Richard Livingston Movies
Fresh from Iowa, Holly (Melissa Joan Hart) and Calvin (Ryan Browning) arrive in New York, there to pursue careers as actors. Alas, money is mighty tight for the new arrivals, and decent housing is well night impossible to find. Eventually, Holly is forced to move in with her eccentric, cat-crazy Aunt Agatha (Lynne Marie Stewart), who lives in a rent-controlled apartment in the middle of an upscale neighborhood. When Aunt Agatha dies of natural causes, a desperate Holly hits upon a brilliant idea: she and Calvin will pretend that Auntie is still alive, the better to remain in the apartment for a minimal price. The couple enlist the apartment building's feckless elevator operator Dennis (Andrew Kavovit) as their co-conspirator, then spend much of the rest of the movie trying to keep their landlord's suspicious son Vincent (Joseph D. Reitman) from stumbling upon the truth. Filmed in 2002, Rent Control did not make its ABC Family Channel debut until September 9, 2005, by which time the made-for-cable film had been extensively re-edited to accelerate its pace. The film has since been released abroad under its working title Aunt Agatha's Apartment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa Joan Hart, Ryan Browning, (more)
- 2001
As he gives her lessons in swordplay so she can better defend herself in future battles, Angel (David Boreanaz) is surprised to learn that Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) is a quick study; she credits her years as a Sunnydale cheerleader. It's Fred (Amy Acker), however, who really needs to defend herself when a half-demon with the power to turn men into misogynist murderers turns Wesley (Alexis Denisof) into a clone of Jack Nicholson's character from The Shining. William "Billy" Blim (Justin Shilton) is the privileged nephew of a congressman. He's also the fiend Angel was forced to free from a hell dimension by Wolfram & Hart (see "That Vision Thing"). His very touch brings out the hidden woman-hater in every man, and Angel proves incapable of stopping the spread of his infectious magic. As a transformed Wesley stalks the resourceful Fred through the Hyperion Hotel, Cordy attempts to kill Billy. Angel stops her and Billy touches Angel, but the vampire hero proves impervious to the half-demon's magic. Combat erupts, but it's Lilah Morgan (Stephanie Romanov) -- who suffered a savage beating at the hands of the Billy-infected Gavin Park (Daniel Dae Kim) -- who ultimately defeats her own client. Later, Wesley grapples with the terror he inflicted on Fred and begs her forgiveness. Originally broadcast October 29, 2001, on the WB network, Angel: Billy marked season three, episode six of the supernatural comedy drama. The secret crush on Fred that Wesley nurses in this episode will have major plot repercussions throughout the second half of season three. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Shim Hyung Rae's monster movie Reptilian (also known as 2001 Yonggary) plays like a tribute (a low-budget, grade-Z tribute) to the classic Japanese monster movies of the fifties. General Murdock (Dan Cahman) must stop the destructive dinosaur before the president attacks it with nuclear weaponry. Enthusiasts of old Godzilla movies, as well as all those who miss the glory days of Mystery Science Theater 3000, will certainly enjoy this unintentionally campy romp. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1997
George (Jason Alexander) spends most of this episode thinking of a perfect comeback line for a comment made by his co-worker Reilly (Joel Polis) -- but it may not be delivered to Reilly, or even in New York. Elsewhere, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) mulls over the fringe benefits of not exposing a tennis pro as a phony. Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards) reap different results from their video picks. And can you really recover from a coma? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Adrian Lyne buffs the premise of Honeymoon in Vegas to a fine gloss in this yuppie melodrama that poses the conundrum of whether the loving husband of an equally loving wife will accept $1 million to allow his wife to spend one night with a billionaire who looks like Robert Redford. All the cynics please take a number and form a line at the right. Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson play Diana and David Murphy, high-school sweethearts who marry and who are doing very well -- Diana is a successful real-estate agent, and David is an idealistic architect who has built a dream house by the ocean -- until the recession hits. Suddenly, David loses his job, and they can't make the mortgage payments. Dead broke, they borrow $5000 from David's father and head to Las Vegas to try to win money to pay the mortgage on their house. At first, they get $25,000 ahead -- but inevitably the house always wins, and they end up losing it all. While Diana is in the fancy casino boutique trying to lift some candy, she is spotted by billionaire John Gage (Robert Redford), who is immediately attracted to her. John invites Diana and David to an opulent party, and it is there that John offers David $1 million for a night with his wife. David is wracked by this moral dilemma, but Diana finally makes the decision on her own, with ensuing consequences for their ideal marriage and their bank account. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Redford, Demi Moore, (more)
- 1993
- R
- Add What's Love Got to Do with It? to QueueAdd What's Love Got to Do with It? to top of Queue
What's Love Got to Do With It? is the filmed biography of R&B/pop singer Tina Turner (Angela Bassett), documenting her efforts to break away from her abusive husband Ike (Laurence Fishburne). After a few scenes detailing Tina's life as a young singer in Nutbush, TN, she's discovered by Ike Turner, an already established songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Ike takes Tina under his wing and makes her a star, but her fame makes him jealous and abusive, and she has to struggle to break free of his domination. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, (more)
- 1992
Based on a true story, the made-for-TV Child Lost Forever was advertised as a "docudrama." A unwed teenage mother is forced to give up her baby for adoption. 16 years later, the girl (played as an adult by Beverly D'Angelo), now married and the mother of two, decides to look for the son she lost. She finds that the boy died at age three under mysterious circumstances. The more she investigates, the more she realizes that she's stumbled upon a long-hushed-up case of child abuse. Child Lost Forever debuted November 16, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beverly D'Angelo, Michael McGrady, (more)
- 1991
Little Secrets is based on Slumber Party, a play by Nancy Lee Myatt. Reunited at a high school reunion, six women decide to nostalgically attend an old-fashioned slumber party. Just as they'd done as teenagers, the ladies share their fantasies, hopes, and innermost secrets. But time has past, and there is a bittersweet edge to the proceedings. Cicely Adams, Bettina Devin, Carla Folk, Anne Leyden, Catherine McNeal and Lisa Robins star in this piquant character study,which was partially filmed on location in Newport Beach, California. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Tom Cruise juggles Martini shakers and ice cubes as the materialistic Brian Flanagan, a bartender who drops out of school to search for the perfect "rich chick" who will bankroll him into luxury. Brian meets up with bar veteran Doug Couglin (Bryan Brown) and they put together a dance-duo bar-tending act, taking five minutes to a mix a drink as they dance and toss gin bottles behind the bar to cutting-edge rock music circa 1988. The patrons, instead of demanding the booze, are dazzled by their antics and cheer them on. As a result, the bartenders become wildly popular -- in particular, Brian, who finds the bar babes falling all over each other to hop into the sack with him. As a result of their bar-tending success, they get hired to tend bar at a swanky disco, but there Brian and Doug have a falling out, and Brian takes off for Jamaica. There he meets vacationing New York City waitress Jordan Mooney (Elisabeth Shue) and the two fall in love. But then Brian meets rich New York fashion executive Bonnie (Lisa Banes) who wants to take Brian back to Manhattan with her to become her drink-mixing stud. When Jordan sees this, the love affair is put on hold. But not for long, as pangs of consciousness begin to filter through Brian's drunken haze. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, (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
