Robert Curtis-Brown Movies

High schooler Angus (Charlie Talbert), a jumbo-sized lad, seems underappreciated in all aspects of his life: he is a standout offensive lineman on the football team, but golden-boy quarterback Rick (James Van der Beek) gets all the accolades for his blood, sweat, and pass-blocking; he is also an outstanding student, but his classmates still regard him as a dork; the girl of his dreams (Arian Richards), Rick's girlfriend, seems to ignore him. Only when Angus musters the courage to put on a maroon tuxedo and head off to the school dance at the urging of his loving, free-spirit mom (Kathy Bates) does he finally get the recognition he deserves (as does Rick, who attempts to publicly humiliate Angus with a cruel prank). While the story is familiar, director Patric Johnson and the entire cast infuse the film with real warmth, making Angus a winner (as does its refreshing attitude toward violence). ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

After a bad day at work, a man suddenly gets a new job -- as the world's new Heavenly Father -- in this comedy. Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a television reporter working in Buffalo, NY, who has been growing increasingly dissatisfied with his existence, and after an especially bad day, he flies into a rage and curses God for making his life miserable. To Bruce's great surprise, the Supreme Being Himself (Morgan Freeman) appears, and tries to convince Bruce of the enormity of his task. Bruce, however, isn't buying it, so God gives him a chance to find out what he's up against; God bestows all of his powers on Bruce for a week, to see how he'd handle things. At first, Bruce has a great time bending the world around him to his will, much to the puzzlement of his girlfriend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston), but after six days God stops by to remind Bruce he hasn't done much to make the Earth a better place. Disappointed, God presents Bruce with an ultimatum -- he has one day to improve the world in a concrete way, or God will toss the planet back into the void. Bruce Almighty was directed by Tom Shadyac, who previously teamed with Jim Carrey for Liar, Liar and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this film a middle-aged woman tries to get married to her younger fiance but is hindered by her four grown children who come bearing grudges. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The First Affair of the title is the one conducted by naïve but nubile college freshman Toby King (Melissa Sue Anderson). Struck by the girl's sense of responsibility, professor Jane Simon (Loretta Swit) hires Toby as a baby-sitter. Soon afterwards, however, Jane's susceptible husband Greg (Joel Higgins) finds himself being won over by Toby's unspoiled beauty and words of endearment. This standard-issue triangle drama was filmed under the title Freshman Year. Lensed on location at Harvard University, the made-for-TV First Affair premiered October 25, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Kenny Ortega's High School Musical 2 reunites the cast from the hit made-for-Disney Channel original to tell another story in the lives of the musically inclined students attending East Side High. The sequel takes place primarily at the Lava Springs Country Club, an exclusive summer resort that hires Wildcat basketball hero Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), his genius girlfriend Gabriella Montez (anessa Hudgens), and their two best friends. The parents of scheming Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) own the resort, and she wields her remarkable power in an attempt to win Troy away from Gabriella. Eventually Troy must decide between a bright future with a scholarship, or true love. High School Musical 2 premiered on the cable outlook on August 17, 2007. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Ivan Reitman directed this film, starring Robert Redford, Debra Winger, and Daryl Hannah, that is an amalgam of a thriller, courtroom drama, mystery and Tracy-Hepburn romantic comedy, with a little Mark Rothko-type scandal thrown in. The film revolves around troubled Chelsea Deardon (Daryl Hannah) who as an eight-year-old girl witnessed her father, a famous artist, perishing in a blaze along with his valuable art works. Twenty years later, Chelsea is arrested for stealing one of her father's paintings from an unscrupulous New York art dealer. She claims many more of her father's paintings survived the fire long ago. Defending Chelsea is lawyer Laura Kelly (Debra Winger). Pitted against her is suave district attorney Tom Logan (Robert Redford). Laura thinks if Tom knew the facts behind the case, he would reconsider and exonerate Chelsea. He doesn't, but one night when Chelsea appears at his doorstep, he does permit her to seduce him. The next morning, one of the art dealers involved in the case is found dead, and Chelsea is found in Tom's apartment. Chelsea becomes the prime suspect in the murder and Tom's career is ruined. Inexplicably, Laura hires Tom to help her defend Chelsea. The two lawyers, in researching their defense, not only uncover a scandal involving art dealership, but also fall in love. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Mel Brooks makes another unbearably funny appearance as Uncle Phil, here about to face trial for coupon fraud. Meanwhile, three-week-old Mabel is placed on a long waiting list for preschool, and Jamie (Helen Hunt) and Ira (John Pankow) have a strange adventure. Listen carefully for the Grand Great-Uncle Lullaby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tragedy strikes the publishing industry when Jessica Fletcher's editor Edward Graham (Robert Desiderio), a man known for his extreme mood swings, falls out of his Manhattan office window to his death. The police are content to rule Graham's demise as a suicide, but Jessica doesn't buy this. She is convinced that Graham was murdered--and possibly by someone very, very close to him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stuck at a fogbound airport in New York, Murphy (Candice Bergen) is unable to attend her son Avery's first birthday party. This traumatic state of affairs sets Murphy to rethinking her purpose in life, as illustrated in a series of "flash-forwards." Meanwhile, back in DC, Avery's party yields an unexpected highlight as Barry Manilow sings "I Am Your Child" (Manilow was something of a running gag on the series, but he stops running here). This final episode of Murphy Brown's fifth season also features an appearance by future NewsRadio regular Vicki Lewis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A simple affair proves to be anything but when a London advertising director realizes that his latest lover is also his newest client in director Ian Poitier's gay romantic comedy. Bright and talented Jonathan (Christopher Colquhoun) was at a black tie award party when he first locked eyes with handsome American David (Stephen Billington), and before the night was over they were both heading back to Jonathan's posh London flat for a passionate late night tryst. The next morning, when Jonathan's nine year old daughter bounds into the bedroom, it quickly becomes apparent that this isn't your average one night stand. The stakes are raised even higher when Jonathan returns to the office on Monday morning to discover that David is the company's top new client. Sleeping with clients is a big no-no at the firm where Jonathan works, and over the course of the next few days the hapless advertising director scrambles to reverse any damage that may have been done before he and David were aware of their professional relationship. But by attempting to sever his ties with David, Jonathan inadvertently draws his handsome lover into a playful game of one-upmanship. Now for each attempt they take at outwitting one another, their mutual attraction only grows stronger. Will Jonathan prove capable of keeping his lover and his career, or will he finally be forced to choose between his heart and his head? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Your friendly neighborhood web-slinger is back, only this time his sunny outlook has become partially overcast in the third chapter of director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man saga. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco return to reprise their roles from the previous two installments, with Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, and Bryce Dallas Howard making their first appearances in the series as Flint Marko (aka Sandman), Eddie Brock (aka Venom), and Gwen Stacy, respectively. Peter Parker (Maguire) has finally leaned to walk the middle ground between being the superhero that his city needs and the man that Mary Jane (Dunst) loves. All is well in New York City until one night, as Peter and M.J. sit gazing at the stars, a falling comet streams across the sky and crashes into the ground close by. But this isn't any ordinary shooting star, and upon impact the mysterious space rock is split open to reveal a shape-shifting symbiote with the power to overtake anything that it comes into contact with. Later, as Harry Osborn (James Franco) acquires his late father's flying board, engineers a powerful new Goblin outfit, and takes to the sky to avenge dad's death, the mysterious space sludge infects both Peter's Spider-Man suit and ambitious street photographer Eddie Brock (Grace). Peter's strange new suit gives him a newfound sense of power as it gradually overpowers his personality, and he discovers that escaped convict Flint Marko was in fact the man responsible for the death of Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson). Unfortunately for Peter, Marko has recently acquired the power to morph at will and quickly completes his transformation into the dreaded Sandman. As the Sandman gives in to his darkest criminal instincts and the slithering space symbiote transforms Eddie Brock into the nightmarish fanged villain known as Venom, the citizens of New York City must once again call on Spider-Man to fend off destructive forces that are far too powerful for the likes of mortal man. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

En route to a peace conference, the shuttle carrying Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) is damaged, marooning them on a seemingly primitive planet populated by a backward, isolated race called the Ventu. It soon develops that a higher intelligence on the planet has deliberately cut off the Ventu with an energy barrier -- and the Voyager crew wants to learn the reason. Meanwhile, Paris is required to pass an exacting Starfleet test, which may force him to bypass an opportunity to rescue his colleagues. "Natural Law" first aired on May 9, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide