Scott Curtis Movies
- 1991
The "first time" usually refers to romance in TV movies of this nature. Corin Nemic is an impressionable young Jewish kid who falls hard for girl next door Cheryl Pollak. Ah, but this is San Antonio in the early 1960s, and Pollak is Catholic. Before you can say "Bridget Loves Bernie" (or even "Abie's Irish Rose") the two young spooners are stymied by parental pressure. It is the girl who takes the initiative in quelling the fears and doubts of the grown-ups, while shy Corin stands by in moonstruck admiration. For the Very First Time is nearly stolen by Donovan Leach (son of rock singer Donovan and sister of actress Ione Skye), who plays a beatnik artist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
DJ (Candace Cameron) celebrates her 13th birthday with a boy-girl party at the Tanner house. In the course of the festivities, handsome 7th-grader Kevin Quinn (Scott Curtis) catches DJ's eye, but the girl is too shy to speak to him. Helpful Kimmy (Andrea Barber) arranges for Kevin to give DJ her first kiss--thereby heaping humiliation upon the birthday girl and stirring up outrage within the rest of the Tanner family. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Willingly if unenthusiastically, Jesse (John Stamos) agrees to provide the music for the Spring Dance at DJ's school. The problems of dealing with backup musicians consisting of members of the school's marching band pale in comparison to the crisis facing Jesse when he catches 13-year-old DJ (Candace Cameron) with an open can of beer in her hand. And back at home, Michelle (played by the Olsen twins) drives everyone crazy by playing the same song over and over and over and over and OVER on her tape recorder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Based on a true story, the two-part TV movie I Know My First Name Is Steven tells the tragic story of Steven Stayner. At age seven, Steven was kidnapped by two men who held him captive in a tiny shed for seven years. One of the men, a habitual child abuser named Kenneth Parnell, sexually assaulted Steven on an almost daily basis during the boy's ordeal. At age 14, Steven finally was able to escape and return to his family. But we are shown that Steven's safe return was far from the happy ending it appeared to be. He's forced to adjust to a family he'd never really known, to convince himself that his parents had never forgotten him, and to put his seven-year hell behind him. While I Know My First Name Is Steven ends on an upbeat note, the real Stayner died in a motorcycle accident only a few months after this film was first telecast in May 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director Armand Mastroianni's last horror feature before building a more solid reputation as a director of TV movies and series, Cameron's Closet tells the tale of a bright young boy with innate telekinetic powers whose gifts were exploited by his father (Tab Hunter) in a series of controlled experiments. After his father's grisly death, Cameron's powers seem to have abated -- but as any horror aficionado can predict, they have increased exponentially, opening a gateway in the title walk-in for a powerful demon to emerge. The usual band of paranormal experts (including the oddly-cast Chuck McCann) arrive to do battle with the closeted beast and are dealt with in the usual gory ways, until it becomes apparent that only Cameron himself is psychically equipped to deal with the demon one-on-one. What might have been a taut supernatural thriller with good performances is undone by its crude treatment of Carlo Rambaldi's makeup-effects: the lurking demon -- which at one point is merely pulled along on a dolly -- ends up resembling a guy in a dime-store Batman costume. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cotter Smith, Mel Harris, (more)
- 1989
Sheriff Metzger (Ron Masak) investigates when Vivian Proctor (Pamela Bellwood), one of Cabot Cove's best-liked and busiest housewives, is implicated in the murder of a well-known womanizer who has been found dead in a cheap motel. Although Vivian is widely regarded as the "perfect" wife and mother, her keys and a lurid personal note have been found next to the body of the victim--and she refuses to explain why. It soon develops that Vivian was leading a double life...and it falls to her friend Jessica (Angela Lansbury) to help untangle Vivian's web of lies and find out who the real killer is. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Merlin Olsen stars as Aaron Miller, an Amish farmer from Pennsylvania. Aaron's oldest son leaves for Northern California, where he works in a grape vineyard before being killed in a wind-surfing accident; left behind is his pregnant girlfriend (Kathleen York). Thus it is that Aaron moves himself and his family to California, seeking to help out his late son's lady friend and to offer his services to the vineyard owners. Aaron's Way was the pilot for a "warm and fuzzy" Merlin Olsen TV series, which premiered in March of 1988. Plagued by a cumbersome premise, the series survived a scant 12 episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
An angry Jason (Alan Thicke) confronts Ben's hockey coach (Dan Lauria), whose win-at-all-costs philosophy extends to teaching the kids how to play dirty. As a result, Jason ends up with a black eye--putting him in good company with the similarly "decorated" Ben. Meanwhile, Maggie (Joanna Kerns) tries to help Mike (Kirk Cameron) learn ballroom dancing so that he can impress his latest amour Jennifer Miller (Stacey Young). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- PG13
Offering an updated take on William Golding's Lord of the Flies, complete with anti-fascist metaphors, this drama is set at a summer camp where the kids rise up against their counselors and start running things themselves. It is based on a novel by William Butler, The Butterfly Revolution. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Connors, Charles Stratton, (more)
- 1986
The manager of a chemical plant and a city manager rise up against their respective bosses to keep a town safe in this ecologically conscientious made-for-TV disaster film. It all begins when the owners of Citichem order the plant manager to enact dangerous cost cuts that compromise the safety of the plant. He protests, but it is to no avail and a worker dies. At the same time, the city manager tries to warn the people that a deadly disaster is imminent, but he ends up gagged by the local politicians. Meanwhile, just when the community is at its most unprepared, a melt-down occurs and the town is drenched in deadly chemicals. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1986
The first day of school yields a myriad of reactions from the children of the Seaver clan. Ten-year-old Ben Seaver (Jeremy Miller) runs up against the proverbial classroom bully, in this case a bruiser named Louie (played by Jamie Abbott, who ironically would later pop up in the recurring role of Ben's best friend Stinky Sullivan). Fifteen-year-older Carol (Tracey Gold) tries to come up with ways to enliven what promises to be an excruciatingly dull school year. And sixteen-year-old Mike (Kirk Cameron) finally links up with his summertime "dream girl" Debbie (Lisa Capps), only to have his head turned by another lovely young lass named Shelley (Rachel Jacobs). Bill Kirchenbauer makes his first appearance as Coach Graham Lubbock, a role he'd carry into the Growing Pains spinoff Just the Ten of Us. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
