Christina Pickles Movies

Aimless con man Donald "Doc" Holiday (Dave Coulier) discovers that in order to inherit his uncle's vast fortune he must first transform himself into the ideal suburban family man by securing a wife, children, a dog in this family friendly comedy that proves even the most deceptive of men can turn over a new leaf. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Emma's first birthday is the occasion for a big party, complete with a bunny-shaped cake. The trouble begins when Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) decides that the cake -- which is in a "shape" all right, but is nothing like a bunny -- would be more appropriate for a bachelorette party. As it happens, the party may never come off, since none of Rachel's friends have shown up, preoccupied as they are with either working or trying to avoid work. ~ All Movie Guide

In the second of Friends' four special 40-minute episodes which originally ran in February 2000, the magic number is not "40" but "30," as Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) becomes the last of the friends to hit the big three-oh. This sets the others to reminiscing about their own "milestone" birthdays, replete with embarrassing flashbacks. And there's something else: thanks to her redoubtable twin sister, Ursula, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) discovers that she's slightly older than she ever suspected. ~ All Movie Guide

Season seven of Friends comes to an unforgettable close as Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) prepare to march down the matrimonial aisle. In the first half of the two-part season finale (originally telecast as a single one-hour special), everyone gathers for the ceremony, including Chandler's transvestite dad (played by Kathleen Turner) and his no-doubt-it's-a-woman wife (Morgan Fairchild). Meanwhile, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) is having trouble getting off of the set of his movie in order to attend the wedding, due mainly to a somewhat "juicy" co-star (Gary Oldman). But this complication pales in comparison to events that occur during the rehearsal dinner -- namely, the sudden disappearance of bridegroom Chandler, who has literally "choked up." ~ All Movie Guide

Friends opens its seventh season with two prime episodes, originally telecast back-to-back. In the second episode, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) makes a shocking discovery about Rachel (Jennifer Aniston): she has a fondness for extremely erotic reading material. And in another development, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), preparing to shoulder her responsibilities as a bridesmaid for Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry), temporarily moves in with Rachel's erstwhile boyfriend Ross (David Schwimmer) -- who is none too thrilled that "Pheeb" has brought her massage business along in the bargain. ~ All Movie Guide

As he prepares to entertain Monica's (Courteney Cox) parents at Thanksgiving dinner, Chandler (Matthew Perry) must come to grips with the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Geller (Elliott Gould, Christina Pickles) don't like him very much -- and he doesn't make matters any better with his overeagerness to please. It turns out that the Gellers hold Chandler responsible for Ross' dependence upon marijuana in college...or at least that's what Ross (David Schwimmer) has told them. Meanwhile, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) prepares a Thanksgiving dessert that no one will ever forget, while Joey's (Matt LeBlanc) control-freak roommate, Janine (Elle MacPherson), cooks up a "theme" party like none other on the face of the earth. ~ All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV biographical drama was adapted from William Gibson's sequel to his own play The Miracle Worker. Moira Kelly and Roma Downey are respectively starred as the teenaged Helen Keller and her teacher and closest friend Annie Sullivan. Despite her inability to see or hear, Helen has made such spectacular progress under Sullivan's tutelage that she is able to attend Radcliffe College. Accompanying Helen to the campus, Annie meets handsome journalism professor John Macy (Bill Campbell) and quickly falls in love. Having had her own crush on Macy, and fearing the loss of Annie's friendship, Helen reverts to the anger and jealousy that characterized her childhood years--but soon finds comfort in a romantic relationship of her own. Monday After the Miracle made its CBS network bow on November 15, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Monica (Roma Downey) is transformed into an eighty-year-old woman to gain the trust of a bitter, self-loathing, desperately lonely WW2 veteran named George Zarko (Darren McGavin), aka "The Colonel". Our heroine's efforts to help Zarko succeed only in incurring the wrath of Stefanie Hancock (Christina Pickles), the martinet head nurse at the retirement home where the elderly soldier resides. Worse still, Monica's elderly roommate Lorraine (Gwen Verdon) insists upon playing matchmaker between the incognito angel and "The Colonel", even though Tess (Della Reese) has explicitly warned Monica not to get too close to the old man. The various crises are alleviated only when "The Colonel" reveals an embarrassing secret about his past. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The classic Shakespearean romantic tragedy is updated by director Baz Luhrmann to a post-modern Verona Beach where swords are merely a brand of gun and bored youths are easily spurred toward violence. Longtime rivals in religion and business, the Montagues and the Capulets share a page from the Jets and Sharks of West Side Story when they form rival gangs. Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) is aloof toward the goings-on of his Montague cousins, but after he realizes that Juliet (Claire Danes) is a Capulet at the end of one very wild party, the enmity between the two clans becomes the root of his angst. He relies heavily -- and with serious consequences -- on his rebel gender-bender of a friend, Mercutio (Harold Perrineau Jr.), and Father (not Friar) Lawrence (Pete Postlethwaite) for protection and support. Romeo is, of course, exiled, and it looks like Juliet will be forced into an arranged marriage with the bland Paris (Paul Rudd). It ends, as Romeo and Juliet must, when Romeo hears a tragic piece of misinformation and brings his suicide wish to what was meant to be Juliet 's temporary tomb. This time, though, the turf and the weapon of choice have taken a turn toward the surreal. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Illeana Douglas delivers a superb performance as Denise Waverly, a fictional singer and songwriter whose life bears more than a passing resemblance to that of real-life pop star Carole King. Edna Buxton, the daughter of a Philadelphia steel tycoon, aspires to a career as a singer, and when against her mother's bidding she sings a sultry version of "Hey There (You With the Stars in Your Eyes)" (instead of Mom's choice, "You'll Never Walk Alone") at a talent contest, she wins a recording contact and moves to New York City. She cuts a record and gains a new stage name, Denise Waverly; however, she soon finds that girl singers are a dime a dozen in the Big Apple and her career as a vocalist goes nowhere. But she has a knack for writing songs, and eccentric producer Joel Milner (John Turturro) asks her to pen some songs for his upcoming projects. Teamed with Howard Caszatt (Eric Stoltz), a hipster songwriter who wants to express his political and social ideals through pop tunes, she finds both a successful collaborator and husband. While her work with Howard gains Denise writing credits on a string of hit records and respect within the industry, their marriage falls apart, and she becomes involved with Jay Phillips (Matt Dillon), the gifted but unstable leader of a popular West Coast surf music combo. Students of pop music history will have a ball with the various characters modeled after real-life rock legends, and the 1960s-style song score includes numbers written by Joni Mitchell and J. Mascis (of the band Dinosaur Jr.), as well as one-time King collaborator Gerry Goffin; a collaboration between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, "God Give Me Strength," led to a full album written by the two great tunesmiths. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When a talented, heterosexual Los Angeles pianist is diagnosed with AIDS, he abruptly spurns family and friends and withdraws into a safe, thick-walled cocoon of embittered loneliness, telling no one that he is going to die. His hopelessness, self-imposed exile and refusal to go the hospital for treatment does nothing to slow the progression of his illness. One day he is brooding in a coffee shop when an impoverished African American woman turns up to hustle him into buying her coffee. He obliges, and as the two outcasts talk, he suddenly loses consciousness. She gets him to the hospital and remains beside him until he awakens. Thus begins a tentative and tender (but not overly sentimental) friendship in which both learn to trust again as they share painful past episodes and their tentative future dreams. Though he never tells her so, the woman realizes that the pianist is dying and so provides him with subtle support. He too helps her deal with her two increasingly unruly teenage boys, one of whom has already become a small-time crook. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Someone has stolen Monica's (Courteney Cox) credit card -- and with it, her identity. As Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) try to track down the culprit (who's pretty nice as far as Fake Monicas go), Joey (Matt LeBlanc) tries to think up a new stage name ("Holden McGroin" probably won't fly, however). And Marcel the Monkey makes his farewell appearance as a regular (reportedly much to the relief of the cast), thanks to a sensitive Ross (David Schwimmer) and a discriminating zoo superintendent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The sweeping, melodramatic saga of three brothers, their powerful father, and a beautiful woman, the popular period drama Legends of the Fall presents a romanticized view of rugged masculinity against lush Montana scenery. Based on a novel by Jim Harrison, the film covers decades in the lives of Alfred (Aidan Quinn), Tristan (Brad Pitt), and Samuel (Henry Thomas) Ludlow, the sons of retired military man William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins). Raised by the unorthodox Ludlow after the departure of their mother, the boys grow up close, sharing an appreciation of the land and a pioneering spirit. The family becomes divided, however, when young Sam enlists in World War I over his father's objections, and his brothers follow suit to protect him. Despite these efforts, Sam dies in battle, leaving Alfred and Tristan to return home and deal with the lingering torment. Further complicating matters is the presence of Sam's beautiful fiancée, Susannah (Julia Ormond). After Sam's death, she attracts the romantic attention of both the responsible Alfred and the brooding Tristan, a conflict that threatens to drive the brothers apart. Aspiring to epic status, the film utilizes period detail and attractive landscapes as a backdrop for tragic, doomed romance. While some critics complained that the film resembled a romance novel writ, veering at times into the overwrought, audiences embraced the combination of emotion and grand historical scale, making the film a box-office success. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide