Alix Elias Movies
- 2000
This year's Halloween assignment for Monica (Roma Downey), Tess (Della Reese) and Andrew (John Dye) is to save expectant parents Annie and Rick Higuerra (Karen Arroyave, Guillermo Diaz) from the clutches of Satan. Annie has already been approached at her place of business by a demonic young man named Dennis (Thomas Dekker), while cash-poor Rick is being tempted to stray from the fold by a sinister bookie named Cal (Jeremy Roberts). Inasmuch as the true identity of these two strangers is obvious from the start, one would think that the three angels would have no trouble thwarting their perennial foe...and one would be wrong! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
In the conclusion of a two-part story, mobster Vito Capone (Perry Anzilotti) threatens to bump off Bud (David Faustino) unless the exercise video starring Kelly (Christina Applegate) and Raphael (John Carlos Frey) is finished by 5 PM. Unfortunately, Kelly and Raphael aren't speaking to each other--and when they DO speak, they nearly get Married. . .With Children knocked off the network. Meanwhile, Peg and Marcy are can't understand why Al and Jefferson are taking so long installing a satellite dish...little realizing that every husband in the neighborhood is using the Bundy roof as a refuge from their wives!. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Peg (Katey Sagal) and her lady friends decide to find out just what it is that attracts their husbands to "The Jiggly Room", a local nudie bar. Al (Ed O'Neill) is upset by Peg's intrusion upon his macho sanctum sanctorum, but is downright appalled when his wife decides to strut her own stuff on the Jiggly Room stage. Meanwhile, Kelly (Christina Applegate) may have trouble holding on to her latest commercial acting assignment for a weight-loss product. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In order to become a member of Al's macho NO MA'AM organization, Bud (David Faustino) must go through an initiation ritual that is seemingly dreamed up on the spot. Bud's challenge is to crash the nationally televised "WrestlePalooza" match and get his picture taken with the legendary King Kong Bundy (no relation, of course). The result: Dressed in an idiotic bumblebee costume, Bud finds himself squaring off against Bundy in a no-holds-barred grappling match! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Carl Reiner won an Emmy award for his portrayal of "TV legend" Alan Brady, a role originally created by Reiner on the old Dick Van Dyke Show. Paul (Paul Reiser) is at his wit's end trying to mollify the famously temperamental Brady so that he can complete a documentary. The key to the solution turns out to be in the hands of Theresa (Penny Fuller), the mother of Paul's wife, Jamie (Helen Hunt). Highlights include a discourse on Milton Berle (yes, it's true what they say about him) and Jamie's impromptu Laura Petrie imitation. This was one of several episodes directed by Gordon Hunt, father of series co-star Helen Hunt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
A blizzard has left Chicago blanketed in two feet of snow -- and the ER is completely bereft of patient activity. But no sooner does the staff try to take advantage of their unexpected "layoff" than disaster strikes in the form of a horrendous 32-car pileup. In the midst of the ensuing chaos, Dr. Angela Hicks (CCH Pounder) makes her first appearance. Meanwhile, Carol (Julianna Margulies) has a surprise in store for her colleagues. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A crime fighter created in the 1930s and popularized in movies, pulp novels, and a radio show starring a young Orson Welles, The Shadow came back to life in 1994 in this slick, well-cast production. Alec Baldwin stars as Lamont Cranston, a murderous opium dealer reformed by a Tibetan mystic, who teaches him how to use his keen mental powers to manipulate others. As penance for his past misdeeds, Cranston masquerades as a degenerate New York City playboy by day and secretly plays the heroic Shadow by night, staving off evildoers with a network of agents and a cab-driving sidekick (Peter Boyle). A greater challenge arrives when Cranston must fight Shiwan Khan (John Lone), the final descendent of Genghis Khan, who has received training from the same Tibetan master who instructed Cranston. Shiwan plans to use atomic weapons to take over New York and then the world. At the same time, Cranston meets socialite Margo Lane (Penelope Ann Miller), and, although he's instantly enamored of her, he discovers that her psychic abilities render his secret identity vulnerable. The Shadow was directed by former music video creator Russell Mulcahy, whose feature film debut Highlander (1986) was a cult classic. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Baldwin, John Lone, (more)
- 1993
With his usual "date" Murphy (Candice Bergen) indisposed, Frank goes to the annual Press Club dinner alone. Sensing that it is about time Frank stop travelling stag, Corky (Faith Ford) suggests that he make the "Big Leap" into marriage. Almost instantly, Frank not only acquires a fiancée named Julianna (Amy Aquino), but also embarks upon a total lifestyle makeover by stuffing his apartment with expensive furniture! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
The ladies of Cabot Cove are enchanted by a newcomer to the community, handsome gym instructor Wayne Bennett (Jason Beghe). Especially fascinated by Bennett is Eve Simpson (Julie Adams), who naturally is an old friend of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). When Bennett's onetime partner, con artist Fred Kepper (Hugh O'Brien), turns up dead in Eve's bedroom, Jessica can't bring herself to believe that her friend had anything to do with this awkward turn of events--and as always, Jessica knows best. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- PG
While on a dig in Peru, a shady archaeologist uncovers a strange creature, which he dubs a "Munchie." He brings the animal home, but it begins to mutate and procreate--with disastrous results--soon after a con artist kidnaps it. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Korman, Charles Stratton, (more)
- 1987
This is the first of four "Day in the Life" episodes, in which Harry (Harry Anderson) must judge a huge number of cases before a predetermined deadline. In this instance, Harry wants to dispense justice to 200 defendants in order to beat a midnight "general amnesty" ordered by a retiring federal judge. Among those appearing before Harry is NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff, who pleads on behalf of a Nielsen family that doesn't want to go to jail before they get a chance to watch Misfits of Science! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Hurricane Mel bears down upon New York City just as four very pregnant defendants simultaneously go into labor in Harry's courtroom. In the course of events, one of the mothers-to-be (played by action-film diva Pam Grier) decides it's about time to marry her baby's father, while Dan (John Larroquette) is pressed into service as an emergency obstetrician! And just to make things even more difficult, Harry (Harry Anderson) must deal with the trailer-trash excesses of the Wheeler family (headed by future Star Trek: The Next Generation costar Brent Spiner). Florence Halop makes her last appearance as court matron Florence Kleiner in this, the final episode of Night Court's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In the first episode of a two-part story, New York City battens down in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Mel. Several people end up being trapped in Harry's courtroom, with no supplies or utilities. Among those huddled together are four very pregnant defendants--not to mention those inimitable indigents, the Wheeler family from West Virginia! Former blaxploitation-film diva Pam Grier plays one of the moms-to-be, while future Star Trek: The Next Generation costar Brent Spiner repeats his role as Bob Wheeler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director David Byrne (of Talking Heads) takes an outside-looking-in glance at Texas and Texans in True Stories. Casting himself as the protagonist/narrator, Byrne adopts what he thinks is "standard" western garb and drives his red convertible into the small town of Virgil. Here he observes the town's preparations for celebrating Texas' sesquicentennial, taking time out to introduce us to several of the local oddballs. Swoosie Kurtz plays Miss Rollings, the Laziest Woman in the World; Alix Elias is The Cute Woman, who decorates her home in the most hideously "sweet" manner imaginable; John Goodman is talent-contest entrant Louis Fyne, who harbors dreams of being a C&W star; Spalding Gray is Earl Culver, a vegetable-obsessed civic leader; Jo Harvey Allen is The Lying Woman; and so it goes. The script by Southerners Byrne, Beth Henley and Steven Tobolowksy strives to avoid subtlety. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Byrne, John Goodman, (more)
- 1985
- R
Based on a play by Kevin Wade, this comedy stars Brooke Adams as a television producer who demands commitment from her free-spirited lover (Ben Masters). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Masters, Brooke Adams, (more)
Veering off in several thematic directions at once, A Night in Heaven starts with a torrid student-teacher romance which becomes somewhat derailed by adding on a failing marriage, political allusions related to NASA, a frustrated sister of the teacher, and several additional characters, many of whom are stuffing bills into male dancer's jock straps. Faye (Lesley Ann Warren) has just flunked a student in her speech class when she goes out that night to the "Heaven" nightclub and lo-and-definitely behold, there is Rick (Christopher Atkins), the failed student in his incarnation as a successful male stripper. This was a view of the student that Faye had never expected, and before anyone can flip a $20, the two are making mad, passionate love. While this may satisfy a few fantasies, events lead to an ultimate confrontation between the teacher's husband (who worked for NASA) and Rick that is even less believable than the student-teacher sexual liaison. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Atkins, Lesley Ann Warren, (more)
- 1982
- PG
Tom Smothers and Carol Kane co-star with Paul Reubens and Judge Reinhold in this uneven comedy spoof of slasher films. Sergeant Cooper (Smothers) is a Canadian Mountie who investigates the death of cheerleaders attending a summer camp at Indiana's It Had To Be University. Cameo appearances by Eve Arden, Kaye Ballard, Eileen Brennan, Tab Hunter, and Donald O'Connor fail to add anything to the thin, sophomoric plot. This film should not be confused with the similarly titled 1988 Australian feature directed by Hadyn Keenan. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Smothers, Carol Kane, (more)
- 1979
- PG
The "fish" in the title of this picture refers to the astrological sign Pisces. Not all of Pittsburgh is due to be saved, but the members of a third-rate NBA basketball team could sure use some salvation. When all the team members except for Moses Guthrie (Julius Erving) quit, astrologer Mona Mondieu (Stockard Channing) and streetwise Tyrone Millman (James Bond III) come to the rescue. The supporting cast includes Jonathan Winters in a dual role, as well as real-life basketball champs Meadowlark Lemon and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Jonathan Winters, (more)
Rock 'n' Roll High School is a prime example of a 1970s movie phenomenon: a cult film that was deliberately designed to be a cult film. High-schooler Riff Randell's (P.J. Soles) efforts to meet the Ramones are continually thwarted by rock & roll-hating principal Evelyn Togar (Mary Woronov). Ms. Togar is the zealous sort who conducts experiments on laboratory rats to prove the adverse effect of rock music on innocent teenagers. Riff knows that she'll have to be twice as clever and devious as Togar to get her daily supply of Ramones -- and thereby hangs our tale. A secondary plot involves the efforts of pimply student Eaglebauer (Clint Howard) to arrange a date with the very particular Riff. A deliciously anarchistic climax caps this never-a-dull-moment spoof of 1950s rock & roll musicals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- P.J. Soles, Vincent Van Patten, (more)
- 1977
CB radios provide a human connection between the lives of a collection of varied characters in Jonathan Demme's energizing film that exploits the CB radio craze of the mid-'70s. Chrome Angel (Charles Napier) is a truck driver who has an accident and is laid up recuperating at the home of Hot Coffee (Alix Elias). A road-roaring philanderer, Chrome Angel is a bigamist with a wife, Dallas (Ann Wedgeworth), in Dallas and another wife, Portland (Marcia Rodd), in Portland. The two women converge in a small town where Spider (Paul Le Mat) and his embittered brother Blood (Bruce McGill) are both trying to date Electra (Candy Clark). The characters' CB monikers weave the characters into the same CB waveband, exemplifying the interconnectedness of an American subculture. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Le Mat, Candy Clark, (more)
John and Mary attracted a great deal of press coverage in 1969 for being the one of the first American films in which the male and female leads (Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow) start out the film by spending the night together, rather than holding off until the end. The morning after, the boy and girl wander about New York, wondering if they'll truly commit themselves to one another. Both characters are haunted by unsuccessful earlier affairs, and both have enough hang-ups to fill volumes of psychological textbooks. Come nightfall, John and Mary end up back in bed...and learn each other's names for the first time. John and Mary was considered "beautiful," "progressive" and "significant" in the permissive 1960s; nowadays it's about as controversial as The CBS Morning News. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dustin Hoffman, Mia Farrow, (more)
