Dick Quinlan Movies

Originally scheduled to debut on October 17, 2006, but ultimately unveiled on January 3, 2007, the ABC comedy series The Knights of Prosperity was a diverting exploration of that fitfully popular TV subgenre, "the lovable-loser-criminal show." The series was designed as a vehicle for Donal Logue, who topped the cast as Manhattan janitor Eugene Gurkin. A hapless, hopeless dreamer, Gurkin one day decided to make a name for himself as a "new age Robin Hood," assembling a group of fellow blue-collar goof-offs to pull off the robbery of the century (or at least, the robbery of the week). Our hero's band of merry men (plus one woman) included Eugene's fellow janitor, Squatch (Lenny Venito); lawyer-turned-cabbie Gary (Maz Jobrani); nerdy liberal-arts grad and aspiring show-biz intern Louis (Josh Grisetti); sexy waitress Esperanza (Sofía Vergara); and hulking security guard Rockefeller Butts (Kevin Michael Richardson), who was so anxious to be in on Eugene's scheme that he was literally willing to "work for cookies." The gang's target was singer Mick Jagger, who never appeared on-camera but whose lavish lifestyle was mercilessly parodied and exaggerated (indeed, the series' working title was Let's Rob Mick Jagger, which had been decided upon only after "Let's Rob Jeff Goldblum" and "Let's Rob Howard Stern" had proved undoable). Unfortunately, in their efforts to finance their heist of Jagger's valuables, Eugene and his pals were forced to spend almost as much money as they hoped to steal, leading to the formation of innumerable bird-brained moneymaking schemes -- including, at one point, the kidnapping of one of the would-be robbers' uncles! Rife with slapstick and gloriously unsubtle "inside" jokes, The Knights of Prosperity was created by Rob Burnett and Jon Beckerman, whose previous credits included The Late Show with David Letterman (Letterman was among the executive producers) and Ed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on Carl Hiaasen's satirical novel, Striptease tells the story of Erin (Demi Moore), who has just gotten a divorce from Darrell (Robert Patrick), the sleazy ex-con she foolishly married. However, the judge's memories of Darrell's days as a football hero win him custody of their daughter, and Erin, concerned for her child's safety, is determined to fight the decision. Erin has just lost her position as a secretary for the FBI, so, to cover her legal bills, she takes a job as an exotic dancer at a strip club called the Eager Beaver. While she has no experience taking off her clothes in front of an audience, Erin soon makes friends with the fellow dancers and finds a protector in the club's burly but good-hearted bouncer, Shad (Ving Rhames). She also makes a few fans among the regulars at the club, most notably David Dillbeck (Burt Reynolds), a drunken lout with a bottomless appetite for sleaze -- who also happens to be a conservative congressman with ties to right-wing religious groups. One of Erin's admirers snaps a photo of her with the congressman when a brawl breaks out at the club, and he suggests that it would make fine blackmail material. However, when the man with the photo turns up dead, Erin discovers that Dillbeck's people play a bit rougher than she expected. The home video version of Striptease contains two minutes of footage that was clipped from the theatrical release in order to win the film an R rating. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Based on the award-winning play by Sam Shepard, this drama offers an unblinking look at a family desperately clinging to the last threads of the American dream. Weston Tate (James Woods) is an alcoholic Viet Nam veteran struggling to hold on to the family's farm; he often brags about his grand plans for the place, but in truth the land is just one step away from foreclosure. His wife Ella (Kathy Bates) is determined to hold her family together, though she often dreams of running away and isn't above sleeping with corrupt land developer Taylor (Randy Quaid) if it will help keep the farm in her family's hands. Their son Wesely (Henry Thomas) has the soul of a poet and dreams of a better life, while his sister Emma (Kristin Fiorella) has inherited her mother's strength, but also her mother's burden in holding the Tates together. Noted filmmaker Bruce Beresford adapted Shepard's play for the screen and served as executive producer; Michael McClary directed. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Elaine May and Marlo Thomas star in this black comedy taking place in the black comedy capital of the world -- New York City. Elaine May plays Marianne Flan, who moves back to a nightmare New York City from Beverly Hills after her husband, Roger (Peter Falk), has been fired from his job. She hires ditzy psychic Reva Prosky (Marlo Thomas) to redecorate her apartment, and they end up being pursued by a crazed killer. They flee the city and end up at a new-age retreat in upstate New York. Jeannie Berlin, Elaine May's daughter, co-wrote the script with Laurie Jones and appears briefly as the Flan's strumpet neighbor. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi