Wendle Josepher Movies

Writer/director Jake Kasdan's showbiz comedy The TV Set stars David Duchovny as Mike Klein, a television producer who in the beginning of the film successfully sells a network on a story idea. The film follows Klein as he must actually put the show together, navigate the corporate minefield of the network, and figure out what aspects of his show he is willing to compromise. Sigourney Weaver plays the demanding president of the network, Justine Bateman plays Klein's wife, and Judy Greer plays his manager. The TV Set had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Irina (Lena Olin) turns herself in to the CIA, insisting that her main purpose in life is "Defeating Arvin Sloane. SD-6. The Alliance." She also offers to help track down "The Bible," the elusive operations manual for the evil cartel which she formerly headed. But her ex-husband, Jack (Victor Garber), and daughter, Sydney (Jennifer Garner), are extremely skeptical about Irina's sincerity, even after she provides Sydney with the safety measures needed to retrieve a computer disk used by Irina to blackmail other secret agents into complicity -- an assignment given to Sydney by the sinister Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin), as yet unaware of Irina's surrender. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Horndogs have reorganized, with Drew (Drew Carey) as the leader and Ed Walsh, Jimmy Fox and Dale Peters of The James Gang joining main performers Lewis (Ryan Stiles) and Oswald (Diedrich Bader). Unfortunately, the two last-named Horndogs are exiled from the group following a misguided attempt by self-appointed groupie Darcy (Pauley Perrette) to freshen the Horndogs' image by dyeing their hair blonde and getting them to grow goatees (Drew despairs that the band now looks like "Hanson In 30 Years". Back at Winfred-Louder, Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson) orders Drew to collect urine samples from his fellow workers when cocaine is found in the men's room--and never mind that the coke is from Wick's own stash; and the relationship between Mimi (Kathy Kinney) and her married boyfriend Ron (Gregory Jbarra) comes to a miserable end. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Carey Elwes may be billed as the stars of Twister, but the film's real attractions are the cyclones themselves. Best experienced in a theater, the nail-biting, blow-the-audience-out-of-their-seats computer generated graphics, cutting edge sound and other special effects are designed to take viewers straight into the roaring funnel of a gigantic tornado. In order to focus on special effects and action, the story is simple and the characters are drawn in broad strokes with little depth. Jo Harding (Hunt) became a storm chaser (a meteorologist who photographs and scientifically studies tornadoes in the field) after a large twister sucked her hapless daddy into oblivion when she was a girl. Bill (Paxton) was a storm chaser too, but left to become a successful weatherman. His change of profession ruined his marriage to Jo. Before separating, the Hardings invented DOROTHY, a gizmo designed to release thousands of tiny sensors when a tornado passes over it. The Hardings hope the information transmitted by the sensors will provide insight into the nature of the whirling windstorms. Backed by a large corporation, the villainous Dr. Jonas Miller (Elwes) has created a similar machine. Neither gadget has been field tested and both groups of storm chasers are anxious to find tornadoes. At the peak of the worst twister season in decades, Bill shows up at Jo's truck with his prissy fiancee Melissa (Jami Gertz) so Jo can sign divorce papers. Suddenly a twister is spotted. With little hesitation, Bill rejoins the mad rush to reach it in time to activate DOROTHY. Jonas and his team are right behind them. Throughout the day the storms become worse and the rivalrous race becomes more intense. As they continue facing incredible dangers together Jo and Bill find renewed love while poor Melissa finds only an intense desire to get away from these storm-obsessed lunatics. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide