Patrick de Santis Movies
- 1999
This made-for-cable biopic is a slightly campy recounting of the lives, careers, and inbred rivalry between twin-sister gossip columnists Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren -- both characters played by Wendie Malick, in what one critic described as "a weird tour de force." Covering a period between the early '50s and the late '90s, the film begins with the childhood of Ann and Abby (née Esther and Pauline Friedman), growing up Jewish in the heart of WASP country (namely, Sioux City, IA). Their subsequent lives develop in an eerily simultaneous fashion, as both are married in a dual ceremony, both launch their journalistic careers, and both achieve national success at almost exactly the same time. Fiercely competitive, the two women strive gallantly to be as "different" as possible, yet the vast reading public continues to refer to them both in the same breath, though those same readers are almost evenly divided in following the advice dispensed individually by Ann and Abby. As it turns out, the rift between the sisters can only be repaired when they learn to follow their own advice. With so much attention lavished on the two protagonists, it is nothing short of amazing that the ladies' husbands and children are given any screen time at all. Covering its four-decade time period in typical movie-shorthand fashion (virtually every scene takes place during a famous historical event), the film leaves the viewer breathless, though probably no more knowledgeable about what really made Ann and Abby tick than when the story began. Take My Advice: The Ann and Abby Story first aired July 19, 1999, on the Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wendie Malick, Robert Desiderio, (more)
- 1997
Mary Tyler Moore is reunited with her onetime sitcom costar Edward Asner in this anything-but-funny TV movie melodrama. While closing down her restaurant late one night, Kathryn Stanfill (Moore) notices a prowler hanging around outside. She quickly summons the police, only to stand by in horror as one of the cops, a loose cannon named Brian Kaleen (Frederick Lehne), brutally and without provocation beats the prowler within an inch of his life. Jack Patkanis (Asner), the police department's Internal Affairs investigator, has long suspected that there have been a few rotten apples like Kaleen on the force, and urges Kathryn to report the beating. Suspended from the force, the psychotic Kaleen methodically mounts a campaign of revenge, using his police-department and political connections to financially destroy Kathryn's husband (Dennis Arndt) and frame her son (Adam Scott) on a murder charge. Payback was first telecast by ABC on February 10, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, (more)
- 1991
Deception: A Mother's Secret premiered as a made-for-TV effort during Thanksgiving week, 1991. There's little reason for leading man Steven Weber to offer thanks for the events which transpire in this heavy-going soap opera. Upon the death of his wife, Weber discovers that his entire marital relationship was founded on lies. In particular, he learns that even his young son has an unsavory past--and that Weber may have to give up his child to strangers before long. Though not indicated by the title or the ad campaign, Deception: A Mother's Secret is at base the story of a single father's right to adopt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Weber, Katherine Helmond, (more)
- 1988
- PG
Out of Time is a patchwork of notions lifted from such earlier sources as Time After Time, Back to the Future, The Terminator, and the 1961 Twilight Zone episode "Back There." Bruce Abbott plays a dedicated law enforcement officer from the year 2088 who is in pursuit of time-travelling lawbreaker Adam Ant. Hurtling back to 1988, Abbott meets his own great-grandfather (Bill Maher), a gormless rookie cop. Armed with the knowledge that great-grandpa will eventually become a world-renowned criminologist, Abbott teams up with his youthful forebear. The title Out of Time became prophetic when this TV pilot film failed to secure a weekly network slot for the 1988-89 season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Abbott, Adam Ant, (more)
Al Capone's imprisonment opened the way for mobster Frank Nitti to become the underworld king of Chicago as related in this true story. (AKA Nitti) ~ All Movie Guide
- 1987
Diane (Shelley Long) uses the old "feminine intuition" ploy to wrangle yet another marriage proposal out of Sam (Ted Danson). In a rash moment, Sam pops the question -- only to be rejected again by the mercurial Diane. One thing leads to another (as things often do), and Sam finds himself standing before a judge, facing assault and battery charges brought against him by Diane, her neck in an unfashionable brace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
- PG
This comedy fuses Three Stooges clips with a storyline about a "Stooge Maniac" who is so obsessed with the comedians his sanity comes into question. Josh Mostel plays Stooge devotee Howard F. Howard, and Melanie Chartoff is Beverly, the woman of his dreams. Howard's condition is analyzed by Dr. Fixyer Minder (Sid Caesar) and for awhile the Stooge fanatic spends some time in a mental institution. Will this damage his love affair with Beverly? And will he know it if it does? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Mostel, Melanie Chartoff, (more)
This science fiction thriller was inspired by a mythical real-life event, the WWII era disappearance of an entire naval vessel during a radar-cloaking test. In 1943, David Herdeg Michael Pare and Jim Parker Bobby DiCicco are sailors stationed aboard a Virginia battleship. Their vessel is undergoing an experiment conducted by brilliant scientist Dr. Longstreeet (Eric Christmas), who is attempting to render Allied craft invisible to radar. The ship becomes briefly invisible, but the test is a disaster and most of the crew are horribly killed. However, two crewmen are missing. In 1984, Herdeg and Parker emerge in the Nevada desert, having somehow traveled through time. Longstreet, still trying to perfect the device after 40 years, is running another experiment that pulls the missing sailors into the present. Realizing what's occurred, Herdeg and Parker flee, fearing for their lives. Fugitives, they befriend a skeptical modern woman, Alison Hayes (Nancy Allen). An effect of time pulls Parker back into 1943, leading to a bizarre reunion between Herdeg, still trapped in the future, and Parker, now a senior citizen. The film was followed by a sequel nine years later. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Paré, Nancy Allen, (more)
- 1974
Leslie Nielsen is the guest star in the season-three opener of Streets of San Francisco. Nielsen is cast as Joe Landers, an alcoholic police officer whose drunken bungling has caused the death of his longtime partner. Going to desperate and dangerous lengths to cover up his negligence, Officer Landers ultimately proves to be no match for diligent homicide detectives Mike Stone (Karl Malden) and Steve Keller (Michael Douglas). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
