Jeremy Ratchford Movies
After a series of very brief appearances in low-rent Hollywood films and studio products including Junior (1986), Short Circuit 2 (1988), and Welcome Home (1989), Canadian character actor Jeremy Ratchford revealed a predilection for slightly dark, crime-themed material, even as he occasionally branched off into other genres. Career highlights include a portrayal of Deputy Andy Russell in Clint Eastwood's 1992 Oscar winner Unforgiven, Harvey Sanders in the made-for-television docudrama Getting Gotti (1994), and Darryl Marquette in a guest appearance on NYPD Blue. In 2006, Ratchford accepted the regular role of investigator Nick Vera on the detective series Cold Case. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 2002
When Capt. Kelly (Raymond O'Keefe) orders Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and Laughlin (Anthony Mangano) to call off their grudge boxing match, everyone assumes that Clark chickened out. Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) balks when his son Theo (Austin Majors) insists that McDowell (Charlotte Ross) accompany them on their Disney World vacation. Back on the job, the victim of a rape is unable to provide evidence that will nail her alleged assailant for two different crimes; and a shooting victim turns out not to be a doctor as originally assumed, but instead a snake-oil huckster who dabbled in sex-change operations. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Henry Simmons
- 2002
A violent pile-up occurs during an amateur soccer game -- and when the teams disperse, unpopular hockey player Terry Rivers (David Andriole) is found at the bottom of the pile, with his throat slashed. As Grissom (William L. Petersen), Catherine (Marg Helgenberger), and Sara (Jorja Fox) investigate Rivers' murder, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) and Nick (George Eads) try to determine if a saxophone player died of a drug overdose. Among those closest to the dead musician was casino singer Lillie Ivers (Nicole Ari Parker), in whom Warrick takes a more than professional interest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
When the perfect murder is foiled by an unexpected twist and darkness descends on a small Alaskan town, a madman's hunger for blood grows in this thriller from director Michael Bafaro. As a blanket of darkness settles over Revelstoke, AK, for a period of 24 hours, local barber Dexter Miles and the rest of the citizens realize that winter's chill is soon to follow. No one would suspect a man like Dexter Miles to be a cold-blooded killer, but when Dexter overhears the sheriff mention that the body of Lucy Waters has been discovered, he quickly realizes that his dark secret is about to break wide open. Having only murdered Lucy a few days prior, Dexter had hoped that authorities wouldn't discover her body until the spring thaw. Now, as the big-city detectives cloaked in the darkness of the Alaskan winter arrive to investigate the murder, Dexter once again feels the thrill of the kill -- and he's starting to like it. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Malcolm McDowell, Jeremy Ratchford, (more)
The funny side of sports fandom provides the common element for two stories in this made-for-cable anthology feature. In the first segment, based on a short story by Don Marquis, a golfer (Bob Newhart) looks like he's about to break 100 for the first time, but his partner (Kelsey Grammer) keeps insisting upon following every rule in the book, much to his friend's annoyance. The second story is based on 1968's real-life "Heidi Bowl" incident, in which NBC-TV's broadcast of a hard-fought game between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, which seemed likely to determine the AFL championship, was cut off --with 65 seconds left to play and the score at 32-29 -- in order to begin a scheduled showing of a made-for-TV movie based on the classic children's story Heidi. Eugene Levy plays a network control room supervisor, Ellie Harvie appears as a NBC switchboard operator trying to handle the sudden influx of angry calls, Gary Basaraba plays her husband, who is watching the game at home with friends, and John Kapelos is a bookie with a lot of money riding on the game. Fox-TV sports commentator James Brown hosts the two-part film, which was produced for the Showtime premium cable network. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Kelsey Grammer, (more)
In this dark comedy, a group of retirees wants to save their homes -- but they're not typical senior citizens trying to make the most of their Social Security checks. Four aging former mobsters -- Joey "Bats" Pistella (Burt Reynolds), Bobby Bartellemeo (Richard Dreyfuss), Mike the Brick (Dan Hedaya), and Tony "The Mouth" Donato (Seymour Cassel) -- live in the same rundown Miami apartment complex, the Raj Mahal. New owners hope to clear out the current tenants and replace them with a younger, more lucrative clientele. But the veteran gangsters don't want to move, so to scrape up the extra rent money, they take a job executing the father of a Miami mob boss. They happen to know he's already dead, so all they have to do is make it look like they did the hit. Their problems start when loudmouthed ladies' man Tony tells too much to Ferris (Jennifer Tilly), a stripper, and soon she's talked him into murdering her mother (Lainie Kazan) in exchange for her silence. The Crew also features Carrie-Anne Moss as a detective and Jeremy Piven as a mob kingpin out to avenge his father's death. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, Burt Reynolds, (more)
- 1998
Cowboy vampires and parenthood health class models take center stage in this second season episode. The Gorch brothers -- the rootinest, tootinest pair of insane bloodsucking vampire cowpokes ever to come a'ridin' out of the Old West -- have just ridden into Sunnydale. While researching them with Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) misses her health class, where everybody pairs off and is given egg to care for as a real child. Subsequently, Buffy gets to play single mother to little "Eggbert." Unfortunately, these aren't free-range chicken eggs, but bezoar eggs -- a prehistoric parasite living under Sunnydale High. As the eggs hatch the little bezoars attach themselves to their "parents," creating human drones to help release their trapped mother. Buffy catches her egg hatching and kills the bezoar. Along with help from Xander (Nicholas Brendon) -- who hard-boiled his egg -- Buffy attempts to stop the bezoar from escaping. Of course, the Gorch brothers attack at the same time. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi
- 1998
It's Homecoming at Sunnydale High and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) is determined to be crowned Homecoming Queen. As Angel (David Boreanaz) is still chained up in his mansion, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) accepts Scott's (Fab Filippo) invitation to the dance. Cordelia's self-involved behavior over her Homecoming campaign irks Buffy into running herself. Meanwhile, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) share more than their prospective outfits for the dance. Elsewhere, Mr. Trick (K. Todd Freeman) invites a motley band of psychotics and vampires back to Sunnydale for their own slayer killing festivities. Hoping to give Cordelia and Buffy a chance to mend their friendship, Xander arranges for the limo driver to pick up the feuding pair separately. This works fine, except that the limo driver is German psycho killer Hans Gruenshtahler (Joseph Daube), one of Mr. Trick's guests. Mayor Richard Wilkins III (Harry Groener) is also introduced in this episode, and his demonic intentions established. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi
- 1996
- PG13
In this rip-roaring actioner, a moonshiner comes to a crossroads in his life when he must decide whether he should spend the rest of his days running illegal corn squeezin's and eluding the vengeful and corrupt sheriff, or follow the advice of his lover (the same sheriff's estranged wife) and head down the straight and narrow. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kyle MacLachlan, Randy Quaid, (more)
Inspired by a true story, Fly Away Home is a family drama about Amy Alden (Anna Paquin), a 13-year-old girl who, after the tragic death of her mother, is sent to live with her father Thomas (Jeff Daniels), a sculptor. Amy misses her mother and has never enjoyed a very warm relationship with her father, so the first few months in her new home are very difficult for her. However, one day Amy finds a nest full of eggs, which was tossed away by land developers clearing a wooded area. Amy brings the eggs home and builds a makeshift incubator; a few weeks later, a flock of tiny Canadian Geese are hatched. While caring for her new pets makes Amy happier, a problem soon presents itself -- young geese "imprint" on the first creature they see after hatching and follow it, as if it's their mother. Without a mother to show them how to fly south for the winter, how will they learn normal migratory patterns? Thomas comes up with a solution to the problem: as a hobby, he flies Ultralights, lightweight aircraft that look like gliders with engines. If he puts Amy in an Ultralight and has her fly the migratory route to the South, perhaps the birds will follow her and learn the route their mother would normally teach them. Amy's adventures help her learn about independence as she tries to teach it to the birds, bringing her closer to her father. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeff Daniels, Anna Paquin, (more)
- 1996
A group of students are in super-hero training in this made-for-television sci-fi adventure. Based on the comic by Stan Lee, a bunch of mutated teens with special powers, go into training to become super-heroes. Before they finish their education though, they must put their powers to the test and rescue a friend. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi
This made-for-TV crime drama follows the actions of the courageous, determined prosecutor who attempted to put notorious Mafioso John Gotti behind bars. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Dedicated to his mentors Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, Clint Eastwood's 1992 Oscar-winner examines the mythic violence of the Western, taking on the ghosts of his own star past. Disgusted by Sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett's decree that several ponies make up for a cowhand's slashing a whore's face, Big Whiskey prostitutes, led by fierce Strawberry Alice (Frances Fisher), take justice into their own hands and put a $1000 bounty on the lives of the perpetrators. Notorious outlaw-turned-hog farmer William Munny (Eastwood) is sought out by neophyte gunslinger the Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett) to go with him to Big Whiskey and collect the bounty. While Munny insists, "I ain't like that no more," he needs the bounty money for his children, and the two men convince Munny's clean-living comrade Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) to join them in righting a wrong done to a woman. Little Bill (Oscar-winner Gene Hackman), however, has no intention of letting any bounty hunters impinge on his iron-clad authority. When pompous gunman English Bob (Richard Harris) arrives in Big Whiskey with pulp biographer W.W. Beauchamp (Saul Rubinek) in tow, Little Bill beats Bob senseless and promises to tell Beauchamp the real story about violent frontier life and justice. But when Munny, the true unwritten legend, comes to town, everyone soon learns a harsh lesson about the price of vindictive bloodshed and the malleability of ideas like "justice." "I don't deserve this," pleads Little Bill. "Deserve's got nothin' to do with it," growls Munny, simultaneously summing up the insanity of western violence and the legacy of Eastwood's Man With No Name. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, (more)
- 1991
A Canadian-Australian co-production, the 20-episode adventure series Gold was set in New Zealand during that country's "gold rush" in the 1860s. The central character was Johnny Rogan (Yannick Bisson), an 18-year-old Canadian who accompanied his older brother to the Land Down Under in hopes of striking it rich. After his brother's death, Johnny pitched camp in the town of Dunstan, entering into a partnership with rogueish prospector Henry Garrick (Andy Anderson) and finding time to squire the local pubkeeper's daughter, Lily Owens (Lucy Bayler). Originally shown on Canadian TV through the auspices of Alliance Atlantis, Gold was later released to video in "feature film" form, with selected half-hour episodes stitched together and rechristened with such titles as Gold: A Fistful of Gold, Gold: The Merchants of Venus, and Gold: The World's a Play. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yannick Bisson, Andy Anderson, (more)
- 1989
- R
In this entry in the gory slasher series, a dead prom queen rises up from the grave to pursue her latest crush. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tim Conlon, Cyndy Preston, (more)
- 1989
- R
In this drama, Lt. Jake Robbins (Kris Kristofferson) was presumed to have been killed in action during the Vietnam War. His wife, Sarah (JoBeth Williams) and his son were forced to get on with their lives; however when Jake turns up in Thailand many years later with a Cambodian wife and two children, the two families must struggle to deal with this complication. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kris Kristofferson, JoBeth Williams, (more)
Fisher Stevens reprises his role of Ben Jahrvi, the co-inventor of the cute robot Number Five, in this sequel to Short Circuit. Since the last film, Ben has moved to the city, where he lives in a truck and sells toy Number Fives as a street vendor. Ben plies his trade until one day luck strikes in the form of Sandy (Cynthia Gibb), a toy buyer in dire straits who offers Ben $50,000 if he can quickly churn out a thousand toy robots. Offering to help the naive Ben is street con man Fred (Michael McKean), who becomes Ben's partner and finances the burgeoning enterprise through a loan shark. Ben and Fred begin to manufacture the toys in a warehouse; unfortunately, they soon find the building also houses the entrance of a tunnel dug by thieves, preparing to rob the bank across the street. With things appearing their bleakest, a crate arrives from Montana. Inside is the new and improved Number Five, who now insists on being called Johnny Five. Johnny Five has even learned to talk in a litany of phrases gleaned from television shows, and now helps Ben get started in the toy business. In the process, Ben and Johnny Five contend with the temptations and corrupt business practices of a big city environment. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fisher Stevens, Michael McKean, (more)
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