Lossen Chambers Movies
- 1995
Another of the many TV-movies produced for NBC's off-and-on "Moment of Truth" series, The Other Mother was based on the autobiographical novel by Carol Schaefer, herein played by Frances Fisher. The astonishing resilient Carol manages to endure a messy divorce, handling the raise of two children all by herself, and survive a nasty bout with cancer. Having weathered all these crises, Carol feels it is time to tackle an unresolved issue from her past. Thus, she embarks upon a journey (both spiritual and physical) to locate the child that she gave up for adoption 18 years ago--and faces obstacles that may, in her own words, "threaten everything I valued in life." Although the core of the drama is the rights of birth parents vs. the rights of privacy of adoptive parents, the film manages to engender sympathy and understanding for both sides of the argument. The Other Mother: A Moment of Truth Movie was first shown on April 17, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frances Fisher, Deborah May, (more)
- 1994
- Add Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story to QueueAdd Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story to top of Queue
Popular comedienne Joan Rivers and her real-life daughter Melissa portray themselves in this made-for-television movie about their family's trials and tribulations in the 1980s. After suffering through some public blows to her career, Rivers' husband Edgar (often the butt of her jokes) committed suicide. The film shows how the mother and daughter struggled to save their already troubled relationship in the wake of the devastating death. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
A boy saves and befriends a mangy ex-circus dog and adopts him as a pet--without his father's knowledge. As the family moves across the country, the dog attempts to follow, getting into close calls and lots of adventures along the way. Will Bingo end up in the arms of his favorite boy? This spoof/adventure/comedy contains some violence and profanity. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cindy Williams, David Rasche, (more)
The can't-miss teaming of Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn is squandered on a clumsy, illogical romantic melodrama. Running across her old boyfriend Gibson at a Wisconsin gas station, Hawn is astounded that he seems not to recognize her. How could she have known that Gibson was put into the Witness Relocation Program after testifying against a homicidal mob boss (say, don't they usually alter your appearance when they put you in that program?) Curious over Gibson's furtive behavior, Hawn unknowingly sets herself up as a target for the bad guys. The whole affairs culminates in an after-hours showdown at a zoo (a plot device vastly improved upon in the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Eraser). While Bird on a Wire admittedly has its moments of enjoyment, most of the film is on a par with Gibson's embarrassing, homophobic scene with a pair of epicine hairdressers. And whoever heard of the Chinatown section of Racine, Wisconsin? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, (more)
Though John Badham's Stakeout doesn't flinch in the violence department, the film concentrates primarily on characterization. Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez play a pair of Seattle detectives, assigned to capture escaped hood Aidan Quinn. The twosome spends much of the film on stakeout in a lonely, deserted house; the object of their scrutiny is Madeline Stowe, Quinn's former girlfriend. Pretending to be a telephone repairman, Dreyfuss plants a bug in Stowe's apartment--thereby inaugurating a romance that compromises the detective's objectivity. In the climax, Quinn gets the upper hand--at least until the fists start flying. Perfect as it stood, Stakeout didn't need to be elaborated upon with a sequel, but Another Stakeout was produced all the same. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez, (more)
