Tarbuck, Barbara

Short Circuit

John Badham's family-oriented adventure comedy, though obviously hatched in the wake of E.T. and Star Wars, manages to create its own identity through a sweet tone and an affectionate sense of fun. Military robot Number 5, a well-armed killing machine, is zapped by lightning during a test and emerges with a consciousness, curiosity, a wacky sense of humor, and a new peace-loving philosophy. Ally Sheedy (who debuted in Badham's hit WarGames) is the animal lover whose home is sanctuary for a zoo-full of strays and who adopts the adolescent robot. Steve Guttenberg is the goofy but reclusive robotics designer who goes off in search of his creation to save him from the gun-happy army. The mix of gentle slapstick and innocent romance makes for a harmless family comedy. It veers toward the terminally cute, what with 5's hyperactive antics and E.T.-ish voice, and the mangled grammar of Guttenberg's East Indian sidekick (Fisher Stevens) threatens to become offensive, but Badham's breezy direction keeps the film on track. Sheedy and Guttenberg deliver spirited and engaging performances, but most importantly the robot emerges as a real person. Give credit to designer Syd Mead, an army of puppeteers and robotics operators, and the cartoony voice of Tim Blaney: Number 5 is alive. --Sean Axmaker

Something wonderful has happened--Number Five is alive! Steve Guttenberg and Ally Sheedy co-star in this high tech comedy adventure about Number Five, a robot who escapes into the real world after he short circuits in an electrical storm and decides that he's human. Because he's carrying destructive weapons, the Defense Department and his designer (Guttenberg) are desperate to find him. But Number Five is being protected by a young woman (Sheedy) who is teaching him a gentler way of life.

Walking Tall

MGM Walking Tall - DVD
After eight years, decoratedArmy veteran Chris Vaughn (The Rock) returns to his hometown and finds it ravaged by poverty, drugsand corruption. Its once-thriving lumber mill is closed, and a glitzy, crime-ridden casino is now the chief source of income. Pushed to the brink, Chris pushes back and soon becomes a target for murder. Now it's up to this Special Forces hero to clean up his town...or die trying!
Starring: TheRock [WWF], Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonough, Kristen Wilson, Ashley Scott
Director: Kevin Bray

The Rock is definitely Walking Tall in this straightforward remake of the popular 1973 revenge flick based on the real-life exploits of Sheriff Buford Pusser. Only the basic premise of the original film remains, but it's well-suited to the Rock's rising-star agenda, and it's a savvy, albeit uninspired follow-up to his previous hit, The Rundown. With typical beefcake bravado, Chris Vaughan (the Rock) arrives home in rural Kitsap County, Washington (filmed in budget-friendly Canada, of course) to find his hometown overtaken by childhood friend-turned-sleazebag casino owner and drug-dealer Jay Hamilton (played with steely-eyed malevolence by Neal McDonough), whose squad of goons includes the local sheriff. The cards are instantly and simplistically stacked against our hero, but no matter: he's soon kickin' ass and takin' names as the new sheriff, and from that point director Kevin Bray (All About the Benjamins) goes strictly by-the-numbers, limiting this punchy programmer to a brisk 85 minutes, with comic relief (courtesy of costar Johnny Knoxville) and an obligatory love-interest (Ashley Scott, in obligatory skimpy attire) tossed in for good measure. It's a cracker movie for a cracker audience, and on those terms it handily expedites the Rock's ascension to the action-movie throne. --Jeff Shannon

Curly Sue

An endearing rags-to-riches family comedy of a wandering scam artist and his streetwise, curly-headed sidekick, this guilty pleasure ranks with John Hughes's best films. Curly Sue is the story of the street-hardened yet tender Bill Dancer (Jim Belushi) and orphaned accomplice Curly Sue (Alisan Porter). Curly Sue and Bill scam Grey Ellison (Kelly Lynch), an unsuspecting power attorney, out of a hot meal and a penthouse bed. Grey warms to the adorable Sue and the diamond-in-the-rough Bill and cools to her ruthless profession as the trio begins to feel more like a family. John Getz plays Walker McCormick, Grey's stuffy, affected boyfriend who tries his best to force the vagabonds on to the next train out of Chicago. Belushi is well cast for this role, blending grit and heart nicely, but it's the charming performance of Porter that steals most scenes. Imagine a modern Annie through the witty eye of hit filmmaker Hughes and you have Curly Sue. --Sarah Chace

The Death of the Incredible Hulk

Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, stars of the late '70s, live-action television series The Incredible Hulk, cap a run of sporadic TV movies based on the old show with Death of the Incredible Hulk. The gloomy title says it all. Bixby's Dr. David Banner, spiritually exhausted after years of rage-induced transformations into a snarling, green monster, takes a last stab at finding a cure by posing as a retarded janitor in a government-funded research laboratory. His secret collaboration with a scientist (Philip Sterling) on "killing" the Hulk's genetic viability goes awry when a gorgeous foreign spy (Barbara Tarbuck) disrupts a crucial procedure and invites the wrath of brutal terrorists, the federal government, and, yes, the big man (Ferrigno) himself. With death chains rattling in the background, various ironies in the story become poignant: After years of isolation, Banner finds friendship and love just in time to risk it all for a lasting peace. --Tom Keogh

He's Mean, He's Green and he's back! In a daring chase when the incredible Hulk challenges an international spy ring that?s attempting to steal secret computer files.

Just Ask My Children

Brenda (Virginia Madsen, Candyman, Dune) and Scott Kniffen (Jeffrey Nordling, TVs "Once and Again") are accused of child molestation and physical abuse. Without a shred of evidence, the authorities arrest them and take their two young sons into protective custody. The boys are lead to believe that if they give the "right" testimony, they will be returned to their parents. Through relentless badgering, the impressionable children are coerced into testifying against their parents. After an agonizing nine-month trial The Kniffin's are sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes they did not commit. While their sons are tormented by uncertain memories and obscure recollections, Brenda and Scott face many horrors in prison. Based on a True Story.

Short Circuit (Special Edition)

John Badham's family-oriented adventure comedy, though obviously hatched in the wake of E.T. and Star Wars, manages to create its own identity through a sweet tone and an affectionate sense of fun. Military robot Number 5, a well-armed killing machine, is zapped by lightning during a test and emerges with a consciousness, curiosity, a wacky sense of humor, and a new peace-loving philosophy. Ally Sheedy (who debuted in Badham's hit WarGames) is the animal lover whose home is sanctuary for a zoo-full of strays and who adopts the adolescent robot. Steve Guttenberg is the goofy but reclusive robotics designer who goes off in search of his creation to save him from the gun-happy army. The mix of gentle slapstick and innocent romance makes for a harmless family comedy. It veers toward the terminally cute, what with 5's hyperactive antics and E.T.-ish voice, and the mangled grammar of Guttenberg's East Indian sidekick (Fisher Stevens) threatens to become offensive, but Badham's breezy direction keeps the film on track. Sheedy and Guttenberg deliver spirited and engaging performances, but most importantly the robot emerges as a real person. Give credit to designer Syd Mead, an army of puppeteers and robotics operators, and the cartoony voice of Tim Blaney: Number 5 is alive. --Sean Axmaker

Something wonderful has happened--Number Five is alive! Steve Guttenberg and Ally Sheedy co-star in this high tech comedy adventure about Number Five, a robot who escapes into the real world after he short circuits in an electrical storm and decides that he's human. Because he's carrying destructive weapons, the Defense Department and his designer (Guttenberg) are desperate to find him. But Number Five is being protected by a young woman (Sheedy) who is teaching him a gentler way of life.

Short Circuit

Something wonderful has happened--Number Five is alive! Steve Guttenberg and Ally Sheedy co-star in this high tech comedy adventure about Number Five, a robot who escapes into the real world after he short circuits in an electrical storm and decides that he's human. Because he's carrying destructive weapons, the Defense Department and his designer (Guttenberg) are desperate to find him. But Number Five is being protected by a young woman (Sheedy) who is teaching him a gentler way of life.

Mr. Murder

A Christmas Without Snow

Starting over again in a new city, a divorced woman joins a local church choir and clashes with the choirmaster. Pushed to her emotional limits, her faith is re-affirmed in this beautiful classic of the Christmas season.

Big Trouble

The last film directed by John Cassavetes, Big Trouble reteamed some of the creators of the much funnier The In-Laws. But despite another script by Andrew Bergman, and a cast that reunited Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, this comedy doesn't live up to its predecessor. A spoof of Double Indemnity, the film casts Arkin as a nervous insurance agent faced with huge college tuition bills for a trio of sons headed for Yale. To make extra money, he gets involved in a scheme with a woman (Beverly D'Angelo) trying to kill her husband (Falk). That the whole thing turns out to be an adventure in insurance fraud shouldn't come as a surprise. Despite an inconsistent script, the chemistry between Arkin and Falk can still produce the occasional laugh. --Marshall Fine

Alan Arkin and Peter Falk star in John Cassavetes' comedic homage to Double Indemnity. When lovely Beverly D'Angelo convinces insurance man Arkin (who is desperate to send his triplet sons to Yale) to kill off her husband, things get progressively stranger ... and funnier.