Gary Grossman Movies

This documentary is a non-evangelical interpretation of the ancient history behind the story of Jesus and his 12 apostles. Martin Sheen narrates and several biblical scholars, university professors, and religious leaders give their insights and comments on Jesus as a leader and his relationship with his followers. Some attempt is made in the video to separate myth from fact in the stories about this important part of history that have come down through the centuries. A look at life under Roman rule and the circumstances surrounding the era when Jesus performed most of his work make up the body of the video, while dramatic reenactments of significant events add to the understanding of the lives of the apostles both before and after Jesus' death.




~ Sarah Block, Rovi

Though everybody thinks that they're overreacting, Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) agonize over baby Mabel's nonstop crying. Paul in particular has his undies in a bundle because he has to meet with an important European film distributor after yet another sleepless night. Then, astonishingly, Jamie stumbles upon the "cure." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Embracing the supposed nihilism and cynicism of the "slacker" generation, S.F.W. (1995) caused nary a blip on the media-saturated cultural radar screen that it criticized. Stephen Dorff stars as Cliff Spab, an aimless, hard-drinking youth. Spab becomes a national hero when he is one of several people held hostage by gun-toting terrorists in a convenience store. He doesn't care much about his own life or anything else, and his attitude of "So f---ing what?" translates into debates with his terrorist captors and gloomy pronouncements that charm viewers. After a month-long siege, a crisis erupts when the store runs out of beer and junk food, so Cliff finds himself a free man whose celebrity image is emblazoned on t-shirts and whose presence is requested at a rock concert where he is required to do nothing other than appear. In the meantime, Spab's girlfriend Wendy (Reese Witherspoon) becomes a ubiquitous talk show guest. Ostensibly a satire of the celebrity-obsessed culture of the 1990s, the film was withheld from distribution for a year because of thematic similarities to Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Once Teri Hatcher hit it big on the TV series Lois and Clark, several of her less memorable earlier projects began popping out of the woodwork. The R-rated The Cool Surface is listed as a 1993 film, but one wonders. Hatcher plays Dani Payson, a beautiful aspiring actress and neighbor to playwright Jarvis Scott (Robert Patrick). Jarvis observes Dani as she and her live-in lover alternately have sex and argue violently. He begins to have his own fantasies about Dani and is inspired to base one of his characters on her. The ambitious Dani finds out about his novel, then campaigns to win the lead in Scott's upcoming film. Cool Surface evidently wasn't cool enough to prevent certain well-proportioned members of the cast from baring all. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time is a documentary about the life and times of Hefner, the publisher of the legendary men's magazine Playboy, and how he changed the sexual climate of America. Though it was made with the cooperation of Hefner and Playboy Enterprises, the documentary doesn't gloss over the scandals that besieged Hefner and his business during the '50s, a feature that makes Once Upon a Time a surprisingly effective and detailed documentary. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

When Murphy (Candice Bergen) makes a flippant on-air comment about short men, she incurs the wrath of the "66 Club", comprised entirely a small-statured males. One of the club members demands that Murphy make a personal apology to himself and his brethren. But upon meeting the "66 Club", Murphy realizes that they are just as prejudiced against those who are unlike themselves as she appears to be. Paula Zahn and Mark McEwen, then the cohosts of CBS This Morning, appear as themselves in this, the first Murphy Brown episode NOT directed by Barnet Kellman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Christine (Markie Post) becomes the object of ridicule for the Night Court staff when she begins dating a wealthy sexagenerian named Ted (played by soap-opera stalwart Peter Hansen). The staffers are convinced that Christine isn't really interested in the old man romantically, but instead regards him merely as a father figure. No one is more vocal on the subject that Harry (Harry Anderson)--who has a hard time hiding his jealousy for the fortunate Ted. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mac (Charlie Robinson) is literally driven to drink by his maddeningly clueless Vietnamese bride Quon Le (Denice Kumagai). Not only has she driven her husband to the brink of bankruptcy with her reckless shopping sprees, but now Mac faces the added burden of his bride's impending motherhood. This is the infamous episode in which the ashes of a deceased man are accidentally mixed with the courtroom coffee supply! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Harry (Harry Anderson) blames himself when Dan (John Larroquette) lapses into a coma, even though the real cause was Dan's strenuous seduction of Sheila (Leslie Bevis) while he was still confined to a hospital bed. Ultimately awakening to find that his friends are holding a bedside vigil around him, Dan figures that he's off the hook for his irresponsible behavior. But he's figured wrong--dead wrong! Frequent Night Court guest star Jack Riley shows up in the role of Dr. Flick. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the first episode of a two-part story, Dan (John Larroquette) insists upon disobeying his doctor's orders by returning to work immediately after minor ulcer surgery. Predictably ending up back in the hospital, Dan is still determined to prove that he's far from incapacitated, this time by making whoopee with sexy Sheila (Leslie Bevis) in his hospital bed. This, coupled with some angry words from Harry (Harry Anderson) , causes Dan to lapse into a coma--and to very nearly become a candidate for the morgue! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi