Marty Zagon Movies

Originally planned as a silly vehicle for Chris Farley, in the hands of director Ben Stiller and star Jim Carrey, The Cable Guy became an opportunity for Carrey to flex some of his darker comedic muscles as stalker Chip Douglas. Matthew Broderick plays Steven, an average Joe who is forlorn over his recent breakup with girlfriend Robin (Leslie Mann). When he moves into a new apartment, Steven comes in contact with Chip, who shows up to hook up the cable. Before he knows it, and whether he likes it or not, Steven has a new best-friend in the obnoxious and clingy Chip. However, Steven soon learns that obnoxious is a walk in the park compared to Chip's behavior when Steven tells him he doesn't want to be his pal anymore. What's worse, no one -- including Robin or his family -- believes Steven when he accuses the seemingly harmless Chip of being a malevolent menace. George Segal and Jack Black also star along with Stiller, who plays twins loosely-based on the Menendez brothers. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

It was impossible back in September of 1991 to objectively critique the TV movie Us. The film had been intended as the pilot for a new series, to be produced, directed and written by its star Michael Landon. Landon had died of a lingering illness only six months earlier, thus the film was heralded by the publicity people as "His final gift to us all." One publication, which had devoted no fewer than three cover stories in a row to Landon in his final weeks, labelled as "compassionate" this story of a man released from prison after 18 years for a crime he didn't commit, who now needed to touch base with his long-estranged family. Removed from the understandable emotionalism surrounding its premiere, it must be noted that Us was fair to middling at best. Its premise of having Landon and his family stage a reunion while on a cross-country trip was a viable one, but in execution Us was far below Michael Landon's usual standard. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this "crossover" episode, Florence Stanley appears as Judge Margaret W. Wilbur, a character she'd introduced on the concurrently-produced NBC sitcom My Two Dads. In her capacity as temporary replacement for Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson), Judge Wilbur immediately makes an impression by jailing Dan (John Larroquette) for contempt. All this, however, is incidental to the main plot, in which Bull (Richard Moll) hopes to raise money for a boy's home by appearing as a contestant on the popular game show "What Am I?" First, however, he must undergo hypnosis to get over his fear of being on live television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In an "urban cowboy" story, a father decides to take a stand against neighborhood gangsters even at risk to his life. After Louis Thibadeau (Charles Durning) witnesses a gangland-style execution he agrees to help the police nail and jail the murderers, knowing full well the gangsters will not idly sit back and allow him to testify. When a female lawyer friend (Pam Grier) runs across one of the hoodlums in a court case, she warns Louis that he doesn't stand a chance of collecting social security at the moment. Louis sends his children away for the duration and digs out his supply of weapons from his days as a Marine, waiting at home for the assault to come. Following more or less the same build-up as Straw Dogs, this is a milder version of the same theme. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Metalstorm was a courageous if unsuccessful attempt to renew the 3-D craze of the 1950s. Jeffrey Byron heads the cast as space ranger Dogen, who is bound and determined to stem the activities of integallactic looney-tune Jared-Syn (Mike Preston). We then segue into a plotline that is more Western than Science-Fiction in nature. The special effects aren't going to give the producers of Star Wars any sleepless nights, though there is some ingenuity in the variety of asteroids, spaceships and stuff that are thrust stereoptically at the audience. The supporting cast of Metalstorm boasts some interesting names, including Tim Thomerson, Richard Moll and Larry Pennell. The film was produced by Albert Band and directed by Albert's son Charles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hot on the heels of his Welcome Back Kotter success, Gabe Kaplan starred in this hastily assembled theatrical feature. Kaplan plays David Greene, the coach of a Nevada collegiate basketball team. Inasmuch as the local talent is pretty pathetic, Greene convinces a group of jive-talking New York street kids into playing for the college. Culture-clash jokes abound, with the black cast members usually coming out on top. In keeping with sports-comedy tradition, one of Greene's team members is a girl, and a very attractive one. Though it hasn't an original bone in its body, Fast Break is breezy entertainment, with a particularly thrilling climax. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Martin Scorsese combined the splashy atmosphere of the old studio musical with an unromanticized marriage story in his valentine to Hollywood and the Big Band era. On V-J Day 1945, newly minted civilian saxophonist Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro) meets USO singer Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli) at a dance, but she rebuffs every advance that he makes. A day and a hotel lobby meeting later, Jimmy finally wins Francine over after she uses her pop instincts to save his too-jazzy audition at a nightclub. When she goes on tour with Frankie Harte (Georgie Auld) and his Orchestra, Jimmy tracks her down, taking a job with the orchestra to be with her. Together on stage, they make beautiful music; off stage they marry, but the struggle between two artists begins to take its toll. Unable to understand that Francine's needs and talents are just as important as his, and unwilling to compromise his music for security, Jimmy abandons Francine after their baby is born. Separately, the two succeed even more, as Francine becomes a music and movie star, while Jimmy has a top hit and opens a jazz club. When they are reunited several years later, the pair must decide if their relationship is worth another try. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Goodbye Norma Jean purports to be a biography of the early years of Norma Jean Baker (Misty Rowe), who would later attain fame in Hollywood as the blonde sex goddess Marilyn Monroe. The film begins in 1941 as Norma Jean is brutally raped by a highway patrolman who stopped her for speeding. After winning a local beauty pageant, Norma Jean continues to experience a succession of low-life sexual encounters that pave the way to Hollywood stardom. The ironic take of the film is that Norma Jean's series of degrading sexual experiences caused her to dislike sex throughout her life while, ironically, attesting to her sensual allure in Hollywood films. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi