Alan North Movies
New York native Alan North began his film career in 1971 with his role in Plaza Suite, which co-starred Walter Matthau and Maureen Stapleton. Henceforth, he would portray many secondary characters in an impressive string of high profile films. North was also frequently seen on stage as well as television. His most noticeable role on the small screen was for the early-'80s police spoof Police Squad, as Captain Ed Hocken. North died in early 2000, at the age of 79. ~ All Movie Guide- 1999
- PG
Reminiscent of David Lynch's acclaimed The Straight Story, this drama focuses on forgiveness, redemption, and a rider lawnmower. Ernest Borgnine stars as aging war veteran Hotis Brown, who learns that his brother -- to whom he has not talked in 50 years -- is dying. Too proud to accept a police escort from well-meaning local sheriff Bernie (James Morrison), Hotis points his lawnmower West and starts driving. In spite of the veteran's grumpy rebuffs, Bernie checks up on him and brings him food. Slowly Hotis begins to accept the sheriff's kindness, and the two develop an odd sort of friendship. Hotis confides in Bernie the terrible secret that ended his relationship with his brother, allowing the ornery old man to heal his wounds. Meanwhile, sister-in-law Emmeline (Kim Hunter) dutifully watches over her husband. Abilene was screened at the 1999 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernest Borgnine, Kim Hunter, (more)
- 1999
The body of a recent parolee is found in the trunk of a car. In pursuing the likely perpetrator, detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) must also contend with Andy Grenada (Nick Sandow) and Ron Difka (Christopher McHale), a pair of wily and resourceful bounty hunters. This episode was originally shown in tandem with another Law & Order installment, "Haven," on February 10, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Former Hal Hartley collaborator Adrienne Shelly directs her second feature about a blind date gone horribly horribly awry. Still thoroughly depressed after his girlfriend dumped him three months ago, Bill (Reg Rogers) is coerced by his sister (Shelly) into going on a blind date with Bernice (Ally Sheedy). Bill is immediately underwhelmed by his cheerless date, and as the night grinds on, he bluntly tells her what he thinks. Instead of ending things, Bernice becomes obsessed with the man, telling him at one point that since the date, he has "taken something away." After trying more standard means to worm her way into his life, she takes drastic action; she pulls a gun on Bill and ushers him to her vintage Mercury. Soon Bill finds himself the unwilling accomplice to Bernice's serial gunpoint robberies of boutiques. Meanwhile, she lambastes him for not being adequately respectful. Before long, Bill finds himself in upstate New York and out of his rut. I'll Take You There was screened at the 1999 Telluride Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ally Sheedy, Reg Rogers, (more)
An ordinary woman discovers that her life was not always ordinary in this action thriller. Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) is a typical, well-mannered single mother working as a schoolteacher when she isn't looking after her children. Nothing on the surface would seem to be remarkable about Samantha's life, but every once in a while she has vague memories and unexplained impulses that don't add up with her current life experience; she has scars but no idea of how they got there, she suddenly displays a deadly talent for knife-throwing while chopping vegetables for dinner, and when she sees a deer, she suddenly attacks it with her bare hands. When an auto accident and a television news broadcast stirs some more uncomfortable memories, Samantha hires private investigator Mitch Hennessey (Samuel L. Jackson) to look into her past and see what he can find. Mitch learns that Samantha isn't really Samantha after all -- her name is Charley and she used to be a professional assassin with a secret government intelligence program. After a severe head injury, Charley developed a case of amnesia, and in time she developed her new personality as Samantha. However, her old boss has kept tabs on her, and now that it looks as if the old Charley is starting to come out again, he sends a pair of hit men after her to see to it that she doesn't remember anything else; soon Samantha and Mitch are on the run, trying to outdistance the killers as they get to the bottom of Charley's secret life. The Long Kiss Goodnight was directed by Renny Harlin, husband of leading lady Geena Davis; this was their second project together, following Cutthroat Island, released the previous year. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, (more)
- 1995
- R
Two guys from Queens wind up in trouble with the mob because of their fondness for prank phone calls in this quickie comedy. Stars Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed first found fame as "The Jerky Boys" thanks to a series of comedy albums featuring real prank calls in which the duo assumed a variety of abrasive and often extremely foul-mouthed characters. Playing characters based on themselves, they reprise many of these same routines in this debut film, linking the comic bits together through a loose plot concerning local organized crime. It seems the boys have used their phone skills to trick a local mobster (Alan Arkin) into thinking that they are notorious Chicago hoods, only to have to go on the run when their scheme is discovered. Made to capitalize on a Jerky Boys fad, the film failed to attract much of an audience beyond their existing fans. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Brennan, Kamal Ahmed, (more)
- 1995
- R
This urban drama examines the diverse lives of the patrons of a fictional bar for the rich and famous, El Casbah. Among them are the playboy heir to a margarine fortune, Mickey Jelke, and Jack Cale, a handsome actor who has become a new client and works hard to ingratiate himself to others. Using the influence of a press agent and a pimp, Jack becomes friends with Mickey and his lover Pat Ward, a tough, worldly young woman. When Mickey is cut out of the family will, he suggests that Pat become a call girl so they can continue living in luxury. Suddenly Jack reveals his true identity; he has been working undercover for the politically ambitious New York City district attorney. The district attorney uses Jack's information to frame Mickey which gets him billed as the Big Apple's king of vice, and no one is very happy by the time the trial comes around. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Whaley, Peter Gallagher, (more)
This fascinating chronicle of the life and times of a twenty dollar bill was originally written by Endre Boehm in 1935 and languished forgotten on the shelf until his son Leslie resurrected it after his father's death, and updated the script. (Both received screenwriter credit for the released version). The scrap of currency's journey begins after it is spit out of a downtown Minneapolis ATM machine into the hands of a busy young mother. It's a windy day, and the crisp bill is blown out of her hands into those of a bag lady who uses it on the lottery because she believes the serial numbers are lucky. Unfortunately, the bill is plucked from her hands by a light-fingered skate boarder who uses the money at a local bakery. From there the bill's odyssey takes it to a wide variety of places including a wedding, a stripper's g-string, a con artist's scam, and a robbery. It ends up used as a note pad, a birthday present, a coaster, and a fishing contest trophy. Interestingly, every one who encounters the bill changes in some way. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Hunt, David Rasche, (more)
- 1992
As detective Cerreta (Paul Sorvino) recovers from his gunshot wounds, Logan (Chris Noth) adjusts himself to his new partner, Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach, in his first Law & Order appearance, save for an earlier guest-star appearance in a different role). Logan and Briscoe's current investigation results in the arrest of a suspect who claims self defense. In mounting his case against the accused, assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) is distressed to learn that he will be coming face to face with an old enemy from his law-school days. Elaine Stritch won an Emmy award for her performance in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Eyes of a Witness stars Daniel J. Travanti as a stereotypical "ugly American" at large in Kenya. He has come to Africa to convince his estranged daughter Jennifer Grey, a bush doctor, to abandon her practice and return to America. Through an improbable series of random events, Travanti finds himself accused of murder. His daughter buries her animosity and attempts to clear her father's name. Already a sure cure for insomnia, the made-for-TV Eyes of a Witness is rendered doubly dull by its characters' endless recitations of Kenyan law and medical nomenclature. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
A Lebanese gunrunner is murdered, and the most likely suspect is Ian O'Connell (Anthony Heald), an Irish Republican Army terrorist. This poses a dilemma for detective Logan (Chris Noth), who wonders if his own pro-Irish sentiments may prevent him from conducting an impartial investigation. Originally scheduled to air on January 22, 1991, this episode of Law & Order was bumped forward to March 26 of that year (curiously, only nine days after St. Patrick's Day). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Kevin Spacey plays legendary attorney/civil libertarian Clarence Darrow in this made-for-TV biopic. The story begins in 1894, when Darrow gives up his job as a railroad attorney to represent the participants of the Pullman strike. Darrow's "man of the people" reputation grows to mythic proportions over the next thirty years, a growth represented in this film by broad strokes and windy monologues. We last see Darrow in 1924, attempting to rescue young murderers Leopold (Jamie Harold) and Loeb (Barry Sherman) from the gallows. Darrow was first telecast June 7, 1991, on the PBS series American Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- R
Penn & Teller are magicians who are known for putting on a jet-black, fake blood-soaked comedy magic show. This inky comedy is imbued with their off-beat humor as it chronicles Penn's newest scheme to have a fan try to kill him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penn Jillette, Teller, (more)
Dudley Moore stars as Emory Lesson, an advertising genius whose finds himself committed to an insane asylum in Tony Bill's Crazy People. Emory becomes tired with creating phony ad campaigns and decides to create his own campaigns that tell the brutal truth. Since sex sells, Emory designs an explicit ad campaign consisting of unadorned sexuality. The campaign is so offensive that his colleagues have Emory put in a mental institution. At first Emory resists, but under the tutelage of a concerned psychiatrist, Dr. Liz Baylor (Mercedes Ruehl) and the tender love of Kathy (Daryl Hannah) a beautiful patient, Emory begins to like it in the mental home. Befriending the cute and lovable patients in the mental ward, Emory discovers that the crazy people are natural-born advertising geniuses and Emory utilizes their genius for a new ad campaign. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Daryl Hannah, (more)
Glory is a celebration of a little-known act of mass courage during the Civil War. Simply put, the heroes involved have been ignored by history due to racism. Those heroes were the all-black members of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, headed by Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), the son of an influential abolitionist (played by an uncredited Jane Alexander). Despite the fact that the Civil War is ostensibly being fought on their behalf, the black soldiers are denied virtually every privilege and amenity that is matter of course for their white counterparts; as in armies past and future, they are given the most menial and demeaning of tasks. Still, none of the soldiers quit the regiment when given the chance. The unofficial leaders of the group are gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and fugitive slave Trip (Denzel Washington), respectively representing the brains and heart of the organization. The 54th acquit themselves valiantly at Fort Wagner, SC, charging a fortification manned by some 1,000 Confederates. Glory was based on Lincoln Kirstein's Lay This Laurel and Peter Burchard's One Gallant Rush; the latter book was founded on the letters of Col. Robert Gould Shaw, the real-life character played by Matthew Broderick. The film won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for co-star Denzel Washington, and additional statuettes for Best Cinematography (Freddie Francis) and Sound Recording. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, (more)
The third pairing of comic actors Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder was much less successful than their previous team-ups, Silver Streak(1976) and Stir Crazy (1980). Wilder plays Dave, the deaf proprietor of a newsstand and employer of blind gambler Wally (Pryor). When Wally's bookie is shot and killed at the stand, Dave and Wally are arrested for the crime. Since the deaf Dave had his back turned and didn't see the crime, while the blind Wally only heard it, the clues they have to offer the police are slim: Dave's glimpse of a shapely leg and Wally's whiff of a perfume called Shalimar. It turns out the dead man was in possession of a coin that he dropped into Dave's tip box, which Wally is now carrying. The coin contains a valuable microchip sought by crime baron Sutherland (Anthony Zerbe), for whom hired killer Eve (Joan Severance) and her British partner Kirgo (Kevin Spacey) are working. Posing as lawyers, Eve and Kirgo spring Dave and Wally from jail, leading to a series of misadventures as the coin changes hands and the two sensory-challenged pals attempt to learn who has framed them and why. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, (more)
After earning rave notices for powerful supporting turns as a pimp in Street Smart (1987) and an alcohol abuse counselor in Clean and Sober (1988), actor Morgan Freeman began his ascent to stardom with this, his first lead role in a major motion picture. Freeman is real-life high school principal Joe Clark, a tough, harsh educator and administrator who in 1987 is given a nearly impossible task by his old friend, school superintendent Dr. Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume). Clark is asked to reform inner city Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ, a hotbed of delinquent kids and drug dealers. Considered the worst school in New Jersey, the state is threatening to take control of Eastside away from the local school board. If Clark can straighten out Eastside in time to get the school's basic-skills test scores up, he can have the job permanently. Although Clark's tyrannical approach and hard-line policies alienate many members of the staff and the community, his uncompromising campaign gets results and even makes him famous, much to the chagrin of his powerful enemies. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Robert Guillaume, (more)
This made-for-TV film was originally titled simply Clinton & Nadine when it made its debut on May 28, 1988. Andy Garcia plays Clinton, who is eager to find his brother's murderer. To do so, he enlists the aid of Nadine (Ellen Barkin), a high-priced call girl. Clinton and Nadine get sucked into a plot to smuggle guns to the Contra forces in Nicaragua. The credited screenwriter for the film, Willard Walpole, was actually Robert Foster, who wasn't happy with the film and insisted his real name be removed from the credits. Clinton & Nadine was produced for the HBO cable service. The film is unrated, but contains heavy doses of violence and sexual suggestiveness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Garcia, Ellen Barkin, (more)
- 1987
- PG13
Rachel River is a small town in Minnesota. When local "looney tune" Aileen Cole dies, the town comes to the slow realization that the reclusive Cole has in fact touched the lives of virtually every citizen--and nearly always in a positive manner. That realization is so slow because, immediately after Cole's demise, everyone is more concerned with scrambling to recover a buried treasure rumored to be on the old woman's property. The very thin plotline is fleshed out by individual episodes involving some of the town's more visible denizens: Cole's slobbish nephew Craig T. Nelson, Nelson's viper-tongued sister Jo Henderson, elderly Viveca Lindfors, local radio personality Pamela Reed, covetous undertaker James Olson, and "village idiot" Zeljko Ivanek, whose top billing in the opening credits is justified as the story develops. Rachel River premiered in June of 1989 as a PBS American Playhouse telecast, then enjoyed a brief theatrical distribution. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zeljko Ivanek, Pamela Reed, (more)
- 1987
- R
Scripted by Frederick Forsyth from his own novel, The Fourth Protocol is a fact-based spy thriller. The titular protocol is a secret agreement between America, Britain and Russia to cease smuggling nuclear weapons into their respective countries. This figures into the schemes of several rogue spies, who hope to destroy NATO by embarking on just such a smuggling endeavor. Russian agent Valeri Petrofsky (Pierce Brosnan) is ordered to stage a nuclear accident in England, then arrange the evidence to point to the Americans. British intelligence agent John Preston (Michael Caine) begins wondering why such nuclear-weapon components like lithium are showing up in the unlikeliest places. Ignored by his superiors, who figure that Preston is merely an old-line anti-Commie paranoic, Preston gathers the clues that will enable him to find out who's behind the potential breaking of The Fourth Protocol. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan, (more)
Christmas Star is a two-hour whimsy assault, originally telecast December 14, 1986 on The Disney Sunday Movie. Ed Asner plays an escaped convict who adopts a stolen Santa Claus suit as a disguise. Several impressionable youngsters, believing Asner to be the genuine Santa, latch onto him. He decides to use these moppets to help him find his ill-gotten loot, which his partner has hidden in department store Christmas decorations. The ending is as misty-eyed as it is predictable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Lenny Von Dohlen plays Billy Galvin, the son of a no-nonsense construction worker (Karl Malden). Though his dad insists that he go to college to become an architect, Billy would rather go into his father's line of work. To prevent this, dad pulls strings to keep Billy out of the ironworker's union. His bullheadedness inevitably leads to ill-will and emotional disaster. Produced for PBS' American Playhouse TV series, Billy Galvin was afforded a very brief theatrical run. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Malden, Lenny Von Dohlen, (more)
With the ultimate throw-down, "There can be only one," Highlander captured the imaginations of fantasy fans seeking a well-executed swordplay epic, becoming a cult classic in the process. Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) is one of a waning few survivors of a clan of immortals. The breed have been dueling each other for centuries in the quest to be the last one remaining, and hence achieve a supreme enlightenment that would be dangerous in the wrong hands. The immortals can only die by decapitation, so they hunt each other through time and across continents to meet for each decisive duel, which will bring one of them a step closer to ultimate power. In present-day America, the troubled hero MacLeod lives a brooding and lonely existence, having lost his true love centuries ago. The evil Kurgan (Clancy Brown), an immortal who plans to use his power toward unspeakable ends, has fought MacLeod before but is still trying to finish him off. After emerging victorious from a parking garage skirmish with the third-to-last immortal, MacLeod knows that only Kurgan is left, and the two are on a collision path toward the inevitable. In the film's numerous flashbacks to the past, Sean Connery plays Ramirez, the immortal who first tutors MacLeod after the hero survives a mortal battle wound, prompting his fearful village to banish him. Roxanne Hart plays MacLeod's modern-day love interest, who tries to help him while struggling to believe his incredible story. The director's cut runs four minutes shorter. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, (more)
- 1986
Produced for the HBO Cable service, Act of Vengeance reenacts the 1969 murder of United Mine Workers leader Jock Yablonski. Yablonski (Charles Bronson) virtually writes his own death warrant when, after a "safe" mine collapses and 80 miners are killed, he rebels against the incumbent UMW boss Tony Boyle (Wilford Brimley) to campaign for presidency of the union. Boyle gets the word out that one less Yablonski in the world would be preferable. Yablonski is depicted as being fully aware of the danger he faces in challenging Boyle--and is supported in his decision by his courageous wife (Ellen Burstyn). Based on the book by Trevor Armbrister, Act of Vengeance premiered on April 20, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Clair (Phylicia Rashad) offers her legal services "pro bono" when daughter Sondra sues an auto mechanic for reneging on an agreement. With Clair thus occupied, Cliff delegates the household chores to the rest of the kids. He also takes the opportunity to show off his cooking, which surprising scores a hit with the family--until he tells them what he used as ingredients! David Langston Smyrl, who later appeared in the recurring role of handyman Sam Lucas, is here seen as a courtroom spectator. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After her home is burglarized, a married woman finds that the diary containing her sexual fantasies has been stolen. She doesn't put two and two together when an attractive man suddenly enters her life and becomes the man of her dreams. The thief's secret info works for awhile, and the woman is tricked into becoming a part of his sexual game-playing, but after quite a bit of drama, she and hubby are back in each others arms. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Bauer, Barbara Williams, (more)
