Walter Olkewicz Movies
Patients brought into the ER include pugnacious retirement-community residents Walter (Tom Bosley) and Earl (Tom Poston), each of whom regards himself as God's gift to women. Elsewhere, Weaver (Laura Innes) and Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell) reconfirm their romantic relationship. Back at work, Greene (Anthony Edwards) is obviously having problems related to his brain-tumor operation. Corday (Alex Kingston) must overcome her crippling panic attacks in the operating room. Carter (Noah Wyle) admits his drug problems to his heroin-addict cousin Chase (Jonathan Scarfe). And Kovac's (Goran Visnjic) treatment of a patient working in an illegal sweatshop inadvertently leads to a case of arson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The fine line between investigating a character's feelings and wanting to kill yourself gets played for laughs in this dark comedy. Matt (Jamie Harris) is a screenwriter whose career is not going especially well and whose personal life is dwindling into nothingness. Matt starts talking with his friends about suicide, and nearly all of them become deeply concerned, convinced his depression has taken him over the edge. Matt insists to all around him that his questions about killing himself are merely part of his research for a script about a man who has turned suicidal. But his ex-girlfriend Amanda (Alison Eastwood) is the only one that seems to believe it. Suicide, the Comedy is dominated by close relatives of the rich and famous; Jamie Harris is the son of Richard Harris, Alison Eastwood is Clint Eastwood's daughter, and Chad Lowe, brother of Rob Lowe, appears in the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Harris, Alison Eastwood, (more)
Arriving in an eerily deserted San Francisco, the Sliders come across a tattered, half-mad Quinn lookalike (played by Jerry O'Connell, of course) who holds himself responsible for the end of Mankind. Actually, Mankind is still alive, but has been transferred en masse to a parallel world--resulting in a devastating population explosion, with far too many people (a "double" for every man, woman, and child) and far too few resources. It is up to the Sliders to restore the proper population balance before time (and space) runs out for untold billions of innocent humans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this dark comedy, Peter (Josh Charles) is a well-educated Jewish writer from Los Angeles who has fallen in love with Melanie (Alexandra Wentworth), who was born and raised in the Deep South -- where much of her family still lives. Melanie travels to Georgia for a few days to visit her father, Col. Branson (Lloyd Bridges), but Peter soon gets a call from Melanie, begging him to come down and "rescue" her from her family. It isn't until Peter arrives that he fully understands what Melanie is talking about. Most of her relatives can be politely described as "eccentric," while the Colonel is only a few steps away from psychotic, so Josh busily brainstorms a way for he and Melanie to go back to L.A. sooner rather than later. Meeting Daddy also features Beau Bridges, son of star Lloyd Bridges; appropriately enough, Beau plays Lloyd's son. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Charles, Alexandra Wentworth, (more)
Milo is a strange little boy who doesn't play well with others -- four schoolgirls watch him kill one of their friends one day, and the event scars them for life. Years later, the girls reunite when one gets married, but they soon discover Milo has come back as well. The cast includes Jennifer Jostyn, Antonio Fargas and Vincent Schiavelli. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paula Cale, Jennifer Jostyn, (more)
Needles figure prominently in this blood-soaked entry in the slasher genre. It begins as psycho scientist Dr. Stein begins implanting things in baboons. Dr. Theresa McCann, a colleague at the hospital where they both work is suspicious as to the nature of the perverse professors experiments. Those suspicions increase when one of the apes suddenly dies. Then Stein steals one of her patients. When that patient is found murdered, with only a lollipop left as a clue, McCann gets blamed and suspended. When McCann spies the abandoned sucker she suddenly realizes it belongs to Dr. Matar, an ex-lover in search of revenge against her because she squealed on him and his illicit experiments in tissue regrowth. Matar goes on a killing spree and now only she and her new lover Hendricks can stop him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabel Glasser, James Remar, (more)
Tommy Lee Jones made his directorial debut in this made-for-television movie about an aging cowboy dealing with the changing face of the West. Jones stars as Hewey Calloway, a cowboy who has roamed the West for years, who suddenly finds himself at a crossroads -- torn between the freedom of his lifestyle and the security of a loving family and homestead. The film was based on the book by Elmer Kelton and filmed in Texas. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Terry Kinney, (more)
A sterling cast headed by Oscar-nominated Susan Sarandon makes this slick thriller one of the better adaptations of a John Grisham bestseller. Mark Sway (Brad Renfro) witnesses the suicide of a Mafia lawyer, who confesses that the Mob was behind the murder of a U.S. senator. Mark's brother is traumatized into a coma by the incident; gangster Barry Muldano (Anthony LaPaglia) is soon on Mark's trail, and in desperation, he arrives at the office of recovering alcoholic lawyer Reggie Love (Sarandon). With the Mob after them, and a ruthless federal attorney (Tommy Lee Jones) trying to force Mark to reveal what he knows, Love battles to guarantee the safety of her client and his family. The relationship between Reggie Love and Mark Sway is the center of the film, adding considerable character development to plot's routine elements. Director Joel Schumacher helmed another Grisham adaptation, A Time To Kill, in 1996. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
David Lynch's prequel to his cult television series "Twin Peaks" concerns the last seven days in the life of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), whose plastic-wrapped corpse, found floating in a river, was the fulcrum for the television series. During the day in the town of Twin Peaks, Laura is a top honors student at the local high school. By night, she is a sex-crazed cokehead, prostituting herself at a sleazy sex club to get money to feed her drug habit. Her race to oblivion is fueled by her father, Leland (Ray Wise), who, as his alter ego Bob (Frank Silva), has been sexually abusing Laura since she was a child. But Laura has an attack of conscience when she realizes that she is leading her best friend Donna (Moira Kelly) down the same rocky road. Leland, however, discovers Laura's nocturnal debauchery when, during a business trip out-of-town, his mistress for a sexual tryst sets him up with his own daughter. In a fit of jealous rage, Leland follows Laura as she travels to a sex party in an abandoned railroad car. Consumed by insatiable longing, Leland transforms himself into Bob, with tragic results for Laura and her friends. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sheryl Lee, Chris Isaak, (more)
As prank, a "National Lampoon"-like humor magazine offers a man-of-the-year award to Mel Torme. Unfortunately, Harry (Harry Anderson doesn't know it's a prank, and is willing to go to impossible lengths to get his idol to accept the prize. Meanwhile, Dan (John Larroquette) has teamed up with the redoubtable Will (William Utay) to capture fugitives for a price. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Harry (Harry Anderson) has been offered a full professorship at Koch Community College. This prompts Dan (John Larroquette) to suck up to Harry big-time, in hopes of becoming his replacement in Night Court. Meanwhile, Bull (Richard Moll) does not appreciate the "paternal" remonstrations of courtroom maintenance man Art (Mike Finneran), who has begun dating Bull's mom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In a rare Sunday-night telecast of Night Court, Harry (Harry Anderson) agrees to teach a law class on a part-time basis. His first class proves quite an eye-opener thanks to a bizarre aggregation of students. And back in Night Court, Dan (John Larroquette) prompts courtroom artist Tommy Gamble (Fred Applegate) to make a sketch of Christine (Markie Post) that is guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows--among other things. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Upon learning that the late derelict Phil Sanders was actually an incognito Wall Street millionaire, Dan (John Larroquette) is thrilled with the news that he has been named sole heir in Phil's will. Unfortunately for Dan, Mr. Sanders' $8.5. million fortune is to be invested in its entirety in something called the Phil Foundation, for which Dan must serve as executor without ever seeing a penny of the money. Meanwhile, Bull (Richard Moll) eagerly anticipates the arrival of his mother Henrietta "Hank" Shannon (Paddi Edwards), who has dropped anchor in New York after a lifetime on the high seas. This episode was originally scheduled for January 23, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Those who think that you can't make a suspense movie out of a true-life story wherein everybody knows the outcome are referred to the made-for-TV Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure. Jessica, of course, was the 18-month-old Texas girl who fell down an abandoned well in October of 1987. As the world looks on in anguish, the local fire chief (Pat Hingle) and police chief (Beau Bridges) supervise the efforts to rescue Jessica from her 22-foot-deep prison. The film effectively squeezes the 58 hours of the original incident into two, allotting plenty of time for a surface-level subplot involving the efforts of a Victim's Assistance Program volunteer (Patty Duke) to reassure Jessica's parents. In keeping with Hollywood child-labor requirements, little Jessica McClure is played by twin girls, Laura and Jennifer Loesch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Another "get even with Hollywood" satire in the tradition of SOB and Movers and Shakers, The Big Picture is an elongated inside joke complete with un-billed celebrity cameos. In this first feature-film directorial effort by actor/writer Christopher Guest, Kevin Bacon plays a "boy wonder" director whose willingness to compromise his ideals allows him to keep afloat in Tinseltown. Bacon's corruption begins when his first Hollywood project, a black-and-white experimental film about an over-40 menage a trois, is distorted beyond recognition into a color, big-budget "youth trip". Bacon hasn't really sold out; he's merely waiting to accrue enough industry clout to strike back at the Philistines in charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Bacon, Emily Longstreth, (more)

- 1989
- Add Full Exposure: The Sex Tape Scandal to QueueAdd Full Exposure: The Sex Tape Scandal to top of Queue
Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal was advertised as being inspired by "today's headlines", though most of those headlines were generated by TV tabloid shows. In her first TV movie, dethroned Miss America Vanessa Williams plays a hooker who specializes in S & M. She videotapes her kinky sexual liaisons, then blackmails the participants. When a mystery killer begins bumping off some of Williams' female compatriots, assistant D.A. Lisa Hartman (we missed that election) is called in on the case. Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal was mercifully buried in the ratings by its powerhouse competition: the premiere telecast of Lonesome Dove. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Keith Michell returns in the role of Dennis Stanton, an ex-jewel thief turned insurance investigator. Jessica (Angela Lansbury) links up with her old friend Dennis when she arrives in San Francisco to attend the opening of a prestigious opera. Before long, things become "operatic" for real when a celebrated tenor, who had previously shot another man (in self-defense, he claimed) who'd been making overtures to the tenor's pretty protégée, succumbs to a suspicious heart attack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Though they agreed not to exchange gifts for their 16th wedding anniversary, Al (Ed O'Neill) and Peg (Katey Sagal) have characteristically lied to one another. Comes the big day, however, and it looks like Al has forgotten. Actually, Al wanted to buy Peg a present, only to find that his credit card was maxed out -- and wonder or wonders, it's not his fault this time. This is the episode in which the Bundys reveal that "their song" is Edwin Starr's "War." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Three weeks have gone by since David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) have seen each other. Having retreated to her parents' house in Chicago, Maddie is more depressed than ever, prompting her mom (Eva Marie Saint) and dad (Robert Webber) to throw her a cheer-up party. Meanwhile, back in LA, David and his erstwhile buddy Bert Viola (Curtis Armstrong) have decided to forget their problems by going on a prowl for new girlfriends. Suffice to say that one of the boys is luckier than the other! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This mystery is set in Washington, D.C. and chronicles the exploits of a TV correspondent who is sent there to interview a prominent senator. While there, she begins realizing that her subject and a weird old house are strangely connected. Mayhem ensues as she begins her investigation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
When Christine (Markie Post) chokes on her lunch, Dan (John Larroquette) performs the Heimlich maneuver and saves her life. Much as Christine would like to repay Dan for his unaccustomed gallantry, the "price" he demands--namely, a night in bed--is a bit too high. Reluctantly, Christine says "Yes"...but Dan's hopes for an evening of purple passion are dashed by the unexpected appearance of a suicidal 38-year-old male virgin (Sandy Helberg)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Every so often, the Internal Revenue Service randomly targets an "average" taxpayer for an excruciatingly meticulous audit -- usually to meet a quota, or simply (as in the case of this seriocomic TV movie) to ram the fear of God into the rest of America. One such unlucky target is Bud Robinson (George Segal), owner of a moderately successful sporting goods store, whose life is thrown into utter chaos by a renegade IRS administrator. Unwilling to merely bend over and take it when he is slapped with a bill for 28,000 dollars, Bud vows vengeance against his local tax office -- and he gets it, albeit in an extreme manner that might not meet approval with contemporary, post-9/11 viewers. Made for television, the breezily satirical Many Happy Returns was originally telecast by CBS, not (as one might assume) on April 15, but instead on September 19, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
To save rock singer Stevie Faith (Valerie Stevenson) from kidnappers who claim to be opposed to her politics, the A-Team hides Stevie in a quiet suburban neighborhood. This requires our heroes to curb their violent tendencies and act like gentlemen--an assignment taken to extremes by Murdock (Dwight Schultz), who adopts the "Hi, neighbor!" personality of Mister Rogers! Meanwhile, Hannibal (George Peppard) has his troubles with a neighborhood watch group led by the inordinately zealous Joe Skrylow (Walter Olkewicz). . .while Stevie's crooked manager, the man behind the kidnapping plot, bides his time, waiting to strike again. Future Murphy Brown regular Robert Pastorelli shows up in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Los Angeles is the playing field for producer/ writer/ director Bobby Roth's Heartbreakers. Peter Coyote and Nick Mancusco play a couple of thirty-something holdovers from the 1960s. Coyote is an artist specializing in S&M poses, while Mancusco is heir apparent to a large garment-manufacturing firm. Curiously, it is the hedonistic Coyote who desires a lasting relationship with a woman, while the "conservative" Mancusco is dedicated to the proposition of one-night stands. Carol Laure and Carol Wayne are the ladies who strain Coyote and Mancuso's friendship--and in so doing, force both arrested adolescents to do some growing up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Coyote, Nick Mancuso, (more)
The time-worn clash between the rich and poor, brought out by switched identities, is the ploy used here to put a streetwise kid into an upper-crust prep school. Palmer (Dana Olsen) does not want to stay at school for his final year, but he needs to graduate in order to receive his mega-buck trust fund. Eddie (Judd Nelson) is a New Jersey native, used to the streets and handling trouble when it comes -- except Eddie's bookie is after him for a bad debt, and when Eddie jumps the prep school's fence to escape his creditor, he almost knocks down Palmer. From that serendipitous meeting, the two decide to swap identities -- or partly so. Eddie will become Palmer and get good grades in the last year of school, for the sum of $10,000 at graduation. And Palmer will go off on his own planned vacation. Eddie soon learns the ways of the rich and famous, but he is quickly back to crap games and porno movies, this time initiating his new schoolmates into that lifestyle and gaining popularity along the way. What follows is a series of misadventures as the bookie shows up at the school to demand his due from Eddie, Eddie falls in love with the daughter of the school's patron, and Palmer comes back. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judd Nelson, Jonna Lee, (more)





















