Saul Rubinek Movies

In the summer of 2003, the East Coast of America was literally consumed by darkness. Though in the midst of the largest blackout in U.S. history most news reports spoke of the relative calm in a potentially chaotic situation, the situation in Brooklyn's East Flatbush neighborhood would soon become extremely volatile. As night fell over East Flatbush and looters came out of the shadows, violence flared and the citizens prepared for one of the most terrifying nights of their lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Tom Selleck returns to the role of small-town police chief Jesse Stone in this prequel to the CBS TV movie Stone Cold. Having been booted from the LAPD for drunkenness (brought on by his divorce), Stone heads to tiny Paradise, Massachussetts, where through the auspices of local banker Hastings Hathaway (Saul Rubinek) he is appointed chief of police. His first assignment is to investigate the murder of his predecessor Lou Carson (Mike Starr), whose death may or may not be tied in with a local domestic-abuse case involving minor mob functionary Jo Jo Genest (Stephen Baldwin). Although his new staff has a lot of trouble dealing with Stone's eccentricities--not least of which is insisting upon taking his pet dog Boomer wherever he goes--Jesse gradually wins them over. Along the way, he also tries to melt the heart of his staunchest adversary, attractive attorney Abby Taylor (Polly Shannon--all the while fending off the advances of banker Hathaway's libidinous wife Cissy (Stephanie March). Based on a novel by Robert B. Parker, Jesse Stone: Night Passage was originally telecast on January 15, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sopranos ingenue Jamie-Lynn DiScala stars as the infamous Hollywood madam in this made-for-cable bio-flick. Produced without the participation of Heidi Fleiss herself, Call Me traces the Pandering author's progression from pampered daughter of a liberal doctor (Saul Rubinek) to headline-grabbing proprietress of a ring of pricey Tinseltown escorts. Robert Davi and Brenda Fricker co-star as the boyfriend/pimp and the old-guard madam who offer Fleiss her entrée into the oldest profession. Corbin Bernsen plays a big-time movie producer who requires high kink from "Heidi's girls" to sate his jaded sexual appetites. The script, by Norman Snider, covers Fleiss' bust but trails off after her incarceration without covering her subsequent rehabilitation as a legitimate businesswoman. Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss premiered in April 2004 on the USA network. Snider previously worked on the script for another naughty TV flick, Rated X, which starred Charlie Sheen -- one of the few high-flying Fleiss customers to be named publicly during her early-'90s legal ordeals. Fleiss was previously the subject of Nick Broomfield's documentary Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

When the best doctors at St. Albert's Hospital suddenly abandon their posts, it's up to the six inexperienced interns to keep the hospital running and the patients breathing in an all-star comedy featuring Dave Thomas, Dan Aykroyd, Maury Chaykin, Dave Foley, Matt Frewer, and Saul Rubinek. Things aren't what they used to be at St. Andrews Hospital, and between the wild parties down in the morgue and the misplaced patients, it's going to take a miracle to maintain the appearance of order in this medical facility. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Candian filmmaker Peter O'Brian directs the comedy Hollywood North, set in Toronto during the late '70s. Matthew Modine stars as Bobby Mayers, a stressed-out Canadian producer trying to make an action film called "Flight to Bogota." The production is inevitably troubled by numerous problems with the cast, crew, and finances. Alan Bates stars as crazed Hollywood actor Michael Baytes, the leading man who takes over the set. Jennifer Tilly plays Gillian Stevens, the nymphomaniac leading lady who seduces her younger co-star Frankie Candido (Fabrizio Filippo). Meanwhile, filmmaker Sandy Ryan (Deborah Kara Unger) is trying to capture the whole thing for a making-of documentary. Hollywood North premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Everybody Loves Raymond co-star Brad Garrett brings "The Great One" to life in this made-for-TV biography of video icon Jackie Gleason. The product of a fractious Brooklyn childhood, capped by the abrupt desertion of his ne'er-do-well father, Gleason launches his show business career with the motto "Never depend on anyone." Yet because of his multitude of insecurities, he demands total loyalty and 100-percent devotion from everyone around him. Trouble is, he has no loyalty or devotion to give in return: Dedicated to his career, his drinking, and his womanizing (not always in that order), Jackie neglects his wife Gen (Gretchen Egolf) and his children, tyrannizes his associates in general and his faithful agent George "Bullets" Durgom (Saul Rubinek) in particular, and shamelessly steals other people's ideas and comedy material, claiming it exclusively as his own. For all his bluster and bullying, Gleason remains likable and arguably even lovable -- just like his most famous TV character, Brooklyn bus driver Ralph Kramden (indeed, the script suggests that Gleason was Kramden and Kramden was Gleason -- and that Jackie was envious of Ralph's ability to "make things up" to his long-suffering wife Alice at the end of each Honeymooners sketch). The film is at its best in its re-creations of Gleason's stage and TV triumphs, though one could nitpick about the hazy and often downright inaccurate chronology of events. As the title character, Brad Garrett offers an uncannily on-target portrayal, despite the fact that the 6'8" actor was nearly a foot taller than the real Gleason (this discrepancy was amply compensated for by the clever camera angles of cinematographer Neil Roach, not to mention the elevator shoes worn by practically every other member of the cast). Of the supporting players, Gretchen Egolf and Terry Farrell are superb as Jackie's first and second wives respectively, while Michael Chieffo's portrayal of Art Carney is eerily perfect. Co-written by Michael Preminger and Rick Podell, the same team responsible for Jackie Gleason's final theatrical feature Nothing in Common, Gleason made its CBS network debut on October 13, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There are people who like to watch a ball game every once in a while, and then there are baseball fans, individuals of rare dedication whose passion for their favorite team defies conventional logic, and this comedy-drama follows a group of fans whose devotion to their hometown heroes is rarely tainted by the fact they almost never win. It's a typical summer afternoon, and a group of fans are watching the Chicago Bruins play a typically lamentable game from the cheapest seats in the stadium. Decker (Peter Reigert) is the owner of a hardware store who is playing hooky to watch the game. Marvin (Brad Garrett) and Zig (Wayne Knight) are compulsive gamblers who will bet on anything -- even the hapless Bruins. Richie (Hal Sparks) is a loyal Bruins booster who probably knows more about the team than the players do. Melody (Sarain Boylan) is a sexy fan who likes going to the game, getting some sun, and showing off her figure. And Greg (Matt Craven) likes to follow the game, even if he can't see the players -- he's blind. Bleacher Bums was based on a long-running stage play created by Chicago's Organic Theater Company; Joe Mantegna and Dennis Franz were among the actors who wrote and performed the play in its original incarnation, and Stuart Gordon, who went on as a filmmaker, also contributed to the script, as well as directing the premier production. This film adaptation of Bleacher Bums was produced for the Showtime premium cable network, where it premiered in the spring of 2002. Incidentally, in the stage version of Bleacher Bums, the baseball team in question was the Chicago Cubs, but the team and Major League Baseball refused to give the producers of the film permission to mention the Cubs in this adaptation. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Alan Alda stars in this period drama as Willie Walters, a talent agent booking acts into nightclubs in the 1940s. Willie would like his son Stuey (Steven Webber) to join him in his business, but Stuey isn't so sure that's the path he wants to take in life, and his uncertainty starts to drive father and son apart. Club Land also stars Louise Lasser and Robert Weil, and was directed by noted actor Saul Rubinek. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Nero Wolfe (Maury Chaykin) is the world's greatest detective, and like any genius, he has his share of idiosyncrasies -- he loves orchids with an unnatural passion, he weighs a seventh of a ton, and--oh yeah--he never leaves his New York brownstone. Instead, he is aided by an army of foot soldiers headed by Archie Goodwin (Timothy Hutton). The film opens when Pete, a young windshield washer, is begged by a woman to call the police. She is then ushered into a car and whisked away. Thinking that she has been kidnapped, Pete gives Nero the scoop in exchange for half the reward money. When Pete later turns up dead, Nero kicks his investigation into high gear. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Relentless attorney Donny Douglas (Saul Rubinek) continues to press his lawsuit against Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Daphne (Jane Leeves), accusing Frasier of encouraging Daphne to run out on her wedding to Donny. Hoping to fight fire with fire, Frasier hires an attorney named Abby (Teri Polo), who has a reputation for being even more "down and dirty" than Donny. The fun (?) begins when Frasier starts dating the estimable -- and none too ethical -- Abby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the concluding half of Frasier's Emmy-winning season-seven finale, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) tries to bring Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves) together for one last fond farewell before Daphne marries Donny Douglas (Saul Rubinek). Meanwhile, Daphne's boorish brother Simon (Anthony LaPaglia) continues putting the moves on Roz (Peri Gilpin) -- who, as Donny's ex-girlfriend, is not altogether unresponsive. A shocking revelation about Niles' current companion Dr. Mel Karnofsky (Jane Adams) sets off a chain reaction of calamitous events, culminating in perhaps the series' most famous season-ending cliffhanger. Originally telecast as a one-hour special, this episode has since been reedited as two half-hours for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide