Michael Bailey Smith Movies

Unreleased to the general public and infamous for its poor quality within geek circles, this Roger Corman adaptation of the Marvel Comics supergroup is an interesting cult item that ranks up there with the dismal Captain America feature and the cheap Hulk TV movies. The story of the film goes back to the late '80s when Marvel Comics were licensing out their characters for mild profit in a time when the comic industry was failing. Enter a German company called Neue Constantin and producer Bernd Eichinger, who held the rights for almost four years before their contract was about to run out. In order to retain the rights to future remake/options and get out of paying a five-million-dollar fee, Neue were forced to put something to film, so they made a deal with Roger Corman's New Horizons studio to make the film quick and on the cheap for $1.5 million. Once the film was finished, Eichinger bought out Corman's interest, then turned around and sold it to 20th Century Fox, who were then prepping a 50-million-dollar adaptation with director Chris Columbus. The film then dove into virtual obscurity, save for the comic convention bootlegs and later through the internet. The storyline follows the basic framework of the comic, with the exception of a few minor details, including the introduction of a new villain, The Jeweler, who directly becomes responsible for the team's mishap in space and takes liberally from another one of the comic's famous villains, The Mole Man. In reference to its underground popularity, Corman now regards it as his most profitable film that never saw release, while Marvel president Avi Arad reportedly burned Fox's only print. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Murphy (Candice Bergen) is still upset that network president Lansing (Garry Marshall) has hired former MTV veejay McGovern (Paula Korologos) as "FYI"'s newest anchorperson. But Murphy's reaction is entirely different when McGovern poses nude for the cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine. Now, Murphy reasons, Lansing will see the light about McGovern and fire the girl for besmirching the integrity of "FYI"--or will he? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Murphy's past comes back to bite her as the "FYI" crew prepares to cover the 1996 Presidential election. A support group consisting of all of Murphy's former secretaries--led by Secretary #2, aka Robert (Charley Lang, who was fired in the very first episode--breaks into the studio to hold their ex-boss hostage. Now Murphy must plead her case before 86 different people (some of them VERY different) who would just as soon see her sleeping with the fishes. (The official cast list for this episode identifies several of the former secretaries by their now-famous character flaws: the "mimicker", the "slow speaker", the "Hitler", the "wrestler," and on into the night!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Xander (Nicholas Brendon) -- the only member of the Scooby Gang without supernatural abilities of his own -- takes the spotlight when an encounter with a demon named Toth (Michael Bailey Smith) splits him into two separate versions of himself, one with all the good qualities and the other with all the bad. The inept Xander soon discovers the existence of his enhanced twin but is dismayed to watch his double succeeding in all the areas where he usually fails. The new, improved Xander not only lands a promotion at his construction job, but also signs the lease on a fabulous new apartment to please girlfriend Anya (Emma Caulfield), who is feeling vulnerable now that she's no longer an immortal demon. When the happy couple learn of the bumbling doppelganger Xander, Anya wants to keep him around as a sex toy while shiny happy Xander wants to kill him. Luckily, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) figure out that if one Xander dies, both will. While Willow works to break Toth's spell, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) tracks down and kills the demon. Soon things are back to normal enough that Riley (Marc Blucas) has time for a heart-to-heart with Xander, in which he reveals that although he's in love with Buffy, he doesn't believe she loves him back. Originally broadcast October 10, 2000, on the WB network, "The Replacement" marked episode 81 of the cult-favorite series. Kelly Donovan, Nicholas Brendon's real-life twin, portrays the alternate Xander; although their last name is Schulz, the thespian brothers use only their first and middle names professionally. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) must do some serious thinking when "reformed" demon Cole (Julian McMahon) proposes marriage. The same goes for Cole himself, who while trying to help Phoebe and Paige (Rose McGowan) track down a malevolent mystical murderer is forced to face down the demon still lurking within him -- once and for all. Observing the drama from the sidelines are Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Leo (Brian Krause), uncertain whether or not to take a hand in matters. ~ All Movie Guide

In the wacky Canadian family comedy Spymate, a superspy named Mike Muggins ($Chris Potter boasts a most unusual sidekick: a gun-toting chimp in a three-piece suit named Minkey, who operates as one of the country's best undercover agents. Mike and Minkey must team-up to foil the baddies when a sinister villain, Dr. Farley (Richard Kind) kidnaps Mike's twelve-year-old daughter Amelia (Emma Roberts), a scientific wunderkind. When Farley plans to use an expanded version of Amelia's invention -- a groundbreaking chemical drill -- to take over the world, only Mike and his furry companion can thwart Farley's fiendish plot. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Alexandre Aja directs this remake of Wes Craven's film The Hills Have Eyes. In this update, a family is taking a cross-country road trip when their trailer breaks down, leaving them stranded in the desert of New Mexico. There, they find themselves under attack by the savage "hill people," who were deformed by radiation during nuclear testing. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide