Scott S. Bullock Movies
A cow learns to walk like a man, both literally and figuratively, in this computer-animated comedy written and directed by Steve Oedekerk, the creator of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Ben (voice of Sam Elliott) is a cow who for years has been the leader and sober voice of reason among the animals at a farm where the critters are a bit unusual -- they can walk on two legs, talk, swim, and act like humans, though they have the good sense to avoid doing these things while humans are around. Ben has long dreamed that his son Otis (voice of Kevin James) would someday take over his duties on the farm, but Otis is a carefree and irresponsible type who would rather party with his friends and hang out with his girlfriend, Daisy (voice of Courteney Cox). Ben and his friend Miles (voice of Danny Glover), a wise and patient mule, wonder if Otis will ever make anything of himself, while Dasiy's best friend, Bessy (voice of Wanda Sykes), is convinced she can do better. However, one night Otis decides to do something about an obnoxious kid who enjoys tipping his fellow cows, and for the first time in his life he gets a taste of leadership -- and he likes it. Barnyard also features the voice talents of Andie MacDowell, Maria Bamford, and Maurice LaMarche. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin James, Courteney Cox, (more)
A kid who hates ants finds himself living among the six-legged critters in this computer-animated comedy-adventure. Lucas Nickle (voice of Zach Tyler Eisen) is a ten-year-old boy whose family has just moved to a new town, and Lucas isn't enjoying it much -- he hasn't made any friends yet, his big sister ignores him, his parents (voices of Larry Miller and Cheri Oteri) are occupied with their upcoming vacation in Mexico, and his loving but slightly crazy grandmother (voice of Lily Tomlin) is convinced space aliens are casing out the neighborhood. To make matters worse, the local bully has found Lucas and is making his life miserable, so the boy looks for someone he can push around -- and he soon finds a large colony of ants in his yard. Lucas takes out his frustrations by stomping, drowning, and burying the bugs, little realizing the ants see him as a threat to their safety and aren't about take his attacks lying down. Zoc (voice of Nicolas Cage) is a "wizard ant" who creates a formula that shrinks Lucas to the size of an insect, and the tiny boy is brought before the leader of the Ant Council (voice of Ricardo Montalban) and the Queen of the Colony (voice of Meryl Streep) to answer for his crimes against the ants. Showing compassion, the queen sentences Lucas not to death, but to live among them and see how difficult their circumstances can be. Nurse Ant Hova (voice of Julia Roberts) is put in charge of looking after Lucas, and with the help of Scout Fugax (voice of Bruce Campbell) and Forager Kreela (voice of Regina King), Lucas gets an eye-opening picture of how the other half lives -- just in time for Lucas to help the ants in an all-out battle against Stan (voice of Paul Giamatti), a pest-control man brought in to get rid of the bugs. Produced by Tom Hanks, The Ant Bully was written and directed by John A. Davis, who handled the same chores on the film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage, (more)
- 2004
From Fairly OddParents creator Butch Hartman, the half-hour animated series Danny Phantom was all about Danny Fenton, a shy, geekish freshman who attended Casper High. Thanks to an accident in the laboratory of his paranormal-expert father Jack, Danny was transformed into a half-human, half-phantom, endowed with ghostly superpowers. As "Danny Phantom", our hero periodically skipped out of school to save the world from a vast array of evil (and sidesplittingly funny) ghosts, spooks and phantoms. Meanwhile, Casper High's vice-principal and English teacher Mr. Lancer, in the anal-retentive tradition of all animated adult authority figures, imposed harsh punishments on Danny for his frequent absences--or at least, he tried to. Other characters included Danny's level-headed mom Maddie, his ultra-perfectionist sister Jazz, and his best friends, talkative techno-nerd Tucker Foley (whose various inventions were designed for maximum efficiency in the Ghost World where Danny spent of his time), and freewheeling Goth Girl and vegetarian Samantha "Sam" Manson. The bane of Danny's existence was bullying high school football star Dash Baxter, who often as not ended up embarrassed or humiliated thanks to Danny's spectral skills. Danny Phantom joined the Nickelodeon lineup on April 3, 2004, and later was seen as part of the weekend-morning schedule of Nickelodeon's sister network CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Kaufman, Rob Paulsen, (more)
Albert Brooks wrote, directed, and stars in this philosophical comedy about a man having a hard time making a case for himself in the afterlife. When advertising executive Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) finds himself in a fatal car crash minutes after taking delivery on a new BMW, he's whisked away to Judgment City, where the recently dead are put on a sort of trial to decide their fate. If in your time on Earth you were able to face your fears and learn from your mistakes, you get to move on to a life in a better world. However, if you didn't, you have to go back to Earth and try again. As he spends the next several days watching various episodes from his life, Daniel gets the impression he doesn't stand much of a chance of moving on -- and his representative, Bob Diamond (Rip Torn), seems to have little confidence in his case. In the meantime, he frequents Judgment City's many restaurants (where the food is delicious and you can eat all you want without gaining an ounce), pays a visit to the Past Life Pavilion, and meets Julia (Meryl Streep), who seems so kind, sweet, and noble that her advancement is practically assured. Daniel and Julia fall in love, but what's going to happen if they don't end up in the same place? Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep make a witty and engaging romantic team in Defending Your Life, and Shirley MacLaine appears in a highly appropriate cameo. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, (more)
- 1991
Nancy Landon (Vera Miles) swoops down on Cabot Cove with the announcement that her son Steve (Richard Gilliland) had been fathered by the late husband of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). With this in mind, Nancy insists that Jessica is obligated to help clear Steve fraud and murder charges related to the Landons' construction business. Though it pains her to do so, Jessica does what she can to prove Steve's innocence. Also in the cast is Martin Milner as Jessica's friend Clint Phelps, who may know more about the case than he's letting on. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
