Mark Lonow Movies

Adversaries become wary allies in this free-wheeling action comedy. Hank Rafferty (Steve Zahn) is a Los Angeles Police Department officer who finds himself out of a job after he becomes involved in a violent altercation with police academy flunk-out Earl Montgomery (Martin Lawrence), escalating into a media event which brings the LAPD a wealth of bad publicity. Unable to find work, Hank finally takes a job as a "rent-a-cop" with a private security firm -- and discovers to his annoyance that his new partner is Earl. While neither of them are thrilled to be working together on the lowest strata of the law enforcement community, the two find themselves dealing with bigger crime than they expected when they stumble across evidence of a elite smuggling network operated by criminal mastermind Nash (Eric Roberts). Hank and Earl want to put Nash out of business, and they try without success to persuade the police of the importance of the case. But before long they discover it's not just Nash's men who are after them, but two high-ranking LAPD officials, Lt. Washington (Bill Duke) and Detective McDuff (Colm Feore). National Security was directed by Dennis Dugan, who'd previously helmed antic comedies starring Adam Sandler and Chris Farley; this film also marked Martin Lawrence's entry into the elite of Hollywood's comedy stars, with Lawrence taking home a 20-million-dollar paycheck for his work on the picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Three A-list screenwriters -- (Nicholas Pileggi, Bo Goldman, and Paul Schrader) -- contributed to the script of this idealistic political drama. John Pappas (Al Pacino) is the popular, ethical Mayor of New York; Kevin Calhoun (John Cusack) is his even more idealistic and principled deputy. When a detective and mobster kill each other and an innocent six-year-old black child in a shootout, questions arise about what the cop was doing meeting with the gangster in the first place. The Mayor and his staff handle the situation ably, but Calhoun digs deeper and finds troubling evidence that even his seemingly incorruptible boss has not escaped the shadier aspects of political life. The Mafia boss (Tony Franciosa) whose nephew was the dead gangster, along with a Brooklyn political boss (Danny Aiello) with his own agenda, come into the story, becoming part of a series of larger links, secret relationships, and bonds of "honor" between men who, on the surface, would have no reason to be in business with each other. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Comedian Billy Crystal made his directorial debut with this biography of fictional comedian Buddy Young Jr. (portrayed by Crystal himself), whose self-destructive tendencies prevent him from rising to top of the show business ladder during his five-decade career. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

The premiere episode of Murphy Brown finds the titular heroine (played by Candice Bergen) returning to her post as chief investigative reporter of the TV magazine show "F.Y.I." after a traumatic stint at the Betty Ford Clinic. No sooner has Murphy set foot in the studio than she begins to wonder if she shouldn't go straight back into therapy: Her new executive producer Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud) is a 25-year-old greenhorn with 25-minute frame of reference (he hasn't even heard of The Shirelles, for God's sake!), while her new coanchor is Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford), a vapid ex-Miss America hired exclusively for her looks. Hoping to find out if Murphy has still got her "edge", Miles assigns her to interview the central figure in a hot-potato political sex scandal. Actors Mary Cadorette and Charley Lang hold the dubious distinction of portraying the first and second of the 93 secretaries that Murphy will have in the course of the series' 12-year run. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Natalie Wood and George Segal star in this labored and old-fashioned sex farce, directed by Gilbert Cates. Wood and Segal play Mari and Jeff Thompson, a happily married couple who are thunderstruck when they see all their friends and acquaintances are headed for divorce court. Eventually their own marriage is put in jeopardy by their obsession with staying together. Seeing all the marital discord around them, Mari and Jeff begin to question the stability of their own relationship. Furthering their uneasiness is the arrival of Barbara (Valerie Harper), to whom Jeff is attracted. Barbara and Jeff have an affair and Mari decides to go out and have an affair of her own. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Shortly after placing a phone call to his childhood pal Jim Rockford (James Garner), reporter Eddie Hellinger (Frank McCarthy) is murdered. Within the next few days, Jim receives a lot of packages in the mail, presumably from the late Mr. Hellinger. As a result, a couple of hoodlums kidnap Jim and beat him senseless in a meat locker--and that's only for starters. At the bottom of all this skullduggery is a case of widespread union corruption, and a very ripe piece of cheese. Soap-opera diva Constance Towers appears as Sally, a journalist with some rather fascinating credentials. This episode marks the final series appearance of Noah Beery Jr. as Jim's dad Rocky. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mike is determined to assert his independence. He chooses to do so by claiming to be too tired to attend a party with Gloria and then going off on a skiing excursion with his friends. Mike's defiant move sparks another of those marathon All in the Family arguments. Written by Ben Starr and Charles Stewart, "Mike Goes Skiing" was originally telecast on January 22, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide