James Black Movies
- 2008
Debra Messing stars in this primetime comedy/drama based on the Emmy award winning mini-series of the same name. It focuses on the frequently wild experiences of Molly Kagan, once the wife of Hollywood royalty and now, a frantic divorcee struggling to figure out life on her own terms. Molly is faced with nothing but firsts, from raising her seven year old daughter Jaden as a single mom, to starting up a career in her 40's. The waters usually seem rough, but she's determined to stay focused on her future - even when her past keeps landing her in court. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debra Messing, Hart Bochner, (more)
- 2004
Using the "Book of Shadows" (without permission, of course), Richard Montana (Balthazar Getty) tries to free himself from the power of his family's karma -- despite the possible negative consequences on himself and his sweetheart, Paige (Rose McGowan). In another affair of the heart, Jason (Eric Dane) goes ballistic and breaks up with Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) when he learns the truth about the Charmed Ones. Also, Piper (Alyssa Milano) learns from Chris (Drew Fuller) that she must vanquish the Swarm Demons, the last remaining threat to her son, Wyatt -- but this will prove a difficult if not insurmountable task, since killing one Swarm Demon instantly creates two more in its place! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Krause, Drew Fuller, (more)
In this edgy horror story, a veteran high school teacher, still smarting after the death of his wife, learns that the school where he taught for years is being torn down. With the help of five of his students, the teacher breaks into the school to retrieve souvenirs and artifacts before the school falls to the wrecking ball. However, the students discover something strange and mysterious locked up in the basement, and when they release it, they realize too late that they've unleashed a monster with the power to kill them all. The Vault stars Ted Lyde, Michael Cory Davis, and Shani Pride; it was the first directorial effort from actor James Black (not to be confused with comedy star Jack Black). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
In this cyber-savvy horror opus, several people surfing the internet stumble upon a site called "horrorvision.com". However, this proves to be no average bit of web design -- folks who click into the site don't survive to browse elsewhere, and it takes a internet expert named Dez and a mysterious stranger named Bradbury to uncover the secret of Manifesto, the villain responsible for the killer web page. Horror Vision stars James Black, Maggie Rose Fleck, Josh Covitt, and scream queen Brinke Stevens. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The 1987 National Football League players' strike inspired this sports-themed comedy. The Washington Sentinels are one of the strongest teams in pro football -- until contract negotiations break down and the Sentinels go on strike. Determined to play the team's schedule, owner Edward O'Neil (Jack Warden) recruits a ragtag band of scab players, to be headed up and whipped into shape by the retired veteran coach Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman). At the top of the recruitment list is quarterback Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves), a promising athlete until a catastrophic defeat in the Sugar Bowl dashed his confidence. Joining Falco on the team are Clifford Franklin (Orlando Jones), a receiver who can't catch the ball; Nigel Gruff (Rhys Ifans), a chain-smoking Welsh soccer player; Bateman (Jon Favreau), a former cop with anger management problems; Fumiko (Ace Yonamine), a sumo wrestler new to football; and Wilkinson (Michael Jace), a convict on parole to the Sentinels. Can McGinty mold his new squad of misfits and no-hopers (who truly love the game) into a winning team? Brooke Langton plays Annabelle, head of the Sentinels' cheerleading squad (who has to contend with replacements of her own), and football commentators John Madden and Pat Summerall appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, (more)
- 1999
- R
Treat Williams and Claudia Christian star in this action movie about a mercenary who pays a visit to an old Army buddy who is now a college professor. When the professor's daughter is brutally assaulted by a pack of amoral jocks from the school football team, the mercenary disguises himself as an instructor at the college to deal out justice against the thugs who ruined the young girl's life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Treat Williams, Rebecca Staab, (more)
Jean-Claude Van Damme returns as cybernetic warrior Luc Deveraux in this sequel to the 1992 action hit. After barely surviving his experiences as a part-human/part-robot Universal Soldier, Luc has opted to stay out of the front lines and work with a military project to refine and perfect the system. However, something goes wrong (as they so often do in films like this), and S.E.T.H. (Michael Jai White), the android supercomputer leading the new breed of soldiers, suddenly develops a murderous mind of his own. Soon S.E.T.H. is leading his fellow war machines on a rampage, and Luc is the only one who can stop them. The supporting cast includes Heidi Schanz and wrestling star Bill Goldberg. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Jai White, (more)
- 1999
Directed by Craig Ross Jr., Cappucino features James Black as Victor Erickson, a hot young writer with what could best be described as a tepid personal life. Victor, frustrated with the predictability of his marriage, decides he's ready and willing to try something new; a vow which would mark the impeccably timed entrance of Cappucino (Angelle Brooks), a sexy, mysterious woman who exhibits an unnerving amount of knowledge about Victor. From his fantasies and desires to his common goals, Cappucino seems to know it all. Though initially enthralled with the femme fatale, Victor comes to wonder exactly how she came across so much of his personal information, and begins to wonder if Cappucino's presence in his life is a blessing or a curse. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Mexican TV-soap actress Olympia Miraflores (Carmen Nogales) announces her ambition to compete in the Olympic javelin throw, but her manager Ed Pedernales (Damian Young) and her fans aren't exactly keen on the idea. Swimming across the Rio Grande, Olympia meets Billy Daniel (Jason Andrews), who has no job and lives in Laredo with his mother (Patricia Fiske). Billy begins coaching Olympia, but his angry mom becomes furious over the idea. After she throws him out of the house, leaving him with only a cookie jar of pocket change, Billy escalates his rulebook regimen for the actress-athlete into an intensive training schedule. Shown at the 1998 Slamdance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carmen Nogales, Jason Andrews, (more)
- 1996
Ambassador Draal (John Schuck) is invited back to B5, this time to help Sheridan and the crew make further contact with the First Ones. It is hoped that this ancient and venerable race will assist the crew in their confrontations with the Shadows. Meanwhile, Sheridan must withhold a potentially volatile secret from his new political officer, Night Watch representative Julie Musante (Shari Shattuck). Debuting in America the week of January 29, 1996, "Voices of Authority" was written by J. Michael Straczynski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1996
The alternate universe introduced in the 1995 episode "Through the Looking Glass" figures prominently in this episode, which originally aired April 22, 1996. Felecia Bell reprises her role as the duplicate image of Sisko's late wife Jennifer, who crosses over from her mirror universe into the reality of DS9. But it isn't a social visit; Jennifer kidnaps Sisko's son Jake, forcing Sisko to cross over himself. The climax finds Sisko commandeering a rebellion against the tyrannical Alliance, led by a villainous Worf. "Shattered Mirror" was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Golf meets baseball in this comedy that tells the story of Anthony (Babe) Lombardo, a has-been professional baseball player who was only moderately famous. During his career, the now middle-aged Babe earned several fortunes but enthusiastically lost them all on bad business enterprises. Now he is deeply indebted to the IRS and in desperate need of quick cash. He has nowhere to turn as his hard-working wife has grown tired of the get-rich-quick schemes and his best friend, Lou, a prominent used car dealer, refuses to loan him another dime. Things look bleak until Babe develops a radical new golf swing. Everyone around encourages him to use the swing in pro golf tourneys where he could win a bundle, but unfortunately, Babe has other ideas, including the making of an instructional video. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This high-speed action comedy stars Charlie Sheen as Jack Hammond, who has been given a life sentence for a bank robbery that he didn't commit. Hammond manages to escape, and while trying to avoid capture at a gas station, he ends up kidnapping Natalie Voss (Kristy Swanson); he threatens her with what she thinks is a gun, although it turns out to be a candy bar. Jack and Natalie take off in her BMW, with Jack unaware that his "victim" is actually Dalton Voss (Ray Wise), one of California's richest and most powerful land barons. Soon half the state's law enforcement officers and every member of the media is on Jack's tail as he races down the highway; in the meantime, Natalie and Jack get to know each other, and while she doesn't much care for him at first (as you might imagine), before long her attitude has softened quite a bit. Alternative rock fans might want to keep an eye peeled for Henry Rollins, playing a policeman, and Anthony Kiedis and Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers as a pair of yahoos with a very large truck. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Sheen, Kristy Swanson, (more)
- 1994
- PG13
Like the feature film Network (1976), this made-for-television drama scathingly satirizes an amoral, avaricious media. The story is set in 1999, a time the pay-per-view television industry is in a tailspin. It seems with over 500 available channels, audiences have become jaded with movies and sports. Enter up-and-coming executive Jessica Traynor (Sean Young) a member of the Tycom network team. It is her brilliant idea that her company can attract new customers by offering them a chance to witness a real execution on live television. Once her company approves and she untangles all the government red-tape, Jessica is left with the task of choosing an appropriately photogenic and charismatic death-row inmate. Trouble brews when Jessica begins suspecting that the man she selected may be innocent. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Young, Tim Daly, (more)
A cop arresting a drug dealer is stabbed with a syringe. He soon begins to see everybody around him turning into zombies, led by a mutant creature with the face of a pig. He believes himself to be hallucinating because of the drug he's been injected with, until he himself begins turning into one of the zombie creatures. He tries to find out what's behind all of this before he turns into a complete zombie. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
William Petersen's High Horse Films produced this romantic comedy that endeavors to recall the glory days of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Petersen stars as Joey Coalter, a roving adventurer who has been married to his wife Chris (Sissy Spacek) for almost thirteen years but has rarely been home. During that time Chris has become fed up with Joey's cavalier ways. But it comes as a complete shock to Joey when, while talking to a group of cowpokes about Tahitian women somewhere on the prairie, he receives a wedding invitation sent by his daughter Beth (Olivia Burnette) that announces the wedding of Chris to dull business man Walter Humphrey (Brian Kerwin). Beth hopes the surprise wedding invitation will prod Joey to try to get back together with Chris. Chris hopes so too, as Joey drops what he is doing and takes off to stop Chris's pending nuptials. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William L. Petersen, Sissy Spacek, (more)
- 1991
Mario Van Peebles stars as football play Ricky Bell in this made-for-TV biopic. The film touches upon Bell's gridiron accomplishments, then concentrates on the athlete's final years, when he falls victim to a terminal illness. As Bell's physical state deteriorates, he forges a strong friendship with a young handicapped man, played by Lane Davis. Their relationship provides courage and determination for both men, encouraging Davis to make the most of his life after Bell dies at age 29. Substituting bathos for pathos, Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story is not the Brian's Song it desperately wants to be. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Made for television, The Challenger is at once a tribute and a eulogy to the seven courageous souls who perished when the Challenger space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986. Though all of the crew members are given three-dimensional, balanced treatment, the one we all remember is schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. As played by Karen Allen, McAuliffe is neither superwoman nor saint: just an average human being with an insatiable thirst to learn more about the universe around her. The other members of the ill-fated crew are Cmdr. Francis R. Scobee (Barry Bostwick), Captain Michael J. Smith (Brian Kerwin), Dr. Judith A. Resnik (Julie Fulton), Lt. Col. Ellison Onizuka (Keone Young), Dr. Ronald E. McNair (Joe Morton) and Gregory B. Jarvis (Richard Jenkins). Wisely, the film concentrates on the crew's training, ending before the tragic real-life denoument. Filmed on location at the Johnson Space Center, the 3-hour The Challenger was originally telecast February 25, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen Allen, Barry Bostwick, (more)
To escape from the boredom of her small-town life, Sunday School teacher Candy Morrison (Barbara Hershey) engages in an affair with a fellow churchgoer. When his wife Peggy learns about the relationship, she attacks Candy with an axe; after a struggle, Candy kills Peggy, hitting her 41 times with the axe. In the resulting trial, her plea of self-defense is examined. This TV-movie is based on a true story. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1984
In this complex teen movie, Vinnie (Vince Colosimo) is a young man whose life is an uphill battle: he is an outcast at school because he cannot get along with either teachers or students, he is a local courier for Mafia-boss Ciccio at night and, when not so occupied, spends his time practicing boxing at the gym. He shares his mother's cramped home in government housing with two other siblings, and his mother's lover -- whom he does not like. He is haunted by images of his father (when just a boy he witnessed his father's murder), and his father's boxing career and Mafia involvement set a pattern for Vinnie's current lifestyle. When Vinnie's music teacher Bonnie (Sandy Gore) enters his life, she encourages him to get involved as a drummer with the school band, while his girlfriend Gloria (Sigrid Thornton) and others influence him to stay away from the Mafia. In fact, there are so many characters that circle around Vinnie's life doing their own thing that the focus tends to thin out -- yet the actors and director Michael Pattinson do the best they can with this slightly overcrowded script. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vince Colosimo, Sigrid Thornton, (more)
