Peter Billingsley

From Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures comes Iron Man, an action-packed take on the tale of wealthy philanthropist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who develops an invulnerable robotic suit to fight the throes of evil. In addition to being filthy rich, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is also a genius inventor. When Stark is kidnapped and forced to build a diabolical weapon, he instead uses his intelligence and ingenuity to construct an indestructible suit of armor and escape his captors. Once free, Stark discovers a deadly conspiracy that could destabilize the entire globe, and dons his powerful new suit on a mission to stop the villains and save the world. Gwyneth Paltrow co-stars as his secretary, Virginia "Pepper" Potts, while Terrence Howard fills the role of Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, one of Stark's colleagues, whose military background leads him to help in the formation of the suit. Jon Favreau directs, with Marvel movie veterans Avi Arad and Kevin Feige producing. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Popular comic actor Vince Vaughn brings a newly invigorating sense of Old West attitude to the world of standup comedy as he captures the carefree spirit of Buffalo Bill's turn-of-the-century "Wild West Show" on the stage, and the cameras are rolling to capture every belly-shaking laugh in this look at the 30-day, 30-gig tour that featured Vaughn serving as emcee to a wild host of renegade comics that included John Caparulo, Ahmed Ahmed, Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco, and a whole host of surprise special guests. Of course, when you gather as many comedians together as Vaughn did for such a high-concept tour, the laughs are sure to keep coming once the show has ended, and in addition to offering standup footage of each comic in action, the feature-film version of the tour also offers a hilarious look at what it was like for a group of fun-loving guys to make their way across the American landscape while bringing down the house night after night. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

An old and forgotten game develops magical powers in this fantasy for the whole family. Twelve-year-old Walter Budwing (Josh Hutcherson) and his younger brother, Danny (Jonah Bobo), figure they're going to be in for a boring time when their father (Tim Robbins), who was supposed to spend the day with them, is suddenly called away on business, and gives them strict orders not to leave the house. Walter, who doesn't have much use for Danny, is motivated by boredom more than anything else when he agrees to play a board game Danny has found in the basement during a round of hide-and-seek. However, the boys quickly discover the space-themed game Zathura has some unusual qualities -- a roll of the dice unexpectedly launches the Budwing home into outer space, and Walter and Danny are suddenly fending off menacing robots, angry aliens, and showers of interstellar debris outside the Earth's atmosphere. As the boys try to figure out a way back home, they get some unexpected help from an earthling astronaut (Dax Shepard) who has also lost his way. Based on the book by children's author Chris Van Allsburg -- who also wrote The Polar Express and Jumanji -- Zathura was directed by Jon Favreau, the actor-turned-filmmaker who enjoyed a breakthrough success with Elf. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This long-delayed sci-fi/horror project from Charles Band's "B"-factory Full Moon Entertainment features Megan Ward and Peter Billingsley (once the cuddly hero of A Christmas Story) as a pair of suburban teens who discover that the neighborhood's most popular virtual-reality video game -- unimaginatively-dubbed Arcade -- is possessed of a malevolent intelligence and a hunger for young souls. After several Arcade junkies are captured by the digital demon, our heroes decide to strap on their virtual helmets and go head-to-head with the computer to rescue them, facing a confounding series of elaborate puzzles and eventually squaring off against the soul of Arcade itself. "B"-movie journeyman Albert Pyun handles the virtual reality fantasy scenes with verve, though the mediocre effects are hardly worth the endless delays that hounded this production. This film's entire premise was explored far more expertly 10 years earlier in Disney's Tron, and with far more interesting characters than this brooding bunch. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

This children's movie is set in sunny Key West during a Fourth of July celebration. Three buddies sneak off to their secret fort and to their surprise discover a Russian sailor hiding there. He is Mischa, who with two shipmates was assigned to sneak into the town military base to steal certain computer parts. Unfortunately, a rafting accident left him stranded and alone. The boys eventually decide to help poor Mischa make it back to his home. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In a rambling, somewhat uneven drama, 14-year-old Jack Simmons (Peter Billingsley) takes it on himself to help his friend, coach Mike (Patrick Collins), save his hot dog and soft drink concession. Mr. Hodgkins (Stuart Pankin) is a greedy, self-serving banker who is determined to raze Mike's hot dog stand and build a new bank on its site. Jack's primary resource in his fight against Mr. Hodgkins is a motorbike that does everything except speak French. With this motorized wonder (which starts itself), Jack tackles a gang of tough bikers and the infamous Mr. Hodgkins, taking him for a ride he will never forget. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The emergency of the title is caused by a hen named Henrietta. The problem: she weighs 266 pounds! When the father of Henrietta's young owner (A Christmas Story's Peter Billingsley) makes plans to sell Henrietta, she goes berserk, wreaking Disney-like havoc on downtown Hoboken. Mayor Dick Van Patten goes to desperate lengths to solve the problem, even unto hiring a professional "chicken catcher" (Gabe Kaplan). Arlene Golonka co-stars in this 55-minute family comedy, originally telecast November 19, 1984 on the PBS series Wonderworks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bionic Woman star Lindsay Wagner is here cast as Joanne Tilford, who six years after attempting suicide, is discharged from an upscale mental clinic. Returning home to care for her husband Howdy (Gerald McRaney), who has suffered a heart attack, Joanne soon discovers that her role in the Tilford family unit has been usurped by housekeeper Louise Lowry (Barbara Babcock), who regards herself as the "second mother" to Joanne's children. Adding to the heroine's woes are her brother Everett (Richard McKenzie) and sister-in-law Rita Jean (Barbara Cason), who fully expect that the still-fragile Joanne will suffer a mental relapse at any moment. Officially based on Zoe Sherburne's novel Stranger in the House, this made-for-TV film also bears a passing resemblance to the 1958 theatrical feature Home Before Dark. Watch for Peter Billingsley, then best known as Messy Marvin on a series of popular TV commercials and soon to be the star of A Christmas Story, in the role of Joanne's son. Memories Never Die made its CBS network bow on December 15, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Massarati (Daniel Pilon) is a fabulously wealthy adventurer-for-hire who uses a wide array of electronic gadgets to carry out his various missions. "The Brain," aka Christopher (Peter Billingsley), is Massarati's 12-year-old nephew, and the creator of most of Unk's gadgetry. Together with such confederates as sexy spy leader Julie Ramsdell (Markie Post) and ever-resourceful butler, Anatole (Christopher Hewitt), Massarati and Christopher endeavor to steal back a fabulous art collection from a larcenous neo-Nazi named Victor Leopold (Christopher Lee). The pilot for an unsold tongue-in-cheek espionage series from the Aaron Spelling plant, Massarati and the Brain debuted August 26, 1982, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this involved send-up of two American icons -- the automobile and the tourist trap -- the tiny Florida town of Ticlaw strives desperately for success after it has been denied the most essential of all tourist amenities -- a freeway exit. The insane, and mostly successful, schemes of the mayor (William Devane) and other distinctly unbalanced citizens interrupt, often hilariously, the lives of various eccentric travellers forced into a place they never intended to be. Critics disagree violently on whether this is a neglected classic or sophomoric nonsense. The winning record of director (John Schlesinger) (Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man, Cold Comfort Farm, etc.,) and first-class performances by William Devane, Beau Bridges, Beverly D'Angelo, Hume Cronyn, JessicaTandy and a plethora of great character actors -- not to mention the water-skiing elephant and the wild rhino -- argue that it's worth a look. ~ Michael P. Rogers, All Movie Guide