Ellen Jacoby Movies
An aspiring entertainer who's willing to do anything to get ahead finds the consequences of her questionable actions having unexpected results in director Earl Falcon's dark meditation on showbiz ethics. Tina Swan has comes to the shores of South Beach in search of fame, and nothing is going to prevent her from realizing her dreams of stardom. Whether she is sleeping with a powerful producer, stealing to get by, or lying to those who trust her most, there's no commandment that Tina isn't willing to break if it means getting ahead. But Tina isn't the only one looking to break big, and when she decides to room with two other women who also have stars in their eyes, there's no telling what depths these ladies will sink to in order to maintain an edge over the competition. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlotte Mineo, Alexis Victorian, (more)
- 2005
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Pulitzer-prizewinning humorist Dave Barry's best-selling book detailing the curious habits of the male species comes to the screen in a fun-filled look at manhood throughout the ages starring Dan Marino, John Cleese, and author-turned-actor Barry. From the stone age to the modern age and everything in between, this revealing look into the mind of man looks into such deep-rooted male needs as the compelling need to memorize useless sports statistics and just how to handle that "quick" trip up to the hardware store. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A chip designed to instantly train any dog falls into the hands of an evil scientist looking to enslave the children of the world and achieve ultimate power in directors Oren Goldman and Yariv Ozdoba's family-oriented comedy-adventure. Newyville misfit Zach Dylan hasn't had a very good day. In addition to being tormented by his ruthless classmates, his attempts to break the ice with brainy and beautiful classmate Becky Green are met with the kind of cool indifference that can only indicate rejection. Crossing through the park on his way home from school, lonely Zach finds a wandering pup that looks like he could use some human companionship. After smuggling the amiable pooch upstairs to his bedroom as to not irritate his mother's allergies, Zach makes a shocking discovery about his new four-legged friend -- this dog can talk! After explaining that he was the subject of a bold experiment by local scientist Dr. Island designed to train dogs by implanting them with a microchip, Lenny and Zach are soon interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Becky Green. When a group of nefarious scientist Dr. Wagner's henchmen burst into Zach's home, sending the young boy, Lenny, and Becky fleeing for safety, their ensuing investigation leads the trio to discover that the former colleague of Dr. Island has been kidnapping the children of Newyville in a bid to take over the world. Now, with little time left before the children of Newyville are all implanted with the secret microchip, Zach, Lenny, and Becky must work together to get the word out and stop Dr. Wagner before his dastardly plan is set into motion. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammy Kahn, Craig Ferguson, (more)
Yet another Saturday Night Live alumnus makes his bid for big-screen success as Rob Schneider, best remembered as the "Making copies!" guy, tackles his first leading role in this broad comedy. Deuce (Rob Schneider) earns a meager living as a professional fish tank cleaner until he's asked to housesit for a gigolo. Deuce mistakenly answers the gigolo's business phone and finds himself having sex with a woman he's never met and getting paid for it (not a bad deal, since women generally avoid Deuce like the Ebola virus). It's not long before Deuce learns that there's more to selling your body than one might expect: for example, being re-styled by your pimp or having to explain your new source of income when the owner of the house gets home. Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo was the first feature film produced by Adam Sandler's production company, Happy Madison; Sandler himself makes a cameo appearance, while Oded Fehr, William Forsythe, Eddie Griffin, and Marlo Thomas highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Schneider, William Forsythe, (more)
- 1998
- R
Troy Beyer wrote, directed and stars in this Miami-based comedy-drama about advice columnist Jazz (Beyer) who plans a TV show, has a week to pull together a pilot, and enlists her best friends Michelle (Paget Brewster) and Lena (Randi Ingerman). With the basic premise of women discussing relationships, the trio intends to "find out what makes girls tick," a device for both sexual discussion and bedroom re-enactments. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Troy Beyer, Paget Brewster, (more)
In this adventure drama for the family, based on the popular TV series of the mid-'60s, Sandy Ricks (Elijah Wood) is a moody teenager from Chicago who is not dealing well with the recent divorce of his parents. In the hope that a change of scenery will do him good, Sandy is sent to spend the summer with his Uncle Porter (Paul Hogan), an aging hippie and fisherman who lives on Coral Key, an island off the coast of Florida. The sun and sand do little to improve Sandy's outlook on life, even after he meets Kim (Jessica Wesson), a pretty girl who lives nearby, but he becomes sunnier when he encounters Flipper, a friendly dolphin, while boating with Porter. When Sandy helps save Flipper from a pack of bloodthirsty charter-boat fishermen, led by the mean-spirited Dirk Moran (Jonathan Banks), the dolphin becomes the boy's loyal companion (at least when Sandy is close to the water). But Sandy soon discovers that Dirk is dumping toxic waste into the waters of Coral Key, and with the help of Cathy (Chelsea Field), a friend of Porter's with a background in marine biology, Sandy and Porter try to gather enough evidence so that Sheriff Buck Cowan (Isaac Hayes) will be able to put Dirk behind bars. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elijah Wood, Paul Hogan, (more)
Old and new loves are turned upside down through a complex case of mistaken identities in this romantic comedy-drama. In 1980, Juan Raul Perez (Alfred Molina) is released from a Cuban prison after spending 20 years behind bars and is allowed to join a mass emigration to the U.S. While Juan was incarcerated, his wife Carmela Perez (Anjelica Huston) escaped to Florida with their daughter, and Juan lives for the day when they can be reunited. En route to Miami, Juan meets Dottie Perez (Marisa Tomei), a fiery young woman who wants to leave behind her career as a prostitute. Juan and Carmela miss finding each other when his boat reaches Miami, and immigration personnel mistakenly assume that Juan and Dottie Perez are husband and wife; when they learn that families tend to find American sponsors much faster than individuals, they play along with the mistake, even convincing other Perezes to pose as their child and grandfather. Juan discovers that trying to renew an old relationship isn't easy as one tries to start a new life, especially since Carmela has attracted the attentions of police lieutenant John Pirelli (Chazz Palminteri). Cuban jazz legend Arturo Sandoval contributed to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marisa Tomei, Alfred Molina, (more)
This Spanish-American production stars Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith, whose romance on the set helped the film set box-office records in Spain. Director Fernando Treuba, who won an Oscar for Belle Epoque, made his English-language debut with Two Much, an updated screwball comedy. Banderas plays a con artist appropriately named Art Dodge. Joan Cusack plays his assistant, Gloria. They specialize in convincing recently widowed women that their husbands ordered an expensive painting before their death. One day, Art tries to work his scam at the funeral of mobster Gene Paletto's (Danny Aiello) father. Gene is outraged by Art, even more so after he steals away his ex-wife, Betty Kerner (Melanie Griffith). Betty quickly falls for the handsome Art and plans to marry him, but he is soon distracted by her beautiful sister, Liz (Daryl Hannah). In order to woo both women, Art disguises himself as fictional brother Bart by removing his ponytail and putting on glasses. Art/Bart switches identities and hops from bed to bed while being pursued by Gene and other mobsters. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, (more)
- 1992
- R
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Jack Dobson (James Belushi) is lying down, bleeding and dead, in a deserted clearing in the woods: "Yeah, that's me. No wife, no kid. Just one 9-millimeter bullet lodged in my chest." The voice from the corpse then introduces the audience to the area of his demise --Palm Beach, a town where everyone "leads three lives: public, private, and secret." Dobson is a homicide detective in Palm Beach who takes advantage of his position to bed a variety of women, while his brother Michael (William Russ) prepares to run for public office. One of Dobson's lovers is imported New Yorker Ellen (Lorraine Bracco). She sees Dobson leave a parking lot with a waitress and before long the waitress turns up dead. Dobson investigates the murder and determines that a serial killer is on the loose. When more women turn up dead with connections to Dobson, the finger of guilt points not only to Jack but also to his partner Steve (Tony Goldwyn), Steve's wife Beth (Faye Grant), and even his respectable senatorial candidate brother. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Belushi, Lorraine Bracco, (more)
Howard Zieff directed this comedy-drama about the emotional awakening of a young girl in a small Pennsylvania town during the summer of 1972. Anna Chlumsky plays eleven-year-old Vada, a quiet child living with her widowed father Harry Dultenfuss (Dan Aykroyd), a local mortician who prepares bodies in his basement. Vada feels responsible for the death of her mother, who died giving birth to her, and lives in an emotional cocoon, her only friend being a personable local boy, Thomas J. Sennett (Macauly Culkin), who suffers from allergies. Like Vada, Harry keeps to himself, until a freelance make-up artist, Shelly DeVoto (Jamie Lee Curtis), comes to town and gets a job working with Harry. Shelly and Harry fall in love and Vada feels threatened by her presence. But then a personal tragedy forces Vada to come out of her emotional shell. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Macaulay Culkin, Anna Chlumsky, (more)
