Dennie Gordon Movies
Marking their first theatrical-release feature since 1995's It Takes Two, the Olsen twins bring their adventures back to the big screen with New York Minute. Billed as a sort of Ferris Bueller's Day Off for tweens, the plot involves the escapades of two enterprising Long Island girls, Roxy (Mary-Kate Olsen) and Jane (Ashley Olsen), as they decide to dupe their parents and spend a day on the island of Manhattan. It seems the high-minded Jane has a speech to give to a scholarship committee, while the punky Roxy wants to meet her favorite rock band. When Jane's planner gets swiped, however, the girls find themselves embroiled in a political scandal involving a high-powered senator (Andrea Martin), as their high school's truant officer (Eugene Levy) doggedly pursues them. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ashley Olsen, Mary-Kate Olsen, (more)
Loosely based on the 1958 comedy The Reluctant Debutante starring Sandra Dee, the family-friendly comedy What a Girl Wants features popular Nickelodeon teen star Amanda Bynes in her first feature-starring performance after her debut in Big Fat Liar. She plays teenager Daphne Reynolds, who lives in New York City with her musician mother, Libby (Kelly Preston). After she turns 17, Daphne is undecided about her future, so she takes off by herself to London in search of her father. She immediately meets cute musician Ian (Oliver James) before sneaking in to her father's estate to surprise him. He turns out to be Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), a fabulously wealthy aristocrat who doesn't even know that she exists. He had met her mother in Morocco and the two were married in a tribal ceremony. Upon their return to England, she left him and went back to the U.S. without ever revealing that she was pregnant. The uptight Henry is already flustered by his campaign for election, advised by doting aide Alistair Payne (Jonathan Pryce). His no-nonsense fiancée, Glynnis (Anna Chancellor), and her bratty daughter, Clarissa (Christina Cole), are threatened by Daphne's presence, thinking that she will hurt Henry's political aspirations by causing a scandal. However, the family matriarch (Eileen Atkins) takes a liking to her and she soon finds herself trying to liven things up at several stuffy aristocratic parties. Meanwhile, the evil Glynnis and Clarissa conspire against her by trying to sabotage her appearance, leading up to the conclusion at Daphne's very own coming-out party. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, (more)
- 2002
Kevin Williamson, creator of the theatrical thriller Scream and the weekly teen-angst television series Dawson's Creek, brought elements of both these properties to the Twin Peaks-like TVer Glory Days. The series' 60-minute episodes focused primarily on 25-year-old Mike Dolan, author of a best-selling murder-mystery novel in which the characters were thinly disguised personifications of the people he grew up with in the small Pacific Northwest island community of Glory. When his creative batteries went dry, Mike returned home, to be met with hostility by his family members and former friends who didn't like being depicted (usually unsympathetically) in his novel. One disgruntled Glory citizen was Mike's childhood buddy Rudy Dunlop (Jay R. Ferguson), now the town's sheriff. Others included Mike's own bipolar mother Mitzi (Frances Fisher), his workaholic newspaper-editor sister Sara (Amy Stewart), and blowzy café owner Hazel Walker (Theresa Russell), who had once allegedly been "involved" with Mike's dad -- and whose literary counterpart was cast as the "murderer" in Mike's novel. The hero's only allies in town were coroner Ellie Sparks (Poppy Montgomery), who somehow managed to escape being caricatured in the novel, and Mike's 16-year-old sister Sam (Emily Van Camp), who fancied herself Glory's resident rebel. Inasmuch as the town was a hotbed of bizarre characters and quasi-supernatural events, it was only inevitable that murder would occasionally rear its ugly head, forcing Mike and Rudy to reluctantly collaborate as crime-solvers, with Ellie tagging along every inch of the way. Glory Days made its WB network bow on January 16, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
As the title character of Joe Dirt, David Spade plays a "white trash" janitor at an L.A. radio station, whose mullet hairdo is just one of many personal oddities that make him the object of much ridicule. And the sanitation gig is just the most recent of Joe's many incarnations during a tumultuous life, which got off on the wrong foot when Joe was abandoned at the Grand Canyon by his parents as a young child. After stumbling into the on-air studio, Joe steadily recounts the sad and comical story of how he cared for himself and journeyed around the country trying to relocate his family, all while being prodded, teased, and eventually embraced by a sarcastic deejay (Dennis Miller) and a rapt listening audience. His travels involve stints selling fireworks, wrangling alligators, riding aloft in a car dealership display balloon, and being held captive by a Silence of the Lambs-style serial killer. Despite numerous setbacks and bruising physical injuries, Joe emerges from each episode with his spirit intact as he searches optimistically for his roots, and eventually for the chance to return to the one place he was accepted -- a rural farm where the girl of his dreams (Brittany Daniel) awaits. The directorial debut of Dennie Gordon, Joe Dirt was produced by Adam Sandler's production company, Happy Madison, and features musician Kid Rock, also debuting, in the supporting role of Joe's rival. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Spade, Dennis Miller, (more)
- 1999
Thanks to another of Moya's unexpected starbursts, Crichton (Ben Browder) is stranded in space while riding Farscape 1. Entering into the energy pull of the earthlike planet Acquira, Crichton at first enjoys his new home so much that he is reluctant to leave. By the time he realizes that Acquira is no paradise, Crichton's fellow crew members, D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe) and Rygel (Jonathan Hardy), have landed on the planet, where, as a result of a misunderstanding, Rygel is hailed as the long-anticipated Acquiran savior. Alas, if the locals find out who he really is, Rygel will be executed -- as will the rest of Moya's crew. "Jeremiah Crichton" first aired on July 30, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
As Christmas nears, the Sports Night staffers participate in the hallowed Secret Santa holiday gift exchange -- though for most, there is very little secret involved. Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) corners Casey (Peter Krause) and asks him what he wants for his gift, which in turn inspires Casey to ask Isaac (Robert Guillaume) what he'd like. As the holiday preparations continue, Dana (Felicity Huffman) anxiously awaits the arrival of her younger brother Kyle (Eric Bruskotter), a professional football player who has been recently revealed as a participant in a doping scandal and faces league suspension. Meanwhile, Natalie asks Dan and Casey for advice in regards to her audition tape, as she has had ongoing aspirations for an on-air position. Dan gives her an overly enthusiastic response that he nearly immediately regrets, forcing him to come clean later in the day. As the entire crew sets about to come to a consensus about whom they'd name the greatest athlete of the last century, Dana's brother finally arrives in the studio and gets a somewhat different reception than he'd been expecting. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Casey (Peter Krause) announces his plans for an upcoming date, as required by Dana (Felicity Huffman) before the two of them can start a romantic relationship. Dan (Josh Charles), intrigued by Casey's date's unique name, asks if he can ask her out after Casey screws up the date. Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) and Casey suspect that Dana may be a little jealous by this development, with Natalie going a step further and declaring that Dana's plan will most certainly backfire. Dana declares she is not jealous and begins focusing on a larger problem: The following night's broadcast is very short on content and needs about 40 minutes worth of material to fill it out. Meanwhile, Jeremy (Joshua Malina) is up for an industry award and is finding it difficult to write his acceptance speech. As he goes to a number of people for advice, he learns that he will not win the award and that his girlfriend Natalie has known the outcome for some time. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
When Jeremy's (Joshua Malina) assistant Corbin (Charlie Finn) neglects to prepare a play sheet for an important story in the broadcast, Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) demands Jeremy fire him or else she'll be forced to do it herself. Jeremy reluctantly agrees but has second thoughts while reconsidering the fact that Corbin is a relative to network bigwig J.J. Elsewhere. Dana (Felicity Huffman) picks up on a breaking story about some drug scandal in Ohio and she begins investigating with Casey (Peter Krause), whom she later sends out to Ohio to personally prepare a report. As Casey heads for the Midwest, Dan (Josh Charles) has another session with psychiatrist Abby Jacobs (Jayne Brook), who points out that his flirtatiousness is merely a means of gaining approval. Taking no strength in this revelation, Dan proceeds to call into question every interaction he has with every female staffer on the Sports Night set. When Casey returns to New York with names and sources about some impending suspensions, the story proves to be much more personal to Dana than she had ever imagined when her younger brother is among the implicated. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Looking forward to a gambling trip in Atlantic City upon the completion of their work day, Casey (Peter Krause) and Dan's (Josh Charles) plans are squashed when they are forced to substitute for the co-anchors of the early morning wrap-up show who are snowed in at the Pittsburgh airport. With a bit of time to kill before the 2 a.m. show, they decide to start an impromptu poker game to pass the time. Dana (Felicity Huffman) and Isaac (Robert Guillaume) join the game after briefly discussing Isaac's notion that he may be shrinking due to age and osteoporosis. Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) challenges Jeremy (Joshua Malina) into the game as part of their ongoing feud regarding Jeremy's recent choice of playing tennis with an old friend -- who happens to be a famous and beautiful actress -- rather than spending time with her. Unfortunately for Natalie, she proves to be horrible at poker -- which makes her even more angry with Jeremy, whom she also accuses of being a Mr. Know-It-All. While in the midst of the game, Dana has a brief discussion with the 2 a.m. show's producer Sally (Brenda Strong) and learns that Casey had approved the show's rundown without scrutinizing every last detail -- which miffs Dana and aggravates the jealousy and rivalry she has with Sally. Confronting Casey on the issue, Dana proceeds to inform him of the several problems in store for him with the 2 a.m. show because of his negligence, while Jeremy starts getting angry over Natalie's obsessive need for vindication and revenge that has elevated the argument to another level -- much to the ire of the rest of the staff who are forced to listen to the bickering. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Having been ignominiously booted from the PhD program, Kirsten (Paula Devicq) takes a job as hostess at Salinger's--and quickly allows her depression to get the better of her, despite the herculean efforts by Charlie (Matthew Fox) to cheer her up. Elsewhere, when his sister Julia (Neve Campbell) begins to date his roommate Cooper (Harold Voight), Bailey (Scott Wolf) discreetly moves into a new place and picks up a new roomie in the form of the extremely high-spirited Callie Martel (Alexondra Lee in her first series appearance). And in her efforts to repair the plumbing in the family home, Claudia (Lacey Chabert) succeeds primarily in depleting the Salinger bank account. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Christmas at the Salinger home marks the return of Grandpa Jake (Carroll O'Connor), who brings along a combination of good cheer and bad news. Meanwhile, Charlie (Matthew Fox) strengthens his resolve to forget about Kirsten, while simultaneously softening his attitude towards homeless people. Likewise reeling from his romantic misadventures, Bailey (Scott Wolf) would prefer to spend the Holidays drinking alone, but his wrestling coach (Dan Lauria) has other ideas. Also, Claudia (Lacey Chabert) and her classmate Stuart (Ben Savage) exchange gifts, with unexpected results. And Grace (Tamara Taylor) makes an eleventh-hour appearance at the house, not knowing what to expect from the mercurial Charlie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Refusing to face up to his drinking problem, Bailey (Scott Wolf) has been "expelled" from his own family. Before long, even such friends and intimates as Coach Petrocelli (Dan Lauria) and Callie (Alexondra Lee) have turned their backs on Bailey. His efforts to "prove" that everyone else is overreacting result in an unpleasant misadventure with baby brother Owen--and a near-fatal accident with Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt). Elsewhere, Claudia (Lacey Chabert) poses some sensitive questions about her late father; and Julia (Neve Campbell) is briefly reunited with her former flame Griffin (Jeremy London). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
