Nicholas Guest Movies
Supporting actor Nicholas Guest first appeared onscreen in the '80s. He is the brother of actor Christopher Guest. ~ All Movie Guide
An innkeeper in a small Midwestern town is concerned about strange boarders, whom he believes are visitors from the future. He struggles to save his daughter from being taken by the aliens and to keep the town from being destroyed. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Daniels, Ariana Richards, (more)
Julia Cole (Diane Salinger) is more than a little upset about turning 40. She's depressed about growing older, distressed at the lack of attention from her workaholic husband Charles (John Calvin), and bored with being a stay-at-home wife and mother. On her birthday, she finds a bottle of enchanted soap bubbles. Blowing them transports her to moments of happiness from earlier times in her life. Soon, she not only regains her youthful vigor, she cannot even remember how old she is. She changes her appearance, her personality is transformed from reclusive to outgoing, and her values change from strict to permissive. Eventually, she realizes that happiness is not age-dependent. George Clooney and Wallace Shawn are the biggest names in this low-budget, independently produced romantic comedy, also known as The Magic Bubble, directed by Deborah Taper Ringel and Alfredo Ringel. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Salinger, John Calvin, (more)
- 1992
- R
Forever: A Ghost of a Love Story was inspired by the unsolved murder of movie director William Desmond Taylor in 1922. High-living music video director Keith Coogan moves into a crumbling Hollywood mansion. Here he is visited by a friendly and very beautiful wraith (Sean Young), who turns out to be the ghost of long-ago screen star Mary Miles Minter, the late Mr. Taylor's lover. Coogan's ectoplasmic romance is complicated by his sexually aggressive--and very much alive--female agent (Sally Kirkland). The film's in-the-know screenplay manages to conjure up the ghosts of silent movie favorites Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand and Wallace Reid, all of whom, like Minter and Taylor, were destroyed under spectacularly scandalous circumstances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In this made-for-cable actioner a quintet of Vietnam vets team up and hop on their Harleys to round up a no-good gang of drug dealers from their tiny home town. They also take on the town's crooked politicians. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Busey, Ray Sharkey, (more)
- 1991
- R
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Intergalactic super-cop Brick Bardo (Tim Thomerson) crash-lands in the Bronx while on a cosmic head hunt, only to find himself just over a foot tall in our world. Bardo spends time bringing street gangs to justice while pursuing his original quarry. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1991
It's probably not a good idea to take your family into a war zone, even if you have been assigned to cover the events taking place there. However, this is just what Max, a journalist, does, perhaps because he doesn't know how long he will be away. Once they get to the war-torn country, they hire an attractive, mysterious girl to look after the children, an au pair. Before long she is taking care of Max's sexual desires as well, before her behavior takes an even more sinister turn. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicholas Guest
- 1989
Hunter (Fred Dryer) investigates when a gun manufacturer who is linked to an Irish terrorist organization is murdered. At the same time, Hunter's boss Devane (Charles Hallahan) prepares to pop the question to his sweetheart Maureen Delaney (Fionnula Flannagan). Inasmuch as Maureen's brother Sean (Nicholas Guest) is a noted Northern Irish politician and peace activist, and as such has been targetted for assassination, it is inevitable that the episode's two plot strands will merge in a deadly entanglement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
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This 60-minute TV adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 doppelganger yarn stars Anthony Andrews as kindly London medico Henry Jekyll. Fascinated by the concept that within every man lurks two separate personalities--one good, one evil--Dr. Jekyll concocts a potion that releases his own nightmarish alter ego, Mr. Hyde. Contemporary critics noted that Andrews' Jekyll was so cloddish that his bestial Hyde came as something of a relief. Laura Dern co-stars as Jekyll/Hyde's long-suffering fiancee Rebecca. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde premiered as an HBO Nightmare Classic on October 29, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- PG13
- Add National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to QueueAdd National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to top of Queue
Chevy Chase, star of National Lampoon's Vacation and its sequel, is back as the paterfamilias of the Griswold family (including Beverly D'Angelo as his missus) to skewer the Yuletide season. Chevy mugs, trips, falls, mashes his fingers and stubs his toes as he prepares to invite numerous dysfunctional relatives to his household to celebrate Christmas. Amidst the more outrageous sight gags (including the electrocution of a cat as the Christmas tree is lit) the film betrays a sentimental streak, with old wounds healing and long-estranged relatives reuniting in the Griswold living room. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was still capable of attracting an audience five years after its release: It was one of the top-rated seasonal TV specials of 1994, outrating even the first network telecast of It's a Wonderful Life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, (more)
- 1989
- R
Steve Railsback, the star of the cult favorite The Stunt Man, carries the ball in Assassin. Railsback plays a CIA agent, assigned to protect a senator. When the politician is killed, the principal suspect is Our Hero. Left to his own devices, Railsback unearths one of those government conspiracies so beloved of quickie filmmakers. While the plot of Assassin is as full of holes as the senator, the action highlights are fine and dandy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
In the quest to find out whatever prompted a rat to emerge in their newspaper's bathroom, Pam Weiss (Catherine Bach) and Sharon Fields (Charlene Dallas) head down to the tunnels that begin in their building's basement. They imagine all sorts of scenes from horror movies, but instead discover a bunch of murderous real-estate developers. Their delectable looks notwithstanding, the two newswomen show off some admirable martial arts skills as they stop the bad guys from having their way with them. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Bach, Charlene Dallas, (more)
Michael J. Fox once more makes a courageous effort to shed his nice-guy image in Bright Lights, Big City. Fox plays an impressionable Kansan who comes to the Big Apple to take a job at a major magazine. It isn't long before he falls into the twin traps of drug and alcohol abuse. His only hope for redemption is in the hands of Vicky (Tracy Pollan), the cousin of his scuzzy drinking buddy Tad (Kiefer Sutherland). Jay McInerney's bestselling novel does not translate easily to the big screen, but Fox strives hard to please, as do all of his costars. The white stuff snorted by Fox wasn't really cocaine, but powdered milk. Watch for Frasier's David Hyde Pierce in a small role and Jason Robards in a significant unbilled cameo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, (more)
- 1988
In this mystery, Peter Ustinov reprises the role of Hercule Poirot, the fussy and flower-tending detective from Belgium created by Agatha Christie. In 1937, Mrs. Emily Boynton (Piper Laurie) is on an archeological dig in Palestine; she inherited the wealth of her recently deceased husband and feels little inclination to share it with her relatives. When she turns up murdered, there are plenty of logical suspects among the people who hated Emily, so which one did the deed? It's up to Poirot to find out. The supporting cast includes Lauren Bacall, John Gielgud, and Carrie Fisher; the film was Ustinov's sixth go-round as Poirot. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ustinov, Lauren Bacall, (more)
- 1987
In this unique interpretation of the great detective, the body of Sherlock Holmes has been in suspended animation for over 85 years. It is brought back by one of Watson's descendants and no sooner does Holmes come to than he is out solving a mystery in Boston. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- R
In this well-wrought, fast-paced caper flick, a naive, good-hearted waitress doesn't think twice about helping her troubled roommate. Unfortunately, her help lands her in Central America fleeing for her life with a grungy mercenary. They are chased because the two are believed to have possession of a priceless religious icon. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carey Lowell, Charles Rocket, (more)
Children of a Lesser God is a love story about a speech teacher who falls for a beautiful yet distant deaf girl in a small New England school for the deaf, and the obstacles that they face due to their differences. William Hurt plays James Leeds, a renegade teacher with an unconventional approach to education and a resume that includes stints as a bartender and a disk jockey. Upon his arrival, he is warned by school administrator Dr. Franklin (Philip Bosco) not to get creative with his instruction. Naturally, Leeds already has his mind set on his teaching plan and proceeds to play loud rock music in class in order to teach the students to feel the vibrations of the music and get them to try to speak phonetically. But a new element enters his life when he meets the attractive custodian, Sarah (Marlee Matlin). An exceptionally intelligent yet extremely bitter young woman, Sarah is a graduate of the school who has decided to remain there, in the confines of her world of silence; it's safer for her to be with her own "people" than to face what she perceives as a cruel and uncaring world. She hardly seems interested in James and will only communicate with him through signing, although she can read lips and even speak a little. James learns from Sarah's mother (Piper Laurie) that Sarah was sexually molested as a teenager; this explains why she is so wary of his attempts to form a relationship with her and why she is so full of fear. Eventually, James does get through to Sarah and the two fall in love, although both have to learn new ways to communicate their feelings. Though it seldom resembles the Mark Medoff play on which it was based, this directing debut from Randa Haines won an Best Actress Oscar for Matlin, for her first screen performance. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, (more)
- 1985
In this socially conscious drama, an ex-con meets constant opposition from avaricious land owners who want the land on which he has set up a ranch-style juvenile correctional facility. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Juvenile actor Henry Thomas, late of E.T., is the star of Cloak and Dagger. Given to telling whoppers, Thomas finds himself in a boy-who-cried-wolf dilemma when he overhears two spies plotting to smuggle valuable info out of the US. When he can't get his own father Dabney Coleman to believe him, Thomas turns disconsolately to a computer game called "Cloak and Dagger" and begins to fantasize, imagining that he is in cahoots with secret agent Jack Flack, also played by Coleman. Finally coming to grips with the fact that the mythical Jack Flack cannot help him this time, Thomas takes on the spies with the help of his schoolmates, who are also "Cloak and Dagger" addicts. Cloak and Dagger is a heavily disguised remake of 1949's The Window; both are based on the Cornell Woolrich story The Boy Cried Murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Thomas, Dabney Coleman, (more)
The "nature-nurture" theory that motivated so many Three Stooges comedies is the basis of John Landis's hit comedy. The fabulously wealthy but morally bankrupt Duke brothers (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) make a one-dollar bet over heredity vs. environment. Curious as to what might happen if different lifestyles were reversed, they arrange for impoverished street hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) to be placed in the lap of luxury and trained for a cushy career in commodities brokerage. Simultaneously, they set about to reduce aristocratic yuppie Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd to poverty and disgrace, hiring a prostitute (Jamie Lee Curtis) to hasten his downfall. When Billy Ray figures out that the brothers intend to dump him back on the streets once their experiment is complete, he seeks out Winthorpe, and together the pauper-turned-prince and prince-turned-pauper plot an uproarious revenge. With the good-hearted prostitute and Winthorpe's faithful butler (Denholm Elliott) as their accomplices, they set about to hit the brothers where it really hurts: in the pocketbook. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, (more)
- 1982
- PG
- Add Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to QueueAdd Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to top of Queue
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is fondly regarded as being the closest in spirit to the 1966-69 TV series that spawned it. Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) escapes the tedium of a desk job to join Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) on another space mission. While boldly going where no man etc. etc., Kirk crosses the path of his old enemy Khan (Ricardo Montalban), who as any die-hard Trekker can tell you, was the chief antagonist in the 1966 Trek TV episode "Space Seed." Leading a crew of near-savage space prisoners, Khan insinuates himself into the Genesis Project, which is designed to introduce living organisms on long-dead planets. Intending to harness this program for his own despotic purposes, Khan engages in battle with the Enterprise crew. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1982
The fact-based TV movie The Ambush Murders was adapted from a book by Ben Bradlee Jr. Dorian Harewood plays an African-American political activist who is loyal to his ideals and faithful to his friends and family. After two white policemen are killed, Harewood is charge with the crime. 49 months and two mistrials later, Harewood remains in prison. When lawyer James Brolin offers his services, Harewood doesn't trust him any more than any of the other self-serving white attorneys who've "helped" him in the past. But Brolin digs a little deeper than his predecessors, uncovering facts and evidence that may at long last spring his client. Ambush Murders was first telecast January 5, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
A policeman masquerades as a homeless alcoholic and teams up with a bag lady, who is really a college professor, to bring a drug lord's assassin to justice in this memorable made-for-television drama. Along the way, the two disparate partners find themselves falling in love. The story is based upon Richard Barth's novel The Rag Bag Clan. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The hook in Walter Hill's mythic retelling of the James-Younger outlaw legend is in the casting; the James, Younger, Miller, and Ford Brothers are played by a string of acting brothers, the Keachs, the Carradines, the Quaids and the Guests. The film begins as outlaws are robbing a bank. After the robbery, Ed Miller (Dennis Quaid) finds himself kicked out of the gang for needlessly killing a man during the robbery. Jesse James (James Keach) hands over Ed's share of the money and tells him to leave, a feeling held mutually by Ed's brother Clell (Randy Quaid). After the killing the gang decides to split up for awhile. The James boys return to their wives and farms, while Cole Younger (David Carradine) travels to Texas with his prostitute girlfriend Belle Starr (Pamela Reed). After the brief respite, the gang reunites to rob a well-stocked bank in Northfield, Minnesota. The robbery turns out disastrously, with most of the gang either wounded or dying. The James boys are the only ones not seriously hurt, and they leave the rest of the gang behind, escaping while they can. After the James boys leave, the remnants of the gang are captured. But trailing the Jameses is a relentless posse. Frank and Jesse manage to keep one step ahead until the Ford brothers (Christopher Guest and Nicholas Guest) make a deal with the Pinkerton detectives trailing the outlaws. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Keith Carradine, (more)
- 1980
Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris is a fact-based TV movie, inspired by a book by Charles L. Mee. Penelope Milford stars as Kathy Morris, a 22-year-old Manhattan-based songstress. Kathy undergoes brain surgery to halt her occasional seizures. Unfortunately, her brain begins swelling, resulting in severe neurological damage. In a surprisingly dispassionate fashion, the film chronicles how Ms. Morris overcomes her handicap with the help of a skilled but brusque doctor (Leonard Nimoy), whose solicitous attitude towards his patient results in a reconciliation with his estranged wife. The Felliniesque climax of Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris finds the real Kathy Morris taking over from Penelope Milford during a singing engagement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
