Paul Murphy Movies

A teacher's life is nearly destroyed when his deranged student cries rape in this Australian drama. The new philosophy professor at an all-girls' academy, Professor Justin Thorne (Jimmy Smits) has it all: a great job, a solid wife (Sarah Chadwick) and family, and the adulation of his impressionable students. But when one particularly imaginative and alluring student takes a shine to him, Thorne finds himself in court fighting for his future. Jennifer Carter (Naomi Watts), the daughter of the school's widowed headmaster, throws off her loutish boyfriend and throws herself at Thorne. Meanwhile, she keeps a diary of imaginary encounters with a phantom lover. Cornered in his office one night, Thorne gets his blood up desperately rejecting Jennifer's advances. The passion is so strong that he finds himself making love to her almost involuntarily. Soon, Jennifer shows up battered and bruised, claiming Thorne raped her, and the police seize on her diary as proof of a twisted affair. Soon, the discredited professor must suffer through character assassination in court while attempting to unravel Jennifer's tortured psyche and stay out of jail. Adrian Wright co-stars as Kenneth Carter, the accusor's stern, secretive father. The film's director, George Miller, is not to be confused with the other Australian George Miller, who directed Mad Max. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

In this exciting New Zealand-set actioner, a pair of average people find themselves fighting for their lives when they are inadvertently entangled in a plot involving international espionage. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Here's the basic "shtick" of Bugsy Malone: it's a gangster picture enacted by children. Acted out before scaled-down sets, the film details the career of Bugsy Malone (Scott Baio), who rises to the top of the criminal ladder in 1920s New York. Whenever gunfire is called for, the kiddie crooks substitute whipped cream for bullets. Paul Williams contributes several songs, which are performed by adult singers and lip-synched by the pint-sized actors. The cast includes John Cassisi as diminutive Capone clone Fat Sam, and then-13-year-old Jodie Foster as the sultry nightclub thrush Tallulah. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Singer Robert Goulet had already spent a season (1966-67) as a TV secret agent on Blue Light when he signed for the theatrical espionager Underground. Goulet plays an American spy who is disgraced during World War II for divulging the names of his fellow agents while under torture. To redeem himself, he joins a French resistance group called the Maquis and parachutes behind enemy lines. His mission is to kidnap a Nazi general and spirit him back to France. Arthur H. Nadel, director of Underground, is most-closely associated with the non-human endeavors of the Filmation cartoon studios. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Set in first century England, The Viking Queen is a loose retelling of the legend of Boadicea (also sometimes known as Boudica), the queen of the native Britons, who were known as the Iceni. In the year 60 A.D., the Roman governor general Justinian (Don Murray) attempts to rule over the island from wisdom as well as strength, believing that winning over the hearts of the Iceni people will work better for the Empire than brutalizing them. He has help from his cultured advisor Tiberion (Niall MacGinnis), and finds an ally (and much more) in Salina (Carita), the daughter of the late King Priam (ilfred Lawson), who has been chosen to rule the Iceni. Together, Justinian and Salina attempt to share responsibility for ruling the island nation, and to make the laws and the tax system fairer for the Iceni -- they also discover that they actually love each other and want to marry. Their romance and their attempts at bringing more civilized rule are thwarted by treachery on both sides. Among the Iceni, the Druids, led by the high priest Maelgan (Donald Houston), oppose the Romans because their rites (involving human sacrifice) have been banned, and Maelgan wishes Salina to fulfill the destiny that he has prophesized for her: to take up arms against the invaders. The wealthy Iceni merchants, led by the procurer Osiris (Dennis Shaw), oppose Justinian because of the higher taxes that he has imposed on them. Among the Romans, Justinian's military commander, Octavian (Andrew Keir), doesn't care for diplomacy or persuasion, except at the point of a sword. Conspiracies abound in both camps, which leads to Justinian being called away, and, in his absence, Octavian destroys the treaty between the two peoples. Finally, Salina is forced to take up arms and lead her people in open revolt against the Romans. The two would-be lovers face each other in battle, where, in the achieving victory, Justinian learns precisely how fierce and proud a warrior and a queen Salina is. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi