Virginia Capers Movies

No sooner has Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) returned to County General than she clashes with Weaver (Laura Innes) over the treatment of a pregnant teenager in danger of being deported. Elsewhere, Weaver nervously prepares to contact her long-lost birth mother. Elizabeth (Alex Kingston) is investigated after losing a fourth patient to infection in post-op. Benton's (Eriq La Salle) son, Reese (Matthew Watkins), disappears. And Carter's (Noah Wyle) grandmother Millicent (Frances Sternhagen), injured in a fall, is brought into the ER. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Michael Stevens debuts with this two-fisted ultra-violent crime drama about redemption and revenge. Adapted from British author Tim Willocks' 1991 novel, the movie weaves together four stories resulting from a botched bank robbery. Callilou (Judith Hoag), the wounded girlfriend of the robbery's mastermind Luther (Jim Metzler), seeks refuge with kind-hearted doctor Eugene Grimes (Michael Massee), who lives among the impoverished in New Orleans' worst neighborhood. Hot on Callilou's trail is rakish but corrupt Vice Squad Captain Clarence Jefferson (Michael McGrady), who is looking to horn in on the robbers. He eventually catches up with Eugene, and, after a great deal of physical and emotional abuse, Eugene reveals both his odd connection with the criminal ringleader and his hideout. Soon after Jefferson and his gang converge on Luther's lair, a bloody gunfight ensues. Bad City Blues was screened at the L.A./AFI Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Bailey (Scott Wolf) finds his struggle to stay clean and sober becoming more and more difficult with each passing day. Charlie (Matthew Fox) and Grace (Tamara Taylor) vow not to rush their relationship, but nature takes its inevitable course. After an initial burst of euphoria, Julia (Neve Campbell) begins having second thoughts about attending Stanford in the fall. And well-meaning Claudia (Lacey Chabert) makes a shambles of things when she "outs" a favorite teacher in front of the entire school. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this actioner a beautiful designer journalist uses her black-belt in karate to stop an assassin from continuing to kill presidential candidates. Journalist Jennifer Barron begins her fight while doing a story about the optimistic Senator Ashton and his running mate Kahn. They are both victims of the killer. When Barron's lover John gets killed in an amusement park, and someone begins stalking her in hopes of taking a computer disk that she may or may not possess, the chop-socky writer has no choice but to defend herself and bring them to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single one-hour episode), Thanksgiving dinner at the Banks mansion is minus two participants. Having visited a fancy massage parlor for a rubdown, Will (Will Smith) and Philip (James Avery) were innocently swept up in a sting operation and are now languishing in jail. Meanwhile, Vivian (Daphne Maxwell Reid) tries to deal with the parade of unexpected guests after Hilary (Karyn Parsons) and Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) befriend several denizens of a homeless shelter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The gargantuan St. Bernard finds love in this sequel to the box-office hit. Beethoven happens to meet Missy, another St. Bernard, in the park and the two find they share a certain chemistry. Unfortunately, Missy is being held captive by Regina (Debi Mazar), a spiteful ex-wife attempting to leverage ransom money from her wimpy former husband. Fortunately for the dogs, their visit was long enough for the stork to come calling (no one ever accused Beethoven of having slow paws), and soon Missy berths a litter of adorable pups. Regina decides at first to drown the pups (an apparent attempt by the screenwriters to justify whatever horrible fate befalls her later) but reconsiders when she learns of their monetary value. However, the Newton children (Christopher Castile and Sara Rose Karr) manage to rescue them, and the entire family heads off for a Montana resort, Beethoven and pups in tow. Somehow, Regina and her sleazy boyfriend (Christopher Penn) end up at the resort as well, setting the stage for the final showdown. Less appealing than the original, Beethoven's 2nd is still an innocuous hour and a half of fun for younger kids and hardcore dog lovers. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

In this earnest, socially conscious drama, a prominent young lawyer rethinks his yuppie lifestyle and risks it all to become a staunch defender of homeless people's rights. Look for Martin Sheen (a strong advocate for the homeless) in a cameo role as a street person. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Philip (James Avery) is appalled when he sees his widowed mother Hattie (Virginia Capers) kissing the Banks' repairman Ed (Lee Weaver). How can he dissuade his mom from thinking about remarrying without letting her know that he was spying on her? Things come to a head when Ed is invited to dinner with the Banks family, an occasion that turns sour in a hurry as the uptight Philip makes a total fool of himself! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

French actress Sophie Marceau made her American film debut in this story in which she plays Bernadette, a woman from Paris who comes to the U.S. after being promised a job. However, upon her arrival, Bernadette learns that she's fallen victim to a hoax; stuck in America, she looks for work while staying with her close friend Shirley (Anne Curry), who is looking for her break as an actress. Their friendship faces a considerable challenge when Bernadette finds herself falling for Shirley's boyfriend. Pacific Pallisades also features Toni Basil, the actress, dancer, and choreographer best known for the hit song "Mickey". ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this drama a woman suffers terribly after she finally admits having an affair with her married doctor. Her husband does not accept the news gracefully and trouble ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Wealthy-but-troubled Vietnam vet Jeff Fahey, his trailer-trash wife Karen Allen, and drifter Keith Carradine are the characters essential to the action in Backfire. Fahey's horrific flashbacks to his days in Nam plunge him into a catatonic state. Though he has previously drawn up a document granting his wife power of attorney in case this should happen, Fahey's protective sister Dinah Manoff keeps this fact secret, hoping to cut off the mercenary Allen--and her lover Dean Paul Martin--without a penny. Drowning her problems at a local bar, Allen makes the acquaintance of Carradine, who shortly afterwards moves into the family mansion, bag and baggage. Fed up with being treated like garbage, and equally fed up with her noncommunicative husband, Allen enmeshes Carradine in an insidious plan that will regain her the riches she feels she deserves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Teenaged Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is a legend in his own time thanks to his uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last grand duck-out before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, "borrows" a Ferrari, and embarks on a one-day bacchanal through the streets of Chicago. Dogging Ferris' trail at every turn is high-school principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), determined to catch Bueller in the act of class-cutting. Writer/director John Hughes once again tries to wed satire, slapstick, and social commentary, as Ferris Bueller's Day Off starts like a house afire and goes on to make "serious" points about status-seeking and casual parental cruelties. It brightens up considerably in the last few moments, when Ferris' tattletale sister (Jennifer Grey) decides to align herself with her merry prankster sibling. A huge moneymaker, Ferris Bueller's Day Off eventually spawned a TV sitcom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide