Jim Doughan Movies

Competition at the Sunnydale High cheerleading tryouts literally heats up when the star cheerleader catches on fire during her routine. As if the pressure of the tryouts isn't enough, Amy Madison (Elizabeth Anne Allen) is failing miserably to get on the team and live up to her mother Catherine's (Robin Riker) legacy as the cheerleading champion of Sunnydale High. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) also wants to get on the team, but she and Amy end up first and third alternates, respectively. Then, serendipitously, Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) becomes blind, another cheerleader's mouth is sealed with a flap of skin, and Buffy is turned into a dangerously peppy pom-pom girl through a Bloodstone Vengeance spell. It's no surprise when Amy makes the team. Buffy, weakened by the spell, goes with Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) to Amy's house, only to find that it is Amy's mother, Catherine, a witch who has inhabited her daughter's body, who is casting the spells. This leads to a showdown with the witch at the high school, in which Giles reverses all of her spells. In a final twist, Buffy repels Catherine's final spell, trapping her in the cheerleading trophy she won as a teenager. Originally aired on March 17, 1996, "The Witch" was the first episode in the series not to deal directly with vampires. Also, Buffy's cheerleading interest is the first direct reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer the movie, in which she was a pom-pom queen. ~ All Movie Guide

Hyperactive mayhem results when a mild-manned banker discovers an ancient mask that transforms him into a zany prankster with superhuman powers in this special-effects-intensive comedy. The wildly improvisational Jim Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, a decent-hearted but socially awkward guy who one night finds a strange mask. Carrey's trademark energy reveals itself after Stanley puts on the mask and the banker transforms into The Mask, a green-skinned, zoot-suited fireball. The rubber-faced Mask possesses the courage to do the wild, fun things that Stanley fears, including romancing Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz). In addition to Carrey's physical talents, the film makes effective use of digital visual effects that bestow the Mask with superhuman speed, insane flexibility, and popping eyes out of a Tex Avery cartoon. The larger narrative, involving the efforts of Tina's gangster boyfriend to destroy Stanley and use the mask's powers for evil, prove less interesting than the anarchic comic set pieces, including a particularly memorable dance number to "Cuban Pete." The film delivered enough laughs to become a surprise hit and, along with the same year's Dumb and Dumber, establish Carrey's status as a comedy superstar. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

A technician's strike results in a veritable orgy of foul-ups, bleeps and blunders during the weekly "FYI" telecast. Not wishing for a repeat of this embarrassing experience, Murphy (Candice Bergen) takes it upon herself to be mediator between labor and management. Unfortunately, the hard-bitten techies are somewhat resistant to Murphy's uncharacteristic acts of hospitality, which include tea and cakes and cozy chit-chat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An astrophysicist falls in love with a beautiful woman who is actually a disguised extraterrestrial in this high-concept comedy. Dan Aykroyd plays Steven Mills, a dedicated and harmlessly odd scientist researching ways to send radio signals to deep space. Unbeknownst to him, one of his experiments works better than expected, attracting the attention of an alien in need of help. She travels to Earth and poses as a human, assuming the name Celeste and the body of Kim Basinger. Celeste's lack of knowledge about humanity causes her to act bizarrely at times, but her odd behavior unexpectedly causes Mills to fall in love with her. The confused Celeste decides to play along for her planet's sake, but she finds her plan threatened by Mills' teenage daughter Jessie (Alyson Hannigan), who has become suspicious of Celeste after witnessing some odd behavior. The culture clash between Celeste's planet and Earth serves as an excuse for broad slapstick and sitcom-style humor, such as Celeste's fumbling efforts to enact the human ritual of "kissing." ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

This is the first of four "Day in the Life" episodes, in which Harry (Harry Anderson) must judge a huge number of cases before a predetermined deadline. In this instance, Harry wants to dispense justice to 200 defendants in order to beat a midnight "general amnesty" ordered by a retiring federal judge. Among those appearing before Harry is NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff, who pleads on behalf of a Nielsen family that doesn't want to go to jail before they get a chance to watch Misfits of Science! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide