Brett Rickaby Movies
- 2005
To investigate the murder of a parking-garage attendant and the seemingly unmotivated assault on stock analyst Warren Kemp (Eddie McClintock), Monk (Tony Shalhoub) goes undercover as a temporary office worker. As the days wear on, he finds he enjoys his work regimen and the company of fellow worker Abby (Jennifer Hall), but he's less fond of the fiercely competitive Chilton Handy (Christopher Neiman), who emerges as the chief suspect. Meanwhile, Natalie (Traylor Howard) begins to feel left out of things as Monk pals around with his new coworkers and even participates in an office bowling tournament--but this doesn't prevent Natalie from stumbling upon the clue that solve the mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Holy Thomas Wolfe! The same team responsible for the "retro" TV movie Surviving Gilligan's Island (including executive producer and former Gilligan co-star Dawn Wells) were responsible for this nostalgic hark back to the classic Batman TV series of the late '60s. In rehashing the creation and popularity of Batman, screenwriter Duane Poole draws heavily upon the autobiographies of stars Adam West (Batman) and Burt Ward (Robin, the Boy Wonder) -- with special emphasis on Ward's recollections of the Dynamic Duo's alleged sexual escapades both on and off the set. To avoid a dry recitation of names, dates, and statistics, the producers contrive to "bookend" the flashback sequences with a campy present-day plot line, wherein the 74-year-old Adam West and 56-year-old Burt Ward (as themselves) team up to locate the original Batmobile, which has been stolen from under their very noses at a gala auto show. An unknown enemy of the two actors plants a series of cryptic clues, leading West and Ward on a picturesque journey back to Hollywood, with memorable stopovers at a roadside bar and a restored movie palace along the way.
Every so often, the veteran performers pause to remember significant events from their Bat-past (including the adulation of fans, battles with network censors, egotistical flare-ups on the set, and their own marital breakups), while in fine old Batman tradition an unseen narrator (whose identity is sublimely significant to the story line) delivers warnings of impending doom. Also keeping in the spirit of the original series are the bizarre, off-center camera angles, the onomatopoeic "Bam!," "Pow!," and "Zowie!" superimpositions during the fight sequences, the steady stream of inside jokes (including a running gag involving Adam West's notorious stinginess), and the amusing cameo appearances by former "special guest villains": Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether. A bit of Pirandello wafts into the proceedings as well, whenever either West or Ward cheerily comments on the fact that he realizes he's only acting in a TV movie, or that a commercial break is overdue. Though it strains much too hard for laughs at times, the film at least deserves credit for trying to be different from the usual run of TV biopics. Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt made its CBS Bat-bow on March 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Every so often, the veteran performers pause to remember significant events from their Bat-past (including the adulation of fans, battles with network censors, egotistical flare-ups on the set, and their own marital breakups), while in fine old Batman tradition an unseen narrator (whose identity is sublimely significant to the story line) delivers warnings of impending doom. Also keeping in the spirit of the original series are the bizarre, off-center camera angles, the onomatopoeic "Bam!," "Pow!," and "Zowie!" superimpositions during the fight sequences, the steady stream of inside jokes (including a running gag involving Adam West's notorious stinginess), and the amusing cameo appearances by former "special guest villains": Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether. A bit of Pirandello wafts into the proceedings as well, whenever either West or Ward cheerily comments on the fact that he realizes he's only acting in a TV movie, or that a commercial break is overdue. Though it strains much too hard for laughs at times, the film at least deserves credit for trying to be different from the usual run of TV biopics. Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt made its CBS Bat-bow on March 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Cordy (Charisma Carpenter) and the boys proudly cure a client of a demonic third eye that has sprouted in the back of her head, but the girl's mother refuses to pay on the grounds that since demons don't exist, the team must have scammed her. Later, Virginia (Brigid Brannagh) breaks up with Wesley (Alexis Denisof), unable to cope with his dangerous lifestyle. Elsewhere, Detective Kate Lockley (Elisabeth Rohm) gets fired from the LAPD for her obsession with the occult. Meanwhile, Angel (David Boreanaz) learns that one of the senior partners of Wolfram & Hart, a fearsome Kleynack demon, will be arriving on earth soon for the firm's violent 75-year review. Angel decides to take his battle with the firm all the way to the bottom -- to hell, where he will confront the senior partners on their home turf. After basically stealing a book from Wes and Cordy and further alienating his former comrades, he turns to Denver (Brett Rickaby), the same bookstore proprietor who helped him 50 years earlier (see "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?"). Denver gives him a mystic gauntlet that will allow him to kill the visiting Kleynack demon and steal the magical ring with which it travels between dimensions. Unfortunately, Darla (Julie Benz), who has been recovering from her burns at the apartment of smitten lawyer Lindsey McDonald (Christian Kane), has also learned of the impending review. She arrives at the bookstore, kills Denver, steals the glove and runs Angel through with a sword. Later, both Darla and Angel crash the Wolfram & Hart review, and Angel manages to get his hands on both the gauntlet and the ring. When he puts it on, the deceased Holland Manners (Sam Anderson) arrives to take him in an elevator to hell. As it turns out, though, the elevator leads not to hell, but back to earth -- for, as Holland explains, evil is everywhere and inside everyone. As the bitter Kate lies near death, having washed down a bottle of pills with liquor, a demoralized Angel returns home to find Darla waiting for him. He falls nihilistically into bed with her and awakens in what appears to be the same agony that beset him after making love to Buffy and losing his soul (see Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Innocence"). Originally broadcast February 20, 2001, on the WB network, "Reprise" marked season two, episode 15 of the supernatural comedy drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Angel (David Boreanaz) asks Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) to research an abandoned Art Deco hotel called the Hyperion. Little do they know that 50 years earlier their boss was a resident at the very same building. Using the McCarthy hearings as a backdrop, flashbacks reveal the Angel of 1952 to have been an even bigger brooder than now, disconnected from both humans and the vampire world. After unintentionally getting involved in the affairs of a fugitive thief named Judy Kovacs (Melissa Marsala), the '50s Angel discovers the presence of a Thesulac demon in the Hyperion. Feeding off the mistrust and insecurities of the residents, the monster whips them into an angry mob. Judy, terrified of being found out as a criminal, accuses Angel of being a murderer; the crowd strings him up and hangs him, unaware that he's already dead. Angel escapes and tells the Thesulac demon he can have his way with the humans. Fifty years of gruesome murders ensue. Back in the present day, a repentant Angel and the gang stage a final showdown with the still malevolent beast -- and free an elderly Judy Kovacs from her reclusive paranoia. Before the team can leave the hotel, however, Angel makes an announcement; he's turning the building into their new headquarters. Originally broadcast October 3, 2000, on the WB network, "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?" marked season two, episode two of the supernatural comedy drama. The supporting characters of this episode include Denver (Brett Rickaby), a '50s bookstore owner who assists Angel and appears again in "Reprise." ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 1994
This episode was clearly inspired by the 1993 arrest of Vietnam-era activist Katherine Anne Power. While pursuing a routine robbery investigation, detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Logan (Chris Noth) follow the trail of clues to 1960s war protester Susan Forrest (Mary-Joan Negro), who has been in hiding ever since participating in a 1971 burglary in which a policeman was killed. As the dead man's widow (Marilyn Chris) presses for full retribution, Forrest enlists the services of none other than "Chicago Seven" defense lawyer William M. Kunstler -- played by Kunstler himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After several weeks filming The Scout in the late 1970s, star Peter Falk and director Howard Zieff abandoned the project. Two decades later, writer Andrew Bergman gave his original script to Albert Brooks and Monica Johnson, who polished it as a vehicle for Brooks and director Michael Ritchie. Brooks stars as Al Percolo, a talent scout for the New York Yankees whose latest recruit (Michael Rapaport) has just vomited on the field and fled. Sent to Mexico as punishment by his boss (Lane Smith), Percolo finds phenomenal young pitcher Steve Nebraska (Brendan Fraser). Before he can get back to the Big Apple, however, Percolo gets pink-slipped by the Yankees, so he offers Nebraska as a free agent. After a stellar tryout, Nebraska is signed for millions. Soon after, he starts to exhibit odd behaviors that may be linked to psychological problems. A psychiatrist (Dianne Wiest) hired by the ball club wants Nebraska in daily therapy, so Percolo ends up babysitting a mentally unstable pitcher. Brooks' normally winning mix of laughs with psychological insights didn't add up to box office or critical success, despite cameos from real-life sports figures such as George Steinbrenner and Steve Garvey. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Brooks, Brendan Fraser, (more)
