Monty Bane Movies
- 2007
A young girl with a seemingly normal mother and father discovers a household secret that leads to some startling revelations about her family past in this tense meditation on voyeurism starring Kelly LeBrock and Erin Cahill. Nina Theophilus (Cahill) is the daughter of an adoring father (Thaao Penghlis) and a popular actress (LeBrock). While on the surface Nina's family seems about as normal as one might expect for a family with showbiz ties, the discovery of a mysterious hidden room behind one of the bathroom mirrors soon leads to a series of dark revelations involving betrayal, greed, lust, and murder. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Erin Cahill, Kelly LeBrock, (more)
- 2002
Network television's first "interactive" mystery-suspense series, Push, Nevada got under way somewhat in the manner of the 1945 theatrical feature Murder, He Says, with stalwart IRS agent Jim Prufrock (Derek Cecil) venturing into the hinterlands in search of a huge cache of stolen money. Prufrock followed the trail of evidence to the cloistered community of Push, NV, which seemed to be populated exclusively by weirdos with deep, dark secrets. Each time that Prufrock thought he'd figured out what was going on, a new riddle or enigma was added to the mixture, such as a motel which looked like a dump on the outside but was luxurious on the inside, or a bizarre casino where everyone was forced to speak in lousy French accents. As Jim tried to piece things together, the viewers at home were invited to interpret the clues right along with the protagonist. If the viewer was able to solve the mystery before the first 13 episodes had played out, he or she would win one million dollars. Co-created by actor Ben Affleck and boasting a production staff gleaned from Affleck's popular cable-TV documentary series Project Greenlight, Push, Nevada debuted on September 17, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Derek Cecil, Scarlett Chorvat, (more)
- 2002
Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) are placed in an awkward position when they agree to attend three different Thanksgiving dinners -- and things get even more awkward when they also agree to show up at Emily and Richard's house. The only way out of this social dilemma is to actually consume four dinners within a 24-hour period, beginning with the deep-fried repast at the Kim household. Then it is off to the home of Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) and Jackson (Jackson Douglas), thence to Luke's diner. Finally the ladies arrive at the Elder Gilmores' house -- where Lorelai has a hissy fit upon discovering that Rory has applied to Yale. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Stephen King wrote his first original screenplay for this horror gore fest that features cameos by directors Clive Barker, Joe Dante, Tobe Hooper, John Landis, and King himself (playing a cemetery attendant). The story concerns a twilight people named "sleepwalkers" --creatures similar to vampires and werewolves whose faces turn animalistic whenever they are frightened or angry and who require the lifeforce of a virgin to survive. A single-parent sleepwalker family, consisting of Mary Brady (Alice Krige) and her son Charles (Brian Krause), have taken up residence in a small Indiana town. Charles has expressed a romantic interest in the attractive Tanya Robertson (Madchen Amick), a girl in his high school literature class. Mary wants Charles to lure Tanya home so that she can suck out her life force, but it appears that Charles has fallen in love with her --that is, until their first date, at a picnic at the cemetery. There Charles changes from a shy romantic suitor into a brutal and violent force, slapping Tanya around and attempting to rape her. But Tanya wards off his advances by plunging a corkscrew into his torso. Charles staggers back home to mother, where she nurses him back to health. Then Charles and his mother seek vengeance upon the Robertson family. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brian Krause, Mädchen Amick, (more)
- 1990
Metro officer Joanne Molenski (Darlanne Fluegel) goes undercover to investigate a series of robberies in which the victims were wealthy women who'd been followed home by the perpetrators. Unfortunately, Molenski is mugged, and her gun is stolen. Worse still, the gun is later used in a robbery-murder--and unless Hunter can do something about it, Molenski's career (and self-esteem!) may be in serious jeopardy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
His face ruined by plastic surgeon Dr. Simon Brill (Nicholas Pryor), wealthy recluse Leslie Hunzinger (Andrew Robinson) wants to sue Brill for malpractice, and hires David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) to gather the necessary investigation. Their investigation leads the detectives down a long and winding trail of broken hearts and vengeful females. In fact, things get so complicated that at one point, the comment is made that Moonlighting probably won't be able to get 22 episodes in the can this season after all! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) accuses the wife of a Palm Springs real estate developer of murdering her philandering husband. Shortly thereafter, the accused woman commits suicide, and her sister bitterly accuses Jessica of driving the woman to her death. Teaming up with police detective Hanna (Elliott Gould), Jessica tries to find out if she indeed condemned an innocent person--and in the process, the two sleuths search high and low for the $3 million allegedly embezzled by the murder victim. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1982
Wim Wenders' The State of Things (Der Stand der Dinge) was financed by one of the director's chief mentors, Francis Ford Coppola. This highly autobiographical work concerns a shoestring movie producer and his ragtag crew. Stranded in the outer reaches of Portugal, the director doesn't even have any film in his camera. There's nothing left to do but scare up a potential backer--preferably one of those rich, movie-mad Americans. In illustrating the plight of the fictional filmmakers, Wenders strikes a blow on behalf of the homeless and disenfranchised everywhere; it is also an a clef recreation of the difficulties faced by the director during production of his first American film Hammett (also made under the auspices of Coppola). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Bauchau, Isabelle Weingarten, (more)
- 1981
In the concluding episode of a two-part story, Klinger (Jamie Farr) has been arrested on the suspicion that he is responsible for the crime wave that has spread through the 4077th. Though Klinger was apparently caught red-handed, Charles (David Ogden Stiers) agrees to act as his defense consul at the court-martial proceedings. But it is B.J. (Alan Alda) and Hawkeye (Mike Farrell), victims both of the elusive thief, who come to the rescue by uncovering the actual miscreant. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1981
In episode one of M*A*S*H's last two-part story, the 4077th is visited by a group of Military Policemen. It seems that the area has been hit with a petty crime wave, and the MP's are determined to nab the culprit. Thus, things look bleak for poor Klinger (Jamie Farr) when he is caught with the instant camera stolen from Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and B.J. (Mike Farrell). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
Nobody is what they seem to be in this dizzying Russ Meyer feature, and everyone is a suspect. The reclusive Adolf Schwartz (Edward Schaaf) pays for weird pansexual pleasures performed by an interracial group of prostitutes. Later, Schwartz (who bears more than a passing resemblance to a more infamous Adolf) is found murdered in his bath, the victim of a hungry piranha. That same morning, Margo Winchester (Raven de la Croix) is jogging on a mountain pass when she's abducted and raped by a local boy. She defends herself and ends up breaking her assailant's neck, an act that is witnessed by state trooper Homer Johnson (Monty Bane). He offers to falsify his report in return for Margo's abundant body, and she enthusiastically accepts. Margo and Homer shack up in his mountain cabin, and he gets her a job at Alice's Cafe, a small-town greasy spoon run by Alice (Janet Wood) and her husband, Paul (Robert McLane). Suddenly business is booming (thanks to Margo's seductive swagger and Mae West impressions) and the trio decide to open a nightclub. Opening night is a smash, until a drunk lumberjack goes ape after witnessing Margo's sultry dance routine. The resulting fracas ends with an axe in Homer's chest and a wild moonlit chainsaw fight. But who murdered Adolf Schwartz? That mystery is solved in not one, but three epilogues which concern the identities of Eva Braun Jr., an undercover police officer and a closet white supremacist, who all fight to the death with a pistol, a dildo, and kung-fu. The action is explained and commented upon by the buxom, perpetually nude Greek Chorus (Francesca 'Kitten' Natividad), who quotes Shakespeare and attempts to raise the story to the level of classic farce. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edward Schaaf, Mary Gavin, (more)
