Ike Eisenmann Movies

In a gender-reversed version of his previous hit Pretty in Pink, John Hughes retreads all-too- familiar ground in Some Kind of Wonderful, the story of a sensitive, young would-be artist, Keith (Eric Stoltz), who vies for the affection of his high school's popularity queen, Amanda (Lea Thompson), seemingly out of some deep-rooted insecurity regarding his social ineptitude. He enlists the help of his butch best friend and fellow misfit, Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson), unaware that she secretly pines for him. While she goads him to give up his pointless pursuit of Amanda, he encounters one other small obstacle -- Amanda's rich bully of a boyfriend, Hardy (Craig Sheffer), who threatens Keith with a face rearrangement. Undeterred, Keith decides he will, by any means necessary, escort his dream girl to the prom -- but not before he buys her expensive jewelry with the money from his college fund in order to impress her. (Hughes expects the audience to side with Keith when his father protests.) Some Kind of Wonderful is pure fantasy, but the plot is too tired and flawed for it to be completely satisfactory escapism. Still, the performances are all-around good and the ending is slightly more likeable than its predecessor's. Hughes decided to use the original Pretty in Pink ending, which had been dropped from the original after poor audience response at the advance screenings. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

Director Martin Ritt's bucolic rural environments of Norma Rae, Conrack, and Sounder, are re-visited once again in Cross Creek, based on author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' memoirs of her times on a remote Florida bayou. Mary Steenburgen plays Rawlings, author of The Yearling, who, in 1928, makes the abrupt decision to leave her husband and move to an isolated orange grove to concentrate on her writing. Rawlings buys a run-down house covered with cobwebs that she restores with quick dispatch. In these desolate surroundings, Rawlings pauses in her housecleaning to listen reflectively to the otherworldly noises of the swamp. But suddenly out of this loneliness, people emerge. There is Geechee (Alfre Woodard), Rawlings' devoted servant; Marsh Turner (Rip Torn), a liquor-guzzling swamp rat; Floyd Turner (Cary Guffey), a cute harmonica-playing boy; and Ellie Turner (Dana Hill), a little girl whose fawn becomes the basis of Rawlings' Yearling book. Rawlings becomes involved with Norton Baskin (Peter Coyote), the owner of the local hotel, and, as she settles into life on the bayou and her friendship with Norton and Geechee, she is inspired to begin writing. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Filmed on location in New York, Dreams Don't Die is a story of survival. Ike Eisenmann stars as Danny, a young "graffiti artist" whose talents do not go unnoticed by a sensitive cop (Paul Winfield). With no father of his own, Danny latches onto the cop. This in turn leads to an intensive effort by Danny to track down a local drug lord. In his last film role, James Broderick is uncharacteristically cast as the villain. Made for television, Dreams Don't Die premiered May 21, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With George C. Scott and Marlon Brando heading the cast, The Formula should have been far better than it is. Adapted by Steve Shagan from his own best-selling novel, the film is predicated on the concept that a formula for synthetic fuel had been developed by the Nazis during WW II. In the intervening 35 years since the war's end, the formula has disappeared and several people connected with it have died under mysterious circumstances. Also during this period, oil magnate Adam Steiffel (Marlon Brando) had commiserated with one of the decedents. Police officer Barney Caine (George C. Scott), a friend of the dead man, hopes to solve the mystery, and in so doing gets mixed up in a wide-ranging conspiracy to manipulate worldwide fuel prices. Reportedly, The Formula underwent a great deal of editing-room surgery before its release. If so, the editors certainly erred in retaining so many of the film's interminable "steadicam" sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV thriller is yet another tale of swarming killer bees. A sub-par sequel to The Savage Bees, this time around, a scientist and his cohorts set out to protect some innocent school kids from the attacking insects. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Anna Sewell's 1906 novel Black Beauty was given its most elaborate and thorough filmization to date in this five-part TV presentation. The scene has been shifted from England to Maryland, but otherwise Sewell's story about 13 years in the life of the beautiful and headstrong colt Black Beauty remains intact. In part one, telecast January 31, 1978, we see how Black Beauty is raised from a foal by the family of farmer Tom Gray (Martin Milner). When Tom suffers a stroke, his wife (Eilleen Brennan) sells both farm and colt. Filmed in Kentucky, Black Beauty was narrated throughout its run by David Wayne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A shy adolescent finds himself telepathically linked to a pair of wolves in this youthful fantasy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Bermuda Triangle claims more victims when an archaeological expedition disappears and rewakens on an island complete with the past, present and future. (AKA Fantastic Journey) ~ All Movie Guide

Also known as Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free, this TV pilot film stars Don Meredith in the title role. Banjo Hackett is a western horsetrader, circa 1885, who travels in the company of his orphaned nephew (Ike Eisenmann). While searching for a rare Arabian mare stolen from the nephew's late mother, Hackett occasionally pays a visit to Mollie (Jennifer Warren), a ranch owner whom Banjo would marry if he'd only admit he loved the woman. Millionaire Dan O'Herlihy and untrustworthy bounty hunter Chuck Connors are also after the stolen horse. The film's storyline is as rambling as Banjo Hackett himself, which was both its charm and curse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Child actor Ike Eisenmann, a frequent participant in the ABC Afterschool Special offerings of the 1970s, plays the title role in The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon. Shorter in stature than most of his classmates in the sixth grade, young Duffy decides to purchase a somewhat mystical book that, according to its advertising, will enable him to "THINK BIG." Among the book's suggestions is to speak in a robotic voice when confronted by an adversity (namely, the school bully). An unexpected incident involving an injured pet crow serves to prove that Duffy doesn't really need a book to tap the inner resources -- and strengths -- that he's had all along. The impressive adult supporting cast includes Jim Backus and Jerry Van Dyke. ~ All Movie Guide

Simon Oakland guest stars as ex-parole officer Frank Hunter, who hatches a diabolically ingenious scheme to enrich himself and get even with his former employers. Assembling a gang of industrious ex-convicts, Hunter instructs them to carefully study the modus operandi of Hondo's (Steve Forrest) SWAT team. This scrutiny is the first step in a meticulously planned two-million-dollar heist, with rare coins as the booty. This was the final episode of S.W.A.T.'s first season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This fast-paced Disney endeavor stars Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann as two adolescents with acute psychic powers. The kids are actually space aliens, but suffer from amnesia and are unaware of their origins. Pursued by greedy business-mogul Ray Milland, who wants to harness their special powers for his benefit, Kim and Ike are rescued by likeable camper Eddie Albert. He and the kids escape to the mountain of the title when Albert's RV suddenly acquires the power of flight. In 1978, the film spawned the sequel Return from Witch Mountain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide