Al Fann Movies

Missing the good old days of Boston when he and his friends gathered at a certain watering hole called "Cheers", Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) seeks out a similar Seattle bar "where everybody knows your name." He settles upon an English-style pub called the Fox and Whistle, which in many ways (except for the accents and decor) is quite similar to his favorite Beantown haunt. The more Frasier feels at home with his new drinking buddies, the more annoyed Daphne (Jane Leeves) becomes -- it seems that the Fox and Whistle is her favorite bar as well, and she feels that Frasier is muscling in on her "territory." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Obligated by her enormous traffic fines to do community service at a free clinic, Hilary (Karyn Parsons) begins entertaining thoughts of becoming a doctor's wife when she meets the clinic's charismatic head physician Alec Hudson (Bobby Hosea). Soon, however, our heroine's illusions are shattered, thanks in great part to a bit of vital information that Dr. Hudson has been withholding from her. This is the episode which ends with a montage of scenes wherein Will's pal Jazz (Jeff Townes) is unceremoniously booted out of the Banks house. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally networkcast as a single one-hour special), Harry (Harry Anderson) is offered several jobs, from superior court-judge to road manager for Mel Torme, before making his final decision. Elsewhere, Christine (Markie Post) rather surprisingly wins the congressional election; Dan (John Larroquette) finally finds his true love; and Bull (Richard Moll) has a very close encounter with some Jupiterians. Though intended as the final installment of Night Court's nine-season run, this episode was originally seen next-to-last, with an additional first-run episode shown three weeks later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Leslie Nielsen returns as the intrepid (and accident-prone) Lt. Frank Drebin in Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, "un film de David Zucker." This second feature film from the "Police Squad!" series finds Drebin as a guest at a White House dinner, receiving an award for shooting his 1,000th drug dealer, although he admits to shooting only 998 -- he ran over the last two in his car. ("Luckily, they turned out to be drug dealers"). Also at the White House dinner is energy czar Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer (Richard Griffiths), whom President George Bush (John Roarke) has chosen to start a new national energy policy. Since Meinheimer believes in promoting alternative energy resources, the evil leaders of the polluting energy industries (coal, oil, and nuclear power--or the lobby groups SMOKE, SPILL and KABOOM) are horrified at Bush's choice. Joining together with arch-villain Quentin Hapsburg (Robert Goulet), they plan to kidnap the real Meinheimer and substitute a fake Meinheimer in his place who will enact energy policy according to the dictates of the energy lobby. Drebin becomes deeply involved in the conspiracy when he runs into his ex-girl friend Jane (Priscilla Presley), who is not only Meinheimer's public relations director but also Hapsburg's current paramour. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Terrence McNally's stage play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune was a two-character piece, which starred Kathy Bates and F. Murray Abraham on Broadway. Garry Marshall's film version of the McNally play streamlines the title to Frankie and Johnny, expands the dramatis personae to include at least a dozen fascinating characters, and "glamorizes" the decidedly unglamorous Frankie and Johnny in the forms of Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino (their first co-starring stint since Scarface). Purists carped at the changes, but overall the film is likeable enough to transcend these carps. While serving an 18-month sentence on a forgery charge, Johnny (Al Pacino) discovers the joys of cooking and classical literature. Upon his release, he is hired by gruff but good-hearted New York diner owner Nick (played by Garry Marshall "regular" Hector Elizondo). Also working for Nick is a waitress named Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer). When Johnny expresses interest in Frankie, she keeps him at arm's length, her mistrust of men stemming from an unmentioned but obviously traumatic experience in her past. Eventually, however, Frankie and Johnny do get together, their curious relationship setting the stage for a dramatic denouement wherein both lovers bare their souls. The bulk of the original McNally play is concentrated in the film's final 20 minutes; the rest of the picture is a kaleidoscope of comic and poignant vignettes and quick-sketch character studies. Of the newly minted characters, the standout is Nathan Lane in the traditional "gay best friend/severest critic" role: he plays the character so effectively that one forgets he's essentially a cliché. As for the stars, Al Pacino is ideally cast as Johnny, but Michelle Pfeiffer, superb though she is, seems a bit ill at ease as the emotionally tattered Frankie; she totally wins the audience's hearts, however, in the film's memorable bowling-alley sequence. Smoothing over the rough spots in Frankie and Johnny is the evocative musical score by Marvin Hamlisch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Just before midterms, Kim (Charnele Brown) receives word that her policeman father (Richard Roundtree) has been seriously wounded on the job. As Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Freddie (Cree Summer) accompany Kim to the hospital, Freddie does her best to bolster Kim's faith in God. But her well-meaning efforts may prove futile when Kim is told the extent of her father's injuries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A transit engineer and his family must face the gargantuan task of moving from New Jersey to Boise, Idaho in this lively comedy starring Richard Pryor. It all begins after he gets a really great job out West. Unfortunately, his family is less than thrilled with the prospect. The furniture movers, who prove to be crooks, and their crazy neighbors conspire to make matters all the worse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In 1982, Crippen High School was the scene of a gruesome series of dismemberment murders, but the killer was never identified. Five years later, Cosmic Pictures arrives at the long-abandoned campus to make a low-budget horror movie based on the tragedy, and suddenly the terror begins anew. The police department arrives at the school to find the building and grounds covered in gore and human body parts, the remains of the unfortunate film crew. The only survivor of this new massacre is the screenwriter, Arthur (Richard Brestoff), who tries to explain the horrifying events to the authorities. The troubled production's leading lady is angered over the demeaning nature of her role, the producer and director argue over the film's lack of artistic merits, and when cast members start disappearing, everyone else assumes that they're just quitting out of disgust. Who is the culprit? Is it the school's principal, appearing as himself in the film for the sake of realism? The janitor, who hopes to parlay his cameo into a pornography career? Or maybe Steven (Brendan Hughes), who was a student at Crippen during the original murder spree and finds himself reluctantly cast as the hero? This self-referential slasher parody features George Clooney in a small part as the film's first victim, and The Brady Bunch's Maureen McCormick as a policewoman with a lust for blood and hot dogs. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide

This romantic, melancholy twist on the Frankenstein formula stars Peter O'Toole as Professor Harry Wolper, a lonely eccentric who has dedicated decades of research to cloning his long-dead wife Lucy from a culture of living tissue. To this end, he enlists the services of likeable Graduate assistant Boris (Vincent Spano), who is initially baffled by the professor's endless rants about God, Science and "The Big Picture." After Wolper posts bills seeking a human egg donor, his wish is granted by the vivacious young Meli (Mariel Hemingway), in whom the professor soon discovers a more willing convert to his grand design... and perhaps a love more immediate and real than the one he lost. Boris eventually manages to come around to "The Big Picture" himself when Wolper points him in the direction of another graduate, Barbara (Virginia Madsen). Despite opting for a platonic relationship to better determine if they are ideally matched, Boris and Barbara soon fall deeply in love, realizing that they are soul-mates as the professor had predicted. Tragedy strikes, however, when a brain hemorrhage renders Barbara comatose, and Wolper's nemesis Dr. Sid Kuhlenbeck (David Ogden Stiers) persuades the university to shut down Harry's private cloning laboratory. Meli forces Wolper to choose between her love and his misplaced longing for his dead wife... and his answer is suddenly made clear when he witnesses Boris's heartfelt determination to bring his own true love back to the land of the living. Written by Jeremy Leven (based on his own novel), this is a flawed but engaging comedy which proves that a well-written story can incorporate traditional science fiction elements as more than a mere plot device and actually enhance the humanity of the characters. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) has had just about enough of his contentious store manager, Wendell Thomas (Earl Billings) -- a sentiment shared by the rest of George's employees. Alas, just as George is firing Wendell, the much-despised manager drops dead. Can things get any worse? You bet: George is called upon to deliver the eulogy at Wendell's funeral. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of Good Times' three-part sixth season opener, J.J. (Jimmie Walker) borrows heavily from neighborhood loan shark Sweet Daddy (Teddy Wilson) to finance the wedding between J.J.'s sister, Thelma (BernNadette Stanis), and football star Keith Anderson (Ben Powers). As the ceremony proceeds, it looks as if the Evans family will have ample reason to celebrate -- especially since Keith is on the verge of signing a lucrative contract with the Chicago Bears. But as the newlyweds race down the aisle after exchanging vows, disaster strikes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"Batman and Robin" are the principal characters in the fact-based The Super Cops. Well, not the real Batman and Robin; these just happen to be the nicknames of two irrepressible New York City cops, Dave Greenberg (Ron Leibman) and Bob Hantz (David Selby). Flying in the face of departmental procedure and protocol, Greenberg and Hantz use bizarre (and often amusing) extreme methods to rid the streets of drug merchants. The two gonzo cops find an unexpected ally in the form of a prostitute named Sara (Sheila E. Frazer). Adapted by Lorenzo Semple Jr. (who coincidentally wrote the Batman TV pilot episode) from the best-selling book by L. H. Whitemore, The Super Cops features the genuine Dave Greenberg and Bob Hantz in minor roles...as cops, naturally. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide