Gwen McGee Movies
- 2003
Amy Sedaris returns as Gail Fleming, the ditzy actress sister of Monk's nurse-assistant Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). In the middle of a stage performance, Gail's leading man Hal Duncan (Marc Vann) is stabbed to death by what was supposed to be a retractable prop knife. Sharona must now not only cope with the possibility that her sister is a murderer, but also with the unexpected visit of her overbearing mother Cheryl (Betty Buckley). In his efforts to clear Gail's name, Monk signs up for a troublesome "speed dating" service--and also confronts his mortal fear of crowds when pressed into service as an actor! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Officer Maya Anderson (Tanya Wright) finds herself in deep trouble when her story of her partner's death during a shoot-out does not jibe with the testimony of other eyewitnesses. This incident culminates in a clash between Det. Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons) and his sweetheart, ADA Valerie Haywood (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon). In other developments, while making living arrangements for her late sister's baby, Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross) joins Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors) in investigating a child abduction. And suspicion mounts that John Clark Jr.'s (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) detective father (Joe Spano) may be a player in the IAB's scheme to get some damaging dirt on the 15th precinct. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Simmons
- 2001
As he gives her lessons in swordplay so she can better defend herself in future battles, Angel (David Boreanaz) is surprised to learn that Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) is a quick study; she credits her years as a Sunnydale cheerleader. It's Fred (Amy Acker), however, who really needs to defend herself when a half-demon with the power to turn men into misogynist murderers turns Wesley (Alexis Denisof) into a clone of Jack Nicholson's character from The Shining. William "Billy" Blim (Justin Shilton) is the privileged nephew of a congressman. He's also the fiend Angel was forced to free from a hell dimension by Wolfram & Hart (see "That Vision Thing"). His very touch brings out the hidden woman-hater in every man, and Angel proves incapable of stopping the spread of his infectious magic. As a transformed Wesley stalks the resourceful Fred through the Hyperion Hotel, Cordy attempts to kill Billy. Angel stops her and Billy touches Angel, but the vampire hero proves impervious to the half-demon's magic. Combat erupts, but it's Lilah Morgan (Stephanie Romanov) -- who suffered a savage beating at the hands of the Billy-infected Gavin Park (Daniel Dae Kim) -- who ultimately defeats her own client. Later, Wesley grapples with the terror he inflicted on Fred and begs her forgiveness. Originally broadcast October 29, 2001, on the WB network, Angel: Billy marked season three, episode six of the supernatural comedy drama. The secret crush on Fred that Wesley nurses in this episode will have major plot repercussions throughout the second half of season three. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 1999
In this sequel to the second-season Touched by an Angel episode "Flesh and Blood", the prayers of Monica's former "client" Kate Prescott (Valerie Harper) have been answered, and her wayward son Tom (Anthony Michael Hall) has returned home after seven years. But though innocent of the murder charges that had compelled him to run away from home so long ago, the troublesome Tom has still not completely reformed, and continues to abuse drugs. Even worse, Tom's bad habits are imperiling the future of his own son Dylan (Justin Cooper). With Monica's help, Kate hopes to atone for past wrongs done to Dylan by trying to do put Dylan on the right track--but it takes a serious medical crisis to bring closure to the situation, for better or worse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Feeling left out of things on Valentine's Day, Cory (Ben Savage) takes charge of the baby shower that Topanga (Danielle Fishel) has arranged for his mom Amy (Betsy Randle). Unfortunately, Cory's notions of a "shower" are a bit chauvinistic; he sets up what amounts to a bachelor party for girls, replete with a male stripper! Just when the outraged guests are about to exact retribution on Cory, Amy prematurely goes into labor. Elsewhere, Shawn (Rider Strong) continues his soul-searching road trip; and acknowledging that Jack (Matthew Lawrence) and Rachel (Maitland Ward) are in love, Eric (Will Friedle) simply wants to fade away. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Walter Koenig returns as B5's pesky nemesis, Psi Cop Bester. On this occasion, Bester and the crew are obliged to form an uncomfortable alliance. The mission: to capture and neutralize Lindstrom (George Gerdes), the dealer of a dangerous telepathic drug. Main complication: G'Kar may be on the verge of becoming addicted to the deadly "dust." Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Dust to Dust" was first syndicated during the week of February 5, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1996
Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) is impressed by the fact that his current girlfriend has a mentor -- but less than impressed when he discovers that the mentor is none other than his comedy bête noire Kenny Bania (Steve Hytner). Unable to fire an employee, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) lives to regret her moment of weakness. Kramer (Michael Richards) organizes the first Jewish Singles Night at Newman's Knights of Columbus Hall, relying upon George's father, Frank (Jerry Stiller), for cooking advice. And George (Jason Alexander) pretends to be blind to get free books on tape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
A mad bomber is on the loose in the seamy Downbelow section of Babylon 5. As a result of an explosion, Londo and G'Kar are trapped in together in an inoperative transport tube. And when a religious group arrives at the station to study the worship customs of other cultures, Ivanova is drawn into a mystery. Guest stars include Patrick Kilpatrick as Carlson and Louis Turenne as Brother Theo. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Convictions" made its American TV debut the week of November 13, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1988
An uncomfortable Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) tries to avoid visiting his friend Jake (Christopher Collet), who is hospitalized with cancer. Finally, Theo works up the courage to drop in on Jake, who uses humor and good cheer to make things easier for his friend--even though he himself isn't quite as confident about his future as he seems to be. Elsewhere, Elvin (Geoffrey Owens) drops in on the Huxtables and immediately gets into trouble by doing a spot-on impersonation of Cliff (Bill Cosby). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Jane Fonda stars in this made-for-TV movie, which uses the backdrop of World War II and urbanization to tell the story of one woman's fight to keep her family together. Gertie Nevels (Fonda), the wife of a Kentucky sharecropper, wants nothing more than to one day own her own farm. Thriftily hiding her savings from husband Clovis (Levon Helm), she prepares to make her dream come true -- until Clovis summons her to come join him in Detroit, where he's gone to work in a factory to help with the war effort. Arriving with her children in tow, Gertie finds Clovis all settled into a tenement-like block house and living the life of a union man. Soon, though, the downside of urban life -- from monstrous neighbors and repressive schools to the pitfalls of the industrial landscape itself -- threaten Gertie's family both individually and as a whole. Despite Clovis' freewheeling way with money and his propensity to blame her for the family's problems, Gertie continues to save money. A lifelong whittler, she begins selling hand-crafted wooden dolls, and when the union goes on strike, Gertie finds herself supporting the family. Adapted from Harriet Arnow's novel by Hume Cronyn and Susan Cooper, who would go on to collaborate on the similarly themed Foxfire in 1987, The Dollmaker was directed by feature and TV veteran Daniel Petrie. It debuted on ABC on May 13, 1984, and earned Fonda an Emmy for her work. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
A thief and a lawman join forces to hunt down a common enemy in this action thriller. Tony Fait (DMX) is a master thief who, along with his crew (Gabrielle Union, Anthony Anderson, and Drag-On), pulls off a major score when they steal a cache of highly valuable black diamonds. However, the hard-as-nails Tony has a soft spot for his young daughter Vanessa (Paige Hurd), and Ling (Mark Dacascos), a former detective turned ruthless criminal, kidnaps Vanessa, demanding a ransom from Tony for her return -- the stash of black diamonds. The jewels have already been stolen, however, from Tony's fence Archie (Tom Arnold), and are now in the hands of a powerful underworld boss (Chi McBride). Determined to get back his daughter whatever the cost, Tony and his gang set out to find both Ling and the diamonds, but he soon gets some invaluable help from an unlikely corner -- Su (Jet Li), a government agent from Taiwan who was once Ling's partner, and has an old score to settle with him. Cradle 2 the Grave also features Kelly Hu and Roxana Brusso. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Actor Bill Paxton made his directorial debut with Frailty. The bulk of the story is told through flashbacks, as a mysterious man (Matthew McConaughey) tells a terrible tale to an FBI agent (Powers Boothe) investigating the "God's Hand" serial killer case. The man grew up in a small town in Texas, where he and his brother lived a bucolic life with their kindhearted widower father (Paxton). One night, the father awakens the two boys, Fenton (Matthew O'Leary) and Adam (Jeremy Sumpter), and tells them he's had a vision, and God has chosen him and his sons to help Him slay demons who walk the earth in human form. He tells the boys they can never tell anyone about this task. Before long, he comes home from work with a list of names that he claims an angel has given to him. He then begins abducting people, bringing them home, one by one, and having the boys watch while he lays his hands on them. After having proven, to his mind, that they are demons and not human, he chops them up with an axe while the boys look on. Young Adam is eager to participate, seeing his family as "kind of like superheroes," while the older Fenton is distraught, believing that his father has lost his mind. He contemplates running away, but is reluctant to leave his little brother behind. Eventually, he goes to the authorities, which results in disaster. As he tells the story, McConaughey takes Boothe out to the public rose garden near his old home, where he claims his brother, the "God's Hand" killer, buried the bodies. Paxton dramatizes the mayhem while leaving almost all of the gore offscreen, and Brent Hanley's script leaves the true motives of several characters unclear until the very end. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, (more)
John Terlesky's psychological thriller Written in Blood concerns a police detective named Matt Ransom who attempts to clear the name of his partner after the partner is convicted of killing his wife. The investigator uncovers a web of people who might have been responsible for the crime, but he begins to mistrust his now incarcerated partner, who might be trying to manipulate Matt. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael T. Weiss, Peter Coyote, (more)
- 1997
- R
In this sexual thriller a housewife nearly loses everything she treasures when a night's indiscretion leads to obsession -- and possibly murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William R. Moses, Lysette Anthony, (more)
New Jersey Drive opens with Jason (Gabriel Casseus) heading off to juvenile detention then unfolds in flashback as, chronologically, the incidents leading to his arrest surface one by one. First the audience sees his violence and poverty-ridden project; next his go-nowhere delinquent friends are introduced, as is their hobby: joy riding. Soon some of the teens, including Jason, begin to convert their hobby into a part-time job as they steal cars and sell them to a sleazy chop-shop owner for pennies on the dollar. Eventually, luck runs out when they are caught in a police sting; one boy is shot to death by the crooked Officer Roscoe (Saul Stein), who then warns Jason not to tell a soul; however, they continue stealing cars. Meanwhile, Jason beats up a neighborhood acquaintance on the playground for a slight to his sister and finds himself the target of the boy's murder attempts. The action draws to a head as both Roscoe and the vengeful boy close in. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sharron Corley, Gabriel Casseus, (more)
Director Spike Lee dives head-first into a maelstrom of racial and social ills, using as his springboard the hottest day of the year on one block in Brooklyn, NY. Three businesses dominate the block: a storefront radio station, where a smooth-talkin' deejay (Samuel L. Jackson) spins the platters that matter; a convenience store owned by a Korean couple; and Sal's Famous Pizzeria, the only white-operated business in the neighborhood. Sal (Danny Aiello) serves up slices with his two sons, genial Vito (Richard Edson) and angry, racist Pino (John Turturro). Sal has one black employee, Mookie (Spike Lee), who wants to "get paid" but lacks ambition. His sister Jade (Joie Lee, Spike's sister), who has a greater sense of purpose and a "real" job, wants Mookie to start dealing with his responsibilities, most notably his son with girlfriend Tina (Rosie Perez). Two of Mookie's best friends are Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), a monolith of a man who rarely speaks, preferring to blast Public Enemy's rap song Fight The Power on his massive boom box; and Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito), nicknamed for his coke-bottle glasses and habit of losing his cool. When Buggin' Out notes that Sal's "Wall of Fame," a photo gallery of famous Italian-Americans, includes no people of color, he eventually demands a neighborhood boycott, on a day when tensions are already running high, that incurs tragic consequences. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Spike Lee, (more)
Blonde-haired, blue-eyed women's libber Molly McGrath (Goldie Hawn) quits her teaching job at a comfortable middle-class school to take a new position as varsity football coach at a predominantly black inner-city school. Culture and gender clashes abound; she must win over the hard-boiled youths, convince them to practice hard and show up for class, and convince them they can win football games. Her job begins to take a toll on her family, however, when her ex-husband (James Keach) attempts to take away her daughter, claiming she is neglecting her responsibilities as a mother. Wildcats marked the fourth sports film directed by Michael Ritchie. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Goldie Hawn, James Keach, (more)
