Charles Fleischer Movies

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, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

Christopher Coppola directs this droll re-working both of Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Paul Morrissey's Heat (1972). Washed up child actor and pizza delivery guy Curson Beeley (Marc Coppola) is taken in by retired TV executive Agnes Fuchs (Barbara Bain). In her estate, Beeley lives a pampered life of luxury while Fuchs quietly tries to resurrect his career. As his television comeback seems more and more likely to happen, Beeley's life becomes complicated on other fronts -- his ex-girlfriend continues to harass him, Fuchs becomes increasingly demanding in bed, and he is plagued by a bizarre outbreak of boils. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

A young boy overcomes his obsessive fears by discovering a love for books in this animated fantasy adventure. In a live action wraparound, Macaulay Culkin stars as Richard Tyler, an easily bullied, nervous wreck of a kid who's an expert on safety statistics. His mother and father (Mel Harris and Ed Begley, Jr.) don't know how to inspire their son to embrace life boldly. Barely able to leave the house, Richard ventures out one day, but he gets lost in a storm and ends up at a mysterious library. Inside, he slips, knocks himself unconscious and finds himself in a cartoon realm where books come to life. Guided by Adventure (Patrick Stewart), Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg) and Horror (Frank Welker), Tyler experiences the adventures of classic novels such as Moby Dick and Treasure Island, and he even meets some famed fictional characters, such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Leonard Nimoy). Through his experiences in the pages of the legendary books, Richard confronts his phobias and learns to face life more courageously. The Pagemaster was directed by Joe Johnston, a former special effects supervisor and production designer who later directed Jumanji (1995) and October Sky (1999). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Things have barely settled from the excitement and resolve of the original Back to the Future, when in pops that crazy inventor Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) with news that in order to prevent a series of events that could ruin the McFly name for posterity, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox ) and his girlfriend are whisked into the future to the year 2015, where Marty must tangle with a teen rogue named Griff, who's obviously the descendant of Biff, the first Future film's bully. Marty foils Griff and his group when he jumps on an air-foil skateboard that flies him through town at rakish speeds with the loser bullies beaten again. Marty gets a money-making brainstorm before hopping in the time-traveling DeLorean, and he purchases a sports almanac. He figures that back in 1985 he'll be able to place sure-fire bets using the published sports scores of the games that are yet to happen. Unfortunately for Marty, Dr. Brown disapproves of his betting scheme -- he feels too much messing with time is very dangerous -- and he tosses the almanac. A hidden Biff overhears the discussion about the almanac, sees it get tossed out, and grabs it. Thus begins a time-traveling swirl to make the head spin. Biff swipes the DeLorean, heads back to 1955, and with the help of the unerring almanac, bets his way to power. The now-altered "Biff world" has turned into a nightmarish scene with Biff the mogul, residing in a Vegas-styled pleasure palace and running everything. It's all our hero Marty can do to pull the pieces together this time, as he must jump between three generations of intertwined time travel. The end of Back to the Future, Part 2 introduces its sequel as the zany professor has already time-dashed away to the Wild West of the late 1800s and invites Marty into a new adventure. ~ All Movie Guide

The sole survivor of a psycho-led mass suicide awakens from a 13-year coma and begins having visions of the cult leader who was also killed in the fiery death scene. She resists his efforts to have her join him in the hereafter, and soon members from her therapy group start dropping like flies. ~ All Movie Guide

Laverne (Penny Marshall) forms a rock band with her boyfriend Chuck (Charles Fleischer), who in turn recruits several of his classically-minded musician buddies. Unfortunately, it don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing--and this bunch hasn't a swinger among them. Even so, the new band is slated to go on as a replacement act for the Rolling Stones! The fact that the "square" musicians are played by the members of the rock group Jack Mack and the Heart Attack should give the viewer a pretty good idea of the story's outcome. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Frank's army buddy Bullets (Robert Hogan) arranges for the unemployed Laverne (Penny Marshall) to get a job at Ajax Aerospace. At first, her new responsibilities prove to be a bit on the dull side--but all this changes when Laverne gets herself inextricably encased in a top-secret "antigravity" suit. Charles Fleischer, best known as the voice of cartoon star Roger Rabbit, makes his first appearance as Laverne's wacked-out boyfriend Chuck. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this action film, a former pro skier who has become a sheriff attempts to talk daring, but unprepared teens from climbing a treacherous mountain. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

In this hard-edged drama with a strong undercurrent of dark comedy, Stretch (Tim Roth) and Spoon (Tupac Shakur) are two friends who share both a passion for music and a dependence on heroin. Stretch and Spoon play in a jazz combo with Cookie (Thandie Newton), and after a New Year's Eve gig, they score drugs and get high together. Cookie lacks her friends' experience with hard drugs and soon ends up in the hospital after a severe overdose. Cookie's brush with death turns out to be a serious reality check for Stretch and Spoon, and they decide that it's time to kick drugs and get clean and sober. But both men know that they can't get off heroin on their own, and therein lies the problem; as they try to navigate a complex maze of social service agencies (who can't help them get treatment because they aren't on welfare), drug treatment facilities (one of which turns them away because they're only equipped to handle alcoholics), and hospitals (where, in order to be admitted as emergency patients, Stretch and Spoon ponder how to go about stabbing each other) in search of a detox program. The two friends begin to wonder if it might simply be easier to stay on drugs than to get healthy. Gridlock'd marked the feature film directorial debut for actor Vondie Curtis Hall, best known for his work on the TV series Chicago Hope; Elizabeth Pena and John Sayles both appear in supporting roles. Rap musician-turned actor Tupac Shakur, who played Spoon, died in a drive-by shooting four months prior to the release of this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide