Ahmet Zappa Movies

14 Going on 30 starts out like Candida and ends up like Back to the Future. 14-year-old Danny O'Neill (Gabey Olds), carrying a torch for his teacher, Peggy Noble (Daphne Ashbrook), can only suffer in silence as Peggy plans to marry brutish gym instructor "Jackjaw" Kelton (Rick Rossovich). With the help of his nerdy pal Lloyd's (Adam Carl) experimental growth accelerator, Danny becomes an overnight adult (now played by Steve Eckholdt). While in his 30-year-old state, Danny intends to expose Jackjaw as the jerk he is-only to end up in hot water himself. Loretta Swit, Patrick Duffy, Alan Thicke and Dick Van Patten guest-star in this made-for-TV movie, originally presented in two parts (March 6 and 13, 1988) on the Disney Sunday Movie anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Teenage angst finds a new voice in this drama. By day, Mark Hunter (Christian Slater) is a quiet, studious student at an ordinary suburban high school in Arizona. But at night, Mark creeps down into his basement, fires up his pirate radio transmitter, and broadcasts to the community as Hard Harry, a sexually obsessed social commentator who passes along angry philosophy about the state of teenage life when not blasting punk rock or gangsta rap cuts. Hard Harry's sworn nemesis is high school principal Mrs. Cresswood (Annie Ross), who keeps SAT scores up at the expense of her students' dignity and individuality by eliminating "troublemakers" from the student body. Hard Harry's broadcasts, however, have become a rallying point for the school's misfit underclass, and Mrs. Cresswood is determined to track down the mystery student and bring him to justice (broadcasting without a license, he's not merely an annoyance, but a criminal). The war against Hard Harry intensifies when he broadcasts data from confidential school board reports; Mark's father is a school commissioner, but he has no idea what his son is doing in the basement. Meanwhile, Mark gains the attentions of Nora (Samantha Mathis), who has figured out who he becomes at night. More serious and intelligent than the average teen film, Pump Up the Volume was written and directed by Allan Moyle, who previously dealt with disaffected, music-obsessed teens in Times Square and would return to them with Empire Records. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Armed with lottery money, Roseanne and Jackie get the deluxe treatment at a beauty salon, including seaweed wraps, facials, waxes, and yoga. While undergoing a past-life regression, Roseanne believes she used to be Xena Warrior Princess. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Michael Keaton stars in this special-effects-heavy Christmas film about a boy who discovers, after his father dies in a car accident, that his dad is still alive in the form of a snowman. Unlike the horror film of the same name, Jack Frost is a children's film designed to warm the soul during a chilly winter season. Think of this film as a live-action version of the children's classic Frosty the Snowman. The story starts with Jack Frost (Michael Keaton), a harmonica-playing blues rocker who spends too much time pursuing his musical career, leaving little time for his wife (Kelly Preston) and son Charlie (Joseph Cross). Feeling guilty for his absence and missing his son's hockey practice, he decides to forego his big audition to spend Christmas with his family. While driving home for the holidays, however, Jack dies in a tragic auto accident. The following Christmas, Jack's son builds a snowman and decorates it with his father's old clothes. When Charlie plays his father's harmonica, Jack Frost returns home in the body of the snowman. Jack has to show Charlie how much he loves him and also has to teach him the ice hockey shot he never got around to when he was alive. Along the way there are snowball fights and sled chases, and Jack finally realizes the great times he was missing with his son. ~ Arthur Borman, Rovi

An infertile plants their hopes for a child in the garden, and receive an unexpected gift when a young boy emerges from the soil claiming to be their son in this enchanting comedy drama from Academy Award-nominated writer/director Peter Hedges (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Dan in Real Life). Jim (Joel Edgerton) and Cindy Green (Jennifer Garner) are struggling to accept the fact that they will never conceive a child of their own when, one night during a thunderous storm, a young boy named Timothy (CJ Adams) comes knocking at their door. In time, the prospective new parents and their curious neighbors discover that the most amazing things can happen just when you least expect it.
~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi