Daniel Dratch Movies
- 2007
Real-life rap artist Snoop Dog guests in this episode as fictional rapper Murderuss, who is accused of killing his musical rival Extra Large (Marcello Thedford). Monk (Tony Shalhoub) does his best to clear Murderuss, but all the circumstantial evidence is against the singer: his trademark pocket watch was used to trigger the bomb that wiped out Extra Large, and Murderuss' famous gold chain was used to strangle the first victim's chauffeur. Before long, even Monk is persuaded of Murderuss' guilt--but he's afraid to drop the case for fear of incurring the rapper's rath--er, wrath. The solution to the crime...comes in a rhyme...in the nick of time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
In most Monk episodes, the sanity of obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is a matter of debate. This time, however, it is Monk's police colleague Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) who is suspected of temporary insanity. While under sedation in a dentist's chair, Disher sees--or thinks he sees--dentist Dr. Bloom (Jon Favreau) commit a murder. Unfortunately, no one believes Disher's story, not even his superior Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), and as result the lieutenant quits the force in disgust. Determined to prove that he was not hallucinating under the influence of anesthesia, Disher asks Monk (Tony Shalhoub). Before the story has reached its conclusion, Monk has uncovered a complex scheme involving stolen bank certificates--and has left himself wide open (or is it "open wide"?) for a painful dental demise right out of Marathon Man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Attending his 25th class reunion at UC-Berkeley, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is haunted by memories of his late wife Trudy (played in flashback by Lindy Newton). It is especially painful when Monk is reacquainted with Trudy's old school chum Dianne Brooks (Cynthia Stevenson), who it so happens has been targeted for murder. The very odd and extremely manipulative behavior of another fellow grad, coupled with a suicide note written a quarter-century ago, further persuades Monk that he might have been better off skipping the reunion and staying home. This is the episode in which we discover that the student Adrian Monk was known as "Captain Cool"--but not for the reasons one might think. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
At Christmastime, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is reunited with his long-lost father Jack (Dan Hedaya), an itinerant truck driver--and as if this wasn't enough of a jolt to his senses, our hero discovers that he has a half-brother named Junior. In the spirit of bonding, Monk accompanies Jack, who has been hired to deliver free toys on behalf of his otherwise Scrooge-like boss, on a road trip throughout the American Southwest. It soon develops that Jack is palming off some very shoddy merchandise to a lot of extremely disappointed youngsters--and a subsequent murder proves beyond doubt that there are even more unsavory aspects to his current assignment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) sets about to locate the world-famous Alexander diamond, for which a million-dollar reward has been offered. Quickly absorbing the clues at hand, Monk deduces that the diamond was stolen by Danny Chasen (Daniel Browning Smith). Alas, Chasen has already been murdered, so Monk is forced to chase down several other leads, most of them leading nowhere. Meanwhile, the folks at police headquarters have their hands full with a persistent nutcase named Jennie Mandeville (Jamie Brown), who habitually confesses to crimes that haven't taken place--or have they? Much of the action is devoted to the exploits of retired Scotland Yard detective St. Claire (Derrick O'Connor), a techno-happy detective named Rufus (DJ Qualls), and an oafish bounty hunter named Dirk (Tyler Mane), suggesting that this episode may have been intended as the pilot for a spinoff series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Accompanied by Natalie (Traylor Howard), Monk (Tony Shalhoub) goes on his annual pilgrimage to wine country, there to check in at the same bed and breakfast where he and his late wife Trudy spent their honeymoon. But this sentimental journey is interrupted by an obnoxious guest named Larry Zwibell (Daniel Roebuck), and by Monk's uncharacteristic display of drunkenness. Upon sobering up, Monk is amazed to learn that no one else has seen the intrusive Mr. Zwibell; indeed, it is highly likely that the man never existed! As it turns out, this little mystery is interwoven with a murder in which the victim was a mob accountant (Larry Clarke)--and inevitably, Monk must put his vacation on hold to solve both cases (but not before getting drunk a second time!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Although the death of the wife of millionaire Las Vegas casino owner Daniel Thorn (James Brolin) has been ruled accidental by the local authorities, Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), who's in Vegas to attend a bachelor party, suspects foul play--and accordingly, calls Monk (Tony Shalhoub) onto the scene. Monk agrees that Mrs. Thorn's demise was no accident, but is stymied by a contradictory clue: How could the victim have been heard screaming for her life if she died of strangulation? And elsewhere in Sin City, Stottlemeyer's assistant Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) is trying his luck at the blackjack table--but the luck is all bad until Monk shows up and pulls a "Rain Man" with his photographic memory! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
An act of sabotage causes a string of power blackouts in San Francisco--not to mention three deaths. Monk (Tony Shalhoub) unearths evidence indicating that the man responsible for the chaos is anti-military activist Winston Brenner. Well and good--except that Winston Brenner died nine years ago. This doesn't stop Monk from ardently pursuing the murderous "corpse", who has apparently struck again and claimed a fourth victim. Watch for a fleeting reference to Silence of the Lambs (1991), in which Monk regular Ted Levine (Captain Stottlemeyer) played wily serial killer "Buffalo Bill." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is reunited with his former father-in-law Dwight Ellison (Bob Gunton), the producer of the popular TV game show "Treasure Chest." Convinced that the game's current champion Val Birch (Larry Brandenberg) is cheating, Ellison asks Monk to investigate. The solution to the mystery rests in the fact that "Treasure Chest" host Roddy Lankman (John Michael Higgins) has recently murdered his personal assistant--but Monk will only be able to crack the case if he becomes a contestant himself. This episode introduces Jarrad Paul as Monk's obnoxious upstairs neighbor Kevin Dorfman, and, in a flashback sequence, Melora Hardin as Monk's late wife Trudy (a role previously essayed by Stella Rusich). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
John Turturro guest stars as Ambrose, the agoraphobic older brother of obsessive-compulsive private eye Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). The brothers have not spoken since Ambrose failed to contact Monk at the time of his wife Trudy's funeral. Their hesitant reunion comes about when Ambrose suspects that his neighbor Pat Van Ranken (Holt McCallany) has murdered his wife. And the motive? Well, it could be nothing more than a cherry pie--one of three such tasty confections that figure prominently (and fatally) in the proceedings. The episode's best line is delivered by Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford): "Step away from the pie!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Glenne Headly makes her first appearance as Karen Stottlemeyer, the woman whom Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) disdainfully dismisses as "my hippie wife." While filming a documentary about Miles Holling (Patrick Cranshaw), the world's oldest man, Karen is thrown for a loss when Holling dies in bed. Though her husband is certain that Holling succumbed to natural causes (he was, after all, just one day shy of his 115th birthday!), Karen is convinced that the man was murdered--and she wants Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to prove it. In the course of his investigation, Monk uncovers a surprising link between Holling's death and a hit-and-run fatality that occurred five years earlier--the only unsolved case in Captain Stottlemeyer's career. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
