Geoffrey Lewis Movies
Bucolic American actor Geoffrey Lewis is a stalwart member of the Clint Eastwood stock company. First appearing opposite Eastwood in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) Lewis has gone on to substantial roles in such Eastwood vehicles as Broncho Billy (1980) Any Which Way You Can (1981) and Pink Cadillac (1988). Outside the Eastwood orbit, Lewis has kept busy in films ranging from The Great Waldo Pepper (1973) to Lust in the Dust (1985). If you remember the 1980 sitcom Flo, you'll remember Geoffrey Lewis as bartender Earl Tucker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2007
In exchange for her getting him off the hook with Detective Tritter, Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) forces House (Hugh Laurie) to take full-time clinic duty, resulting in some truly childish behavior from both of them. The main plot involves rape victim Eve (Katheryn Winnick), who bypasses psychiatric counseling in order to tell all her problems to House--who, in a pivotal moment, opens up to Eve in a way that he has never opened up to anyone else before. Meanwhile, a homeless patient (Geoffrey Lewis) suffering from terminal lung cancer insists upon playing mind games with Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), ultimately forcing her to confront her own past. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Kevin VanHook's horror film The Fallen Ones concerns an archeologist who must battle a fallen angel who has come to Earth in order to reanimate a mummified giant and use him to take over the world. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Based on a novel by Kent Haruf, the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie Plainsong looks back on a year in the lives of several very special people in a close-knit Colorado prairie community. Deserted by his seriously disturbed wife Ella (Megan Follows), dedicated high school teacher Tom Guthrie (Aidan Quinn) is forced to raise his mentally challenged sons Ike (Mick Hazen) and Bobby (Cody Arens) by himself. Cruelly tormented by their peers and shunned by many of the adults in the community, the boys find a friend and kindred spirit in lonely old Iva Stearns (Marian Seldes), who offers to let them work on her ranch. At the same time, Tom's fellow teacher Maggie Jonas (Rachel Griffiths) comes to the rescue of Victoria Roubidoux (America Ferrera), a pregnant 17-year old Native American girl who has been evicted by her mother. Maggie arranges for Victoria to stay at the home of the McPherson Brothers (Geoffrey Lewis, William Andrews), a pair of crusty old bachelors who have never lived with anyone other than themselves. The stories of these two "extended" families inevitably converge, reaching a crossroads when Ike and Bobby stumble across Iva's dead body. Despite this morbid turn of events, the story gives special emphasis to forgiveness and the acceptance of those who are different -- and the ability to come to grips with the fact that life offers no guarantees. Filmed on location in Utah, Plainsong made its CBS network bow on April 25, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aidan Quinn, Rachel Griffiths, (more)
Based on John Grisham's semi-autobiographical novel (which he regarded as his favorite because it "contains no lawyers"), A Painted House is set in the rural community of Oak Park, AR, in 1952. The story is told through the eyes of ten-year-old Luke Chandler (Logan Lerman), who lives and works on a rundown cotton farm with his parents (Robert Sean Leonard and Arija Bareikis) and grandparents (Scott Glenn and Melinda Dillon). It is Luke's personal mission to earn enough money picking cotton to be able to afford a new coat of paint for the Chandler house. But as harvest time approaches, a number of plot complications distance Luke from his goal, including failed crops, dangerous weather, periodic run-ins with a family of migrant workers, and -- this being a John Grisham story -- a murder to which Luke is the sole eyewitness. Filmed on location in the Arkansas town of Lepanto, A Painted House first aired April 27, 2003, as a CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Logan Lerman, Scott Glenn, (more)
Directors: Clint Eastwood profiles the acclaimed actor, director, and Hollywood icon. Eastwood has entertained generations of people, moving successfully back and forth between acting and directing. Here, Eastwood discusses his more commercial directing projects, such as Unforgiven, The Bridges of Madison County, Absolute Power, and True Crime. Actors interviewed share one sentiment: when Eastwood requests their presence, they rarely refuse. The American Film Institute program, directed by Robert J. Emery, features interviews with Morgan Freeman, Laura Dern, Geoffrey Lewis, Donna Mills, Meryl Streep, and Ed Harris. The video serves as a good introduction to Eastwood's work for those unfamiliar and covers a lot of ground in one hour. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Big-time crime invades a sleepy California community in this drama. Violet (Diane Delano) is an unlikely drug lord who has started dealing amphetamines out of a small town in California, with the help of three legmen who have more in the way of daring than brains. But neither Violet nor her partners in crime imagined they would have to reckon with Rawley Wade (Fred Dryer), the local sheriff who keeps a close eye on illegal activities in the area. As Wade swings into action to put the drug ring behind bars, he discovers a multiple murderer is also on the loose, leaving behind a trail of bodies without rhyme or reason. Highway 395 was the first feature film directed by actor Fred Dryer, best known for his starring role in the television series Hunter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Dryer, Diane Delano, (more)
- 2000
A documentary about the iconic career of actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood, Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows traces its subject's work from his earliest days in Hollywood to his award-winning (and career-salvaging) films of the 1990s. Directed by Bruce Ricker, who also made the lauded jazz films The Last of the Blue Devils and Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser, the documentary combines archival footage with interviews from the likes of Sergio Leone, Curtis Hanson, Rip Torn, Meryl Streep, and, naturally, the man himself. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, (more)
In this noir-influenced road movie, Jake (Robert Forster) is a criminal psychiatrist who has come to the conclusion that our lives are dictated primarily by chance, and has given himself over to this notion by making most of his decision by the flip of a coin. Sandra (Amanda Plummer) is a neurotic woman on her way to pick up her younger sister, a teenage delinquent named Alice (Fairuza Balk) when she's run off the road and left stranded by a madman named Santini (David Thewlis). When Jake happens by and Sandra asks him for help, Sandra is lucky at first: she wins the coin toss, and he elects to help her rather than kill her. When they have to make a stop, Sandra sees Santini's car parked by the side of the road; Santini catches Sandra as she tries to rip off some money that he's stashed in the car, and though she gets away, Santini isn't done with her yet. Director Paul Chart probably didn't have much trouble securing Amanda Plummer for the role of Alice: Chart and Plummer were married in 1994. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Seth's niece Amy (Cari Shayne) arrives in Cabot Cove, where she plans to hold her wedding. Alas, the happy event is postponed permanently when both a landscaper and attorney die under mysterious circumstances--and one of the two was Amy's fiancé. Another interested party begins asking a few pointed questions, for which Jessica (Angela Lansbury) intends to provide the answers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
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Kenny Rogers returns as Brady Hawkes, the Gambler, in this made-for-TV Western. Brady's son Jeremiah (Kris Kamm) is now an adult, and seems to have followed his father's footsteps into a life of adventure; however, Brady learns that Jeremiah has taken a far more dangerous path and has joined the gang of notorious outlaws Butch Cassidy (Scott Paulin) and the Sundance Kid (Brett Cullen). Fearing for his son's safety, Brady sets out to find his son and rescue him before he winds up on the wrong side of a gun. The Gambler V: Playing for Keeps also stars Dixie Carter, Loni Anderson, and Mariska Hargitay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenny Rogers, Loni Anderson, (more)
Dolph Lundgren and George Segal star in this action thriller in which a man who was convicted of a crime he didn't commit escapes from prison and takes a woman hostage, not knowing she's a police officer. Meanwhile, the escapee is trying to set a trap to get revenge against the corrupt detective who sent him to the big house. The supporting cast includes Ken Foree and Bert Remsen. Also shown under the title Army of One. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Matt Dillon is the only one available from the series in this movie. This time he discovers that he has a daughter he never even knew that he had. Unfortunately, however, she has been kidnapped by some renegade Apaches. Needless to say, the now retired Marshall Dillon comes out of retirement to go to her rescue. Surprisingly respectful and thoughtful with regards to Native American relations. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Arness, Richard Kiley, (more)
- 1990
Based on The Country of the Heart by Barbara Wershba, this cable-TV film concerns a young pianist (Christopher Gartin) who falls in love with an older musician (Jane Seymour). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Saddled with a broken arm, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) hires a temporary typist named Melissa (Lise Cutter) to help her meet a deadline. "Dead" is right: It turns out that Melissa is a virtual mystery novel all in herself, as proven when she inveigles a moonstruck cub reporter into helping her tamper with some evidence at a murder scene. The victim is Melissa's loutish husband (Cliff Potts), whose body is moved to his own lumberyard as an efforts to keep Melissa from being implicated--but things don't quite work out as planned, obliging Jessica to play detective yet once more. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In exchange for clearing Duell McCall's name, the cowboy's assistance is needed in locating the murderer of the sheriff's wife. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1988
John (Alan Olsen) is a Danish-born son who sets out to locate his father in this comedy thriller. While traveling to Los Angeles, John is caught in a small town in New Mexico and promptly has his money stolen. The main suspect is the waitress Lucy (Patricia Arquette), but she offers herself to him sexually. John soon is watched closely by the local sheriff (Richard Bright) and the suspicious hotel owner (Vincent Schiavelli). He joins a survivalist group run by Lucy's father, a local preacher who has more than fatherly love for his daughter. John and the father soon lock horns in an inevitable showdown. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Olsen, Patricia Arquette, (more)
- 1988
Cabot Cove's sheriff Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley) certainly has his hands full when his sister Winnie (Anne Meara) shows up on his doorstep, announcing that she has walked out on her husband. Before long, Amos is besieged by Winnie's ill-tempered Kentucky in-laws, who don't cotton to such matters as divorce. Things get worse when a bowl of home-made chowder intended for Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is laced with poison--and Winnie's former husband dies as a result! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
A made for TV movie in which Valerie Bertinelli portrays Florence Pancho Barnes, a bored socialite who decides to learn to fly. After receiving her pilot's license, even though her ambitions get in the way of her love life, she becomes a stunt pilot, barnstormer, and even forced Howard Hughes to change his mind about unions. Her career spanned such varied activities as racing against Amelia Earhart and training army pilots. Fine portrayal of one of the more interesting of the independent women from the 1920s. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1988
In this pilot for a TV series that was not to be, a young rebel becomes town hero when he unintentionally thwarts a raid on the local bank, and on the strength of this, he is offered the job of sheriff, which of course only leads him into more trouble. ~ Mark Hockley, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Jessica's trouble-prone nephew Grady (Michael Horton) has landed a job with an accounting firm specializing in tax shelters. Unfortunately, Grady's boss is currently the target of an IRS investigation--and, ultimately, a murder victim. With the cops convinced that Grady is not only the killer but also a big-time tax cheat, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) takes a hand in matters. Ron Masak, later a Murder, She Wrote semi-regular in the role of Sheriff Mort Metzger, is here seen as Marty Giles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In this children's drama, a con artist's dog leads two children to his former master's secret cache of loot. The children's lives change dramatically after that. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Magnum (Tom Selleck) dons a clown suit to pose as a roustabout with the "Inky Gilbert Travelling Carnival and Midway". An old friend of Higgins (John Hillerman), the aforementioned Inky (Clive Revill) has been plagued by a number of suspicious accidents, suggesting that someone is trying to force him out of business. In his confrontations with such sideshow regulars as Gus the Geek (Geoffrey Lewis), Charles the Dwarf (Tommy Madden) and a taciturn knife-thrower known as The Chief (Skeeter Vaughn), Magnum hopes to get to the bottom of the mystery--and to solve a murder that occurs in the course of events. Featured as one of the "carnies" is former Playboy Playmate Karen Elayna Price. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
