Montrose Hagins Movies
- 2002
The title of the CBS doctor drama referred to the fictional Presidio Medical Group of San Francisco. Distinguishing this effort from all other forcep-and-scalpel weeklies was the fact that the staff of Presidio Med was virtually all-female, save for a brace of "token" handsome hunks. Still, in standard TV fashion, the doctors became emotionally (and sometimes intimately) involved in the welfare of their patients. The main characters included OB-GYN specialist Harriet Lanning (Blythe Danner), oncologist Rae Brennan (Dana Delany), cardiologist Letty Jordan (Anna Deavere Smith), plastic surgeon Jackie Collette (Sasha Alexander), pediatrician Jules Keating (Julianne Nicholson), and, from the male contingent, internist Matt Slingerland (Paul Blackthorne) and Greek-born surgeon Nicholas Kokoris (Oded Fehr). Created by former ER producers Lydia Woodward and John Wells, Presidio Med debuted Tuesday, September 24, 2002, before settling into its usual Wednesday-night time slot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Delany, Paul Blackthorne, (more)
- 1999
Going into labor just before Thanksgiving, Carol (Julianna Margulies) gives birth to twins, with OB nurse Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney, in her first series appearance) and Kovac (Goran Visnjic) in attendance. At first, things go relatively smoothly, but complication quickly set in, forcing Carol's Lamaze coach, Greene (Anthony Edwards), to skip Elizabeth Corday's special Thanksgiving dinner. As a result, poor Corday (Alex Kingston) is left alone to entertain Greene's irascible father (John Cullum) and surly daughter (Yvonne Zima). And back at the ER, Dr. Dave (Erik Palladino) collaborates with Carter (Noah Wyle) on a difficult diagnosis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Kramer (Michael Richards) plots a horrible revenge on the mail-order company that has been deluging him with catalogues. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) gets a car from his old pal "Fragile" Frankie (Dana Gould), but not the car he wanted; however, the vehicle falls right into place with Kramer's sinister scheme. George (Jason Alexander) is traumatized when he places his weekly phone call to his parents. And Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is smitten by a fellow she meets at the diner -- but can her new dream lover "handle the workload?" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on the Newberry Award-winning novel by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, this heartwarming tale of a boy and his dog reaches for greater significance and depth than the typical entry in the kids' movie genre. Blake Heron stars as Marty Preston, a kid who lives in a rural town with his mom and mailman dad (Michael Moriarty). One day, Marty finds an injured beagle that's run away from its abusive owner, a hunter named Judd Travers (Scott Wilson). Kindly neighbor Doc Wallace (Rod Steiger) tends to the dog's wounds, but Marty's father explains that they must return the beagle to its rightful owner. Travers continues to abuse the dog, and it runs away again, returning to Marty. The boy, who has named the puppy "Shiloh," attempts to hide the animal from his family in the woods, but a scrap with another stray dog leaves Shiloh hurt and in need of medical assistance once again. Now Marty's in deep trouble with his dad, until he comes up with a plan to buy Shiloh from the nocuous Travers. Shiloh inspired a sequel, Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season (1999). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Moriarty, Blake Heron, (more)
- 1994
Young, self-involved attorney Charles Hibbard (Peter Scolari) screws up his latest assignment by accidentally turning over a hugh inheritance to the wrong person--namely kooky, irresponsible Robin Dunwoody (Wendy Makkena). Now Charles must figure out a way to retrieve the money without causing ill will or giving himself a heart attack (did we mention that he's a confirmed hypochondriac?) It's a good thing that Charles' new assistant is none other than Heavenly caseworker Monica (Roma Downey)...or is it? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The owner of an aircraft salvage company (Viggo Mortensen) is reported killed in a crash. However, his wife (Andie MacDowell) knows better, and she decides to find him and his secret bank accounts. She travels around the world, and winding up in Cairo, she meets Liam Neeson, who helps her uncover her husband's smuggling scheme. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andie MacDowell, Liam Neeson, (more)
Ione Skye plays Diane Court, high-school valedictorian on the verge of heading to England on a prestigious scholarship. This is especially thrilling to Diane's divorced father, James (John Mahoney), who has always shared a special relationship with the girl, less father/daughter than friend/friend. When Diane begins dating irresponsible army brat Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack), her father despairs at her choice of an "underachiever." Pressured by her dad to break off the relationship, Diane spends the rest of the summer being pursued by the lovestruck Lloyd, who does everything he can to win her back. Diane finally realizes there's more to life than perfection when her sainted father comes under the scrutiny of the IRS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Ione Skye, (more)
Coming to America casts comedian Eddie Murphy as pampered African prince Akeem, who rebels against an arranged marriage and heads to America to find a new bride. Murphy's regal father (James Earl Jones) agrees to allow the prince 40 days to roam the U.S., sending the prince's faithful retainer Semmi (Arsenio Hall) along to make sure nothing untoward happens. To avoid fortune hunters, Prince Akeem conceals his true identity and gets a "Joe job" at a fast-food restaurant. Murphy and Hall play multiple roles, and there are innumerable celebrity cameos peppered throughout the proceedings -- including the Duke Brothers (Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy) from Trading Places. Coming to America made further headlines when humorist Art Buchwald sued the film's producers for plagiarizing one of his works. Buchwald carried the case to trial, where he won a sizeable judgement against the film's producers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, (more)
Critters 2: The Main Course is the sequel to the highly enjoyable horror comedy Critters. The people of the Kansas town first menaced by the little, furry creatures find that they are not yet safe as they are again assaulted when the creatures reproduce. Charlie (Don Opper) is joined by Lee (Roxanne Kernohan) as all join forces to save the town. The special effects, particularly the ""critters" are again, superb, but the direction by Mick Garris is less self-assured than in the original feature. While still enjoyable, Critters 2 is not nearly as much fun as the original, but still well worth a view. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Grimes, Liane Alexandra Curtis, (more)
- 1987
On Fire stars John Forsythe as the chief arson inspector of a major metropolis. After 22 years' service as a firefighter, Forsythe is summarily ordered to retire. He tries to fight this in court, but learns that, although mandatory retirement is illegal on a federal basis, it can be enforced on a local level in cases of life-threatening jobs. While this TV movie starts well with Forsythe's anger and confusion over being cast adrift at age 60, the script descends into by-the-numbers melodrama after a harrowing experience leaves Forsythe more scared and distracted than ever. Carroll Baker, the "Baby Doll" of the 1950s, is cast against type in On Fire as John Forsythe's patient and supportive wife. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
A six-hour adaptation of Danielle Steel's best-selling novel, the ABC miniseries Crossings began on board a transatlantic ocean liner in 1938. In the course of a truly eventful sea voyage, a torrid romance developed between powerful American steel magnate Nick Burnham (Lee Horsley) and Liane DeVilliers (Cheryl Ladd), the wife of French ambassador Armand DeVilliers (Christopher Plummer). This indiscretion would ultimately embroil both characters in the political intrigues leading up to WWII, with a rousing denouement in Nazi-occupied France just after America's entry into the war. To give the project a semblance of verisimilitude, several prominent historical figures flitted in and out of the action, notably Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and France's Marshal Petain. Even so, most of the audience's interest was focused on the antics of Nick Burnham's hot-to-trot wife Hilary, played by Jane Seymour. Billed near the bottom of the huge cast was future Cheers and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer as "Craig Lawson." Partially filmed on the old British liner Queen Mary (then dry-docked as a tourist attraction), Crossings originally aired from February 23 to 25, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheryl Ladd, Lee Horsley, (more)
Critters, an amusing horror comedy directed byStephen Herek, is the story of a family menaced by eight basketball sized creatures from outer space who arrive at their Kansas farm in search of food. Helen Brown (Dee Wallace Stone) and Brad (Scott Grimes), owners of the farm find themselves held hostage as the creatures roll, jump and bounce around during the night. They are pursued by a pair of inept, intergalactic bounty hunters, Charlie (Don Keith Opper) and Johnny (Terrence Mann) who can shape-shift at will and are packing weapons capable of taking care of any creature they encounter. The special effects of this humorous thriller are extremely good and the creatures themselves have distinct and separate personalities. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh, (more)
