Joanne Vannicola Movies

The fourth entry in the Iron Eagle series follows the return of General Charles "Chappy" Sinclair (Louis Gosset Jr., who deserves better) as he trains a Dirty Dozen-style team of juvenile delinquents to improve their quality of life by flying planes and combatting evil. This time the Air Force itself is the enemy, as the intrepid teens uncover a conspiracy involving biological weaponry. When Chappy contacts his old friend, General Kettle (Al Waxman), he learns the General is in on the action. Along the way, the group manages to combat some ill-prepared drug dealers as well. This installment is better than the second or third, but that's not the highest of praise; Iron Eagle IV is a dumb-dumb fantasy for fourteen-year-old boys who don't yet have their learner's permits, much less their pilot's licenses. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

A community rallies together when a former police officer comes unglued, builds a bomb and takes hostage an entire elementary school. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Based upon a play by screenwriter Brad Fraser, Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, Denys Arcand's dark-humored drama Love and Human Remains follows the lives of a group of young Canadians, with a particular focus on their romantic and sexual experiences. The central characters are two roommates, David and Candy. The cynical, witty David is a former television actor turned waiter, the lonely, dissatisfied Candy a book critic; the two were formerly lovers, before David proclaimed his homosexuality. Candy is also questioning her sexuality, having begun a lesbian affair after wondering if her failures with men indicates she might be happier with a woman; meanwhile, David is becoming acquainted with Kane, a handsome, young busboy of uncertain sexuality who idolizes the older David. The other members of the ensemble are also somehow connected to the roommates, through friendship or romance, including Benita, a young dominatrix and part-time psychic, and Bernie, a boastful but insecure young businessman. The couplings and shifting relationships of these characters are intercut with the rather more severe story of a serial murderer who has been terrorizing the city's women, allowing Arcand to place the film's melodramatic elements in an edgier context. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Produced for public television, Taking Care of Terrific spotlights Joanne Vanicola as a teenaged baby sitter named Enid. Enjoying quality time in the park with her charge Joshua (Benjamin Barrett), Enid is given a strong dose of reality when some bag ladies wander into view. Enid and Joshua then and there decide to arrange one wonderful evening's worth of entertainment for the park's homeless. They are given a hand by street musician Melvin Van Peebles. The 60-minute Taking Care of Terrific first aired January 16, 1988, as part of PBS' Wonderworks children's series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in 1963, this drama looks at the life of Barnie Margruder (Carl Marotte), a teenager dealing with school bullies, his bickering parents, his conflicting feelings about sex, and an often strained relationship with his girlfriend. Barnie's life begins to change when he makes friends with Winona (Charlaine Woodard), an African-American girl from the other side of the city, who gives him a new perspective on his town and the world. Hard Feelings, also known as Hang Tough, was partially filmed in Canada; the film enjoyed a brief theatrical run there, though it never opened in theaters in the United States. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide