Paula McClure Movies
- 1993
- R
Find out how celebrity parties and dinners differ from those attended by most people. Hosts Bernard Erpicum of Spago and Paula McClure introduce the viewer to such basics as the Elegant Winter Meal, the Festive Holiday Dinner and the Afternoon or Evening Get-Together Meal. Tasty recipes for such culinary treats as Rack of Lamb with White Wine Sauce and Glazed Turkey with Rice and Nut Stuffing are shared. A variety of other tips are provided by such celebrities as Rod Steiger, Jon Voight, Dudley Moore and Ed Begley, Jr. Viewers are even shown the proper way to carve a turkey and which dinnerware and wine glasses should be used for various occasions. There's even a special tip on what type of lighting is best for different meals. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Life in the spotlight can have its benefits and substantial drawbacks as Larry (Garry Shandling) discovers in this episode of HBO's The Larry Sanders Show. Following a woman's claim that Larry shoved her into a magazine rack and neglected to apologize, the tabloids hang the popular late-night talk show host out to dry. His nerves frazzled, Larry attempts a last-ditch effort at damage control in order to save face. Guest stars include Suanne Spoke, Tom Dahlgren, John Riggi, Paula McClure, Benjamin Lum, Suzanne Vafiadis, Jeanne Basone, Eduardo Quezada, David Paymer, and Bella Shaw. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Sammy Bodean is the newest, most promising recruit according to the advertisement of the California Angels--and has to prove it come game time. Following the team's sale to young business whiz Gil Lawrence (Terry Kinney), ex-player Virgil Sweet (Edward James Olmos) has to prove himself as the team's talent scout to keep his job. Via a car break-down near a small farm-town in Idaho, Virgil stumbles across young Sammy Bodean (Jeff Corbett) who performs mean pitching skills in a rural sandlot. After bringing Sammy to LA where he pitches out the team's best, owner Gil begins a massive media campaign in which he appears in a press conference and not only brags of the boy's talent but of his intention to feature him--without warm-up or orientation--in the big game the following week. Virgil, though promoted to assistant manager, is upset at Gil's exploitative measures to save the slagging Angels at the expense of Sammy. Game day arrives and the pressure is on to keep the other team swinging, which causes young Sammy to choke. Or not. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward James Olmos, Lorraine Bracco, (more)
In Paul Verhoeven's wild sci-fi action movie Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a 21st-century construction worker who discovers that his entire memory of the past derives from a memory chip implanted in his brain. Schwarzenegger learns that he's actually a secret agent who had become a threat to the government, so those in power planted the chip and invented a domestic lifestyle for him. Once he has realized his true identity, he travels to Mars to piece together the rest of his identity, as well as to find the man responsible for his implanted memory. Verhoeven has created a fast, furious action film with Total Recall, filled with impressive stunts and (literally) eye-popping visuals. Though the film bears only a passing resemblance to the Philip K. Dick short story it was based on ("We Can Remember It For You Wholesale"), the movie is an entertaining, if very violent, ride. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, (more)
- 1989
Based on a true story, The Preppie Murder begins on August 26, 1986. This was the day that 18-year-old Jennifer Levin (Lara-Flynn Boyle) was strangled to death in Central Park. The prime suspect, Jennifer's 19-year-old boyfriend Robert Chambers (William Baldwin), confesses to the crime. The well-to-do young man insists that the killing was accidental; he claims that it occurred during a "rough sex" session that Jennifer had inaugurated. The ensuing media frenzy forces the old "she asked for it" defense to rear its ugly head. The Preppie Murder's attempts at fairness caused a great deal of critical turmoil when the film first aired on September 24, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This lackluster attempt at blending equal parts action movie and supernatural thriller ends up sacrificing the merits of both genres. The plot finds baby-faced homicide detective Logan (Lou Diamond Phillips) on the trail of "Pentagram Killer" Patrick Channing (Jeff Kober), negligibly assisted by lots of occult mumbo-jumbo espoused by various doomsaying members of the Catholic Church. Channing is eventually captured and executed, but this turns out to be a big mistake: one of the Satanic powers Channing managed to acquire through ritual sacrifice is the power to transfer his soul into other living bodies, allowing him to roam about incognito and continue his killing spree. There is little overt horror on display, as we usually see only the aftermath of Channing's evil deeds; there is scarcely enough mystery to propel the police-procedural elements either. Worse, the producers apparently decided to toss in a romantic subplot involving Phillips and psychic Tracy Griffith to keep things interesting, but fail to sustain credibility even in this department. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Diamond Phillips, Tracy Griffith, (more)
