Margaret Avery Movies

A single father who has just found success as the host of an outrageous television talk show begins to question his path in life when he returns home to attend his parents' 50th wedding anniversary party in the company of his famous fiancée -- a reality television star -- in this crisis-of-conscience comedy starring Martin Lawrence. RJ Stevens (Lawrence) is a television talk-show sensation who has transcended his modest Southern beginnings to become the most popular self-help guru ever to grace the small screen. His show, "Team of Me," is a ratings juggernaut, his fiancée is a beautiful reality television star, and his pockets are always lined with large bills. There are few Tinseltown dreams that RJ hasn't already achieved, so when his parents announce their 50th wedding anniversary, the family-oriented television star immediately drops everything and sets his sights on Georgia. As a boy, RJ was always the target of ridicule within his family, but these days things are different; not only does RJ have a ten-year-old son, but his bride-to-be is admired by countless viewers all across the globe on a weekly basis. But RJ's egotistical West Coast attitude simply doesn't fly in the South, and when his lovable but relentless family refuses to cut him any slack due to his current superstar status, he must finally pause and take stock of the man he has become. Louis C.K., Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Clarke Duncan, and James Earl Jones co-star in a Southern-flavored family comedy written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Lee Majors, Alison Eastwood, and Derek Hamilton star in writer/director Joey Travolta's supernatural story of a murdered father who returns from the afterlife in order to save his son from meeting a similarly grim demise. Sixty year old family man Bucko Cassidy (Lee Majors) has just been murdered for refusing to sell his homestead, and now it's looking as if his son Junior (Hamilton) is next on the list to die. Upon returning to Earth in spirit form to help his son, Bucko discovers that not only has Junior incurred the wrath of soma particularly dangerous men, but that his marriage to Ellie Rachel Wilson) is in dire straits as well. Should the marriage collapse, Junior will be forced to sell both his house and the family junkyard in order to satisfy the divorce settlement. It's only been six months since Junior buried Bucko, and lately the weight of the loss combined with the stress of his failing marriage is taking a heavy toll on him. Thankfully, despite the fact that there's some serious paperwork to be filled out before Bucko can truly return to Earth, he's been granted permission to temporarily come back in spirit form. But Junior is the only person who can see or hear Bucko, and now his friends and family are convinced that he's finally lost his marbles. Perhaps if Bucko can draw out the unique abilities that Junior possessed in his previous incarnations, his besieged son can finally summon the courage to confront his many problems with the confidence needed to truly solve them once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A killer who strikes only during Mardi Gras turns out to be a supernatural demon (Michael Ironside) who has sought human sacrifices ever since the original festival began as an occultist ceremony. The New Orleans cop assigned to the case (Robert Davi) tracks the demon around the city with his partner (Mike Starr) and must save the girl he loves from being the next victim. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

A two-part made for TV effort, this special depicts the dysfunctional Jackson family, which has somehow managed to raise its children in such a way that they have managed to rise above their steel town backgrounds to the tops of the charts in the music field. Though obviously not delving into the more controversial and sensational aspects of their lives, this story is a somewhat rose-colored but still interesting pictorial history of the exceptional musical family. If nothing else, worth watching for the incredible music and choreography. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

Set during the Watts riots of the mid-'60s, the made-for-cable Heat Wave follows the story of Los Angeles Times reporter Robert Richardson (Blair Underwood), who was the only journalist on staff able to cover the story, since White reporters were unable to gain access to the area and the rioters. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV actioner, three rebellious black army officers disobey orders in Vietnam and refuse to destroy a village filled with innocent people. They are sent to Georgia where they undergo a court-martial. The officers know that they are going to be railroaded and so manage to escape. The fugitives end up in Riverbend, hiding in the home of a sympathetic widow. The town is controlled by a brutal, extremely racist sheriff who kills those opposing him and freely takes whatever he wants from the terrified residents. This doesn't set well with one of the officers who, with plans to usurp the sheriff's authority, convinces the others to help him create a secret training camp in the woods. They then begin recruiting the local black men and training them for combat. When they are ready, the angry rebels take over the town, incarcerate the sheriff and all his cohorts and hold the rest of the town hostage in a church until their demands for media attention and an end to racism are met. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A first-rate jazz score dominates the coming-of-age drama Blueberry Hill. Jennifer Rubin plays a small town girl of the 1950s whose musician father dies suddenly. Rubin's grief is not assuaged by her mother Carrie Snodgrass, who is having enough trouble coping with the tragedy on her own. The young girl must turn to jazz singer Margaret Avery for comfort and advice. Along the way, Rubin discovers that she's inherited her father's piano-playing prowess-and has also learned a few unsettling family secrets. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The scene is the West Barrington Institute for Women, where warden Elizabeth Gates (Vera Miles) invites Jessica (Angela Lansbury) to lecture on creative writing. Of course, wherever Jessica goes, murder follows, and this time the victim is the prison's doctor Irene Matthews (Janet McLachlan). Believing that an innocent woman has been accused of the crime, the inmates stage a riot, taking several hostages--including Jessica--in the process. In order to save Warden Gates from being killed in the mistaken belief that she is the "real" culprit, Jessica races against time to solve the murder herself. This is the only Murder She Wrote episode to boast an all-female cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the novel by Ursula K. LeGuin, The Lathe of Heaven is a special-effects lover's smorgasbord. Set in futuristic Portland, Oregon, the film stars Bruce Davidson as a man prone to fantastic dreams. When these dreams start coming true, only Davidson at first is aware of it: "my dreams changed everything that came before them-and nobody knows it but me!" Well, that's not entirely true. Davidson's psychiatrist Kevin Conway proves beyond doubt that Davidson's dreams are coming true. Unfortunately, Conway is of an avaricious nature, and he fully intends to harness Davidson's subconscious for his own gain-all the while convincing himself that he's doing it for the good of Mankind. Advertised as PBS' "first major" made-for-TV movie, The Lathe of Heaven premiered January 9, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "fish" in the title of this picture refers to the astrological sign Pisces. Not all of Pittsburgh is due to be saved, but the members of a third-rate NBA basketball team could sure use some salvation. When all the team members except for Moses Guthrie (Julius Erving) quit, astrologer Mona Mondieu (Stockard Channing) and streetwise Tyrone Millman (James Bond III) come to the rescue. The supporting cast includes Jonathan Winters in a dual role, as well as real-life basketball champs Meadowlark Lemon and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Americanized remake of Lina Wertmuller's The Seduction of Mimi offered audiences the novelty of seeing Richard Pryor performing three different roles in the same film. Which Way Is Up? tells the tale of Leroy Jones (Pryor), a poor orange picker who gets fired from his job when he accidentally joins a worker's union during a demonstration. He is forced to travel to Los Angeles and abandon his family, which includes his wife, Annie Mae (Margaret Avery), and his perpetually randy father, Rufus (also Pryor). While there, he falls in love with labor organizer Vanetta (Lonette McKee), but is soon rehired by his former employers when they realize he is easily manipulated. Back home, Leroy discovers his new managerial role alienates him from his former friends as he tries to divide his time between Annie Mae and Vanetta. When he discovers Annie Mae has been impregnated by the Reverend Lennox Thomas (Pryor's 3rd role) during his absence, Leroy sets his sights on seducing Lennox's wife. The resulting film had ambition to spare, but was generally panned as an inferior remake by the critics and failed to find a mass audience. However, Which Way Is Up? gained a second lease on life via cable and home video and has become a cult favorite with Pryor's fans. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

Hoping to impress his new girlfriend, a politically active young lady named Denise (Margaret Avery), Lamont (Demond Wilson) calls up a radio talk show to air his views on community affairs. Impressed by Lamont's eloquence, a number of highly-connected people suggest that he run for the state assembly. Though Lamont is eager to become a political mover and shaker, his dad Fred (Redd Foxx) remains skeptical. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Much against the wishes of Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr), Mark (Don Mitchell) goes undercover to smash an extortion ring preying on ghetto dwellers. It's a personal crusade for Mark: one of the ring's victims is his friend Gilbert, who is forced to pay huge sums of money each week lest harm befall his mother. This episode was cowritten by frequent Ironside guest star Felton Perry, who also appears as Gilbert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide