Jimmy Pickens Movies
A soldier discovers how elusive the truth can be in this first major film about America's role in the Gulf War. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) was the commander of a unit during Operation Desert Storm who mistakenly ordered the destruction of what he believed to be an enemy tank, only to discover that it actually held U.S. soldiers, including a close friend. Since then, Serling has been an emotional wreck, drinking heavily and allowing his marriage to teeter on the brink of collapse. As a means of redeeming himself, Serling is given a new assignment by his superior, Gen. Hershberg (Michael Moriarty). Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) was a helicopter pilot who died in battle during the Iraqi conflict, and the White House has proposed that Walden be posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Serling is asked to investigate Walden's actions on the field of battle, but he quickly discovers that no two stories about her are quite the same; Ilario (Matt Damon) says Walden acted heroically and sacrificed herself to save the others in her company, while Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillps) claims she was a coward who was attempting to surrender to enemy troops. Meanwhile, reporter Tony Gartner (Scott Glenn) is hounding Serling, trying to get the inside story on Walden and on Serling's own difficulties. Matt Damon lost 40 pounds to prepare for his role in Courage Under Fire, which resulted in a potentially life-threatening illness for the young actor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, (more)
Comedian John Candy, who died during the making of this poorly received comic western, plays James Harlow, a 19th century wagon master who is heading back east with a wagon train full of oddball characters who have had their fill of Western life. They include ex-doctor Phil Taylor (Richard Lewis), kind-hearted prostitute Belle (Ellen Greene), and a bookseller, Julian (John C. McGinley). Harlow is a drunken, washed-up leader who frequently gets lost. The travelers eventually discover that he was a member of the famous Donner party, which resorted to cannibalism when stranded in the mountains. Railroad magnates try to turn back the party, figuring it's bad publicity for people out East to learn that the West is not really a paradise. The tycoons hire gunfighters and villains to stop the expedition, but local Indians protect the wagons, because they are glad to see disgruntled white settlers leaving their lands. This "backwards" western was based on a story by Jerry Abrahamson. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Richard Lewis, (more)
- 1992
Two rich boys decide to try their hands at manual labor and so get summer jobs working on a Texas offshore oil rig in this taut thriller. They look forward to it until they encounter a mean-spirited boss who resents them because of their wealth. He mercilessly picks upon them and they wonder if they will survive until helpful Bo Landry shows up. Bo seems to be such a good person and the boys are glad to have him on their side. Unfortunately, things are not what they seem and soon their lives are really in danger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Based on a gritty, semi-autobiographical novel by author Kim Wozencraft, this crime thriller was adapted for the screen by noir novelist Pete Dexter and marked the directorial debut of producer Lili Fini Zanuck. Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as Kristen Cates, a rookie police officer recruited to partner with Jim Raynor (Jason Patric), an undercover Texas cop trying to infiltrate the criminal ring of major drug dealer Will Gaines (Gregg Allman) in the 1970s. What Kristen isn't told is that, as part of his deep cover masquerade, Jim must take drugs in order to be convincing and, unsurprisingly, has become an addict. Although this dangerous practice is not acceptable police procedure, Jim and Kristen's zealous superiors Larry Dodd (Sam Elliott) and Donald Nettle (Tony Frank) are obsessed with taking Gaines down because he has corrupted the daughter of a prominent local citizen. Jim and Kristen, who fall in love and move in together, befriend a petty car thief, Walker (Max Perlich), who has ties to Gaines. Since they both become drug addicts, Jim and Kristen's case makes little progress, until they clean up and convince Walker to turn on Gaines. Their investigation becomes tainted, however, when they are pressured from above to manufacture false evidence against their target. The soundtrack for Rushcontained the hit song "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Patric, Jennifer Jason Leigh, (more)
The serialized story structure and barbed social commentary from comic book creator and co-writer Frank Miller earned critical respect in this satirical science fiction sequel directed by Irvin Kershner. Peter Weller returns as RoboCop, a futuristic cyborg fashioned from cutting-edge technology and the biological remains of slain Detroit police officer, Alex Murphy. Still patrolling the city streets, RoboCop is scheduled by his creator, Omni Consumer Products, to be replaced by a new "superior" model, RoboCop 2, that according to designer Juliette Faxx (Belinda Bauer), will contain the human remains not of a cop but a criminal. In the meantime, an instantly addictive drug called Nuke is sweeping through Detroit thanks to a kingpin named Cain (Tom Noonan). Taking Cain to task, RoboCop is captured and dismantled. When he's put back together, the cyborg is reprogrammed with a series of socially conscious commands (in a sly mocking of the then relatively new concept of "political correctness") that render him impotent as a law enforcer. Taking charge by rewiring himself with an electrical overload, RoboCop arrests Cain, who is injured in the process. Faxx secretly takes Cain's brain and inserts it into RoboCop 2, turning the robot immediately into a law-breaking murder machine and leading to a violent showdown between two generations of robotic crime-fighters. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, (more)
- 1987
- R
Set in a small town in Texas, a young man begins to lose interest in his sex-brained girlfriend and begins falling for her mother instead. This romantic comedy-drama features C. Thomas Howell, Ann-Margret, Kelly Preston and Charles Durning. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann-Margret, C. Thomas Howell, (more)
