Christopher Gartin Movies
In this teen-oriented drama, an impoverished street kid puts on a tough act to hide his loneliness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1984
- PG13
A teenager and his kid brother spar with their mother's shady new boyfriend in this dramatic thriller from veteran British director Michael Apted. When her ex-husband remarries, Wendy (Teri Garr) feels despondent -- until she starts dating handsome, unctuous Sam (Peter Weller), an underemployed salesman with no shortage of big ideas. Excited to finally feel good about herself again, Wendy invites Sam to move in and offers to invest in his get-rich-quick schemes. None of this sits well with her sons, Jake (Christopher Collet) and Brian (Corey Haim), who remain unimpressed with Sam even after he convinces Wendy to buy Jake a motorbike. They're even less jazzed when Sam stops currying favor and turns disciplinarian even while pulling Wendy into his hard-partying lifestyle. Within a few months, Brian's on the verge of expulsion for picking fights at school, and even honor-role student Jake is mouthing off to his teachers. As for Wendy, she's too busy taking beatings and doing cocaine to notice that her family has fallen apart. It isn't until Jake gets wise to the industrial quantities of white powder squirreled away under the floorboards that he comes up with a plan to get Sam out of their lives forever. Although onetime Tiger Beat heartthrob Christopher Collet plays Firstborn's title role, the films' supporting cast is littered with actors whose stars would far eclipse his (Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert Downey Jr.) -- though in some cases only for a little while (Corey Haim). ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Teri Garr, Peter Weller, (more)
- 1989
It's triple trouble in this, the third entry in the Parent Trap series. It all begins as teen-age triplets attempt to get their father to dump his fiancee in favor of a lovely interior decorator. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hayley Mills, Barry Bostwick, (more)
- 1990
Based on The Country of the Heart by Barbara Wershba, this cable-TV film concerns a young pianist (Christopher Gartin) who falls in love with an older musician (Jane Seymour). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In this made-for-TV drama, Jessica Tandy plays Grace McQueen, an elderly woman who has grown bored and restless following the death of her husband. Grace has always loved telling stories to children, and as a way of keeping herself occupied she comes up with an idea for a public access television series in which she will read great children's books aloud. The show becomes a local favorite -- enough so that a pair of advertising executives approach her with the idea of selling the show to a major network. Grace agrees, but when the marketing experts and network brass are finished with the idea, the simple format of "The Story Lady" has been transformed into a garish program called "Granny Goodheart," and Grace must decide if she should pursue the money and success that's being offered to her or stand up for her ideals. The Story Lady also features Stephanie Zimbalist, Lisa Jakub, Richard Masur, and Ed Begley, Jr.; Tandy Cronyn, Jessica Tandy's daughter, is appropriately cast as Meg, Grace's daughter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
In this made for TV movie based on Danielle Steele's novel, Cheryl Ladd portrays a successful New York television anchorwoman. When she marries a successful surgeon in Los Angeles, romance becomes difficult with their careers on opposite ends of the country. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheryl Ladd, Michael Nouri, (more)
The Graboids are back in this sequel to the campy comedy horror hit that finds luckless Earl Basset (Fred Ward) and survivalist Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) teaming up to destroy the monsters that are wrecking havoc in the Mexican oil fields. It's been a good few years since Earl and Burt saved the town of Perfection, Nevada from the strange pre-Cambrian predators, and these days Earl is doing his best to find success as an ostrich farmer. Trouble is, none of Earl's birds want to breed, and it looks as if the farm is about to go under. Just when it seems that things couldn't get any worse for this monster-slaying cowboy, a pair of visitors arrives with a rather unusual proposition. According to the strangers, the Graboids have recently resurfaced in Sonora, Mexico, and they're currently getting fat on a steady diet of frightened oil field workers. Local businessman Carlos Ortega is willing to pay $50,000 a head for each worm killed, but Earl isn't so sure he wants to put himself in harm's way like that again. Still, Earl knows that he's the right man for the job, and after a bit of goading from ambitious cabbie Grady Hoover (Christopher Gartin) the pair are loading up their weapons and heading for the border. Upon arriving in Sonora, Earl quickly warms up to beautiful geologist Kate White (Helen Shaver), but the Graboid population has grown faster than suspected so in order to be successful this group will need the kind of firepower that only Burt Gummer can supply. Ever since Burt's wife walked out on him and the threat of World War III went away, the lonely survivalist has lost all direction in life. This is Burt's chance to prove that he's not just a useless middle aged man. But what the humans have failed to realize is that the Graboids have evolved to become deadlier than ever before, and they're not staying underground anymore. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Two male hustlers with different ideals and goals struggle through a tough night in this gritty drama. It's Christmas Eve on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, and John (David Arquette), a male prostitute who works the streets, is desperate. John's birthday is Dec. 25, and he had hoped to spend the day at a fine hotel, ordering room service and feeling like a big shot for a change. To this end, John had lifted $300 from Jimmy The Warlock (Terrence DaShon Howard), a drug dealer, but the night before, John's lucky sneakers were stolen, with his bankroll inside. Now John is back working the streets in hopes that he can raise enough money for a hotel room and to pay back Jimmy. Also working that night is Donner (Lukas Haas), a young hustler who is infatuated with John. While Donner acknowledges his homosexuality, John stubbornly contends that despite his occupation, he's really straight, and he has a girlfriend Mikki (Alanna Ubach), though they spend most of their time arguing. While John can only look to his immediate needs, Donner thinks that they should leave Los Angeles and head to Branson, Missouri, where he's convinced that they can get jobs as lifeguards at Camelot, a theme park. As the night wears on, John and Donner meet several fellow street people, including Crazy Eli (Christopher Gartin) and Homeless John (Keith David), and scare up a few customers, ranging from a harmless closeted businessman (Elliott Gould) to others looking for violent, dangerous sex. Johns was the first feature film for former TV documentary director Scott Silver. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lukas Haas, David Arquette, (more)
- 1996
Long before he headlined his own cutting-edge Comedy Central sketch series, African-Amercian comedian Dave Chappelle was the co-star of the conformist ABC sitcom Buddies. Chappelle and Christopher Gartin were cast as black Chicagoan Dave Carlisle and Dave's lifelong white pal John Butler, who ran a small videotaping company called Hi-Intensity. Hoping to break into the big time and land a Hollywood contract, our heroes exercised their auteur filmmaking muscles at various Windy City social functions, including weddings, birthday parties, Bar Mitzvahs, and funerals. Also in the cast was Paula Cale as John's wacky young bride Lorraine, Tanya Wright as Dave's sassy girlfriend Phyllis Brooks, Judith Ivey as Lorraine's trailer trash, epithet-spouting mother Maureen "Mo" DeMoss, and former Shaft star Richard Roundtree as Dave's father -- and Hi-Intensity's no-nonsense landlord. Debuting March 5, 1996, as a spin-off of the successful ABC comedy series Home Improvement, Buddies fell far short of matching its parent series' success; it was canceled after five weeks, leaving eight of its completed episodes unshown. The entire series has since that time been released on DVD, to capitalize on Dave Chappelle's latter-day popularity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Chappelle, Christopher Gartin, (more)
- 1996
With Bailey (Scott Wolf) back on the road to sobriety, fun-loving Callie (Alexondra Lee) resents the fact that Bailey seems to prefer Sarah's company to hers, even though Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt) is no longer in love with him. Unable to cope with the situation, Callie takes drastic--and self-destructive--action. Meanwhile, Julia's (Neve Campbell) relationship with Griffin (Jeremy London) is having a negative effect on her schoolwork, forcing Griffin to be the "grownup". And Claudia (Lacey Chabert) resorts to telling a spectacular lie to prove to Charlie (Matthew Fox) that Grace (Tamara Taylor) cares more for her political campaign than she does for the Salingers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Kip Koenig wrote and directed this comedy, set in a small college town, about neurotic Bell Bryant (Clea DuVall) who explains her problems directly to the camera: her older sister Sarah (Jorja Fox) has a happy marriage plus a baby on the way. Her other sister, beautiful Dot (Amy Smart), is involved in an affair with Bell's ex, Leonard (Gabriel Mann). In a remote location, Bell makes love to Leonard and then departs, abandoning the nude Leonard who makes his way to the house of a married couple (Dennis Haysbert, Marianne Jean-Baptiste). Wondering if she's a lesbian, the confused Bell dates a woman and then dashes around from one place to another, dropping in on her mom (Mary Kay Place), her uncle, John David Souther), and various eccentrics. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clea DeVall, Gabriel Mann, (more)
- 1999
Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) learn that a murdered coed was in a relationship with college professor Miguel Clemente (Miguel Sandoval). Of equal interest to the D.A.'s office are two other suspects, a pair of male students with seemingly airtight alibis. The original print ads for this episode were right on the money when they promised "Shocking evidence will uncover the truth." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two Mafia gunmen give new meaning to the phrase "keeping it in the family" in this offbeat comedy. Danny (Christopher Gartin) and Stephen (Greg Lauren) are a pair of mob enforcers who see to it that no one crosses the Family and lives to tell about it. However, Danny and Stephen are hit men with a difference -- they're also lovers; and while they know how to get rid of troublemakers, little things like cooking and sewing are not their strong suits. They find themselves thrown for a loop when Stephen's parents (Frank Pellegrino and Beth Fowler) stop by for an unexpected visit, which leaves them with a bit of explaining to do, about their occupations and their lifestyle. Friends and Family also features Tony Lo Bianco, Tovah Feldshuh, and Anna Maria Alberghetti. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Gartin, Greg Lauren, (more)
- 2003
Arrested on a trumped-up drug charge, John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) turns down the helping hand extended by his detective father (Joe Spano). Meanwhile, John Jr.'s partner, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) puts the screws on Officer Laughlin (Anthony Mangano), whom Andy believes is responsible for the frame-up. Alas, the one clue that could clear John evaporates in the wake of an unexpected -- and tragic -- plot twist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Simmons
- 2005
Lea Thompson is both star and director of this made-for-cable movie, another entry in the Hallmark Channel's series about a suburban housewife who leads a double life as a government agent. Not long after he is fired from the staff of a billionaire cereal-company mogul, former Central Security Agency operative Jim Monroe (Dorian Harewood) is found floating in a lake, the apparent victim of an accidental drowning. Suspecting foul play, CSA head Frank Darnell (Joe Penny) prevails upon his former colleague Cathy Davis (Lea Thompson) to investigate. Assuming her CSA identity as "Jane Doe", Cathy quickly deduces that Monroe was killed 48 hours before his alleged drowning. There's only one problem with this theory: Monroe was seen on a nationally telecast interview at the exact time of his death! In her efforts to crack the case, Cathy must once again delicately balance her high-risk espionage activities with her "normal" marriage to the long-suffering Jack Davis (William R. Moses). Jane Doe: The Harder They Fall was first seen on March 4, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A woman is forced to prove her own sanity to save the life of her daughter in this taut thriller. Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) is a successful aircraft designer who has recently been dealing with the traumatic death of her husband. After traveling to Berlin on business with her six-year-old daughter, Julia (Marlene Lawston), Kyle falls asleep on their flight back to New York, only to discover that her daughter has gone missing. While not knowing where Julia has gone is troubling enough, even more disturbing is the insistence by sky marshal Gene Carson (Peter Sarsgaard) and Captain Rich (Sean Bean) that no records indicate that the child ever boarded the jet. As Kyle becomes increasingly desperate to find her daughter, she must prove to the men in charge that her daughter did in fact board the plane with her, and that this turn of events is not a product of her imagination. But if Julia has gone missing, who has taken her and why? Also starring Erika Christensen and Kate Beahan, Flightplan was the first English-language feature from German director Robert Schwentke. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, (more)
- 2006
Using and abusing his power as a police detective, Tritter (David Morse) continues harrassing the clinic staffers in his efforts to nail House (Hugh Laurie) on drug charges. In Tritter's latest strategy, he offers to cut a deal for the first person who rats on House--and it looks like Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) may take the bait. Despite his own legal woes, House takes a divorced couple to court to force them to approve treatment for their 6-year-old daughter Alice (Alyssa Shafer), who is suffering from pancreitis. Having had his Vicodin supply radically curtailed by Dr. Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), House is fiendishly delighted when the court remands Alice to Cuddy's custody! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
