Mark Griffin Movies
A former Desert Storm special forces soldier is assigned the task of protecting a retired World Heavyweight champion turned powerful entrepreneur when the thuggish rap mogul he put behind bars comes gunning for revenge in this bullet-riddled action entry starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Vivica A. Fox. When Wayne Barclay testified against music industry heavy Terrell Singletery (Viv Leacock), he made an enemy for life. Now Terrell is being released from prison, and his time behind bars has only fueled his hunger for revenge. Vengeance won't come easy for this embittered ex-con though, because when Philip Sauvage (Van Damme) sets up a special team of vicious fighters and former soldiers to protect Barclay, the determined thug is will be forced to defeat a seasoned team of warriors with enough combat experience to wage a small war. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Vivica A. Fox, (more)
A man hoping to make his way back to the big time starts by heading back to middle school in this comedy. Roy McCormick (Martin Lawrence) is one of the most successful coaches in college basketball, but he's just as famous for his hair-trigger temper as he is for molding winning teams. When an outburst of anger during a game escalates into an embarrassing public indecent, McCormick loses his job and is banned from college sports. Looking for a way to rehabilitate his image, McCormick takes a job coaching the basketball team at the middle school he used to attend, only to discover his players are a handful of misfits and losers with no skill on the court. Can McCormick mold the kids into a winning team -- and make himself into a better man along the way? Rebound also stars Wendy R. Robinson, Breckin Meyer, Horatio Sanz, Megan Mullally, and Patrick Warburton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Wendy Raquel Robinson, (more)
- 2004
When Cheryl (Cheryl Hines) asks Larry (Larry David) to get a present for Betty Dusenberry's (Eliza Coyle) baby shower, Larry wonders if he should also get a present for the surrogate mother (Elizabeth Beckwith). Cheryl is in a frisky mood, but Larry is still healing from being bitten by Oscar. The next day, Larry visits his doctor (Jack Gallagher) to take his required physical for The Producers, but his heart rate spikes when Renee (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) comes in, and the doctor won't sign the necessary forms unless Larry agrees to wear a heart holster for a day. Larry's friend Richard Lewis is actually dating Renee, and confides to Larry that because Renee is black, and has presumably dated black men, he feels insecure about the size of his "equipment." The two wonder if it's really a myth. Later, Wanda (Wanda Sykes) catches Larry mistaking a black man for a valet, and attempts to figure out his logic: "Anytime I see a black man in a tie and a suit, I automatically think, 'You must park cars for a living.'" Larry also creates problems at the baby shower, inadvertently convincing the surrogate to keep her baby. He continues to alienate his Producers co-star, David Schwimmer, and he uses his apparent heart problem to his advantage when he encounters a potentially violent case of road rage. Mel Brooks and Muggsy Bogues make guest appearances. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Two fathers get a crash course in caring for kids other than their own in this family-friendly comedy. Charlie Hinton (Eddie Murphy) is an advertising executive whose job monopolizes his time, making it difficult for him to stay in touch with his young son, Ben (Khamani Griffin). However, after Charlie and his partner, Phil (Jeff Garlin), are given their pink slips in the wake of a disastrous campaign for a new breakfast cereal, Charlie's wife, Kim (Regina King), goes back to work, and with the family budget tighter than before, Charlie becomes a stay-at-home dad. After pulling Ben out of an expensive and exclusive daycare center run by the humorless Gwyneth Harridan (Anjelica Huston), Charlie comes up with a brainstorm -- since he and Phil watch their own children every day, how much harder could it be to watch a few more kids and open their own day care center? Charlie and Phil discover there's much more to running a daycare center than they ever imagined, but after a very rough start, with the help of likable slacker Marvin (Steve Zahn) their new business becomes a success -- so much so that Harridan finds herself losing customers to the upstart fathers, and she starts searching for a way to shut them down. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, (more)
Two martial arts champions find themselves teaming up to fight a battle for their lives in this action-thriller. Sato (Kevin Ula Christie) is an eccentric multi-billionaire with a keen interest in the martial arts. Once a year, Sato and his men scour the globe looking for the best of the best in several different fighting styles to bring them together for a special tournament on a private island, with the final victor walking away with a purse of one million dollars. Jack (J.D. Rifkin) is an ordinary man with extraordinary fighting skills who is tapped to take part in the tournament, though he displays a certain reluctance about leaving his wife and children behind. However, Jack runs afoul of Ivan (Tony O'Brien), a ruthless gambler with criminal connections, who is determined to see that Jack never leaves the Island. Jack makes a valuable friend in Rick (T.J. Storm), a top-rank fighter who used to be associated with Ivan, and together Jack and Rick fight for their freedom and survival against two of Ivan's underlings, Slater (Paul Logan) and Rusty (Mark Griffin). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Ula Christie
