Frank Lloyd Movies

A thesp-turned-crook gets a chance at career in movies as well as crime scene investigation in this offbeat action comedy with nods to Raymond Chandler. Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is a struggling New York actor who high-tails it to Los Angeles. Once there, Lockhart winds up at the posh home of the aptly named homosexual private eye Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) amid a lavish Hollywood party, hoping to score a life-changing role in a Hollywood feature. Harry becomes reacquainted with Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), a girl he had a major crush on in his small-town Indiana high school, who may be a bit more interested in him now than she was years ago. He takes both her and her girlfriend home with him, but -- in a moment of drunken stupor -- accidentally sleeps with the wrong woman. Meanwhile, when a series of female bodies turns up across L.A., Harry slowly breaks into detective work, mentored by Perry. The biggest twist? Shane Black riffs Adaptation and other films by having Harry (via satirical narration) write the movie while he is living it. Harry assures the audience that unlike Lord of the Rings, this one won't have 17 endings. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang marks the first directorial credit for Black, who created the Lethal Weapon franchise. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Dominic Sena follows up his stylish action film Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) with this high-tech thriller. John Travolta stars as Gabriel Shear, a charismatic spy who plots to steal a multi-billion-dollar fortune in illegal government funds. In order to make his scheme work, however, Gabriel needs some help from a computer hacker, which is where Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) comes in. Stanley has been paroled from prison after serving a lengthy sentence for penetrating the FBI's cyber-surveillance operations. Issued a restraining order that keeps him away from computers and living penniless in a trailer park, Stanley wants only to be reunited with his daughter Holly, who's in the custody of his ex-wife, now remarried to a pornographer. Gabriel and his partner Ginger (Halle Berry) offer Stanley the chance to get his child back in exchange for his help, but the hacker soon realizes he's a pawn in a larger operation than the high-tech bank heist he thought he was perpetrating. In the meantime, a dedicated federal agent (Don Cheadle), the same man who once arrested Stanley, is trying to expose Gabriel's operation. Swordfish also stars Sam Shepard and Zach Grenier. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

In order to become a member of Al's macho NO MA'AM organization, Bud (David Faustino) must go through an initiation ritual that is seemingly dreamed up on the spot. Bud's challenge is to crash the nationally televised "WrestlePalooza" match and get his picture taken with the legendary King Kong Bundy (no relation, of course). The result: Dressed in an idiotic bumblebee costume, Bud finds himself squaring off against Bundy in a no-holds-barred grappling match! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this elaborate musical fantasy, Peg (Katey Sagal) dreams that she is Princess Scarlet, the captive of fierce pirate Captain Courage, who bears a striking resemblance to Peg's husband Al (Ed O'Neill). As things develop, Captain Courage emerges the hero of the piece by rescuing Scarlet from rival pirate Rubio the Cruel (played by the Bundys' ex-neighbor Steve Rhoades [David Garrison]), so named for his murderous renditions of popular show tunes. Also appearing in Peg's dream are her children Bud (David Faustino) as hunchbacked first mate Fluvio and Kelly (Christina Applegate) as a very confused navigator, not to mention Peg's neighbors Jefferson D'Arcy (Ted McGinley) as Prince Paco and Marcy Darcy (Amanda Bearse) as a cabin...uh...boy. This episode marks the final appearance of child actor Shane Sweet as Seven (and none too soon, according to the series' fans!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) may be a humble minimum-wage shoe salesman, but he's also a former high school football hero. Thus it is that Al is chosen along with pro athletes Steve Carlton), Sugar Ray Leonard and Ed "Too Tall" Jones) to appear in a commercial for a new high-end shoe line. It soon develops that everybody except Al has a say in what the commercial is all about--including Al's feet. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

While working as a janitor in a private detective's office, Al is mistaken for a "P.I." by a beautiful client named Vanessa Van Pelt (played by the formidable Traci Lords). Donning trench-coat and snap-brim, Al goes "noir" to help Vanessa claim a valuable gem which is in dangered of being pilfered by her greedy family--and for his troubles ends up accused of murder. This episode takes into account the recent real-life miscarriage of series star Katey Sagal by setting up a Dallas-like "explanation" as to why suddenly two of the characters are no longer pregnant, neatly negating EVERYTHING that has happened since the beginning of Season Six. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season Five of Married. . .With Children gets under way with yet another "very special" Labor Day for the Bundy family. This year, Al (Ed O'Neill) declares that he is going to pack his wife and kiddies in the Bundymobile and embark upon a cross-country motor trip: "We take no map, we follow the sun, we ride with the wind." But what he hasn't counted on is getting tied up in a huge Chicago traffic jam for the entire weekend. In other developments, Kelly Bundy (Christina Applegate) has graduated from high school (miracles do happen!), and next-door neighbor Marcy Rhodes (Amanda Bearse) has lost a husband but regained a job--though not in the expected manner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The crew of an experimental, high-tech submersible is called into action to investigate a mysterious nuclear submarine crash. A series of strange encounters leads the crew to suspect the accident was caused by an extraterrestrial craft, and that they may be participating in an encounter with an alien species. However, in order to make contact, they must not only brave the abyss, an exceedingly deep underwater canyon, but also deal with the violent actions of one of their own crew members, an increasingly paranoid Navy SEAL officer. Approved by director James Cameron, The Abyss: Special Edition is an extended director's cut of the 1989 underwater science fiction epic, reinstating nearly a half hour of footage removed from the original release under studio pressure. Much of the restored footage places the film's events in a grander political context, as the crew's mission becomes a factor in the dangerous escalation of nuclear tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The largest change involves the film's ending, which provides further information on the aliens' mission on Earth, bringing the film to closer to Cameron's intention: a modern remake of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Upon the death of his barber, Al (Ed O'Neill) must endure the humiliation of visiting a salon and submitting to a stylist. The results inspire Al's family to make several barbed comments about his rather epicene appearance, which son Bud (David Faustino) sums up as the "No Closet Can Hold Me Look." Rather than undergo another assault on his machismo, Al decides to grow his hair long--REAL long. This episode received three Emmy nominations. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Emboldened by what he thinks is the right "rhythm", uptight Steve (David Garrison) joins Al (Ed O'Neill) and his buddies for poker night. At game's end, a sweaty Steve emerges the loser, giving up his entire paycheck. Knowing what horrible fate is in store for him if Marcy (Amanda Bearse) finds out, Steve begs Peg (Katey Sagal) to persuade Al to give the money back. Former Saturday Night Live regular Garrett Morris appears as Russ. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

12-year-old Bud Bundy (David Faustino) undergoes an astonishing personality change when he falls in love with a 21-year-old art student named Tiffany (Dawn Merrick). Before long, Tiffany has moved in with the Bundys, charming one and all--except neighbor Marcy (Amanda Bearse), who has ample reason to hate the girl's guts. This episode marks one of the few times that any classical music is ever heard on Married. . .With Children. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fifteen-year-old Australian youth Steve Carson (Rod Zuanic) is a product of a home that can charitably be described as dysfunctional. His father is a drunk, his brother a slimy-dope dealer. Carson promises his social worker--and himself--that he'll escape this environment and make something of himself. Unfortunately, this involves grandiose and unrealistic schemes that lead to increasingly severe criminal acts. Fast Talking was co-financed by the Australian Film Commission and Merchant-Ivory. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi