This shocking prison drama was inspired by a true story. In 1938, Henri Young (Kevin Bacon), sentenced to Alcatraz for stealing $5, attempted to escape from prison with three other prisoners. One of the escapees was captured, and to curry favor with Warden Glenn (Gary Oldman), he informed on the others. Young was soon brought back to custody, and was to be punished by spending 19 days in solitary confinement. Nineteen days stretched into three years, in which Young was kept in a pit with no light, no toilet, no furniture, and nothing to read. Young emerged from solitary a vengeful madman, and he quickly murdered the convict who turned him in. Young was put on trial for the killing, and assigned a first-time public defender, James Stamphill (Christian Slater). Stamphill was horrified by Young's tales of the conditions at Alcatraz, and he used them as the basis of his defense for his client, believing that anyone would be driven to madness and murder if they had been treated the same way as Young. Murder in the First also features Embeth Davidtz, William H. Macy, Brad Dourif, and R. Lee Ermey. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, (more)
Disney not only recycled the French farce Mon Pere, Ce Heros but brought back the lead actor of the original, Gerard Depardieu, for the Americanized remake My Father, the Hero. Depardieu plays Andre, the loving but neglectful French father of fourteen-year old Nicole (Katherine Heigl), who now wants to be called Nicky. To make up for lost time, Andre picks up Nicole from the condo of his ex-wife Megan (Lauren Hutton) to take her on a vacation to the Bahamas. Nicole, bitter at her father's frequent absences and embarrassed to be seen with him in the Bahamas, concocts a tale in which she tells her fellow vacationers that Andre is her lover -- and an ex-con to boot. Andre, oblivious to whom everyone thinks he is, tries to act like a father taking his daughter on a trip, shocking everyone with unintentional double entendres. At the same time, Nicole is making eyes at the handsome Ben (Dalton James). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Katherine Heigl, (more)
A blend of screwball farce and whodunit murder mystery, this madcap period piece was the brainchild of executive producer George Lucas. In 1939, Penny Henderson (Mary Stuart Masterson) is the harried general secretary and de facto manager of a new fourth radio network, WBN. On the night that the Chicago station goes live on the air, a mysterious voice interrupts, and a series of murders soon follows, each one described by the same sonorous phantom. While Penny and her staff desperately try to keep WBN's roster of shows afloat during the unfolding crisis, her estranged husband Roger (Brian Benben), a staff writer, becomes the chief suspect. Roger is forced to dodge a detective, Lieutenant Cross (Michael Lerner), find the real killer, win Penny back, and perform last-minute script rewrites for an unhappy sponsor. As the backstage hysteria reaches a fever pitch, the show goes on with real-life radio-era pros such as George Burns and Rosemary Clooney. Although never explicitly pointed out in the film, Radioland Murders (1994) was a pseudo-prequel to an earlier Lucas feature -- Roger and Penny are the future parents of Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) from American Graffiti (1973). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Benben, Mary Stuart Masterson, (more)
