Mark Schneider Movies
- 1997
Lyta makes telepathic contact with an unconscious Shadows victim. Garibaldi hopes to gain the complete trust of his new boss, pharmaceutical mogul William Edgars (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) And Captain Sheridan races against the clock as his guides his troops towards the Earth. Harlan Ellison makes a brief onscreen appearance as a Psi Cop. Originally telecast during the week of June 2, 1997, "The Exercise of Vital Powers" was written by J. Michael Straczynski. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1997
Garibaldi hatches a scheme to capture Sheridan, using the Captain's father as bait. Pharameutical baron William Edgars (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) then startles Garibaldi by explaining his true motivations. And Lyta agonizes about the future of Telepaths. Written by . Michael Straczynski, "The Face of the Enemy" first aired during the week of June 9, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1997
Assuming the mantle of "The Voice of the Resistance," Susan Ivanova delivers her first newscast. Garibaldi accepts a new job on Mars, only to come face to face with an old --- and not altogether fond--acquaintance. And Franklin is forced to make several unpleasant executive decisions. Denise Gentile appears as Lise Hampton, a key figure in the life of one of the series' major characters. First telecast during the week of May 5, 1997, "Conflicts of Interest" was written by J. Michael Straczynski. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1997
Captain Sheridan takes Garibaldi to task over the latter's inexplicably contrary behavior. Marcus and Franklin arrive on Mars, but their plan to link up with the Resistance hits a snag. Can this setback have anything to do with their eccentric travelling companion Captain Jack (Donovan Scott)? A disturbing plot twist caps J. Michael Straczynski's teleplay. "Racing Mars" was originally broadcast in America during the week of April 21, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1995
Justine Miceli (Det. Adrianne Lesniak) and Kim Delaney (Det. Diane Russell) graduate from recurring to regular status as NYPD Blue begins its third season. Things get off to a potentially lethal start as James Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) is shot down and left paralyzed -- possibly for life -- by a government witness who may be completely immune from prosecution. Diane tells her AA sponsor, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), that she's recovering from her drinking problem, potentially good news for her boyfriend, Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits). And Andy's significant other, Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence), has some good news -- at least, she hopes it's good news. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
After the death of Peter Sellers in 1980, writer/director Blake Edwards assembled a new "Pink Panther" film from outtakes of Sellers as Inspector Clouseau from previous movies in the series (the result was called The Trail of the Pink Panther) and later made two attempts to revive the series with another actor. In this case, Edwards cast Roberto Benigni as Jacques Gambrelli, a hopelessly inept French policeman who turns out the be the illegitimate son of Inspector Clouseau. Gambrelli becomes involved with the investigation of a kidnapping involving the beautiful Princess Yasmin (Debrah Farentino) literally by accident, when he crashes into a car driven by Police Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom). Gambrelli soon becomes smitten with Yasmin, while the investigation suggests that the kidnapping was set up by her mother, the Queen (Shabana Azmi), and her lover, General Jaffar (Aharon Ipale). Claudia Cardinale who played a different character in the original Pink Panther returns, while Burt Kwouk returns as the violent Korean manservant Cato. Roberto Benigni's Gambrelli proved no more successful at the box office than Ted Wass's Clouseau-like Clifton Sleigh in The Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), though after his multiple-Oscar winning success with 1998's La Vita e Bella, Roberto's probably gotten over it. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roberto Benigni, Herbert Lom, (more)
- 1989
- PG
Ivan Reitman's sequel to the phenomenally successful Ghostbusters is looser and more self-assured than the original. The film opens with a title reading "Five Years Later" and finds the ghostbusters living in hard times. A restraining order has forbidden the boys to partake in paranormal warfare, and as a result they have had to seek other lines of work. Ray (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston (Ernie Hudson) spend their time performing at children's' birthday parties, and Egon (Harold Ramis) is busy conducting experiments investigating the effect of human emotions on the environment, leaving ghostbusting behind. Venkman (Bill Murray) and Dana (Sigourney Weaver) have split up. Venkman now hosts a local cable show called "The World of the Psychic." Dana, now divorced and the mother of a little baby named Oscar, works as an art restorer in a museum -- and this is where the plot kicks in. While Dana is restoring a portrait of a 16th-century tyrant by the name of Vigo the Carpathian, the portrait becomes hexed. The evil Vigo wants to return to life by taking over the body of Dana's little child. Vigo has enlisted Dana's boss, Janosz Poha (Peter MacNicol), to compel Dana to cooperate. Soon dirty sludge and slime flow through the streets of Manhattan, and the ghostbusters have to reunite to save the city from a funky paranormal evil. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, (more)
- 1986
- R
The terror in this chiller is more implied and the blood and gore is minimal as it tells of the strange adventure of an African-American female Army Sergeant and her recruits as they head through the forest of Alabama on a survival mission. It all begins when a lieutenant sees the apparition of a mysterious woman. Next a private finds a skull while others are made nervous by bizarre winds and the strangely burned ground thy find. Eventually the unit finds an empty subterranean bunker and that's when people begin to die. Eventually a mysterious fog rolls in and they see that their killers are the ghostly remains of Confederate soldiers who do not realize that the war is over. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maxwell Caulfield, Nichelle Nichols, (more)
- 1985
A TV news crew manages to videotape a vicious arsonist in the act. Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) do their best to bring the firebug to justice, but are stymied at every turn by the well-meaning interference of the TV people. Ultimately, howver,. Hunter squares off against the murderous "torch"--who turns out to be a demented Rambo wannabe, armed with a gigantic flame thrower! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1983
In this syrupy drama, a terminally ill priest continues trying to keep his orphanage from closing. Fortunately, a rousing soccer game (featuring the legendary player Pele) saves the orphanage ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Disco Fever director Lamar Card returns to deliver another flick that could have only been made in the 1970s. All Clint needs to be happy is a wide open road and a full tank of gas for Vandora, his futuristic custom van. Clint is on his way to enter Vandora into the "Freakout" van competition when the cherries of a police cruiser start glaring in his rearview mirror. But the cops aren't the only ones keeping Clint and Vandora from getting to the "Freakout" in time for the competition; a gang of hot-headed bikers are determined to drive him straight off the road. With time running out and the competition fast approaching, Clint punches the gas and uses his solar-powered lasers to blow away anyone who gets in his way. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruce Kimball, Tom Kindle, (more)
- 1976
- PG
Invisible Strangler tells the story of a boy who strangles his mother and while in a mental institution finds books which give him the key to making himself invisible. He then escapes from the hospital and goes on a murder spree, strangling his mother's friends in a series of unintentionally hilarious episodes, while they sit in their comfortable, expensive homes. The detective assigned to the case, Lt. Charles Barrett (Robert Foxworth) devises an unusual way to dispose of the killer. Sue Lyon, previously seen in Lolita, has a tiny role, as does Elke Somer. Originally shot in 1976 and titled The Astral Factor, this silly, obvious film sat on the shelf for 10 years before being released directly to video ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Foxworth, Stefanie Powers, (more)
This provocative, highly atmospheric horror movie tells the tale of a young girl who is terrified that her insane mother will take her away from her beloved foster mother. One day, the crazed real mother attempts to contact the girl at school, but her foster mother has a premonition and gets there in time to protect the girl. Eventually though, the real mother and her terrifying boy friend, a carnival clown, succeed and whisk her away, leaving the bereaved foster parents to enlist the assistance of a parapsychologist to help them interpret the foster mother's terrifying dreams and psychic connection to the girl and find her before it is too late. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sharon Farrell, Richard Lynch, (more)
