Karen Witter Movies
- 2000
Despite the best efforts of Danny Sorenson (Rick Schroder), street informant J.B. Murphy is unable to kick his drug habit; when J.B. is found dead at the scene of a fire, Danny goes off the deep end, thoroughly alienating his girlfriend, Mary (Sheeri Rappaport). Elsewhere, Jill (Andrea Thompson) is convinced that so-called kleptomaniac Lucy Sperling (Hynden Walch) is actually stealing on orders from her no-good husband, Harvey (Daniel Blinkoff). But when she tries to protect Lucy from her husband's wrath, Jill is unexpectedly thwarted by well-meaning cop Ed Laughlin (Anthony Mangano) -- with disastrous results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Craig (Craig Shoemaker) is a comic who is fond of saying "my act is my life," and in this film we watch him as he jumps back and forth between performing stand-up at a comedy club, discussing his multiple personalities (and even more numerous anxieties) with his analyst (George Wendt), and indulging in his rich fantasy life, in which he gets to date Farrah Fawcett. Both onstage and off, Craig assumes a dizzying variety of personas, from a dead-on impersonation of Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show and a mental patient whose medication has run out to The Lovemaster, a super-cool genius of seduction. However, real-life occasionally intrudes, in which Craig has to deal with his wife Karen (Harley Jane Kozak) and his good friend Deb (Courtney Thorne-Smith). The Lovemaster's concert sequences were filmed at The Improv, a comedy venue in Tempe, Arizona; most of the rest of the picture was shot in Los Angeles, California. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig Shoemaker, Farrah Fawcett, (more)
In this independent drama, Sarah Paulson stars as Acey Rawlin, a troubled teenager who discovers that she's pregnant after spending a night with a man she had just met. Acey has few friends to confide in, and her most trusted companion, a fisherman named Bob (Jeremy London), may be a spirit guide or just an imaginary friend. So with nowhere else to turn, Acey talks with her mother Anna (Ann Magnuson) about her dilemma. Anna, however, chooses this moment to tell Acey that she's actually adopted, and Acey sets out through a world distorted by her own hallucinations to find her biological mother, Sara Fulton. Guiding Acey along her journey is the music of all-night jazz deejay Downbeat (Ernie Hudson), who spins classic blues sides for Acey and occasionally offers advice and comes to her aid. In an interesting casting twist, Ann Magnuson plays both Acey's adpoted mother Anna and her birth mother Sarah. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Paulson, Ernie Hudson, (more)
- 1995
Much against his better judgment, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) is drawn into a fight between Iolaus (Michael Hurst) and a band of toughs. This causes the humiliated Iolaus to challenge Hercules to a race to Thrace. En route, Iolaus is captured by what appears to be a band of Satyrs and attempts to escape in the company of another prisoner, Lydia (Lisa Chappell). Meanwhile, Hercules has an ominous encounter with his childhood sweetheart Nemesis (Karen Witter) -- who is forsworn to kill Iolaus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, (more)
In this off-beat horror outing, a band of film students decide to scare up some cash by holding a film festival celebrating horror films from the '50s. Its all great fun until they discover that the projectionist is a homicidal maniac. Gory violence ensues as audience members begin dying in horrible ways. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jill Schoelen, Tom Villard, (more)
- 1989
- R
A TV horror-movie hostess (Lynn Redgrave) is threatened when people close to her turn up dead. The standard version of the film went straight to video, though a director's cut later earned a limited theatrical release. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, Tony Curtis, (more)
- 1989
- R
Although this bloody, relentlessly weird South African production purports to be a modern-day treatment of the works of Edgar Allan Poe (most promotional materials list the author's name above the title), it actually bears so little relation to Poe's writing that it makes Roger Corman's Poe "adaptations" seem meticulously loyal by comparison. The story involves a young psychologist whose arrival at the creepy Ravenscroft Institute for troubled girls is followed by the disappearance of several students. Tormented by a series of grotesque nightmares involving a deranged killer, the heroine eventually learns of the bizarre goings-on within the school's hallowed halls. Some oddball touches and outlandish performances from Robert Vaughn and Donald Pleasence (in a bad wig) make this film just campy enough to be entertaining. Alert viewers can spot John Carradine in his final role. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1988
In this lively comedy, a womanizing actor dies and is granted a second chance at life on the condition that he remain faithful to only one woman. That's easier said than done, and once he's back on Earth he must choose between a virtuous lass and a shady lady. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Greenwood, Vanessa Angel, (more)
- 1988
- R
In this suspense thriller with a few humorous touches, an employee of a phone-sex service (Lynn Danielson) is being stalked by a clown-masked psychotic killer (Cameron Dye) who has already murdered a number of her colleagues. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cameron Dye, Karen Black, (more)
- 1988
Poised to marry Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth), Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) looks forward to one final "madcap night of debauchery and vomiting" at his bachelor party. Instead, Frasier is plunged into the depths of despair when the stripper hired for the party turns out to be one of his patients. Meanwhile, Lilith's bridal shower turns into a highly combustible affair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- PG
Uptown (George Newbern) and Mad Mike (Christopher McDonald) are paramedic partners assigned to the tough South Central section of the city by their irate boss Captain Prescott (John P. Ryan). The duo uncovers a fiendish conspiracy that deals in harvesting internal organs from unwilling donors. They encounter street gangs and a female with a killer sex drive. This spoofing parody contains explicate language and brief nudity. Watch for veteran actor Ray Walston as the first patient suffering a heart attack. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Newbern, Christopher McDonald, (more)
- 1988
- R
When his partner on the police force is murdered by the former CIA agent Kendrick (Gustav Vintas), Sam (Sam J. Jones) sets out to avenge his friend's death. He teams up with Jun Kim (Jun Chong) and kendo expert Bernard (Phillip Rhee) to rescue a scientist kidnapped by Kendrick. The villain hopes to use his victim's knowledge for the purposes of chemical warfare. Linda Blair plays Sam's sweetheart Sara, with former Playboy model Rebecca Ferrati as a seductive villainess in this well-crafted action feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Jones, Linda Blair, (more)
O'Brien (Chuck Norris) is a detective who captured the psychotic maniac Simon Moon (Jack O'Halloran), aka the Terror, by mistake. When the obese 6' 6'' villain fell from a ladder trying to escape, he was knocked cold and the lucky O'Brien got the credit for his collar. With his psychiatrist sweetheart Kay (Brynn Thayer), pregnant with their first child, the Terror escapes. Although he is large and unforgettable, the terrible Titan manages to evade the police, and no one even notices him when he carts cadavers on his massive shoulders. This routine actioner provides a view of several historic sights in Santa Monica, California. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Norris, Brynn Thayer, (more)
In this racy made-for-TV comedy, a handsome hunk (Mark Harmon) does more than merely plumb the pools of beauteous Bel Air housewives and lonely women. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
In this romantic comedy, a lonely man meets a lonely woman after they each post ads in the lonely-hearts section of the classified ads. Unfortunately, neither one is totally honest about themselves and merry mix-ups ensue until a romance finally blossoms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marc McClure, Jennifer Edwards, (more)
- 1986
- PG13
This drama follows an unlikely "ratboy" (S.L. Baird) after he is discovered living in a makeshift shelter in a garbage dump. Along comes Nikki Morrison (Sondra Locke, also the director) who meets the half-rodent, half-human creature and takes him over. She talks to a Hollywood producer and holds forth about him on a television talk show but when she brings ratboy to a press conference, he bolts for freedom -- enough is enough. The garbage dump was better. From that point onward, Nikki begins to change her mind about her treatment of the misbegotten creature and he develops an ambivalent feeling for her. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sondra Locke, Robert Townsend, (more)
- 1986
Underworld fence Lucky Lacy (Ron Karabatsos) is robbed of $12 million in gems by a gang of young hoodlums. Hiring a huge, psychotic punker named Lincoln--played by John Matuszak, former gridiron rival of Hunter star Fred Dryer--to kill the thieves and retrieve the merchandise, Lacy launches a bloodbath that leaves many innocent victims in its wake. Inevitably, Hunter is forced to go "mano y mano" with the brutish Lincoln--and the odds are definitely not in his favor! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- R
This action drama is set in an affluent, conservative neighborhood seeking protection for its high school students. A company known as "The Sentinels" is hired to guarantee security at the school. However, the men in this company are more Nazi than Himmler, and they are soon bullying and abusing the students they were supposed to protect. After the editor of the school paper gets involved in resolving this bad situation, he enlists the help of the former girlfriend of Sentinels leader. The two eventually begin to figure out what needs to be done. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Stockwell, J. Eddie Peck, (more)
In order to win a bet, a nebbishy engineer must meet a model; not only does he get to know her, they begin to date. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Teri Copley, Tim Daly, (more)
- 1984
The Duke boys save the life of movie star Brock Curtis (Barry Van Dyke), who narrowly escapes a fatal accident while making a film in Hazzard County. As a reward, the boys are offered parts in a Hollywood movie, obliging Boss (Sorrell Booke) and Roscoe (James Best) to accompany the family to Tinseltown in order to make sure they don't break parole. It turns out that the "accident" which nearly claimed Brock's life was no accident--and now the would-be murderers have added Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) to their hit list! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
