Wendell Wright Movies
Conspiracy film specialist Alan J. Pakula turned journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's best-selling account of their Watergate investigation into one of the hit films of Bicentennial year 1976. While researching a story about a botched 1972 burglary of Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate apartment complex, green Washington Post reporters/rivals Woodward (Robert Redford, who also exec produced) and Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) stumble on a possible connection between the burglars and a White House staffer. With the circumspect approval of executive editor Ben Bradlee (Jason Robards), the pair digs deeper. Aided by a guilt-ridden turncoat bookkeeper (Jane Alexander) and the vital if cryptic guidance of Woodward's mystery source, Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook), Woodward and Bernstein "follow the money" all the way to the top of the Nixon administration. Despite Deep Throat's warnings that their lives are in danger, and the reluctance of older Post editors, Woodward and Bernstein are determined to get out the story of the crime and its presidential cover-up. Once Bradlee is convinced, the final teletype impassively taps out the historically explosive results. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, (more)
Juvenile actor Henry Thomas, late of E.T., is the star of Cloak and Dagger. Given to telling whoppers, Thomas finds himself in a boy-who-cried-wolf dilemma when he overhears two spies plotting to smuggle valuable info out of the US. When he can't get his own father Dabney Coleman to believe him, Thomas turns disconsolately to a computer game called "Cloak and Dagger" and begins to fantasize, imagining that he is in cahoots with secret agent Jack Flack, also played by Coleman. Finally coming to grips with the fact that the mythical Jack Flack cannot help him this time, Thomas takes on the spies with the help of his schoolmates, who are also "Cloak and Dagger" addicts. Cloak and Dagger is a heavily disguised remake of 1949's The Window; both are based on the Cornell Woolrich story The Boy Cried Murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Thomas, Dabney Coleman, (more)
- 1999
Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) is determined to prove that he is as good a Good Samaritan as anyone. Unfortunately, all of his best efforts have a habit of backfiring or heaping embarrassment upon our well-meaning hero. This is galling enough -- but Frasier must also consider the effect that his misbegotten good deeds, and their consequences, are having upon his impressionable son Frederick (here played by Trevor Einhorn). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Playing the role of his siblings' surrogate father to the hilt, J.J. (Jimmie Walker) blows his top when brother Michael (Ralph Carter) rebelliously refuses to do his homework. Sister Thelma (BernNadette Stanis) advises J.J. to cool it, assuming that Michael is only going through one of those "stages." But even Thelma changes her tune when both Michael and Penny (Janet Jackson) are arrested for riding in a stolen car. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Living a hermitlike existence in the woods, Vietnam veteran Leo Atkins (Vincent Schiavelli) is charged with murder by sheriff Howard Crowley (John Novak). The victim was a mortal friend of Immortal Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) -- and Duncan is convinced that Leo is innocent. Could the actual culprit be a local bully named Lemoyne (Garry Chalk), or is the guilty party the proverbial Least Likely Suspect? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Paul, Alexandra Van Der Noot, (more)
- 1993
This theatrical sci-fi action tale is actually the first in a series of direct-to-video features derived from re-edited episodes of the syndicated television show Highlander (1992-1997). Adrian Paul stars as Duncan "Mac" MacLeod, kin of Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), the main character from three previous Highlander features. The MacLeods are two of a race of Immortals, destined to wander the planet forever, capable of dying only by beheading and battling with swords of those of their ilk that have gone evil. Connor appears to help Mac battle Slan (Richard Moll), a fellow Immortal gone wrong, but Slan gets the best of Connor, hurling him from a bridge, leaving Mac to finish Slan off. Months later, Mac becomes involved with another Immortal, Reinhardt (Christopher Ohrt), and his girlfriend Rebecca (Vanity). Believing Reinhardt dead at Mac's hands, Rebecca seeks vengeance for her lover's death, but Mac discovers that Reinhardt, still alive, is manipulating them both. This revelation leads to a final showdown between Mac and Reinhardt. Highlander: The Gathering (1993) also introduced some of the TV series' regulars, including Mac's best friend Richie (Stan Kirsch) and girlfriend Tessa (Alexandra Van Der Noot). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Paul, Alexandra Van Der Noot, (more)
- 1992
Duncan (Adrian Paul) believes that his Immortal friend, Kiem Sun (Soon-Teck Oh), is responsible for the death of one of Richie's (Stan Kirsch) pals who cashed it in while committing a burglarly under the influence of a lethal, mind-controlling herbal drug. It turns out that the actual culprit is a disciple of Kiem Sun, Chu Lin (Dustin Nguyen). Nonetheless, Duncan must confront Kiem Sun and convince him to stop experimenting with dangerous drugs -- before it is too late. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Paul, Alexandra Van Der Noot, (more)
- 1987
- R
The "Jack" who's "back" in this contemporary chiller is none other than Jack the Ripper. The scene is Los Angeles: the time is August of 1988, exactly 100 years after the Ripper's original reign of terror in Whitechapel. When several LA prostitutes turn up murdered and disemboweled, young physician James Spader is accused of emulating Spring Heel'd Jack. Before the film is half over, Spader is killed, and so far as the police are concerned, the case is closed. But then, Spader's twin brother appears on the scene, determined to track down the genuine culprit (if it doesn't turn out to be him, that is!). Handled with restraint, Jack's Back covers much of the same ground as the classic Robert Bloch tale Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper," though its crucial plot twist is a tad more clever (if a bit silly out of context). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Spader, Cynthia Gibb, (more)
- 1982
- R
In this low-budget but inventive teen kung-fu melodrama, the diminutive, karate-chopping Lovely (Lucinda Dooling) is out to wreak vengeance on the drug thugs who killed her younger brother, and fortunately she is not alone. Her female karate class and the instructor (Susan Mechsner) are behind her all the way, most notably in the final scenes when a showdown between the kicking teen women and the heavy-duty gangsters almost brings down the docks. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucinda Dooling, John Randolph, (more)
- 1982
This for Remembrance, the autobiography of popular singer Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002), was the source for this made-for-TV biopic. Played herein by Sondra Locke, the Kentucky-born Clooney begins her career as one-half of a musical act with her sister Betty (Penelope Milford), performing at the election rallies of her politician uncle (John Karlen). Achieving radio popularity in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rosemary goes on to enjoy nationwide fame in the 1950s with such hit recordings as "Come On A' My House", "Tenderly" and "Hey There". Though her success in movies is negligible (White Christmas notwithstanding), she makes a huge impact on television, hosting several of her own weekly series. All the while, however, Rosemary's private life is in turmoil, due in great part to a tempestuous marriage to actor-director Jose Ferrer (played by, of all people, Tony Orlando). After the assassination of her great friend Robert Kennedy in 1968, Rosemary suffers a nervous breakdown, and it is many years before she is able to make a triumphant comeback on the concert trail. Rosemary Clooney herself serves as the singing voice of Sondra Locke, and also dubs in the tunes performed by the actress playing sister Betty. Had Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story aired on CBS a decade or so after its original telecast on December 18, 1982, mention might have been made of the subsequent success of Clooney's actor son Miguel Ferrer and her TV-star nephew George Clooney; there might even have been a re-enactment of Rosemary's third marriage, capriciously staged at a White Castle restaurant in Cincinnati. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Created by Stephen J. Cannell, the made-for-TV Stingray combines choice elements from such past successes as Knight Rider, The Lone Ranger, and (stylistically, at least) Miami Vice. Nick Mancuso stars as the title character, a mysterious good samaritan who has apparently named himself after his jazzed-up car. In the course of events, Stingray foils the plans of an insane doctor, scuttles the operation of a drug-and-vice lord, and locates a missing child using ingenuity, brute force, and a variety of disguises. All he asks in return from the people he helps is that they will someday do a favor for him -- at any time, at any place. Robyn Douglass costars as Stingray's lady love, Deputy D.A. Daphne Delgado (who probably sells seashells by the seashore). Originally broadcast July 14, 1985, on NBC, Stingray was blatantly the pilot for a weekly TV series, which ran from March 4, 1986, to July 31, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Mancuso
- 1982
Burned-out 1960s relic "Reverend" Jim (Christopher Lloyd) finds himself with a new roommate: A young boy named Terry (Tony LaTorre), who has run away from home. Never mind that Jim's apartment is a hovel and that he himself is one step removed from a babbling lunatic. Terry finds Jim's company infinitely preferable to that of his ultra-strict parents (Rebecca Clemons, Mark Harrison). It takes the combined efforts of Jim's fellow cabbies to convince Terry to meet his folks halfway...and vice versa. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1982
Tony (Tony Danza) is apprehensive about his upcoming reunion with his father Angie (Donnelly Rhodes), a merchant seaman who was largely absent while his son was growing up; however, the meeting goes off quite well. In fact, Angie has magnanimously arranged for Tony to take a job aboard his ship, which is bound for Singapore. While Tony certainly could use a scenery change, is he prepared to forsake his friends and his lifestyle for the "call of the sea?" Cult-film favorite Dick Miller appears as Fergie. ~ All Movie Guide
This groundbreaking, darkly-comic horror film from director Joe Dante changed the look and feel of werewolf movies in ways light-years distant from Universal's horror classic The Wolf Man. The story begins with television reporter/anchor Karen White (Dee Wallace) taking part in a dangerous police operation intended to trap psychopath Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo). When confronted by Eddie face-to-face, she witnesses something horrifying enough to trigger selective amnesia. Plagued by a series of violent nightmares, Karen decides to admit herself to a posh recovery resort known only as "The Colony," run by her eccentric New Age therapist Dr. Wagner (Patrick MacNee), and brings along her husband Bill (Christopher Stone) for support. The night after they arrive, Karen and Bill are unnerved by eerie howling in the woods. Back in the city, Karen's coworkers Chris (Dennis Dugan) and Terry (Belinda Balaski) have been investigating Eddie's background after discovering that his body has disappeared from the morgue. Sifting through Eddie's possessions, they find a strange collection of artwork depicting wolf-like creatures, and decide to consult with Walter Paisley (Dick Miller, of course), the owner of an occult bookshop, on werewolf lore. Though he claims not to believe in the stuff he's selling, Paisley nevertheless convinces Chris to purchase a handful of silver bullets... just in case. Back at the colony, Dr. Wagner has organized a hunting party after hearing Karen's account of the nocturnal howling, but the men find nothing but a rabbit, which Bill is told to bring to the cabin of the sultry Marsha (Elisabeth Brooks) to prepare for dinner. After resisting Marsha's less-than-subtle sexual overtures, Bill is attacked by a wolf while returning to his cabin. The following moonlit night, the sleepless Bill wanders outside to find Marsha waiting and the two make love by the campfire, their bodies undergoing a frightening transformation. Just as Karen is beginning to suspect that her husband is hiding a secret far more threatening than marital infidelity, Chris and Terry have come to realize -- too late, in Terry's case -- that Eddie Quist is not only still alive, but not quite human... and he knows he's being followed. Chris arrives at the colony too late to save Terry, but manages to find Karen just as the colony's residents -- all of whom are werewolves, including Dr. Wagner -- are assembling to decide her fate. Dante fills his film with heartfelt homages to The Wolf Man and other classic horror movies, as well as a few clever visual puns and in-jokes from his tenure with Roger Corman, but never strays from the path to genuine horror, particularly when Rob Bottin's chilling monsters are onscreen. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, (more)
- 1980
In this final episode of The Jeffersons' sixth season, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) offers some timely interpolations to the legend of King Arthur. Telling a bedtime story to his baby granddaughter, Jessica, George tries at first to stick to the script. Before long, however, his imagination has run riot, and virtually everyone in the cast of The Jeffersons has been recast into the story of "King George vs. Inflation." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
- 1978
A power blackout plunges New York City and its neighboring boroughs into darkness -- and George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) into despair. Hoping to protect his Bronx dry-cleaning store from looters, George and his young employee Marcus (Ernest Harden Jr.) hurry to the establishment. They succeed only in getting arrested as looters themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
