Don Stark Movies

Hilarity ensues when friends Jeff (Justin Whalin) and Derek (Zachery Bryan) try to enter the world of back bar wrestling; where the most beautiful girls could beat the tar out of both of them without a second thought. Even with a little help from the notorious Buckle Girls, can Jeff survive a fight against Switchblade Rick for not only the title, but the heart of the girl he loves? ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

Most of the cast of That '70s Show is still intact as the series launches its fifth season; the sole defector is Tommy Chong, who'd spent much of season four cast to type in the role of overaged hippie Leo. The season begins with a three-part story arc in which Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon), still nursing a broken heart over her breakup with Eric Forman (Topher Grace), elects to leave California and return to Wisconsin -- just as Eric, likewise mooning over his lost love, is en route to California in hopes of a reconciliation. Even after this situation is straightened out, events conspire to keep Eric and Donna apart, just when they need each other most. Meanwhile, Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) dallies in California with a girl named Annette (Jessica Simpson). In other developments, Donna's friend Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis) is finally forced to choose between her boyfriends Kelso and Steve Hyde (Danny Masterson). Tom Poston and Betty White are introduced as the eternally squabbling parents of Eric's mother, Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), who for a very brief time believes herself to be pregnant (it's actually menopause). And, at long last, feckless exchange student Fez (Wilmer Valderamma) loses his virginity to Nina (Joanna Canton), his boss at the DMV; unfortunately, this proves to be the apex of their relationship, and by season's end Nina has broken up with Fez, declaring that the poor boy is too "needy" to suit her tastes. In the final season-five episode, the younger characters prepare to graduate from high school -- all except Fez, who because of his participation in a senior prank, may well be deported to his own country. ~ All Movie Guide

Season three of That '70s Show resolves the cliffhanger ending of season two, in which Steve Hyde (Danny Masterson) was arrested for pot possession and kicked out of the Forman household by outraged paterfamilias Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith). Even after it is revealed that Hyde was gallantly covering up for Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), girlfriend of the clueless Mike Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), Red remains convinced that friends like Hyde and Kelso are bad influences for his son, Eric (Topher Grace), and begins lowering the boom discipline-wise -- at least, until he is gently talked out of his stand by his wife, Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp). And there's more to come in season three, as Hyde is reunited with his long-lost father, Bud (Robert Hays); Jackie and exchange student Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) win a roller-disco contest (it's the '70s, remember?); Red gets sued for firing a dopey employee (Robert Clendenin) at Pricemart, then finds that he can't shake the suer no matter where he goes; Jackie picks up a guy who turns out to be one of her mom's former boyfriends; Kitty begins getting the urge to become a mother again; Red undergoes a profound personality change after a near-death experience -- temporarily; Eric gets a tattoo during a drunken binge; Fez takes a trip across the Canadian border and is nearly deported as a result; and Eric's girlfriend, Donna (Laura Prepon), becomes "Hot Donna" when she takes a part-time job at a radio station. Other highlights include unexpected guest appearances by Ted Nugent and Monty Hall, and an episode titled "Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die" which evolves into an all-inclusive, and very funny, Alfred Hitchcock spoof. But it's no laughing matter when, at the very end of season three, a disillusioned Donna and Eric decide to call off their romance. ~ All Movie Guide

The first season of That '70s Show largely took place in 1976, though references to Saturday Night Fever and Star Wars in the course of the season's 25 episodes indicated that there had been some incursion into 1977 territory (the series also quietly moved from a Sunday- to a Monday-night slot in mid-season). The action occurred in Point Place, WI, not far from Green Bay. The plots revolved around the exploits of a group of high-school juniors, led by the impulsive Eric Forman (Topher Grace). Usually found hanging out in the Forman basement, Eric's cohorts included his next-door-neighbor, childhood friend, and latterly sweetheart, foxy redhead Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon); his best buds Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), the archetypal "dumb hunk," and Steven Hyde (Danny Masterson), conspiracy theorist supreme; Kelso's spoiled-brat girlfriend, Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis); and Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), a naïve and extremely pliable foreign-exchange student. There was also a full complement of grown-ups, foremost among them Eric's dad, Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith), who had a very low opinion of his son's friends and lifestyle, and Eric's mom, Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), who wasn't quite as ditzy as she seemed (no one could be!). Both of the Formans worked: Red had a factory job which was downsized early in the season, while Kitty was a nurse. Next door to the Formans were Donna's parents, Bob and Midge Pinciotti (Don Stark, Tanya Roberts). Bob owned an appliance store where the semi-laid-off Red was occasionally employed as a clerk, while Midge was a stay-at-home wife and mother who was bored out of her gourd. Seen on a recurring basis was another "older" character, Eric's sister, Laurie (Lisa Robin Kelly), a freshman at the University of Wisconsin. As the season progressed, Bob and Midge Pinciotti drifted toward separation and divorce; Hyde's single mom (played in one episode by Katey Sagal) deserted him, prompting the boy to move in with Eric; and Laurie flunked out of school, came home, and tentatively began a sexual relationship with doltish Kelso. Although That '70s Show did not crack the Top 20 ratings-wise during its maiden season, the series was one of the most popular offerings of the Fox network. It also earned an Outstanding Costume Design Emmy award for the entry titled "That Disco Episode." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An FBI agent finds himself the target of both his agency and arms dealers when his undercover gig is found out and he loses his memory after an attack. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Daphne Ashbrook guest stars as Ensign Melora Pazlar, a DS9 cartographer from a low-gravity world who requires a wheelchair to move about in normal gravity. Falling in love with Melora, Bashir tries to find a cure for her affliction. On a less lofty plateau, the redoubtable Quark is targetted for extinction by his old enemy Fallit Kot (Peter Crombie). First telecast October 30, 1993, "Melora" was written by Evan Carlos Somers, Steven Baum, Michael Piller, and James Crocker. ~ Hal Erickson, 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

Developed by Tina Sinatra and approved by Frank himself, Sinatra is a made-for-television mini-series following the life and times of Frank Sinatra, one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century. Opening with his childhood in Hoboken, New Jersey, the film follows Sinatra's (Philip Casnoff) rise to the top in the '40s, through the dark days of the early '50s and his triumphant re-emergence in the mid-'50s, to his status as pop culture icon in the '60s, '70s and '80s. In between, the film hits all of the main events, including his three marriages, his connections with the Mafia and his notorious friendship with the Rat Pack. Even with the presence of Tina Sinatra as executive producer, Sinatra doesn't gloss over the more unsavory portions of Frank's life, which makes it all the more impressive. With the exception of a couple of early songs, all the music in the movie is taken from the original Sinatra recordings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Some sources list John Morrissey as director of 9 1/2 Ninjas, while others credit Aaron Worth. There's no confusion, however, as to whom the "one-half" is. That honor goes to leading lady Andee Gray, who joins an all-male Ninja training group. Gray gets a big kick out of her lessons (no pun intended), until she realizes that she's been followed. It seems that a rival contingent of ninjas intends to assassinate her. And that's only one of the many surprises in store for the viewers of 9 1/2 Ninjas; this is no run-of-the-mill chopsocky effort, but a dizzy plunge into near-surrealism. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Christine (Markie Post) is miffed to learn that the Night Court staff has agreed to attend her anniversary party for Prince Charles and Princess Diana only because Harry (Harry Anderson) ordered them to. She much prefers the company of Bob (George DelHoyo), an affable fellow who is at the party on his own volition. Unfortunately, Bob turns out to be in the Federal Witness Protection Program--and the Mob has just caught up with him! The "best", however, is reserved for last, when a certain Prominent Person makes an unbilled--and unseen and unheard--cameo appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At the request of his friend Harry Collier (Allan Miller), Quincy investigates the death of a young Marine, who was killed in a training accident while under the command of hard-drinking drill sergeant Alistair Adams (Harry Collier). Quincy's efforts, and those of the official military investigators, are compromised by rumors of a cover-up which may have been engineered by some very powerful people. This episode was originally slated to air on March 9, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eminent Shakespearean actor Maurice Evans guest stars as Leopold Summer, a history teacher dismissed from his job because he is a firm proponent of corporal punishment. Upon learning that one of his former colleagues has been shot in a tough high school, the already disturbed Summer goes completely off the deep end. Setting up a "classroom" in a deserted warehouse, Summer kidnaps several indolent high schoolers, chains them to desks, and forces them to learn history at gunpoint! Bernie Kopell (The Love Boat) appears unbilled as Summers' ex-boss, while among the imperiled students is future Welcome Back, Kotter costar Robert Hegyes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide