Jackson Beck Movies
- 1996
Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) makes the acquaintance of Kevin (Tim DeKay) and his friends, who turn out to be the "bizarro" versions of Jerry, George, and Kramer (and catch that unicycle). As for the genuine articles: Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) is bothered by the "man hands" of his girlfriend. George (Jason Alexander) earns passage to the "Forbidden City," hangout of all the beautiful supermodels. And Kramer (Michael Richards) is labeled "TCB" when he starts working in the office building where he had previously used the bathroom facilities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Woody Allen's gentle and nostalgic tribute to the glory days of radio and coming-of-age during World War II plays like Fellini's Amarcord filtered through Neil Simon. The nominal star is Seth Green as Joe, a teenage Jewish boy, growing up with a house full of relatives in Brooklyn. Allen cuts between Joe's working class neighborhood of Rockaway Beach, Queens, and the glittery and glamorous world of radio in Manhattan. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Farrow, Seth Green, (more)
- 1986
In the fourth chapter of a five-part adventure, Cobra has successfully captured several members of the new G.I. Joe team. Dr. Mindbender is now certain that he can continue his plans to create a powerful Cobra Emperor named Serpentor unimpeded. Altering his scheme a bit, Mindbender is now determined to use Sgt. Slaughter's DNA in the creation process. Written by Buzz Dixon, "Arise, Serpentor, Arise!, Pt. 4" first aired in America on September 18, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In the concluding chapter of a five-part adventure, the worst has happened: Dr. Mindbender has successfully melded the DNA of several past conquerors into a single, super-powered Cobra Emperor named Serpentor. Fortunately, Sgt. Slaughter and the rest of the G.I. Joe team manage to escape their Cobra captors and to mount a counteroffensive. Without giving away the ending, it can be noted that enough Joe and Cobra members are left standing to populate the subsequent episodes of G.I. Joe's second TV season. Written by Buzz Dixon, "Arise, Serpentor, Arise!, Pt. 5" first aired in America on September 19, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
LifeLine rescues Bree Van Mark, daughter of a wealthy industrialist, from a watery grave. To show her gratitude, Bree showers the reluctant LifeLine with expensive gifts -- including a gold-plated helicopter. Inevitably, the girl becomes a pawn in the latest Cobra scheme. Celebrated cartoon voice-over director Susan Blu is heard as Bree. Written by Carla and Gerry Conway, "Million Dollar Medic" first aired in America on October 2, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A star-studded cast portrays political movers and shakers in this drama about politics and the media. Richard Gere is Pete St. John, a gilt-edged "image" advisor to the likes of powerful and often crooked politicians -- including a South American candidate for the top office in his country and, reluctantly, a conservative industrialist named Jerome Cade (J.T. Walsh). Cade is after a Senate seat vacated by Sam Hastings (E.G. Marshall), a liberal politician who fits in with the views that Pete once upheld. When things start to go wrong, it looks like Cade's gruff advisor Arnold Billings (Denzel Washington) might hold one of the keys to Pete's discovery of the truth about Cade -- and may be the reason why Hastings is leaving his job. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Gere, Julie Christie, (more)
- 1984
Acknowledging the excellent response to the syndicated 1983 cartoon miniseries G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Hasbro Toys commissioned a sequel, G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra, which aired the following year. The plot is set in motion when the evil organization Cobra steals the laser core from the cannon of the G.I. Joe team. With this element, Cobra creates the Weather Dominator, wreaking havoc upon the earth's atmospheric and ecological balance. The Joes manage to neutralize the Dominator with an energy feedback, whereupon the machine's three most vital components are scattered to various parts of the world. For the balance of the story, both the Joes and the Cobras struggle to recover those precious components. Several new characters (and potentially marketable action figures) were introduced in the course of the story, notably the villainous Zartan and the Drednoks. As with the first G.I. Joe cartoon project, this one was offered as either a two-hour "movie" or as a five-part miniseries, its individual episodes bearing the titles "In the Cobra's Pit," "The Vines of Evil," "The Palace of Doom," "Battle on the Roof of the World," and "Amusement Park of Terror." Written by Ron Friedman, G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra first aired in the United States from September 10 through 14, 1984. One year later, the daily G.I. Joe series proper was entered in syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Popular action figure G.I. Joe was reinvented in animation form in this pilot for the daily syndicated cartoon series of the same name. In keeping with the new marketing strategy established by Hasbro Toys, "G.I. Joe" was no longer an individual, but instead a team of specially trained guerilla fighters, led by Clayton M. "Hawk" Abernathy. The villains of the piece were the members of Cobra, led by Cobra Commander and his Darth Vader-like lieutenant (and frequent rival), Destro. In their first adventure, the Joes were obliged to collect three rare elements vital to a weapon that would counter Cobra's deadly M.A.S.S. device, which allowed the bad guys to transfer matter anywhere at any time for their own evil purposes. Written by Ron Friedman, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was made available as either a two-hour animated special or as a five-part miniseries, bearing the individual episode titles "The Cobra Strikes," "Slave of the Cobra Master," "The Worms of Death," "Devil's Cauldron," and "The Stake in the Serpent's Heart." The miniseries version was originally shown on American television from September 12 through 16, 1983. It was followed in 1984 by another miniseries, G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra, and in 1985 by the daily syndicated G.I. Joe series proper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When Woody Allen's fans refer to his "earlier, funnier" pictures, they often cite his directorial debut as a shining example. Co-written by Allen and Mickey Rose, this side-splitting takeoff of crime documentaries stars Allen as Virgil Starkwell, a sweetly inept career criminal. The film's most celebrated sequence involves Virgil's inability to write coherent holdup notes ("I have a gub"), but others include Virgil's losing battle with a recalcitrant coke machine and his misguided effort to emulate John Dillinger by carving a gun out of a bar of soap (his weapon disintegrates in a heavy rain). As was often the case in Allen's early films, not all the gags work, but for the most part, Take the Money and Run is a delight, enhanced by the on-target supporting performances of Janet Margolin, Marcel Hillaire, and (uncredited) Louise Lasser, as well as the energetic musical score of Marvin Hamlisch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Janet Margolin, (more)
