Jerry Levine Movies

San Francisco literally stinks to high heaven thanks to the longest garbage strike in the city's history. No one is more upset by the overpowering pungency than the germophobic Monk (Tony Shalhoub), who doubles his efforts to find out who murdered the union boss who called the strike in the first place. Growing progressively unhinged as the smell gets worse, Monk concludes that the guilty party was none other than San Francisco mayor Ray Nicholson (Chi McBride)--and when this proves not to be the case, Monk goes completely off the deep end, accusing rock star Alice Cooper of the dirty deed! Will Monk get his act together in time to find the real killer, or have his phobias finally destroyed his detective skills? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Monk (Tony Shalhoub), Natalie (Traylor Howard) and Julie (Emmy Clarke) are stuck in a massive traffic jam, caused by a multicar pile-up. Leaving his car to find out how long he's going to be detained, Monk stumbles upon clues indicating that the traffic accident was the end result of a murder. As he tries to solve the crime, Monk is faced with another crisis when Julie is suddenly seized by an urgent Call of Nature--and this little inconvenience brings our hero face to face with the rock group Korn (playing themselves), who unexpectedly provide Monk with the obligatory vital clue! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

To investigate the murder of a parking-garage attendant and the seemingly unmotivated assault on stock analyst Warren Kemp (Eddie McClintock), Monk (Tony Shalhoub) goes undercover as a temporary office worker. As the days wear on, he finds he enjoys his work regimen and the company of fellow worker Abby (Jennifer Hall), but he's less fond of the fiercely competitive Chilton Handy (Christopher Neiman), who emerges as the chief suspect. Meanwhile, Natalie (Traylor Howard) begins to feel left out of things as Monk pals around with his new coworkers and even participates in an office bowling tournament--but this doesn't prevent Natalie from stumbling upon the clue that solve the mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Death Row inmate Ray Kaspo (David Meunier) is poisoned to death--45 minutes before his execution. While investigating this curious turn of events, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is approached by another inmate, former billionaire Dale "The Whale" Biederbeck, whom Monk sent away for murder in the series' fourth episode (formerly played by Adam Arkin, Dale the Whale is now portrayed by Tim Curry). This time out, Dale is suspected of killing Ray, but insists that he's innocent and wants Monk to prove it. This requires our hero to suppress his million-and-one phobias and go undercover as a convict--whereupon he is immediately befriended by the dangerously sociopathic Spyder Rudner (Danny Trejo). This final episode of Monk's second season ends on a cliffhanger, with Monk seemingly poised to solve the long-ago murder of his beloved wife Trudy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Monk (Tony Shalhoub) takes on his most unusual client when a chimpanzee named Darwin (played by Mowgli of The Dennis Miller Show fame) is accused of killing record producer Ian Blackburn (Stewart McLennan), who was hiding in his supposedly impenetrable "panic room" at the time of his death. Despite his mortal fear of the overaffectionate and highly unsanitary Darwin, Monk quickly sets about following the trail of clues, which lead to Blackburn's far-from-faithful widow Chloe (Carmen Electra) and the dead man's security expect Kurt Wolff (Brad Hawkins). Meanwhile, Sharona (Bitty Schram) pulls off a daring midnight rescue of Darwin on the night of his scheduled "execution"--and installs the chimp in Monk's spotless, germ-free apartment (well, it WAS spotless and germ-free, anyway...) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The police are in high-alert mode as San Francisco is terrorized by a series of deadly mail bombings. Monk (Tony Shalhoub) thinks he has pinpointed the most likely suspect, a man named Brian Babbage (Matt Winston). But as so often happens in this series, Brian has the "perfect" alibi: He was in a terrible car accident several months ago--and has been in a coma ever since. And to make Monk's job all the more difficult, Brian's accident was witnessed by both Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and Lieutenant Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford)! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Nostalgia begets hostility and even physical injury when Eric (Will Friedle) and Cory (Ben Savage) argue over what to sell and what to keep at the Matthews family's garage sale. Meanwhile, half-brothers Shawn (Rider Strong) and Jack (Matthew Lawrence) try to forge a common bond, only to find that they've nothing in common. Perhaps it is about time that all four guys figure out that it's as important to be a friend as to be a brother (a message conveyed in several earlier episodes, as if any of the characters can remember that far back!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Topanga (Danielle Fishel) drags a reluctant Cory (Ben Savage) to the chapel to help her finalize their marriage plans. While observing the preparations for another wedding, Cory is shocked when the bride's disgruntled father (Richard Portnow) offers him a million dollars to marry his daughter--immediately! Meanwhile, the virtual father-son relationship between Eric (Will Friedle) and Tommy (JB Gaynor), the underprivileged youngster whom Eric met at Christmastime, takes a unexpectedly poignant turn as the boy prepares to move in with his foster family. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Just when it seems that nothing else could go wrong with the preparations for the marriage of Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel), Best Man Eric (Will Friedle) throws another spanner in the works by changing the locale of the wedding from the Matthews home to the very expensive Philadelphia Victorian Hotel--"borrowing" someone else's catered ceremony in the process, and forgetting to pick up the rings to boot! And why didn't Cory choose Shawn (Rider Strong) as Best Man instead? Well, he did--but Shawn had angrily refused to show up at the wedding after a particularly nasty argument with the bridegroom. Series regular Will Friedle plays a dual role in this Very Special episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally screened at Telluride as The Buddy Factor, Swimming With Sharks is an uneven but engrossing picture, and a possible warning to anyone with plans to break into the motion-picture business. When Guy (Frank Whaley), a recent film-school graduate with big ideas, takes a job as assistant to major studio executive Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), he believes his ship has finally come in; little does he know it's a slave ship, for his boss is indeed worse than a slave driver. Buddy delights in abusing his boy-toy (exemplified by the scene in which he forbids Guy to go to the bathroom as he pours water back and forth from a glass to a pitcher). Meanwhile, Guy struggles to push his idea for a script and feels he's finally made it when Buddy congratulates him on a job well done. However, much to his chagrin, his conniving boss actually takes sole credit for the project, pushing the young assistant to wit's end -- he breaks into Buddy's Beverly Hills showplace and takes him hostage, then proceeds to torture him in a number of demeaning and horrifying ways. The whole film stands as a sort of parable about the value system in Hollywood and the cost of reaching the top; it doesn't play like real life, but it's not supposed to. The real reason to watch the film, however, is Spacey's performance. He manages at once to be terrifying, hateful, and hilarious, and he makes Buddy Ackerman a character the audience won't soon forget. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

James Belushi stars in this cop actioner about a loner narcotics officer who has to break in a new partner. The twist here is that the new partner is barely housebroken, but he's still sharp and keeps his nose close to the ground. Dooley (Belushi), who works on the San Diego narc squad, is an eccentric guy who has pizzas delivered to his car and likes a good steak. He is working on a stakeout of a local drug dealer when he barely escapes with his life as a helicopter blows up his car. When he asks the department for a new car, they give him a new partner instead --a police dog called Jerry Lee (Jerry Lee the Dog). Jerry's good at sniffing out the criminals but Dooley doesn't really hit it off with his new partner until the pooch saves his life. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In the late '80s, good-time girl Stacy (Lea Thompson) and her timid friend, Melissa (Victoria Jackson), decide to hit a health spa for singles in hopes of spicing up their unfulfilled sex lives. Afraid of AIDS, Stacy has gone celibate, while Melissa has only ever managed to get it on with two lame guys. Arriving at the resort, the women spend their time working out, flirting with staff members, making friends and enemies with their fellow singles, and avoiding the attentions of the oafish Vinny (Andrew Dice Clay). When a cruel psychologist plays mind games with Melissa, she finds solace with Vinny, then flees the spa, interrupting an incipient romance between Stacy and a cute aerobics instructor. Wendy Goldman and Judy Toll adapted their own stage play, while Casual Sex? provided director Genevieve Robert her only feature credit to date. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi