Eddie Jones Movies

A young fighter and an elderly trainer try to trade their shaky futures in for a championship belt in this independent drama. Tommy Riley (J.P. Davis) is a boxer whose young career is already in decline; while he has talent, he also has personal demons to contend with, a sloppy style in the ring, and is still trying to get over a bad breakup with his girlfriend Stephanie (Christina Chambers). As Tommy tries to find a way back into the spotlight, he meets Marty Goldberg (Eddie Jones), an aging former fighter who struggles to make ends meet. Marty thinks he knows how to channel Tommy's gifts and make him the successful fighter he could be, though he soon discovers getting past Tommy's emotional defenses is no small task. In time, Marty grooms Tommy into a comeback kid, and they develop a powerful emotional bond, but when a secret from Marty's past unexpectedly rises to the surface, it threatens to undo all the two friends have accomplished together. Fighting Tommy Riley was written by co-star J.P. Davis, who stipulated that he be cast in the title role before he would allow his script to be used. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

From director Keith Gordon (Mother Night, A Midnight Clear) comes this American feature adaptation of the 1986 BBC miniseries, The Singing Detective. Robert Downey Jr. returns to the big-screen for the first time since 2000's Wonder Boys as Dan Dark, a novelist who is hospitalized with a severe case of psoriasis. As he lays in bed, Dark hallucinates that he is actually a World War II-era private dick embroiled in an oddball web of mystery, intrigue, and musical numbers. Written by the late Dennis Potter (Pennies From Heaven, Gorky Park) and co-starring Mel Gibson, Robin Wright Penn, Katie Holmes, and Adrien Brody, The Singing Detective premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Reluctant secret agent Darien Fawkes (Vincent Ventresca continues to use his ability to render himself invisible on behalf of the government agency known as--er--The Agency, in Season Two of The Invisible Man. Of course, Darien is doing this only in the hopes that some day, some how, sexy scientist Claire Keeply (Shannon Kenny) will come up with a method to remove the invisibility gland that has been grafted to his neck--thereby not only ending his forced servitude to the Official, but also rescuing him from the likelihood of succumbing to "Quicksilver Madness." Making things particularly difficult this season is the fact that the perennially underfunding Agency is shunted from one government regulatory bureau to another in order to keep it alive: First, it is taken over by the Bureau of Fish and Games, then by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, then the Department of Human Services, next the Post Office, and finally by the Bureau of Weights and Measures. It is during his tenure with Human Services that Darien gains a new boss, imperious secret agent Alex Monroe (Brandy Ledford), who turns out to have a connection with the Chrysalis, the sinister terrorist organization that murdered Darien's scientist brother in Season One. Among the Season Two highlights: Albert Eberts (Michael McCafferty), the bean-counting liason between the Agency and the Federal Government, is "possessed" by Darien's frequent nemesis, terrorist Arnaud DeThiel (Joel Bissonette); Darien uses DNA to channel his late brother in hopes of finding a permanent cure for his chronic invisibility; and in a particularly prickly situation, our hero falls into the clutches of an insane acupuncturist (Justine Micelli)! In the series' somewhat open-ended finale, Darien is finally cured--at least halfway--and he leaves the Agency to work for the FBI...sort of. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The first season of The Invisible Man begins as lifelong criminal and chiseler Darien Fawkes (Vincent Ventresca), facing life imprisonment courtesy of the "three strikes you're out" law, agrees to be paroled in the custody of his scientist brother Kevin (David Burke), who is conducting secret invisibility experiments on behalf of a shadowy (and perennially underfunded) government agency called--well, The Agency. No sooner has Kevin planted a quicksilver-filled "invisibility gland" in Darien's neck than terrorists burst in and murder the hapless scientist. As a result, Darien is left with the awkward gland permanently grafted to his person, enabling him to disappear from view whenever he becomes terribly frightened (which is often!). Unfortunately, Darien now faces the likelihood of succumbing to "Quicksilver Madness" unless he is regular injected with a temporary antidote by gorgeous government scientist Claire Keeply, aka The Keeper (Shannon Kenny). Thus, Darien is in no position to refuse an offer from The Agency's head man The Official (Eddie Jones) to use his invisibility on behalf of the United States' counterespionage activities--if he had refused, the antidote doses would have been immediately cut off (and of course there would have been no series). In the course of Season One, reluctant spy Darien is teamed with slovenly, neurotic veteran agent Bobby Howes (Paul Ben-Victor) and is regularly menaced by the sinister Chrysalis organization, whose minions include terrorists Arnaud DeThiel (Joel Bissonette) and Jarod Stark (Spencer Garrett). Darien also faces the danger of sudden exposure whenever a severe change in temperature renders him visible at the most inopportune moments. Season highlights included the poignant episode "Ralph", in which Darien pretends to be the imaginary friend of a little girl traumatized by witness an assassination; "Impetus", wherein Darien's troubles are doubled when he contacts a disease that causes rapid aging; "Liberty and Larceny", guest-starring Priscilla Barnes as Darien's criminal mentor Liz, who hopes to use his invisibility to her advantage; and "Ghost of a Chance" in which Darien poses as a ghost in order to persuade a South American prime minister to vote against a dangerous weapons system--only to face extermination at the hands of a real ghost! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Small-town America is the key setting for this tale of four West Texas high-school pals who vowed to leave their tiny town after graduation and head for L.A. Keller (Breckin Meyer) is ready to walk, but his goals are formless. Wealthy Terrell Lee Lusk (Peter Facinelli) knows his parents (Patricia Wettig, Michael O'Neill) want him to work in their family oil business. Squirrel (Ethan Embry), who lives with his alcoholic father in a rundown trailer, should find escape easy, but he finds reasons to stay, as does John Hemphill (Eddie Mills), a young man more suited for life as a rancher. Leaving was something the quartet dreamed about since age 11, but the actual departure requires ripping up some roots. Will they do it? Director Tim McCanlies shot this film in 25 days at Fort Davis, Texas. Shown at the 1998 South by Southwest Film Festival (Austin, Texas). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

In this crime thriller, an avaricious married couple get in over their heads when their attempt to extort money from murderers goes terribly awry. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Making great fun of low-budget sci fi films from the '50s, this bawdy and deliberately campy romp chronicles the exploits of three gender-bending space travelers aboard the U.S. Intercourse. The three men are on a trip to the planet Clitoris, a decadent resort designed for the pleasure of women. It is filled with beauty shops, miles of stores and gambling palaces. Men are not allowed. To this end, captain Daniel Tracy and his two male lieutenants take special gender-reversal tablets and become fabulous women. Once there, the crew is given the grand tour by the ruler Princess Angel. They see that there is trouble on the planet. There have been terrible earthquakes, horrible crimes, fashion gaffes and worst of all, someone is robbing the planet of "girlinium," the rare crystals needed for the thin planet atmosphere to hold its color. To make matters worse, the captain and crew must justify their presence upon the planet by staging an elaborate lounge act. This in addition to finding the missing crystals. This film was conceived, written by one of San Francisco's most notorious drag queens, the late Doris Fish, who also plays the captain and designed all the glittery sets. The female aspects of his crew are played by real women. The film features many cameos from other famed queens and is filled with allusions to and lines stolen from many campy '50s films and television shows. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Now that she has started smoking again, Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) will go to any lengths to quit. Meanwhile, Gallic lothario Henri (Anthony Cistaro), working as a temporary bartender for the honeymooning Woody, challenges Sam (Ted Danson) to a heated "Ladies' Man" competition. Originally slated to air October 15, 1992, this episode was bumped to October 22 by a presidential debate. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After getting his start as a visual effects artist on the original Star Wars trilogy, Spielberg protege Joe Johnston found success as a director with his debut film, the blockbuster family adventure Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. For his sophomore outing, Johnston helmed this action-adventurer, set in 1930s Hollywood and in the spirit of old pulp comics and adventure serials, and co-adapted from the David Stevens graphic novel by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo. Bill Campbell stars as Cliff Secord, an eager young pilot who finds himself in possession of a secret jet-pack that gives him the ability to fly. Cliff soon learns that screen-star Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton) will stop at nothing to get his hands on the rocket pack so he can give it to the Nazis. As The Rocketeer and with a little help from his mechanic friend played by Alan Arkin, it's up to Cliff to elude Sinclair, defeat the Nazis, and save his girlfriend Jenny (Jennifer Connelly). ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

It was impossible back in September of 1991 to objectively critique the TV movie Us. The film had been intended as the pilot for a new series, to be produced, directed and written by its star Michael Landon. Landon had died of a lingering illness only six months earlier, thus the film was heralded by the publicity people as "His final gift to us all." One publication, which had devoted no fewer than three cover stories in a row to Landon in his final weeks, labelled as "compassionate" this story of a man released from prison after 18 years for a crime he didn't commit, who now needed to touch base with his long-estranged family. Removed from the understandable emotionalism surrounding its premiere, it must be noted that Us was fair to middling at best. Its premise of having Landon and his family stage a reunion while on a cross-country trip was a viable one, but in execution Us was far below Michael Landon's usual standard. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Director Stephen Frears' tense adaptation of Jim Thompson's novel The Grifters was one of a number of revival film noirs in the first half of the '90s. Updating the setting to contemporary Los Angeles, the film follows a trio of con artists who are intent on out-foxing each other. Roy Dillon (John Cusack) is a simple, two-bit con, whose life is thrown into turmoil when his estranged mother Lilly (Anjelica Huston) returns home in an attempt to evade the law. Lilly doesn't warm to Roy's girlfriend Myra Langtry (Annette Bening), who is too similar to herself. Soon, the two women are competing for Roy in a battle that is more of a power struggle than a pursuit of affection, and the battle quickly turns dangerous. Huston was nominated for an Academy Award for her work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

American Blue Note concentrates on a Manhattan jazz quintet. Peter MacNichol, Carl Capotorto, Tim Guinee, Bill Christopher-Myers and Jonathan Walker play the five musicians, each with individual crosses to bear. Allotting themselves one year to get booked into a major jazz club or else they'll split, the quintet performs a lot of nickel-and-dime gigs in the meantime. But only one of the five makes it to the band's "Valhalla." Louis Guss, Zohra Lampert and Trini Alvarado appear in peripheral roles. Filmed in 1989, the independently produced American Blue Note didn't get a distributor until 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this suspenseful drama, a prominent publishing executive marries a younger man soon after the death of her husband. After the nuptials, the bride realizes she has made a terrible mistake as her charming groom seems to be planning to murder her. The film is also called Marked for Murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi