Charles Martin Smith Movies

The heartwarming story of a boy, his dog and a basketball forms the basis of this family comedy from Disney. Snively (Michael Jeter) is an unfunny clown whose appearances at children's parties are usually upstaged by his dog Buddy, who has learned how to shoot a basketball. Snively is tired of being upstaged by the pooch, and he eventually abandons him. Buddy is taken in by Josh (Kevin Zegers), a shy boy whose father recently died. Josh's mother Jackie (Wendy Makkena) moves them to a small town in Washington, where the naturally withdrawn Josh doesn't quite fit in. Too shy to try out for the basketball team, he instead becomes team manager, and he practices on his own after the team goes home. One night, Josh discovers Buddy that can not only shoot hoops, but he's a better shot than anyone on the team. Coach Barker (Stephen E. Miller), hungry for victory, adds Buddy to the team and soon the dog with game is famous -- just famous enough, in fact, for Snively to return, demanding the return of his pet. Buddy the Dog was spotted by the film's producers shooting baskets on the "Stupid Pet Tricks" segment of The Late Show with David Letterman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

It's the last night of summer 1962, and the teenagers of Modesto, California, want to have some fun before adult responsibilities close in. Among them are Steve (Ron Howard) and Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), college-bound with mixed feelings about leaving home; nerdy Terry "The Toad" (Charles Martin Smith), who scores a dream date with blonde Debbie (Candy Clark); and John (Paul Le Mat ), a 22-year-old drag racer who wonders how much longer he can stay champion and how he got stuck with 13-year-old Carol (Mackenzie Phillips) in his deuce coupe. As D. J. Wolfman Jack spins 41 vintage tunes on the radio throughout the night, Steve ponders a future with girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams), Curt chases a mystery blonde, Terry tries to act cool, and Paul prepares for a race against Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford), but nothing can stop the next day from coming, and with it the vastly different future ushered in by the 1960s. Fresh off The Godfather (1972), producer Francis Ford Coppola had the clout to get his friend George Lucas's project made, but only for $750,000 on a 28-day shooting schedule. Despite technical obstacles, and having to shoot at night, cinematographer Haskell Wexler gave the film the neon-lit aura that Lucas wanted, evoking the authentic look of a suburban strip to go with the authentic sound of rock-n-roll. Universal, which wanted to call the film Another Slow Night in Modesto, thought it was unreleasable. But Lucas' period detail, co-writers Willard Huyck's and Gloria Katz's realistic dialogue, and the film's nostalgia for the pre-Vietnam years apparently appealed to a 1973 audience embroiled in cultural chaos: American Graffiti became the third most popular movie of 1973 (after The Exorcist and The Sting), establishing the reputations of Lucas (whose next film would be Star Wars) and his young cast, and furthering the onset of soundtrack-driven, youth-oriented movies. Although the film helped spark 1970s nostalgia for the 1950s, nothing else would capture the flavor of the era with the same humorous candor and latent sense of foreboding. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

The late journalist Randy Shilts' best-selling book on the burgeoning AIDS crisis was adapted for cable TV by Arnold Schulman. In 1981, researchers begin discerning a mysterious new disease that apparently affects only homosexual males (or so they thought at that time). Working independently, and with marked hostility toward one another, an American and a French research team manage to identify and name the dreaded HIV virus. The long-range effects of AIDS is experienced through the first- and secondhand experiences of several unfortunates, including a choreographer (Richard Gere) whose character is said to be based on Michael Bennett. The all-star cast (most of whom eschewed their usual high salaries) includes Lily Tomlin as San Francisco health official Selma Dritz, Matthew Modine as Centers for Disease Control researcher Don Francis, Alan Alda as NIH official Robert Gallo (who emerges as the villain of the piece), Ian McKellan as gay activist Bill Kraus, and Glenne Headley, Steve Martin and Anjelica Huston in cameo roles. And the Band Played On debuted September 11, 1993, on HBO. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A live-action rendering of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, this time we follow the exploits of the two Cold War "no-goodniks", Boris and Natasha. Sent from their beloved Pottsylvania by their "Fearless Leader", their job is to try to capture a missing time-reversing microchip. Espionage films being what they are, however, "Fearless Leader" has something nasty up his sleeve. Big-name stars and guest appearances keep this one going. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-television movie, a group of high-school nerds form a band to gain both renown and romance. Directed by Ron Howard, the film was co-scripted by Howard and brother Clint. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

A tense hostage situation erupts when three escaped convicts commandeer a school bus full of deaf children and take them and their courageous teacher (Marlee Matlin) to an abandoned slaughterhouse to negotiate with the cops. No sooner are the crooks and their captives inside the plant than it is surrounded by policemen. An FBI unit led by John Potter (James Garner) arrives. Though a veteran agent, Potter has been laid off since he was accused of botching a bombing situation in Texas. He and the leader of the police force Budd (Kenneth Welsh) are immediately at loggerheads as to how to handle things. The situation is worsened when a publicity hungry assistant D.A. (Charles Martin Smith) shows up with a camera crew. Meanwhile, the clever and determined Melanie devises her own imperfect solution to the problem. Though basically a routine thriller, it does feature a couple of surprising twists at the end. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

An amalgam of Death Race 2000 and Lost with CGI effects thrown in, the quasi-fantasy action series Drive centered around a strange, exclusive, strictly secret and highly illegal cross-country race, wherein the contestants were all but shanghaied into participating for a winning purse of $32,000,000--assuming they lived that long. The first contestant was Alex (Nathan Fillion), who was desperately searching for his missing wife. A mystical race promoter named Mr. Bright (Charles Martin Smith) lured Alex to Florida by implying that he'd never see his wife again unless he agreed to become a driver. Alex was then teamed with wild blonde Kristin (Corinna Wiles), who acted as if she knew what it was all about. In truth, NO one knew what it was all about--not the woman just released from a hospital, nor the two siblings who were driving a "cursed" Cadillac, nor the paroled criminal, nor the Iraq veteran and his girlfriend, nor the scientist and his teenaged daughter. Though everyone knew that the race began in Florida, none of the racers had the slightest idea where it was headed, nor the remotest clue as to the location of the finish line. And how about the fact that none of the vehicles were actually sports cars? Only one thing was certain: Those who lost the race faced the direst of consequences. As was often the cast in enigmatic exercises of this nature, the course of the race and the backstories of the contestants were revealed bit by bit, episode by episode, on a need-to-know basis. Drive first parked itself on the Fox network on April 15, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this blood-spattered actioner, two soldiers of fortune are forcibly recruited by the CIA to lead a group of ill-trained guerillas in hope of staging a Southeast Asian coup against an unfriendly dictator. Matters are not helped by the fact that the mercenaries despise each other. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Fuzz treads the line between raucous comedy and gut-churning melodrama. Based on an "87th Precinct" novel by Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter), the film stars Burt Reynolds and Jack Weston as, respectively, detectives Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer. Their current assignment is to bring in Deaf Man (Yul Brynner), a mad bomber who has been targeting politicians. A subplot concerning a couple of punks who get their kicks by setting fire to sleeping winos is dramatically justified by the main storyline, but it was this element that caused a lot of trouble for the producers of Fuzz when a pair of real-life teenagers decided to imitate the film. On a lighter note, Raquel Welch co-stars as Detective Eileen McHenry, who is obliged to go undercover -- and under covers -- with fellow officer Bert Kling (Tom Skerritt). And as a bonus, viewers are treated to Burt Reynolds' first "drag" scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Screenwriter Arne Olsen makes his directorial debut in this comedy that explores the real meaning of youth and age. Owen Rinard (Eric McCormack) is the thirty-something manager of a Canadian retirement home who watches over his charges with an eagle eye and has a strong belief in rules and regulations. However, Gus Corley (James Whitmore), one of the residents at the home, isn't especially enthusiastic about Owen's iron rule, and wants to go on a fishing trip to Victoria, British Columbia. Owen has no interest in organizing outings for the patients, but when Gus, a former accountant, learns a few secrets about the current state of the books at the home, he makes Owen an offer he can't turn down -- either escort him and his friends Duncan (Ossie Davis) and Nelly (Kim Hunter) to Victoria for a vacation, or he'll tell the authorities about the irregularities in the accounts. Soon a very wary Owen is on the road with Gus, Duncan, and Nelly, and the younger man learns a few important lessons from his elders about the joy of living. Here's to Life was nominated for seven Genie awards -- the Canadian Oscar -- including Best Actor and Best Actress nominations for James Whitmore and Kim Hunter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide