Ted Adams Swanson Movies

A man with a motive needs to prove he didn't commit a crime in this made-for-television mystery. Matthew Hope (Brian Dennehy), a lawyer and sometime sleuth, is called upon by his friend Stephen Leeds (John Doman) when Leeds is arrested for murder. Three Vietnamese teenagers violently mugged Leeds' wife, Josie (Debrah Farentino), and when they were acquitted of the crime following a trial, Leeds told the court that he would someday see justice done. Now the youths have been killed, and Leeds insists he had no part in the murders. Can Hope clear the name of his friend and identify the true killer? Three Blind Mice was based on the novel of the same name by award-winning crime author Ed McBain. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this romance, a wealthy, single woman dutifully dotes upon her ailing father while watching the man she once loved fool around with a pair of younger lassies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Disney not only recycled the French farce Mon Pere, Ce Heros but brought back the lead actor of the original, Gerard Depardieu, for the Americanized remake My Father, the Hero. Depardieu plays Andre, the loving but neglectful French father of fourteen-year old Nicole (Katherine Heigl), who now wants to be called Nicky. To make up for lost time, Andre picks up Nicole from the condo of his ex-wife Megan (Lauren Hutton) to take her on a vacation to the Bahamas. Nicole, bitter at her father's frequent absences and embarrassed to be seen with him in the Bahamas, concocts a tale in which she tells her fellow vacationers that Andre is her lover -- and an ex-con to boot. Andre, oblivious to whom everyone thinks he is, tries to act like a father taking his daughter on a trip, shocking everyone with unintentional double entendres. At the same time, Nicole is making eyes at the handsome Ben (Dalton James). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Made for television, Danger Island has also been released as The Presence. Things get going when a private plane crashes on tropical island. We soon learn we aren't in for Gilligan's Island Redux as an unseen presence wreaks havoc. Some of the castaways disappear, while others develop bizarre deformities. It's all due to a biological experiment which went horribly wrong nearly two decades earlier. Model Kathy Ireland costars with June Lockhart and Richard Beymer: where else but on American network television? Danger Island debuted September 20, 1992, its print ads emphasizing a bikini-clad Ireland rather than horrific elements. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The leader of a motorcycle gang (rapper Vanilla Ice) falls in love with a small-town girl (Kristen Minter) and finds out that while her family is involved in the Witness Protection Program, they are being pursued by corrupt cops. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

After his brother is badly beaten by a street gang, Jean-Claude Van Damme deserts the foreign legion in order to avenge his honor in this action film also known as A.W.O.L. and Wrong Bet. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-HBO thriller, Pierce Brosnan stars as an ex-convict who seeks revenge on the racetrack partner (Tom Skerritt) who framed him. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Veteran television writer-director Jerry Belson concocted this sweet comedy that stars Michael Caine as Sean Stein, a best-selling mystery novelist who's been constantly hurt by women he's fallen for. Sally Field plays Daisy Morgan, an artist who has not yet hit it big. She and Stein are at a museum party when a band of thieves arrive, tie up the guests, and proceed to pull off a heist. They are tied up together, which thrusts them into an unlikely romantic pairing. Because Daisy does not know who Stein is, he pretends that he, too, is a struggling artist. He distrusts women, because in the past, his ex-wife and other women pursued him solely for his money and fame. Steve Guttenberg and Peter Boyle play attorneys vying for Stein's money. Julie Kavner and Louise Lasser are among the fine supporting cast. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

In Peter Weir's thriller Witness, Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young Amish boy, witnesses a murder in the restroom of a Philadelphia bus station. Harrison Ford stars as John Book, the police detective investigating the murder. When Book discovers that the crime was part of a conspiracy involving several officials in his department, he flees Philadelphia to the Amish community where Samuel lives with his widowed mother, Rachel (Kelly McGillis). Slowly assimilating himself into the Amish community, Book eventually finds himself falling in love with Rachel in the midst of his investigation. Eventually, the corrupt police track Book down, and he is forced to confront them, while also trying to protect Rachel and Samuel. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Based upon the true story of a woman's battle to raise her baby in prison after having become pregnant by a prison guard while serving a twenty-year stretch for robbery, Amy Madigan, in her debut film, delivers an impressive intensity and range as Terry Jean Moore, a wild young woman with a chip on her shoulder. The story begins as Terry is hitchhiking with her equally wild cousin Jesse (Lewis Smith). They are picked up by a passing motorist and Jesse tries to rob the motorist of five dollars. When they are caught, Jesse takes the rap for her cousin and winds up in jail. Her temperament does not endear her to the prison authorities, although she is befriended by a young lesbian, J.J. (Mackenzie Phillips), and a sympathetic guard, Jack Hensen (Beau Bridges). Jack and Terry fall in love and have an affair in prison. Terry becomes pregnant and fights to raise her child in prison. At the same time, being pregnant forces Terry to reconsider her life and adopt a more responsible attitude. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

The smash success Caddyshack became a prototype for countless other wacky T&A-tinged teen comedies of the early 1980s. At an exclusive country club for WASPish snobs, an ambitious young caddy (Michael O'Keefe) from an overpopulated home eagerly pursues a caddy scholarship in hopes of attending college and, in turn, avoiding a job at the lumber yard. In order to succeed, he must first win the favor of the elitist Judge Smails (Ted Knight), then the caddy golf tournament which the good judge sponsors. Of course, there are love interests as well -- one good, one naughty -- not to mention several foes he must vanquish along the way. The story itself serves to string along a series of slapstick scenes involving an obnoxious nouveau riche land developer (Rodney Dangerfield) who wants to turn the site into a condominium community; an oddball, Zen-quoting, millionaire slacker/golf ace (Chevy Chase); and a psychotic groundskeeper (Bill Murray) with a gopher-fixation. Caddyshack was a bona fide hit; throughout the '80s and '90s, director Harold Ramis would continue to create such hits as Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, and Analyze This. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

In this comedy a trio of undercover government cops in Miami decide that it would be a good idea to open a bogus fencing operation so they can trap criminals. When the crooks find out, trouble ensues and the fun begins. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a Philadelphia boxer, is but one step removed from total bum-hood. A once-promising pugilist, Rocky is now taking nickel-and-dime bouts and running strongarm errands for local loan sharks to survive. Even his supportive trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), has given up on Rocky. All this changes thanks to Muhammad Ali-like super-boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). With the Bicentennial celebration coming up, Creed must find a "Cinderella" opponent for the big July 4th bout -- some unknown whom Creed can "glorify" for a few minutes before knocking him cold. Rocky Balboa was not the only Cinderella involved here: writer/director Sylvester Stallone, himself a virtual unknown, managed to sell his Rocky script (one of 35 that he'd written over the years) on the proviso that he be given the starring role. Since the film was to be made on a shoestring and marketed on a low-level basis, the risk factor to United Artists was small. For Stallone, this was a make-or-break opportunity -- just like Rocky's million-to-one shot with Apollo Creed. Costing under a million dollars, Rocky managed to register with audiences everywhere, earning back 60 times its cost. The film won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide