Stuart Pankin Movies

In this frantic satiric comedy, Maximus Powers (Eric Roberts) and Mike Saunders (Charlie Schlatter) are a pair of airline pilots who are flying a chartered jet to Japan, booked for the contestants in the Miss Galaxy Beauty Pageant. Bad luck is following them and the pilots crash-land on a deserted island, where they struggle to find a way to ferry themselves and the glamour girls back to civilization. However, things on the island are hardly as quiet as they might imagine, as they soon discover its home to a gigantic half-pig, half-dinosaur; a tribe of intelligent ape people; and the remnants of Noah's Ark. As Powers and Saunders plot their next moves, they are recruited for an unusual mission by Special Agent MJ (Michael Jackson), who appears as a giant light in the sky. By the way, that really is Michael Jackson the pop singer appearing in a cameo role; other guest stars include Stuart Pankin, Evan Marriott, and Colleen Shannon. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This IMAX feature is a sequel to 1999's Encounter the Third Dimension, which provided a humorous yet educational take on the history of 3-D cinema. In this film, director Ben Stassen "disappears" in front of a live audiences, claiming he has gotten stuck between the second and third dimension. In order to get back, he must convince an official sounding CEO that 3-D cinema is, indeed, worthy of more scientific exploration. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Join actors Stephen Furst and Stuart Pankin in the slapstick "guy" comedy D-4-G: Diabetes for Guys - A Guy Flick, an instructional video about the treatment and management of diabetes. Through a series of humorous vignettes, the film parodies Furst's experiences with diabetes -- his denial, noncompliance, and inability to modify his lifestyle -- while promoting responsible behavior. Endorsed by the American Diabetes Association, the production is aimed at men who are disinclined to make the necessary changes in combating the disease.

~ Kathleen Wildasin, Rovi

Produced for the Disney Channel cable service, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century was based on the children's book by Marilyn Salder and Roger Bollen. Kristen Storms heads the cast as Zenon Car, a trouble-prone 13-year-old girl, who, in the year 2049 A.D., lives on a space station with the rest of her family. When she runs afoul of Parker Windom, the owner of the station, Zenon is determined to be "incorrigible," and as punishment is exiled to the worst place imaginable: the planet earth. After several painful weeks of adjustment to her new surroundings, Zenon enlists the aid of his earthbound pals to return to her "real" home with evidence that the "respectable" Mr. Windom is up to no good. Originally telecast on January 23, 1999, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century was intended as the pilot for a weekly TV series -- and though this series never came to pass, the film was deemed worthy of a sequel the following year. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The weekly Babylon 5 series still had three episodes to go when TNT presented the two-hour "spinoff" movie Babylon 5: The River of Souls. Departing a bit from the established fifth-season chronology, the film finds Garibaldi returning to B5 after an 18-month tenure as CEO of Edgars Enterprise. The purpose of Garibaldi's arrival is a conference with archeologist Dr. Robert Bryson (Ian McShane), who claims to be on the verge of discovering the secret of eternal life. Alas, the immortality-granting alien artifact discovered by Bryson actually belongs to the Soul Hunters, who will stop at nothing to retrieve the sacred relic. In a lighter but no less significant development, the owners of a virtual-reality brothel bring legal action against Zack. Martin Sheen costars as the chief Soul Hunter. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, and subsequently novelized by Yvonne Navarro, Babylon 5: River of Souls was first broadcast on November 8, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this comedy, a writer's triumphant return to his hometown turns out to have a very long string attached. As a child, small and timid David Leary grew up in Hastings, MN, where he lived in mortal fear of the school bully, Roscoe Bigger, aka "Fang." Fang loved nothing more than making David's every waking moment a physical and emotional torment. Fortunately for David, his parents moved the family to California not long after David turned the tables on Fang; Fang stole a moon rock from a school display and David finked on him, putting Fang on the fast track to reform school. Years later, David (played as an adult by Rick Moranis) is a successful author, and he has been invited to teach English at the school he attended as a child. David is intrigued to discover that Victoria (Julianne Phillips), the girl he used to have a crush on, is also on the faculty (as the sex-ed instructor, no less) and interested in seeing him. But David's happiness is short-lived when he meets the school's shop teacher -- none other than Roscoe (Tom Arnold). Fang's stay in a juvenile home shattered his spirit, and he's been a spineless loser ever since; these days, David is the only person still afraid of him. Having someone to intimidate again does Roscoe a world of good; it restores his confidence, lifts his spirits, and even saves his marriage. But it doesn't do much for David, who can't exactly complain to the principal that Fang's picking on him again. Don Knotts appears in a supporting role as Principal Kokelar. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Good gorillas meet bad gorillas while human beings search for treasure in this jungle advnture saga. R.B. Travis (Joe Don Baker) is the ruthless head of Travi-Com, a telecommunications firm on the cusp of a major breakthrough in laser communications technology. However, Travis needs diamonds to finish the project, so he sends a group of men to Zaire, where he's told that a large supply of the gems can be easily found. When the men go missing, Travis sends his trusted assistant Karen Ross (Laura Linney), a one-time CIA associate, into the jungle to find both his staff and the jewels. Hoping to keep her mission a secret, Karen travels to Zaire in the company of Peter (Dylan Walsh), a researcher on primate development who is hoping to return Amy, a gorilla who has been taught sign language and can "speak" English with the help of a glove-controlled computer device. Also travelling with them is Herkermer (Tim Curry), a Romanian with a secret agenda: he's convinced that Amy can guide him to the Lost City of Zinj, where he believes that King Solomon's Mines are located. Upon arrival, the group is met by Monroe Kelly (Ernie Hudson), a self-described "great white hunter who happens to be black," and they discover that the jungle holds a menace that they weren't counting on: a tribe of bloodthirsty gray gorillas. Congo was based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Native American history got the Disney treatment in this biography aimed at younger audiences. Adam Beach stars as Squanto, an Eastern Massachusetts native of the 17th century, who befriends the English settlers who are starting to colonize the region. Naively trusting his new friends, Squanto and his best friend Epenow (Eric Schweig) offer to help some sailors load a vessel that's departing for England. The two Indians are shanghaied and taken across the ocean to serve as sideshow attractions for the greedy owner (Michael Gambon) of the shipping line. Squanto quickly escapes and finds refuge in a nearby cloister, where he is protected by the kindly monks, in particular Brother Daniel (Mandy Patinkin), who teaches Squanto to speak English. Squanto learns of a ship carrying more settlers to the New World, so he stows away and returns to his homeland, where he finds that his village has been wiped out by disease brought by the colonists. Nevertheless, Squanto brokers a peace deal between his hostile brothers and the settlers, and they celebrate the first Thanksgiving together. Beach went on to star in the Native American drama Smoke Signals (1998). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

In the style of the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s, I Love Trouble depicts the developing romance of two rival reporters who reluctantly fall for each other while competing for a major scoop. Old hand Peter Brackett (Nick Nolte) and aspiring newcomer Sabrina Peterson (Julia Roberts) first meet when they are both assigned to cover a mysterious train crash. The pair immediately develops a connection despite their professional rivalry, and they decide to work together. Sensing something fishy about the crash, they look deeper and are soon fighting to expose a wide-ranging conspiracy, while also struggling to outmaneuver and out-charm each other along the way. Co-creators Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers, who previously found success harking back to 1940s comedy in Father of the Bride, borrow heavily from His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby, and other screwball classics. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

A father gets a crash-course in the outdoors in this made-for-television comedy for kids. Comedian Bob Saget stars as an urban-living dad who decides to take his son Michael (Brian Bonsall) -- working his way to Eagle Scout -- on a camping trip. Poor dad is well-meaning, but fumbles his way through a series of mishaps. Saget (Full House) served as executive producer for the film. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

When a successful businessman Graham Krakowski (Bill Paxton) buys a house, he has a hard time evicting the previous tenant--a dirty, homeless vagabond (Marshall Bell). As Graham tries stunt after stunt to rid himself of his unwanted guest, he begins to crack, while the bum figures out new and exciting ways to torment him. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi