Montel Williams Movies
Baltimore native Montel Williams clocked in as one of the frontrunners of sensationalistic daytime talk during the late '80s and '90s. At the time of his ascent to celebrity, Williams had previously essayed careers as a naval intelligence officer and a motivational speaker for adolescents. His talk program, The Montel Williams Show, debuted in 1991 to stellar ratings and continually escalating audiences -- a run that extended unabated through the late 2000s. The format of the program bore an identical resemblance to those of such forerunners as Phil Donahue, Oprah Winfrey, and others; it entailed honing in on guests with troubled pasts and help them resolve issues on the air. Williams' resumé also includes acting roles in such films as The Peacekeeper (1997) and Noon Blue Apples (2002). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2002
A college student finds herself struggling to separate fact from bizarre supposition in this offbeat independent drama. Eris (Lauren Fox) is working on a research paper concerning fear and social phobia phenomena, when, in the course of her reading, she finds the obscure phrase "Noon Blue Apples" keeps popping up -- not once, but several times. Puzzled about what it's supposed to mean, Eris begins digging a bit deeper than before, and soon encounters Zeus (Thomas Jay Ryan), who runs a bookstore specializing in conspiracy literature. Before long, Zeus is giving Eris a crash course in alternate history, shadow government theories, and forbidden knowledge research, and faster than you can order a subscription to "Flatland Magazine," Eris' head is so full of oddball facts and figures that she can't separate which are true and which are mere paranoia -- leaving her with no idea of who or what she can trust. Noon Blue Apples was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lauren Fox, Thomas Jay Ryan, (more)
Director Linda Yellen spins this study of four couples as they struggle to maintain their relationships. Middle-aged divorcée and landlord Katharine (Lynn Redgrave) is completely smitten with her live-in lover Rick (Harry Connick, Jr.). She loves throwing parties, and on one Halloween she hosts a dinner for some wildly dissimilar guests: her tenets Sandra (Cindy Crawford) and Paul (Jamey Sheridan) are conservative professionals, while fellow building dwellers Marta (Monica Keena) and Billy (Dylan Bruno) are rock musicians. Also at the party is wacky psychic Arnita (Tyne Daly). During dinner, Arnita sees the spirits of another couple: Mae (Samantha Mathis), a flapper from the 1920s, and Katharine's great-grandfather Edward (William Hurt). Unnerved, Arnita predicts that one couple will split up by year's end. Though initially shaken, the guests brush her off as a nut. Yet toward the year's end, Katharine grows increasingly jealousy of Rick's flirtation with Sandra. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, Jamey Sheridan, (more)
- 1999
Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon guest stars as Melina Richardson, a disillusioned, dispirited woman who is drawn to the Golden Path Insitute, a religious cult led by one Brother John (played by a decidedly cast-against-type Montel Williams). Sensing that the cult's purpose is far from altruistic, Monica (Roma Downey) endeavors to redirect Melina to God. But she'd better hurry: In apparently emulation of other cultists like Jim Jones, Brother John is drawing up plans to "save" his flock by leading them to commit mass suicide on 9/9/1999! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This well-wrought Canadian direct-to-video actioner (in large part a knock-off of the Die Hard series) stars Dolph Lundgren as a maverick American Air Force pilot who during a flight disobeys orders and drops a large shipment of food for a starving group of Middle Eastern refugees. Too embarrassed by the publicity to discipline him formally, the Air Force gives him a new assignment: he is to carry the President's black bag, a special briefcase loaded with a computer that the Executive in Chief can use to launch a nuclear war. Following a press conference, the former pilot and the president (Roy Scheider) return to their hotel. Later, the floor on which they stay is overrun by terrorists who want to use the black bag to launch an attack on Washington D.C. During the scuffle, the pilot manages to escape, but not before the bag is grabbed by the terrorists. Later the hostage takers demand that the President commit suicide on television. If he refuses, then they will blow up the capitol city. Assisted by the only other man to survive the terrorist's initial attack, the pilot must somehow stop them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolph Lundgren, Michael Sarrazin, (more)
- 1992
The pressures of earning a living are driving newlyweds Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley (Jasmine Guy) apart. Out of frustration, Whitley decides to articulate her sexual woes on The Montel Williams Show (with Mr. Williams playing "himself", of course). This piquant moment in TV history is witnessed by virtually all of Whitley's female friends, who have gathered together for a "Montel Party" held by Gina (Ajai Sanders). Somehow, all this culminates in a showdown between Kim (Charnele Brown) and Freddie (Cree Summer) over Ron (Darryl M. Bell). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An assassin posing as a trade-show producer fixes his crosshairs on a Middle Eastern oil minister while maintaining his cover by organizing a high-profile wedding in this satirical action comedy starring John Cusack, Hilary Duff, and Marisa Tomei. A private American corporation run by a former U.S. vice president (Dan Aykroyd) is occupying the war-torn nation of Turaqistan, but a powerful Middle Eastern oil minister is preventing them from taking total advantage of the situation. In order to gain a monopoly on the lucrative opportunities that Turaqistan has to offer, the CEO of the corporation hires an evenhanded hitman named Hauser (Cusack) to take the oil minister out of the picture. Now, in order to carry out the contract without a hitch, Hauser will pose as the corporation's trade-show producer. The stakes are high and the potential for disaster is evident, though if Hauser can successfully organize the wedding of Central Asian pop-star Yonica Babyyeah (Duff), he's got a good chance of pulling it off. But sexy and resourceful left-wing reporter Natalie Hegalhuzen (Tomei) is determined to uncover the truth about what's happening in Turaqistan, and the moment she does, this carefully constructed scheme will crumble like a house of cards. Joshua Seftel directs a screenplay co-written by Mark Leyner, Jeremy Pikser, and producer/star John Cusack. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Hilary Duff, (more)
