Andy Milder Movies
For two decades, it seemed as if cherubic actor Andy Milder would forever be relegated to the sort of thankless television walk-on roles that, while serving well to pay the bills, don't necessarily provide any kind of creative challenge for the talent in question. Sure he had a face that every television viewer could single out thanks to a diverse filmography that included roles in Married with Children, The Wonder Years, NYPD Blue, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The West Wing, and Ugly Betty, but thanks to recurring roles on the animated Legion of Super Heroes and the hit Showtime series Weeds he reached a new level of success. Cast as Lightning Lad in the former and stoned husband Dean Hodes in the later, Milder was finally attaining the kind of recognition he deserved. Additional feature roles in Domino, Transformers, and Frost/Nixon found his film career holding up respectably around this time as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
This instructional documentary involves six average people who take part in a six-week ballroom dance class. Their lessons are presented so that the viewer can pick up on the moves as well. At the end of their training, the group competes in a special dance competition. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Milder
America's favorite pot-dealing soccer mom is more addictive than ever in the third season of WEEDS, the highly acclaimed Showtime(r) Original Series. Emmy (r) and Golden Globe(r) winner MARY-LOUISE PARKER stars as Nancy Botwin, a single mom who resorts to dealing pot after her husband dies suddenly. But when an off beat way to make ends meet grows into a mini-empire, the mother of all dealers finds she may be in over her head - and on the verge of taking everyone else with her. Hilarious and subversive, WEEDS is the hit that put the herb in suburb.
- Starring:
- Mary-Louise Parker
- 2006
More TV animation from the folks at DC Comics, The Legion of Super Heroes concerned a group of crimefighters from the 31st century who at the outset of the series traveled backward some 1,000 years to enlist the legendary Superman in their battle against such villains as the Emerald Empress and the Fatal Five. Unfortunately, the futuristic Legion traveled a bit too far back, and thus met Superman when he was still the youthful Clark Kent, as yet unaware of his "Man of Steel" destiny. Despite this setback, the crimefighters whisked Clark to their own time, there to indoctrinate him in the duties and powers of superheroism, and to clue him in as to what his own career had in store for him. Taking their marching orders from the Mission Monitor Board on behalf of the United Planets, the Legion numbered such members as field leader Lightning Lad (aka Garth Ranzz of the planet Winath), who was able to summon up lightning bolts; Saturn Girl (aka Irma Ardeen of the moon of Titan), who practiced telepathy and mind control; Bouncing Boy (aka Chuck Taine of Earth), capable of inflating himself to monstrous proportions; Phantom Girl (aka Tinya Wazzo), a "Princess Leia" type from the extra-dimensional world of Bgztil, who could pass through solid matter; Timber Wolf (aka Brin Londo of the planet Zunn), a "Wolverine"-style lycanthrope; Brainiac 5, the youngest and smartest of the group, whose robotic powers embraced the ability to transform into weapons, vehicles, and the like; and the self-explanatory Triplicate Girl. Though fast action was the order of the day, the series possessed a refreshingly hip, comic slant, typical of the work of main designer and producer James Tucker. Legion of Super Heroes joined the CW's "Kid's WB" Saturday-morning cartoon lineup on September 23, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yuri Lowenthal, Andy Milder, (more)
Funnier, darker and more daring, the second season of this acclaimed Showtime series reaches a higher ground. Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker stars as Nancy Botwin, the soccer mom who had to learn how to deal - pot, that is - after the death of her husband. Now, her business is a hit. But keeping up with the neighbors in this suburban utopia isn't easy. She's joined up with a few of her closest friends, and together they're facing life's highs and lows - because even in paradise, nobody's perfect. Don't miss WEEDS, an addictive comedy, the highest grade TV has to offer.
- Starring:
- Renee Victor
- 2005
While taking the AP Calculus exam, high-school student Matt Davis (John Patrrick Amedori) collapses. Discovering that Matt has been lethally poisoned, House (Hugh Laurie) suspects that the boy has been doing drugs at home. When another student exhibits the same symptoms, however, it is obvious that the source of the poison is the school testing room--but how can this be? Meanwhile, another clinic patient, 82-year-old Georgia Adams (Shirley Knight), suddenly develops an uncontrollable sex drive...and an insatiable lust for Dr. House! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Is the grass really greener on the other side? Yes, and it smells better, too! So when Nancy Botwin (Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker) faces both sudden widowhood and poverty, she's determined to do anything to keep her kids in suburbia, including taking a job as the neighborhood pot dealer. Subversive, satirical and hilarious, the first season of this groundbreaking Showtime hit is guaranteed to spark laughter!
- Starring:
- Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, (more)
- 2001
Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) is unpleasantly surprised when Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) evinces a willingness to hand over important Voyager technology to the untrustworthy R'Kaal Collective. She explains that, after years of attempting to return to Earth, she no longer wants to endanger the lives of her crew, and thus sees no need to hold on to the precious technology. Though the Doctor (Robert Picardo) insists that, according to her last checkup, Janeway is still mentally sound, Chakotay begins to suspect that the Captain isn't quite "herself" -- and he's right! The highlight of this penultimate Star Trek: Voyager adventure is the Doctor's surprising gift for mimicry. "Renaissance Man" first aired on May 16, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roxann Dawson
- 1997
With DS9 desperately in need of repair, O'Brien and a team of engineers head to the abandoned Cardassian space station Empok Nor, where the necessary materials are located. Also along for the ride is Garak (Andrew J. Robinson), who has orders to disable any existing Cardassian security measures. Upon their arrival, O'Brien and the team find themselves stranded and surrounded by a sinister squadron of "dead" Cardassian guards. First broadcast May 19, 1997, "Empok Nor" was scripted by Hans Beilmer, from a story by Bryan Fuller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
A mentally challenged girl who was assaulted by a group of prep-school boys commits suicide, and investigating detectives Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Simone (Jimmy Smits) demand justice. The precinct house is "invaded" by an escaped mental patient (Raphael Sbarge) who has trouble communicating an important message to the detective who had him committed. Still working undercover, Diane (Kim Delaney) witnesses the violence beneath the smooth veneer of handsome hoodlum Jimmy Liery (Christopher Meloni). Gina Colon (Lourdes Benedicto) takes over the troublesome Geri's duties. And Simone takes notice of new detective Kirkendall (Andrea Thompson). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Murphy (Candice Bergen) thinks she's found the perfect Christmas present for Avery (Dyllan Christopher) in the form of an overpriced mail-order item called "Der Wunder Blocken." But when Avery tells a department store Santa that he'd really like to receive the year's hottest and hardest-to-get toy, the "Power Ninja Demon", a frantic Murphy embarks upon a last-minute shopping frenzy. Meanwhile, Corky (Faith Ford) broods over the fact that circumstances have conspired against her planned visit to her Louisiana home town. Rescue comes for both Murphy and Corky from an unexpected--and very distant--source. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Tired of striking out with the girls, Bud (David Faustino) starts his own community-college frat house, A.G.G. (Alpha Gonna Get 'Em). The rest of the membership is comprised of misfits and losers, but Bud has high hopes for the frat's first toga party--which, as it turns out, might have been a blast had any girls shown up. Watch for future Melrose Place costar Jamie Luner as a co-ed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Hollywood heavyweight Ron Howard adapts playwright Peter Morgan's West End hit for the silver screen with this feature focusing on the 1977 television interviews between journalist David Frost (Michael Sheen) and former president Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). At the time Nixon sat down with Frost to discuss the sordid details that ultimately derailed his presidency, it had been three years since the former commander in chief had been forced out of office. The Watergate scandal was still fresh in everyone's minds, and Nixon had remained notoriously tight-lipped until he agreed to sit down with Frost. Nixon was certain that he could hold his own opposite the up-and-coming British broadcaster, and even Frost's own people weren't quite sure their boss was ready for such a high-profile interview. When the interview ultimately got under way and each man eschewed the typical posturing in favor of the simple truth, fans and critics on both sides were stunned by what they witnessed. Instead of Nixon stonewalling the interviewer as expected, or Frost lobbing softballs as the truth-seekers feared, what emerged was an unguardedly honest exchange between a man who had lost everything and another with everything to gain. In this film, viewers are treated to not only a recreation of that landmark interview, but a behind-the-scenes look at the power struggles that led up to it as well. Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Brian Grazer team to produce a film adapted for the screen by original play author Morgan (The Queen and The Last King of Scotland). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, (more)
Bette Midler stars as a Martha Raye-type entertainer during the World War II era in this big-budget nostalgia piece. Midler plays big-band singer Dixie Leonard, who is chosen to perform at an overseas USO Christmas show by her uncle Art Silver (George Segal), a comedy writer for famed comedian Eddie Sparks (James Caan). Dixie is shuttled to London, where she is thrown on-stage with Eddie, who takes an immediate dislike to her. But her performance is a sensation, and the audience can't stop howling at Dixie's smart one-liner comebacks to Eddie. Dixie is catapulted to stardom, and the repartee between Eddie and Dixie becomes the stuff of legend. The two spar together through World War II, the McCarthy era, and Vietnam. But Dixie stops speaking to Eddie when he fires a writer for being a communist sympathizer and, later, she doesn't speak to him again after he arranges for a reunion between her and her son on the battlefields of Vietnam. Finally, Dixie, now an old woman, is cajoled to appear on a television awards show to reunite with a now decrepit Eddie, age 91. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Midler, James Caan, (more)
Academy Award nominee Will Smith reunites with the director and producers of The Pursuit of Happyness for this emotional drama concerning an IRS agent whose quest for redemption is unexpectedly complicated after he inadvertently falls in love. Ben Thomas is an IRS agent with a fateful secret. Assuming the identity of his younger brother, Ben sets out in search of redemption. Instead, Ben discovers true love while forever changing the lives of seven complete strangers. Woody Harrelson, Rosario Dawson, Michael Ealy, and Barry Pepper co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, (more)
The interstellar battle between the Autobots and Decepticons rains destruction down on planet Earth as director Michael Bay adapts Hasbro and Takara's popular Transformers franchise into a big-budget, live-action summer tentpole extravaganza in this ambitious sci-fi action feature starring Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Bernie Mac, John Turturro, Jon Voight, and, of course, Optimus Prime and Megatron. Long ago, on the planet of Cybertron, a massive, powerful alien race divided into two factions, the noble Autobots, and the devious Decepticons. They fought for the sole access to a talisman known as the Allspark, a cube with the capacity to grant infinite power, and eventually the Autobots smuggled it off the planet's surface, hiding it in an unknown location on Earth. Now, hundreds of years later, the Deceptacons have come looking for it, and if the Autobots don't find it first, the Earth will be enslaved or destroyed by the evil aliens' use of its massive power. The Autobots don't know where the cube was hidden, but the information may be stored in the most unlikely of sources, as a gangly young Earthling named Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) who's just picked up his first car, has a strange connection to the Allspark's history, making him the unlikely ally of these enormous creatures, as they fight for humankind's survival and the chance to return home. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, (more)
A woman discovers that a part of her family history may be more complicated -- and more famous -- than she ever imagined in this comedy. Thirtysomething Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston), who has spent most of her adult life in New York City, is flying home to California with her long time boyfriend, Jeff Daly (Mark Ruffalo), for the wedding of her annoyingly perky younger sister, Annie (Mena Suvari). While Sarah and Jeff have recently announced they're engaged to be married, Sarah has been having second thoughts, and she isn't excited about the prospect of spending time with the family where she's always felt like the odd duck. As Sarah tries to decide what she should do with her personal and professional lives, she turns to her sharp-tongued and still youthful grandmother, Katharine (Shirley MacLaine), for advice, and Katharine shares a little-known bit of family history -- that Sarah's now-deceased mother left her father, Earl (Richard Jenkins), a few days before their wedding and ran off with another man for several days before coming back and marrying Earl. However, after hearing this Sarah is also treated to some long-simmering local gossip about a young man who ran off with a bride-to-be after he was seduced by her mother...and that the story became the basis for the hit movie The Graduate. Sarah begins to wonder, was Katharine the real-life Mrs. Robinson of this story? And if it's true, who was the man who had affairs with Sarah's mother and grandmother? Was it dashing and wealthy family friend Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), who has also turned Sarah's head? Rumor Has It... was produced from an original screenplay by Ted Griffin; Griffin was originally set to direct the film, but shortly after production began he was replaced, with Rob Reiner taking over the project. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, (more)
James L. Brooks' showbiz comedy I'll Do Anything is "The Musical That Almost Was" (after test screenings Brooks removed all the musical numbers in the film, turning the film into a songless romantic comedy). Matt Hobbs (Nick Nolte) is a hardly working actor who finds himself raising his 6-year-old daughter Jeannie (Whittni Wright) after her mother Beth (Tracey Ullman) is sent away to prison. Since Matt now has to support a daughter, he has to develop more regular work habits. As a result, he takes a job as a chauffeur for a William Castle-inspired schlockmeister named Burke Adler (Albert Brooks). As Adler develops a relationship with divorced test-marketing researcher Nan Mulhanney (Julie Kavner), Matt becomes romantically attached to beautiful development executive Cathy Breslow (Joely Richardson). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Whittni Wright, (more)
"Houston, we have a problem." Those words were immortalized during the tense days of the Apollo 13 lunar mission crisis, and the suspense, fear, and excitement of those days are captured in Ron Howard's epic recreation of the 1970 crisis. When the commander of the original mission Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise), bows out due to possible exposure to measles, astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) leads command module pilot Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and lunar module driver Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) on what is slated as NASA's third lunar landing mission. All goes smoothly until the craft is halfway through its mission, when an exploding oxygen tank threatens the crew's oxygen and power supplies. As the courageous astronauts face the dilemma of either suffocating or freezing to death, Mattingly and Mission Control leader Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) struggle to find a way to bring the crew back home, all the while knowing that the spacemen face probable death once the battered ship reenters the Earth's atmosphere. Even though the outcome, in which all three astronauts miraculously survived, is historical fact, the film derives suspense from the situation itself and from the actions of the heroic astronauts and the men on the ground. Howard's taut direction, a solid ensemble of players, and eye-opening special effects all add to the overall impact of the film, which has been hailed as one of Hollywood's best historical dramas. In 2002, the movie was released in IMAX theaters as Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience, with a pared-down running time of 116 minutes in order to meet the technical requirements of the large-screen format. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, (more)
In the style of the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s, I Love Trouble depicts the developing romance of two rival reporters who reluctantly fall for each other while competing for a major scoop. Old hand Peter Brackett (Nick Nolte) and aspiring newcomer Sabrina Peterson (Julia Roberts) first meet when they are both assigned to cover a mysterious train crash. The pair immediately develops a connection despite their professional rivalry, and they decide to work together. Sensing something fishy about the crash, they look deeper and are soon fighting to expose a wide-ranging conspiracy, while also struggling to outmaneuver and out-charm each other along the way. Co-creators Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers, who previously found success harking back to 1940s comedy in Father of the Bride, borrow heavily from His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby, and other screwball classics. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Roberts, Nick Nolte, (more)
