Jim Meskimen Movies

Jack Bishop (Simon Baker) draws on the powers of La Santa Muerte to find his missing daugher Toby. His life was perfect until his dark past returned with a vengeance. Now the thing that Jack loves most has been taken away.\ With the help of a sheriff and two FBI agents, Jack searches the seedy underbelly of Mexico City for his daughter and discovers that there's no escape from the grip of La Santa Muerte. Paz Vega and Simon Baker star in a supernatural thriller directed by Basic co-producer Dror Soref. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In the tenth incarnation of Hanna-Barbera's animated Scooby-Doo franchise (which dated back to the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?), the spotlight was on cringing, crime-solving Great Dane Scooby and his funky human pal, Shaggy (Scott Menville), with the other familiar characters -- Velma, Daphne, and Freddy -- consigned to occasional guest appearances. This time around, the premise had Shaggy's scientist uncle, Dr. Albert Shaggleford, disappearing from the face of the earth -- but not before bequeathing millions of dollars to his nephew, and also passing along a passel of high-tech crime-fighting inventions. Tooling about in an upgraded "Mystery Machine" -- which could now morph into other vehicles, from submarine to helicopter -- Shaggy and Scooby continued their mission to solve crimes and bring heavily disguised miscreants to justice. Scooby was helped along in this pursuit with his familiar "Scooby Snacks," which were now seasoned with nanotechnology enabling our doggie hero to fly, turn invisible, and so forth. The principal villain was mad scientist Dr. Phinius Phibes, based partly on the Vincent Price character of the same name -- and partly on real-life animation director Bruce Timm, longtime collaborator of series developer Eric Radomski. To sum up: less mystery and more action, but the same old "meddling kids and that stupid dog." Shaggy & Scooby-Doo joined the CW's "Kid's WB" Saturday-morning cartoon lineup on September 23, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This big-budget science fiction adventure centers on a final battle between good and evil for control of the world. In the year 3000, Earth is ruled by the Psyclos, a vicious alien race of which Terl (John Travolta) is a member, that has laid waste to the planet, killed the majority of the population, and stripped Earth of its valuable resources. Pockets of resistance remain among the surviving humans; Jonnie "Goodboy" Tyler (Barry Pepper) is one such rebel, living in hiding in the mountains near Boulder, CO. Eventually, Johnny begins organizing like-minded humans for a final stand against the Psyclos. The film is based on the novel by L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction author also known as the founder of the Church of Scientology; it covers only the first half of the book, saving the remainder for a possible sequel. Battlefield Earth also stars Forest Whitaker, Kim Coates, and Kelly Preston. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Several ships have vanished without a trace in the Indian ocean, near Christie Island in the Republic of Seychelles. The Quest team investigates the phenomenon, hoping to disprove rumors of a huge sea monster in the region. Inevitably, however, both Jonny and Hadji find themselves in the grip of an enormous squid -- and at the mercy of the squid's human "masters." "East of Zanzibar" made its first cable-TV appearance on September 3, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dr. Quest receives a strange package from his old friend, Native American mystic Alice Starseer, containing a curious quartz statue. In turn, the statue contains a rod that acts as a beacon to summon extraterrestrials. Transporting the statue to New Mexico (conveniently close to "Area 51" near Roswell), the Quest team is targetted for scrutiny -- and possible elimination -- by the ubiquitious Men in Black who seem to always be around in sci-fi stories. "Return of the Anasazi" was first telecast on September 9, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An oil expedition in Bermuda is terrorized by what seems to be band of phantom pirates. Sent to investigate, the Quest Team comes face to face with ghostly buccaneer Black Jack Lee, whose galleon, the Ivory Web, sank near the expedition site centuries before. As it turns out, however, Black Jack isn't quite as spooky as he seems. The first episode of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest to be telecast (though actually the fourth one filmed), "The Darkest Fathoms" got the new series off to a rousing start, with first-rate animation and character design. The program originally aired on August 26, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Competing with Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) for a job on Hilary's TV talk show, Will (Will Smith) thinks he's scored a coup when he offers to act as escort for the sister of famous comedian Maurice Perry, who is slated to appear on the show. Did we mention that Maurice and his sis Jasmine are exact lookalikes? And did we also mention that both roles are played by Chris Rock? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Taking no chances of failure, Will (Will Smith) signs up for a bunch of "easy" classes at college. There's only one exception: the Western Philosophy course in which he enrolled to meet pretty girls. Unfortunately, the course proves too topheavy for Will's taste, so he drops out--a decision he comes to regret after getting to know the philosophy teacher, the fascinating (and astonishingly versatile!) Professor Jeremy Mansfield (Jim Meskimen). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide