Stephen Zito Movies
Master animator Richard Williams (best known for his work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) created this visually dazzling full-length cartoon. Tack (voice of Matthew Broderick) is a shy and humble cobbler in love with the beautiful Princess Yum Yum (voice of Jennifer Beals). Tack gets his chance to impress the Princess when he's pressed into service to help defeat a wicked sorcerer, Zigzag (voice of Vincent Price); Tack also runs afoul of a charming but duplicitous thief (voice of Jonathan Winters). Arabian Knight (also shown as The Thief and the Cobbler) was reportedly long in production and held back from release for a time because the distributors were afraid that many Americans would not be inclined to see a family film set in the Middle East in the wake of the Gulf War; by the time it finally opened, two members of the voice cast, Vincent Price and Donald Pleasence, had passed on. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
This British television docu-drama dishes up the turbulent royal marriage of Charles and Lady Di. The story is based on Andrew Morton's tell-all book and is considered the most accurate version of the situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Serena Scott Thomas, David Threlfall, (more)
- 1988
Glitz was a disappointment for fans of the Elmore Leonard novel on which it was based. Jimmy Smits stars as a savvy Miami police detective Vincent Mora, who is wounded in a shoot-out. Convalescing in Puerto Rico, Mora falls in love with a beautiful woman who later dies under suspicious circumstances. Unable to pursue the case officially, Mora conducts a private investigation of the case. Along the way, he makes the acquaintance of a sprightly lounge singer (Markie Post) and a seriously disturbed ex-con (John Diehl). To many viewers, the title was appropriate: Glitz was plenty of style with little substance. The film was first telecast October 21, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Soap opera queen Susan Lucci stars as an orphan adopted by a mobster family who grows up to be a star attorney, but still dreams of getting revenge on the killers who murdered her parents. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Made for television, Hostage Flight fomented a well-publicized controversy when first aired by NBC on November 17, 1985. On a domestic flight headed for Detroit, 65 passengers are held hostage by four international terrorists. The demands of the hijackers are simple: Release their imprisoned leader or the hostages will be executed one by one. Only after innocent blood is shed do the outraged passengers form a united front to rebel against their captors, and, ultimately, to take justice in their own hands. The film's original ending found the passengers, having staged their own "trial" of the hijackers, doling out punishment in a gruesome manner (and a highly unlikely manner, given the limited head-space on a typical jetliner). This denouement proved too horrifying for the NBC executives, who demanded that a modified ending be filmed (though the original climax was shown when the film was released outside the United States). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Escape Artist represents the laudable directorial debut of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel. Griffin O'Neal, the real-life son of Ryan O'Neal, plays Danny Masters, the offspring of a famed magician. Determined to match his dad's accomplishment, Danny runs into nothing but trouble. His biggest mistake is picking the pocket of the son of a corrupt town mayor. When not running from adults, the boy is being exploited by them. A critic's favorite, Escape Artist has slowly built up a cult following over the years, thanks largely to its eclectic supporting cast, including Raul Julia, Desi Arnaz Jr., Joan Hackett, Teri Garr, Jackie Coogan, Huntz Hall and M. Emmet Walsh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Griffin O'Neal, Raul Julia, (more)
- 1982
Determined to prove that the men who answer advertisements for mail-order brides are nothing more than jerks and lechers, Chicago magazine writer Kate Tosconi (Valerie Bertinelli) places a typical "object matrimony" ad and awaits the inevitable drooling replies. Meanwhile, L.A. lawyer Robert Fitzgerald (Ted Wass) has bet his practical-joking friends that if he were to answer such an ad, he could easily remain celibate for two weeks after meeting his "bride." Anyone who can't guess what happens next should be drummed out of the TV room in shame. A fascinating example of what passed for "feminism" and "male compassion" back in the early '80s, the made-for-TV I Was a Mail Order Bride was first broadcast by CBS on December 14, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When Stockard Channing agreed to co-produce the made-for-TV Gun in the House, she fully intended to play the leading role of Emily Cates herself. But schedule conflicts intervened, and Channing was forced to relinquish the role to Sally Struthers, who was quite good. Attacked in her home by two male assailants, Emily Cates grabs a handgun and shoots and kills one of the intruders. Alas, the police find no evidence that Emily was in fact attacked--nor do they discern any need for excessive force. As a result, Emily is arrested like a common criminal and charged with murder--targeted as an "example" to other would-be gun owners by politically ambitious DA Lance Kessler (Jeffrey Tambor). The Stephen Zito-James M. Miller teleplay takes an inordinately melodramatic approach to the film's provocative subject matter, offering cut-and-dried hero and villain types and occasionally illogical plot twists. Still, Gun in the House has remained food for thought ever since its February 11, 1981 debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
