Ryan Francis Movies

One of the biggest and most influential sci-fi hits of the 1990s gets raked over the coals in this comic parody of The Matrix. Nuvo (Scott Levy) hangs out with a group of pals who have an inordinate interest in getting high, and like his buddies he's always interested in the next new chemical to come along. Nuvo and his friends Swatch (Brigett Fink), Chad (Dane Moreton), and Theo (Vanilla Ice) have heard about a new drug called the Helix, but while they'd like to give it a try, word on the street is that it has rather unpredictable effects -- used properly, it can give its users deep enlightenment, but a bad trip can literally cause you to lose your mind. Nuvo's interest in the Helix is more philosophical than recreational, and he falls in with two mysterious figures, Infiniti (Samantha Brooke) and Orpheum (Dana Woods), who are searching for The One -- a person who can break through to a new level of understanding while tripping on the Helix. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Directed by Rene Villar Rios, this teen drama takes place at a tough love work camp for teens that is a cross between The Lord of the Flies and The Breakfast Club. As the cruel warden and brutal guards make their lives miserable, the ensemble of troubled teens confront each other and numerous problems facing their generation. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Rebellious teen Niki (Tricia Vessy) has nowhere to go. She doesn't get along with her widowed father (John Shea) or her selfish boyfriend (Scott Caan), and she's about to be kicked out of high school. The school's principal (Zeljko Ivanek) suggests she work counseling troubled children, but she winds up having a confrontation with the program's leader (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). Niki meets with an eight-year-old (Jacob Smith), reexamines her own childhood, gets help from her grandmother (Carroll Baker), rejects her boyfriend, finds a new friend (Ryan Francis), and soon is on the road to recovery, even reconnecting with her dad. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who appeared as the British optometrist in Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies, portrays an American in this film. Shown at the 1998 Santa Barbara Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

At the end of Sisters' fourth season, Alex Reed (Swoosie Kurtz), oldest of the Reed sisters of Winnetka, was patiently awaiting the release of her new husband, Big Al Barker (Robert Klein), who'd been jailed on a phony tax-fraud charge; Alex's younger sister, Teddy (Sela Ward), had become the bride of Detective James Falconer (George Clooney), who'd been investigating the rape of Teddy's daughter, Cat (Heather McAdam); and Alex, Teddy, and their other siblings Frankie (Julianne Phillips) and Georgie (Patricia Kalember) were trying to reconcile themselves to the discovery that they had a half-sister named Charley (Jo Anderson), the result of a three-decade affair between their late father and his trusted nurse. Season five begins on a tragic note, as Falconer is killed by a booby-trapped car. The only witness to the crime is wife Teddy, who is suffering from hysterical blindness. She eventually regains her sight, but the loss of her husband after only a few hours of wedded bliss has caused her to start drinking again -- whereupon Cat desperately tries to convince her mom to pull herself together. Only when Teddy almost causes the death of her nephew Evan (Dustin Berkovitz) does she come to her senses.

Later in the season, Teddy takes it upon herself to bring her husband's murderer, heroin smuggler Daniel Albright (Gregory Harrison), to justice; she also has an awkward meeting with Jack Chambers (Philip Casnoff), who received Falconer's heart in a transplant operation. Meanwhile, Big Al is paroled from prison when he rescues the governor's wife from drowning, and subsequently runs for mayor of Winnetka -- and wins. When Big Al suffers a mild heart attack, Alex takes over his duties, thereby increasing a workload that has already been intensified by her decision to care for Rosie (Kathryn Zaremba), the daughter of a terminally ill woman (Caroline McWilliams). Elsewhere, Alex's sister Georgie, not fully recovered from the personal problems that weighed her down in the previous season, begins her therapy sessions with smooth-talking shrink Dr. David Caspian (Daniel Gerroll). Not only does Caspian advise Georgie to "divorce" herself from her family, but he also plants the idea that her father molested her years earlier. Before long, Caspian's ulterior motives become crystal clear to everyone by Georgie -- he wants to get her away from her husband, John (Garrett M. Brown), and into his own bed. After she is seduced by Caspian, Georgie dutifully leaves John, only to have Caspian callously inform her that sex was merely a part of his therapy and that he doesn't love her. Also, newly divorced Frankie begins managing Lucky (John Wesley Shipp), a prizefighter whom she has inherited from her first customer when she'd been a marketing analyst. After a brief romantic fling with Lucky, Frankie leaves him (and the series) to head off to Japan on a new business venture, the world-wide promotion of a children's character named Cowletta the Cow. As for Lucky, he hires on as bodyguard for Daniel Albright as part of the sisters' plans to make Albright pay for Falconer's murder. In other developments, Charley is tentatively accepted into the Reed family during Thanksgiving dinner; with Bea's blessing, Alex assists in Truman's suicide, leading her to be put on trial for murder; and Caspian extends his sexual misconduct to another of the Reed sisters. The season ends with a fantasy episode, wherein everyone's dreams (briefly) come true on the enchanted island of Villa Esperanza. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season three of Sisters begins as Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), the oldest of Winnetka's Reed sisters, insists upon micro-managing the marriage between her widowed mom, Bea (Elizabeth Hoffman), and Judge Truman Ventnor (Philip Sterling). Fed up with her daughter's interference, Bea decides to elope with Truman, causing Alex to throw one of her many hissy fits. Another angry outburst results when Alex finds out that her daughter, Reed (Ashley Judd), has quit college to marry Kirby Philby (Paul S. Rudd). Likewise, Alex expresses jealousy over the unexpected business success of her younger sister, Teddy (Sela Ward), leading to a knock-down, drag-out wrestling match between the two siblings! This is the season that Teddy meets eccentric millionaire Simon Bolt (Mark Frankel), who expresses his fondness for Teddy by investing heavily in her undergarment company; he also donates lots of money to the local leukemia fund on behalf of Teddy's nephew Evan (Dustin Berkovitz). But Teddy is too independent -- and too much the loose cannon -- to adapt to Simon's sumptuous lifestyle; nor is she much of a diplomat business-wise, as proven when she throws a pie at a fashion columnist who has given her a bad review. Throughout the rest of the season, Teddy will alternately break up and reconcile with Simon, at one point accepting his marriage proposal...for a while, anyway. Meanwhile, Teddy's troubled daughter, Cat (Heather McAdam), is showing signs of developing into a problem drinker like her mother and grandmother.

On a more upbeat note, Evan and Trevor (Ryan Francis), the sons of Teddy's sister Georgie (Patricia Kalember), have apparently managed to overcome the health and emotional problems that plagued them in the previous season, while Georgie herself has agreed to be surrogate mother for her sister Frankie (Julianne Phillips) and Frankie's husband, Mitch (Ed Marinaro). Unfortunately, Frankie goes into labor while trapped in a wrecked car, when no one is able to come to her aid -- and with the local TV outlets covering the event. Once the baby is delivery as safely as possible under the circumstances, three different Hollywood studios approach Georgie, hoping to make a movie out of her ordeal. The subsequent film epic, "Her Sister's Love," does not meet with her sibling's approval, even though Suzanne Somers agrees to star in it. Later on, Georgie will find work as a real-estate broker, then as a newspaper advice columnist. As for Frankie, she begins cramming for a quick conversion to Judaism so that her child can be bar-mitzvahed for the sake of her husband, Mitch. Despite this, it is clear that the marriage between Frankie and Mitch is in serious trouble as the season draws to a close -- just as it appears that Alex will patch things up with her ex-husband, Wade (David Dukes), even though he has gotten married again. Season three ends with Alex finding out she has breast cancer, and Reed and Kirby leaving Winnetka for a new life in California. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As season two of Sisters gets under way, John Whitsig (Garrett M. Brown), the unemployed husband of Georgie Reed (Patricia Kalember), suddenly develops a sense of responsibility when his son Evan (Dustin Berkovitz) is diagnosed with leukemia. John records a musical tape, markets it himself, and gains a following as "The CPA of Song." His first nightclub engagement is less successful until he takes a female partner -- which of course does not meet with Georgie's approval. At the same time, the attention lavished on the ailing Evan by John and Georgie has a negative effect on the couple's other son, Trevor (Ryan Francis). Meanwhile, Georgie's impulsive sister Teddy (Sela Ward) tries to reconcile with her daughter, Cat (Heather McAdam), who has been living with her father, Mitch (Ed Marinaro), ever since Teddy used a shotgun to break up the wedding between Mitch and Teddy's sister Frankie (Patricia Kalember) -- the couple ultimately weds in secret to avoid any other such incidents. Clearly, Teddy has inherited her mother Beatrice's (Elizabeth Hoffman) drinking problem, and it is time for her to take the AA pledge. Later on, Teddy suffers a miscarriage (the baby was Mitch's); and, on a more positive note, she begins making good money marketing her own line of undergarments.

As for the oldest Reed sister, Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), she is still reeling from the discovery that her husband, Wade (David Dukes), is a philanderer. Worse, Wade's current girlfriend, Tiffany Blue (Kim Johnston-Ulrich), is an obsessive loose cannon, who tries to have Alex killed! In an effort to overcome her domestic travails, Alex begins seeing a nice-guy plumber named Victor Runkle (David Gianopoulos), but their relationship is scuttled when it becomes obvious that Alex and Wade still harbor fond feelings toward one another. Finally, the Reed girls' widowed mother, Bea, begins dating Judge Ventnor (Philip Sterling), who has helped her reclaim her revoked driver's license. This relationship will be placed on temporary hold when Bea suffers a heart attack, just as Georgie is making a speech while running for the Winnetka school board. This season, Ashley Judd takes over for Kathy Wagner in the role of Alex and Wade's overachieving daughter, Reed. Possibly as a byproduct of her parents' problems, Reed has been expelled from school and has taken a French lover. Later, Reed will become obsessed with Alex's current amour, Victor, prompting him to break off the relationship -- but not before pulling a few financial strings that will enable the Reed family to retain ownership of their house. As the season rushes to a close, Frankie and Mitch find out that they are unable to conceive, prompting Georgie to offer her services as surrogate mom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based upon Patty Duke's bestselling autobiography, Call Me Anna details the Academy Award-winning actress's rise to stardom and her lifelong struggle with manic depression. Born Anna Marie Duke, the youngster from Queens embarked upon an acting career at an early age. Her manager, John Ross, essentially removes her from her family (including a depressed mother and alcoholic father) at the age of seven and tyrannically manages her career. While this effectively aids her professionally, his abuse takes a toll upon the sensitive young girl. She makes a name for herself when she lands the part of Helen Keller in the Broadway smash The Miracle Worker and gains national fame when her work in the film version earns her a coveted Oscar. She goes on to star in her own television series, and embarks upon a number of relationships, including ones with Desi Arnaz Jr. and John Astin (whom she marries). Eventually, Duke shows signs of mental illness, brought about both by her parents and her managers, and enters into therapy with a doctor, who is able to give her the help she desperately needs. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Thanks to a mix-up at birth, two sets of twins are separated and grow up in radically different social circles. The four baby girls grow up to be Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin-and Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. One of the Midlers is a ruthless New York CEO, while one of the Tomlins is her air-headed "save the whales" business partner. Thousands of miles away in a Southern industrial town, a blue-collar Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin work for a company that the white-collar Midler plans to devour in a hostile takeover. The "poor" Midler and Tomlin head to New York to argue against the takeover, inevitably getting mixed up with the "rich" Midler and Tomlin. Three of the four twins team up to save the small-town company, while CEO Midler remains as nastily greedy as ever. Clear enough? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide