Matt Roe Movies
A producer, actor, and screenwriter whose credits ranged from a bit role in The Naked Gun 33 1/3 to stage producer for Mel Brooks' production of The Producers, multi-faceted show business man Matt Roe had his irons in multiple fires -- and all to great effect. A Brooklyn native, he founded the Denver-based production house Clear Concepts, a company which eventually settled in Mexico, where Roe tried his hand at directing, as well. Though he eventually sold Clear Concepts and moved to Los Angeles to do commercial work, the company continued to flourish while its founder embarked on a series of supporting feature roles. From the late '80s to the early 2000s, Roe's work in such features as The Puppet Master (1989), Child's Play 2 (1990), Improper Conduct (1994), and Black Scorpion (1995) added an extra dimension to otherwise run-of-the-mill supporting roles. Behind the camera, he wrote the screenplays for Tainted Love (1996), Irresistible Impulse (1996), and The Minion (1998). Matt Roe died of multiple myeloma October 9, 2003, in Los Angeles. He was 51. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Dolph Lundgren stars in this futuristic action story as a member of a group of heavily armed holy men who guard a gateway to Hell that, if opened, will permit Satanic forces to run loose in New York City. The evil spirits end up getting loose and the monks must do battle for the soul of the city. Also shown under the titles The Minion and Knight of the Apocalypse. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dolph Lundgren, Francoise Robertson, (more)
- 1994
- PG13
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The further misadventures of bumbling Los Angeles police Lieutenant Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) are chronicled in this third installment in the popular Naked Gun comedy series. This by-the-numbers entry begins with Drebin as a happily retired house-husband called back into action when an evil terrorist organization threatens Los Angeles. As in the other Naked Gun films, this plot is merely an excuse for an unhinged, rapid-fire succession of gags, ranging from satirical lampoons of cop movies to broad slapstick, all played with a perfectly straight face. Nielsen provides his familiar combination of complete witlessness and oblivious dignity as Drebin, and the film attempts to match the earlier Naked Gun films -- and the Police Squad! television series that inspired them -- in the number of jokes. However, the film proved less successful than its predecessors, as some viewers found that the freewheeling comic style of the earlier films had solidified into its own formula, now mildly entertaining but disappointingly predictable. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, (more)
- 1994
- R
Sexual harassment and revenge are the themes of this thriller. A secretary is murdered in a New York office building. In L.A. Ashley, who works for an advertising agency, is at an office party.There she surreptitiously has sex with a fellow employee. Michael Miller just moved from New York to be the new marketing head. With him he brings his pregnant wife and his daughter Emily. Soon after his arrival he begins harassing Ashley culminating in an attack in an elevator. She goes to court charging him with sexual harassment, but because she has a reputation for making it with others in the office, loses. Despondent, she offs herself in a car crash. Ashley's sister is livid and decides she will avenge her sister's death by ruining Michael. First she gets a job at the agency. Next she seduces Michael and video tapes him making love to her. Mayhem ensues when she repeatedly blackmails him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steven Bauer, Tahnee Welch, (more)
- 1993
- R
An attractive businesswoman is ignored by her abusive, uncaring husband. She has an affair with a male stripper and another affair with a young black woman. When pictures of her and her black female lover turn up, blackmail and murder result. Her ex-boyfriend -- a cop -- believes that she has been framed and sets out to find the real killer. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi
- 1993
- R
In this exceedingly complex erotic thriller, a hard-nosed gumshoe uses his expertise as an ex-cop to untangle a convoluted insurance scam. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1992
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This fact-based drama follows the flight of a Milwaukee woman wrongly convicted for murdering her husband's ex-wife. Hoping to have a chance for a re-trial she escapes from prison and heads for Canada. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
A married woman who has not been able to successfully conceive a child turns to a specialist who succeeds in inseminating her artificially. Before too long, she hears rumors of the doctor's past and present genetic experiments and when she finally aborts the fetus, finds that it is a monster as she had feared--and still alive! ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brooke Adams, Jeffrey Hayenga, (more)
- 1991
The superb, utterly convincing special effects in the two-part TV movie The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake cannot be faulted. Less convincing are the scenes in which the fictional TV reporters, demoralized and in tears, can't bring themselves to describe the extent of the destruction. Part One, telecast November 11, 1990, finds seismologist Joanna Kerns trying in vain to convince authorities that the entire LA basin will be shake-and-bake within a few days. This portion of the drama ends with "The Big One" wreaking havoc throughout Lala-land. Part Two, broadcast November 12, concerns itself with the aftermath, the rescues, the tragedies, and above all the effect the natural disaster has on Kerns and her friends and family. Also appearing in The Big One is Ed Begley Jr. as the one political official willing to listen to Kerns' warnings, and Richard Masur as one of those "I can't bear it!" TV journalists. The video version titled The Great Los Angeles Earthquake runs 106 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A derivative rehashing of its predecessor (which itself owes a heavy debt to Trilogy of Terror), this sequel details the plight of young Andy (Alex Vincent), who in the previous film narrowly escaped losing his soul to make room for devil-doll Chucky (voice of Brad Dourif). Possessed by the spirit of serial killer Charles Lee Ray, Chucky had coveted Andy's body as a replacement for his own plastic shell... which ended up beaten and burned beyond recognition. At this film's outset, Andy's mom has suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of the prior human-vs.-doll battle, and Andy has been taken to a foster home. In the meantime, the makers of Good Guys dolls decide to reconstruct the scrappy little toy, hoping to prove the doll's harmlessness and sway public opinion. Alas, this is a major horror-movie no-no, and Chucky staggers obnoxiously back to life, with a renewed interest in body-swapping with Andy. Not awful as horror sequels go, this follows the standard horror-franchise formula (such as upping the gore quotient with each sequel) but manages to throw in a few appreciable scares, particularly at the climax (which echoes that of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining). ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alex Vincent, Jenny Agutter, (more)
- 1990
- R
After a business deal with the mob goes down in flames, a Realtor (William Katt) enlists his sexpot girlfriend (Shannon Tweed) to help him get revenge. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Katt, Shannon Tweed, (more)
- 1990
In the first half of a two-part story, brothers Joe (Tim Daly) and Brian (Steven Weber) are once again two cogs in a never-ending romantic wheel. Brian's ex-wife Carol (Kim Ulrich), who had dumped Joe in favor of Brian six years ago, subsequently divested herself of Brian to pursue another man. Now, the "other man" is history, as are several of Carol's interim romances. When Brian finds out that Carol is making a stopover in Boston en route to London, he decides to re-spark the old flame, choosing the Prudential Building as their meeting place (not quite Sleepless in Seattle, but it'll do). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
Stefanie Powers goes the wronged-wife route with Love and Betrayal. She is happily married to David Birney, and is also the blissful mother of two. Out of nowhere, her husband sues for divorce. He's found someone younger, and he's got all the legal pull to deny Ms. Powers such niceties as custody of the children and financial support. Hiss and boo if you wish. Made for TV, Love and Betrayal was buried in the ratings during its first telecast in April of 1989, by an unusually strong barrage of network competition--including a new adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
- R
In this film, a bereaved man wants to exact his revenge from the bank robber who was responsible for his wife's untimely death. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leigh McCloskey, Joe Dallesandro, (more)
In this tense horror outing Toulon, a puppet maker, discovers an ancient Egyptian potion and uses it to bring his creations to life. Unfortunately, he is a rather twisted fellow and his puppets become murderous little demons who escape. Distraught, the master takes his life. Years later, psychics tune into the existence of the monstrous marionettes and set off to stop them. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Le Mat, Irene Miracle, (more)
- 1986
Eugene Roche is cast as veteran reporter Billy Simms, yet another longtime friend of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). While recovering from a heart attack, Billy expresses the wish that something very, very bad would happen to the slimy publisher who took over Billy's former newspaper and turned it into a trashy tabloid. Sure enough, the publisher is murdered, casting suspicion not only on Billy but also Jessica, whose reputation had recently been slimed by the newspaper. Gretchen Corbett delivers a sharply honed performance as aggressive police investigator Lt. Caruso. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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