Robert Romanus Movies

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

Director Henry Jaglom once again casts his quirky gaze on a common female obsession in this comedy drama. Holly (Victoria Foyt) owns a small and upscale boutique in Santa Monica, and has just learned that her accountant and significant other, Adam (Bruce Davison), has betrayed her -- even worse than cheating on her, he's run off with three month's worth of rent, and she has only a few days to raise the money or lose her space. With Mother's Day approaching, Holly is hoping for a big weekend to save the day, but she has other problems to contend with as she has to patch up a misunderstanding with her mother (Lee Grant), who offers to refer her to a loan shark, and her daughter (Mae Whitman). Meanwhile, with Adam out of the picture, Holly finds herself flirting with Miles (Rob Morrow), the long-suffering boyfriend of one of her customers. And in the midst of the buying frenzy, many of Holly's customers share their feelings about shopping and the role it plays in their lives. Leading lady Victoria Foyt co-authored the screenplay with director Jaglom (who is also her husband). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this TV sitcom, Maggie Winters (Faith Ford), after a bitter divorce, returns home to Shelbyville, Indiana, where she was once voted "most likely to succeed." Minus husband and job, she spends time with her insensitive mom (Shirley Knight), and her high-school friends, including cynical boutique owner Lisa (Alex Kapp Horner). She finds former BMOC Tom (Brian Haley) is now a bartender with a case of arrested development, and her gal-pal Robin (Jenny Robertson) is busy filling cribs with babies. Maggie turns to her old high-school flame Bobby (Vincent Ventresca). Filmed in L.A., this series premiered September 30, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Household appliances are generally useful and beneficent items, and most of us who own them take them for granted, but should we? This sci-fi thriller shows what happens when electricity gets a mind of its own, becomes evil and turns every-day gadgets into evil killers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Ghost of a Chance is a failed TV pilot starring Redd Foxx and Dick Van Dyke. Foxx is a piano player accidentally killed by hard-hearted narcotics officer Dick Van Dyke. Since he's died before his scheduled time, Foxx is sent back to earth, where he helps Van Dyke track down genuine criminals. Naturally, Foxx is endowed with supernatural abilities, including a penchant for disguise. Ironically, Dick Van Dyke's son Barry had starred in another unsold pilot in 1981, also titled Ghost of a Chance and also dealing with a misplaced spirit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although the weekly, one-hour musical drama series Fame was still one of the most popular syndicated series in America as it entered its sixth season, the show's budget was beginning to outstrip its profits, and thus the difficult decision was made to end production once the season wrapped. This, however, didn't stop the producers from continuing to infuse the cast with new blood, nor from staging spectacular singing and dancing numbers, frequently with top guest stars taking part in the proceedings. The season opener "Back to Something New" brings us up to date on two recently departed regulars: Ms. Elizabeth Sherwood, longtime English teacher at New York's High School for the Performing Arts, has become a successful author of racy romantic novels, while dance major Christopher Donlon has graduated and gone on to professional work. New students include brash British-born musician Ian Ware (Michael Cerveris), spunky Maxie (Olivia Barasch), and neurotic Miltie Horowitz (Robert Romanus). Likewise, the faculty is increased by one when Mr. Paul Seeger (Eric Pierpoint), a disillusioned actor turned cab driver, signs on as the new drama teacher. And in one of the season's most surprising and disturbing developments, gifted musical student Nicole Chapman (Nia Peeples) is killed in a car accident. Inarguably the series' most celebrated episode is "Reggie and Rose", in which student Reggie Higgins (Carrie Hamilton) encourages the school's recently laid-off cafeteria lady Rose to enroll as a student. Rose is played by Carol Burnett, real-life mother of Carrie Hamilton, with whom she duets in a rousing rendition of Irving Berlin's "We're a Couple of Swells). And in the series finale "Baby, Remember My Name", several former series regulars are reunited for a gala production number with the current students and faculty members: among these returnees are Erica Gimpel, Cynthia Gibb, Carol Mayo Jenkins, Valerie Landsburg, P.R. Pauland Lee Curreri. And on this high note, Fame comes to a close, but not before collecting its seventh Emmy award, bestowed upon costumer Nanrose Buchman for her contributions to the episode "All Talking, All Singing, All Dancing." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Amy Heckerling's adaptation of Cameron Crowe's Fast Times at Ridgemont High is often considered one of the finest films of a disreputable genre (the teen sex comedy), and kick-started the careers of many future stars. The center of this ensemble film is Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stacy Hamilton. She is a young, innocent high-school student who, as the film opens, is asking for advice from her friend, the sexually outspoken Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates). Stacy takes a liking to nebbish Mark Ratner (Brian Backer), but he is too afraid to make a move even after Stacy all but throws herself at him. She eventually hooks up with Mark's more confident best friend, Mike Damone (Robert Romanus). When not concerning itself with these four characters, the film spends time with stoned surfer dude Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) and his ongoing feud with history teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston). The film includes brief appearances by such future stars as Nicolas Cage, Eric Stoltz, and Forest Whitaker. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide