Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
TV-PG
 
Year of Release
1989
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Jason Robards, Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Keanu Reeves, Harley Jane Kozak, Martha Plimpton, Joaquin Phoenix, directed by Ron Howard, written by Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, comedy, drama, box office success, budget, reviewed by Desmond Ryan, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Gene Siskel, Sheila Benson, Dave Kehr, Jay Boyar, PG-13, family life, parenting, siblings, teenage pregnancy, marital conflict, dysfunctional family, personal film, Brian Grazer, surround sound, perfectionist, deficiencies, stress, clashes, immature, young son, emotional separation, atoning, lousy father, thoughtfully crafted, relatable, believable, hilarious, true, emotional, powerful, touching, grand cast, fine performances
 

Cast & Crew

Steve Martin

Mary Steenburgen

Dianne Wiest

Jason Robards

Rick Moranis

Gil Buckman

Karen Buckman

Helen Buckman

Frank Buckman

Nathan Huffner

Steve Martin – Gil Buckman
Mary Steenburgen – Karen Buckman
Dianne Wiest – Helen Buckman
Jason Robards – Frank Buckman
Rick Moranis – Nathan Huffner
Tom Hulce – Larry Buckman

 

Ron Howard

Lowell Ganz

Brian Grazer

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Ron Howard
 
Writer(s)
Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
 
Producer(s)
Brian Grazer

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Desmond Ryan

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Gene Siskel

Sheila Benson

Dave Kehr

Philadelphia Inquirer

Chicago Reader

Chicago Tribune

Los Angeles Times

Orlando Sentinel

PARENTHOOD
 All Critics (58) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (53) | Rotten (5)
 The fulcrum of the film is Martin. It’s an adventurous and successful stroke of casting that takes advantage of what the audience expects from him.
 
 July 31, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Desmond Ryan
 Philadelphia Inquirer
 TOP CRITIC
 This movie has its share of laughs, but it’s also Ron Howard’s most personal film, and clearly his most ambitious.
 
 July 31, 2013
 
 Jonathan Rosenbaum
 Chicago Reader
 TOP CRITIC
 Parenthood easily could have focused exclusively on yuppie parents and their kids; however, the script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel is more sophisticated than that, remembering that every parent is still a child too.
 
 July 31, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Gene Siskel
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 The remaining cast, young, old and in-between, is lovely.
 
 July 31, 2013
 
 Sheila Benson
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 With Parenthood, Howard as a director has discovered weight, but not gravity. For all of its admirable seriousness, the film finally floats away.
 
 July 31, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
 
 Dave Kehr
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 There’s not a scene in Parenthood that isn’t involving: The actors keep reaching into themselves and coming up with gold.
 
 July 31, 2013
 
 Jay Boyar
 Orlando Sentinel
 TOP CRITIC
 What better way to deal with it than through catharsis?
 
 April 14, 2021
 
 Jim Rohner
 Battleship Pretension
 Plenty of realistic drama makes its way into the slightly exaggerated scenarios.
 
 September 6, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins
 …an engaging and often engrossing picture that benefits substantially from the efforts of a uniformly superb cast…
 
 June 26, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 David Nusair
 Reel Film Reviews
 The glorification of fatherhood in today’s films combined with the portrayal of women in the same movies as little more than breeding machines… is a treason against active motherhood and an attack on women who choose not to have children.
 
 September 7, 2019
 
 Kathi Maio
 Sojourner
 A feel-good sitcom about three generations of middle-class California suburban dwelling parents trying to deal with their vexing children as they experience growing pains.
 
 July 1, 2017 | Rating: B-
 
 Dennis Schwartz
 Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
 It’s hard to imagine a theme more universal and filled with human pitfalls than parenthood. And it’s hard to imagine a movie treatment of that theme more humane and filled with gentle sympathy than director Ron Howard’s Parenthood.
 
 August 13, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Dennis King
 Tulsa World…

 

Plot
Parenthood follows the struggles of perfectionist Gil Buckman as he navigates the deficiencies of his children and the stress of his siblings’ problems, including a teenage pregnancy, marital issues, and an immature brother with a young son he can barely handle.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Parenthood includes Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, and a preteen Joaquin Phoenix credited as Leaf Phoenix.
 

 
Ron-Howard.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions,
 
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Dodger Stadium – 1000 Vin Scully Avenue, Chavez Ravine, Elysian Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
 
Year of Release
1988
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Action
 
Keyword(s)
starring Leslie Nielsen, George Kennedy, Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalban, O.J Simpson, Nancy Marchand, directed by David Zucker, written by Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Pat Proft, comedy, action, PG-13, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Gene Siskel, Michael Wilmington, Desmond Ryan, Peter Travers, Dave Kehr, Richard Corliss, Rene Jordan, Mike Massie, Leigh Paatsch, David Nusair, Joe Baltake, Jeff Simon, Leslie Nielsen as Lt Frank Drebin, George Kennedy as Captain Ed Hocken, Priscilla Presley as Jane Spencer, Ricardo Montalban as Vincent Ludwig, O.J Simpson as Det Nordberg, Nancy Marchand as Mayor Barkley, produced by Robert K Weiss, Naked Gun
 

Cast & Crew

Leslie Nielsen

George Kennedy

Priscilla Presley

Ricardo Montalban

O.J. Simpson

Lt. Frank Drebin

Captain Ed Hocken

Jane Spencer

Vincent Ludwig

Det. Nordberg

Leslie Nielsen – Lt. Frank Drebin
George Kennedy – Captain Ed Hocken
Priscilla Presley – Jane Spencer
Ricardo Montalban – Vincent Ludwig
O.J. Simpson – Det. Nordberg
Nancy Marchand – Mayor Barkley

 

David Zucker

Jerry Zucker

Robert K. Weiss

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
David Zucker
 
Writer(s)
Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Pat Proft
 
Producer(s)
Robert K. Weiss

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
1 nomination
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Gene Siskel

Michael Wilmington

Desmond Ryan

Peter Travers

Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

Los Angeles Times

Philadelphia Inquirer

People Magazine

TIME Magazine

THE NAKED GUN
 All Critics (57) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (8)
 It gave me about 10 big laughs and 20 small laughs and as many smiles. That`s value for time and money spent.
 
 May 6, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Gene Siskel
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 In the years since he first played Drebin, Nielsen has deepened the role, made it more subtle, more universal, more paramount.
 
 May 6, 2014
 
 Michael Wilmington
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 The two Zuckers and Abrahams have, surprisingly, forgotten a principle of parody that they taught everyone else. Namely, that the jokes have to fit, and that they have to refer to the target — in this instance police movies.
 
 May 6, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
 
 Desmond Ryan
 Philadelphia Inquirer
 TOP CRITIC
 The proud regard in which this farce holds bad taste makes it endearing.
 
 May 6, 2014
 
 Peter Travers
 People Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 The Naked Gun is hugely funny, but it`s also liberating-precisely because it centers its aim on that cold, closed system and blows it apart. The straight lines are shattered; the empty spaces in the images are packed full until they burst.
 
 May 6, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Dave Kehr
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 Like the ZAZ lads’ other films, this is a movie made for a VCR Saturday night. They supply the jokes; you bring the microwave popcorn and modest expectations.
 
 May 6, 2014
 
 Richard Corliss
 TIME Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 The film stumbles like a chicken with its head cut off. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 June 16, 2022
 
 Rene Jordan
 El Nuevo Herald (Miami)
 The dialogue is practically perfect in its silliness, made more impressive considering the rapid-fire and convoluted abundance of one-liners and facetious remarks.
 
 September 6, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins
 As scripted by the writing team that gave the world Flying High and Top Secret, the deliciously dumb jokes just don’t let up…
 
 July 21, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Leigh Paatsch
 Herald Sun (Australia)
 A strong candidate for the funniest movie ever made…
 
 December 15, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 David Nusair
 Reel Film Reviews
 The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! a gift from the crew that gave us the original Airplane! is a charmingly unstable comedy whose “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” approach to shtick is downright surreal.
 
 February 22, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Joe Baltake
 McClatchy News Service
 Run, don’t walk, to The Naked Gun. Even if you have to elbow your sweet old mother-in-law or moony grandson out of the way to get to it, by all means do. You won’t be sorry. It’s that funny.
 
 April 30, 2018
 
 Jeff Simon
 Buffalo News…

 

Plot
A rerun of many of the gags from the television series Police Squad! (1982). An Airplane! (1980)-type spoof, this time with the an incompetent Lieutenant Frank Drebin, who always “gets his man”. Visual gags come thick and fast, and it’s impossible to catch them all with one viewing. The plot: Queen Elizabeth II of England is coming to town, and Vincent Ludwig has plans to assassinate her using a brainwashed baseball player.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features O.J. Simpson in a supporting role as Detective Nordberg.
 

 
David-Zucker.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Daiei
 
Distributor
Image Entertainment Inc., MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
R
 
Year of Release
1988
 

 
Genre(s)
Horror
 
Keyword(s)

Cast & Crew

Roddy Piper

Keith David

Meg Foster

George “Buck” Flower

Peter Jason

Nada

Frank

Holly

Drifter

Gilbert

Roddy Piper – Nada
Keith David – Frank
Meg Foster – Holly
George “Buck” Flower – Drifter
Peter Jason – Gilbert
Raymond St. Jacques – Street Preacher

 

John Carpenter

NA

Larry J. Franco

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
John Carpenter
 
Writer(s)
NA
 
Producer(s)
Larry J. Franco

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
4 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Phil Hoad

Jason Bailey

Calum Marsh

Desmond Ryan

Jay Carr

Guardian

Flavorwire

Slant Magazine

Philadelphia Inquirer

Boston Globe

THEY LIVE
 All Critics (65) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (55) | Rotten (10)
 The film was was responding to the start of the US rust belt and Reagan-era consumerism, but its themes of working-class subjugation and omnipresent media control have only become more pressing.
 
 October 25, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Phil Hoad
 Guardian
 TOP CRITIC
 Carpenter’s primary objective was to make a tough action flick, which he does; it fits snugly into his filmography’s subset of urban mayhem movies (alongside ‘Escape from New York,’ ‘Assault on Precinct 13,’ and parts of ‘Big Trouble in Little China’).
 
 February 17, 2017
 
 Jason Bailey
 Flavorwire
 TOP CRITIC
 Behold the message as articulated by John Carpenter’s sublime sci-fi opus: “I’m giving you a choice: Either put on these glasses, or start eating that trashcan.”
 
 December 1, 2013 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Calum Marsh
 Slant Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 As a movie, They Live is lethargic. As election propaganda, it’s terrific.
 
 August 6, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
 
 Desmond Ryan
 Philadelphia Inquirer
 TOP CRITIC
 John Carpenter’s They Live has cult favorite written all over it, and part of the reason is the way it regenerates the cheap, juicy, surprisingly potent sci-fi of the 1950s.
 
 August 6, 2013
 
 Jay Carr
 Boston Globe
 TOP CRITIC
 They Live is the looniest movie of the season and also one of the most engaging.
 
 October 10, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Dave Kehr
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 They Live is pure Carpenter and a quintessential cult classic.
 
 February 14, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Brian Eggert
 Deep Focus Review
 A strong and smart premise is derailed by weak direction, acting and script. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 May 27, 2021 | Rating: 2/5
 
 Fico Cangiano
 CineXpress Podcast
 Hilariously outrageous action scenes and asinine dialogue ultimately overshadow the layers of political and social commentary.
 
 September 8, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins
 Whereas I saw an intriguing satire on ’80s materialism and conservative economic policy, Piper saw a badass action movie being made by a director at the top of his game.
 
 July 4, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Matthew Rozsa
 Good Men Project
 A direct and effective direction that never gives itself to unnecessary trappings, ‘They Live’ has not lost a bit of the freshness that it already had three decades ago. [Full Review in Spanish]
 
 September 4, 2019
 
 Sergio Benítez
 Espinof
 Carpenter eviscerates American consumerism and materialism, Reaganomics, as well as questions the vast class divide which exists in most American cities.
 
 April 29, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
 
 C.H. Newell
 Father Son Holy Gore…

 

Plot
Nada, a down-on-his-luck construction worker, discovers a pair of special sunglasses. Wearing them, he is able to see the world as it really is: people being bombarded by media and government with messages like “Stay Asleep”, “No Imagination”, “Submit to Authority”. Even scarier is that he is able to see that some usually normal-looking people are in fact ugly aliens in charge of the massive campaign to keep humans subdued.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no specific tidbit about someone in the cast mentioned in the Fresh Kernels database.
 

 
John-Carpenter.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
 
Distributor
Orion Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Bush Stadium – 1501 W. 16th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
PG
 
Year of Release
1989
 

 
Genre(s)
History/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring John Cusack, Clifton James, Michael Lerner, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Charlie Sheen, Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford, directed by John Sayles, written by John Sayles, History, Drama, PG, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Desmond Ryan, Peter Travers, Sheila Benson, Gene Siskel, Dave Kehr, Jay Boyar, Robert Richardson, Hilary Mantel, Judy Watson, Ben Yagoda, Adrian Turner, Dennis Schwartz, baseball, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, World Series, Charles Comiskey, professional gamblers, Black Sox Scandal, 1919, Arnold Rothstein, Kid Gleason, Hap Felsch, Bill Burns, Buck Weaver
 

Cast & Crew

John Cusack

Clifton James

Michael Lerner

Christopher Lloyd

John Mahoney

Buck Weaver

Charles ‘Commie’ Comiskey

Arnold Rothstein

Bill Burns

Kid Gleason

John Cusack – Buck Weaver
Clifton James – Charles ‘Commie’ Comiskey
Michael Lerner – Arnold Rothstein
Christopher Lloyd – Bill Burns
John Mahoney – Kid Gleason
Charlie Sheen – Hap Felsch

 

John Sayles

NA

Sarah Pillsbury

Midge Sanford

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
John Sayles
 
Writer(s)
NA
 
Producer(s)
Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
2 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Desmond Ryan

Peter Travers

Sheila Benson

Gene Siskel

Dave Kehr

Philadelphia Inquirer

People Magazine

Los Angeles Times

Chicago Tribune

Orlando Sentinel

EIGHT MEN OUT
 All Critics (51) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (7)
 The tone of Eight Men Out is reminiscent of the droll irony of John Huston’s considerations of the vanity of human wishes and the corrupting power of money.
 
 May 6, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Desmond Ryan
 Philadelphia Inquirer
 TOP CRITIC
 The light shed on this dark period of sports history makes Eight Men Out essential moviegoing. But what makes it heartbreaking is watching the toll taken on champions betraying their talent on a field of honor.
 
 May 6, 2014
 
 Peter Travers
 People Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s a period re-created with a whoosh of energy and a redeeming vein of irony.
 
 March 20, 2013
 
 Sheila Benson
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 The ensemble performances are of such a uniformly high caliber that our interest in the story never wavers.
 
 March 20, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Gene Siskel
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 Eight Men Out never gathers much authority; the old themes have been hung on a rickety structure that constantly threatens to collapse.
 
 March 20, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
 
 Dave Kehr
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 In an ensemble movie like this one, an actor who grabs too much of the limelight can throw everything out of focus. The cast Sayles has assembled understands the value of teamwork.
 
 March 20, 2013
 
 Jay Boyar
 Orlando Sentinel
 TOP CRITIC
 Robert Richardson, who’d go on to shoot nearly all of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, including “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” crafts compelling visuals, and Sayles’ writing, as always, is major league.
 
 April 2, 2020
 
 Loren King
 Newport This Week (RI)
 Although Eight Men Out is a serious, sober effort… I found it neither clumsy nor doctrinaire.
 
 August 31, 2018
 
 Hilary Mantel
 The Spectator
 Aside from its moving study of greed, corruption and loss, the film provides a wonderful glimpse at life inthe post-World War I era.
 
 August 23, 2016
 
 Judy Watson
 United Press International
 Unfortunately, the movie’s didacticism returns in the lengthy and somewhat tedious courtroom ending dealing with the aftermath of the Series.
 
 May 6, 2014
 
 Ben Yagoda
 Philadelphia Daily News
 It’s a sad and compelling piece that is totally convincing and doesn’t require a knowledge of baseball.
 
 May 6, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Adrian Turner
 Radio Times
 Does a fine job in getting to the details of the baseball scandal.
 
 April 19, 2013 | Rating: B
 
 Dennis Schwartz
 Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews…

 

Plot
A semi-fictionalized account of the scandal surrounding the 1919 World Series, coined the Black Sox Scandal, is presented. The Chicago White Sox, considered the cream of the crop and one of the best major league teams ever, has just won the American League pennant, and are odds on favorites to win the World Series against the Reds. While team owner Charles A. Comiskey publicly crows about the superiority of the team he has assembled especially in their cohesion, he is unaware that arguably the cohesion in the players’ determination to win is matched only by their feeling of unappreciation by Comiskey, especially financially as he screws them over time and time again on promises made. Sensing an opportunity, professional gamblers begin to feel out who they believe may be sympathetic Chicago players to a game and/or series fixing scheme, especially lucrative seeing as the to the disparity between the two teams. There end up being eight players “in” to various degrees, from being the “all in” negotiators between the gamblers and the players, to those somewhat unaware of what is happening, to those just in the know but remain silent. Things quickly go off the rails as each individual and group is looking out solely for his own interest, from the disparate groups of players, to the gamblers, to the scheme financiers, to the team owners – Comiskey and others – as closely watching sports journalists can see that some of the Sox players are not playing as hard or as well as they can.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The ensemble performances in Eight Men Out are of such a uniformly high caliber that our interest in the story never wavers, according to Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune.
 

 
John-Sayles.jpg

 
Year of Release

 
Technical Specs
Color: NA
Sound mix: NA
Aspect ratio: NA
Language(s): English
Country of origin: United States
Original premiere:
Newest season premiere:
 
Genre(s)
Drama, Dramedy, Faith/Religious
 
Keyword(s)
Dramedy TV Drama, Faith/Religious TV Drama, Procedural Drama, 20th Television Shows, Slow Pony Shows, TV Shows from United States, English Language, Female Writer
 

 

Awards & Nominations
NA
 

Synopsis (Warning: Spoilers!)

Links
 

(Click to Visit)
 

(Click to Visit)
 
Wikipedia: Go to Wiki
Rotten Tomatoes: Go to RT

 

Coming soon…