Myra Taylor Movies
- 2000
The detectives scour the streets for clues after the murder of a schizophrenic woman. Their search results in the arrest of a homeless man who likewise has severe mental problems. The suspect's defense hinges upon his right to refuse his antidepressant medication -- which, according to attorney Danielle Melnick (Tovah Feldshuh), will render her client mentally incompetent and thus unable to stand trial for murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
A black student is murdered, and the main suspect claims that she had been previously drugged and raped by the dead man. The parents of the victim insist that the girl is lying and demand that the DA's office prosecute the case to the fullest extent of the law. The outcome hinges upon two mutually dependent "airtight" alibis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director Ron Howard's drama follows a beleaguered reporter during a hectic 24 hours at a New York City tabloid. Michael Keaton stars as Henry Hackett, a metro editor for the struggling New York Sun. Hackett is being wooed by the Sentinel, a more upscale paper, but he's addicted to the adrenaline-stimulating, breakneck pace of the Sun's newsroom, much to the consternation of his pregnant wife Martha (Marisa Tomei. Hackett is currently pursuing a story of two minority youths who have been arrested for the murders of two men. He learns that the police think that the killings may be a mob hit. In the court of public opinion, however, the innocent suspects are being judged as guilty, and the police may bow to the pressure. As Hackett and his staff desperately work all the story's angles to find the truth, several other dramas unfold. Top editor Bernie (Robert Duvall) learns that he has prostate cancer, and tough publisher Alicia (Glenn Close) wonders if her lack of popularity is due to her cost-cutting, her personality, or the fact that she's a woman. In their only collaboration, screenwriter David Koepp co-wrote the script with his brother Stephen Koepp, a senior editor at Time magazine. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Keaton, Robert Duvall, (more)
Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom made his American movie debut with this romantic comedy, starring Holly Hunter as Renata Bella, an aimless Bostonian thirtysomething who attends a seminar for aspiring condo salespersons. Here she meets hotshot salesman Sam Sharpe (Richard Dreyfuss), who immediately falls in love with her. After the marriage, Sam's well-meaning but obnoxious insistence on insinuating himself into every aspect of Renata's life rubs the rest of her family the wrong way. Though the script occasionally veers into both cliché and sentimentality, Once Around ends up a thoroughly charming experience, thanks to Hallstrom's knowing direction and the marvelous chemistry between Hunter and Dreyfuss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, (more)
Can an independent, contemporary woman find happiness with a guy who sells pickles? Isabelle Grossman (Amy Irving) is an attractive, intelligent Jewish woman in her early 30s. She has a good job and a nice apartment on the Upper West Side, and she values her independence; she often visits her grandmother Bubbie (Reiz Bozyk), who lives on the Lower East Side and wants Isabelle to meet a nice Jewish man and settle down. Bubbie goes so far as to obtain the services of Hannah Mandelbaum (Sylvia Miles), a matchmaker who finds the "perfect" man for Isabelle: a pickle salesman named Sam Posner (Peter Riegert). Isabelle thinks Sam is a nice enough guy, but she has a hard time imagining herself spending her life with the pickle man, and she isn't sure if she wants to pursue the relationship. However, Sam is taken with Isabelle and goes out of his way to change her mind. Crossing Delancy was directed by Joan Micklin Silver, whose breakthrough film Hester Street also examined Jewish culture on the Lower East Side, albeit from the vantage point of the 1890s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Irving, Reizl Bozyk, (more)
British filmmaker Peter Yates directs Suspect, a suspenseful courtroom drama set in Washington, D.C. After a Supreme Court justice commits suicide and a Justice Department secretary is found dead, a deaf-mute homeless veteran, Carl Wayne Anderson (Liam Neeson), is the suspected killer. Lonely yet dedicated public defender Kathleen Riley (Cher) is assigned to the case to represent Anderson. Suave lobbyist Eddie Sanger (Dennis Quaid) is on the jury, but he starts his own investigation by finding clues that prove Anderson's innocence. He shares his information with Kathleen, even though they could get arrested for talking about the case. Eventually, they develop a romance and reveal a conspiracy that leads to a twist ending. The mysterious conclusion involves a final courtroom scene presided over by Judge Matthew Helms (played by character actor John Mahoney, who would go on to co-star on the sitcom Frasier). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cher, Dennis Quaid, (more)
- 1982
Jenny Jefferson (Berlinda Tolbert) has agreed to let the gospel group organized by Florence (Marla Gibbs) sing at the baptism of baby Jessica. What Jenny and Florence don't know is that Jenny's father-in-law, George (Sherman Hemsley), has already secured the services of famous gospel singer Andrae Crouch (played by -- who else? -- Andrae Crouch). Fans of Sherman Hemsley's later sitcom Amen will be amused by George's brief impersonation of a clergyman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
- 1980
In this first episode of a two-part story, George and Louise Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford) reluctantly face the possibility that their son, Lionel (Mike Evans), and his wife, Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert), may move to Chicago. While Lionel is out of town to talk to his potential new employer, George is pressed into service to take the pregnant Jenny to her natural-childbirth class. This being a sitcom, it is only to be expected that Jenny will go into labor with no one but George around to help her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
- 1980
In this concluding episode of a two-part story, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), with the help of several new "good buddies," manages to get his extremely pregnant daughter-in-law, Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert), to the maternity hospital just in time. Jenny's husband, Lionel (Mike Evans), his move to Chicago still pending, rushes back to New York to be by her side when the baby arrives. As the in-laws gather in the waiting room, a perplexing question arises: Since Lionel is black, and Jenny is the product of an interracial marriage, exactly what color will the baby be? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
