Jim Piddock Movies
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)
The writing and directing team who created Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show turn their satiric eye toward the world of folk music in this sly mockumentary. Irving Steinbloom was one of the great behind-the-scenes figures of the folk music boom of the late '50s and early '60s, and helped to nurture the careers of three of the best known acts of the era. The Folksmen -- Mark Shubb (Harry Shearer), Alan Barrows (Christopher Guest), and Jerry Palter (Michael McKean) -- were an earnest folk trio who sang of America's noble past and the challenges of the future; they split up in the early '70s after a failed attempt to go electric. Mitch & Mickey were a duo in both music and life, comprised of Mitch Cohen (Eugene Levy) and Mickey Devlin (Catherine O'Hara). They sang soulful songs of love until the collapse of their relationship sent Mitch into a deep and incapacitating depression. And The Main Street Singers were a nine-piece vocal group -- a "neuftet," as they prefer it -- who offered energetic good-time music, cranking out nearly 30 albums in the course of a decade; their current incarnation, The New Main Street Singers (played by Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, John Michael Higgins, David Alan Blasucci, Steve Pandis, Christopher Moynihan, Paul Dooley and Patrick Sauber) is still on the road. When it is announced that the legendary Irving Steinbloom has died (the character never appears in the film), his son Jonathan (Bob Balaban) decides that the best way to memorialize his father is through music, and with the help of Mike LaFontaine (Fred Willard) of Hi-Class Management, they set out to bring The Folksmen, Mitch & Mickey, and The New Main Street Singers back together for a special concert at New York's Town Hall. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer -- who previously teamed up for This Is Spinal Tap -- not only perform together as The Folksmen in A Mighty Wind, but composed most of the songs performed onscreen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Balaban, Christopher Guest, (more)
- 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
- 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
Scary Movie screenwriters Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer join forces to parody the "biggest" movies ever to hit the silver screen in this comedy that gives such popular box-office hits as Pirates of the Caribbean and Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe the same treatment that Scary Movie gave to the slasher subgenre. A virtual smorgasbord of spoof, Epic Movie tells the tale of four fully grown orphans: one the victim of snakes that attacked her plane, another raised by a kindly Louvre curator, the third a Mexican "libre" wrestling refuge, and the last an average mutant from an "X"-community. When the curious quartet visits a sprawling chocolate factory, they stumble across a magical wardrobe which transports them to the enchanted land of Gnarnia. It seems that the wondrous fantasy land has recently fallen under the spell of the evil White Bitch (Jennifer Coolidge), and in order to bring peace back to Gnarnia these four bumbling mortals will have to join forces with a charismatic pirate, a painfully sincere group of aspiring wizards, and one particularly libidinous lion. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kal Penn, Adam Campbell, (more)
Mockumentary mastermind Christopher Guest turns his satirical eye away from dog shows, small-town theater, and folk music to offer a hilarious take on Hollywood award season in this comedy focusing on trio of actors whose lives are turned upside down when they discover that their performances in an independent film are generating a sizable buzz in the entertainment industry. Jay Berman (Guest) is in the process of directing his first feature film -- an intimate family drama set in the 1940s and detailing the tempestuous reunion of an estranged Jewish family that is reluctantly drawn together to celebrate Purim at the behest of their dying matriarch. The cast soon comes down with an infectious case of award fever when rumors on the Internet claim that "Purim" stars Marilyn Hack (Catherine O' Hara), Victor Allan Miller (Harry Shearer), and Callie Webb (Parker Posey) may be delivering Oscar-caliber performances. When "Hollywood Now" co-anchors Chuck Porter (Fred Willard) and Cindy Martin (Jane Lynch) perpetuate the buzz on national television, the entire film crew starts to see stars in their eyes. Subsequently convinced that they have a sleeper hit on their hands, unit publicist Corey Taft (John Michael Higgins), talent agent Morley Orfkin (Eugene Levy), and producer Whitney Taylor Brown (Jennifer Coolidge) immediately cave to requests from Sunfish Classics president Martin Gibb (Ricky Gervais) to alter the film so that it may appeal to a larger audience. Now, while "Purim" screenwriters Lane Iverson (Michael McKean) and Philip Koontz (Bob Balaban) are forced to watch helplessly as their original screenplay is plundered in order to cash in on the positive buzz, awards season draws near and the production takes a most unexpected turn. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, (more)
- 2006
- PG
- Add Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties to QueueAdd Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties to top of Queue
The laziest cat in America swaps places with the richest feline in England in director Tim Hill's lasagna-laden sequel to the 2004 theatrical hit Garfield. Jon Arbuckle (Breckin Meyer) is on his way to London to propose to his veterinarian girlfriend, Liz Wilson (Jennifer Love Hewitt), and his unflappable cat, Garfield, is determined to be there when Jon pops the big question. Of course, Garfield wouldn't go anywhere without his old pal Odie, and soon after arriving in the land of Big Ben, the clueless tomcat inadvertently changes places with royal look-a-like Prince. It seems that Prince's owner, Lady Eleanor, has recently passed away, leaving the care of her sprawling estate Castle Carlyle in the capable paws of her devoted kitty companion. The trouble is, Prince has decided it's due time for a vacation, and with Garfield in charge there's no telling what kind of trouble will befall Castle Carlyle. Despite having a devoted butler named Smithee (Ian Abercrombie) to cater to his every whim and a whole host of fun-loving critters with whom to pass the lazy days spent lounging in the sun, this crowned head begins to feel the sting of deceit as the envious Lord Dargis (Billy Connolly) hatches a dastardly plan to do away with the whiskered heir and claim Castle Carlyle all to himself. Meanwhile, as Garfield attempts to hold his ground against his greedy would-be nemesis, the fun-loving Prince is living it up with Jon and Odie by taking a trip to some of London's most popular pubs. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, (more)
A group of intrepid humans attempts to save the Earth from vicious extraterrestrials in this extremely popular science-fiction adventure. Borrowing liberally from War of the Worlds, Aliens, and every sci-fi invasion film inbetween, director Roland Emmerich and producer and co-writer Dean Devlin present a visually slick, fast-paced adventure filled with expensive special effects and large-scale action sequences. The story begins with the approach of a series of massive spaceships, which many on Earth greet with open arms, looking forward to the first contact with alien life. Unfortunately, these extraterrestrials have not come in peace, and they unleash powerful weapons that destroy most of the world's major cities. Thrown into chaos, the survivors struggle to band together and put up a last-ditch resistance in order to save the human race. As this is a Hollywood film, this effort is led by a group of scrappy Americans, including a computer genius who had foreseen the alien's evil intent (Jeff Goldblum), a hot-shot jet pilot (Will Smith), and the President of the United States (Bill Pullman). While some critics objected to the film's lack of originality and lapses in logic, the combination of grand visual spectacle and crowd-pleasing storytelling proved irresistible to audiences, resulting in an international smash hit. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Pullman, Will Smith, (more)
Lethal Weapon 2 reteams Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as, respectively, "loose cannon" LA detective Martin Riggs and Riggs' partner, the cautious family man Roger Murtaugh. The villain this time is a South African diplomat (Joss Ackland) who doubles as a drug dealer. Though Riggs knows what's going on thanks to characterless character witness Joe Pesci, he can't touch the villain because of "diplomatic immunity." After perils too numerous to mention, Riggs and Murtaugh shoot it out with the heavies on the deck of a South African cargo ship. Lethal Weapon 2, of course, contains as one of its comic high-points a now famous suspense scene: Mel Gibson agonizingly attempting to extricate a terrified Danny Glover from a booby-trapped toilet seat. Gibson, Glover, Donner and Joe Pesci would be reunited three years later for Lethal Weapon 3 and in 1998 for Lethal Weapon 4. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, (more)
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
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
- 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
- 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
- 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)
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)
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)
- 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
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
