John Putch Movies
The son of actress Jean Stapleton and theatrical director William H. Putch, John Putch made some of his earliest acting appearances with his dad's summer-theatre troupe, the Totem Pole Players. Putch's first recorded TV credit was as a boy scout on All in the Family, which of course co-starred his mom Jean. Mother and son went on to co-star in the tense made-for-TV movie Angel Dusted (1981). On his own, Putch co-starred in Jaws 3-D (1983) as the grown-up son of the Roy Scheider character (who doesn't appear in this sequel), and worked steadily on TV, playing Bob Morton on One Day at a Time (1975-85) and Matt on Room for Two (1992). More recently, John Putch participated in a well-circulated series of cellular-phone TV commercials. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Take a trip to South Central Pennsylvania to see what life is like on the edge of the Lincoln Highway in this quirky tale of interconnecting lives starring Curtis Armstrong, David DeLuise, Dana Delaney, and Robert Romanus. The first segment, titled "Deer Hunters Wives," details the daily frustrations of a Civil War tour guide named Mandy who's hopelessly fixated on the story of Jennie Wade - the only civilian to be killed during the battle of Gettysburg. Meanwhile, her good friend June hatches a scandalous plan to make some extra cash by starting an online porn site. "What I Blieve" tells the tale of a man who enlists the aid of a Christian Scientist in healing his back pain and explaining the Bigfoot that chased him through the mountains, and "Original Bill" finds a writer's search for inspiration in the quiet countryside constantly interrupted by his Amish neighbor, a woman who smokes, drinks, and sneaks a peek at his television whenever possible. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
At a mystical, bullet-strewn outpost in the heart of the Mojave Desert, four disparate working-class people from the streets of Las Vegas will find their lives forever changed. Few normal people would expect to find an abandoned phone booth in the middle of the desert, yet for some of the more eccentric travelers, it's actually the entire reason for their journey. The myth of this phone booth was born on the Internet. Windows smashed and covered in graffiti, the lonely booth sets at the end of a long stretch of road surrounded by nothingness for hundreds of miles. But it still functions, and there's always the prospect that at any moment, the telephone may unexpectedly come alive with the sound of a ring. The callers phone in from all corners of the country, and the occupant inside never knows what interesting conversation could await them. Now, as four lonely strangers set up camp near this abandoned phone booth, they are all about to discover that they are better connected to the outside world than they ever imagined. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David DeLuise, Annabeth Gish, (more)
A luxury liner has capsized in the middle of the ocean, and it's up to the few remaining survivors to navigate through the treacherous, upside-down maze of terror and make their way to safety in the made-for-television remake of the 1972 disaster film. A terrorist has boarded the luxury liner Poseidon during a lavish New Year's Eve celebration, and when the blast of his bomb causes the immense ship to capsize, the struggle to make it out alive turns into a waterlogged nightmare as the ship slowly continues to take in water. But sinking isn't the only thing the survivors have to worry about, because within their midst the diabolical terrorist is waiting for just the right moment to finish the job he started when he planted the bomb. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A smooth-talking womanizer falls for a beautiful bachelorette who's keyed into his game and determined not to become just another conquest in this romantic comedy starring David DeLuise and Missi Pyle. Ted Davis likes to think of himself as Bachelorman - a superhero with the power to charm any woman straight into the bedroom. But Ted's new neighbor Heather (Pyle) isn't like the rest of the girls, because somehow she seems impervious to his tried-and-true pick-up techniques. In time, Ted manages to wear down Heather's defenses and the two become a couple. After winning the girl, however, Ted suddenly realizes that he might not be ready for such a serious relationship. Trouble is, now that Ted's experienced true love, he finds that resorting back to his old ways isn't as easy as he assumed it would be. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David DeLuise, Missi Pyle, (more)
As the "black sheep" of her wealthy family, struggling artist and single mother Britt Calhoun (Dana Delany) is reluctant to return home for the Christmas holidays. Finally persuaded to do so, Britt finds that her imperious mother Maggie (Doris Roberts) is still more concerned about "what people will think" than what people may be like inside. Even so, Britt is determined to mend fences with Maggie, if for no other reason than to convince the father of her child that she can lead a stable home life. But a dark cloud hangs over the Yuletide proceedings: Maggie is in the first stages of Alzheimer's, and it may never be possible to stage a reconciliation. Produced for the Hallmark channel, A Time to Remember debuted November 23, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doris Roberts, Dana Delany, (more)
A man with little passion for either his job or his wife gets a wake-up call in this independently produced romantic comedy. Frank Whaley plays Alan, an L.A.-based advertising executive currently being wooed by a tech firm in Seattle. He's about to move himself and his significant other (Dawn Eason) to the rainier climate when, upon returning from the interview, he finds she's left him for another man (Adam Baldwin, at that). Uncertain of anything anymore, Alan tries to find solace in friends and family, turning to his longtime friend Marissa (Annabeth Gish) for support; she in turn is having her own troubles with her husband, Jack (Alex Hyde-White). Hitting the singles bars to find a new love, Alan is slow to realize that the "right girl" may be right in front of him. Actor-turned-director John Putch is the son of actress Jean Stapleton, who appears briefly in Pursuit of Happiness. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Whaley, Annabeth Gish, (more)
- 2000
- R
In this sci-fi drama, Dr. Peter Crawford (Dennis Hopper), a gifted astronomer, discovers that a massive comet is heading toward Earth. Convinced that a major disaster is imminent, Crawford attempts to convince the world's scientific minds that drastic steps must be taken. No one appears to agree with him, so he begins constructing an underground city, which he plans to populate with a cross-section of intelligent people who will be able to reconstruct civilization after the comet destroys the cities. Jake Lowe (Peter Onorati), a down on his luck photojournalist, gets wind of Crawford's plan and attempts to join the underground community to get the full story from the inside. Tycus also features Finola Hughes and Chick Vennera. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Four men trying to regain the excitement they knew in their youth are also having to deal with the decisions and responsibilities of adulthood in this comedy-drama. Kramer (Robert Curtis-Brown), Stan (Shea Farrell), Skinner (John Putch), and Mikey (Dwier Brown) are four longtime friends, who, in their younger days, worked as river rafting guides. Spending their days on the water and their nights partying under the moonlight, they seemed to be living the sort of life many people dream of, until another guide died in an accident on the river rapids. A dozen years later, the four friends have gotten back together to ride the river one more time, but life is hardly the same for any of them. Skinner still feels he was somehow responsible for the death of the fifth guide, and these days he scrapes together a living as a bicycle repairman. Kramer is happily married, but he and his wife and struggling with the news that their young daughter has a crippling and potentially fatal illness. Stan recently broke up with his wife and is unable to relate to his teenage son. And Mikey has done well in his career as a lawyer, but hasn't been as lucky in love, and he isn't sure if he's ready to propose marriage to his longtime girlfriend. Same River Twice was the first feature film for director Scott Featherstone. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Curtis-Brown, John Putch, (more)
- 1999
It's not easy being nice to Valerie Flake (played by Susan Traylor); she has a sharp tongue and a bitterly sarcastic sense of humor that she uses to level nearly everyone in her path, making her rather difficult to comfort after the death of her husband in a motorcycle accident. Valerie takes solace where she can by getting drunk and picking up men; however, she decides she needs some time out and leaves Los Angeles for Palm Springs, where she stays with her parents. A local greengrocer (Jay Underwood) soon makes it his pet project to find the softer side of Valerie's personality, but his mother (Christina Pickles) senses there's more to her than meets the eye and wants her son to stay away. Traylor's outstanding performance as Valerie is the highlight of this film, which premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Traylor, Jay Underwood, (more)
An invisible pooch comes to a lonely young heir's rescue by preventing the lad's impossibly greedy aunt from bilking him out of his fortune. That the boy is the only one who sees the dog only adds to the fun. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bryan Mendez, Russ Tamblyn, (more)
Though she has struggled to put her past behind her, a woman finds the task impossible. This drama chronicles the events that transpire after she must learn to let herself get close to the man who married her even though he was aware she was pregnant from another man. Instead of repeating her actions in that earlier relationship, she must learn to stay with a man who loves her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Delany, Clancy Brown, (more)
In this outdoor adventure a young boy uses his ingenuity and expertise to save a toy magnate's daughter from a goofy pair of kidnappers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laraine Newman, Chick Vennera, (more)
In this romantic comedy, LA stand-up comic Barry (Christopher Meloni) and dentist Robert (Timothy Busfield) are longtime buddies. Barry has a rocky relationship with feminist activist Thea (Janel Moloney) who begins to find his glib, one-liner approach to life annoying. She drifts off to campaign for candidate Jerry Brown. Meanwhile, Robert has a different kind of problem -- dealing with his lesbian wife (Allison Mackie). Comic Steve Landesberg portrays himself. Shown at the AFI/Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Meloni, Janel Moloney, (more)
In this tense science fiction thriller, Roger (Gary Daniels) is unjustly convicted of a crime he didn't commit and ends up in a high-tech prison of the future. Driven mad by the constant abuse, Roger tries to escape. He is soon captured and returned to prison, where his sentence is lengthened. He attempts escape again, and is again returned to prison; as his sentence continues to grow, the authorities begin putting him into cryogenic suspension; he stays the same age, while the friends and family who visit him continue to grow older. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Daniels
- 1995
As a ratings gimmick, radio talk host Sandy Latham (Elizabeth Ashley) invites her listeners to volunteer as her daughter Claire's prom date. It is the latest in a long series of public humiliations for Claire (Melissa Joan Hart), who has spent her life as a pawn in her selfish mother's rise to fame. Hired as Sandy's personal assistant, Monica (Roma Downey) teams with the radio star's on-air sidekick--who happens to be Tess (Della Reese)--to repair the relationship between mother and daughter. But it may be too late: The resentful Claire has gotten mixed up with a bootleg-CD scam in order to earn enough money to leave home for keeps! Future film star Jack Black appears in a key supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Joe (Tim Daly) cancels a date with his current girlfriend Sandra (Julia Paige) to be with another girl named Joy. At the same time, Helen (Crystal Bernard) goes out with a guy named Jeff (John Putch) when Davis Lynch (Mark Harelik) cancels out on her again. It's not a happy situation for either party, especially considering that Joe is ultimately caught in a lie and Davis happens to see Helen and Jeff together. But, wait, that's not the whole story.... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The seventh Star Trek feature passed the torch to a new crew. Decades after the original "Trek," the skipper of the fourth USS Enterprise is Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), who investigates a massacre at a science outpost. The only survivor is Dr. Soran (Malcolm McDowall), who perpetrated the event to cover up his invention: a bomb he launches into a nearby sun, exploding it. As Soran escapes with Klingon cronies, Picard learns that Soran's plan is to summon a heavenly energy ribbon called the Nexus. Those who enter it live forever with every wish fulfilled. Attempting to stop Soran, Picard ends up inside the Nexus, where he discovers former captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), believed to have been killed in an accident 78 years earlier. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, (more)
This is the third film based on Tom Clancy's high-tech espionage potboilers starring CIA deputy director Jack Ryan. Harrison Ford, returning to the Ryan role after his first go-round in 1992's Patriot Games, is assigned to a delicate anti-drug investigation after a close friend of the President (a Reaganesque Donald Moffat) is murdered by a Colombian drug cartel. When Ryan discovers that the President's wealthy friend was in league with the cartel, the President's devious national security adviser (Harris Yulin) and an ambitious CIA deputy director (Henry Czerny) send a secret paramilitary force into Colombia to wipe out the drug lords. The force is captured and then abandoned by the President's lackeys. It falls to Ryan to enter Colombia and rescue them, aided only by a renegade operative named Clark (Willem Dafoe), with both his life and career on the line. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, (more)
This light-hearted comedy depicts a typical summer camp, but with a special twist: this camp was designed by the campers themselves! "Mud" Himmel is a nerd. Once again he is faced with attending computer camp. His buddy Zack will be marching into go to military camp while Trish is acting happy about theater camp. That Gaby is going again to fat camp weighs heavily upon her mind. None of them are thrilled with their camp prospects and it is rebellious Mud who suggest that they create their own, secret camp. Enter Dennis Van Welker, their crazy high school drama instructor. He offers to join the conspiracy and act as their camp counselor. Just as it looks as if the four misfits are going to have a really great summer together, two dozen of their peers find out about the camp and decide to come along. For a time it's one big chaotic party. But as the kids act out their camp fantasies, they are gaining valuable insight into their lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Jackson, Christopher Lloyd, (more)
- 1993
The second volume in this film noir style TV-anthology series, this collection of short stories revolves around the dark world of detectives and police officers. Called to look into a murder, an investigator (Gary Oldman) discovers that the victim of the crime is none other than his estranged wife (Gabrielle Anwar) in "Dead End for Delia." When an attractive woman captures the attention of a detective, he ends up entangled in mob business in "I'll Be Waiting." In "The Quiet Room," the underhanded plans of two unscrupulous officers go amok ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Married for 12 years to dentist Corbin Bernsen, Markie Post comes to the sudden and startling conclusion that her husband is a murderer-many times over. While she is able to get a divorce, she is unable to pin any of the killings on Bernsen. Scott free, Post's ex threatens dire consequences for herself and her child. Federal agent Kelsey Grammer attempts to trap Bernsen into a confession; to do this, he must rely on Post to win back her former husband's confidence. Though it starts rather too pokily, the fact-based Beyond Suspicion builds steadily and craftily to its heart-pounding conclusion. Made for television, the film first aired November 22, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Markie Post, Corbin Bernsen, (more)
