Charles Fleischer Movies

A pet chameleon who has lived his entire life in the confines of a cozy glass terrarium discovers adventure beyond his wildest imagination in this animated Western adventure from Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski. When we first meet Rango (voice of Johnny Depp), the sheltered pet chameleon is safe in his terrarium, and embarking on epic adventures through the power of imagination. Then, suddenly, his safe existence is irrevocably upended thanks to a bump in the road that sends him soaring out of a car window and right onto the searing-hot asphalt of a desert highway. On the advice of a wise armadillo who relays the story of the Spirit of the West, our conical-eyed hero sets out in search of a town called Dirt, narrowly escaping a hungry hawk and encountering a self-sufficient pioneer named Beans (voice of Isla Fisher) along the way. Upon arriving in the dusty desert town, Rango wanders into the local bar and convinces the townspeople that he's a notorious gunslinger with a lightning-fast trigger finger. When one of the locals challenges Rango to a showdown on Main Street, the hawk that menaced our hero on his way to town shows up looking for a rematch, and ends up beak-down in the dirt. Convinced that Rango is the real deal, the Mayor (voice of Ned Beatty) decides to name the brave chameleon their new sheriff. But Rango's honeymoon in Dirt is short-lived when bandits steal the town's entire supply of water, and the newly christened sheriff forms a posse in order to get it back. Little do they realize they were all being manipulated by one greedy power-monger who's determined to keep the people of Dirt under his thumb with the help of a diabolical villain named Rattlesnake Jake (voice of Bill Nighy) whose Gatling-gun tail makes Swiss cheese of all challengers. Now, if Rango can just locate the Spirit of the West (voice of Timothy Olyphant) and summon the courage to realize his true potential, perhaps he can finally free the people of Dirt from the tyranny that binds them, and discover his true destiny under the scorching desert sun. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The true story behind the murders that many crime scholars believe to be the most perplexing series of unsolved crimes in modern history comes to the screen in chilling detail as Fight Club and Seven director David Fincher steps behind the camera to tell the mysterious tale of the infamous Zodiac killer. A relentless serial killer is stalking the streets of the San Francisco Bay Area, leaving citizens locked into a constant state of panic, and baffled authorities scrambling for clues. Though the killer sadistically mocks the detectives by leaving a series of perplexing ciphers and menacing letters at the crime scenes, the investigation quickly flatlines when none of the evidence yields any solid leads. As two detectives remain steadfast in their devotion to bringing the elusive killer to justice, they soon find that the madman has control not only over their careers, but their very lives as well. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A round-robin of practical jokery begins when Drew (Drew Carey) gives away the handmade mugs that were supposed to be Lewis and Oswald's Christmas presents to the Salvation Army. Seeking revenge, Lewis (Ryan Stiles) and Oswald (Diedrich Bader) take advantage of the fact that Drew has gone to the doctor to treat an injured wrist--and by episode's end, our hero has been given a surprise colonoscopy by a Russian veterinarian (played by Charles Fleischer, the voice of "Roger Rabbit")! This episode originally aired in tandem with "A Speedy Recovery". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this horror story liberally laced with comedy, an up-and-coming rock band called the Wiseguys are making their first music video and they are shooting on standing sets at a major Hollywood studio. Some of the world's best-known horror films were shot there and the band and their director plan on milking the spooky ambience for all it's worth. However, it turns out there are more than just pretend scares in store for the band -- it seems a masked murderer is stalking the studio lot, and is re-creating a number of well-known death scenes, with the band and their girlfriends as unfortunate "extras." The Back Lot Murders stars Priscilla Barnes, Corey Haim, Charles Fleischer, and David DeFalco. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Two bad cops rise from the grave in an attempt to go straight in this offbeat comedy. Mike Mattress (Tate Donovan) and Dean Crept (William Forsythe) are a pair of stone-faced FBI agents who are not above stretching the law to their advantage; their double dealings lead to their fiery death in a booby-trapped car, and the two agents find themselves descending into Hell. After a disturbing run-in with Satan (Robert Goulet), Mattress and Crept escape and find their way back to Earth, where they hope to perform some good deeds that might allow them to escape damnation. Starting over as private eyes, Mattress and Crept are hired by millionaire Greydon Lake (Barry Newman), who believes his wife Gloria (Vanessa Angel) has been unfaithful to him. Gloria soon turns the tables by hiring the two gumshoes away from her husband, but things take a sinister turn when Greydon turns up dead. While tracking down leads in Greydon's murder, Mattress and Crept discover he was financing research by the eccentric Dr. Boifford (David Huddleston), whose bizarre talents come in handy when Buster (Bobcat Goldthwait), a leg man for the detectives, is killed while doing research; Boifford is able to transplant his brain into the body of a robot. Meanwhile, Buster's accident attracts the attention of the police, as well as FBI agents Dalton (Zach Galligan) and Langdon (Gary Busey), who are hot on the heels of the formerly dead lawmen. G-Men From Hell is based on characters from the comic book Grafik Musik, created by Michael Allred. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Ground Control follows the reluctant return to work of Jack Harris (Kiefer Sutherland), a retired air traffic controller who is still haunted by his role in a probably unavoidable plane crash that has left him guilt-ridden and professionally gun shy. When a Phoenix airport fighting budget cutbacks calls him in for emergency duty, he begins experiencing flashbacks to the night of the disaster, all while trying desperately not to lose concentration even for the single moment it would take to cause a fresh disaster. He is supported by a seasoned supervisor (Bruce McGill) but challenged by a cocky young controller (Robert Sean Leonard) who not so privately questions his mettle. All must put aside their differences and band together when stormy weather and failing equipment puts another flight in harm's way. The tension mounts as a resourceful mechanic (Henry Winkler) tries to paste together the outdated circuitry and give the skeleton crew technical support beyond their professional cunning. Ground Control also stars Kristy Swanson and Kelly McGillis. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

David Veloz made his directorial debut with this drama adapted from the autobiography of comedy writer Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller), whose $6000-a-week heroin habit had him taking his infant daughter along on his drug runs and doing smack during TV script conferences. Departing detox, Stahl explores memories with survivor Kitty (Maria Bello), who listens patiently to Stahl's flashback. Other women in Stahl's life are his British wife Sandra (Elizabeth Hurley) and his agent Vola (Lourdes Benedicto). For the TV series "Mr. Chompers" (inspired by ALF), Stahl meets with sitcom exec Craig Ziffer (Fred Willard) and puppeteer Allen (Charles Fleischer). For freaky freebasing, Stahl hangs with mumbler Nicky (Owen Wilson) and druggie Gus (Peter Greene). Stahl himself can be seen in a cameo as the methadone clinic doctor. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

A courageous canine protects his family from dastardly criminals. Hal Holbrook and Rue McClanahan star. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

This first theatrical feature spun off from the television series Tales from the Crypt (which was in turn inspired by the infamous EC horror comics of the 1950s) concerns a mysterious man named Brayker (Bill Sadler), who arrives at a church-turned-rooming house in a small town in New Mexico. Hot on his trail is an equally mysterious and very menacing figure known as the Collector (Billy Zane), who arrives with policemen in tow; he claims that Brayker stole some keys from him, and he wants the cops to help him reclaim them. It turns out, however, that the "keys" are actually several amulets that contain drops of the blood of Christ; they can be used to ward off evil in the right hands, but they can lead the world to doom if used improperly. The Collector and his forces lay siege to the house with the other residents caught in the middle between Brayker and the Collector, including alcoholic Uncle Willy (Dick Miller), prostitute Cordelia (Brenda Bakke), sleazy Southerner Roach (Thomas Haden Church), postal employee Wally (Charles Fleischer), sensible Jeryline (Jada Pinkett), and landlady Irene (CCH Pounder). Bordello of Blood, the second Tales from the Crypt feature, hit theaters the following year. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this animated children's film from Amblin Entertainment, a group of four dinosaurs, including a tyrannosaurus rex, a triceratops, a hadrosaur, and a pterodactyl, are brought forward in time to New York City to entertain and befriend the children. However, when the dinosaurs are threatened by an evil circus owner, it is up to their young friends to save the day. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

In this last gasp of the "Carry On" series, minus most of the "Carry On" players, Jim Dale plays Spanish map-maker Christopher Columbus, who has a plan to navigate a new route to India, bypassing the Sultan of Turkey (Rik Mayall) and his sky-high tributes. He convinces King Ferdinand of Spain (Leslie Phillips) and Queen Isabella (June Whitfield) to finance his trip, and he sets off for points east with a cabin boy in tow. But what Columbus doesn't realize is that his cabin boy is, in fact, a cabin girl. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Gross Anatomy is to medical school what The Paper Chase was to law school, with perhaps a little less sobriety. Matthew Modine plays the blue-collar Joe Slovak, who's attending a posh school of medicine where everyone -- teacher and student alike -- seems to be well above his social stratum. Perhaps as a reaction to the snobbery all around him, he behaves as irreverently as possible. Neither his teacher Dr. Rachel Woodruff (Christine Lahti) nor his lab partner, Laurie Rorbach (Daphne Zuniga), finds Joe's what-the-hell act appealing, but both are fully aware that he is a talented young man with a brilliant future. The climax of the film lays it on pretty thick in defining Joe as an all-around good fellow despite his cheekiness (he even delivers a baby just before taking his finals!), but Gross Anatomy strives successfully to be a "feel-good" movie -- albeit brought ever so slightly down to earth by the death of one of the principal characters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi