Nick Shields Movies
- 1992
John Wayne Gacy was a respected member of his suburban Illinois community -- he was an active member of several service organizations, ran his own business, and entertained children as Pogo the Clown in his spare time. But Gacy had a terrible secret, and before he was finally brought in by the police, he had raped and killed over 30 young men and buried them beneath his house. To Catch a Killer is a made-for-TV movie that examines Gacy's life and crimes, and Joe Kozenczak (Michael Riley), the cop who finally brought John Wayne Gacy (Brian Dennehy) to justice. The supporting cast includes Margot Kidder and Meg Foster. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Michael Riley, (more)
- 1992
- R
In Ron Oliver's erotic psychodrama, Shannon Tweed stars as a mother whose teen-age son is traumatized by her new husband and her husband's freeloading brother. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Frequent TV-movie costars Stephanie Zimbalist and Gregory Harrison are teamed once more in Breaking the Silence. Harrison plays a lawyer defending a teenager (Chris Young) accused of murdering his father. As the boy details a lengthy history of abuse at the hands of his father, Harrison flashes back to his own miserable childhood. Zimbalist costars as Harrison's law partner (and former lover), who must not only contend with mounting an adequate defense for their client, but also must come to grips with her bitter childhood memories. Breaking the Silence first aired January 14, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
When two Canadian teenagers discover the tomb of a Nordic warrior, they unleash a spirit bent on revenge and a dangerous archaeologist. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
An orphaned white teen and a Cree Indian boy must put their differences aside to survive when they get lost together in the Canadian wilderness. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- PG13
This drama telling the exploits of seriously ill teens who are spending the summer at a camp for cancer victims makes an effort to bring a light touch to this otherwise gloomy subject. In the story, Ryan (Zachary Ansley), who has a brain tumor, is pretty certain he'll die before long. Before he does, he wants to have sex with a woman. Robert (Nicholas Shields), who has leukemia, isn't afraid to perform any stunt or get into any kind of adventure. Holly (Stacie Mistysyn) has lost a leg due to bone cancer, but is interested in helping Ryan fulfill his wish. One of the highlights of the movie is a theatrical in which the campers lampoon their doctors, parents, and one another. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zachary Ansley, Stacie Mistysyn, (more)
- 1988
- R
This grim tale is based upon actual events and chronicles the coming-of-age of two high-school seniors living in gritty Caddo, Texas in 1960. The teens lose their innocence when they become involved in the corruption and seediness that exists about their town after its leading citizen, the town judge and the town sheriff begin working on the latter's re-election campaign. The sheriff's challenger is desperate to win and so engineers the release of a dangerous convicted killer, whose actions he plans to blame upon the sheriff by making it look as if the incumbent accepted a bribe for the crook's early release. No one comes out clean in the end as the crook begins a vengeful killing spree and the corruption of both the judge and the sheriff are exposed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Jason Priestley, (more)
- 1986
- R
In this film, an old felony conviction comes back to haunt the young, ambitious John Wisdom (Emilio Estevez) as he applies and is turned down for a number of jobs. Frustrated by his attempts to make a legitimate living, John and his girlfriend, Karen (Demi Moore), set out to commit a series of bank robberies, using the money to ease the plight of down-on-their-luck farmers. Emilio Estevez wrote, directed, and starred in this feature. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, (more)
Small-town banker Robin Williams has never been able to live down the fact that he dropped an important pass during a crucial high-school football game. Likewise tainted for life is the team's star quarterback Kurt Russell, now a garage owner. Fed up with living his life under a cloud, Williams hits upon a brilliant idea: he will stage a rematch-13 years after the fact--with the members of the rival team. Trouble beckons when Williams' father-in-law announces that he's rooting for the opposition. Williams is determined to win, and in pursuit of that goal he pushes his former teammates to hitherto untapped brilliance. Directed by Roger Spottiswood, The Best of Times was written by Ron Shelton, future writer/director of such delightful sports films as Bull Durham, White Men Can't Jump and Tin Cup; it was Shelton, in fact, who directed most of Best of Times' climactic football game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Kurt Russell, (more)
- 1984
No one pays much attention when 10-year-old Ruffy Collier (Marissa Mendenhall) reports that her carrier pigeons have been stolen. But Hunter takes a special interest in the little girl's story after her uncle is murdered by thugs looking for a cache of missing drugs. To save Ruffy from being kidnapped or worse, Hunter and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) are pressed into service as babysitters--a job that may prove even more treacherous than the case at hand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
What's that wisecracking young black guy (Eddie Murphy) in that beat-up Chevy Nova doing in lily-white Beverly Hills? He's Axel Foley, a Detroit detective who's been sent on involuntary vacation because he refuses to drop his intention of avenging his friend's murder. Warned by Beverly Hills police chief Ronny Cox to stay out of trouble, Foley nonetheless dogs the trail of above-the-law Steven Berkoff, the British crime czar who was responsible for the murder of Foley's friend. With the help of sympathetic local cops Judge Reinhold and John Ashton and lady friend Lisa Eilbacher, Foley attempts to corner Berkoff in his mansion, which leads to a wild slapsticky shootout. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, (more)
- 1984
Tipped off by a friend of B.A. (Mr. T), the A-Team targets a "chop shop" run by a gang of elusive car thieves. To bring the villains out in the open, the Team offers Face's beloved Corvette as bait--but it is B.A.'s van which is stolen. Played almost exclusively for laughs, this episode boasts a number of highlights, ranging from Face's impersonation of a used-car dealer to a last-minute ride to the rescue in a hearse! Future NYPD Blue star Dennis Franz appears as the ironically named Sam Friendly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
On her deathbed, mean-spirited millionairess Lily Tomlin has her will amended so that her soul will pass into the body of young, healthy Victoria Tennant. Thanks to a mix-up in transmutation, Tomlin winds up instead trapped in the body of upright (and uptight) attorney Steve Martin. The plot involves the fragility of male-female relationships, the importance of making commitments, and the antics of goofy guru Richard Libertini. As ridiculous as it sounds, All of Me is completely credible, thanks to Steve Martin's remarkable "body language" when conveying the notion that he's two different people with two different sets of emotions and gestures. Though the circumstances of the plot won't allow Martin to connect with the lovely Tennant, in real life things were different: the two costars were married shortly after filming wrapped. Phil Alden Robinson and Henry Olek adapted the script from Ed Davis' novel Me Too. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, (more)
- 1983
Joining a Big Brother organization, Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) take an underprivileged teenager named Andy (R.W. Paul) under their wing. The boy returns the favor by stealing the "General Lee" and embarking upon a one-kid crime wave--seriously endangering the Dukes' parole in the process. Meanwhile, Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) is literally off his feed because he hasn't had any dishonest dealings lately. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
B.A. (Mr. T) persuades his fellow A-Teamers to help him rescue his pal from Strikersville, a brutal Florida prison farm where sadistic warden (Clifton James) forces the inmates to participate in to-the-death boxing matches--then orders his deputies to hunt down and kill the "winner" like an animal. In addition to the team's efforts to get themselves arrested (it's "Three Stooges" time!), the real fun in this episode arises from their disguises: Hannibal (George Peppard) as a prissy hairdresser, the loquacious B.A. as a deafmute, and the sharkish Face (Dirk Benedict) as mad medico "Dr. Pepper." Former heavyweight boxing champion Ken Norton appears as the aptly named Jackhammer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- R
Director Robert Aldrich's last film, All the Marbles stars Peter Falk as a "win-at-all-costs" type manager of a ladies tag-team wrestling combo. These girls are good and Falk wants them great. And he doesn't really care what they've got to do to get there. (This film's "R" rating is not for Raunchy, but it could be for "Revealing.") Following sort of a Rocky theme, this film finds our ladies tag team climbing its way to the top of the women's wrestling world where they face off against the world's best. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Falk, Vicki Frederick, (more)
The Hearse, directed by George Bowers is a clichéd, predictable horror film which, despite its interesting cast, is derivative and uninspired. Jane (Trish Van Devere) inherits a mansion from an aunt, whom she closely resembles. The townspeople believe that her aunt was possessed by Satan, and Jane becomes increasingly frightened when she is haunted by visions of a hearse that keeps showing up in front of her door. Walter Prichard (Joseph Cotton) is a argumentative attorney who does nothing to help Jane, who begins to think she is having a nervous breakdown. All of this is familiar and has been done far better elsewhere. Director Bowers paces the film far too leisurely to create much suspense, and the "surprise" ending is evident to all but the most unsophisticated viewer. The Hearse, routine and slow, will lull most horror fans to sleep. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Trish VanDevere, Joseph Cotten, (more)
It's H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) versus Jack the Ripper (David Warner) in the fanciful Time After Time -- and, per the film's title, the chase extends from the 19th century to the 20th. Wells has built a time machine in his cellar, which the Ripper uses as a means of escape. Both men find themselves in 20th century San Francisco, and, after a period of adjustment, they make themselves at home. The plot takes a dark turn when the Ripper, disappointed that Wells' dreams of a Utopian future have not come to fruition, resumes his murderous activities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, (more)
