David Hubbard Movies

A high-school senior finds himself walking a fine line between daydreams and reality in the comedy Trippin'. Gregory Reed (Deon Richmond) is soon to graduate from high school, and he frequently drifts into a Walter Mitty-style fantasy land where he's the coolest guy in town, has money to burn, and fine ladies are throwing themselves at him around the clock; however, back in the real world, Gregory has a lousy job, no girlfriend, and no solid prospects of a date for the prom. A much bigger worry to his parents is the fact that Gregory has done almost nothing about planning for his future after graduation; he's so preoccupied by his problems with women that he hasn't even started applying to colleges. His best friend, June (Donald Faison), has got girls to spare, but while he has a future ahead of him, it isn't a good one -- he's started selling stolen goods for low-level crime boss Kenyatta (Stoney Jackson). The girl of Gregory's dreams is Cinny Hawkins (Maia Campbell), who's beautiful, smart -- and has a boyfriend. Figuring he'll settle for whatever attention he can get, Gregory asks Cinny if she can help him with his college applications, as she's been through the route and has already been accepted. Cinny agrees, and as she and Gregory become friends, she starts to wonder if her pushy boyfriend is really the guy she wants to take to the prom. Balancing typical teen-flick humor with a pointed message about personal responsibility, Trippin' was a surprise box-office success in the spring of 1999. Director David Raynr's own teenage years included a brief stint as a regular on the TV series James at 15. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Developed by Tina Sinatra and approved by Frank himself, Sinatra is a made-for-television mini-series following the life and times of Frank Sinatra, one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century. Opening with his childhood in Hoboken, New Jersey, the film follows Sinatra's (Philip Casnoff) rise to the top in the '40s, through the dark days of the early '50s and his triumphant re-emergence in the mid-'50s, to his status as pop culture icon in the '60s, '70s and '80s. In between, the film hits all of the main events, including his three marriages, his connections with the Mafia and his notorious friendship with the Rat Pack. Even with the presence of Tina Sinatra as executive producer, Sinatra doesn't gloss over the more unsavory portions of Frank's life, which makes it all the more impressive. With the exception of a couple of early songs, all the music in the movie is taken from the original Sinatra recordings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Project X is a top-secret government undertaking involving trained chimpanzees. Grounded pilot Matthew Broderick, assigned to teach the chimps how to operate a flight simulator, discovers that his charges are to be subjected to high levels of radiation to test potential human endurance. Risking a court martial, Broderick links up with Helen Hunt, the researcher who has taught the chimps sign language, to save the simians from destruction. The serious subtext of Project X is forgotten during a Disneyesque comic finale, wherein the lovable chimps nearly trigger a nuclear meltdown! Without taking anything away from human stars Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt, we must note that the most engaging performance in Project X is delivered by Willie the Chimp, who essays the challenging role of Virgil the Chimp. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this socially conscious drama, an ex-con meets constant opposition from avaricious land owners who want the land on which he has set up a ranch-style juvenile correctional facility. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Coach of the Year is the pilot film for a potential Robert Conrad TV series. Conrad plays Jim Brandon, formerly a star athlete, now a wheelchair-bound Vietnam vet. The embittered, self-involved Brandon is hired to coach a team of teenagers at a correctional facility. Once he's "reached" these so-called incorrigibles, Brandon begins to see his own life in a different light. The film was co-produced by John Ashley of Filipino horror-flick fame. Originally titled The Coach, then 4 Down Behind Bars, Coach of the Year debuted December 20, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi