George Cheung Movies
A woman stuck in middle age may yet find love if her mother can stay out of the way in this comedy from first-time director Frank Lin. Yvonne (Sylvia Chang) is a divorcee who is about to turn fifty and feels as if life is passing her by. Yvonne works for a throw-away newspaper where ad sales is more important than content, and her life is dominated by her overbearing mother (Lan Yeung), and to a lesser extent her slacker son, Joshua (Randall Park). When Yvonne meets Jose (Esai Morales), a handsome dentist, while working on a piece for the paper, the two hit it off and begin dating. However, Jose is Hispanic, and Mother is horrified at the prospect of her daughter marrying a Mexican-American, and with Mother about to undergo major back surgery, her stranglehold over the family is stronger than ever. Can Yvonne choose between her own happiness and that of her mother? American Fusion also stars Pat Morita, Collin Chou and James Hong. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Chang, Esai Morales, (more)
Acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee makes the leap from the big screen to the small screen for this Showtime drama concerning the battle waged between black, white, an Asian gangs for control of the San Francisco streets. A modern-day melting pot that has become home to some of the vicious street-gangs in the country, San Francisco is a city teeming with racial tension. When each gang lays claim to the streets in a desperate bid to establish their turf, the simmering tensions soon boil to the surface in a violent eruption of murder and chaos. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Crowley, Ken Leung, (more)
- 2003
As the Fisher and Diaz funeral home fills up with clients, Nate (Peter Krause) continues his frantic search for the missing Lisa (Lili Taylor). The police recover her car from a parking lot up the coast, but Lisa herself is nowhere to be found. Federico (Freddy Rodriguez), meanwhile, finds out about the prescription-drug abuse that led to his wife's recent collapse. His concern turns to anger, however, when sister-in-law Angelica (Melissa Marsala) treats Vanessa (Justina Machado) to some expensive retail therapy on Rico's dime, then talks trash about him to his face. Brenda (Rachel Griffiths), too, suffers through familial angst when she gathers with Billy (Jeremy Sisto) and her mother (Joanna Cassidy) to scatter her father's ashes. The ceremony goes about as well as any Chenowith family get-together, though Brenda later finds refuge in the confines of her scrappy new apartment. Ruth (Frances Conroy) also seeks solace from an unexpected source, George Sibley (James Cromwell), a funeral mourner who happens to meet her when she's at her weepiest about daughter-in-law Lisa's probable fate. There's no comfort for Claire (Lauren Ambrose), either, when she fights with traitorous ex-mentor Olivier (Peter MacDissi) and sexually confused ex-boyfriend Russell (Ben Foster). As if things couldn't get any worse, the baby of the Fisher clan also finds out she's going to have a baby. Originally broadcast May 11, 2003, on HBO, "Death Works Overtime" marked season three, episode 11 of the made-for-cable drama. With three separate passings chronicled in its atypically comic opening sequence, this episode marks a departure from the show's usual solemn, single-death sequence. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 2002
While coping with the death of her ex-husband, Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors) investigates a disturbing rape case that soon snowballs out of control, with possibly grim consequences for the rest of the squad. Elsewhere, the detectives probe the possibility that a young Asian girl may have been murdered by her own family; John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) extends a helping hand to mixed-up teenager James Kilik (Josh Zuckerman); and gay cop John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) reacts bitterly to the news that his father is undergoing heart surgery. And in a development that will have long-ranging ramifications, new IAB Captain Fraker (Casey Siemaszko) seems to determined to force precinct skipper Gonzalez (Esai Morales) out of his job. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Simmons
- 2000
Max (Jessica Alba) attends a conference on genetic engineering at the Steinlitz Hotel, where Kendra (Jennifer Blanc) is working as a translator for geneticist Dr. Yuiko Tanaka (George Kee Cheung). A world-renowned "miracle worker" in his field, Tanaka may be able to help Max with her mixed-up DNA. Unfortunately, the conference is being attended by another figure: Max's arch enemy, Manticore scientist Lydecker (John Savage). When Tanaka's audience is captured and held hostage by an anti-tech terrorist organization led by John Darius (Troy Ruptash), Max and Lydecker are forced to rely upon each other to survive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Things get off to a deceptively light-hearted start as popular professional wrestler Kornberg (Nils Allen Stewart) is brought into the ER with a twisted knee. But the story quickly turns deadly serious when, stuck in the middle of a street riot, Carter (Noah Wyle) is forced to man the wheel of the paramedic ambulance -- and in so doing sparks an even worse situation when he accidentally runs over a youngster. Meanwhile, Carol (Julianna Margulies), still mooning over the departed Ross, receives confirmation of her pregnancy. And Lucy (Kellie Martin) comes face to face with an intransigent Asian family who refuse to let their mother know that she is in dangerously declining health. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Still in the faraway land of Chin, Xena (Lucy Lawless) struggles to master the beneficial powers of her late spiritual mentor, Lao Ma. Meanwhile, the despotic warlord Khan and his 100,000 warriors prepare to conquer the land. In her efforts to stop Khan, Xena finds out that her enemy has an unfair advantage, manifested in the evil sibling spirits Pao Ssu (Marie Matiko) and Ming T'ien (Daniel Sing), the latter wraith better known as the hideous Green Dragon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1997
Try though he might, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) cannot overcome the fact that his girlfriend, Jenna (Kristen Davis), has used a toothbrush that he'd pulled from his toilet. George (Jason Alexander) loses his keys -- and also a key ring that Steinbrenner has given him -- near a pothole. Kramer (Michael Richards) adopts a stretch of highway, but his "child" proves to be a major disappointment. And Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) moves into a janitor's closet in hopes of getting a Chinese meal delivered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This episode takes place in Osaka, Japan, where a wealthy motor-company executive has promised his daughter in marriage to the son of a business associate. An American race-car driver (Rick Walsh) dares to defy tradition by romancing the girl himself--and when the girl's husand-to-be is killed, the driver not only faces murder charges, but also the likelihood of his own murder. Having arrived in Osaka to deliver a computer disk to the luckless driver, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) ends up playing detective for the 252nd time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) discreetly advises the divorce-bound Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) to keep his romantic involvement with Donna (Gail O'Grady) under wraps -- at least in public. An abused woman whom Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) tried to help ends up dead. Kelly (David Caruso) and an Asian-American detective (Tzi Ma) investigate the murder of an off-duty cop in Chinatown. And Detective Adrianne Lesniak (Justine Miceli, in her first series appearance), on the rebound from a sour relationship with another cop, is transferred to the 15th. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
This gentle baseball fantasy centers on a former ball player who has spent thirty years bitterly brooding over the fact that he has been overlooked by the Baseball Hall of Fame. He finally decides to take action when his long-lost best friend returns from the dead to talk to him. Just before he died, the friend was inducted into the famous museum. The rest of the story is comprised of touching and sometimes funny vignettes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Dolph Lundgren and George Segal star in this action thriller in which a man who was convicted of a crime he didn't commit escapes from prison and takes a woman hostage, not knowing she's a police officer. Meanwhile, the escapee is trying to set a trap to get revenge against the corrupt detective who sent him to the big house. The supporting cast includes Ken Foree and Bert Remsen. Also shown under the title Army of One. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
At times, Another 48 Hrs. seems less like a sequel to than a parody of the first 48 Hrs., especially when Nick Nolte, repeating his role from the earlier film, begins commenting on the cliched absurdity of the goings on. This time, Nolte risks life, limb and career as he obsessively tries to bring an elusive master criminal known as "The Iceman" to justice. Eddie Murphy, who stole the show in the first 48 Hrs. as the wheeler-dealer convict who becomes Nolte's reluctant partner, is brought into the plotline of the second film when a contract is taken out on his life. The adversarial relationship between Nolte and Murphy, supposedly dissipated by the end of the first film, is revivified in the sequel via a couple of plot devices. Still, Murphy rallies to the occasion, in the process saving Nolte from being thrown off the force. Though not as successful as the first film, Another 48 Hrs. proved that there were still enough Eddie Murphy fans around in 1990 to insure a strong box-office showing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, (more)
- 1986
In this family drama, the life of a woman and her son are severely disrupted when her estranged husband, who abandoned them thirty years before, returns. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Claire Bloom, (more)
- 1985
Rick (Larry Manetti) borrows $20,000 from Ice Pick (Elisha Cook Jr.) to purchase a luxury boat, fully equipped with bikinied geisha girls, from the redoubtable Mac (Jeff MacKay). Turns out, however, that the boat wasn't Mac's to sell, and now the real owners are out for Rick's blood. As if this wasn't enough trouble, a gang of Japanese gangsters likewise insists upon laying claim to the boat--and don't forget Ice Pick, who is a bit put out about losing that 20 grand and wants it back post-haste! This episode is highlighted by a climactic fight scene, which manages to be both thrilling and sexy at the same time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
While dictating his memoirs, Higgins (John Hillerman) flashes back to 1976, the time of his last meeting with his old friend and fellow British secret agent David Worth (played by Patrick Macnee of The Avengers fame). Unfortunately, David seems to have gone a bit balmy, and is now convinced that he is none other than Sherlock Holmes, on a mission to solve a murder. Humoring David along, Higgins agrees to act as his "Dr. Watson"--only to discover that the murder is all too real, and that he and David may be next on the hit list! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
In this fairly innocent fare, some wild beach girls throw a super party to help a nerdy guy and an up-tight gal get with the beach blanket times. Though certainly not a shocker, this movie was rated R for nudity. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debra Blee, Val Kline, (more)
- 1980
Beautiful antiques dealer Mai Ling (Susie Elene) hires Magnum (Tom Selleck) to safeguard the "Soul of Soong", a priceless Chinese vase. This places our hero directly in the line of fire of relentless professional assassin Choi (George Cheung), to say nothing of a deadly, not-so-secret Tong gang. And is the vase that Magnum is so diligently guarding the genuine article, or a cheap replica? "China Doll" won the 1981 Edgar Allan Poe Award for "best single television episode." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Hawkeye (Alan Alda) crosses swords with Lt. Hung Lae Park (Mako), a ruthless and determined ROK officer. At the center of the conflict is a wounded Korean woman (Huanini Minn), whose life Hawkeye is determined to save. But Park insists that the woman is an enemy guerilla--and as such must be turned over to him for a particularly brutal round of interrogations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- R
Martial arts abound in this taut adventure, yet another version of the 1924 classic story "The Most Dangerous Game," by Richard Connell. Big-game hunter Danton Vachs and his pals live on a remote island off the Mexican coastline. The island is densely jungled and Vachs makes a good living staging hunts involving human victims. His latest victim is an exceptional athlete and Vietnam veteran. To get him to the island, Vachs has his girl friend kidnapped and will not release her until the vet, Matt Collins agrees to play. He is given a four hour start upon his pursuers. While making his way through the jungle, he runs into John Blackwell, his predecessor, a survivalist who faked his death, and who has been hiding out on the island ever since. Together the two team up to make it back to the big house, get deadly chopsocky revenge and save Matt's girl friend. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Norris, Chad McQueen, (more)
Andrew Davis directed this exciting thriller starring Steven Seagal, sans ponytail, and featuring electric, over-the-top performances by Gary Busey and Tommy Lee Jones. This action saga takes place on the battleship USS Missouri, about to be decommissioned from service after a visit from George Bush. When Bush departs the vessel, a band of terrorists overcome the remaining skeleton crew and take over the ship, under the ruse of holding a surprise birthday party for the ship's commander, Captain Adams (Patrick O'Neal). The band is led by Strannix (Jones), a disgruntled ex-CIA operative, and his right-hand man, the psychotic Krill (Busey). The terrorists plan to steal the ship's store of nuclear warheads, transfer them to a stolen North Korean submarine, and sell them to a Middle Eastern country. Unfortunately for Strannix, he has overlooked the ship's cook, Casey Ryback (Seagal). Ryback is a much-honored Navy SEAL who, because of a minor scandal, is quietly completing his twenty-year tour in the galley of the Missouri. Forced into action, Ryback, along with the woman who jumped out of Captain Adams' birthday cake (Erika Eleniak), knocks off the bad guys one-by-one while crawling inside the bowels of the ship. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
- 1992
- R
In this drama, a renegade Los Angeles priest, Father Daniel Tyrone, must return to his gang-land roots to prove himself innocent of killing a stripper. His investigation leads him to the seamy underbelly of the pornographic film industry. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Mark Frost, the writer and director best known for his work with David Lynch on the TV series Twin Peaks, made his feature film directorial debut with this convoluted thriller. Cray Fowler (James Spader) is running for congress, partly to satisfy his own political aspirations and partly to resolve certain controversies in his life; he divorced his wife after discovering that she was unfaithful, and his father committed suicide after he became involved in a scandal regarding valuable oil rights. While on the campaign trail, Fowler is persuaded to visit Lee Tran (Charlotte Lewis), a waitress he meets at a fund raiser. Fowler and Lee Tran have sex, which is caught on videotape; as if this isn't strong enough blackmail material, Lee Tran's father turns up dead in the room where Fowler wakes up. But Lee, not Fowler, is charged with the murder, and Fowler, a lawyer, agrees to defend her in court. Fowler wins the case against beautiful District Attorney Natalie Tate (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer), Fowler's former girlfriend, but now he needs to find out who is trying to set him up and for what reason; he hopes he can get some help from his uncle, Clifford Fowler (Jason Robards), a political kingmaker of the old school who knows all the family's secrets. The supporting cast includes Piper Laurie, Michael Parks, Chuck McCann, and Woody Strode. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Spader, Joanne Whalley, (more)
Action film director John Badham bites the hand that feeds him in this action movie spoof that features ribbing of pretty-boy Hollywood action stars by Michael J. Fox and a parody of colorful, hair-trigger James Woods types by the man himself. Woods plays New York homicide detective John Moss, who is within an inch of closing in on a serial killer who calls himself The Party Crasher (Stephen Lang) because his specialty is shooting his victims in the middle of discos. Chasing The Party Crasher after his latest victim has been dispatched, Moss finds himself hanging onto the door of a speeding truck with The Party Crasher at the wheel. When Moss is thrown off the truck and nearly killed, The Party Crasher escapes, and Moss is taken off the case. Moss is given a new assignment --to tag around with Hollywood action film star Nick Lang (Michael J. Fox), the popular hero of the "Smoking Gun" movies. Lang spotted Moss on a television news show and thinks he would be the ideal cop to study for adding authenticity to an up-coming police action picture. Posing as Moss's rookie partner, Lang follows Moss everywhere, proceeding to spoil his pursuit of The Party Crasher and interfering with Moss's burgeoning affair with his girlfriend Susan (Anabella Sciorra). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, James Woods, (more)
