Hugh Dane Movies
- 2004
The grandmother of law student Julie Parlo (Rachel Dratch) is kidnapped, apparently by a long-dormant 1970s radical group called the Lightning Brigade. Though grandma is returned unharmed, Julie asks Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to locate the old woman's abductors, promising to get him reinstated to the plice force as he does so. Monk's investigation leads him to a pair of pretentious antique dealers, Harold and Carol Maloney (Currie Graham, Eden Rountree)--but since their only likely "motive" involves a stolen cat (a fact that sets the highly allergic Monk to sneezing even before he meets the feline!), they hardly seem capable of being kidnappers or even former radicals. As usual, however, there's more to the case the meets the eye. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Underachiever Cory (Ben Savage) and nerdy Minkus (Lee Norris) manage to make the school's basketball team--not the "A" squad, of course, but the "B" group. Alas, having been relegated to second-class-citizen status, the boys may never get into an actual game. . .and worse, Cory begins to feel like a "B-Team" member of his own family. It is Mr. Feeny (William Daniels), of all people, who gives Cory the pep talk that changes his attitude, yielding results that are surprising indeed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Will (Will Smith), star player of the Bel-Air Prep basketball team, squares off against Marcus Stokes (Allen Payne), leading player on the Malibu Prep team. Both Will and his opponent are determined to win at all costs--but it means lot more to Marcus, a fellow "homeboy" who may very well lose an athletic scholarship if Bel-Air wins the game. Will Will do the wrong thing at the right time to help the other guy? A surprise ending caps this neat little lesson on values and priorities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Vivian (Janet Hubert-Whitten) goes out of town for a weekend, leaving Hilary (Karyn Parsons) in charge of her younger siblings. Naturally, Hilary turns out to be a tyrant (it's a TV sitcom tradition), but the real "drama" of the story gets under way when Will (Will Smith) sneaks into town and ends up in a high-stakes pool game with a tough hustler named Charlie the Mack (J.D. Hall). Surprisingly, Philip (James Avery) comes to Will's rescue--and saves the family's Mercedes--by showing off his heretofore unsuspected brilliance with a pool cue. The result is an unusual bonding moment between Will and his uncle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In the conclusion of Hunter's two-part Season Seven opener, Hunter (Fred Dryer) is unable to prevent a murder at the hands of international assassin and professional torturer Kudriescu (Andreas Katsulas), who has exacted vengeance for the deaths of two Romanian immigrants. The criminal Pinder family blames the police for the killings, and unless Hunter can track down the perpetrator, he will escape the country scot-free. With this episode, Darlanne Fluegelbecomes a regular as Metro Division officer Joanne Molenski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
As Season Seven of Hunter gets under way, police detective Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer) and his superior officer Charlie Devane (Charles Hallahan are transferred from Central Division Homicide to the elite Metro Division. Conspicuous by her absence is Hunter's longtime partner Dee Dee McCall, who has retired from the force to marry Dr. Alex Turnan and relocate to London (actress Stepfanie Kramer had left the series at the end of Season Six to pursue a singing career). In this first episode of a two-part story, Hunter's first assignment as a Metro officer is to investigate the murders of two Romanian immigrants--while an international assassin prepares to exact vengeance against the American crime family responsible for the killings. Darlanne Fluegel makes her first appearance as streetwise police officer Joanne Molenski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
