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Ann Walker Movies

2000  
R  
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Writer-director Del Shores serves up a heaping helping of Southern-fried comic melodrama in this adaptation of his own play about infidelity, country & western music, and Airstream trailers. When their sister dies, Latrelle (Bonnie Bedelia), LaVonda (Ann Walker), and Sissy (Beth Grant) plan her funeral -- an unenviable task, considering that they must carefully hide the deceased's affair with amputee G.W. (Beau Bridges) from his wife, the vindictive Noleta (Delta Burke). Meanwhile, the trio has to come to terms with two cases of sexual orientation: Latrelle's openly gay soap-opera star son Ty (Kirk Geiger), whose sexuality she continues to deny; and their only brother, Boy (Leslie Jordan), who's serving a sentence in a mental ward for his adamant belief that he is actually country & western legend Tammy Wynette. Playing an aspiring singer-songwriter, Olivia Newton-John turns up to provide the film with the occasional musical interlude. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

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Starring:
Newell AlexanderRosemary Alexander, (more)
 
1997  
 
Mel Brooks returns as Paul's Uncle Phil, who has been on his deathbed for what seems to be years. Phil wants Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) to name their new baby after him. But Paul is convinced that the little visitor will be a "she" rather than a "he." Imagine an episode of a 1960s sitcom getting away with the title of this one. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1996  
 
This made-for-TV drama covers fifteen years, from WW2 to the mid-1950s, in the lives of farm couple Gordon and Jean Holly (Richard Thomas, Annabeth Gish). A daughter of privilege, Jean had married Gordon much against her parents' wishes, whereupon the couple took charge of a ranch in California, where they raised their children. Throughout their marriage, the Hollys not only faced the disdain of their loved ones, but also the prejudices and misunderstandings of their neighbor. And why? Because both Gordon and Jean Holly were totally blind, and thus regarded by the standards of their era to be "unworthy" of parenthood and self-reliance. Based on the novel by Susan Vreeland, What Loves Sees first aired September 22, 1996, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1995  
PG  
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Just as the original 1950 version of Father of the Bride spawned a sequel, so did the 1991 remake; like its counterpart four decades earlier, this story concerns a father who learns that his anxieties are just beginning after his daughter takes the big walk down the aisle. George Banks (Steve Martin) has finally adjusted to the marriage of his daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams) when the fates drop a new bombshell on his head: Annie and her husband Bryan (George Newbern) announce that they're going to have a baby. While George's wife Nina (Diane Keaton) is happy enough about the news, George is thrown into an immediate mid-life crisis; while he and Nina were once discussing the possibility of selling the family home and moving to a place on the beach, George impulsively sells their home to Mr. Habib (Eugene Levy), a greedy land speculator. Now, with ten days to move, George gets even more unexpected news: Nina, who had earlier been fretting about the onset of menopause, has just learned that she's pregnant as well. George now has to deal with being a father again as well as becoming a grandparent, while he also figures out how to get the Banks family home back. Martin Short returns as Franck, the oddly accented wedding planner from Father of the Bride, who has moved into a new career organizing baby showers and redecorating homes. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Steve MartinDiane Keaton, (more)
 
1992  
 
Do not confuse this fact-based feature with the more tongue-in-cheek cable TV version, The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom. This one looks seriously at the story of a Texas mother who was willing to kill to ensure her daughter's place on the cheerleading squad. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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1990  
 
Recoiling from Murphy's latest temperamental outburst, Miles (Grant Shaud) orders Murphy (Candice Bergen) to join the other staffers in a "stress reduction" class. Unfortunately, the therapy is physical as well as verbal, and as result Murphy suffers a slipped disc which lands her in the hospital. Even so, she is determined to show up at the studio and deliver her report on an extremely "hot" story--if only she can get past a stone wall of grim-faced nurses. Familiar character actor David Paymer (Mr. Saturday Night, State and Main) appears as Murphy's doctor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1988  
 
In the final episode of Murder She Wrote's fourth season, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) volunteers as a speech writer for her old friend Kathleen Lane (Shirley Jones), whose wealthy husband Jackson (Eddie Albert) is bankrolling her political campaign. Not surprisingly, politics and scandal go hand in hand on this occasion, with rumors flying that Kathleen is carrying on a romance with her handsome campaign manager. When the manager is murdered, the tabloids have a field day--and Jessica has a not-so-high old time trying to prove that Kathleen was not the killer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1988  
PG13  
Travis Rogers (George Newborn) is a young man slated to marry his childhood sweetheart Stephi (Leslie Hope) in this romantic comedy. Just days before the wedding, Travis leaves his Texas ranch and buys a hot red sports car from Jonni Tigersmith (Kimberly Foster), the sex kitten sales person. Jonni takes off with Travis and the two go racing in a high-speed chase across Texas while Stephi waits patiently at the altar. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

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Starring:
George NewbernLeslie Hope, (more)
 
1988  
 
A cocky, irresponsible professional golfer discovers that he will have to clean up his act if he wants to compete in the PGA tour. Based on a novel by Dan Jenkins, this drama originally aired on cable television. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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1987  
 
Hunter (Fred Dryer) investigates when journalist Ralph Ormond (Richard Gilliland), who holds evidence that will put a Mob boss away for good, is reportedly killed in a car bombing. Actually, it's a case of mistaken identity: while the city mourns an innocent bystander, the very-much-alive Ormond intends to sell his evidence and retire to a life of ease--far, far away from Los Angeles. But Hunter puts a crimp in this plan and sees to it that the guilty--ALL the guilty--will suffer! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1987  
PG  
Veteran television writer-director Jerry Belson concocted this sweet comedy that stars Michael Caine as Sean Stein, a best-selling mystery novelist who's been constantly hurt by women he's fallen for. Sally Field plays Daisy Morgan, an artist who has not yet hit it big. She and Stein are at a museum party when a band of thieves arrive, tie up the guests, and proceed to pull off a heist. They are tied up together, which thrusts them into an unlikely romantic pairing. Because Daisy does not know who Stein is, he pretends that he, too, is a struggling artist. He distrusts women, because in the past, his ex-wife and other women pursued him solely for his money and fame. Steve Guttenberg and Peter Boyle play attorneys vying for Stein's money. Julie Kavner and Louise Lasser are among the fine supporting cast. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

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Starring:
Sally FieldMichael Caine, (more)
 
1986  
PG13  
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An ambitious but spoiled rich white kid wins a scholarship to Harvard Law School by pretending to be African-American in this broadly played comedy. After his father cuts him off financially, Mark Watson (C. Thomas Howell) wins a full tuition scholarship to Harvard by claiming to be African-American on the application form. With the help of his best friend, Gordon (Arye Gross), Mark acquires some bronzing pills, a new hairdo, and a lowered voice. Disguised as a black student, Mark thinks that he's going to breeze through the program. The reality of being a minority at a mostly white institution quickly catches up to him, however, when he encounters some tacit racism and falls for Sarah Walker (Rae Dawn Chong), a fellow student whose affection makes him feel guilty about his ruse. Then there's the imperious Professor Banks (James Earl Jones), an African-American instructor who expects him to perform at a higher level than the other students. Soul Man was written by Carol Black and directed by Steve Miner, who would collaborate again for the popular television series The Wonder Years (1988-1993). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Starring:
C. Thomas HowellArye Gross, (more)
 
1985  
R  
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In this hit thriller, a prosecuting attorney-turned-defense lawyer falls in love with a rich, charming client who's been accused of murdering his wife and her maid with a hunting knife. When an unknown assailant gruesomely slays San Francisco newspaper heiress Paige Forrester (Maria Mayenzet), her husband and business partner, Jack Forrester (Jeff Bridges), turns to corporate attorney Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) for counsel. Teddy, who quit her job with the district attorney's office four years earlier over an ethical dilemma, has reservations about returning to criminal work; nevertheless, she accepts the assignment, convinced of Jack's innocence and eager to face off in court against her old boss, DA Thomas Krasny (Peter Coyote), who's about run for attorney general. With the help of investigator Sam Ransom (Robert Loggia), the recently divorced Teddy builds a strong defense for her client, though the work -- and her incipient romance with Jack -- cause strain in her relationship with her children. When Jack's innocence and his romantic intentions come into question, Teddy feels her life slipping back into a moral quagmire until a series of courtroom denouements set the stage for even bigger surprises. Big-name screenwriter Joe Eszterhas' follow-up to Flashdance, Jagged Edge was directed by Richard Marquand, who had previously lensed Return of the Jedi. Parts of Jagged Edge were shot on-location in San Francisco, whose City Hall provides the film's courtroom exteriors. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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Starring:
Jeff BridgesGlenn Close, (more)
 
1985  
 
This action movie chronicles the exciting exploits of a crack crime fighting force. They are notorious for their unusual tactics when dealing with criminals. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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1984  
R  
In yet another mindless teen sex comedy, a young man gets a job repairing hot tubs for the rich and famous in Tinseltown, thanks to his parents. As he moves from one bubbly tub to the next, sexual situations change accordingly, but a romance between the young man and a co-worker at the hot tub establishment heats up as they get into hot water together. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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Starring:
Donna McDanielMichael Andrew, (more)