Jon Gries Movies
A longtime character actor with the unique ability to alternate between meek and menacing at the drop of a hat, Jon Gries can play a computer wiz (Real Genius, The Pretender) or a South American mercenary (The Rundown) with equal zeal and conviction. A native of Glendale, CA, and the son of Emmy-winning writer/producer/director Tom Gries, Jon launched his acting career with a small role in his father's made-for-television feature Helter Skelter (1976). His father unfortunately died shortly thereafter due to a heart attack, but the the groundwork for Gries' career had been laid. After moving to New York, the young actor studied under the capable tutelage of Stella Adler. Supporting roles in More American Graffiti, Joysticks, and High School USA segued Gries' career into the 1980s, with his role as the reclusive genius Lazlo in the brainy college comedy Real Genius enduring him to a nation of moviegoers. If the remainder of the decade didn't offer Gries the sort of roles that would take him to leading-man status, they would at least find him cast in such high-profile releases as Running Scared, The Monster Squad, and Fright Night Part 2.After once again appearing opposite Real Genius co-star Val Kilmer in the 1989 noir thriller Kill Me Again, Gries found a niche in television with roles in such series as Martin and The Pretender in the 1990s. Of course, Gries also continued to remain active on the big screen throughout the 1990s, and after a bit role in the popular sci-fi comedy Men in Black, he would establish a fruitful working relationship with Mark and Michael Polish -- the filmmaking duo behind the quirky sleeper Twin Falls Idaho. After turning in a memorable performance as a lawyer in that film, Gries became something of a stock player for the Polish brothers with appearances in both Jackpot and Northfork. Even outside of his work with the Polish brothers, Gries continued to gain indie credibility thanks to parts in such features as The Big Empty and Napoleon Dynamite. Gries' performance as a literally whip-smart heavy in the 2003 action comedy The Rundown found him essaying a rare villainous role, but doing so with such malevolent gusto that even audiences with vivid memories of the brainy Lazlo may not have realized whom they were watching give The Rock such a sound thrashing. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Wazzup? Superstar Martin Lawrence (Open Season, Big Momma's House) is back in 27 uproarious episodes from the hilarious second season of his classic show! Whether he's stepping into the boxing ring, delivering a baby or running amok in Hollywood, Martin never ceases to amaze and amuse. With his long-suffering girlfriend Gina and core crew of Tommy, Cole and Pam by his side, as well as an outrageous group of oddballs: back-sassing Sheneneh, clueless Jerome and wise-cracking Mama Payne, Martin proves that a second helping is even better than the first!
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Thomas Mikal Ford, (more)
- 1993
Made for cable television, this frothy western spoof chronicles the exploits of a citified optometrist who exchanges his well-ordered Big Apple life for a wild and woollier version in Tombstone, Arizona. Once there, he is thrilled to meet his hero Wyatt Earp. Unfortunately, the heroic Earp he admired in the many dime-store novels he read is totally different from the real McCoy who turns out to be myopic and continually skunk drunk. Still with the optometrist's help, the sheriff is able to clean up the town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys, Big Momma's House) plays Martin Payne, a brash radio personality who always speaks his mind, often to the frustration of Gina (Tisha Campbell), his feisty but eternally forgiving girlfriend. Always around are Martin's "hang out partners," Tommy, Cole, and Pam (Tichina Arnold), a co-worker of Gina's. Find out wazzup in the outrageous world of Martin.
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Thomas Mikal Ford, (more)
- 1990
In this made-for-cable adaptation of Roderick Thorp's crime thriller, Peter Weller stars as a Hollywood cop whose murder investigation runs into a wall of police corruption. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Weller, Sela Ward, (more)
Director Stephen Frears' tense adaptation of Jim Thompson's novel The Grifters was one of a number of revival film noirs in the first half of the '90s. Updating the setting to contemporary Los Angeles, the film follows a trio of con artists who are intent on out-foxing each other. Roy Dillon (John Cusack) is a simple, two-bit con, whose life is thrown into turmoil when his estranged mother Lilly (Anjelica Huston) returns home in an attempt to evade the law. Lilly doesn't warm to Roy's girlfriend Myra Langtry (Annette Bening), who is too similar to herself. Soon, the two women are competing for Roy in a battle that is more of a power struggle than a pursuit of affection, and the battle quickly turns dangerous. Huston was nominated for an Academy Award for her work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Anjelica Huston, (more)
- 1989
- R
A socially isolated and extremely shy Los Angeles painter finds his dream girl in the form of a struggling actress and finds himself at last finding the confidence to exhibit his work in this off-beat romantic comedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- R
Detective Berzak (Robert Carradine) and his suave partner Hazeltine (Billy Dee Williams) combine forces to track down a notorious drug lord in this routine action feature. Captain Ferris (Peter Graves) monitors the progress of the decidedly different detectives. The trail leads to Dacosta (Barry Sattels) a respected member of the social elite and the community. Valerie Bertanelli plays Berzak's daughter Teresa, who is pumped for information by her father about his ex-wife (Doris Roberts). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Carradine, Billy Dee Williams, (more)
Distinguished by a sharp, witty dialogue between its two cop protagonists, Ray and Danny (Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal), this entertaining crime drama is well worth a visit. Ray and Danny are nearly blown away by super bad guy Julio (Jimmy Smits), and their boss is peeved at them as usual. So the two are given a holiday from their beat in Chicago and travel to the sunny shores of Key West. They like it enough to retire from police work and open a business there. But when the duo returns to the Windy City, Julio is about to pull off a big drug deal and retirement may not be such a good idea. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Hines, Billy Crystal, (more)
Martha Coolidge directed this comedy taking place at fictional Pacific Tech, concerning incoming freshman Mitch (Gabe Jarret), a high school student whose Science Fair project made important inroads into laser beam technology. Mitch has been recruited by famed physics professor Hathaway (William Atherton), who asks Mitch to work in his laboratory. On campus, Mitch becomes roommates with the brilliant Chris Knight (Val Kilmer), legendary as the smartest freshman in the history of the college; but now, as a senior, he is less interested in his studies and more interested in having fun. It turns out that Hathaway is enlisting his students, unbeknownst to them, as a slave labor force to do research in developing a state-of-the-art laser device for the Defense Department (he uses his government grant funds to build a house). But Chris and Mitch begin to suspect that something is amiss with Hathaway's project. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer, Gabe Jarret, (more)
- 1983
George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) is offended when his wife, Louise (Isabel Sanford), turns down an opportunity for the Jeffersons to host a marriage-enrichment seminar for newlyweds. He is also upset that the hosting chores have gone to his friendly rival, Tom Willis (Franklin Cover), and Tom's wife, Helen (Roxie Roker). But when Tom falls ill, George is given the opportunity to take his place -- whereupon he offers a stream of marital "advice" that nearly knocks Louise for a loop. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
Michael J. Fox is among the young sitcom stars enlisted for this made-for-TV teen film, about a battle between the rich, popular kids and their average counterparts. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, Nancy McKeon, (more)
- 1979
- R
In this drama, a good-hearted, courageous boy from a poor New York neighborhood tries to rally his neighborhood together to stop the terrifying reign of the neighborhood street gang, the Savage Warlocks. He succeeds and begins planning to move uptown to live with his lady love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joey Travolta, John Lansing, (more)
Returning from the original American Graffiti are Debbie Dunham, Steve Bolander, John Milner, Carol/Rainbow, Terry the Toad and Laurie Bolander (Candy Clark, Ron Howard, Paul LeMat, Mackenzie Phillips, Charles Martin Smith and Cindy Williams), but Richard Dreyfuss is missing and Harrison Ford shows up in a gag cameo. The sequel brings its principles into the more radical end of the 1960s, with Steve and Laurie, now married, on the fringes of the protest movement. Debbie and Carol have been lured into the flower-power milieu by rocker Newt (Scott Glenn). And John has parlayed his love of hot rods into a drag-racing career. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candy Clark, Bo Hopkins, (more)
- 1977
First telecast May 16, 1977, Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn is the gender-switch follow-up to the 1976 TV movie Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway. While Dawn concentrated on the sordid descent of a young girl into crime and prostitution, Alexander devotes its time to the exploits of a teenaged boy (Leigh J. McCloskey), whose character was introduced in the earlier film. A former Oklahoma farm boy, Alexander takes to the streets of LA, where he becomes a hustler and gigolo. After falling in love with Dawn (Eve Plumb), Alexander strives to escape his dead-end world and begin life anew. Director John Erman uses moody overtones to capture the darkness and despair of Alexander's life. Erman, an accomplished director of television movies, also directed the highly-acclaimed, touching AIDS drama, An Early Frost. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
- R
Set in the 1960s, the film concerns a high-school senior (Steve Guttenberg, in his first film role) who works at a restaurant while trying to capture the attention of an attractive girl (Lisa Reeves). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phil Silvers, Ed Lauter, (more)
Based on the best-selling Vincent Bugliosi book of the same name, Helter Skelter is a made-for-TV account of the investigation and prosecution of Charles Manson (Steve Railsback), who was convicted of leading a group of followers (known as "The Family") to murder seven people in California, including actress Sharon Tate. The film takes a Law & Order-like approach, starting with the discovery of the murders, which leads to the police gathering snippets of evidence that they eventually connect to the bigger picture. The second half of the movie concentrates on how District Attorney Bugliosi (George DiCenzo) attains a conviction despite the enormous amount of press coverage the case received. Nancy Wolfe, Christina Hart, and Cathey Paine portray the three loyal Manson Family members who were the co-defendants at his trial. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George DiCenzo, Steve Railsback, (more)
Rambling along at its own measured pace, Will Penny is a vivid western character study, completely dominated by the rapport between stars (Charlton Heston) and (Joan Hackett). Heston plays Will Penny, an aging and impoverished cowboy. With his cohorts Blue (Lee Majors) and Dutchy (Anthony Zerbe), the trio sets out to find employment before winter sets in. Their job search is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Preacher Quint, a vicious Bible-thumping bandit (Donald Pleasance) and his moronic, sadistic sons. Dutchy gets wounded in the fight and Blue stays with him in a small town nearby to nurse him back to health. Will gets a job on a ranch, and though he is supposed to keep squatters off the land, he can't kick out Catherine (Joan Hackett) and her little son (Jon Gries). She herself is en route to join her husband, an Oregon farmer. Despite her wedding vows, Catherine finds herself drawn to Penny -- who makes no unwarranted move towards the woman, but is equally attracted to her. Then the murderous Quint and his sons reappear to exact their revenge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Joan Hackett, (more)
