Wendy Worthington Movies

Directed by Sven Pape, L.A. Twister follows a familiar plight -- Lenny McCoy (played by Zack Ward, who some will remember as Ralphie's red-headed nemesis in A Christmas Story) is trying to make a spot for himself in Hollywood, though it seems more likely that Hollywood will make a meal out of Lenny. Far from having hit it big, Lenny decides to split the rent with Ethan (Tony Daly), an old friend whose marital problems and artistic endeavors have left him in a similar position. Rather than continuing their futile attempts to woo the industry, Ethan and Lenny decide it would be more lucrative to make their own film; however, once they get the ball rolling, making their own film seems just as hard as participating in someone else's, and both friends are forced to examine their friendship and personal ethics system in the process. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

A gifted forger and confidence man attempts to stay one step ahead of the lawman determined to bring him to justice in this comedy-drama from Steven Spielberg, based on a true story. Frank W. Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a 16-year-old high school student who finds himself emotionally cut adrift when his mother, Paula (Nathalie Baye), leaves his father, Frank Abagnale Sr. (Christopher Walken), after Frank Sr. falls into arrears with the Internal Revenue Service. One day at school, Frank Jr. attempts to pass himself off as a substitute teacher, and easily makes the subterfuge work. His small-scale success gives Frank some ideas, and he soon discovers bigger and more profitable ways of hoaxing others, passing himself off as an airline pilot, a doctor, and an attorney. Along the way, Frank learns how to become a master forger, and uses his talent and charm to pass over 2.5 million dollars in phony checks. Frank's increasingly audacious work soon attracts the attention of Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), an FBI agent who is determined to put Frank behind bars. Frank seems to enjoy being pursued by Carl, and even goes so far as to call Carl on the phone to chat every once in a while. While posing as a doctor, Frank falls in love with Brenda Strong (Amy Adams), a sweet girl working as a candy striper. When Frank asks Brenda to marry him, he decides to assume a new identity to impress her father, Roger (Martin Sheen) -- who happens to be the District Attorney of New Orleans, LA. Catch Me If You Can was based on the autobiography of the real Frank W. Abagnale Jr., who has a cameo in the film and today works on the side of the law as a top consultant on preventing forgery and designing secure checking systems. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

One of the more difficult high school students in cinematic history moves on to college in this sexy thriller. Debbie Strand (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, in the role Rose McGowan played in the first film) was sentenced to a mental institution for the criminally insane after her previous murder spree, but she manages to escape, and while making her getaway by hitchhiking, she's picked up by Sydney Hollings (Christiana Frank), a student on her way to start classes at an upscale college nearby. Debbie murders Sydney and assumes her identity in hopes of avoiding the police, but Debbie's obsession with older men starts causing problems again when she becomes interested in Sam Decker (Jsu Garcia), one of her professors. Debbie soon learns that she has a rival for Sam's affections in Carla (Katherine Kendall), Sam's girlfriend, and this proves to be bad for the long-term health of all parties concerned. Debbie also finds she doesn't get along especially well with her new roommate, Laney (Jeanette Brox). Devil in the Flesh 2 was also screened under the title Teacher's Pet. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Having set a date for their wedding, Joe (Tim Daly) and Helen (Crystal Bernard) begin seeking out a good location for the ceremony. To save money, Joe and Helen decide to crash another wedding and test out the facilities -- only to nearly scuttle the other couple's happiness with their endless bickering. Incidentally, newlyweds Rick and Karen are played by real-life husband and wife David Kaufman and Lisa Picotte. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Corky (Faith Ford) finally gets the chance to conduct her first truly hard-hitting interview when she goes one-on-one with ruthless retail mogul Ross Bowen (William Windom). Though she acquits herself quite well, Corky suffers the usual professional consequences when she is deluged with hate mail. Murphy (Candice Bergen) and the gang are all for sheltering Corky from this assault, but the plucky girl reporter insists upon meeting her attackers head-on--by inviting all of the mail writers to the "FYI" studios. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi