Mik Scriba Movies
The Package, a thriller involving political assassination and intrigue, is an excellent action feature using a familiar theme and providing good performances by the cast. Boyette (Tommy Lee Jones) is a prisoner entrusted to Gallagher (Gene Hackman) for transportation back to the United States. Boyette escapes and Gallagher must find him. In doing so, Gallagher finds himself getting into far more than he had bargained for as he becomes involved in a political assignation plot that he must stop. Both Hackman and Jones are excellent in reprising familiar roles. Hackman is never better than when portraying the decent man in a precarious position, and Jones plays Boyette with the same cunning and intelligence that he brought to The Executioner's Song. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Joanna Cassidy, (more)
- 1990
Still something of a local legend thanks to his gridiron brilliance as a member of the "Polk Panthers", Al (Ed O'Neill) is invited to deliver a speech at his high school homecoming. Elsewhere, Al's daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate) tries to juggle two dates at once, while son Bud (David Faustino) formulates a plan to get even with a girl who once humiliated him in public. The girl in question is played by future Beverly Hills 90210 regular Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (here billed without the "Amber"), while also in the cast is A Different World's Cory Tyler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- PG13
Shaking the Tree is an ensemble dramedy about four male friends living in Chicago, pushing 30, who help each other through a series of crises. Barry (Arye Gross) is a real estate salesman and a huge White Sox fan who's nervous about his impending wedding to Michelle (Christina Haag). When he presses her about her sexual past, he finds out she once slept with one of his pals. Duke (Steven Wilde, who co-wrote the script with director Duane B. Clark) was forced to give up boxing due to an injury, and is unhappy with his life as a womanizing bartender. Sully (Gale Hansen) comes from a wealthy family. He is also a womanizer, and his gambling problem is spiraling out of control. When he loses ten grand to some shady characters, his family refuses to bail him out. Michael (Doug Savant of Melrose Place) is a college professor with a massively pregnant wife, Kathleen (Courteney Cox), and his fear of becoming a father leads him to consider an affair with a seductive student, Brigette (played by actor Gale Hansen's wife, Brittney Hansen). After Cox became a success on television with Friends, the film was re-released on video with the photo on the box changed to feature the actress prominently, although she plays a supporting role in the film. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arye Gross, Gale Hansen, (more)
- 1991
Lou Diamond Phillips stars in this contrived but entertaining thriller (which he also wrote) as Mitchell Osgood, an aspiring writer who runs a Los Angeles bookstore. When a heartfelt book about his father Haing S. Ngor fails to win him a publishing deal, Osgood decides to write something more eye-catching -- a book about recently-released serial killer Albert Merrick Clancy Brown. The media beats him to it, so the ruthlessly ambitious Osgood decides to spur Merrick to commit more crimes, hiring him to work at the bookstore and playing cruel mind games in hopes of setting Merrick off. He does, but the results are quite different from what Osgood had anticipated. Phillips' performance is weak, and the screenplay is predictably bland, but the film remains worthwhile thanks to a terrific job by Brown as the killer. Brown has turned in a number of fine psycho performances, but he has rarely been better than he is here, building from understated diffidence to full-blown psychosis in expert fashion. Grace Zabriskie and Willard E. Pugh co-star with Cecilia Peck. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clancy Brown, Cecilia Peck, (more)
- 1991
- R
Charles Lane directed Andy Breckman's script, based on an old "Saturday Night Live" sketch of Breckman's that featured Eddie Murphy. Comic Lenny Henry takes Murphy's place in True Identity as a black man forced to don white face in order to save his life. Henry plays Miles Pope, an agreeable British actor whose luck sours when he finds out that businessman Leland Carver (Frank Langella) is actually a notorious underworld mobster. Carver now wants to rub Miles out and the only way that Miles can escape Carver's retribution is to disguise himself as a man named Frank LaMotta, the Italian-American killer that Carver has hired to kill him. During the story, Miles finds that he has to assume a variety of roles to keep from getting shot --a gay real estate agent, a British lord, James Brown's brother Val, and even Othello. But the biggest shock for Miles comes when he plays the white man and discovers that he is given preferential treatment --not only by whites, but also by blacks and Hispanics. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lenny Henry, Frank Langella, (more)
- 1992
In this drama, a convicted rapist is released from prison and immediately returns into the lives of his victim and the son he sired during the rape. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Gladiator is the kind of boxing movie that goes that extra mile -- a self-loathing boxing saga that relishes in bare-knuckled sucker punches, illegal eye-rubs, and gentlemen boxers who obey the Marquis of Queensbury rules by drop-kicking opponents when the are not only down but unconscious. James Marshall plays Tommy Riley, a Windy City high school student conned into participating in the illegal underground boxing arenas of the South Side of Chicago. In high school, Tommy was a prize boxer, and this skill comes in handy when his Father (John Heard) runs up a large gambling debt. When a sleazy boxing manager (Robert Loggia) spots Tommy defending himself during recess, he offers him quick money to box. Tommy, although he hates the sport, readily agrees, thinking his winnings will help his father pay off his debts. He quickly comes under the thumb of unscrupulous boxing promoter Horn (Brian Dennehy), who is involved in fight-fixing and dirty fighting. Manipulating the odds and exploiting his boxers make Horn rich and more venal. In the rancid environment, Tommy befriends another fighter, Lincoln (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a black fighter who sees fighting as his way out of poverty. Inevitably, Horn arranges for the two friends to duke it out in the ring together. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cuba Gooding, Jr., James Marshall, (more)
- 1992
Although his Mother denies his involvement in a brutal attack that left her critically injured and her husband dead, a college student is forced to deal with his guilt. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sharon Gless, William McNamara, (more)
- 1992
A young career woman is thrust into the bright light when police question her about the identity of a serial killer. ~ All Movie Guide
Small-time crook Johnny Stewart (Damon Wayans) decides to go straight to win a beautiful girl (Stacey Dash), and to prove it, he joins the mailroom of the credit-card firm for which she works. Needing money to impress her, Johnny steals a credit card, goes on a shopping spree and wins the girl. The story isn't over though, because a security guard who caught his theft on videotape is blackmailing Stewart to join his own credit-card ring. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans, (more)
- 1993
- R
Bud Cort's directorial debut is a dark comedy about a romantic obsession that leads to tragedy, featuring a wide array of cameo performances including James Brolin, Carol Kane, Rhea Perlman, Martin Mull, Andrea Martin, Woody Harrelson, Timothy Leary, and Gena Rowlands. Cort is Ted Whitley, a local poet celebrity in Venice Beach, California, who spends his time drifting along the boardwalk and delivering his beat poetry inspirations at a local dive. As he sits on a pier composing his latest art work, a vision of incredible beauty --Linda Turner (Kim Adams)-- strolls by in a bikini and Ted is immediately smitten. Linda turns out to be the manager of the agency that Ted has used to try to find a new apartment. He flatters her with his attentions and his poetic rambles. For her part, she likes Ted but doesn't consider him romantic material. Ted misinterprets Linda's friendliness for amorousness and when Linda tries to back off from Ted, Ted cannot be stopped. His out-of-control obsession for Linda turns Linda's once-friendly demeanor into one of terror. But Ted continues stalking her until tragedy strikes. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Cort, James Brolin, (more)
Phillip Noyce directed Joe Eszterhas's adaptation of Ira Levin's novel about voyeurism, starring Sharon Stone as Carly Norris, a book editor on the rebound from an emotionless seven-year marriage. Carly decides that a change of location will help her in the healing process, so she moves into a sleek Manhattan high-rise. In her new apartment, she meets a collection of curious neighbors --Vida (Polly Walker), who snorts cocaine along with ingesting all the dark secrets of the building and its tenants; Jack Landsford (Tom Berenger), a successful writer who also wants to also be successful with Carly; and Zeke Hawkins (William Baldwin), Carly's new landlord. Carly is attracted to Zeke, but she sees that he is hiding something from her. Unbeknownst to Carly, Zeke, an obsessive voyeur, watches his tenants from a bank of television screens at his headquarters. But when Carly discovers Zeke's voyeurism, she herself becomes obsessed with the daily lives of her neighbors. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, (more)
Director John Dahl's The Last Seduction is an updated film noir centering around a seductive, cheerfully lethal femme fatale. Bridget Gregory (Linda Fiorentino) talks her gullible, easily manipulated, doctor-husband Clay (Bill Pullman) into pulling off a $700,000 drug deal to pay off his gambling debts. But while Clay is in the shower, Bridget quietly leaves with the money. She ends up in a bar in a small town where she meets Mike (Peter Berg) and uses him to further her scheme to keep the money and get rid of her inconvenient husband. Linda Fiorentino was championed by many critics for a Best Actress Academy Award nomination, but neither she nor the movie could be nominated since the film had made its debut on cable television. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Fiorentino, Peter Berg, (more)
- 1994
Originally made for cable television, Roswell is an entertaining mix of purported actual events and science fiction. The narrative unfolds primarily in flashbacks as retired Army officer Jesse Marcel (Kyle MacLachlan) attends a reunion of the 509th Bomber Group and tries to come to closure on events that had taken place 30 years earlier. Back in 1947, Major Marcel had been part of a military team that investigated a crash site on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. The debris recovered from the site had exhibited some remarkable properties such as being able to repair itself instantly after being cut, suggesting that it might have been of extraterrestrial origin. The military brass had ordered Marcel to go along with their phony story that the material was ordinary metal foil from a weather balloon, and he had reluctantly complied. By the time of the 1977 reunion, Marcel is suffering from a terminal illness, and he feels compelled to try to find out what had really happened at Roswell all those years ago. MacLachlan gives an effective performance, particularly when he portrays Marcel as an older man trying to understand his past. Evocative location shooting in the American Southwest adds cinematic impact. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kyle MacLachlan, Martin Sheen, (more)
- 1996
Andy Sipowicz' (Dennis Franz) joy over the birth of baby Theo is shattered when Andy Jr. (Michael DeLuise) is killed in a shoot-out. The grieving Sipowicz asks Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) to personally track down the killer. Bobby agrees, only to incur the wrath of Diane (Kim Delaney) -- and to come up depressingly empty-handed at every turn. And the 15th Precinct loses one of its stalwarts when she accepts a high-paying job with a California computer firm. This episode marked the final appearance of Gail O'Grady as Donna Abandando. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
When George (Jason Alexander) finds the perfect place for a nap -- under a desk at the Yankee Stadium offices -- he persuades Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) to phone in a bomb threat to get Steinbrenner out of the office. The result? Steinbrenner hires George to handle the "terrorist's" demands for "Fitted Hat Day." Meanwhile Kramer (Michael Richards) starts swimming in the East River, with decidedly aromatic results; and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) misunderstands when her new boyfriend sends her a mattress. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
- R
In this hard-edged drama with a strong undercurrent of dark comedy, Stretch (Tim Roth) and Spoon (Tupac Shakur) are two friends who share both a passion for music and a dependence on heroin. Stretch and Spoon play in a jazz combo with Cookie (Thandie Newton), and after a New Year's Eve gig, they score drugs and get high together. Cookie lacks her friends' experience with hard drugs and soon ends up in the hospital after a severe overdose. Cookie's brush with death turns out to be a serious reality check for Stretch and Spoon, and they decide that it's time to kick drugs and get clean and sober. But both men know that they can't get off heroin on their own, and therein lies the problem; as they try to navigate a complex maze of social service agencies (who can't help them get treatment because they aren't on welfare), drug treatment facilities (one of which turns them away because they're only equipped to handle alcoholics), and hospitals (where, in order to be admitted as emergency patients, Stretch and Spoon ponder how to go about stabbing each other) in search of a detox program. The two friends begin to wonder if it might simply be easier to stay on drugs than to get healthy. Gridlock'd marked the feature film directorial debut for actor Vondie Curtis Hall, best known for his work on the TV series Chicago Hope; Elizabeth Pena and John Sayles both appear in supporting roles. Rap musician-turned actor Tupac Shakur, who played Spoon, died in a drive-by shooting four months prior to the release of this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Roth, Tupac Shakur, (more)
- 2000
The detectives investigate when a man claims that his current house guest has been robbing gas stations and slashing the attendants. In another case, Diane (Kim Delaney) and Jill (Andrea Thompson) go after a band of gypsies who've been scamming elderly people. But the episode's biggest development (and the one that will mold the direction of the rest of NYPD Blue's seventh season) occurs when Diane again crosses paths with disingenuous drug task-force officer Denby (Scott Cohen) -- whom she sees conversing with a man who looks exactly like Jill's deceased ex-husband, drug trafficker Don Kirkendall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
An infant left in the care of nurse Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney) is kidnapped from the hospital. A young patient taking steroids is more worried about his father's wrath than his illness. The results of Greene's (Anthony Edwards) competency test are in. The relationship between Weaver (Laura Innes) and Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell) reaches an impasse. And Carter (Noah Wyle) makes a surprising discovery about new pediatrics intern Rena (Lourdes Benedicto). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Having suffered through two years of the painful visions bequeathed to her by Doyle (see "Parting Gifts"), Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) finds that the premonitions are taking an ever heavier toll, both emotionally and physically. Her horrific vision of an apparently happy family man plunging a knife into his eye. It turns out he was the recipient of a cursed transplant from a predatory organ bank run by Wolfram & Hart. Lawyer Lindsey McDonald (Christian Kane) soon receives a new hand from the very same institution and learns that the appendage has an evil mind of its own. Crossing paths at demon karaoke bar Caritas, mortal enemies Lindsey and Angel (David Boreanaz) are urged by the Host (Andy Hallett) to work together on the case. They soon uncover the organ bank, which is full of living and half-dead involuntary donors -- including an old buddy of Lindsey's. He and Angel kill the hard-luck cases and save the rest. Lilah Morgan (Stephanie Romanov), on the basis of the firm's magnanimous biological gift to her rival, is convinced that she's going to be knocked off and Lindsey promoted. But, once again disgusted by his firm's tactics (see "Blind Date"), Lindsey quits, taking with him enough sensitive documents to protect himself from any sudden "accidents." Lilah gets the job, and Angel and Lindsey part, if not friends, then at least neutral to one another. Originally broadcast April 24, 2001, on the WB network, "Dead End" marked season two, episode 18 of the supernatural comedy drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
In this crime thriller, Jennifer (Hillary Tuck) is the beautiful but unfaithful wife of a wealthy and powerful man and has been cheating on her husband with a ruthless mobster. Meanwhile, a band of four thieves (Ron Dean, Timothy Patrick Klein, Jim Petersmith, and Mik Scriba) have been given a job that's a bit out of their league. Before long, they find themselves crossing paths with Jennifer, leading all parties concerned into a deadly web of uneasy alliances and outright betrayals. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Dean, Mik Scriba, (more)
Shot almost entirely on a two-and-a-half-story recreation of a full-size operating airport terminal, this romantic comedy from director Steven Spielberg revolves around an Eastern European man by the name of Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), whose plans of immigrating to New York were hastened by a violent coup in his home country. Unfortunately, Viktor finds himself on the wrong end of a nasty technicality while en route to America: His passport was issued from a country, which, during its upheaval, ceased to exist in an official capacity. Unauthorized to leave Kennedy Airport upon his arrival and unable to return home, Viktor finds himself exiled inside the terminal's international transit lounge. Though airport official Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) views Viktor as an annoying bureaucratic glitch, other airport employees -- including a beautiful flight attendant by the name of Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) -- come to see him as a welcome, if unofficial, addition to their numbers. As the days stretch on into months, the terminal transforms from an intimidating atmosphere of forced assimilation into a country within itself, complete with culture, ambition, status, complex diversity, and the need for love. The supporting cast includes Diego Luna, Chi McBride, Kumar Pallana, Zoe Saldana, Eddie Jones, and Jude Ciccolella. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, (more)
- 2005
Natalie (Traylor Howard) and Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) attend the wedding of her brother Jonathan (Robert P. Benedict)--an event that is anything but festive for Natalie, since she has been long on the outs with her wealthy and highly judgmental parents. Soon, however, Natalie has a lot more to worry about than family friction when Disher is seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident. Arriving on the scene, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) begins questioning all the guests, despite his discomfort over the possibility that one of Natalie's relatives--or even Theresa (Ashley Williams), the bride-to-be--is a potential murderer. Just before the case is solved, a hostage crisis breaks out during the cutting of the wedding cake! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2008
- PG
Writer/director James Kerwin infuses Raymond Chandler-influenced noir with a metaphysical twist by tracing the story of a female detective who's tough enough to take on even Philip Marlowe in this monochromatic mystery designed to challenge the viewer's very perception of reality. Hoyle (Kipleigh Brown) is a hard-drinking detective whose taste for bourbon betrays her razor-sharp sleuthing skills. Set out on the trail of a reclusive genius (John Newton), however, Hoyle soon finds her life becoming increasingly fragmented and surreal. The only people that Hoyle can trust as she begins to uncover a series of mind-bending cosmological secrets are her loyal partner (Mik Scriba) and a scintillating lounge singer (Chase Masterson). But wherever Hoyle goes, she is shadowed by a mysterious figure (Peter Mayhew) whom she is soon destined to meet, and who may just possess the power to bend reality. In a world of black and white, Hoyle is about to take a bizarre journey into the divine gradients of grey invisible to the naked eye. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kipleigh Brown, Chase Masterson, (more)
