Ken Jenkins Movies

By this time a key element of NBC's Thursday-night sitcom lineup, Scrubs launches its sixth season as protagonist/narrator J.D. Dorian (Zach Braff), an attending physician at Sacred Heart Hospital, learns to his astonishment that his urologist girlfriend Dr. Kim Briggs (Elizabeth Banks) is pregnant. Also in "a family way" this season is nurse Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes), impregnated by Dr. Christopher Turk (Donald Faison), and Jordan Sullivan (Christa Miller), ex-wife of Sacred Heart's long-suffering chief of surgery Perry Cox (John C. McGinley). In fact, virtually the only principal female character who isn't pregnant is the hapless Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), who's miserable about her non-preggie status. This year's plot developments include Elliot's desire to go into private practice, whereupon she is mercilessly needled by Dr. Cox, who at one juncture begins acting exactly like the antihero of the TV medical drama House; a curious malady which causes J.D. to black out at inconvenient times; the unfortunately-not-permanent vacation of J.D.'s nemesis The Janitor (Neil Flynn); the sudden departure of Sacred Heart's resident gossip Nurse Laverne Roberts (Aloma Wright); and a touching story arc involving an Iraq war veteran (Michael Weston). Other choice moments include an impromptu musical comedy inspired by a patient (played by Broadway actress Stephanie D'Abruzzo); the change-of-pace episodes His Story IV, narrated by Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins), and "Their Story," with the narration chores shared by Sacred Heart's lawyer Ted (Sam Lloyd), sex-obsessed doctor Todd (Robert Maschio), and Jordan Sullivan; and the guest appearance of Keri Russell as Elliot's freewheeling sorority sister. In the events leading up to the season finale, Elliot becomes engaged to mild-mannered resident Keith Dudemeister (Travis Schuldt), causing J.D. to have second thoughts about breaking up with Elliot -- even as he prepares to move in with Kim. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Series star Zach Braff begins double duty as actor (in the role of young Dr. J.D. Dorian) and director during the fourth season of the NBC hospital "dramedy" Scrubs. In addition to such familiar series regulars as Donald Faison (Dr. Chris Turk), Sarah Chalke (Dr. Elliott Reid), Judy Reyes (Nurse Carla Espinosa), Ken Jenkins (Dr. Bob Kelso), and John C. McGinley (Dr. Perry Cox), season four marks the first of several appearances by Heather Graham as the maddeningly eccentric Dr. Molly Clock, a pyschologist at Sacred Heart Hospital. Also seen this season is former ER star Julianna Margulies as malpractice attorney Neena Broderick, who launches into an affair with J.D. even as she takes Turk apart in court; and Matthew Perry and Colin Farrell, both cast as seriously weird characters. Noteworthy plot developments include J.D.'s brief romance with a girl named Kylie (Chrystee Pharris), kindled after J.D. treats her then-boyfriend for gonorrhea; the ongoing mental torment visited upon J.D. by the hospital's increasingly bizarre janitor (Neil Flynn); and Turk's discovery that he has Type II diabetes. Arguably the season's most memorable episode is "My Life in Four Cameras," in which J.D. fills a former Cheers writer in on life at Sacred Heart Hospital -- while the action plays out in "traditional" sitcom fashion in front of a live studio audience! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season three of Scrubs is distinguished by the spectacular fashion makeover undertaken by sexy Dr. Elliott Reid (Sarah Chalke), who, after concluding that she has had nothing but bad luck since signing on at Sacred Heart Hospital, figures she has nothing to lose by changing her appearance. Meanwhile, J.D.'s chronic jealousy of his fellow physicians figures into a story arc featuring Scott Foley as Elliott's old flame Sean Kelly (whom she dated briefly in season one). Also, Turk and nurse Carla's (Judy Reyes) wedding planning makes it difficult for them to work together; bombastic Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) is willing to sell his soul to be residency director; J.D. begins a relationship with Danni (Tara Reid), the sister of his former fling (and Dr. Cox's former wife) Jordan Sullivan (Christa Miller); and Jordan's brother Ben Sullivan (Brendan Fraser), introduced during season one, makes a brief return to the series. Season-three guest stars include Spin City veterans Michael J. Fox, Barry Bostwick, Brady Bunch alumnus Maureen McCormick, and Dayna Devon, co-host of the TV magazine show Extra, whose one-line bit was later expanded into a George Plimpton-like "special feature" on Devon's own series. Sadly, John Ritter passed away just before making his third appearance as J.D.'s father. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Frequent Star Trek actor and director Jonathan Frakes gets behind the camera again for this teen-sci-fi/action-drama in the Back to the Future (1985) mold. Jesse Bradford stars as Zak Gibbs, a teenager who discovers the latest invention to spring from the mind of his scientist father (Robin Thomas) and a research team that includes his dad's eccentric colleague Dr. Earl Dopler (French Stewart). It seems that they have developed a wristwatch that manipulates "hypertime," speeding up the passage of regular time 25 times for the wearer and those near him, making it appear that the rest of the world has become essentially "frozen" in time. Zak is delighted with the ability that he initially treats as the ultimate gag and superpower, until the National Security Agency begins pursuing both him and the device, intending to confiscate it for nefarious political purposes. Clockwatchers (2002) co-stars Michael Biehn, Paula Garces, and Julia Sweeney. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Season one of the NBC hospital "dramedy" Scrubs gets underway with Dr. J.D. Dorian's (Zach Braff) first day as an intern at Sacred Heart Hospital, with his best friend and roommate, Dr. Chris Turk (Donald Faison), at his side. Nicknamed "Bambi" by the Sacred Heart nurses because of his wide-eyed naïveté, J.D. takes his orders from the deceptively avuncular chief of medicine, Dr. Robert Kelso (Ken Jenkins), and from the loud, obnoxious, and highly contrary Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley). J.D. is enamored of sexy Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), and it is with brassy "mother hen" nurse Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes) that Turk has a serious hospital romance. The scrubs' first year on the job is festooned with a variety of sobering experiences, ranging from sudden and unexpected death to nuisance lawsuits. Also, J.D. launches his ongoing war of nerves with Sacred Heart's caustic janitor (Neil Flynn), a man of many mysteries and eccentricties. Along the way, J.D. has a brief fling with hospital board member Jordan Sullivan (Christa Miller), who, unfortunately for him, turns out to be the combustible Dr. Cox's ex-wife. And on a happier note, J.D.'s dream of getting Elliott in the sack finally comes true...but be careful what you wish for. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Babylon 5 episodes takes its title from the name of the series' fourth-season saga. The world of Proxima 3 is the battleground for a crucial confrontation between Captain Sheridan and Earth President Clark. Meanwhile, Londo hopes to arrange a joint effort between the Centauri and the Narn to resist the vainglorious Clark. But to do this, Londo needs the cooperation of the understandably recalcitrant G'Kar. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "No Surrender, No Retreat" made its US television debut during the week of May 26, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lillian (Tamara Tunie), the wife of Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel), has become a home entrepreneur, but some of the products she coerces her husband into selling may not exactly be beneficial -- as Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) learns the hard way. Jill (Andrea Thompson) is reunited with an old school friend, now a drug addict who has been robbing her parents. A transsexual who has sought protection from his/her abusive boyfriend ends up murdered. And Diane (Kim Delaney) has a frightening run-in with an old "friend" of Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits). This episode was directed by Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this action thriller, a group of Islamic terrorists, led by Nagi Hassan (David Suchet), highjacks a 747 jetliner with 400 passengers aboard, but Lt. Col. Austin Travis (Steven Seagal), a United States intelligence agent, is convinced that this isn't an ordinary case of air piracy. His suspicions are soon confirmed; Hassan's men have obtained a large cache of stolen Soviet nerve gas, and they are using the 747 to smuggle the deadly gas into the United States, where they intend to use it to wipe out Washington D.C. and possibly the entire East Coast. As the jet approaches the U. S., engineer Dennis Cahill (Oliver Platt) designs a plan in which a military plane will be able to transfer U.S. soldiers onto the 747 and regain control of the plane and its deadly cargo. However, when Travis dies in the course of the mission, intelligence agent Dr. David Grant (Kurt Russell) is forced to take his place alongside explosives expert Cappy (Joe Morton), commando Rat (John Leguizamo), and stewardess-turned-anti-terrorist Jean (Halle Berry). Executive Decision was the first directorial assignment for veteran film editor Stuart Baird; he cut the film as well. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The relationship between an unproven lawyer and the female convict he attempts to save from execution is detailed in this death-row drama. Sharon Stone plays against type as Cindy Liggett, convicted of murder at the age of 19, who has spent over a decade in prison awaiting execution. Having resigned herself to her eventual death, she cares little when her case falls into the hands of newly appointed clemency board attorney Rick Hayes (Rob Morrow). Hayes devotes himself to her case, however, and uncovers several inconsistencies regarding her earlier trial. Seeing a chance to save Liggett's life, Hayes fights for a stay of execution but finds himself facing opposition from powerful political figures and even Liggett herself. Largely ignored at the box office, the film suffered in comparison to Dead Man Walking (1995), the Academy Award-winning drama whose treatment of the death penalty theme may still have been fresh in the minds of audiences. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

The traditions of the western and the gangster film meet head-on in this dark crime drama. Jericho is a small town in Texas that in the 1920s looks much like it did in the 1860s, except that two violent gangs of rival bootleggers have driven away nearly all of the citizens not involved in the booze racket. Strozzi (Ned Eisenberg) leads a gang of Italian rum-runners with the help of his right-hand-man Giorgio (Michael Imperioli), while Doyle (David Patrick Kelly) is the head of an Irish mob, with Hickey (Christopher Walken) serving as his enforcer; the town's sheriff, Ed Galt (Bruce Dern) is powerless to stop the crime in Jericho, and he mainly tries to stay out of the way and keep an uneasy peace between Strozzi and Doyle. John Smith (Bruce Willis) is a ruthless and amoral gunman on the run from the law who passes through Jericho on his way to Mexico. Sizing up the situation, Smith quickly hatches a scheme by which he'll sell his services first to one of the gangs, and then the other, eventually turning the two sides against each other while he stays in the middle and takes the profits generated by both sides. Writer and director Walter Hill based his screenplay on Akira Kurosawa's classic samurai picture Yojimbo, which also inspired Sergio Leone's ground-breaking spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This Canadian-Japanese co-production uses both vintage historical footage (including armed forces films and period newsreels) and contemporary dramatic reenactments to tell the story of how the scientific and military minds behind the Manhattan Project, under the orders of President Harry Truman (Kenneth Welsh), developed the first atomic bomb. The weapon was first used to attack the city of Hiroshima near the end of World War II, changing forever the shape of modern warfare and bringing fearsome devastation to a previously quiet Japanese city. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The full title of this made-for-TV film was In the Best of Families: Pride and Madness. Based on a true story, the film details the bitter divorce between overly idealistic Keith Carradine and emotionally disturbed Kelly McGillis. Caught in the middle are the couple's sons, played by Erik Von Detten and Ira David Wood Jr. The crisis erupts into violence, resulting in a triple homicide. Roundly criticized for its lurid and sensationalistic aspects, In the Best of Families was originally telecast in two parts on January 16 and 18, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi