Jeremy Kagan Movies
Filmmaker Jeremy Paul Kagan was trained in his craft at Harvard and NYU, later refining his skills at the American Film Institute. Kagan rose to fame in the 1960s, putting together several then-trendy "mulitmedia" presentations. His earliest TV directorial assignments pursued the same fragmentary, stream-of-consciousness style. TV movies like Katherine (1975) and Scott Joplin (1976) are prismatic, Citizen Kane-like efforts constructed in non-linear fashion, but Kagan's sense of discipline enables the audience to, at all times, keep track of what's happening and when. Among Kagan's better theatrical film projects were The Big Fix (1979) The Chosen (1980; winner of a Montreal World Film Festival) and Journey of Natty Gann (1987; Gold Prize winner, Moscow Film Festival). With these in mind, one can forgive Kagan such misfires as The Sting II (1983). In 1994, Jeremy Paul Kagan entered the realm of docudrama with his made-for-cable Roswell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2007
Inspired by the record-breaking Broadway hit that sold out for fifteen straight months in New York City before being voted "Best Touring Play" of 2006, Tony-award winning playwright William Gibson's reflection on the life of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir stars Valerie Harper as one of the most important female politicians of the 20th Century. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valerie Harper
Racial tensions between Hasidic Jews and African-Americans come to a boil in the Crown Heights section of Queens in this powder-keg drama based on real-life events that took place in the summer of 1991. Over the course of three days, the tensions between the borough's racially divided citizens would result in a tragic explosion of murder, riots, and chaos. Only through the aid of two devoted community leaders determined to put their differences aside and bring peace back to the streets will this neighborhood be able to begin to heal the deep-rooted wounds of a summer that will forever haunt the citizens of Crown Heights. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Van Peebles, Howie Mandel, (more)
- 2002
- PG13
Jeremy Paul Kagan directs this Showtime family drama set in a rural village in Ireland. Bernadette Peters and Rachel Ward star as a lesbian couple who run the local tavern. They end up taking care of a orphaned boy and one of them is diagnosed with breast cancer. Also stars Jonathan Silverman, Thomas Sangster, and Don Foley. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bernadette Peters, Rachel Ward, (more)
- 2002
A crisis arises over Vice President Hoynes' (Tim Matheson) place on Bartlet's re-election ticket. Later on, Hoynes shows up at the same meeting as Leo (John Spencer) -- but it isn't a political meeting. In other developments, the staff ponders the likelihood of terrorist activity in Idaho; Donna (Janel Moloney) encounters difficult securing a Presidential Proclamation for her favorite teacher; and the tax debate hits home for President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and his aide Charlie (Dulé Hill). This episode was based on a story by former Clinton advisor Dee Dee Myers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Set in 1850s California (but actually filmed in Utah), this made-for-TV movie features Jena Malone as title character Lucy Whipple. The emphasis, however, is on Lucy's "mule-stubborn" mother Arvella Whipple (Glenn Close), who defies 19th century sexual stereotyping to try her luck as a gold prospector. Stuck in the ill-named California mining village of Lucky Diggins, Lucy is convinced that her maw is a bit "tetched" in the head. It takes a chance encounter in the nearby woods to show Lucy that perhaps Arvella is not as foolish as she seems, and that California is not the muddy hellhole that it appears to be at first glance. Adapted from a novel by Karen Cushman, Golden Dreams: The Ballad of Lucy Whipple was first broadcast by CBS on February 18, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Rural Wyoming is the setting for this made-for-cable romantic drama with ribald comic overtones. It has been two years since the husband of young Dr. Garnet Hadley (Penelope Ann Miller) was killed by a wild bull, but Garnet is still in love with her deceased soulmate and has no intention of remarrying. This doesn't stop Garnet's overbearing father-in-law Mike (Barry Corbin) from trying to match her up with every eligible bachelor in the county--most of whom are textbook examples of the word "loser." Finally, Mike resorts to extortion, using financial pressure to force Garnet to attend an upcoming country centennial fair with a male escort. Aided and abetted by her best friend Jill (Barbara Gates), Garnet tries to pull the wool over Mike's eyes by hiring Jill's brother, aspiring composer Bryan (Brett Cullen), to pose as her lover--even going so far as to stage a bedroom scene to convince Mike to mind his own business (nothing really happens, of course, but it sure looks convincing!) The fun really begins when Jenny (Allison Hossack), the long-distance girlfriend of Brett, shows up at the fair, just as Brett has begun to fall in love with his cardboard sweetie. Originally pitched as a theatrical feature (undoubtedly with bigger "names" in the cast), The Hired Heart made its Lifetime network bow on October 13, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Originally made for cable television, Roswell is an entertaining mix of purported actual events and science fiction. The narrative unfolds primarily in flashbacks as retired Army officer Jesse Marcel (Kyle MacLachlan) attends a reunion of the 509th Bomber Group and tries to come to closure on events that had taken place 30 years earlier. Back in 1947, Major Marcel had been part of a military team that investigated a crash site on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. The debris recovered from the site had exhibited some remarkable properties such as being able to repair itself instantly after being cut, suggesting that it might have been of extraterrestrial origin. The military brass had ordered Marcel to go along with their phony story that the material was ordinary metal foil from a weather balloon, and he had reluctantly complied. By the time of the 1977 reunion, Marcel is suffering from a terminal illness, and he feels compelled to try to find out what had really happened at Roswell all those years ago. MacLachlan gives an effective performance, particularly when he portrays Marcel as an older man trying to understand his past. Evocative location shooting in the American Southwest adds cinematic impact. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kyle MacLachlan, Martin Sheen, (more)
- 1992
One of CBS' most popular weekly series of the early '90s, Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman began life as a two-hour TV movie. Jane Seymour stars as Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, who in the mid-1860s sets up practice in a small Colorado Territory community. Not unexpectedly, there are several hard-bitten locals who don't cotton to havin' a lady sawbones in town. Still, before the film is over, it is clear that Dr. Quinn is there to stay--and nobody is happier than the "disenfranchised"--the very old, the very young, the blacks, the Indians--whom she quickly befriends. Though set in the 19th century, a strong current of 1990s Political Correctness flows through this easy-to-take production. Upon Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman's first telecast on January 1, 1993, the TV Guide critic predicted that "Given half a chance, she may just succeed." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
Villard (Eric Roberts) is an expert swordsman who runs a fencing school; he first learned the sport from his father, who was killed in a match when Villard was a young man. One day, an older gentleman (F. Murray Abraham) who looks down on his luck appears at Villard's fencing studio; he introduces himself as Suba and asks for a job teaching fencing. Villard, dubious about the ragged-looking man's credentials, instead offers him a job as a janitor, which he accepts. However, in time Villard discovers Suba really does know fencing, and finds that Suba has a secret -- he is in fact the man who killed his father, out of prison and looking for some sort of redemption. Villard, however, is more interested in revenge for his father's death. The supporting cast includes Mia Sara, Christopher Rydell, and Elaine Kagan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- F. Murray Abraham, Eric Roberts, (more)
Originally made for cable television, this suspenseful thriller centers on a private investigation launched by a Romanian-American woman's fiancé after he begins suspecting that her father is a Nazi-war criminal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
This light comedy is a contemporary--and wacky--version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In this version, a malformed young man hangs out in the bell tower of a California college campus and has to face a number of prejudices when he is brought out into the light. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Katz, Corey Parker, (more)
- 1987
The docudrama Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8, relates the story of the trial that resulted from the riots that broke out in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic Convention. The majority of the dialogue has been taken directly from court records and archival footage. Michael Lembeck plays the boisterous prankster Abbie Hoffman, who was certainly the most entertaining of the defendants. The main victim of his pranks is Judge Hoffman (David Opatoshu), whose stoic attitude is constantly challenged by the outrageous behavior of the defendants. The cast includes Barry Miller as Jerry Rubin, Robert Carradine as Rennie Davis, Robert Loggia as defense attorney William Hunstler, and other famous politically active actors like Peter Boyle and Martin Sheen. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Orson Welles made his final screen appearance as, appropriately enough, Orson Welles (or "Danny's Friend") in Henry Jaglom's "emotional vérité" comedy Someone to Love. The film begins as filmmaker Danny (Henry Jaglom) prepares to spend the night at his girlfriend Helen (Andrea Marcovicci)'s apartment. Helen has just adjusted to sleeping alone after the breakup of her previous relationship and tells Danny that if he stays with her, she won't be able to go to sleep. Fascinated by the explanation, Danny sends out telegrams to a bunch of his Hollywood friends to meet on Valentine's Day at a Santa Monica theater, the Mayfair, that is about to be torn down to make way for a shopping mall. Danny figures that he will throw a party for his lonely celebrity friends. He also reasons that he could introduce his brother, real estate developer Mickey (Michael Emil, Jaglom's real-life brother), to some romantic companions. The party would also be a handy way to get some film footage. The day of the party, Danny's friends arrive --a famous movie star (Sally Kellerman); a pop singer named Blue (Stephen Bishop); a jazz pianist (David Frishberg); a sophisticated continental woman named Yelena (Oja Kodar); and, bringing up the rear and ensconced in the back of the theater, Danny's Friend (Orson Welles). With his camera crew in tow, Danny takes to filming his guests as they answer questions about love and loneliness. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Orson Welles, Henry Jaglom, (more)
This three-hour TV movie stars Sophia Loren as New Yorker Marianna Miraldo. Hurt and angered by her son's cocaine addiction, Marianna discovers that a close friend also has ties with the drug scene. After several of her imprisoned friend's associates try to contact him through her, the DEA persuades Marianna to aid them in an undercover operation headed by cop Bobby Jay (Billy Dee Williams). Despite the "don't get involved" admonitions of her husband (Hector Elizondo), Marianna agrees to cooperate with the DEA, if only for the sake of her son. This fact-based film, which first aired September 24, 1986, concludes with the feds closing in on a $3.5 billion cocaine ring. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Billy Dee Williams, (more)
Disney's The Journey of Natty Gann stars Meredith Salenger in the title role. During the Depression, Natty's father (Ray Wise) takes a job in a Northwestern lumber camp, leaving his daughter behind in Chicago with the promise that he'll send for her when he's put together enough money. Unwilling to wait that long, Natty runs away from her guardian (Lainie Kazan) and hops a freight bound for her dad's camp. In addition to the human friends she accrues along the way, including vagabond John Cusack and tough-but-nice juvenile delinquent Barry Miller, Natty is protected on her journey by a friendly wolf (actually a dog, but you try training a wolf). Journey of Natty Gann stretches its "PG" rating as far as possible, but it's still safe and sane entertainment for the younger crowd. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meredith Salenger, John Cusack, (more)
- 1983
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Based on the beloved fairy tale, this installment of Shelley Duvall's "Faerie Tale Theatre" tells the well-known tale of a beautiful princess (Bernadette Peters) who is enchanted by an evil fairy and doomed to an eternal sleep unless she receives the kiss of a prince (Christopher Reeve). ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Although penned by the same screenwriter, David S. Ward, this sequel to The Sting (1973) is tarnished by comparisons to its predecessor. Jackie Gleason fills the shoes of Paul Newman as Harry Gondorff and Mac Davis slips into the Robert Redford role of Johnny Hooker, two con men pals whose latest "sting" involves Hooker pretending to be a down on his luck boxer. Their goal is the fixing of a prizefight, which will rook a tacky nightclub owner (Karl Malden) out of a fortune while simultaneously getting revenge on their old nemesis, Doyle Lonnegan (Oliver Reed). On their side is Veronica (Teri Garr), a seasoned scam artist, but what Gondorff and Hooker don't know is that Lonnegan is manipulating events behind the scenes. Director Jeremy Paul Kagan followed up this terribly unfunny and inferior sequel with the much better received The Journey of Natty Gann (1985), while Ward became a director of such comedies as Major League (1989) and King Ralph (1991). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis, (more)
The overemphatic acting of Robby Benson was something of an endurance test to certain critics of the 1980s, but even these carpers were impressed by Benson's outstanding performance in The Chosen. Set in the Brooklyn of the 1940s, the film elucidates the friendship between two young Jews of differing factions. Benson is Hassidic, while Barry Miller is a Zionist. Though separated ideologically, the boys find a common bond through their love of stickball. Rod Steiger costars as Benson's rabbi father, delivering a performance virtually devoid of the mannered stridency that has marred many of his more recent film work. Based on a novel by Chaim Potok, The Chosen has become an annual Hannukah-season TV attraction in many cities; years after its release, the film served as the basis for a short-lived Broadway musical. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maximilian Schell, Rod Steiger, (more)
- 1978
- PG
Richard Dreyfuss plays Moses Wine, an ex-Sixties radical who pays the bills as a private eye. Wine is hired to stem a smear campaign against a popular political candidate. Gradually the plot thickens into a murder case, involving a hippie leader whose values, like Wine's, have been severely compromised over the years - and who plans to blow up a major LA freeway as a protest. Susan Anspach provides a great deal of dramatic (and sexual) tension as Wine's boss. Among the minor players are future stars Mandy Patinkin and F. Murray Abraham. The Big Fix was adapted by Roger L. Simon from his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Anspach, (more)
- 1977
Billy Dee Williams stars as legendary ragtime pianist/composer Scott Joplin in this 1977 biopic. Despite his brilliance, Joplin (1868-1917) was confined by the color of his skin to the dregs of show business in the late 19th century. While competing in a musical contest, Joplin introduces his most famous composition, "The Maple Leaf Rag", thereby commanding the attention of a white music publisher. Offered a ridiculously low price for the song, Joplin nevertheless agrees to sell his composition, figuring that he has a better chance at fame and fortune once he's published. Before long, Ragtime music has become a national craze, and Joplin is rich beyond his wildest dreams. But the composer realizes that his brand of music is not considered respectable, and yearns to write something of more lasting value--a concerto, perhaps, or even an opera. Alas, Joplin's talents begin failing him, and by age 49 he is on the brink of death, a victim of syphilis. Originally made for television by Motown Films, Scott Joplin was released theatrically by Universal Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Dee Williams, Clifton Davis, (more)
Heroes is an old-fashioned social problem movie concerning a troubled Vietnam veteran and the loving woman who helps him to work out his problems. Henry Winkler plays Jack Dunne, a veteran who has a history of mental problems. Jack fools the hospital doctor Elias (Hector Elias) and escapes from the hospital with the intention of starting a worm farm with money collected from his fellow inmates. Jack hops aboard a bus, where he meets up with Carol Bell (Sally Field), who, invites Jack to join up with her on a trip to California. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Winkler, Sally Field, (more)
- 1975
Brilliantly constructed in semi-documentary fashion, Katherine is the story of how a young upper-middle-class girl gradually radicalizes into a violence-prone revolutionary. The story is related in flashbacks sparked by "interviews" with Katherine (Sissy Spacek), her troubled parents (Art Carney, Jane Wyatt) and her radical mentor (Henry Winkler). After the idealism is knocked out of her by her horrendous experiences in the American South and in South America, Katherine matriculates into one of the most militant members of a Weatherman-like student organization. The film's tragic ending is both startling and inevitable. Originally telecast in a two-hour slot on October 5, 1975, Katherine was later syndicated in a 78-minute version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sissy Spacek, Art Carney, (more)
- 1974
In this interesting murder mystery a Chinese detective from the 7th century must solve a strange case involving a trio of wives, an amputee, and a deceased monk. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Joseph Bottoms plays a 17-year-old high school boy who gets his girl friend Kay Lenz pregnant. The girl wants to put the baby up for adoption, but Bottoms decides to take on the parental responsibilities himself. He battles in court to gain custody of the child, even after being apprised of the heavy financial and personal burdens he's about to assume. Made for TV, Unwed Father has a good concept defeated by poor execution. One wonders whether the boy or the girl would have been the "good guy" had this film been made ten years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Young Joey Grant (Ike Eisenmann) is thrown for a loop when his parents (played by Beau Bridges and Margaret Blye) split up. Even worse, Joey's dad has been ordered out of the house, and must take up residence in a hotel room. What happens following this traumatic incident is told (sometimes literally) from Joey's point-of-view -- and don't expect everything to be tied up in a nice, neat, "happily ever after" package. My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel was adapted from Peggy Mann's book of the same name. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beau Bridges, Margaret Blye, (more)
