Henry Simmons Movies

A high school poetry teacher and single father discovers that the thing he covets most in life may not be what makes him truly happy in this pitch-black comedy directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, and starring Robin Williams. Lance Clayton (Williams) is a mild-mannered high school teacher from Seattle who was granted sole custody of his son, Kyle (Daryl Sabara), following a nasty divorce. As hard as Lance tries to connect with his hostile, loathsome son, all he receives for his sincere efforts are insults and scorn. The only things Kyle seems to care about are violent video games and internet porn, the latter obsession eventually serving to alienate the foul-mouthed teen from his sole friend, Andrew (Evan Martin). His books rejected by publishers and his poetry class on the verge of being canceled due to student disinterest, Lance does find a bit of happiness in his relationship with pretty art instructor Claire (Alexie Gilmore), though these days her gaze is drifting toward handsome young English teacher Mike (Henry Simmons), who recently celebrated the publication of his very first piece in The New Yorker. Then, one day, Lance discovers his son dead, the apparent victim of autoerotic asphyxiation gone horribly awry. In order to give the boy some dignity in death, Lance pens a suicide note before summoning the authorities. By chance, that note is published in Kyle's school newspaper, instantly transforming him into a misunderstood cult icon among the impressionable student body. Now, tragedy has become opportunity for Lance. Can the grieving father live with the knowledge of how he achieved such fame, or has he sacrificed his own soul in his blind quest to garner the kind of fame that has eluded him his entire life? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A woman discovers that when it comes to love, sometimes opposites really do attract in this romantic comedy-drama. Kenya (Sanaa Lathan) is a successful African-American lawyer in her mid-thirties whose personal life is not going as well as her career. While she's attractive and intelligent, Kenya has rather high standards and isn't willing to settle for a man who isn't everything she wants. While attending a party, Kenya is introduced to Brian (Simon Baker), a landscape architect who handles the gardening at her host's mansion. Brian is immediately and obviously attracted to Kenya, through she doesn't feel the same way at all. However, she likes his work and hires him to refurbish her garden; before long, he asks her out on a date, and against her better judgment she accepts. While Kenya and Brian have little in common, in time they hit it off, and a romance begins to blossom between them. However, Brian happens to be white, which ruffles some feathers among Kenya's friends and family, who try to find her a more suitable, African-American suitor. Also starring Mike Epps, Donald Faison, Blair Underwood, and Alfre Woodard, Something New was the first feature film for director Sanaa Hamri, who previously established herself by directing music videos. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Actor and playwright Tyler Perry returns as Madea, a brash but loving African-American grandmother with her own way of doing things in this screen adaptation of his popular stage comedy drama. Madea has her work cut out for her when she finds herself dealing with a handful of family crises the same weekend that she's planned a massive family reunion. Her niece Lisa (Rochelle Aytes) is engaged to marry a handsome and successful man (Blair Underwood), but the good news is blunted when she reveals to her friends that he beats her. Another niece, Vanessa (Lisa Anderson), has been having romantic problems of her own, and isn't sure she should take another chance on love with a humble but good-hearted bus driver (Boris Kodjoe). Madea's older sister dies, with the funeral landing the same weekend as Lisa's wedding. And on top of all this, a court order forces Madea to look after Nikki (Keke Palmer), a troubled and angry teenager from a broken home. Madea's Family Reunion also stars Lynn Whitfield, Jennifer Lewis, Cicely Tyson, and Maya Angelou. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A young boy grows up among a makeshift family of oddballs and dreamers in this adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's acclaimed one-man show. Ruben Junior (Marcus Carl Franklin) is a young boy who was born in the late '40s into a family that started crumbling not long after he was born. Ruben Junior's parents were from Lackawanna, a city in Upstate New York, and were living in a rooming house run by Nanny Crosby (S. Epatha Merkerson), whose place was a hub for the local African-American community. When Ruben Junior's parents split up, he and his mother return to Lackawanna and Nanny's rooming house; with mother overworked physically and in sad shape emotionally, Nanny takes Ruben Junior under her wing, and offers him the sort of nurturing she gives all her boarders. Nanny's house is full of people struggling for a fresh start in life, ranging from former convicts to recovering drug addicts, and she opens both her doors and her heart to them as they strive to make themselves better people. Ruben Junior finds a loving home amidst the colorful eccentrics in Nanny's circle of friends, but as America changes over the course of the 1950s and '60s, so does the neighborhood where Nanny and her tenants live -- and not for the better. Produced for the premium cable network HBO, Lackawanna Blues features a stellar supporting cast, including Delroy Lindo, Louis Gossett Jr., Rosie Perez, Jimmy Smits, Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, and Ernie Hudson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This television miniseries tells the familiar story of Spartacus, played in this endeavor by ER regular Goran Visnjic. Spartacus, who was enslaved by the Romans after they murdered his father, leads fellow slaves in an attempt to overthrow the repressive Roman Empire. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Former NYPD Blue regular Kim Delaney returns in the role of Detective Diane Russell, who since the death of Danny Sorenson has been working with the SVU. Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) hopes that Diane will be able to persuade Adrian (Katy Selverstone), the sister of Connie's scummy brother-in-law, Frank, to provide the damaging information that will prevent Frank's parents from gaining custody of baby Michelle. Elsewhere, the detectives investigate the murder of a woman and the victim's ex-boyfriend, who at first glance would seem to have plenty of motive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

NYPD Blue returns after a five-week hiatus with Detective Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons) under intense scrutiny of both the IAB and the media. It all started during a shoot-out with a suspect, in which an innocent bystander, a 13-year-old teenager, was killed. Jones' future looks bleak until evidence reveals that the "innocent" victim may have been anything but. And in the aftermath of his father's suicide, John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is unable to control his grief, which spills over into his relationship with Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors) -- who is having enough trouble investigating an unsavory case of improper police procedure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jones (Henry Simmons) seriously considers taking the law into his own hands when Valerie (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) is seriously injured by a stalker. The other detectives of the 15th investigate a series of murders in which the victims were all African males. And the parents of Frank Colohon, the no-good brother-in-law of Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross), demand custody of Frank's baby daughter, Michelle, while Connie's significant other, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), continues dragging his heels on the subject of matrimony. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

Gordon Dillit (Jeff Perry) stumbles into the 15th to report that he has been mugged, and that a valuable watch belonging to his wife has been stolen. During their investigation of this incident, the detectives uncover evidence placing Dillit in the apartment of a murdered "tranny," or transvestite prostitute. In another development, an 18-year-old Pakistani woman pays a terrible price for "disgracing" her family. And the tense domestic relationship between Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross) reaches a breaking point. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Things get personal for 15th precinct skipper Tony Rodriguez (Esai Morales), who, while investigating a drug-related murder, comes across the body of his ex-wife, Angela. In another development, a social worker who assigned a baby to an unfit mother may be prosecuted for second-degree murder by Connie (Charlotte Ross) when the infant is scalded to death. And John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is in for a not-unpleasant surprise when he is ordered to attend a training session. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first half of NYPD Blue's ninth-season finale, no sooner have Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross) returned from Disney World than they join the rest of the 15th precinct in a case involving a missing four-year-old boy. At first, it seems as though the youngster has fallen victim to an online sexual predator, but before long, several other possible suspects come to surface. Elsewhere, gay cop John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) inherits a huge amount of money from his late long-estranged father. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide