Peter Medak Movies

Director Peter Medak (Romeo Is Bleeding) presents this erotic thriller about an art dealer whose sexual addiction puts her personal life in jeopardy in this adaptation of the book of the same name by cult writer Zane for Lionsgate. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

The third entry in the popular Beverly Hills Cop series finds Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returning yet again to Southern California, this time on the trail of two car thieves turned murderers. As he teams up again with L.A. cop Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), Foley's investigation leads him to Wonder World, a theme park that is also the front for a major counterfeiting ring. More action and less wit are the trademarks of this film, which features Murphy dishing out his usual wisecracks, but with less flair and freshness than in the original film. Alan Young plays the old man who runs the amusement park, an interesting setting that still adds little to the tired premise. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

The troupe is heading south, towards Babylon, and rumors about the town's deadly reputation are flying. Everyone is getting antsy, and it doesn't help matters when Samson (Michael J. Anderson), on Management's orders, has them set up shop in the middle of nowhere. Jonesy (Tim DeKay) expresses his reservations, and offers to talk to Management himself, but Samson says no. While the crew sets up, Samson has Osgood (Blake Shields) drive him into town so he can see Miss Jolene (Judith Hoag), a prostitute with whom he has a special relationship. Sofie (Clea Duvall) goes into town herself, despite Apollonia's (Diane Salinger) protestations, and puts on an act, pretending to be a young widow, which earns her the sympathetic ear of Harlan (Gabriel Mann), the handsome proprietor of a local diner. Lodz (Patrick Bauchau) convinces Ben (Nick Stahl) to drive him out into the desert, claiming he wants to show him something that has to do with Scudder. All of them are caught in a deadly dust storm. In the ensuing chaos, Apollonia nearly chokes to death, Samson learns that his relationship with Jolene isn't all he thinks it is, and Sofie gets far more intimate with Harlan than she had intended. Lodz wanders from the safety of the car and into the desert, and when Ben follows him, Lodz demonstrates that Ben is even more powerful than he suspected and offers to help him learn how to use his power, but Ben isn't interested in using it. Meanwhile, Justin (Clancy Brown) gets a visit from Norman (Ralph Waite) who warns him that the church is upset about his continuing to build his ministry for the migrants. Justin passionately explains that he's following direct orders from God, but a deadly tragedy soon ends Justin's dreams. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Hot on the heels of the BBC's multipart 1999 adaptation of Charles Dickens' semiautobiographical novel David Copperfield came this American-financed version, prepared for the TNT cable network as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Child actor Max Dolbey and adult performer Hugh Dancy share the role of David Copperfield who, after enduring a tempestuous youth at the hands of his cruel stepfather Murdstone (Anthony Andrews), manages to survive into adulthood with the help and support of such sympathetic figures as Aunt Betsy Trotwood (Sally Field), the eternally-in-debt Mr. Micawber (Michael Richards), and loyal old Dan Peggoty (Nigel Davenport). Even so, David's later years are none too serene, thanks in great part to antagonists like the wheedling, "'umble" Uriah Heep (Frank MacCusker), and to his own star-crossed romantic misadventures. At the time of its first telecast on December 10, 2000, this two-part adaptation of David Copperfield was criticized for the "stunt" casting of former Seinfeld regular Michael Richards as Micawber, who is transformed into a Kramer-esque slapstick figure; however, one must remember that not everyone was enamored of W.C. Fields' now-classic interpretation of the same character in the 1935 film version. David Copperfield was lensed on location in Ireland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paul Reubens is the troublemaking title character in this installment of Faerie Tale Theatre. Carl Reiner stars as Gepetto, the lonely woodcarver who wishes for a son and creates a wooden marionette named Pinnochio as a substitute. One night a good fairy pays a visit and brings Pinnochio to life, but not without a catch -- he must behave himself and never lie or else his nose will grow. This charming adaptation also features James Coburn as a sly gypsy and a scene-stealing Lainie Kazan as the outrageous Blue Fairy with a hilariously exaggerated Italian accent. ~ Carrie Downes, All Movie Guide

The classic tale of a kind-hearted princess stalked by a jealous stepmother is brought to life in this early episode of Faerie Tale Theatre. Elizabeth McGovern is Snow White, the princess whose stepmother, the queen, banishes her because she is jealous of the girl's beauty. She takes up residence with a septet of friendly dwarfs in the woods, but eventually falls victim to a poisoned apple delivered by the queen in disguise. Only a kiss from a prince (Rex Smith) will awaken her. Veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave portrays the insanely wicked queen, and Vincent Price lends his incomparable voice and screen presence to the film as the queen's omnipresent magic mirror. ~ Carrie Downes, All Movie Guide

Released several years after it was filmed, this standard Peter Sellers comedy focuses on Dick Scratcher (Sellers), a bumbling, roughly-hewn chief cook on a pirate ship trying to keep an unsteady control of things after he murders the captain. Once the captain is dead, Scratcher is the only one who knows where the pirate's stash lies hidden and that is the source of his control over everyone, even the second mate Pierre (Anthony Franciosa). Into this precariously balanced situation comes little Jeremiah (Richard Willis) who wants to learn all about sailing the high seas and becomes a third factor in the struggle for control of the ship and the hidden treasure. Meanwhile, Bill Bombay (Spike Milligan), another pirate captain, is also out for the same treasure, complicating everything. Both Sellers and Milligan launch into improvised routines -- but in general, the acting is frenetic and underpar while the story runs aground instead of pulling into port with a reasonable ending. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The twin brother of a murder victim insists that the dead man's girlfriend is responsible, but the men and women of Homicide have their doubts. Elsewhere, several of the male detectives are moonstruck by attractive new arrival Rene Sheppard (Michael Michele); Mike Giardello (Giancarlo Esposito) has requested a transfer to the FBI's Baltimore bureau, but hasn't yet picked the right time to tell his father, Al (Yaphet Kotto); and Ballard (Callie Thorne) and Gharty (Peter Gerety) find themselves tied up in a jurisdictional boondoggle when a teenager found shot in Baltimore turns out to have been killed in Washington, D.C., following a bungled drug deal. Anthony Joseph Perry of Aerosmith guest stars as D.C. narcotics detective Joe Landrewsky. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When one of drug kingpin Luther Mahoney's "heroin mules" is found dead, Lewis (Clark Johnson) and Kellerman (Reed Diamond) mount an elaborate sting operation to bring down Mahoney (Erik Todd Dellums) once and for all. Elsewhere, Bayliss (Kyle Secor) finally patches up his differences with Pembleton (Andre Braugher), then braces himself for a meeting with the relative who sexually abused him as a child. And Munch (Richard Belzer) is informed that the so-called victim in an old murder case may still be alive -- little realizing that he is being set up as a pawn for a vengeful gangster. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While traveling to Harrisburg, PN, to extradite suspected murderer Rose Halligan (Lily Tomlin), Baltimore homicide detectives Lewis (Clark Johnson) and Kellerman (Reed Diamond) bide their time and relax as much as possible. Their lethargy proves to be their undoing when Halligan slips through the cops' fingers while they make a pit stop at a popular diner. Meanwhile, an important piece of evidence turns up missing from Brodie's (Max Perlich) surveillance tapes, and Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) misses out on a major promotion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As directed by feature film stalwart Peter Medak (The Changeling, The Krays), the avant-garde stage musical La Voix Humaine unfurls in a Parisian hotel room circa 1930, where we witness a one-sided telephone conversation between an unstable young woman (American soprano Julia Migenes) and her deadbeat lover, who just recently jilted her. The actual narrative witnesses her breaking into song, then going through a number of emotional stages prior to committing suicide. Jean Cocteau authored the libretto, adapted from the tragedy by François Poulenc. This release contains a film of the original production, which was mounted in 1990. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

It was perhaps inevitable that, somewhere along the line in Magnum, P.I.,Higgins (John Hillerman) would end up emulating his namesake Professor Henry Higgins, the hero of Shaw's "Pygmalion"--which of course was the source material for the musical hit "My Fair Lady." In this episode, Higgins takes on the job of transforming his punk-rocker cousin Sally Ponting (played by Jillie Mack, future wife of series star Tom Selleck) into a proper lady in time for her marriage to wealthy young Timothy Finch (David Traylor). Meanwhile, Magnum (Tom Selleck) is kept busy tracking down the con artist who caused Higgins' friend Agatha (Gillian Dobb) to lose her life savings in a crooked investment scheme. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide