Jason Gray-Stanford Movies
Todd Robinson's Lonely Hearts features John Travolta and James Gandolfini as Elmer C. Robinson and Charles Hildebrandt, a pair of homicide detectives who are on the trail of lovers on a crime spree. The evil duo of Ray Fernandez (Jared Leto) and Martha Beck (Salma Hayek) take advantage of elderly widows, stealing as much money as they can after gaining the victim's confidence, and then murdering their mark. Robinson becomes drawn into the case too deeply in order to help him confront his feelings, as his wife has recently killed herself. The story is based on the real life "Lonely Hearts" killers of the late '40s, the infamous couple whom the director's grandfather played a large part in bringing to justice. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, James Gandolfini, (more)
Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the non-fiction book Flags of Our Fathers concerns the lives of the men in the famous picture of soldiers raising the American flag over Iwo Jima during that historic WWII battle. Battle scenes are intercut with footage of three of the soldiers - played by Ryan Phillipe, Jesse Bradford, and Adam Beach -- who survived the battle going on a goodwill tour of the United States in order to sell war bonds. Many evening they are forced to reenact their famous pose, something each of them finds more and more difficult to do as they suffer from survivor's guilt. Eastwood frames the story by having one of the men's grown son (Tom McCarthy) interview his father's old comrades in order to find out more about what happened to his father. Eastwood followed this film with Letters from Iwo Jima, a second film about the battle of Iwo Jima, but told from the Japanese perspective. Flags of Our Fathers was produced by Eastwood and Steven Spielberg. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, (more)
TV's favorite obsessive-compulsive, phobia-ridden detective is back for another 16 hour-long episode in the fifth season of Monk. The opener finds former San Francisco homicide detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) bedevilled by an egotistical movie star (Stanley Tucci) who is slated to portray Monk in an upcoming movie. But this irritation is a mere pinprick compared to what is in store for our hero in subsequent episodes. For example, in the episode "Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing", the detective faces the possibility of permanent blindess after an "accidental" firehouse explosion. In "Mr. Monk's Class Reunion", Monk must again confront bitter memories of his wife's murder, all the while endeavoring to save a former classmate from a similar demise (by the way, this is the episode in which we discover that Monk attended the University of California at Berkeley--and that his college nickame was "Captain Cool") Equally traumatic is the prospect that Monk's longtime psychiatrist Dr. Kroger (Stanley Kamel) will retire in disgrace after one of his former patients is accused of murder in "Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink". On a lighter note, in "Mr. Monk Makes a Friend" the infamously neurotic detective is inexplicably befriended by a seemingly neurosis-free guy named Hal, played by comedian Andy Richter. And when he goes undercover as the butler to a suspected murderer in "Mr. Monk Is at Your Service", Monk's list of 311 phobias is suddenly increased to 312 when he develops an overwhelming aversion to frogs. Two of the more noteworthy episodes this season are "Mr. Monk, Private Eye" in which Sharon Lawrence is introduced as Linda Fusco, who will become the new love interest for the recently divorced Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine; and the self-explantory Yuletide installment "r. Monk Meets His Dad", with Dan Hedaya in the title role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Season Four of Monk offers 16 new episodes (and a bonus) delineating the adventures of obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). Functioning as Monk's erstwhile caregiver and assistant this season is Traylor Howard as Valerie Teeger, who had taken over from our hero's previous nurse Sharona Fleming in the middle of Season Three, due to the defection of supporting actress Bitty Schram. In the season opener, Monk meets his match--or so it seems--in the form of know-it-all detective Marty Eels (played by ex-Seinfeld costar Jason Alexander). Next up, John Turturo returns as Monk's agoraphobic brother Ambrose in a Halloween story that also involves the siblings' long-lost father. Then, Natalie takes over for a bedridden Monk to tackle the case of a murdered pizza deliveryman. To solve a subsequent homicide, Monk goes undercover at a business office--and finds he enjoys the work so much he almost loses sight of why he's there. Later on, Monk goes off on an unexpected bender in wine country, sobering up long enough to crack the case of a murder with a "nonexistent" victim. A dash of poignancy is added to the mixture when Monk finds out that his late wife Trudy may still be alive--and that she might have committed murder. And the episode "Mr. Monk and the Big Reward" introduces three brand-new, markedly eccentric detective characters, suggesting that the episode may have been intended as the pilot for a spinoff series. Other cases this season include the attempted murder of Monk's police buddy Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) at the wedding of Natalie's brother, and a less-than-sentimental journey to the past when Monk comes to the rescue of his childhood crush. Also: the death of a model whisks Monk off to the world of high-fashion (and bulimia!); an amnesiac Monk is led to believe that he is the husband of a small-town woman named Cora (Roseanne's Laurie Metcalf); Monk's police colleague Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) can't keep his mind on his work when he suspects that his "hippie" wife Karen (Glenne Headly) is having an affair; Monk sets out to prove an astronaut committed a murder that took place when the suspect was orbiting the earth; and a visit to the dentist's office leaves Monk at the mercy of a robber-murderer who seems to be a big fan of Marathon Man. In the season finale, Monk is summoned to jury duty for a minor robbery trial--and ends up solving yet another murder, not to mention foiling a scheme to spring a big-time criminal. In addition to the above-mentioned episodes, Season Four of Monk yields a special Christmas edition, "Monk and the Secret Santa", wherein murder rears its ugly head at the height of the SFPD's annual Holiday party--with Captain Stottlemeyer as the apparent target! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, (more)
The first episode of Monk's third season resolves the cliffhanger set up at the end of season two, as obsessive-compulsive consulting detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) trepidly follows a trail of clues from San Francisco to New York in hopes of solving the murder of his beloved wife, Trudy. In a later caper, animal-phobic Monk is forced to babysit a chimpanzee who has been accused of shooting his owner to death! Still later, Monk is fired by the police commissioner for making an embarrassing boo-boo, but wins back his job literally by a hair. Also, our hyper-sensitive hero tries to figure out how a man who was murdered in 1995 could turn up "newly" dead during a citywide blackout; he utilizes his photographic memory to the "max" while trying to trip up the homicidal host of a popular TV game; he is forced to go into protective custody, driving the federal agent (Josh Stamberg) assigned to protect him to the brink of insanity; and he proves that professional jealousy was not the motive in the murder of a "model" employee at his local mega-mart. During the first half of the season, Monk is assisted by his faithful nurse, Sharona Fleming, played by Bitty Schram. When the actress left the show over a salary dispute, Monk was given a new assistant in the form of Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), a former bartender and the single mother of an 11-year-old daughter. The season finale finds the hapless Monk, who lives in mortal terror of dirty diapers and mother's milk, forming a strong bond with a 22-month-old child who may be able to provide a vital clue in a strange murder and stranger kidnapping. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, (more)
America's favorite super-phobic, obsessive-compulsive detective is back on the job as Monk launches its second season. Still freelancing as a consultant for the SFPD, and ever hoping that he will one day be reinstated on the force as a full detective, the hilariously hypersensitive Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) gingerly picks through clues and braves such "horrors" as dirty sewer water, large crowds, and darkened rooms, aided and abetted by his nurse, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). This season's case load begins as Monk visits the school where his late wife, Trudy, was once employed, whereupon he probes into the highly suspect "suicide" of an English teacher. Subsequent episodes find Monk nervously traveling to Mexico to determine how a man could possibly drown in mid-air; developing a symbiotic relationship with a baseball player suspected of killing his wife; doing his best to avoid investigating a murder in which a key piece of evidence is a nude picture of Sharona; calling a truce in his ongoing feud with his brother Ambrose (John Turtorro) to deal with a "life or death" situation involving, of all things, a cherry pie; piecing together enough evidence to trap the host of a popular "true crime" TV series who has committed murder over residuals; offering to locate a kidnapped grandmother, whose abductors have demand a ransom consisting of hot turkey dinners; and coming to the rescue of Sharona's actress sister (Amy Sedaris), accused of killing a fellow actor during a performance. New to the series this season is Glenne Headley in the recurring role of Karen Stottlemeyer, wife of Monk's long-suffering boss Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), who insists upon invading her husband's office to film her air-headed documentaries. The season ends on a cliffhanger, as Monk goes to prison to flush out a nest of neo-Nazis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, (more)
Having been put on administrative leave following his nervous breakdown after the unsolved murder of his wife, Trudy, brilliant homicide detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) returns to work as Monk begins its first season. Unfortunately, during his three years away from the San Francisco Police Department, Monk has morphed into the "obsessive-compulsive" to end all obsessive-compulsives, with a mortal fear of everything from cow's milk to unshined shoes. However, Monk's affliction has sharpened his photographic memory and attention to the most infinitesimal of details, thus his many eccentricities are tolerated by his old friend SFPD captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and his deputy Lt. Randall Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford). Still, the department balks at fully reinstating Monk until he is "cured" (as if!), so our hyper-phobic hero works in a freelance capacity. Acting as Monk's assistant is his loyal nurse, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). Monk's first case has him diligently determining a link between two apparently unconnected crimes, the murder of a young woman and the attempted assassination of a mayoral candidate. In subsequent episodes, Monk pulls the rug out from under a phony psychic detective; attempts to ascertain if an 800-pound man was capable of committing a murder that would have required a very slim assailant; tries to figure out how a man could be stabbed atop a ferris wheel without any witnesses; looks into the mystery of the "billionaire mugger"; struggles to clear a murder suspect who bears a startling resemblance to his late wife; hunts for clues at "the cleanest crime scene in crime history"; agonizingly endures a cross-country flight to solve a killing and unmask an impostor; and, during a brief rest stop at a mental institution, follows a trail of murder patients to the likely perpetrator -- and this while spending most of his time in a straitjacket! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, (more)
The true story of prominent mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. is the subject of this biographical drama from director Ron Howard. Russell Crowe stars as the brilliant but arrogant and conceited professor Nash. The prof seems guaranteed a rosy future in the early '50s after he marries beautiful student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and makes a remarkable advancement in the foundations of "game theory," which carries him to the brink of international acclaim. Soon after, John is visited by Agent William Parcher (Ed Harris), from the CIA, who wants to recruit him for code-breaking activities. But evidence suggests that Nash's perceptions of reality are cloudy at best; he is struggling to maintain his tenuous hold on sanity, and Alicia suspects a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Battling decades of illness with the loyal Alicia by his side, Nash is ultimately able to gain some control over his mental state, and eventually goes on to triumphantly win the Nobel Prize. Based loosely on the book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar, A Beautiful Mind (2001) co-stars Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Christopher Plummer, and Judd Hirsch. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, (more)
- 1999
The SG-1 arrives on a planet where everyone is apparently suffering from amnesia. Not one of the inhabitants can remember anything that occurred before the mysterious "Vorlix", nor have they any idea what happened to the very young and very old among them. Jackson (Michael Shanks) finds himself attracted to Ke'ra (Megan Leitch), the presumed leader of the planet--but this blossoming romance is dashed to bits when an old enemy of the SGC suddenly reappears. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
"Gohan's Hidden Powers" was episode three of "The Arrival", which in turn was the introductory adventure of DragonBall Z's "Saiyan Saga." Piccolo temporarily disables Raditz by grabbing his tail, but the tricky Raditz manages to escape, targetting Goku for his next outburst of rage. In endeavoring to rescue his father, Gohan summons up powers that he never knew he had. "Gohan's Hidden Powers" was seen in Japan on May 17 1989, and in America on September 27 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
The DragonBall Z adventure "The Arrival" ended with episode four, "Goku's Unusual Journey." To destroy his brother Raditz, Goku sacrifices his own life as well. As the soul of Goku undergoes its traditional one-year journey towards King Kai, the dying Raditz warns Piccolo that the Saiyans intend to invade the earth within that same year to reclaim the seven Dragon Balls. To prevent this calamity, Piccolo begins to train Goku's son Gohan in the skills of a Saiyan warrior. "Goku's Unusual Journey" first aired in Japan on May 24 1989, and in America on October 4 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
When Saiyan warrior Raditz kidnaps his nephew Gohan, Raditz's brother Goku, joined by Krillin and Master Roshi, rush to the rescue. Meanwhile, Piccolo proposes a partnership with Raditz, and further uses his Dragon Radar to detect the Dragon Ball on the missing Gohan's hat. Episode two of the four-part introductory adventure "The Arrival," "The World's Strongest Team" was originally broadcast in Japan in May of 1989. It was seen on American television on September 20 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
First telecast in Japan on May 3 1989, "The Arrival of Raditz" was episode one of the four-part DragonBall Z introductory adventure "The Arrival." Long a resident of Earth, Saiyan expatriate Goku attends a reunion at Master Roshi's place, where he is reunited with several old friends--all of whom are surprised that Goku has a son named Gohan. The festivities are interrupted by Saiyan warrior Raditz, who reveals that he is Goku's older brother and that Goku has forgotten his original mission to destroy all mankind. When Goku refuses to rejoin Raditz, the latter retaliates by kidnapping Gohan and thus the saga begins. "The Arrival of Raditz" was shown in the US on September 13, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
