Alex Ruiz Movies
- 1989
Invited to go on an archeological trip to Egypt, Theo (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) is unable to rely on his parents for the necessary money--he's already into them way, way too deep to ask for even a penny more! Meanwhile, Theo's pals Howard (Reno Wilson) and Lou (Alex Ruiz) try to persuade Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Clair (Phylicia Rashad) that the trip will do their son a world of good. Joining the chorus is Theo's teacher Professor Grayson (Eden Svendahl), a clever and capricious lady who provides this final episode of The Cosby Show's fifth season with a most unusual throughline. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
With the rest of the family out of town, Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) has the Huxtable house all to himself. Taking advantage of the sitaution, Theo's pals Howard (Reno Wilson) and Denny (Troy Winbush) talk hm into throwing a small, intimate party for themselves and their girl friends. You guessed it: The festivities quickly get out of hand and the house is overrun with a plague of uninvited guests, who wreak both havoc and damage in equal measure--and worst of all, Theo's girl never shows up! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Cliff (Bill Cosby) refuses to tell anyone what has abruptly soured him on the game of basketball. Not even his old youth-league coach Bill Barry (Tiger Haynes) can get Cliff to open up concerning his disillusionment. Finally, Clair (Phylicia Rashad) pinpoints the source of Cliff's attitude when she watches a videotape of a humilitating hospital hoop match in which Cliff and his fellow middle-aged doctors (portrayed by such former NBA stars as Senator Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Walt Hazzard and Wali "Wonder" Jones) are thoroughly trounced by a squad of young female lab technicians (among them real-life basketball pros Nancy Lieberman-Cline, Teresa Edwards, Stephanie Givens, Rhonda Rompola and Anucha Brown-Sanders)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Even though it was his idea that he and Justine (Michelle Thomas) should start dating other people, Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) is riled when he sees Justine in the company of a guy named Scott (Harold Perrineau Jr.)--so much so that he makes a fool of himself in public. Seeking a paranormal method of getting rid of Scott, Theo solicits the aid of a "spiritual scientist" named Dr. Lotus (Moses Gunn). The good doctor is more than willing to place a hex on the troublesome Scott--provided that Theo can come up with an 800-dollar fee! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
When Theo's buddy Denny (Troy Winbush) finds a valuable designer watch, his friends pressure him into giving the timepiece to his girlfriend Jade (Vanessa Williams) as a present. Unfortunately, the watch turns out to be stolen, and both Jade and Denny end up at the local cop shop. Though this crisis is resolved, Jade is so mad at Denny that she dumps him on the spot--and in his efforts to bring the couple back together, Cliff(Bill Cosby) as usual makes things all that much worse! Featured in the cast is Don Reed, who'd previously played Chip St. Charles on the Cosby Showspinoff A Different World. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Following Serpico (1973) and Prince of the City (1981), veteran urban crime film director Sidney Lumet completed a thematic trilogy about New York City police corruption with this noir drama. When New York City cop Mike Brennan (Nick Nolte) shoots an unarmed Hispanic drug dealer in cold blood, he quickly plants a gun on his victim and manufactures some eyewitness testimony. D.A. Kevin Quinn (Patrick O'Neal) calls in his assistant district attorney, Al Reilly (Timothy Hutton), to conduct a perfunctory investigation of the incident, but Brennan's obvious guilt during a question and answer session makes Reilly dig deeper. The crusading lawyer is soon uncovering a web of corruption that reaches from Brennan into Quinn's office. At the same time, Reilly learns that his ex-girlfriend Nancy Bosch (Jenny Lumet, the director's daughter), is now dating his chief witness, Puerto Rican drug dealer Bobby Texador (Armand Assante). Q&A (1990) was based on the novel by Edwin Torres, a New York State Supreme Court judge whose two other novels were later adapted into the film Carlito's Way (1993). Lumet would again return to the subject of New York's corrupt criminal justice system with Night Falls on Manhattan (1997). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton, (more)
The long-running cartoon from William Hanna and Joseph Barbera that began life in 1969 as Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? becomes this live-action, tongue-in-cheek comedy-adventure featuring a computer-generated version of the easily frightened, mush-mouthed Great Dane. Freddie Prinze Jr. stars as Fred, the blonde, confident, ascot-sporting leader of Mystery Inc., a ghost-busting service that exposes phony supernatural phenomena as the work of shysters. Working with Fred are: his rich, beautiful girlfriend, Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who has a bad habit of getting kidnapped by villains; Velma (Linda Cardellini), the real brains of the group who pines secretly for Fred; cowardly slacker and dog's best friend Shaggy (Matthew Lillard); and the snack-gobbling pet pooch Scooby. However, after solving its latest case involving a beleaguered toy company owner (Pamela Anderson), the group fractures over Fred's habit of grabbing credit for everyone's hard work, despite the pleas of Shaggy and Scooby. Two years later, they are reunited at Spooky Island, a theme park and teen spring break destination that owner Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson) claims is plagued with ghosts. Suspicious as usual of any claims involving the paranormal, the Mystery Inc. clan is soon probing a scheme involving ancient rites, summoned spirits, and brainwashed college students, forcing the group members to resolve their differences and uncover the truth. Directed by Chris Columbus protégé Raja Gosnell, Scooby-Doo features the voice of Scott Innes as the title character. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, (more)
- 2002
- PG
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Crikey! Following a brief cameo in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), hyperactive, high-energy cable television star and native Australian naturalist Steve Irwin parlays his success as a confronter of all things scaly, fanged, and venomous into this feature-film adventure. Irwin and his wife Terri Irwin play themselves as animal activists who rescue an endangered crocodile, not realizing that the critter has swallowed a downed top-secret satellite beacon that's the subject of an intense search by CIA personnel. Believing that the spies are poachers out to steal the animal's precious hide, the Irwins evade their pursuers while attempting to get the crocodile to safety in a remote area of the Outback, adopting an orphaned joey (a baby kangaroo), and grappling with bird-eating spiders and poisonous snakes along the way. In the meantime, the secret agents mistakenly believe the Irwins are enemy operatives trying to steal their highly valuable technology. The real-life Irwins donated all of their fees from The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002) to wildlife conservation efforts. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Irwin, Terri Irwin, (more)
