Ron Marasco Movies
- 2005
Now that Hurley's (Jorge Garcia) CD player has finally "died," neither the survivors nor the viewers will be treated to those pop music snatches that have capped the previous episodes of Lost. This does not mean, however, that Hurley's importance to the series has diminished: in fact, this episode is all about him -- or rather, his fascination with the Frenchwoman who has been transmitting radio messages from the jungle interior of the island. Also, an extended flashback finally explains why Hurley had popped up on Korean TV in a prior episode's flashback. A boon of good luck had recently drastically changed Hurley's life; however, things were not as fortunate as they at first seemed, and Hurley had set off on a quest to determine the meaning of it all. And in another development, Locke (Terry O'Quinn) commits another act of largesse, with Claire (Emilie de Raven) and her baby as the recipients. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mira Furlan, Lillian Hurst, (more)
Director Michael A. Goorjian's Illusion tells the tale of a dying film director who, after leading a lavish life of fame and fortune, finds out too little too late what it truly means to live and be loved. Mr. Baines (Kirk Douglas) is a Hollywood icon who has agreed to grant one final interview before drifting into that good night. As Mr. Baines drifts wearily in and out of consciousness throughout the course of the interview, his long deceased editor returns to join him in going back over the footage of his life. While Mr. Baines never married, he did father an illegitimate son named Christopher (Goorjian) whom he abandoned as a child and never returned to. Now, on the screen before him, Mr. Baines watches mournfully as the tragic life of his long lost son plays out to its devastating conclusion. Upon viewing the heartbreaking footage Mr. Baines begins to realize that it was his own cowardice that ultimately fed his son's crippling sense of worthlessness and cemented the boy's grim fate. Despite Christopher's lifelong love of his childhood sweetheart Isabelle, an endless series of fateful mishaps constantly seemed to prevent the boy from finding true happiness with the ethereal beauty. As the film of Christopher's life careens towards tragedy time and again, the dying director implores his faithful editor to allow him the final cut that will save the picture. After living a lifetime of missed opportunities, the man who thought he had it all will now attempt to summon the dying might for one last opportunity to let his son know what it truly means to love, and be loved in return. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Michael A. Goorjian, (more)
Science allows a man to cheat death and continue to be a thorn in the side of his family in this dark comedy. Mr. Valdemar (Howard Hesseman) is a wealthy but ill-manned man who is elderly and in poor health. Knowing he doesn't have long to live, Valdemar agrees to take part in an experiment by Dr. Pretory (Jason Carter), an eccentric hypnotist. Pretory wants to discover what happens to a man if he is under hypnosis at the point of death, and so as Valdemar is taking his last few breaths, Pretory puts him in a deep trance. Hovering somewhere between death and life, Valdemar is able to describe to world beyond our own to Pretory and his family; however, cheating death isn't making Valdemar any easier to get along with, and he continues to cause trouble for his daughter, Daisy (Jessica Capshaw), and her significant other, Benjamin (Neil Patrick Harris), especially since you can't inherit the estate of a man who isn't entirely dead. The Mesmerist was based on the short story The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe, which was brought to the screen in less comical form as part of Roger Corman's 1962 horror omnibus Tales of Terror. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1999
With the help of Angel (David Boreanaz), Detective Kate Lockley (Elisabeth Rohm) arrests a mobster named Little Tony Papazian (John Capodice). His lawyers at Wolfram & Hart send a very special sensitivity trainer into her precinct to rile things up. The trainer, Allen Lloyd (Ron Marasco), uses supernatural powers to turn Kate and her fellow cops into blubbering, sensitive new age guys and gals. Her inhibitions loosened by the magical command to share her feelings, Kate suffers a bizarre breakdown during the retirement dinner of her father (John Mahon), a gruff, uniformed cop. Soon, Angel himself is letting loose his inner child. Doyle (Glenn Quinn) and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) are horrified at their boss' sweet new demeanor, but the therapy spell can't keep Angel from defeating Little Tony. Wolfram & Hart drop their client and decide it's time to keep a closer eye on Angel. Originally broadcast November 9, 1999, on the WB network, "Sense and Sensitivity" marked season one, episode six of the supernatural comedy drama. Kate's father would figure prominently several episodes later, in "Prodigal." ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Quinn
- 1989
It's ethics vs. ratings when the staff of "FYI" decide to fight fire with fire in their ongoing battle with tabloid talk-show reporter Jerry Gold. Having long disdained Gold's fondness for sensationalism, Murphy (Candice Bergen) and Jim (Charles Kimbrough) begin to prepare a serious, dignified piece on the homeless. Unfortunately, the spectre of sensationalism rears its ugly head when, in their desperation to get viewers to watch their story, Murphy and Jim agree to precede the piece with a debate between housewives and hookers. What follows is on-the-air donnybrook, the likes of which has seldom been seen outside the realm of Geraldo Rivera and Jerry Springer! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
