Raymond Wagner Movies

It's the day children dream of and parents dread: a sudden snowstorm causes the cancellation of school, giving kids a day off and their folks one more thing to worry about. Snow Day traces what happens in an upstate New York town when a thick layer of white stuff forces local schools to take a day off. Fifteen-year-old Hal Brandston (Mark Webber) is crazy about Claire Bonner (Emmanuelle Chriqui), the prettiest girl in his tenth-grade class, who already has a boyfriend -- the class jock and BMOC. Will the magical powers of Snow Day give Hal a chance to win her away? Meanwhile, Hal's ten-year-old sister, Natalie (Zena Grey), is having so much fun with Snow Day that she doesn't want it to end, so she makes sure the Snow Plow Man (Chris Elliott) can't get the roads cleared before morning. Four-year-old Randy Brandston (Connor Matheus) is all cranked up and ready to enjoy life on a day with no day care -- bad news for his mom, Laura (Jean Smart), a businesswoman who has to close an important deal. And weather is a sore spot with father Tom Brandston (Chevy Chase); as the meteorologist at the lowest-rated TV station in town, he is trying in vain to get folks to pay attention to what he has to say about snow, rain, and the elements. Snow Day was produced by Nickelodeon Movies, the feature-film branch of the children's television network, and its eclectic cast also includes Pam Grier, John Schneider, and Iggy Pop. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A video of four short films on controversial subjects. A profile of "Sexual Personae" author Camille Paglia; a documentary on Annie Sprikle, pornographic film star; a profile of Carol, a woman who supports S-M; and a short look at transsexualism. ~ All Movie Guide

One by-product of two consecutive Oscar wins is that Tom Hanks no longer has to appear in such potboilers as Turner and Hooch. Hanks plays Turner, a meticulously groomed, excruciatingly well-organized detective working in a small California coastal town. When local "character" John McIntyre is murdered by drug smugglers, the only witness is McIntyre's slobbery, smelly mutt Hootch. You're way ahead of us, folks: Turner, who despises dogs in general and Hooch in particular, is compelled to put the cantankerous dog up as his house guest. Also easily predictable is the fact that Turner and Hooch will, by the next-to-last reel, become boon companions. To its credit, the film has an abundance of laughs and thrills...but, gee, that ending! Neither terrific nor terrible, Turner and Hooch is a pleasant time-filler; we do wish, however, that more time had been spent on the budding romance between Turner and veterinarian Emily Carson (Mare Winningham). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

O'Brien (Chuck Norris) is a detective who captured the psychotic maniac Simon Moon (Jack O'Halloran), aka the Terror, by mistake. When the obese 6' 6'' villain fell from a ladder trying to escape, he was knocked cold and the lucky O'Brien got the credit for his collar. With his psychiatrist sweetheart Kay (Brynn Thayer), pregnant with their first child, the Terror escapes. Although he is large and unforgettable, the terrible Titan manages to evade the police, and no one even notices him when he carts cadavers on his massive shoulders. This routine actioner provides a view of several historic sights in Santa Monica, California. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Irvin Kershner directed this comedy-drama about one man's struggle with relationships and himself. Brooks (George Segal) is a middle-aged commercial artist who is at a personal and professional crossroads; he wants to take a stab at a career in fine art, but he can barely land enough assignments to support himself as it is. And while his marriage to Selma (Eva Marie Saint) is starting to collapse, his mistress Grace (Janis Young) suggests that she would like a relationship of greater permanence with him. Hoping to land an important commission from Lepridon (Sterling Hayden), a powerful business mogul, Brooks attends a party at an exclusive private club, but after a few cocktails too many, Brooks gets into a screaming match with one of the club's leaders. Brooks is depressed, figuring that he's blown what could have been a major career opportunity, when word travels through the grapevine that Lepridon was amused and impressed by Brooks' dressing-down of the club's topkick and is ready to give him the job. Brooks is elated, but he wants to keep his good news a secret for the time being; in a celebratory mood, he goes to a party where Selma, Grace, and a number of his friends are also in attendance. Brooks is approached by Nelly (Nancy Phillips), the wife of his neighbor Will (David F. Doyle); Nelly wants Brooks to join her for a quickie, and he eagerly agrees, not realizing that the children's playroom where they've chosen to meet is monitored by a closed-circuit TV camera, with the other party-goers an audience for their lovemaking. Loving garnered many enthusiastic reviews and became something of a cult item among film buffs in the 1970s; Sherry Lansing, who would later become a powerful producer and studio president, appears in a small role as Susan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Don Siegal directed this made-for-TV remake of the western drama Ride The Pink Horse, in which Robert Culp stars as Harry Pace, who has set out to avenge the violent death of a good friend. Pace's search leads him to New Orleans during the Mardi Gras celebration, where he meets a beautiful woman, Lois Seeger (Vera Miles). Pace's infatuation with Seeger leads him into a dangerous conflict with her husband, Arnie Seeger (Edmund O'Brien), a ruthless political power broker. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide