Deon Richmond Movies
The millions of Gen-X television devotees who attached themselves to The Cosby Show will have no difficulty recalling actor Deon Richmond -- he was Kenny, the frank and hip friend of the youngest Huxtable charge, Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam), though she and the other characters in the clan insisted on referring to him as Bud. Richmond joined the series in 1986, two years into its eight-year run, and remained with it until it wrapped in 1992. Richmond subsequently took several years off to concentrate on his education, until the early 2000s, when he appeared predominantly in teen-oriented films -- both sex comedies (Not Another Teen Movie [2001], National Lampoon's Van Wilder [2002]) and slasher pictures (Scream 3 [2000], Hatchet [2006]). In Hatchet, Richmond received his highest billing to date, playing one of two happy-go-lucky Mardi Gras partiers who take a haunted swamp tour and wind up playing cat-and-mouse with a deformed, homicidal maniac. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide- 1989
In exchange for clearing Duell McCall's name, the cowboy's assistance is needed in locating the murderer of the sheriff's wife. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1987
- R
In this violent crime drama, the residents of a New York City housing project live in fear of The Vampires, the brutal gang that continually terrorizes them. Things change after an insurance agent and a telephone repairman end up trapped there. Perhaps things would not be so desperate had the fellow not accidentally offended one of the gang members. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Frank, Ray Parker, Jr., (more)
A handful of college students looking for a good time are thrown into a world of danger in this homage to the slasher film cycle of the 1970s and '80s. Ben (Joel David Moore) has just been given his walking papers by his girlfriend and is deeply depressed. Needing a pick-me-up, Ben and his friend Marcus (Deon Richmond) head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and take in a "Haunted Swamp Tour," with master of ceremonies Shawn (Parry Shen) guiding guests through a spooky patch of bayou country. Along the way, Ben and Marcus meet a pair of half-bright exotic dancers, Misty (Mercedes McNab) and Jenna (Joleigh Fioreavanti), as well as Marybeth (Tamara Feldman), a pretty girl who is secretive about her past. As they tour the swamp, Shawn tells his customers about the local legend of Victor Crowley, a deformed man who was taunted by the other children living near the swamp until he was nearly bludgeoned with an axe by his father while trying to open the door of their burning shack. While Ben and Marcus don't think much of the story at first, it doesn't take long before they have serious reason to believe Victor Crowley is still at large -- and is looking to settle some old scores. Hatchet received its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joel David Moore, Tamara Feldman, (more)
Longtime television director Tony Singletary (Married... With Children, Moesha) makes his feature debut with this urban comedy set in a radio station. John Witherspoon stars as Wes, a station director who has his hands more than full with disc jockeys Jordan (Marcus Chong) and Venom (A.J. Johnson). The DJs have their hearts in the right place, but soon their antics get out of control. Ajai Sanders also stars. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deon Richmond, Marcus Chong, (more)
Spike Lee's 1990 directing effort is a jazz film, the story of a fictional trumpeter named Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington). He leads a quintet at the Beneath the Underground club with a flashy saxophonist named Shadow Henderson (Wesley Snipes). Though Shadow takes a few too many solos, everything seems fine in Bleek's life. Trouble soon arises, however, and he is forced to make decisions regarding both his best friend Giant (Spike Lee), and his relationships with two women. Giant, his manager and old pal, is addicted to gambling and often gets roughed up by thugs looking for pay back. Bleek is the only member of the quintet who wants to keep him as manager. The trumpeter's woman problems concern trying to decide between two girlfriends who both love him: a schoolteacher (Joie Lee) and a singer (Cynda Williams). Spike's father Bill Lee scored the film, with contributions from Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Abbey Lincoln and Ruben Blades (who plays Giant's bookie). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, (more)
The "National Lampoon" franchise is resurrected for another politically incorrect collegiate romp with this R-rated gross-out sex comedy. National Lampoon's Van Wilder revolves around the exploits of its title character (Ryan Reynolds), a seventh-year senior who's made it his goal in life to help each and every Coolidge College undergrad succeed in life -- or at least in bed. Van's charmed life seems to have an expiration date, however; his father (Tim Matheson) has cut off his presumably vast allowance. Financial insecurity doesn't phase the big man on campus, and he soon starts up a lucrative cottage industry as a planner of high-priced campus blowouts. When an enterprising reporter from the college paper gets wind of Van's liberal interpretation of the school's code of conduct, it seems his gig is up -- unless, of course, he can charm the hard-edged Gwen (Tara Reid) into accepting his uniquely skewed world view. In addition to Matheson, Van Wilder features cameos from a number of '80s teen movie stalwarts, including Edie McClurg, Paul Gleason, and Erik Estrada. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, (more)
Former MTV executive Joel Gallen makes his feature directorial debut with this broad spoof of the popular teen comedy genre, lampooning dozens of movies including American Pie (1999), American Beauty (1999), Bring It On (2000), Clueless (1995), She's All That (1999), Road Trip (2000), Can't Hardly Wait (1998), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Never Been Kissed (1999), and even the teen films of an earlier era such as The Breakfast Club (1985). At the aptly titled "John Hughes High School," aspiring artist Janey Briggs (Chyler Leigh) is an outcast because of her plain, bespectacled looks and paint-splattered overalls. Football hero Jake Wyler (Chris Evans) makes a bet that he can transform Janey into a gorgeous prom queen, a wager he may come to regret as he discovers Janey's true inner beauty. As their relationship blossoms, several other characters are limned, including a Nasty Cheerleader (Jaime Pressly), a Token Black Guy (Deon Richmond), a Stupid Fat Guy (Ron Lester), an Obsessed Best Friend (Eric Jungmann), an Undercover Reporter (Beverly Polcyn), the Cruelest Girl in School (Mia Kirshner), a Cocky Blonde Guy (Eric Christian Olsen), and several others. A nod to the multiple films that inspired it, Not Another Teen Movie (2001) was originally to have been entitled "Ten Things I Hate About Clueless Road Trips When I Can't Hardly Wait to Be Kissed." ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, (more)
Wes Craven's Scream (1996) was a half-parody/half-tribute to the first wave of slasher films of the 1970s and 1980s, and since most of them spawned a large number of sequels, it's only appropriate that Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson produced a third installment of their Scream franchise. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), traumatized by the brutal murders of her friends, has left her hometown of Woodsboro and is working in California as a crisis intervention counselor. Meanwhile, "Stab," the novel by Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox Arquette), is spawning a series of successful horror films, and as Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro is being filmed in Los Angeles, a lunatic has gotten his hands on a copy of the script, and is murdering the characters in the same order that they die in the movie. But predicting who will die next is not as simple as it might seem, since the producers have circulated three different screenplays, with different endings. In addition to Campbell and Cox-Arquette, David Arquette returns from the first two films as less-than-bright "Dewey" Riley; new members of the cast include Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, and Jenny McCarthy. Kevin Williamson wrote the original story, but the screenplay was penned by Ehren Kruger. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Arquette, Neve Campbell, (more)
- 2006
The NBC sitcom Teachers was based on the British comedy series of the same name, which first aired in the U.K. in 2001. Whereas the British series was set in Summerdown School in Bristol, the American edition of Teachers took place at Fillmore Middle School in New Jersey. In both cases, the schools were less than prestigious, weighed down by apathetic instructors, "don't give a damn" students, ridiculous and self-defeating rules and regulations, mediocre-to-poor facilities, and miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. The American Teachers starred Justin Bartha as English teacher Jeff Cahill, a Kotteresque wise guy and iconoclast who eagerly did battle against the educational establishment -- and sometimes his fellow teachers -- in hopes of helping those few students who really cared about learning something to reach their full potential. Sarah Alexander co-starred as Alice, a former Fillmore student who, in a burst of idealism, had returned as a teacher, and for whom Jeff carried a torch. The rest of the cast included Deon Richmond as Calvin Babbet, the school's drama teacher and Jeff's best friend; radio talk-show host Phil Hendrie as the all-but-burned-out veteran teacher Dick; Sarah Shahi as hot new "sub" teacher Tina; Matt Winston as the wheedling, sycophantic instructor Mitch; and Kali Rocha as Fillmore's ineffectual, p.c.-obsessed principal Ms. Wiggins. Executive-produced by reliable sitcom hands Matt Tarses and Bill Wrubel, Teachers debuted March 28, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justin Bartha, Sarah Alexander, (more)
In this high-flying comedy, Deon Richmond, Jamahl Hanna, and Merlin Santana play three buddies who work at a smoke shop specializing in exotic pipes designed for unusual smoking products (probably not the kind your grandfather uses on a regular basis). When their boss is away on vacation, the guys get the not-so-bright idea of borrowing some money from the store. While they're certain they can replace the money before the big man gets back, something happens and the cash goes missing, leaving the guys to figure out a way to replace it before they're in deep trouble. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deon Richmond, Merlin Santana, (more)
- 1988
In this thriller, a successful executive risks it all to help a street orphan get disentangled from the world of drugs. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alfre Woodard, Mario Van Peebles, (more)
- 1984
The series that literally rescued the moribund situation comedy genre from oblivion, NBC's The Cosby Show made its first appearance on September 20, 1984. By the time its first season was over, the series was the second-highest-rated program in the country, enabling NBC to build a brand-new sitcom empire with such popular offerings as Frasier, Seinfeld, and Friends. Bill Cosby was of course the creator of the series, in concert with the Carsey-Werner Company, whose later efforts included Roseanne, 3rd Rock From the Sun, and That '70s Show. Cosby played the leading character, Dr. Cliff Huxtable, a successful obstetrician who lived in a fashionable Brooklyn townhouse with his attorney wife, Clair (played by Phylicia Ayers-Allen, later billed as Phylicia Rashad). The couple's children included daughters Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe), and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and son Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner). Among the many other characters were Cliff's dad, Russell (Earle Hyman), and mom, Anna (Clarice Taylor); Sondra's boyfriend -- and later husband -- Elvin Tibedeaux (Geoffrey Owens); Theo's pal Cockroach (Carl Anthony Payne II); Rudy's friends Peter (Peter Costa) and Kenny (Deon Richmond); Vanessa's boyfriend Dabnis (William Thomas Jr.); Clair's second cousin, Bedford-Stuyvesant refugee Pam Turner (Erika Alexander); and Pam's friends Slida (Mushond Lee), Charmaine (Karen Malina White), and Lance (Allen Payne). Also, after briefly leaving the series to star in her own series, A Different World, Lisa Bonet returned in the role of Denise, then-married to Lt. Martin Kendall (Joseph C. Phillips) and stepmother of Martin's daughter, Olivia (Raven-Symone). Increasing the number of family members were Sondra and Elvin's twin children, Winnie and Nelson, played during the series' final season by Jessica Vaughn and Gary Gray. Unlike many sitcoms with African-American casts, The Cosby Show did not overemphasize its racial aspects, nor did it traffic in stereotypical characters or dialogue. Put simply, the Huxtables could have been any upper-middle-class family of any color, and it was their normality and universality that made the series a hit with viewers from all ethnic groups. The winner of innumerable industry awards, and America's top-rated sitcom for a remarkable five years in a row, The Cosby Show finished its network run on September 17, 1992, and has been a welcome fixture in the syndicated-rerun field ever since. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, (more)
- 1989
Invited to go on an archeological trip to Egypt, Theo (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) is unable to rely on his parents for the necessary money--he's already into them way, way too deep to ask for even a penny more! Meanwhile, Theo's pals Howard (Reno Wilson) and Lou (Alex Ruiz) try to persuade Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Clair (Phylicia Rashad) that the trip will do their son a world of good. Joining the chorus is Theo's teacher Professor Grayson (Eden Svendahl), a clever and capricious lady who provides this final episode of The Cosby Show's fifth season with a most unusual throughline. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In the first half of The Cosby Show's now-legendary series finale (originally shown as a single, hour-long special), Cliff (Bill Cosby) insists upon inviting everyone he knows to his son Theo's graduation--much to the dismay of Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), who is allowed only two commencement tickets. At the same time, Cliff's step-granddaughter Olivia (Raven-Symone) prepares to move to Singapore with her parents Denise and Martin. And there is a remote possibility that Vanessa will get back together with her much-older fiance Dabnis (William Thomas Jr.). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In the concluding half of The Cosby Show's now-legendary series finale (originally shown as a single, hour-long special), Cliff (Bill Cosby) prepares for Theo's college graduation by recalling how his son struggled to keep apace in high school. Elsewhere, Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) and Dabnis (William Thomas Jr.) remain on the verge of getting back together; and word comes that a certain former series regular is now pregnant. Don't miss that unforgettable final shot, as Cliff and Clair elegantly share a last dance--then casually stroll off the set, past the studio audience, and into sitcom immortality. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Pam (Erika Alexander) spends an eventful weekend serving as Cliff's temporary assistant at the hospital, highlighted by the contrary attitude of expectant mother Mrs. Minnifield (Lili Bernard), who refuses to follow the pre-natal instructions laid down by Cliff (Bill Cosby). As a result, the woman ends up giving birth in a cab just outside the Huxtable house! Elsewhere, Kenny (Deon Whitfield) tries to make Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) jealous by introducing his classmate Dierdre (Gabrielle Carmouche) as his new girlfriend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
After Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and her friends are denied the privilege of watching a video called "The Gross-Out Gang" in the Huxtable living room, Rudy complains that she is weighed down by too many rules and regulations, while her siblings get to do whatever they want. Mulling over Rudy's litany of grievances, Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Clair (Phylicia Rashad) decide to teach her a lesson by granting every privilege that she asks for, consequences or no consequences. Privilege Number One turns out to be the right to stay up and watch TV as late as she wants--and of course, she soon learns to regret her new-found "liberation." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Russell (Earle Hyman) manages to scrounge up tickets for a sold-out Michael Jackson concert, but hasn't got enough for the entire Huxtable family to attend. Rather than have her children miss out on the event, Clair (Phylicia Rashad) talks Cliff (Bill Cosby) into staying home with her to babysit Sondra and Elvin's twin babies--only to leave Cliff alone with the kids when she's called away on business. This episode marks the first appearance of infant twins Donovan Bryant and Darrian Bryant as Nelson Tibideaux and Jalese Grays and Janelle Grays as Winnie Tibideaux, all of whom unintentionally "ad-lib" as Cliff tries to tell them a melancholy story from his youth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
This episode was written to accommodate the pregnancy of series star Phylicia Rashad, aka Clair Huxtable. When Clair and her mom Anna leave for Hillman College to attend a ceremony honoring the retiring president, Cliff (Bill Cosby) and his dad Russell (Earle Hyman) are put in charge of the kids. A crisis arises when Cliff tries to mediate an argument between Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and her friend Kenny, as Russell watches from the sidelines with quiet amusement. Also, Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) can't understand why he has been receiving so many phone calls from giggling girls, who immediately hang up when he answers! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
With both Clair (Phylicia Rashad) and Denise (Lisa Bonet) out of town, Cliff (Bill Cosby) is left alone to take care of his other daughters, as well as Denise's stepchild Olivia (Raven-Symone). Almost immediately, Cliff alienates Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) by giving her some advice which backfires--and to make matters even dicier, Rudy's teacher Mrs. McGee (Elaine Stritch) tears into Cliff for giving the girl too much help with her homework. Meanwhile, Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) tries to finagle Cliff in letting her attend a party which had previously been vetoed by Clair; and Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) takes advantage of Olivia's presence to impress his latest girlfriend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Cliff (Bill Cosby) incurs the wrath of his next door neighbor Jeffrey Engels (Wallace Shawn) when he can't find a power drill that he has borrowed. Unable to understand why Engels has overreacted, Cliff must be reminded by Clair (Phylicia Rashad) that he himself has behaved the same way (even worse, in fact) in similar circumstances. Ultimately, Cliff resolves the situation by using the time-honored process of elimination. Meanwhile, Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and Kenny (Deon Richmond) put together a "haunted house" for Halloween. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Cliff (Bill Cosby) braves a terrific rainstorm to purchase a few extra ingredients for the Huxtables' Thanksgiving dinner--only to be forced back into the deluge time and again because he keeps forgetting one "little" item after another. To top off the situation, Martin's ex-wife Paula (Victoria Rowell) shows up unexpectedly. How will Denise (Lisa Bonet) react upon meeting her matrimonial predecessor face-to-face? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
The sixth season of The Cosby Show opens as prodigal daughter Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet, once again a series regular) returns from her photographic assignment in Africa. Denise has brought along a couple of surprises for her parents Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Clair (Phylicia Rashad)--specifically, a new husband, Navy lieutenant Martin Kendall (Joseph C. Phillips), and three-year-old Olivia (Raven-Symone) Martin's daughter from a previous marriage! Once they've overcome the shock of Denise's new "family", Cliff and Clair must face the prospect of providing housing for Martin and Olivia until he is shipped out. Denise's blasé attitude over the entire situation does not rest well with the elder Huxtables, and it is up to little Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) to save the day. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Assigned to do a class video project on "the day in the life of a parent", Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and Kenny (Deon Richmond) conclude that Clair's (Phylicia Rashad) legal work is too dull, so they beg Cliff (Bill Cosby) to let them follow him on his daily hospital rounds. Cliff agrees only on condition that the youngster confine themselves to his office and the waiting room. Chafing at these restrictions, the kids sneak all around the hospital and tape several things that they shouldn't--and to top off their indiscretions, they lend their camera to a prospective father (Francisco Rivela) who wants to film Cliff in the act of delivering his wife's baby! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
On a fishing trip with Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Russell (Earle Hyman), Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) lands the "catch" of a lifetime when he reels in the body of a murdered gangster! In the ensuing media blitz, Theo basks in his new-found celebrity, even though the press insists upon misquoting and misrepresenting him. But our hero soon learns that fame can be fickle when he is upstaged by his own sister Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam)...and a nest of abandoned baby birds. This is the final episode of The Cosby Show's fourth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
