Gregg Daniel Movies

Your friendly neighborhood web-slinger is back, only this time his sunny outlook has become partially overcast in the third chapter of director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man saga. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco return to reprise their roles from the previous two installments, with Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, and Bryce Dallas Howard making their first appearances in the series as Flint Marko (aka Sandman), Eddie Brock (aka Venom), and Gwen Stacy, respectively. Peter Parker (Maguire) has finally leaned to walk the middle ground between being the superhero that his city needs and the man that Mary Jane (Dunst) loves. All is well in New York City until one night, as Peter and M.J. sit gazing at the stars, a falling comet streams across the sky and crashes into the ground close by. But this isn't any ordinary shooting star, and upon impact the mysterious space rock is split open to reveal a shape-shifting symbiote with the power to overtake anything that it comes into contact with. Later, as Harry Osborn (James Franco) acquires his late father's flying board, engineers a powerful new Goblin outfit, and takes to the sky to avenge dad's death, the mysterious space sludge infects both Peter's Spider-Man suit and ambitious street photographer Eddie Brock (Grace). Peter's strange new suit gives him a newfound sense of power as it gradually overpowers his personality, and he discovers that escaped convict Flint Marko was in fact the man responsible for the death of Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson). Unfortunately for Peter, Marko has recently acquired the power to morph at will and quickly completes his transformation into the dreaded Sandman. As the Sandman gives in to his darkest criminal instincts and the slithering space symbiote transforms Eddie Brock into the nightmarish fanged villain known as Venom, the citizens of New York City must once again call on Spider-Man to fend off destructive forces that are far too powerful for the likes of mortal man. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

After a blow on the head, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) awakens in the tiny backwater town of Purnell, Wyoming, with both his memory and all traces of his identification gone. As Monk tries to figure out what's happened, a local woman named Cora (Laurie Metcalf) appears, declaring that he is her husband--and with no proof to the contrary, Monk takes Cora at her word, returning to her house and acting the role of dutiful helpmate! By and by, however, Monk's inherent detective skills begin to resurface, and soon he is investigating the mysterious disappearance of a waitress named Debbie (Bre Blair)--which may or may not be linked with the fate that has recently befallen local big shot Roger Zisk (Jim Parrack), whose body is covered with painful bee stings! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Further cementing 2003 as the year of Ron Shelton cop movies, the director continued his vacation from the sports genre with Hollywood Homicide, a police comedy that comes right on the heels of Shelton's Dark Blue, a decidedly grittier cop thriller. The film stars Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett as LAPD homicide detectives Joe Gavilan and K.C. Calden, two cops with bigger dreams. Gavilan moonlights as a real estate agent, while Calden teaches yoga and yearns for a career on the big screen. When an entire hip-hop group is murdered on-stage, Gavilan and Calden are called in to handle the case. As their investigation progresses, they begin to suspect that the rappers were offed for attempting to get out of their recording contract with label head Sartain (Isaiah Washington). Along with Bruce Greenwood and Keith David, the supporting cast boasts a plethora of real-life musicians, including Dr. Dre, Gladys Knight, Dwight Yoakam, Master P, and Ronald DeVoe of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

After pulling in a couple of teenaged suspects who turn out to be innocent bystanders, Greg (Gordon Clapp) and Baldwin (Henry Simmons) try to solve the murder of a Chinese delivery man by checking cell-phone records. Investigating the claims made by IRS agent Victor Poole (Marty Rackham) that he has been kidnapped, Andy (Dennis Franz) ends up exposing Poole's secret life -- and is labeled "homophobic" for his troubles. Despite his headaches at work, Andy still intends to go through with his remarriage to Katie (Debra Monk). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Larry (Larry David) makes an insensitive joke that has serious consequences for his wife, Cheryl (Cheryl Hines). It all starts when Larry is going to meet his friend, Richard Lewis, and Cheryl asks him to pick up the prescription for her dermatitis, which is acting up. Walking along the beach, Richard explains that he's upset because his girlfriend and Larry don't get along. Larry agrees to bring Cheryl over after dinner and try to patch things up. Then they run into Dr. Grambs (Gregg Daniel), Richard's dermatologist, who happens to be black. Larry makes a tasteless joke about affirmative action, and Dr. Grambs storms off, ignoring Larry's desperate apologies. "I was just trying to be affable," a distraught Larry explains. He later meets Cheryl at a restaurant for dinner, where she's desperately waiting for her medication, which Larry's forgotten to pick up. To make things worse, there's a long wait for a table. Larry decides to cut ahead of the line by folding up a bill and surreptitiously handing it to the maître d'. "I'm extremely attracted to you right now," says an impressed Cheryl as they take their seats. But then Larry has to use the men's room, and he notices an NBC exec he doesn't want to speak to sitting at a table by the rest rooms. He decides he'll go to another restaurant two doors down rather than be forced to say hello. But at the other restaurant, he's accosted by a black woman line producer (Karen Bankhead) whom he failed to hire for his film, Sour Grapes. Things continue to go wrong when Larry and the itchy Cheryl get to the pharmacist after dinner, and Larry realizes the folded up paper he gave the maître d' was Cheryl's prescription. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Alan Alda makes the first of several guest appearances as crusty attending physician Dr. Gable Lawrence, an old friend and mentor of Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes). Lawrence's pomposities -- to say nothing of his eccentricities -- do nothing toward endearing himself to Greene (Anthony Edwards). Meanwhile, the ER is the scene of a brief shoot-out; Kovac (Goran Visnjic) and Lucy (Kellie Martin) try to persuade a woman patient to get out of an abusive spousal relationship; Carter (Noah Wyle) is there for comfort and reassurance as his former sister-in-law, Elaine (Rebecca De Mornay), undergoes a mastectomy; and Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) is given temporary custody of an HIV-positive baby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adhering to the "rules are rules" mentality, temporary ticket-counter clerk Antonio (Tony Shalhoub) refuses to let late arrival Danny Connelly (David Gianopoulos) board a plane. Unfortunately, Danny happens to be "Dead End" Connelly, star goalie for the Boston Bruins -- and thanks to Antonio, he misses an important game. Antonio's shame is compounded when even Jay Leno jokes about the incident! Meanwhile, Nantucket pays host to a most unusual social club. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide