Miguel A. Nuñez Movies

The abysmal teen comedy Joy of Sex is stripped down to just sex in every line and in every joke except where other bodily functions come into play. Alan (Cameron Dye) lusts after Leslie (Michelle Meyrink), whose father is a phys ed instructor with the heart of an army drill sargent and no tolerance for Alan -- though Alan is willing to go through almost anything to win Leslie's interest. As this love quest is going on, an undercover agent is out to make a major drug bust at the high school where these teens endure classes -- and some kind of a nut is gluing up odd objects in strange places at school. The bad dialogue is unfortunately matched by continuity gaffs (someone at a motel knocks down the door of room 302 to barge in on a couple in room 319) and other problems, making this a sure loser compared to the book of the same name, which has nothing to do with this movie. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The murderous spirit of Jason Vorhees lives on in this horror sequel, although the plot hinges on the mystery of whether the killer's body actually survives. Opening with a nightmare prologue in which Corey Feldman reprises his role as Tommy Jarvis, the boy who killed Jason in the previous installment, the film jumps forward several years to when a teenaged Tommy (John Shepherd), haunted by visions of Jason returning to life, moves into a group home for mentally disturbed kids. Almost as soon as he arrives, Tommy witnesses the death of Joey (Dominick Brascia), an overweight, annoying boy who is hacked to death by psychopathic patient Vic (Mark Venturini). Although Vic ends up safely behind bars, other bodies begin to turn up -- more than 20 by the end of the film. Tommy's own violent streak, displayed when he lashes out at a fellow resident, makes him a suspect; he even doubts his own sanity. But as the bloodshed continues, Tommy finds himself allied with Reggie (Shavar Ross), the grandson of one of the home's employees, in a desperate bid to survive the carnage and find out who the killer behind the hockey mask really is. The producers of the Friday the 13th series actually planned to end it with Friday the 13th -- The Final Chapter, but the box-office success of that film paved the way for the series to continue. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Penny Marshall in her feature film directing debut, four screenwriters, and a ebullient Whoopi Goldberg join forces to make Jumpin' Jack Flash, a modern espionage comedy. Goldberg plays Terry Doolittle, a computer operator in a large New York City bank who picks up a cry of help on her computer. The signal is from a man who signs off as Jumpin' Jack Flash. Based on the Rolling Stones tune of that name, she figures out his secret password and opens up a Pandora's box of international intrigue. It seems Jack Flash is a pseudonym for a British agent who is trapped in Russia and desperate for information from the British Embassy that will help him escape. When Terry agrees to help him, the CIA, the KGB, British intelligence, and sundry other law enforcement organizations are all hot on her tail as she tries to help the beleaguered British agent. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

By the time Tour of Duty commenced its (extremely belated) second season on CBS, there'd been a considerable personnel turnover in Company B, not to mention a complete change of scenery. Though it's still the Vietnam of 1967, the platoon has been reassigned to the Tan Son Nhut air base, not far from Saigon. Lt. Myron Goldman (Stephen Caffrey) and Sgt. Zeke Anderson (Stephen Caffrey) are still in charge, and troopers Percell (Tony Becker), Johnson (Stan Foster), Taylor (Miguel A. Nunez), and Ruiz (Ramon Franco) are present and accounted for; but Wallace, Horn, Baker, and "Doc" are all gone. New to the landscape are chopper-pilot John McCay (Dan Gauthier), attractive army shrink Dr. Jennifer Seymour (Betsy Brantley), and female news correspondent Alex Devlin (Kim Delaney). The addition of two female regulars not only insured Tour of Duty an increase in viewership but also allowed the scriptwriters to inject some romance in the proceedings: namely, Sgt. Anderson's fling with Dr. Seymour, and Lt. Goldman's liaison with Alex. ~ All Movie Guide

Ex-football player Carl Weathers stars in this violent action film as Detroit policeman Jericho Jackson. The dedicated but brutal cop is plunged into nefarious doings concerning a crooked industrialist (Craig T. Nelson) and his drug-addicted girlfriend (pop-singer Vanity), breaking many people's bones before solving the case. Sharon Stone stands out in a cast of genre veterans including Nicholas Worth, Sonny Landham, and Robert Davi. Heavy on the sex and violence, this film harkens back to the glory days of 1970s blaxploitation, but is a bit too mean-spirited to be as much fun. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Eddie Murphy, in addition to starring as Quick, the son of 1930s Harlem gambling-house proprietor Sugar Ray (Richard Pryor), also wrote and directed the film. The plotline details the combined efforts of Quick and Sugar Ray to prevent white gangster Bugsy Calhoune (Michael Lerner) from muscling in on their operation. The supporting players include Redd Foxx, Danny Aiello and Jasmine Guy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Accusing his cousin Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) of not being "black enough", Will challenges Carlton to spend three nights in one of LA's toughest neighborhoods, the MacArthur Park district. Much to Will's surprise, Carlton wins over a street gang called the Alligators by becoming their financial advisor, aka "C-Note." In fact, Carlton flourishes so well in his new surroundings that Will must figure a way to lure his cousin home before Aunt Viv (Janet Hubert-Whitten) finds out. As it happens, however, Viv is even more effective at "taming" the Alligators than Carlton! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The man with the granite mug (Ray Sharkey) appears as Stoneface, a crook who has stashed his ill-gotten loot in the trunk of a Rolls-Royce which two unsuspecting guys have "borrowed" from one of their uncles. The fellows, of course, are unaware that there is loot in their car trunk; they're on their way to a modeling contest where one guy's girlfriend is a hot model. The two bozos soon get involved in an all-out chase when Stoneface wants his dough back. ~ All Movie Guide

Similar to the premise of American Graffiti, this film centers on eight California high school students whose lives intersect over two nights in the hot summer of 1965. As the Watts riots begin, the young people make decisions that will impact their entire lives. Writer-director Floyd Mutrux examines at the graduating class of 1965 of Westwood High School in Los Angeles, which was featured on the cover of Look magazine in 1961. The story is narrated by the class valedictorian, Mary Beth (Lucy Deakins). Kelli Williams plays Sunshine, a prototypical flower child. Characters played by Dermot Mulroney and Rick Schroder and others struggle with decisions about the Vietnam war, aspire to be rock musicians, and take divergent paths on politics while navigating various romantic entanglements. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Gritty male cop Sam Jones is teamed with drop-dead beautiful lady cop Shannon Tweed in Hard Vice. Jones and Tweed operate out of the vice squad in "sin city" Las Vegas. Right now, the dog-and-cat team is trying to solve a series of murders. The victims are all wealthy men who frequent the various houses of prostitution in the area. Suspicion falls upon a group of expensive call girls. Naturally, this requires the gorgeous Ms. Tweed to go under covers-er, undercover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Poor Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney). All he wants is to be a real basketball player on the amateur team with all the other janitors from his workplace. Unfortunately, they have all told him over and over that white guys like him just can't jump. That turns out to be true until he receives divine assistance from a friendly angel (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) who gives Ernest a pair of magical shoes. In no time, he is jumping and shooting with the best of them. The trouble starts when his b-ball antics attract the attention of a wicked promoter who wants the lovable rube to sign a lifetime contract. More problems ensue when the son of the team's real star (the one who worked, long and hard to perfect his game) begins idolizing Ernest. Like other entries in the long-running series, Slam Dunk Ernest is filled with cornball humor, slapstick comedy and just a smidgen of pathos. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Writer-director Martin Lawrence billed this comic drama as his own version of the film Fatal Attraction (1987). Lawrence stars as Darnell, a hopeless male chauvinist. Darnell is a crude-but-smooth talker and lady's man who doesn't take no for an answer. He works for a nightclub called Chocolate City and aspires to be its owner. He trades VIP privileges at the club for favors from women. Though he is an expert at conning women, he sometimes worries about what his childhood sweetheart Mia (Regina King), who is engaged to marry him, thinks of his adventures. When the classy, elegant Brandi (Lynn Whitfield) steps out of a limousine to enter the club, Darnell feels that he's met his ultimate prize. She rejects his come-ons, which only fuels his appetite. He pursues her, showing up with flowers at her real estate office. He finally wins over Brandi, but she becomes obsessed with him, even taking all four wheels off his sports car to ground him from his rounds. Cutting off his engagement to Mia is not enough to satisfy Brandi, who finally administers Darnell's punishment for his misogyny. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Gregory Nava directed this biographical drama on the brief but intense life of singer Frankie Lymon who stayed with the popular Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers group only for a year. Lymon was 13 years old when the group erupted from radios and jukeboxes with their 1956 hit, Why Do Fools Fall in Love? and appeared in the movie Rock, Rock, Rock (1956). After Mr. Rock and Roll (1957), Lymon turned solo, but then it all fell to pieces. Lymon's career was over by the time he was 18, and he died of a heroin overdose eight years later. Jumping from the '50s to the '80s, this film traces the rise and fall of Lymon (Larenz Tate) in a series of flashbacks as courtroom claims on Lymon's royalties are outlined by three women: Zola Taylor (Halle Berry) of the Platters R&B group; Elizabeth Waters (Vivica A. Fox), who turned prostitute to cover costs of Lymon's recovery from addiction; and schoolteacher Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon). Little Richard also makes a courtroom appearance, while Miguel A. Nunez Jr. portrays Little Richard in scenes set in the '50s. Shown at the 1998 Urbanworld Film Festival (NY). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide