Michael J. Maschio Movies
- 2008
To some people, the true definition of Hell might be: "To remain in the same high school with the same irritating people for the rest of your life." Even so, this was more or less the premise of the ABC sitcom Miss Guided. Judy Greer headed the cast as Becky Freeley, formerly the gawky, underachieving class nerd of Glen Ellen High School (she'd been president and half the membership of the school's Milli Vanilli Fan club, among other things). Now attractively grown up, Becky returned to Glen Ellen as the school's guidance counselor, determined to make a difference in the lives of other disenfranchised youngsters. Making life difficult for Becky all over again was the fact that her onetime "bete noire" Lisa Germain (Brooke Burns), the most popular girl in our heroine's graduating class, was also at Glen Ellen as the new English teacher--and worse, as Becky's rival for the affections of handsome Spanish instructor Tim O'Malley (Kristoffer Polaha). Also seen were Earl Billings as Phil Huffy, eternal principal of Glen Ellen; and onetime Saturday Night Live regular Chris Parnell as vice principal Bruce Terry, who had foresworn to get even for being relentlessly picked on during his days as a high school nerd by mercilessly persecuting the current crop of students (especially the good-looking ones). Created by Caroline Williams (The Office, High School Musical), and co-executive produced by actor Ashton Kutcher, Miss Guided debuted on March 18, 2008. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Greer, Brooke Burns, (more)
Hollywood's hottest canine commodity has gotten hopelessly lost after wandering away from his master, and now the former movie star has become the beacon of hope for a small-town firehouse on the verge of collapse. Rex is the dog that every child in America has fallen in love with. A pompous A-list barker whose list of perks overshadows that of even the most esteemed Hollywood actor, Rex 's fate takes an unexpected turn when a skydiving stunt goes awry and his handlers assume that their cash-canine has perished as a result. Now, despite being very much alive, the former doggie diva has become just another mangy stray wandering the streets in search of a home. Lost in an unfamiliar city and pursued by animal control, Rex seeks refuge in a run down building that soon goes up in flames. Shane Fahey (Josh Hutcherson) is a rebellious preteen whose single-parent father, Connor (Bruce Greenwood), is struggling to care for his son and cope with the death of his brother, the former captain of the local fire department. Pressed with the responsibility of getting the crumbling inner-city fire house back in working order while helping his 12-year-old son deal with the untimely loss of a beloved family member, Connor just can't seem to convince Shane to keep his grades up and stop ditching school. Upon rescuing the unidentified Rex from the four-alarm blaze, Connor attempts to teach young Shane the meaning of responsibility by charging him with the task of locating the dog's owner. Despite an initial clash of personalities, the headstrong mutt and the disobedient adolescent soon form a strong bond. Subsequently adopted as the scrappy fire department's new mascot, Rex proves just the catalyst needed to reenergize the dejected firefighters and reform the once-tenuous bond between father and son. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Hutcherson, Bruce Greenwood, (more)
Launched in March 2004 as a mid-season replacement, this supernatural comedy drama suffered a death as quick as its premise was quirky. Thanks in part to a punishing Friday-night time slot, Wonderfalls managed only four episodes before Fox pulled the plug. Less than a year later, however, the offbeat series found new life on DVD, where all 13 completed installments were released to brisk sales and critical acclaim (see Wonderfalls -- The Complete Series). The brainchild of veteran director Todd Holland (Twin Peaks, My So-Called Life) and Dead Like Me creator Bryan Fuller, Wonderfalls chronicles the misadventures of Jaye Tyler (Caroline Dhavernas), a Niagara Falls, NY gift-shop employee whose snarky world view gets shaken up when inanimate objects -- a wax lion, a stuffed chameleon -- begin ordering her around. Convinced she's cracking up, Jaye nevertheless follows the animals' instructions and unwittingly helps a broad range of unusual characters: an elementary-school Romeo, a stuttering stalker, a faithless nun, a mysterious housekeeper, etc. Her partners in crime on these assignments include sardonic pal Mahandra (Tracie Thoms), buttoned-up lesbian sister Sharon (Kate Finneran), and overeducated, underachieving brother Aaron (Lee Pace). Though unaware of their daughter's peculiar conversations with stuffed animals, Jaye's stuffy parents Karen (Diana Scarwid) and Darrin (William Sadler) also figure prominently in her adventures. So does Eric (Tyron Leitso), a hot, heartbroken bartender whose honeymoon was recently cut short when he caught his bride servicing the hotel bellhop. As Jaye flirts with Eric, fights with her family, and struggles to maintain her ironic detachment, she comes reluctantly closer to understanding the nature of her unorthodox destiny. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Caroline Dhavernas, Kate Finneran, (more)
As the result of a freak accident, Jay Berman (Barclay Hope) lies comatose in a hospital bed. Despite the admonitions of friends, family members and medical experts, Jay's steadfast wife, Lainey (Rebecca De Mornay), and the couple's young daughters refuse to accept the negative prognosis that Jay will never snap out of his coma, tenaciously holding on to the faint hope that he will somehow revive before the Christmas holidays. During her long vigil in the hospital, Lainey befriends Ted Merrick (Henry Czerny), whose own wife is in an irreversible coma, and whose response to the tragedy provides a startling contrast to Lainey's unswerving faith. Meanwhile, Lainey's loyal best friend, Alice (Melanie Mayron), experiences marital strife of a different variety as she tries to keep the Berman family's spirits up. Adapted from a novel by former nurse Elizabeth Berg, the made-for-cable Range of Motion was shown over the Lifetime network on December 4, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ordered by the courts to allow her ex-husband to take their five-year-old son Andrew home for the weekend, young mother Gail (Park Overall) has her worst fears realized when both father and son completely disappear. Despite the insensitivity and outright bungling of the authorities, Gail never gives up hope that, someday, she and Andrew will be reunited. Finally, after five long and agonizing years, her former husband surrenders the boy and sends him home. But instead of the happy, carefree Andrew whom she remembers, Gail is confronted with a sullen, embittered ten-year-old, still smarting from half a lifetime of unspeakable abuse. Based on a true story, When Andrew Came Home (filmed under the title Taming Andrew) chronicles Gail's heroic efforts to "reach" her battered son and convince him that he is now in the arms of those who love him, and will never do him any harm. The made-for-cable film premiered October 30, 2000 on the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
The third and final season of Spenser: For Hire finds the titular private eye hero (Robert Urich again unattached romantically, inasmuch as his second-season sweetheart, Assistant DA Rita Fiori, has been written out of the show. But before you despair over the emotional well-being of Boston's best and most ethical P.I., be it noted that Barbara Stock, absent since Season One, has returned in the role of guidance counselor Susan Sullivan. It is explained that, after a year's residence in California, Susan has returned to Beantown, determined to give her relationship with Spenser a second chance despite the danger represented by Spenser's many enemies in the Underworld. But while Susan is back, another of the series' regulars, Richard Jaeckel at Lt. Martin Quirk of the Boston PD, has departed. The scriptwriters contrive to have Quirk retire from the force after suffering a heart attack. The season opens with Spenser mediating a deadly feud between a judge and a mobster, and soon after our hero's sentimental nature again resurfaces as he helps an alcoholic priest create a halfway house for homeless teams. The subsequent episode "Sleepless in Seattle" represents something of an inside joke for scripter Lee Goldberg, who names all the members of the fictional "Kincaid" clan after the characters in The Partridge Family. Meanwhile, Spenser's brooding, implicitly lethal street contact Hawk (Avery Brooks) exhibits the charisma that will soon enable him to star in his own self-named TV series, especially in the episodes wherein Hawk shield Susan against a "respectable" sexual predator, and in another story in which he tries to negotiate with a berserk, gun-wielding postal worker (and this BEFORE the popular coinage of the phrase "Going postal"!) Among the future stars appearing guest roles on Spenser: For Hire this season are Kadeem Hardison, Samuel L. Jackson, Laura San Giacomo, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ving Rhames. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, (more)
- 1986
As a result of several changes in his TV series' production staff, the brilliant, highly principled Boston private eye Spenser (Robert Urich) is short one girl friend as Spenser launches its second season. It was decided to write out the character of guidance counselor Susan Silverman, played by Barbara Stock; by way of explaining her absence, Susan left Boston for California, reluctant to continue her relationship with Spenser for fear that he'd be killed at any moment. In the season opener, Carolyn McCormick is introduced in the role of assistant DA Rita Fiori, whose initial relationship with Spenser is adversarial; in fact,when first we see her, she is doggedly prosecuting our hero on a blackmail charge. Eventually, Rita realizes that Spenser is one of the "good guys", and before long a romance has blossomed. Episodes this season include a brace of stories in which Spenser's grim, muscular street contact Hawk (Avery Brooks finds himself in hot water, first when he is framed for carrying a concealed weapon in a backwater town, and second when he is suspected of shooting down Spenser's police lieutenant friend Martin Quirk (Richard Jaeckel). In other episodes, Spenser is stuck between a rock and a hard place when he must either clear a notorious pimp of murder or let him take the fall for the real killer, whose motive for murder was a surprising noble one; our hero nearly loses the use of his right arm when he takes a bullet meant for a politician; and, as he has so often done in the past, Spenser takes time to put a few misguided youths on the right path. Guest stars this season include such familiar film and TV faces as Charles Kimbrough, Ed O'Neill, Samuel L. Jackson, John Cullum, Rob Morrow, Jamey Sheridan, Ruby Dee, Larry Fishburne, David Straitharn, Tony Shalhoub and David Hyde-Pierce. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, (more)
- 1985
Season One of Spenser:For Hire begins with the two-part "Promised Land", one of a handful of the series' episodes actually based on a "Spenser" story by novelist Robert B. Parker. In this one, tough but ethical Boston private eye Spenser (Robert Urich) is hired to find the wife of a powerful businessman, only to realize that his client may not be 100 percent trustworthy. In addition to Spenser himself, the series' inaugural season introduces Avery Brooks as Spenser's fearsome but loyal street contact Hawk (Avery Brooks), his guidance-counselor girlfriend Susan (Barbara Stock) and his liasons at the Boston PD, Lt. Quirk (Richard Jaeckel) and Sgt. Belson (Ron McLarty). Subsequent episodes found Spenser protecting a volatile police witness, going after a duo of thrill killers, butting heads with a crooked landlord, protecting the so-called twin sister of a neurotic woman, exposing a team of "dirty" vice cops, going undercover to trap a gang of heroin pushers who have infiltrated a private high school, attempting to dissuade the clueless Sgt. Frank from romancing a white supremict, and trying to avoid extermination by that most terrifying of adversaries, the Woman Scorned. Among the season's guest star are George Grizzard as Susan's ex-husband Frank Silverman, Shirley Knight as Lt. Quirk's wife Katie, and a young Jimmy Smits as a firebrand Mexican dockworker in an episode reminiscent of On the Waterfront. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, (more)
- 1984
In this western, a female sheriff must fight to keep her job by capturing a dangerous bandito. She must also fight with international revolutionaries. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
