Kari Wuhrer Movies
The inspiration for over a dozen web shrines, B-movie queen and pop diva Kari Wuhrer has built an expansive list of credits since debuting in the early '80s. Born in Brookfield, CT, to Andrew, a police officer turned salesman, and Karin, a payroll accountant, Wuhrer began her career by singing in local talent contests. As a teenager, she would sneak into Manhattan to play with her punk rock band, Freudian Slip. She also began taking acting classes and persuaded her mother to take her to an audition for Ford Modeling Agency's Talent Division. The company signed her on the spot. She started appearing in commercials, and later juggled her acting roles with drama classes at N.Y.U.'s Tisch School of the Arts and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. After making her film debut in Fire With Fire (1986), Wuhrer became an MTV veejay and the co-host of network's quiz show Remote Control. She then paid her own way out to Hollywood to make a cameo in the Andrew Dice Clay vehicle The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990). Wuhrer eventually settled in Los Angeles, appearing in Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991) and landing a guest spot on Fox's Married With Children. Her own 1993 Fox series, Class of '96, failed to attract viewers, but the network still hired Wuhrer to bed Brian Austin Green in two episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 in 1994. That same year, she began landing more substantial roles, acting opposite Jack Nicholson in Sean Penn's The Crossing Guard and Laurence Fishburne in John Singleton's Higher Learning (1995). Wuhrer played a gypsy in Stephen King's Thinner (1996), before increasing her fan base exponentially when she joined the cast of the sci-fi series Sliders in 1997. While portraying sultry Maggie Beckett on the hit show, she appeared with Jennifer Lopez in Anaconda (1997) and David Schwimmer in Kissing a Fool (1998), as well as headlined numerous B-films, straight-to-video releases, and television movies. In 1999, Wuhrer, who sang and composed songs for several soundtracks, released her first album. Entitled Shiny, it boasted the popular single "There's a Drug." The new millennium saw Wuhrer leaving Sliders and lending her talents (and internet following) to the computer game series Command & Conquer, starring as Agent Tanya in Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge. She made two guest appearances on CBS's CSI and appeared in a string of B-pictures and independent pictures, including Spider's Web (2001), The Rose Technique (2001), The Medicine Show (2001), Berserker (2001), and Malevolent (2002). A veteran of over 40 screen roles, Wuhrer then cashed in on her cult status for Centropolis Entertainment's big-budget homage to low-budget creature flicks, Eight Legged Freaks (2002) -- proving that she had both wit and staying power. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
After completing a three-year run on the Fox network, the sci-fi series Sliders appropriately resurfaced on cable's Sci-Fi Channel for an additional two seasons. When last we saw Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) and Maggie Beckett (Kari Wuhrer), the two sliders who had used Quinn's timing mechanism to travel to alternate worlds and universes throughout the time-space continuum, they had been hurtled centuries into the future. As the series' fourth season begins, Maggie and Quinn have reached his home earth, now in the thrall of the Kromaggs, a fascistic race of warrior sliders. As for the other former series regulars, prof. Arturo was killed near the end of season three, and Wade Wells has been shipped off to a Kromagg breeding camp; only Rembrandt Brown (Cleavant Derricks) is able to link up with Quinn and Maggie. Before long, Quinn discovers that his own parents had been sliders from a different world, and that he has been implanted with a microdot that will enable him to locate a powerful weapon capable of wiping out the Kromagg. As icing on the cake, this microdot will also ultimately reunite Quinn with his long-lost brother, Colin (Charlie O'Connell), who upon being rescued joins sliders Quinn, Maggie, and Cleavant in their quest to topple the Kromagg and save their world. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry O'Connell, Cleavant Derricks, (more)
This noir crime drama set in Arizona and updated for post-modern sensibilities is similar in tone to other hip B-movie homages such as Bad Lieutenant (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994) and the previous year's award winning L.A. Confidential (1997). Ray Liotta stars as Phoenix police detective Harry Collins, a good-hearted cop with an understanding bartender (Anjelica Huston) and a gambling problem that's gotten him $32,000 in debt to a bookie, Chicago (Tom Noonan). Although Chicago offers to forgive Harry's debt in exchange for a murder, and Harry's crooked partner Mike (Anthony LaPaglia) offers to kill Chicago, Harry refuses their generosity, insisting that he will never welsh on a bet or betray a friend. Instead, Harry devises a plan to rip off a sleazy loan shark and strip club owner, Louie (Giancarlo Esposito) with the help of Mike and two fellow corrupt cops, James (Daniel Baldwin) and Fred (Jeremy Piven). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Liotta, Anthony LaPaglia, (more)
- 1997
- NR
This drama deals with the impact of the AIDS epidemic on modern relationships. Bridgette (Amanda Peet) is an aspiring young actress who pays her bills by teaching aerobics classes. She meets Adam (Michael Vartan), a ladies' man who runs his father's gymnasium business. They embark on an affair. One day, Bridgette is shocked to hear the news that one of her former boyfriends has died from AIDS. She thinks about having herself tested, hesitates because she is afraid to find out the result, and then goes through with the test when she finds out that Adam has taken up with another woman. Much to her dismay, she tests positive for the HIV virus. She figures that her life is over, but she is rescued from her despair by a new, sympathetic lover. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
A group of filmmakers looking for a lost native tribe instead find a man-eating monster in this thriller. Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez) is a documentary filmmaker on assignment to make a film about the Shirishama Indians of the Amazon, a mysterious tribe known as "the People of the Mists." As Terri and her crew -- cameraman Danny Rich (Ice Cube), sound recordist Gary Dixon (Owen Wilson), anthropologist Steve Cale (Eric Stoltz), production manager Denise Kahlberg (Kari Wuhrer), and host Warren Westridge (Jonathan Hyde) -- head down the river, they discover a man whose boat has sunk and desperately needs rescue. Paul Sarone (Jon Voight), the mysterious stranger that they save from the waters, claims to know something of the Shirishama and says he will take the crew to them. Instead, he guides the group to the hiding place of the fearsome Anaconda, a gigantic snake that swallows a man whole, vomits him up, and eats him again (no small accomplishment, that). The snake is worth a fortune if captured, but can a creature so dangerous be captured at all? ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, (more)
The mother of undertaker Mario Bellini (Adrien Brody) would like to see him married, but the ladies aren't especially entranced by his funeral parlor -- where profits are soaring due to an ongoing mob war. To bring peace, Alberto (Burt Young), boss of the Strachitella family, has his gun-wielding brother Rocco (Jeff Wincott) bumped off. But it's only a staged death, and Mario is told to hide Rocco at the funeral home. Mario takes an interest in Rocco's wife Maria (Kari Wuhrer). Rocco can't keep away from Mario's girlfriend Louise (Holly Gagnier). Maria goes into a murderous rage when she discovers Rocco has been cheating on her. She kills her husband, and then turns to Mario for help. Shown at Montreal's 1997 World Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Jeff Wincott, (more)
- 1997
- R
In this dark thriller, a man finds himself caught up in a vortex of lies and murder after he has a run-in with a streetwalker. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kari Wuhrer, Burt Young, (more)
A corporate marketing director thinks he's getting the project he's been looking for when he's assigned to help introduce an exciting new computer product. However, that's before he meets his new boss, who ends up putting the project, the company and even himself in serious jeopardy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The plot of Thinner concerns massively overweight lawyer Billy Halleck (Robert John Burke), who is receiving an oral gift from his wife (Lucinda Jenney) while driving down the street one night, when he becomes so carried away that he runs over an old Gypsy woman (Irma St. Paule), killing her. Nobody in town likes the traveling Gypsies much, so Halleck's pals -- a judge and a cop -- cover up the incident. After the cover-up, the dead woman's father, Tadzu Lempke (Michael Constantine), touches Halleck's face and whispers "thinner." Pretty soon, Halleck is losing weight at an incredible rate of more than 40 pounds a week. He tries everything, but learns that Lempke is the only man who can remove the curse. In the meantime, the judge dies of a mysterious skin ailment, and the cop commits suicide. When begging and pleading with Lempke doesn't work, Halleck turns to more drastic methods of persuasion. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert John Burke, Joe Mantegna, (more)
This preposterous thriller stars Tom Berenger (Platoon) as Ernie Dewalt, a drug-addicted ex-cop with a catheter, and that isn't the worst of it. Ernie teaches creative writing at a small college where prominent professor Alex Laughton (Stephen Lang) has been blown apart with a shotgun while groping the frequently nude Jeri Kari Wuhrer in a car on Lover's Lane. Laughton's widow, Elizabeth (Valeria Golino) drags the reluctant Ernie out of retirement to clear her name, as she is the prime suspect. When he's not mainlining drugs or trading japes with investigating detective Robert Davi, Ernie is haunted by visions of Jeri, taunting him about his incompetence. It's not really Jeri, of course, and may even be the spirit of his former alcoholism, but the plot is so muddled that it's hard to tell. Ernie has a vision of himself snapping nude photos of Jeri and Laughton having sex in a field; Elizabeth is loudly whispered about in the local supermarket; and the ridiculous resolution will please no one. Bad film buffs should get a kick out of Ernie weeping to Elizabeth about his catheter, but other viewers should avoid this jaw-dropping stupidity at all costs. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Kari Wuhrer, (more)
- 1996
- NR
A frustrated painter becomes a "hot young artist' after he and his girl friend begin dousing themselves with paint and make colorfully passionate love directly on his canvasses in this Canadian film. Actually the idea for the new kind of body painting came about as the result of heated argument between the artist and his girlfriend. He, not talented in the classical sense, was again begging her to pose nude for him. She, knowing that he throws temper tantrums when he is unable to effectively sketch her, reluctantly agrees. Sure enough, he gets mad and in his rage he throws paint all over his naked girl friend. She retaliates, but instead of getting madder, the two suddenly find themselves aroused and begin making love. The result is as beautiful as it was satisfying and soon his work is much in demand. Of course that means he and his lover must make hay without delay. In time this proves problematic for they find themselves running out of inventive positions. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kari Wuhrer, Stephen Shellen, (more)
- 1995
- R
In this twisted black comedy, blackmailer Billy has chosen the son-in-law of a prominent business man to become his meal-ticket -- but first he must lure Arthur into his trap. For some time, Billy has known that Arthur has had a thing for Billy's lover Jessica. Lately Billy and Jessica have had troubles in the boudoir, and no matter how many games they play or fantasies they enact, Bill just can't seem to get sufficiently aroused. One night he decides to go out rather than spend another futile night entertaining Jessica. She ends up inviting Arthur over for some fun. As soon as he arrives she is at him like a pitbull on a pot roast. She has just finished ripping his clothing off when Billy steps in and shoots an incriminating Polaroid. While the embarrassed Arthur apologizes, Billy ties him up and then demands a large sum of money in exchange for silence. To ensure he gets it, Billy decides to leave Arthur tied up for the entire weekend. Suddenly, Billy finds himself terribly excited by his captive audience and proceeds to make frequent and vigorous love to Jessica while poor Arthur looks on. The two are rather inept lovers and Arthur is somewhat disgusted. In the end, the story takes a darker turn and mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Eldard, Kari Wuhrer, (more)
- 1995
In this action thriller, Trent, a college student, is driving home for Thanksgiving and pulls into a truck stop to fill up his tank. While gassing up, he sees a group of men trying to rape a young woman. Trent intervenes and before long Miya, the would-be crime victim, is expressing her gratitude in increasingly physical ways. Trent soon discovers Miya is a prostitute, and that her situation is more complicated than he ever imagined. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kari Wuhrer, Kristoffer Winters, (more)
Set in a near-future world in which "cybersex" has become all the rage and in which wealthy men can have women cloned to match their every fantasy, this thriller centers on the exploits of Pamela, one of the most famous actresses in the virtual porn industry. Because she is so popular, many fans want clones of her, and greedy but brilliant bio technologist Dr. Vivyan is hell-bent on getting a sample of her DNA. Determined to remain unique, Pamela attempts to flee but ends up protected by police sergeant Bobby Chase. Despite his efforts, Vivyan successfully abducts Pamela and holds her captive inside a dangerous virtual reality game, To save her, Chase must enter the game and win. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorenzo Lamas, Chris Sarandon, (more)
Sean Penn wrote and directed this tale of loss, guilt, and revenge. The daughter of Freddy and Mary Gale (Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston) was killed by a drunk driver, John Booth (David Morse). The death of their child took a heavy toll on the Gales; their marriage broke up, and, while Mary has remarried and attempted to put her life back together, Freddy has become an embittered alcoholic, seething with directionless rage and searching for a purpose in life. Freddy intends to kill Booth as soon as he's released from prison, as he believes that jail was not a severe enough punishment for his daughter's death. But Freddy discovers that Booth is still wracked with guilt for his crime and can barely live with himself. He tells Booth that he has three days left to live; Booth tries to find solace in the arms of artist Jojo (Robin Wright), while Freddy continues to wallow in alcohol and self-pity at a strip club. The Crossing Guard also features an original song by Bruce Springsteen; Penn's previous directorial outing, The Indian Runner, was loosely based on a Springsteen song from his album Nebraska. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Nicholson, David Morse, (more)
This drama examines the personal, political, and racial dilemmas facing a group of college freshmen as they begin their first semester at Columbus University. Malik (Omar Epps) is an African-American student attending on a track scholarship; academics are not his strong suit, and he goes in thinking that his athletic abilities will earn him a free ride through college. Fudge (Ice Cube), a "professional student" who has been at Columbus for six years so far, becomes friendly with Malik and challenges his views about race and politics in America, while Professor Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), a black man who teaches political science, firmly tells Malik that he will not be graded on a different standard either because of his race or his ability to run quickly. With Deja (Tyra Banks), Malik finds a girlfriend, a tutor, and a training partner all rolled into one. Meanwhile, Kristen (Kristy Swanson), a somewhat naive young woman from California, meets a boy named Billy (Jay R. Ferguson) after both have had too much to drink at a beer blast; Kristen soon becomes a victim of date rape and becomes involved with a campus feminist group to deal with the painful experience. While working with the women's group, Kristen gets to know Taryn (Jennifer Connelly), a strong but understanding woman who is also a lesbian, and she finds herself becoming attracted to her. And Remy (Michael Rappaport) is a confused young man from the Midwest who feels lost in the multi-cultural atmosphere of Columbus. He is approached by Scott (Cole Hauser), a member of a group of racist skinheads, who believe that Remy is a perfect candidate to help carry out his group's violent goals. Keep an eye peeled for Gwyneth Paltrow, who has a bit part as a student; rap stars Busta Rhymes, D-Knowledge and Mista Grimm also appear in supporting roles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson, (more)
- 1994
- R
In this crime thriller, Ray (William Forsythe) has just been released from prison after serving 14 years for a murder he insists he didn't commit. Ray meets Rita (Kari Wuhrer), an attractive prostitute, and while she seems more than fond of Ray, Ray has good reason not to trust her. Ray has stashed $1 million somewhere in Las Vegas, and word has circulated in the criminal underground that's it's out there somewhere. Plenty of people would like to find it -- or simply kill Ray once he retrieves it. And with a secret like that, trust becomes a little hard to come by. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Forsythe, Kari Wuhrer, (more)
- 1994
- R
In this taut erotic chiller, a professor's pretty assistant has no idea that her involvement in his investigation of ESP will put her life in danger. The problem stems from her own natural psychic ability, one that it is so strong that she can pick up the distress and memories of others, even dead people. The assistant's troubles really begin when she begins identifying with a recently slain coed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Roberts, Kari Wuhrer, (more)
- 1994
- R
This suspenseful thriller follows the exploits of a young wife as she tries to escape from an abusive mate and ends up on the gritty city streets. Jenefer manages to get away from her husband but must give her baby up for adoption before she can do so. Alone on the scary streets she encounters Ola, a street-wise hooker who takes her under her wing. Ola also tries to protect Jenefer from the murderous Hassan, her pimp and king of the neighborhood. Ola sees Hassan brutally kill another whore, but refuses to testify against him. She resists McClaren, a harsh police officer, and his attempts to interrogate her. She is then deported. The suddenly bereft Jenefer gives into Hassan and becomes a prostitute. This helps her become stronger and streetwise so that she is finally able to confront and dispatch her husband in the blood-filled conclusion. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rae Dawn Chong, Kari Wuhrer, (more)
- 1991
The most fascinating thing about Beastmaster 2 is how well the cartoonish sword-and-sorcery characters blend in to contemporary Los Angeles -- it may as well be documentary. Marc Singer plays Dar, a muscle-headed barbarian whose main claim to fame is his ability to communicate with a wide array of animal friends. Dar is informed that his evil brother Arklon (Wings Hauser) has nefarious designs on the universe. Arklon has teamed up with Lyranna (Sarah Douglas), a sexy witch who cracks wise in Valley Girl vernacular, a parlance picked up during her travels through the portal of time to a netherworld called L.A. Arklon has to find a quick way to decimate the universe, so Arklon and Lyranna travel through the portal to steal a neutron detonator from a military base close to Los Angeles. Dar and Southern California teen Jackie Trent (Kari Wuhrer) -- who had gotten stuck in the portal and ended up in Togaland -- pursue Arklon and Lyranna as they make their way through the time hole. Once in La-La land, Dra and his companion find themselves pursued by the LAPD, which considerably slows up their race to catch Arklon. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marc Singer, Kari Wuhrer, (more)
- 1991
In the conclusion of a two-part episode, the Bundy family--minus Peg (Katey Sagal), who along with Ted McGinley (Jefferson D'Arcy), does not appear in this episode--heads to Hollywood, where Kelly (Christina Applegate) is to launch a major network version of her public-access TV show "Vital Social Issues 'N' Stuff with KELLY". Alas, the project all but dies aborning thanks to the well-meaning but ill-advised interference of network executives and censors (this is one of the few episodes in which Kelly's cleavage is NOT on display). Not surprisingly, inside jokes abound in this episode, ranging from the posters for various faux TV series adorning the walls of the network offices, to the name of the character played by Jon Lovitz (a delightfully nasty swipe at the then-head of NBC's entertainment division). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In the first episode of a two-part story, Kelly (Christina Applegate) is cheated out of a chance to appear on public access TV. In retaliation, she borrows 35 bucks and assembles her own Access series, "Vital Social Issues 'N' Stuff with KELLY", replete with a live band and a round table of female airheads. So successful is Kelly's video effort that a major network (no, not Fox) evinces interest in picking up the show for the Big Time. Katey Sagal (Peggy) does not appear in this episode, nor does Amanda Bearse (who served as director)show up in her familiar "Marcy D'Arcy" character--though Bearse can be fleetingly seen in the Access show "Short Haired Women in Banking." On the other hand, Matt LeBlanc makes a return appearance as Kelly Bundy's dimwitted male counterpart Vinnie Verducci. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
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Controversial and often offensive stand-up comedian Andrew Dice Clay made his debut as a feature film star in this crude comedy. Fairlane is a "rock and roll detective" who works in the music business, has an office on Sunset Boulevard, and drives a 1957 Ford, with clothing to match. He floats through the rock clubs of Hollywood, picking up women and clients, and soon stumbles into a case involving the death of a heavy metal singer, a corrupt music executive (Wayne Newton), the murder of a radio shock-jock (Gilbert Gottfried), and the kidnapping of the jock's daughter (Maddie Corman). Music stars like Sheila E. and Motley Crue singer Vince Neil also have cameos in the film, which attempts to transplant Clay's aggressively obnoxious stage persona into a movie environment. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrew Dice Clay, Wayne Newton, (more)
- 1986
- PG13
A juvenile delinquent falls in love with a beautiful Catholic girl's school student in this fact-based adolescent melodrama set in an Oregon forest. The two meet by accident when the troubled young man is out on a nature hike and sees the lovely girl floating in a small lake as she works on a photography assignment. The two are immediately drawn to each other, but neither of their schools encourages contact with the opposite sex and when their relationship is discovered there is trouble all around, forcing the young lovers to flee. The question then remains: will they be able to evade the law and other authorities long enough to find happiness? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig Sheffer, Virginia Madsen, (more)
