Brant Van Hoffman Movies

A man trained for a life of excitement and danger is given a new and unexpected challenge -- minding a grouchy old woman -- in this comedy. Doug Chesnic (Nicolas Cage) is a Secret Service agent who takes great pride in his job, performing his duties with the utmost professionalism and always minding the details. However, his assignment for the last three years has been a severe test of his patience; Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine) is the widow of a former U.S. president who is well-known for her diplomatic and philanthropic work, and Doug has been in charge of her security force. But Tess tends to regard Doug less as a security officer and more as a domestic servant, like her chauffeur Earl (Austin Pendleton) or her nurse Frederick (Richard Griffiths). While Doug regards it as beneath his professional dignity to perform little chores around the house or bring Tess her breakfast in bed, she orders him to do so, and he's in no position to say, "no." Sometimes, Tess even refuses to obey Doug's security instructions, and should he argue his point too strongly, Tess will contact her close friend, the President of the United States, and ask him to give Doug a severe dressing down. So when Doug's three year hitch with Tess comes to an end, he asks to be given a more exciting and challenging assignment. However, Tess has other ideas; she's decided that she likes working with Doug, and she demands that his assignment be made permanent. Director Hugh Wilson also provides the voice of the President. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The directorial debut of producer Irwin Winkler, Guilty by Suspicion is a sobering account of one movie executive's woes in dealing with the political fallout from the McCarthy Era Hollywood blacklist. Robert De Niro stars as David Merrill, a film director in the 1950s whose obsession with his burgeoning career has estranged him from his wife Ruth (Annette Bening) and their son. When he returns from a trip to Paris, Merrill is surprised when told by his boss, Darryl F. Zanuck (Ben Piazza) that he's been summoned to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee, which is investigating Communist ties to Hollywood. Although Merrill once attended a meeting years before, he's not a Communist, and he refuses to help the committee wreck the career of his friend Bunny Baxter (George Wendt). Merrill becomes blacklisted, unable to find work even in menial positions or under assumed names as the editor of a B-movie or the director of a low-budget Western. Reconciled with his family, Merrill caves in and agrees to testify, but as he prepares to "name names," his conscience plagues him. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

David Keith both directs and stars in this Sri Lanka-filmed adventure spoof. Taking equal portions of "Indiana Jones," King Solomon's Mines and The Macomber Affair, the film finds Keith playing Buck Malone, a mercenary hunter, headquartered in Borneo. Hired to guide a cotton-witted married couple through the wilderness, Malone falls in love with the wife (former Playboy foldout Kathy Shower) while hubby (Brant van Hoffman) walks around in a perpetual daze. The film ventures into John & Bo Derek territory when the intrepid trio cross the path of erotically-inclined cannibals. Further Adventures of Tennesse Buck isn't exactly rocket science, but it's immensely enjoyable on a low-comedy level. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this third installment of the slapstick comedy series about novice police officers with less than dubious abilities, two police academies have to compete with each other in order to stay in business. The state's skinflint governor claims he has less money to spread around, so one of the police training academies is going to be axed. Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) calls back some of his former recruits to train the new batch of students, hoping to get the edge on the rival academy. Among the newcomers are brassy Cadet Zed (Bobcat Goldthwait), who is a former gang leader, and his roommate Cadet Sweetchuck (Tim Kazurinsky). Sweetchuck is a wimpy noodle whose Clint Eastwood impersonation is one of the film's most honestly funny moments. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Public safety takes a turn for the worse in this hit comedy, which spawned a long-running franchise. As a crime wave sweeps through a major city, the mayor decides that part of the problem may stem from overly restrictive qualifications for police officers, so she opens the door of the city's Police Academy to anyone who wants to join. Soon, the new class is overrun with misfits and losers, including Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), who is given the choice of joining the force or going to jail; Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall), a pretty cadet whom Mahoney has his eye on; Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), a mountain of a man who likes to tend flowers; and Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), who has an uncanny ability to imitate the sound of practically anything. Constantly befuddled Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) and his lackey, Lt. Harris (G.W. Bailey), are none too thrilled with their new charges, but as they try to wash their hands of the cadets, Mahoney and his classmates become all the more determined to make good. The surprising success of Police Academy spawned six sequels and two TV series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide