Brad Grey Movies

The murder of NewsRadio regular Phil Hartman just after filming wrapped on the season's fourth season not only enveloped the rest of the cast in grief and sorrow, but also nearly prompted NBC to cancel the show. Reportedly, the producer kept the series afloat by relinquishing a financial piece of the property to the network--but even this move did not prevent the series' fifth season from being its last. The opening episode acknowledges the loss of Hartman with an unforgettable storyline deftly blending tears with bellylaughs, as the staff of radio station WNYX reacts to the fatal heart attack that claimed the life of vainglorious news anchor Bill McNeal. Well, most of the staff, anyway: Nerdish reporter Matthew (Andy Dick) is still laboring under the misapprehension that Bill has merely relocated to Afghanistan. Shortly thereafter, Jon Lovitz joins the cast as Bill's replacement Max Lewis, a neurotic "radio gypsy" who has lost 37 jobs in the last 20 years. However, no power on earth seems capable of removing Max from the anchor desk at WNYX--not even the resentful Matthew, who cooks up a bizarre scheme to get Max canned. Other than the opener, this season is remembered for a wacked-out three-part story arc, in which WNYX owner Jimmy James (Stephen Root) is arrested on the suspicion that he is actually notorious federal fugitive D.B. Cooper. This turn of events forces news director Dave Nelson (Dave Foley) to fend off the machinations of Jimmy's evil replacement Johnny Johnson, played by the ubiquitous Patrick Warburton)--at least until Jimmy is saved by the eleventh-hour intervention of Adam West (It makes sense when you see it!) The series ends with a 2-parter, built around the staff's efforts to prevent Jimmy from retiring (as if anyone could blame him after the D.B. Cooper debacle). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season Three of NewsRadio opens with WNYX radio-station owner Jimmy James (Stephen Root) considering a run for the presidency--and in an even more frightening development, nerdish radio reporter Matthew (Andy Dick) acquiring a mustache. But wait, there's more! News director Dave (Dave Foley) and reporter Lisa (Maura Tierney) re-take the SAT to find out if growing older has made them dumber; vainglorious news anchor Bill (Phil Hartman) begins drawing up plans when a psychic informs him that he has only 36 more years to live; Matthew impulsively punches out Bill and becomes King of the Office for a whole entire day; the staff goes ballistic when they find out that Dave was born in Canada; Jimmy is suckered into purchasing phony Citizen Kane memorabilia (the name of the sled ISN'T "Rose Bowl"); Lisa shows a curious sense of priorities when she temporarily takes over the station; and Bill is carted away to the insane asylum on the occasion of the series' 48th episode, which is titled "Our Fiftieth Episode". Guest stars this season include cartoonist Scott Adams in an episode built around Matthew's obsession over Adams' creation Dilbert; James Caan in a story that turns out to be about Green Acres; Ben Stiller as a greedy gym manager; Jerry Seinfeld as himself in the saga of Lisa and Bill attempting to get a new show some ratings; French Stewart as a temp who manages to out-weird even Matthew; and, in an episode taped for the previous season but withheld from view because of one of the Words You Couldn't Use On Television Much, Norm MacDonald as a slick attorney representing Jimmy in a workman's-comp dispute. Also, Season Three offers the first of the series' celebrated fantasy episodes, "Daydream", which is topped by the penultimate offering "Space", wherein for no other reason than the producers thought it would be funny, the entire cast is thrust forward into the year 2228. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

Based on Vito Russo's groundbreaking 1981 work of film history, The Celluloid Closet gathers clips from dozens of mainstream Hollywood films to illustrate how the movies have dealt explicitly -- and more importantly, implicitly -- with gay and lesbian themes. Layered between the clips are interviews with filmmakers whose works have touched on that subject. The popular films of the Golden Age could only hint at homosexuality and often portrayed gays as simpering characters, objects of scorn or merriment, or insidious villains. With the strictures of the old Production Code loosening, bolder presentations were possible, but often over the objections of studio executives who feared a public backlash against a film that dealt with a long taboo subject. Among the films discussed are Philadelphia, The Children's Hour, Making Love, Rope, and Spartacus. Gore Vidal, Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, and director John Schlesinger are among the film's strongest interview subjects. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide

Dennis Miller rants just as we have come to expect from him about everything and anything. Always controversial, this trip to our nation's capital seems to make him even more feisty than he normally is. Miller tackles such subjects as the presence of women reporters in men's locker rooms, fatherhood, the women of Baywatch, and yes, of course, Politics with a capital P. A must-see for any die-hard Dennis Miller fan. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

Less formally known as Garry Shandling Alone in Vegas, this 60-minute video is 100% Shandling, which is either good or bad news depending upon who's watching. Shandling's "average guy stuck in the farce called life" persona works quite well within the framework of the tape. Casual fans, however, might prefer the Johnny Carson-baiting Shandling of the much-later cable series It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show. Like those two projects, Alone in Las Vegas began as a Showtime cable special--Shandling's first, in fact. This 1984 effort was directed by William Dear, who also helmed Mike Nesmith's Elephant Parts, which begat the series Television Parts--which in turn begat the It's Garry Shandling's Show comedy sketch that put Shandling on the map. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide