Randy Zisk Movies
- 2007
Despite his lifelong phobia regarding naked people, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) agrees to investigate a murder at a nudist beach. His discomfort amongst the "au naturel" crowd almost leads Monk to align himself with the chief suspect, software billionaire Peter Magneri (Alfred Molina), who has been trying to rezone the beach and kick the nudists out. As the story rolls on, Monk ends up hotly pursuing the wrong suspect, Chance Singer (Diedrich Bader), a mistake which may prove fatal unless the detective can get back on the right track by tracing the root cause of his "nude-o-phobia." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Andy Richter) guest-stars as Hal, a jovial fellow who wants nothing more than to be best friends with Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). Fully aware that Monk neither has any real friends nor wants any, Natalie (Traylor Howard) is naturally suspicious of the ebuillient Hal. Meanwhile, Monk is kept busy investigating the mysterious death of former police dispatcher Gail Segalis (Stephanie Erb), who used to regale him with stories of her world travels. A snapshot of Gail during one of her trips abroad reveals what both Natalie and the viewer have already figured out: "harmless" Hal does indeed have an ulterior motive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) becomes a social pariah when he is forced to shoot down a man dressed as a Santa Claus suit. Though he insists he acted in self defense, Monk is unable to convince the public that he was merely getting even with "Santa" for tying up traffic and making him late for an apartment. The flames of hostility against Monk are fueled by local reporter Brandy Barber (Gina Philips), who hopes to parlay this bizarre story into a national assignment. In his efforts to clear his name, Monk unearths a conspiracy to steal a priceless diamond--and places himself in the unenviable position of drawing his weapon against Santa for a second time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Following a chance meeting with a woman whom he's certain he has met before, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is unable to sleep. After several slumberless hours, Monk decides to go for a nocturnal walk...only to see the same woman again. Shortly thereafter, Monk witnesses a murder during a botched drug deal, but when he is unable to prove that anything actually went down, it is assumed that he is imagining things because of sleep deprivation. Things get curiouser and curiouser when the so-called murder victim turns up alive. Thus, Monk finds himself in mental overload as he not only tries to solve a murder that may have not been a murder, but also figure out the identity (and significance) of that ubiquitous "mystery woman". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
The sixth-season opener of Monk finds obsessive-compulsive consulting detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) in full "paranoia" mode as he tries to elude his biggest fan Marci Maven (Sarah Silverman), who details his every move in her own "Monk" website. Marci insists that her idol help clear her pet dog Otto of a posthumous murder charge: Otto is accused of killing a neighbor, each though the mutt died three days before the neighbor did. Try as he might to steer clear of Marci, Monk must concede defeat when the persistent woman wins his detective services at a charity auction. In his efforts to wrap the case as quickly as possible, Monk tries to prove that the dog was framed...a task that would have been a lot easier had not an important fact about the dead neighbor's husband completely slipped Marci's mind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Season Five of Monk begins as San Francisco's most efficient--and most obsessive-compulsive--private detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) finds himself the central character of an upcoming movie. Much to Monk's relief, he won't be forced to play himself: Instead, the role of Monk has gone to Hollywood superstar David Ruskin (Stanley Tucci). Unfortunately, Ruskin is one of those method actors who insists upon meticulous pre-film research, and soon he is relentlessly dogging Monk's trail during a murder investigation. At first, Monk doesn't seem to mind, and actually enjoys showing off for Ruskin's benefit--but things take a sinister turn when Ruskin so loses himself in the role of "Adrian Monk" that he tries to exact his own personal vengeance against a suspect in the long-ago murder of Monk's wife Trudy! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
His characteristic nitpicking over the condition of his shirts leads Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to a young man named Pablo Ortiz (Alejandro Chaban), who has been jailed for the murder of fashion model Clea Vance. Believing Pablo to be innocent, Monk makes a foray into the world of high fashion, where he meets egotistical designer Julian Hodge (Malcolm McDowell). A second murder convinces Monk that Hodge is the guilty party--but before he can close in on the culprit, Monk must overcome his disgust at the sight of superthin supermodels forcing themselves to throw up just before marching down the runway! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) sets about to locate the world-famous Alexander diamond, for which a million-dollar reward has been offered. Quickly absorbing the clues at hand, Monk deduces that the diamond was stolen by Danny Chasen (Daniel Browning Smith). Alas, Chasen has already been murdered, so Monk is forced to chase down several other leads, most of them leading nowhere. Meanwhile, the folks at police headquarters have their hands full with a persistent nutcase named Jennie Mandeville (Jamie Brown), who habitually confesses to crimes that haven't taken place--or have they? Much of the action is devoted to the exploits of retired Scotland Yard detective St. Claire (Derrick O'Connor), a techno-happy detective named Rufus (DJ Qualls), and an oafish bounty hunter named Dirk (Tyler Mane), suggesting that this episode may have been intended as the pilot for a spinoff series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
When Captain Stottlemeyer's son Jared (John Kyle Hansen) skips school to attend a rock concert, Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) goes to look for the boy amongst thousands of screaming fans, accompanied by Monk (Tony Shalhoub) and Natalie (Traylor Howard). Not unexpectedly, Monk comes face to face with another mysterious death: this time the victim is a roadie named Stork (Terry Fradet), who seems to have O.D.'d on some bad drugs. But another roadie, Kendra (Tamara Feldman), suspects otherwise, and persuades Monk to investigate--and sure enough, Stork was murdered, and the motive turns out to be a song called "Peggy's Gone to Memphis." This time, it's a harmless-looking beach ball which supplies the vital clue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Reported killed in an hot air balloon accident, reclusive millionaire Derek Bronson (Stephen Bogardus) seemingly returns from the dead to hire Monk (Tony Shalhoub) for a special assignment. The fact that Bronson is suffering from leprosy would normally be enough to send Monk scurrying in the opposite direction, but he is shamed into taking the job by his more tolerant caregiver Natalie (Taylor Howard). Here's the deal: Bronson had initially been willing to remain "dead", but now he wants Monk to deliver proof that he's still alive so that Mrs. Bronson (Sarah Brown) will not be cheated out of her husband's estate by some scheming relatives. Well, it's a good story, but it's not quite true--and without revealing any more of the plot, it can be noted that a pivotal scene articulates the old vaudeville catchphrase "Don't shoot--I'm only the piano player." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) runs the risk of offending the entire country when he suspects that much-beloved astronaut Steve Wagner (Jeffrey Donovan) has murdered his ex-lover Joanne Raphaelson (Brianna Brown). Unfortunately for Monk, Wagner has an alibi that is literally air-tight: At the time of Joanne's death, he was in outer space! But setbacks of this nature have never kept Monk down for long, and as the story progresses he gathers the clues necessary to keep Wagner permanently grounded--and the "clincher" may be nothing more out-of-the-ordinary than a faulty garage door. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Can it be that Monk's beloved wife Trudy, reportedly killed by a bomb blast in 1997, is still alive? That's what Valerie (Traylor Howard) thinks when she sees a woman (Melora Hardin) who not only looks like Trudy, but is also overheard admitting that she faked her own death to save her family from the vengeance of the extremist group which may have ordered the bombing. Naturally, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is exultant over this news, but Valerie suspects that something is terribly, terribly wrong here--and her suspicions are apparently confirmed when "Trudy" is seen lingering around the body of a murdered man named Ellinghouse (Harve Presnell). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
This episode introduces Traylor Howard in the role of Monk's new assistant , single mom Natalie Teeger. Monk (Tony Shalhoub) meets Natalie in a typically unorthodox fashion, after she kills a burglar who had broken into her home--apparently for the purpose of stealing her pet fish! Investigating the reasons behind this bizarre set of circumstances, Monk follows the clues to a science fair. . .and in the process draws ever closer to Natalie, whom he hopes will fill the void left in his life when his former nurse-assistant Sharona Fleming left San Francisco to remarry her ex-husband in New Jersey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Although the death of the wife of millionaire Las Vegas casino owner Daniel Thorn (James Brolin) has been ruled accidental by the local authorities, Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), who's in Vegas to attend a bachelor party, suspects foul play--and accordingly, calls Monk (Tony Shalhoub) onto the scene. Monk agrees that Mrs. Thorn's demise was no accident, but is stymied by a contradictory clue: How could the victim have been heard screaming for her life if she died of strangulation? And elsewhere in Sin City, Stottlemeyer's assistant Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) is trying his luck at the blackjack table--but the luck is all bad until Monk shows up and pulls a "Rain Man" with his photographic memory! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Chi McBride makes his first series appearance as billionaire entrepreneur Edward Vogler, the new chairman of the board at Princeton-Plainsboro. Assuming that his position gives him license to call all the shots, Vogler wastes no time throwing his weight around--beginning with his promise to donate $100 million to the clinic on the condition that Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) is fired immediately! Things don't get any better for House when he is forced to resort to subterfuge to provide proper treatment for 32-year-old cosmetics CEO Carly Fontano (Sarah Chalke), who for no apparent reason has suddenly become paralyzed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
John Turturro returns in the role of Ambrose Monk, the agoraphobic older brother of obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). In the middle of a murder investigation, Monk is summoned to Ambrose's home for a possible reunion with the boys' long-lost father. Upon arrival, Monk is hit squarely between the eyes with another mystery, this one involving a Halloween trick-or-treater who resorts to violence to get something more than candy. Ingredients essential to the action are a dead pigeon, a poisoned chocolate bar, and a real-life Frankenstein monster! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Season Three of Monk begins as a clue to the identity of his wife's murderer brings obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to New York City, along with his nurse-assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) and his former SFPD colleagues Capt. Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford). Almost immediately upon arrival, Monk witnesses the killing of the Latvian Ambassador. NYPD Captain Cage (Mykelti Williamson) thinks that the motive was political, but Monk suspects otherwise. Even so, Monk wants no part of the investigation--until Cage tells him that unless he helps find the murderer, he will not be allowed access to Warrick Tennyson (Frank Collison), the man who may or may not be able to solve the killing of Monk's beloved wife Trudy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is reunited with his former father-in-law Dwight Ellison (Bob Gunton), the producer of the popular TV game show "Treasure Chest." Convinced that the game's current champion Val Birch (Larry Brandenberg) is cheating, Ellison asks Monk to investigate. The solution to the mystery rests in the fact that "Treasure Chest" host Roddy Lankman (John Michael Higgins) has recently murdered his personal assistant--but Monk will only be able to crack the case if he becomes a contestant himself. This episode introduces Jarrad Paul as Monk's obnoxious upstairs neighbor Kevin Dorfman, and, in a flashback sequence, Melora Hardin as Monk's late wife Trudy (a role previously essayed by Stella Rusich). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is placed on a new medication which modifies his obsessive-compulsive disorder, making him a more relaxed and well-adjusted person--in fact, he's now so laid back that he's abandoned his conservative business suit in favor of a garishly flowered Hawaiian shirt! Unfortunately, Monk's gain is the SFPD's loss: The medication has seriously impaired his crimesolving abilities. As it happens, the "new" Monk could not have emerged at a less convenient time: Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) has been shot and wounded, and his assailant is still at large. This episode marks the last appearance of Bitty Schram as Monk's nurse-assistant Sharona Fleming. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
John Turturro guest stars as Ambrose, the agoraphobic older brother of obsessive-compulsive private eye Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). The brothers have not spoken since Ambrose failed to contact Monk at the time of his wife Trudy's funeral. Their hesitant reunion comes about when Ambrose suspects that his neighbor Pat Van Ranken (Holt McCallany) has murdered his wife. And the motive? Well, it could be nothing more than a cherry pie--one of three such tasty confections that figure prominently (and fatally) in the proceedings. The episode's best line is delivered by Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford): "Step away from the pie!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) and Sharona (Bitty Schram) pay a visit to the set of "Crime Lab S.F.", a popular TV show hosted by Brad Terry (Billy Burke). But this isn't a social call: Monk strongly suspects Brad of murdering his ex-wife Susan Malloy (Nicole Forester). Impossible, Brad insists: Susan was stabbed to death while Brad was arguing with a group of paparazzi--all of whom heard Susan's screams as she died. And if this wasn't an enough of an airtight alibi, Marci Maven (Sarah Silverman), Brad's obsessive "Number One Fan", has stepped forth to confess that SHE killed Susan! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Created by West Wing writer Lawrence O'Donnell Jr., the weekly, 60-minute political drama Mister Sterling was a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington for the 21st century. Josh Brolin starred as William Sterling Jr., the idealistic young "reformist" son of a popular retired California governor (James Whitmore). Selected by his state's political machine to fill out the term of a dead Democratic senator, Mister Sterling arrived in the nation's capitol with a naïvely altruistic agenda -- and with no party ties, since he was a registered Independent (though in West Wing tradition, he tended to veer toward the left). Doing their best to educate Sterling to the facts of life about Washington, and sometimes expressing amazement at how much smarter he was than the "established" politicos, were his chief of staff, Jackie Brock (Audra McDonald); his legislative director, Tommy Doyle (William Russ); and resident techno-geek Leon (David Noroña). Mister Sterling was elected to office on January 10, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Brolin, Audra McDonald, (more)
- 2003
Season Two of Monk begins as television's favorite obsessive-compulsive detective (Tony Shalhoub) hires on as a substitute teacher at Ashton High School. This enables him to investigate the death of English teacher Beth Landow (Erica Yoder), who fell from the school's clock tower while most of the students were taking a Saturday-morning SAT exam. Principal Arlene Cassidy (Rosalind Chao) doesn't buy the official theory that Beth committed suicide--and neither does Monk, once he's perused certain bits of evidence overlooked by the police (including a suicide note filled with grammatical errors). In a further complication, the Most Likely Suspect has an airtight alibi: He was proctoring the SATs in full view of a roomful of students at the time Beth fell! With this episode, Kane Ritchotte returns to the role of Benjy Fleming, the son of Monk's loyal nurse-assistant Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
This week's murder victim is Serge Cluvarias (Marek Probosz), the much-despised ringmaster for the Dratch and Denby Circus. Monk is convinced that the killer is Serge's tempestuous ex-wife, celebrated high wire artiste Natasia Lovara (Lolita Davidovich). Trouble is, eyewitnesses to the murder insist that the masked killer had jumped down from a high rooftop to do the dirty deed, then performed a somersault before escaping--but Natasia had fractured her foot two weeks before Serge's death, and has the X-rays to prove it. By the time Monk has assembled the clues necessary to close in on the killer, another hapless circus performer suffers "Death By Elephant"! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Kevin Williamson, creator of the theatrical thriller Scream and the weekly teen-angst television series Dawson's Creek, brought elements of both these properties to the Twin Peaks-like TVer Glory Days. The series' 60-minute episodes focused primarily on 25-year-old Mike Dolan, author of a best-selling murder-mystery novel in which the characters were thinly disguised personifications of the people he grew up with in the small Pacific Northwest island community of Glory. When his creative batteries went dry, Mike returned home, to be met with hostility by his family members and former friends who didn't like being depicted (usually unsympathetically) in his novel. One disgruntled Glory citizen was Mike's childhood buddy Rudy Dunlop (Jay R. Ferguson), now the town's sheriff. Others included Mike's own bipolar mother Mitzi (Frances Fisher), his workaholic newspaper-editor sister Sara (Amy Stewart), and blowzy café owner Hazel Walker (Theresa Russell), who had once allegedly been "involved" with Mike's dad -- and whose literary counterpart was cast as the "murderer" in Mike's novel. The hero's only allies in town were coroner Ellie Sparks (Poppy Montgomery), who somehow managed to escape being caricatured in the novel, and Mike's 16-year-old sister Sam (Emily Van Camp), who fancied herself Glory's resident rebel. Inasmuch as the town was a hotbed of bizarre characters and quasi-supernatural events, it was only inevitable that murder would occasionally rear its ugly head, forcing Mike and Rudy to reluctantly collaborate as crime-solvers, with Ellie tagging along every inch of the way. Glory Days made its WB network bow on January 16, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
