Willie Garson

Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) flunks Cory (Ben Savage) when the boy falls asleep during a test. This time, however, it was all dad Alan's fault; Alan (William Russ) had let Cory stay up to watch a baseball game to make up for cancelling a promised night out. Unfortunately, Mr. Feeny refuses to let Cory take a makeup exam even when Alan explains the situation, leading to a tense (and pivotal) confrontation between teacher and parent. Incidentally, this episode was based on an actual incident in the childhood of Boy Meets World producer Michael Jacobs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Figuring they have better things to do, Cory (Ben Savage) and Eric (Will Friedle) try to get out of playing with their dad Alan (William Russ) in a father/son softball game. To save them the embarrassment, Alan claims that the game was cancelled anyway. When they find out that their dad is lying to spare their feelings, the Matthews boys are sore ashamed. Somehow all this is tied in with Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) and his attempt to explain and interpret the Pledge of Allegiance to Cory and his classmates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Unable to slay a bad case of the flu, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is admitted to the hospital. While sleeping, she has a dream about a tall dark creature with a young boy. The next day she discovers the same boy is a patient in the children's ward. He says the creature is Death and has killed many children. A more obvious culprit is the unorthodox Dr. Backer, but Buffy finds him dead. Meanwhile, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) suspects that Jenny's (Robia La Morte) death might be causing Buffy to fabricate a creature to fight, but he soon uncovers the creature's identity as Der Kindestod, or "child death." Buffy reinfects herself with her fever to battle the monster because he can only be seen by those in the feverish state. It is also revealed that Buffy first encountered Der Kindestod as an eight-year-old when her cousin died in a hospital. ~ All Movie Guide

Like many other made-for-TV biopics inspired by popular television series of yore, Come on Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story offers the spectacle of actors playing other actors playing different characters--and as such, those "characters" come off as more interesting than the "real" actors. Focusing exclusively on the five years (1970-1974) that The Partridge Family was in production, the story is told from the viewpoint of Danny Bonaduce (played by a pre-Desperate Housewives) Shawn Pyfrom), and accordingly is colored by the sentiments so often expressed by the real, irrepressibly outspoken Bonaduce. Upon landing the coveted role of Danny Partridge, young Bonaduce must contend with the jealousy of his abusive father Joseph (William Russ); all the while, Danny is a sidelines observer of the effect that overnight stardom has on his coworker David Cassidy (Keith Partridge), who (it says here) despises all the idolatry and yearns for a normal life. Rather touchingly, the film recounts the surrogate son-surrogate father relationship between Danny and actor Dave Madden (Michael Chieffo), who was genuinely fond of his younger costars despite the kid-hating irascibility of his "Reuben Kincaid" character. The film's highlight, which would be impossible to belief if it wasn't corroborated by witnesses, is the episode wherein Cassidy impulsively "kidnaps" Danny, whereupon both boys head off on a short journey of self-discovery; less easy to swallow is the scene which contrives a feud between the "Partridge" cast and the actors on the rival series The Brady Bunch (who are, interestingly enough, identified only by their character names and not their real names). Come on Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story made its ABC network bow on November 13, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Judd Nelson is the ex-brat-packer in this particular direct-to-video gem. Befriended by a wealthy but depraved young couple (Joanna Pacula and Patrick Bauchau), Nelson joins the pair in their bizarre notions of fun and games. He thinks he knows the score, but even he isn't parade for the kinkiness of his hosts. Though much is suggested, surprisingly little happens. The suspense elements in Every Breath are in fact stronger than the film's sexual allure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this follow-up to Fortress, Stuart Gordon's 1993 sci-fi adventure drama, John Brennick (Christopher Lambert) and his wife Karen (Beth Toussaint) are once again on the run in a totalitarian regime of the future, where a multi-national corporation called Men-Tel has taken control of the world. While Karen eludes capture, John is arrested and sentenced to a penal colony in space. 26,000 miles from home, he must perform hard, dangerous labor in a punishing environment alongside some of the most fearsome criminals in the galaxy. Monitored by an elaborate computer system, his body implanted with a security camera that allows his jailers to see where he is at all times, John would seem unable to escape -- but that would underestimate his ingenuity, or his desire to be with Karen again. Fortress 2: Re-Entry also stars Pam Grier and Patrick Malahide; former Tangerine Dream member Christopher Franke composed the musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Joey (Matt LeBlanc) is in for a lot of ribbing (and not a little pain) when it turns out that his new girlfriend, Katie (Soleil Moon Frye), is slap-happy. Having adjusted to the romance between his sister Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry), Ross (David Schwimmer) finds himself a pariah when he refuses to donate 100 dollars to the apartment janitor's going-away gift. And Chandler begins getting spooked over everyone's "small talk" about marriage and kids. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Actor David Duchovny made his debut as a director and screenwriter with this coming-of-age drama, in which a grown man looks back at his adolescence. It's 1973, and Tommy (Anton Yelchin) is a 13-year-old boy living in New York's Greenwich Village with his mother (Téa Leoni), who is still coming to terms with the death of her husband. Tommy's best friend is Pappass (Robin Williams), a mentally challenged man who is in his thirties, but is at the same emotional age as Tommy; Pappass delivers meat for a local butcher, and Tommy helps him out. Tommy has discovered women, and has a crush on Melissa (Zelda Williams), a cute girl in his class, but Pappass isn't much interested in the opposite sex, and can offer little advice on the subject. Tommy's lone confidante on this issue is Lady Bernadette (Erykah Badu), a woman locked up in the nearby Women's House of Detention who offers advice shouted from her window. When Pappass begins to realize that Tommy is falling for Melissa, he's convinced he's losing his best friend, and in a moment of anger he steals a bicycle. Tommy tries to protect Pappas by claiming he was the thief, leading to a series of serious repercussions. Years later, Tommy (now played by Duchovny) is a grown man who leaves his home in Paris, France, to pay a visit to the old neighborhood and come to terms with the life he left behind. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Created by the same team responsible for the quirky, iconoclastic HBO western series Deadwood, John from Cincinnati was a magical mystery tour of the California surfing scene. Set in the town of Imperial Beach, the story focused on the multigenerational Yost family, led by Mitch Yost (Bruce Greenwood), a onetime surfing legend who had been forcibly retired (except for a few early-morning forays into the waves) by a serious knee injury. The fall of the Yost fortunes had a deleterious effect upon Mitch's son Butchie (Brian Van Holt), who had become a seemingly hopeless druggie; conversely, Butchie's own son Shaun (Grayson Fletcher) was a surfing phenom who bade fare to surpass his grandfather's celebrity--if he ever got the chance. Holding the family together was Mitch's levelheaded wife Cissy (Rebecca De Mornay), owner of the surfing-goods store that provided their income. Into this dysfunctional family unit came a fabulously wealthy and truly bizarre dude known as John Monad (Austin Nichols), who when pressed for details identified himself as "John from Cincinnati." Outwardly a boorish dimwit with an annoying habit of repeating everyone else's conversations, John was clearly operating on some Higher Plane or other, implicitly possessing the ability to heal the sick and revive the dead, and holding out the hope of redemption for the fractured Yosts. With John in the vicinity, no one found it odd that, for example, Mitch suddenly developed the ability to float in the air; everyone seemed to accept the newcomer without question or prejudice. Only the Yosts' friend Bill Jacks (Ed O'Neill), a fancier of birds and pro wrestlers, distrusted John and his motives, suspecting that he was more Satan than Saint. The series' events--subtly but inextricably linking each character with the other--unfolded in a leisurely, day-by-day "need to know" basis, with small, tantalyzing clues as to the story's outcome (Rapture? Armageddon? The Perfect Wave?) buried within each episode. Cocreated by Deadwood's David Milch and "surf noir" novelist Kern Nunn, and featuring Luke Perry and Deadwood alumnus Jim Beaver in key supporting roles, John from Cincinnati began its HBO run on June 10, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the '70s, Roy Munsen (Woody Harrelson) was a bowling phenomenon. He was none too sharp about picking friends, though, and the champion he had to beat, "Big Ern," takes him under his supposedly friendly wing. Big Ern (Bill Murray) shows him the high-living lifestyle, and induces him to go on the road with him, hustling small-town bowlers. A couple of the men he bilks take exception to the scam, and show their displeasure with Roy by mangling his hand. Twenty years later, Roy (who now has a hook in place of his hand), earns his living as a salesman. On a visit to a bowling alley, he cannot help but notice the incredible talents of an Amish boy, Ishmael (Randy Quaid). Bowling is not part of the Amish lifestyle, but Ishmael occasionally sneaks into the bowling alley and plays a frame or two. Roy takes Ishmael under his wing, and together they begin a quest for bowling success. This comedy is directed by Peter and Robert Farrelly, who also directed Dumb and Dumber. Like those comedies, it contains a lot of gross-out jokes and bathroom humor. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Written and directed by independent filmmaker Everett Lewis, Luster is a low-budget romantic comedy. Would-be poet Jackson (Justin Herwick) is tired of orgies and wants to settle down. While working at the record store owned by Sam (Shane Powers), he attracts the affection of good boy Derek (Sean Thibodeau). However, he would rather have bad boy Billy (Jonah Blechman), who's involved with rock star Sonny Spike (Willie Garson). Meanwhile, Jackson's cousin Jed (B. Wyatt) arrives in town from Iowa and agrees to get naked for lesbian photographer Alyssa (Pamela Gidley). The soundtrack features music by Pansy Division, Cecil Seaskull (from Nerdy Girl), and Third Grade Teacher. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide