Jaime Cardriche Movies
From all-American football player to professional wrestler to actor, Jamie Cardriche was perhaps best known to television audiences for his role as Tim on UPN's Malcolm and Eddie. Discovered by a casting director while working out in a local gym, Cardriche's credits include TV movies (The Garbage Picking, Field Goal Kicking, and Philadelphia Phenomenon), a recurring role on TV's A Different World, and the film House Party. His varied and colorful career was cut short in July of 2000, when he died at the age of 32 of complications from gall bladder surgery . ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide- 1995
After Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) strikes out with yet another girl, Will (Will Smith) tries to bolster his cousin's confidence by arranging a double date. Unfortunately, one of their dates (Tamala Jones) has a jealous--and enormous--boyfriend named Mad Dog (James Cardriche), who shows up unexpectedly. Escaping Mad Dog's wrath, Will and Carlton end up climbing onto the ledge of a tall building--and that's when the local "crisis unit" swings into action! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A young man (director Hall) narrates this story of how he tried to impress the spoiled, bratty daughter of the millionaire owner of an eraser factory. He manages to ingratiate his way into the family and becomes the manager of the eraser plant. He then discovers that her father is actually a secret international arms dealer. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Michael Hall
The manic writing-directing comedy team of Tom Stern and Alex Winter (the latter of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey) followed up their deranged short-film collaborations and the short-lived MTV series The Idiot Box with this comic fantasy, which amounts to a virtual car crash of anarchic, mind-blowing weirdness. The brain-damaged plot follows self-centered sitcom actor Ricky Coogin (Winter), official spokesman for the E.E.S. (Everything Except Shoes) corporation, into the jungle-bound South American nation of Santa Flan. Coogin has been sent as an emissary on behalf of E.E.S. to placate the media uproar over a substance called Zygrot-27, a chief ingredient in many E.E.S. products which has been decried as a fatal environmental toxin. Accompanied by his friend Ernie (Michael Stoyanov) and environmental activist Julie (Megan Ward), Ricky takes a detour into the jungle to a bizarre amusement park overseen by bombastic barker/inventor Elijah C. Skuggs (Randy Quaid), who specializes in the display of "Hideous Mutant Freekz" (the film's original title). The trio soon discover that Skuggs manufactures his oddities himself, and they find themselves at the mercy of his hideous freakmaking factory -- which coincidentally uses Zygrot-27 as a catalyst. Once he has the hapless heroes strapped down, Skuggs reveals his intention to transform Coogin into an evil mega-freak who will destroy all the others in a slam-bang, standing-room-only closing event. Miffed at the notion of sustaining an acting career as a spine-covered, pus-gushing monster, Coogin joins a rebellion within Skuggs' captive stable of other man-made freaks -- whose ranks include such monstrosities as effete human worm; a bearded lady (Mr. T in a frilly dress); a man with a sock-puppet for a head (voiced by Bob Goldthwait); and Ortiz the Dog-Boy (an uncredited Keanu Reeves). Their plans to turn Ricky into a zygrot-powered superhero go astray, however, leading to a hilariously apocalyptic finale. Doomed to home-video status by lethargic distribution from Twentieth-Century Fox, this unappreciated gem deserves a second look; packed with hilarious visual gags, ultra-gross setpieces and body-function jokes, Freaked is a hallucinogenic funhouse of a movie. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alex Winter, Megan Ward, (more)
Laurence Fishburne plays no-nonsense LAPD narc Russell Stevens, Jr., who has worked all his life to expunge the memory of his dope-addict father, whom he saw die in a liquor-store robbery. DEA agent Jerry Carver (Charles Martin Smith) orders Stevens to work as an undercover operative on a major case. The cop is to pose as a dealer in order to get the goods on South American drug lord. Stevens is so convincing as a dealer, that he fast works his way up through the ranks and gains the trust of lawyer and narcotics dealer David Jason (Jeff Goldblum) and his sinister associates, all lackeys to the kingpin who is the target of Stevens' assignment. Through a series of fantastic but credible circumstances, Stevens eliminates the lower echelon, getting closer to his quarry, but in the process he finds himself so deep into the sinister and seductive world of the drug trade that he may never get out. In a surprise move, and just when he is about to bring the ringleader down, the DEA pulls the plug on his assignment, because the top dealer, an influential Latin American politician, may someday be useful to the State Department. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Fishburne, Jeff Goldblum, (more)
- 1991
- R
This clever and well-crafted production (produced for Home Box Office) goes the distance with its innovative concept, which is equal parts Raymond Chandler and H.P. Lovecraft. Taking place in 1948 Hollywood -- in an alternate reality where magic spells, curses and demons are commonly used and accepted -- the story revolves around hard-boiled gumshoe Harry P. Lovecraft (Fred Ward, looking nothing like his character's namesake and everything like Mike Hammer), the only detective in the business who relies on brains and instinct instead of gazing into a crystal ball or casting runes. This pure perspective is sought out by wealthy eccentric Amos Hackshaw (David Warner), who is trying to retrieve the legendary "Necronomicon" (a key component in the works of the real H.P. Lovecraft). The book is reputed to have the power to release the "Elder Gods" from their cosmic confines and return them to Earth, whereupon Hackshaw believes they will appoint him ruler of all mankind. The chief rival for possession of the book is a seedy gangster (Raymond O'Connor) whose favorite nightclub singer (Julianne Moore) takes a shine to Harry. Followed by a sequel, Witch Hunt, which applies a more sublime (if unnecessary) re-interpretation of the material, and features Dennis Hopper in the Lovecraft Role. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Ward, David Warner, (more)
House Party is an infectious, engaging comedy starring the rap duo Kid 'N Play. Kid (Christopher Reid) decides to throw a party where he plans to blow the roof off the joint with his rhyming skills, so he and his friend Play (Christopher Martin) throw a huge party while Play's parents are away. The day of the party, Kid is grounded by his father (Robin Harris) and he has to sneak out of the house to get to the party, where he is confronted by several rival rappers, as well as a bevy of adoring girls. Though House Party follows a standard plot-line straight out of the '50s rock & roll films, the script is inventive, providing many different twists and turns, while Reginald Hudlin's direction is assured and very, very funny. Kid 'N Play are both terrific, but the true standout is legendary comedian Robin Harris in one of his few screen roles. House Party later spawned two sequels and an animated television series. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher "Kid" Reid, Christopher "Play" Martin, (more)
- 1988
Volunteering to choreograph Gilbert Hall's Homecoming "step" contest, Whitley (Jasmine Guy) drives everyone crazy with her manic perfectionism. Ultimately, however, Whitley is forced to swallow a few slices of humble by Ms. Pruitt (Leila Danette), a 92-year-old Hillman alumnus. Elsewhere, the outcome of important football game hinges upon Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison), who must tutor star lineman "Meat Locker" Woodson (Jaime Cardriche) for an upcoming math test. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Whitley (Jasmine Guy) tries to be tolerant of her roommate Kim's all-consuming romance with new boyfriend Robert (Brian Wesley Thomas), but her patience comes to an abrupt end when Kim (Charnele Brown) locks her out of her own room. Meanwhile, Freddie (Cree Summer) turns into a merciless tyrant when assigned to edit the campus poetry magazine. The episode's highlight finds several of the male regulars doing takeoffs of series producer Bill Cosby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
