Jim Piddock Movies
- 2006
While visiting his elderly friend Rusty (Art Evans) at his neighborhood firehouse, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is blinded by the same intruder who kills Rusty. Despite facing the probability of permanent sightlessness, Monk insists upon solving the old man's murder, using his previously unexploited "sixth sense" to harvest clues. It turns out that there is a connection between Rusty's missing coat and helmet, and another fire that occurred at the same time as the murder. In a fit of hubris (he actually seems to thrive on being blind), Monk not only captures the killer, but also figures out that the culprit didn't act alone...and that there's a lot more to the story than a mere murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Having been kidnapped several episodes back, Claire (Emilie de Raven) suddenly re-emerges. The other survivors pump her for information, but she can remember nothing of her ordeal -- nor of anything that occurred since even before the plane crash. Meanwhile, Claire's self-proclaimed abductor, Ethan (William Mapother), threatens to methodically kill the others unless the girl is returned to him, forcing Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) into violent retribution. And more flashbacks reveal just how low Charlie had sunk in his heroin addiction prior to the plane crash. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Bowman, William Mapother, (more)
A Colombian law student living in Los Angeles and recently threatened with deportation enters into an unusual agreement with an eccentric couple in hopes of maintaining her citizenship and earning her degree in actor-turned-director Shane Edelman's affectionate romantic comedy. Sofia (Angie Cepeda) once had big plans for her life, but lately it seems like everything is falling apart. Her debts steadily growing and her future in the U.S. thrown into question when the man she had married as a means of obtaining her Green Card cruelly steals all of her possessions while threatening her with divorce, Sofia's sole joy in life is the time spent with her precocious six-year-old neighbor Max (Max Wolf Burkholder), a lonesome boy whose parents have always been too busy to provide him with the attention he so desperately needs. When a series of comic coincidences lead Sofia into the company of wealthy eccentrics Frank (Jim Piddock) and Helen Bauman (Nora Dunn), she soon discovers that she may have found the answer to all of her problems. Saddened by their inability to bear children but determined to realize their dream of parenthood at any cost, Frank and Helen offer Sofia 50,000 dollars if she will agree to become a surrogate mother for the pair. Her outspoken cousin Monica (Martita Roca) and Monica's husband George (Richard Speight, Jr.) providing just the support needed to help her successfully deal with both her pregnancy and the increasingly strange demands placed on her by the Baumans in hopes of birthing a healthy baby, Sofia soon begins to feel an increasing closeness with her kindly doctor Neil (Ken Marino). Though her feelings are seemingly reciprocated at first, it soon becomes increasingly obvious that something in Neil's personal life is preventing him from developing a romantic bond with his adoring patient. Determined to face her labor and forge ahead despite her seemingly unending string of personal disappointments, Sofie strives to find the power to regain control of her life during a time when all hope seems lost and she appears to have no one to turn to. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angie Cepeda
- 2002
In the first episode of a two-part story, Lord Mercer (Jim Piddock) makes his obnoxious 19-year-old daughter, Milan (Jessica Cauffiel), president of Winfred-Louder, then orders Drew to make certain that the girl fulfills her duties perfectly -- or else. Thus it is that Drew has to cover up all of Milan's messes, especially when she and her boyfriend, D'Artagnan (Jeff Bryan Davis), make violent love in the middle of union negotiations. When Drew breaks up her romance, Milan gets even by consigning our hero to the docks. Hoping to bail Drew out, Kate tries to bring Milan and D'Artagnan back together, but her efforts succeed only in driving Milan (Jessica Cauffiel) to near-suicide. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
It's just another one of those days when a bald eagle swoops into Drew's house and trashes the place. Unfortunately, the bird is an endangered species, meaning not only that it cannot be removed, but Drew (Drew Carey) must also protect and coddle the eagle at all costs! The situation worsens when the eagle "captures" and flies off with a dog belonging to Drew's new girlfriend Kathy (Kathy Griffin). Meanwhile, Oswald (Diedrich Bader) and Lewis (Ryan Stiles) are blackmailed by a youngster (Scotty Leavenworth) who threatens to tell the authorities about their house in the park. Amazingly, this episode was virtually unscripted, with the actors ad-libbing their dialogue based on a storyline provided by Julie Ann Larson). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
No sooner have Lord Mercer (Jim Piddock) and his daughter Milan (Jessica Cauffiel) awarded the Winfred-Louder employees for a great sales year than they find out that they've been cheated by their accountant, and thus have to impose massive layoffs. Those remaining on the staff are re-assigned to sales, with Drew taking over the underwear department--and there's even more humiliation for everyone when the store in transformed into a discount outlet. And in other developments, Drew's ex-wife Nicki (Kate Walsh) returns to town, fat, homeless--and homicidal. Softhearted Drew allows Nicki to stay at his house, never suspecting that she plans to murder him as soon as she gets around to it! This is the final episode of The Drew Carey Show's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Season nine of ER begins ten minutes after season eight left off, with the County General ER still in lockdown in the face of a possible smallpox epidemic. Though most of the patients and staffers have been evacuated, a handful are quarantined at the ER for two weeks, among them Carter (Noah Wyle), Abby (Maura Tierney), Chen (Ming-Na), and Pratt (Mekhi Phifer), now a full-fledged series regular. In the midst of the chaos and confusion, Carter and Abby have managed to find the opportunity to lock lips, thereby inaugurating a whole new phase in their relationship. Meanwhile, on the roof of the hospital, Romano (Paul McCrane) throws another temper tantrum, with disastrous consequences when, in mid-rant, he backs into the tail rotor of a helicopter. And in faraway London, the newly widowed Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) has joined her father's business -- but may now be too "Americanized" for her family's tastes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Drew (Drew Carey) figures out that the irresponsible behavior of 19-year-old Milan (Jessica Cauffiel), appointed the store's new president by her father Lord Mercer (Jim Piddock), stems from a lifelong need for her dad's approval. When Lord Mercer fires Milan, Drew begs him to give the girl another chance--which might have been a mistake, as indicated when party-animal Milan transforms the store into her own personal, never-ending "rave." Meanwhile, Lewis (Ryan Stiles) pulls a "Hannibal Lecter" when Oswald (Diedrich Bader) brings home a human liver as his nursing-school homework assignment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
No sooner have Drew (Drew Carey) and Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson) assumed their duties as co-managers of Winfred-Louder than they find that the store is about to go out of business. Seeking a new buyer, Drew and Wick approach the fabulously wealthy Lord Mercer (Jim Piddock in his first series appearance). As it turns out, the only person capable of "selling" Winfred-Louder to Lord Mercer's board of directors is Mr. Wick, and only when he is drunk out of his mind--obliging Drew to become an "enabler" until the deal is finalized. Meanwhile, Oswald (Diedrich Bader) hits on a nurse named Colleen (played by Bader's real-life wife Dulcy Rogers), but she is unimpressed until he literally performs a miracle! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Angel (David Boreanaz) tries to assure Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) that he's recovered from his grief over Darla (Julie Benz). It turns out he's actually had Gunn (J. August Richards) trailing his formerly dead, formerly vampiric former paramour. Lindsey McDonald (Christian Kane) gets to Darla's tenement hotel before Angel can, and, taking her to his superiors at Wolfram & Hart, learns that she was resurrected in the same state she was in before she ever became a vampire. In other words, she's dying of syphilis. In a desperate attempt to escape her looming mortality, Darla later tries to convince a total dweeb of a vampire to "sire" her -- drink and be drunk by her so she can once again become an immortal bloodsucker. Angel interrupts the proceedings, tries to reason with her, and learns of her condition. Crushed, he takes her to Caritas, where the Host (Andy Hallett) sends both of them off on a mystical quest to heal Darla. The Valet (Jim Piddock), an interdimensional functionary, wagers with Angel. If he passes three nearly impossible tests, Darla will be healed; if he fails, she will die immediately. Angel just barely survives the three tests, including one that's more psychological than physical. But even this third challenge is nothing compared to the anguish Angel suffers when the Valet belatedly informs him that because Darla was already resurrected once, she cannot be granted yet another lease on life. Back at Darla's hotel, Angel offers to sire her, theorizing that because he's a vampire with a soul perhaps she will be, too. She demurs, telling him that because of the love and dedication he's shown her, she's content to die the way nature intended 400 years ago. Just then, Wolfram & Hart's minions break in with a surprise guest, Drusilla (Juliet Landau), who promptly drinks Darla's blood and opens her own veins while Angel is held in check. Originally broadcast November 28, 2000, on the WB network, "The Trial" marked season two, episode nine of the supernatural comedy drama. References to the character of Holtz in this episode's flashback sequence will take on new significance in season three when the time-traveling vampire hunter becomes Angel's chief nemesis. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Mother England met Tinseltown head-on in this satirical British sitcom. Having failed to find success in their native England, would-be screenwriter Nigel (Mark Addy) and aspiring actor Julian (Alex Jennings) decided to try their luck in Hollywood. Upon their arrival in California, the heroes managed to move into the bungalow owned by has-been movie idol Scott Reed (played with an appealing sense of self-parody by former Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors). Though no more successful in Hollywood than they'd been in London, Nigel and Julian nonetheless enjoyed a wider range of wacky misadventures. The six half-hour episodes of Too Much Sun were shown by BBC1 from October 20 to December 1, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Can it be that Paul (Paul Reiser) is the reason that Jamie (Helen Hunt) can't get pregnant? To find out once and for all, Paul donates a sperm sample in the obligatory jar. A simple act, to be sure, but one that has far-from-simple consequences involving a stolen car, an unscheduled visit from the New York City Bomb Squad, and the "Betty Boop" song. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1995
Looking for the perfect third-anniversary gift causes Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) to lose confidence in their relationship. In the course of events, Jamie receives a cryptic message: "This note entitles the bearer to one magical night." Truer words were never written. Originally telecast as the hour-long finale of Mad About You's third season, this episode has since been divided into two half-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This is the celebrated "cartoon" episode, with animation provided by Sony Imageworks. Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) is nonplussed when she learns that her former boyfriend Alan (Eric Stoltz) has been hired as a graphics artist for her new ad campaign. The result is a special edition of Alan's fabled comic-book character Talon, Queen of Outer Space -- a supremely bitchy extraterrestrial who bears a remarkable resemblance to someone we all know quite well. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Looking for the perfect third-anniversary gift causes Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) to lose confidence in their relationship. In a rare "alternate reality" situation, the Buchmans are permitted to experience what might have happened had they never met. Originally telecast as the hour-long finale of Mad About You's third season, this episode has since been divided into two half-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Despite the objections of her husband, Paul (Paul Reiser), Jamie (Helen Hunt) and her friend Fran (Leila Kenzle) are determined to hook up the Buchmans' bedroom TV with "stolen" cable service. The ladies' combined efforts result in a citywide power blackout of 1965 dimensions. Will Tom Brokaw ever get out of that stalled elevator? "Pandora's Box" was original one of three sitcom episodes telecast on the same Thursday evening over the same network (NBC), all of them built around a special "Blackout Thursday" promotion (the other two series involved in this stunt were Friends and Madman of the People). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
When news arrives that their apartment building may go co-op, the Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) finds themselves embroiled in a battle with their snooty English neighbors, the Conways. As their neighbors plot a strategy to grab hold of the Buchmans' apartment, a Montague-and-Capulet romance blossoms between Paul and Jamie's stupid mutt, Murray, and the Conways' precious pooch, Sophie. Though Judy Geeson returns as Maggie Conway, the role of Maggie's husband, Hal, is now played by Jim Piddock rather than Paxton Whitehead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Jamie (Helen Hunt) is eager and willing to return to college. Alas, husband Paul (Paul Reiser) forgot to mail Jamie's registration papers. Racing against a deadline, Paul, Fran (Leila Kenzle), Lisa (Anne Ramsay), and Ira (John Pankow) try to correct Paul's oversight, leading to a series of confusing confrontations with a steady stream of self-involved teachers -- notably a persnickety French instructor (Julia Sweeney). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is back in London, there to attend the opening night of a play based on one of her novel's. The play's producer (Robin Sachs) has a reputation for ruthlessness and duplicity, so it really surprises no one when he is murdered. Nor can anyone be surprised when Jessica (Angela Lansbury) takes it upon herself to prove that the play's leading lady (Jean Marsh) is not the murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
This fact-based drama chronicles the ups and downs in the lives of Diana Spencer and Sarah Ferguson when they accept offers to marry Prince Charles and Prince Andrew respectively. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
When a group of honest farmers are in danger of losing their land, it is up to the Wildside Chamber of Commerce to come to their aid. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
The show business comedy See This Movie stars Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers as Jake Barrymore, a wannabe director who pretends he has a finished film in order to network at the Montreal Film Festival. His loyal girlfriend and a couple of faithful associates help him maintain the charade for as long as possible. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seth Meyers, John Cho, (more)
The Marek Kanievska thriller A Different Loyalty stars Rupert Everett and Sharon Stone as war reporters who come across each other's path while they are both on assignment in Beirut. When Everett's character goes missing, Stone's character begins an investigation on her own. She soon realizes that he may have known much more about international politics than he was letting on. Can she rescue him before any number of governments can put a stop to her quest? ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sharon Stone, Rupert Everett, (more)
A couple running a rideshow discover the find of a lifetime, only to realize it could well be the death of them in this horror story. Angus Shaw (Rufus Sewell) and his wife, Lillian (Carla Gugino), run a travelling carnival which barnstorms the countryside in the early 1900s. The Shaws' circus includes a sideshow which promises much in the way of monsters and human oddities, but for the most part delivers second-rate actors dressed up in costumes or using smoke-and-mirrors effects to fool the customers. Lillian herself offers the most spectacular illusion, posing as a fake mermaid. One night, Angus offers a helping hand to an aging sailor (Aubrey Morris), and the old salt offers to show Angus and Lillian something truly amazing -- a real, honest-to-Pete mermaid (Rya Kihlstedt). Astounded by what he's seen, Angus decides the fortune he could make exhibiting a real mermaid is too great to resist, and he steals the creature from the sailor. Angus and Lillian waste no time booking passage to the United States with their find, but en route to America they discover this mermaid is hardly a benign creature -- she has a taste for human blood, and soon the ship's crew is shrinking at an alarming rate. Lillian also finds herself developing a strange psychological bond with the mermaid, a connection more powerful than her vows to her husband. She Creature was produced for the Cinemax premium cable service as part of a series of "Creature Features" produced by special effects wizard Stan Winston and former American International Pictures head Samuel Z. Arkoff, most of which were inspired by horror films AIP made in the 1950s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rufus Sewell, Carla Gugino, (more)
- 1995
- R
In this suspenseful drama, Matt's life spirals out of control after he meets his old acquaintance Simon, the man who saved Matt from burning to death after a car accident many years before. Unlike Matt who has since become a successful video game programmer, Simon's life has led him to the streets. Compassionate Matt decides to help and so invites Simon back home and then helps him find work at Matt's company. This proves to be a big mistake, for Simon is not what he seems, and nothing that has happened between him and Matt, past or present, has been an accident. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Remar, Lenny Von Dohlen, (more)
