Tasia Valenza Movies

The daily, half-hour animated series Danger Rangers lived up to its title by teaching the kids at home how to avoid accidents in a light, entertaining fashion. The cast consisted of five lovable animals, members all of "Club Danger Rangers", dedicated to the proposition of showing themselves and others how to think and play safely, and how to deal with such everyday perils as fire, water, and heavy traffic. Gabriela or "Gabby" the bird was C.D.R.'s CEO, a strict but affectionate taskmaster and a fount of useful information; Kitty the cat was the brains of the operation, forever researching and testing new safety methods; Sully the Sea Lion was the self-styled "action hero" of the bunch; Burble the bear was the resident practical joker, albeit eminently well-informed in the realm of avoiding recreational hazards; Burt the turtle, youngest of the group, was also its "creative genius"; and Squeky the mouse was the most pugnacious and rebellious of the Rangers, whose occasional lapses into foolishness served as example to the young viewers. The only non-animal member of CDR was also non-human in the bargain: Fallbot, a silly, clumsy, overeager but well-intentioned robot. Though the "safety-first" material was potentially frightening to youngster, it was presented in a strictly comic and nonthreatening manner; and like many another prosocial series of this ilk, Danger Rangers was festooned with such concepts and catchphrases as "Play It Safe", "Danger Proof Plan" and "Danger Ranger Ready." In the United States, Danger Rangers debuted August 6, 2005, as a PBS daytimer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This WB Network Saturday morning cartoon series was a spinoff of the animated theatrical feature Osmosis Jones. The stories took place in the City of Hector -- actually the blood and immune system within the body of 13-year-old Hector Cruz. The heroes were white-blood-cell police officer Osmosis Jones, aka "Ozzy," and his assistant, over-the-counter cold pill Drix. Together, Ozzy and Drix did battle with the many infectious enemies threatening Hector's health and well-being. Though the TV series lacked the celebrity voice-over lineup (Ron Howard, William Shatner, et. al.) that added so much life to the original feature, the actors chosen to supply the voices did excellent impressions of their predecessors. Ranking high on the gross-out meter, but hilarious all the same, Ozzy & Drix made its first weekly appearance on September 14, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Evidently, the reports of Dr. Zin's death in the previous episode ("Night of the Zinja") were slightly exaggerated. Here is old Zin again, once more endeavoring to destroy the Quest team, this time with a whole slew of robots. But Dr. Quest is at this point as fed up with Zin's antics as the audience must be! Two of the important women in the life of Race Bannon -- his ex-wife Estella and his one-time amour Jade -- make return appearances. "The Robot Spies" was initially broadcast on April 15, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ever anxious to impress her corporate bosses, Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) takes it upon herself to promote Norm's (George Wendt) modest painting business into a major moneymaking enterprise. Not surprisingly, Norm nearly suffocates from Rebecca's good intentions. Meanwhile, Sam (Ted Danson) has a hard time keeping up (literally) with his new, hyper-athletic girl friend Erin (Lisa Aliff). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This grim sci-fi film presents a dim view of the near future in which humanity has been decimated by a virulent plague. The survivors are rigidly divided into those who are plague-free and those who are dying. The former live in heavily-guarded areas and have most of the wealth and power, while the latter are quarantined. A few people have a fatal but not contagious mutation of the virus. These are the Zero Men, and during their lives they are able to move in an out of the different zones; some of them are mercenaries and when the daughter of a prominent industrialist is kidnapped and taken to the plague zone, it is up to one of these terminally ill soldiers of fortune to save her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Featuring shots of aerial adventure and excitement, this is the pilot for a television series that chronicled the exploits of a group of specially trained Navy fighter pilots who live aboard a gigantic aircraft carrier and struggle daily to keep the world safe for democracy. The story centers on the pilots' fight to contain a devastating virus. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Hunter (Rick Hunter) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) are faced with an ethical dilemma while investigating the murder of Latino crime boss Max Santiago (Fred Asparagus). Early on, the detectives figure out that the killer was a prominent community leader, and are also able to determine the motive for the killing. Painfully aware of the ramifications of revealing this information, Hunter and McCall are on the verge of giving up the case--and quitting the force! Rudy Ramos joins the regular cast in the role of Reuben Garcia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Under orders from General Stockwell (Robert Vaughn), the A-Team tries to rescue three innocent Americans from the third world country of San Marcus. Their mission is nearly scuttled by a rebellion against the country's despotic ruler, Alexander Martien (Castulo Guerra)--and by the fact that those three Americans aren't quite as "innocent" as they seem. This episode marks the only time that new A-Team member "Dishpan" Frankie Sanchez (Eddie Velez) falls in love (at least on-camera!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A remake of Pigeon by Mario Monicelli, but set on the streets of San Francisco in a contemporary America instead of Italy in the '50s, this comedy about a conspiratorial heist of a greedy pawnbroker has excellent acting and good light fun but not much in the way of character motivation. Weslake (Donald Sutherland) is unemployed and has reason to frequent the pawnshop of his money-hungry friend Garvey (Jack Warden). People come and go around the shop (almost the only setting for the action): an aspiring musician of sorts (Sean Penn), the eccentric meter-maid Maxine (Christine Baranski), a safe-cracker (Irwin Corey), and others. Then one day Weslake gets the idea to break into Garvey's safe and make off with a few valuables just for the fun of it. Everyone agrees, and the plot goes on unhindered by motivation or ethics. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide