Monte Markham Movies

Joe Dante's original Piranha (1979) was a small gem, a clever parody of and homage to the numerous eco-kill pictures which followed in the wake of Jaws (1975). It featured a witty script by then little-known screenwriter John Sayles (Lone Star) and a great cast including Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, and Barbara Steele. This made-for-cable remake, however, is an abomination. It was as if director Scott Levy set out to make the original, scene-by-scene, only without benefit of a good cast and script. Screenwriter Alex Simon seems to have intentionally removed any trace of the sly, knowing humor of Sayles in favor of maudlin stock dialogue mouthed by mannequin-like drones. William Katt delivers a tedious performance which makes Bradford Dillman's work in the first Piranha look like art, and the sluggish Alexandra Paul's female lead is only a shadow of Heather Menzies, which is pretty difficult to imagine. The makeup by John Carl Buechler can't hold a candle to the craftsmanship of Rob Bottin's work in the original, either. About the only thing this disaster has going for it is a fairly interesting song called "Killer Mutant Piranhas," performed over the closing credits by Uncle Dog Food. The rest of the film is like watching a dull summary of the original rather than a real movie. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is shocked when her computer technician is murdered--and even more so when it turns out that the dead man was actually a rookie cop, working undercover. Investigating the situation, Jessica forms a strong bond with the late cop's veteran partner. At the same time, the murderer plans to strike again...and this time the target may be the victim's girlfriend. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Using archival footage, this production chronicles a particularly unique period in United States history, i.e., when the beginning of WWII found America in the precarious position of having only four aircraft carriers to face Japan's ten. This situation seemed particularly desperate in the weeks following Pearl Harbor. Much of U.S. News & World Report: Carrier Victory follows what became the deciding factor in America's eventual victory over Japan -- the relentless manufacture of aircraft carriers and planes that ultimately overwhelmed the Japanese air force and played an integral role in the outcome of the second World War itself. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli and from the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of the Persian Gulf region, the United States Marine Corps has a long, proud history of being first in and last out in the field of battle. The Marine Corps' history began in 1775 when the Continental Congress formed the first two Marine battalions as a landing force for the colonial fleet, creating a special kind of fighting soldier. In over 200 years the Marines have seen fierce front-line combat, and this 50-minute video documents their missions using archival photographs and film footage. Also, learn how an individual is transformed into a Marine, from boot camp to a fighting solider; viewers will come to understand why they are the few, the proud, the Marines. ~ Forrest Spencer, Rovi

A documentary that focuses on modern aircraft carriers and the role they played in the Korean and Vietnam wars. ~ Rovi

This informative program features aviation heroes like Rickenbacher, Richthofen and others from World War I through the Vietnam War. Actual fighting scenes are featured. ~ Rovi

This made-for-TV film served as the pilot for the internationally popular adventure series Baywatch. David Hasselhoff stars as Lt. Mitch Buchanan, the man in charge of the LA County lifeguard squad at Malibu beach. Future series regulars spotlighted herein are Shawn Weatherly as Jill Riley, Parker Stevenson as Craig Pomeroy and Erika Eleniak as Shauni McLain. Not that it should matter to the film's "babewatchers," but there is a plot-a "Fatal Attraction"-style thriller involving a woman scorned. And, as bonus, there's a thriller explosion-at-sea vignette. Baywatch: Panic at Malibu Pier was first telecast April 23, 1989, some six months before the premiere of the series proper. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Shot in the Philippines, this campy but enjoyably surreal occult thriller finds a quartet of wayward college kids trapped in the cursed village of Santana, a town whose founders made a pact with Satan centuries ago to spare themselves from a plague epidemic. It seems the villagers' end of the bargain allowed for the Devil's return each year to pick up a handful of fresh souls free of charge... and it's no surprise who's on Ol' Scratch's list this time around. Writer-director Ferde Grofe, Jr. makes good use of some rustic locations, and the scenes of demonic hordes swarming through the streets are quite chilling. Also a plus: the young protagonists are presented as fairly well-rounded and intelligent, instead of mere cyphers waiting their turn to become demon-fodder. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Dan Bartlett (John Cusack) is a lovestruck teen who misses his plane to the Caribbean in this engaging comedy. He was to join sweetheart Lori (Wendy Gazelle) and her father Bill (Monte Markham) in the tropical paradise. Determined to get to the island, his efforts are stalled by three natives with a penchant for marijuana. After he shakes the stoners, Dan is captured by the pirate Mac MacClaren (Robert Loggia). He escapes the scurvy buccaneer only to land in jail on bogus charges. Dan later follows his sweetheart to a yacht where her family is being hijacked by another crook. Veteran funnyman Jerry Stiller provides comedy relief. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

An adventure tale for movie buffs, Jake Speed deftly lifts scenes from detective films of the '40s through the '70s to bring an added dimension to its spoof of the detective and adventure genres. When a family gets word that their daughter has been kidnapped in Paris, her father comments that they should get "Jake Speed" to find her. However, Jake is a comic strip character, and the reaction is that he might as well ask for Batman. But lo-and-behold, the other daughter Margaret (Karen Kopins) gets a message to meet Speed (Wayne Crawford) and his author, Remo (Dennis Christopher), and the men tell her they must go to Africa, where her sister is being held. After a certain amount of trial and error, they eventually find the nation where she's being held -- which happens to be in the middle of a revolution. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi