Scott Cleverdon Movies
A tightly-knit New Mexico community devoted to God, family, and fresh Mexican food is unexpectedly thrust into the national spotlight when the face of Jesus Christ appears on a tasty tortilla as the owner and head cook prepares for the Sunday lunch rush. Isidor Navarro is the owner and proprietor of Tortilla Heaven - a modest Mexican restaurant located in the remote town of Falfurrias. Though Tortilla Heaven may indeed have the best food in all of New Mexico, the only people aware of the restaurant are the seventy-two other residents who live in Falfurrias. All of that changes one fateful Sunday, however, when the citizens of Falfurrias file into church to pray the Lord's Mass and Isidor steps into the kitchen to make some fresh tortillas. When the dough that morning proves especially hard to handle and Isidor curses the difficult mixture before slamming it down on the grill, the God-fearing cook is suddenly taken aback when the face of Jesus Christ appears on the burnt tortilla. Of course in a tiny town like Falfurrias it's impossible to keep a secret, and the very next day curious citizens are filing into Tortilla Heaven to find out if there is any truth to the rumors concerning a divine flatbread. As Isidor realizes the moneymaking potential of the culinary anomaly and begins to charge admission, worshippers begin to appear from all corners of the state and Tortilla Heaven soon begins to turn a tidy profit. Later, after a series of incredible miracles are attributed to the tortilla, a shady city-slicker named Gil Garcia appears at Tortilla Heaven throwing around such words as "expansion" and "franchising." It doesn't take much for Gil to convince Isidor to sign on the dotted line, and it's only when greed begins to plague the citizens of Falfurrias that the true miracle comes to light. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- José Zuñiga, Miguel Sandoval, (more)
Inspired by the timeless hymn from which it takes its instantly recognizable name, director Jeta Amata's epic drama tells the remarkable tale of John Newton, a British slave trader who was moved to pen one of the world's best-known spiritual songs after traveling to Nigeria in 1748. The time was the 18th Century, and slave trading was at an all time high. John Newton had recently taken over as the captain of The Greyhound, and was making his way towards the Nigerian port of Calabar. A once-righteous man who had turned his back on religion after becoming caught up in the lucrative slave trade, Newton was now course in manner, and ruthless in trade. But Newton's barbarous ways would soon come back to haunt him, however, when after burning down a Nigerian village and rounding up his latest "cargo," his ship is nearly destroyed - and his life nearly lost - in a particularly violent storm at sea. The only reason his life was spared, claimed Newton, was due to the grace of God. Oddly enough, it wasn't this close brush with death that prompted Newton to abandon the slave trade, but a remarkable display of compassion from one of the slaves he had so callously dismissed as sub-human in the past. Subsequently devoting his entire life to religion, Newton recalls the melody of a traditional African song he had heard while back in Calabar, folds in his own lyrics, and creates one of the most famous religious hymns ever penned. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Moran, Scott Cleverdon, (more)
The Soccer Dog series of family-oriented, animal-starring sports pictures continues with this installment, which features a distinctly cross-Atlantic setting. Soccer Dog: European Cup opens with the titular hero, Kimble, escaping the clutches of an evil scientist, bent on performing animal experiments. Our plucky canine hero then falls into the hands of Zack (Jake Thomas), an American boy who's been brought to Scotland after the death of his mother to be reunited with the father he never knew, Brian (Nick Moran). After a bumpy introduction, father and son eventually connect by playing soccer together, and when the unusually nimble Kimble storms onto the field one day, their lives change forever. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Moran, Jake Thomas, (more)
The most disorganized crew in the Navy returns in this updated adaptation of the once-popular TV sitcom. Lt. Cmdr. Quinton McHale (Tom Arnold) has retired from the U.S. Navy and is living on the old PT boat he used to command. He spends his days making the rounds of the Caribbean Island of San Moreno, where he was stationed at the end of his career and now peddles pin-up calendars and booze to sailors. However, McHale's idyllic surroundings are soon spoiled when Vladikov (Tim Curry), tired of being known as the "second-best terrorist in the world," decides to stage a bid for world domination and targets San Moreno first. Desperate to fend off Vladikov, Capt. Binghampton (Dean Stockwell) calls McHale back to active duty. McHale is once again saddled with a crew of misfits and losers, including the easily frightened Ensign Parker (David Alan Grier), straight-laced Lt. Carpenter (Debra Messing), good-natured Happy (French Stewart), and Virgil (Bruce Campbell). Ernest Borgnine, star of the original TV series, appears in a small role as a high-ranking Pentagon official who turns out to be McHale's father. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Arnold, Tim Curry, (more)
In this low-budget screwball-mystery, the death of an L.A. woman leads to a surreal murder investigation on the outer fringes of la-la land. When Molly McMannis (Justine Bateman) turns up dead, still impaled with the murder weapon -- a carrot -- the police launch a probe into the colorful world Molly inhabited. The suspects range from her ex-con brother to her roommate to her high-strung friend (Heather Graham). But a more likely culprit lurks among the ranks of a therapy group full of off-the-wall serial killers and the shrinks who coddle them. The fetishistic police detectives -- including sadistic interrogator Angela Pierce (Jill Hennessy) -- prove as disturbing as the people they're investigating. In fact, their unorthodox procedures leave the door open for the killer to strike again. Written, produced, and directed by Jordan Alan, who previously helmed the similarly offbeat Love and Happiness, Kiss and Tell features a who's who of obscure and indie Hollywood talent, including veteran actor Lewis Arquette and his three famous sons. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Howitt, Daniel Craig, (more)











