Jayne Eastwood Movies

Bette Midler stars as Stella Claire, a working-class, fun-loving barmaid in northern New York State. A brief affair with handsome Stephen Dallas (Stephen Collins) produces a daughter, Jenny (Trini Alvarado), whom Stella insists upon raising alone, despite Dallas' marriage offer. As the years pass, Stella and Jenny are a happy pair. Stella gives up bartending to sell cosmetics, supported by her friend Ed (John Goodman), a bartender developing a crush on her and a problem with alcohol. Dallas has stayed involved with his beloved daughter from afar and is now a urologist in New York City, engaged to a book editor (Marsha Mason). As Jenny reaches adulthood, Stella becomes aware that life with her father would provide her daughter with opportunities that she'd never have otherwise, so she devises a painful, self-sacrificing scheme to drive Jenny from the nest. Although functional as a tearjerker, many of the themes in Stella simply don't make as much sense in a modern age of healthy, fractured families, muting the drama of the tale's earlier versions, specifically Stella Dallas (1937). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

A young mother and her daughter end up on the streets in this grim made-for-television movie. Mare Winningham stars as Theresa Johnson, a young mother whose life falls apart when she finds herself suddenly single, unemployed and homeless. With nowhere to turn, Theresa and her daughter Hillary (Grace Johnston) drift through the social system, wandering from shelter to shelter with little hope for the future. Gripping in its portrayal of the cycle of poverty, the film offers no simple solutions -- much like real life. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

Michael A. Gilbert's Office Party was the basis for the Canadian thriller Hostile Takeover (it also bears traces of "Wall to Wall War", an episode of the 1963 TV anthology The Richard Boone Show). David Warner plays a mild-mannered office worker who one morning kicks over protocol and pulls a gun, taking his co-workers hostage. It isn't that Warner is rebelling against a society that has kicked him around all his life, nor has he any beef against the company. It's just that he wants to be totally in control of a situation, a thrill he has never previously experienced. More than likely, the hostage situation could be resolved peaceably, but gonzo mayor John Vernon, jockeying for votes, insists that Warner be neutralized by a SWAT team. As these plans are formulated on the outside, Warner becomes obsessed with his new power, forcing his captives to humiliate themselves in various ways. This, in turns, leads to a breakdown in inhibitions amongst the workers--and an impromptu "group therapy" session! From this point on, dear reader, you're on your own: nothing that follows in Hostile Takeover is what one expects to happen, so henceforth we'll keep mum. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After promising a rock star he would find a particular guitar-maker to procure his valuable products, a musician takes a road trip in search of the legend. On his way, he meets various people who have--at one time or another-- been involved with the elusive guru. After he finally meets the man, he realizes that there is much more to one's art than financial reward. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

In this exciting action thriller, an artistic widow fights to stay alive after her husband, a Marine who had discovered that the military was well aware that it was placing defective parts in its helicopters, is mysteriously murdered. Believing that the widow, a metal sculptress, has the damning evidence, the killers take off after her and her little son. None of them realizes that she too was a Marine and is more than capable of defending herself. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Superstar Jackie Rogers Jr. (Martin Short) wants to be president for all the people -- including Puerto Rico, where his girlfriend lives -- because "He Loves You." "Melonville Calander" honors PMS Awareness Week with hostess Yolanda Devillbis (Andrea Martin), too-jolly co-host Duard Weese (Joe Flaherty), and special guest Idella Voudry (Wilcox). And the well-lubricated kiddie show "Happy Hour" presents "Six Gun Justice, Episode 10: East Meets West," in which the dreaded Wolf Gang joins forces with General Tojo (Watch for a special guest appearance by President Roosevelt himself!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The New York Actor's Studio stages "Harvey," with Al Puciero (Martin Short) as Elwood P. Dowd and Tony Labergiole (Joe Flaherty) as his older brother Carmine. Distinguished SCTV art critic Bradley P. Allen (Short) is caught in the act of taking bribes by an FBI sting. "Mel's Rock Pile" offers a tribute to the psychedlic '60s, though former rock idols Moon Dog (Joe Flaherty) and the Tangerine Conspiracy would just as soon forget the entire decade. And anchorwoman Rita Schubb (Andrea Martin) almost delivers the news. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hardcore pornography, sadomasochism, mind control, and living televisions all play crucial roles in Videodrome, one of director David Cronenberg's explorations of dangerous sexuality and technological obsession. The morally questionable hero of the tale is one Max Renn (James Woods), a television executive searching for an intense new program for his sex-oriented network. He ultimately discovers an underground program called "Videodrome," which appears to broadcast pornographic snuff films of actual murders. Horrified but perversely intrigued, Renn sets out to find the truth behind the program. During his search, he meets alluring femme fatale Nicki (Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry), technology cult leader Bianca O'Blivion, and other mysterious figures. Things become even more disturbing for Renn as his addiction grows, and the program begins to infect the outside world -- or perhaps merely destroy own his sanity. Cronenberg mingles his cerebral concerns about the nature of reality in the video age with enough visceral gore (courtesy of Rick Baker) to satisfy the film's intended horror audience. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

This police melodrama is set in a coastal resort where a young man becomes insanely jealous after learning that his girl has been with another. He takes her hostage in the town hotel and threatens to kill her. Now a hot-tempered police chief and his peace-loving lieutenant must somehow team-up to resolve the situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This one begins appropriately with an "Ethnic Disclaimer," then delivers a multitude of hilarious slams at a variety of special-interest groups, with the Gypsies bearing the brunt and the Canadians not far behind. Highlights include the first edition of "The Leutonian Hour," a preview for "Plainclothes Mountie," "Hints for Homemakers" (this week's topic: Amish Food), and "Theater North American," with Lin Ye Tang (Dave Thomas) hosting a powerful staging of that classic Canadian stage tragedy "We're Gonna Be Alright, You Creep, Leaving Home and All, Eh?." The bowdlerized version of this episode seen in the United States eliminates the tasteless but undeniably funny medical sketch "Out-Patient" (it's vasectomy time!), substituting brief vignettes from other SCTV installments ("Baa Baa Black and White Sheep," "Silver Bullet Suppositories,"etc.) ~ Rovi

Two men in their mid-twenties chase their dreams to the big city with tragic results in this acclaimed piece of low-key neorealism from Canada. Joey (Paul Bradley) and Peter (Doug McGrath) are best friends from a small town in Nova Scotia. With jobs scarce and prospects slim at home, Joey and Peter decide to pack up their meager belongings and head west to Toronto, where they're convinced better luck awaits them. Joey's uncle refuses to take in the travelers, and Peter's friends turn out to be short on job leads, but after a few rough nights, Joey, a practical sort, lands a job loading cases in a ginger ale bottling plant. Peter has aspirations toward better things, but it quickly becomes obvious he lacks the education or the temperament for office work, and before long he's hefting cases alongside Joey. For a while, the guys get along on their 80 dollars a week, and Joey finds a girlfriend in Betty (Jayne Eastwood), a pretty but tough-talking waitress. Peter has his eyes on Nicole (Nicole Morin), a beautiful woman who works in the plant's office, but after he gathers up the courage to take her out on the town, Nicole rejects his advances and he's left alone and humiliated. When Joey learns that Betty is pregnant, the two marry, but within a few weeks, both Joey and Peter are laid off, thanks to a seasonal slowdown, and their new lives begin to slip through their fingers. Shot in 16 mm on a shoestring budget, Goin' Down the Road became an unexpected critical success in both Canada and the United States and was named the best English-language Canadian feature of the century by the Toronto-based newsweekly MacLean's. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi