Tim Halligan Movies
Assigned the thankless task of teaching freshman English at a gang-infested Long Beach, CA high school, a 23-year-old teacher resorts to unconventional means of breaking through to her hardened students in director Richard LaGravenese's adaptation of Erin Gruwell's best-seller The Freedom Writer's Diaries: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. Her students had been written off, and her chances of succeeding scoffed at, but Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) wasn't about to go down without a fight. Long Beach is a place where a new war is waged with each passing day, and when the hardened students who walk those dangerous hallways sense an outsider attempting to understand their plight, their cynical resentment threatens to keep a deadly cycle in motion. Despite the initially hostile reaction she receives in the classroom, Gruwell uses the writings of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo to teach her students not only the basis of the English language, but compassion and tolerance as well. Later, when the time comes to tell their own tales in a project specially designed to explore the daily violence that the majority of students have grown numb to, the barriers that had once stood so strong gradually begin to crumble. When the only chance for survival is to befriend the person who was once your mortal enemy, the world is opened to a whole new realm of possibilities. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, (more)
Blockbuster action director Michael Bay delivers a striking look at a strange world of the future in this sci-fi action drama. Midway through the 21st century, Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) lives in a confined indoor community after ongoing abuse of the Earth has rendered most of the planet uninhabitable. One of the only places in the outside world still capable of sustaining life is an idyllic island where citizens are chosen to live through a lottery. Or at least that's what Lincoln and his fellow citizens are taught to believe; the truth is that Lincoln, like everyone he knows, is actually a clone who is kept under wraps to provide needed organs when the person who supplied his or her DNA falls ill. When he becomes aware that his existence is a fraud, Lincoln escapes to the outside world with a fellow clone, Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson), though the powers that be are determined to see that no one gets away alive. The Island also stars Steve Buscemi, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Sean Bean. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, (more)
- 2005
The secret behind Kate's past may be revealed when a sealed briefcase is found -- and Kate (Evangeline Lilly) isn't about to let anyone open it, least of all Sawyer (Josh Holloway). In flashback, we learn more about Kate's checkered past. In other developments, a pouty Shannon (Maggie Grace) won't use her knowledge of French to help Sayid (Naveen Andrews) decipher a mysterious missive. With Claire (Emilie de Raven) still missing, an unlikely friendship begins to develop between Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) and Rose (L. Scott Caldwell). And the plane's remaining fuselage may disappear without a trace as the result of an unpreventable force of nature. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- L. Scott Caldwell, Victor Browne, (more)
Directed by Paul Abascal, Paparazzi chronicles the aftermath of four paparazzi photographers whose search for the all-important "perfect shot" ends in a tragic car accident. Movie star Bo Laramie (Cole Hauser) is understandably furious when, thanks to the notorious celebrity-chasers, his wife, Abby (Robin Tunney), is seriously injured, and his eight-year-old son is paralyzed. After the accident, Bo dedicates his life to putting a stop to a paparazzo's deadly overzealousness. Chris Rock, Matthew McConaughey, Mel Gibson, and Vince Vaughn are reported to be featured in cameo appearances. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cole Hauser, Robin Tunney, (more)
- 2001
Not yet willing to believe that Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is the mole in his operation, sinister SD-6 boss Sloane (Ron Rifkin) sets a trap that he hopes will determine Syd's loyalty once and for all. Meanwhile, the wounded Dixon (Carl Lumbly) emerges from his coma, with apparently no memory of the vital Mexico mission. And Will puts his life on the line in his endless efforts to unravel the mystery of Eloise Kurtz, the last person to see Syd's murdered fiancé, Danny, alive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this adventure drama, four men passed over by the space program get one last chance to be heroes and live out their dreams. Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood), Hawk Hawkins (Tommy Lee Jones), Jerry O'Neill (Donald Sutherland), and Tank Sullivan (James Garner) were top pilots within an elite Air Force squadron and on the fast track to becoming the first Americans in space in the early 1950s. However, when NASA was established, the pilots were cut out of the loop; Corvin went on to become an aerospace engineer, Hawkins continued on as a freelance pilot, O'Neill became an astrophysicist with a sideline in designing roller coasters, and Sullivan took up preaching as a Baptist minister. Years later, a Russian satellite's guidance system has started to malfunction, and it is expected to crash into the Earth within a matter of weeks. The system is identical to the one Corvin designed for Skylab, so NASA head Bob Gerson (James Cromwell) asks Corvin to help him with the emergency mission to repair the satellite. Corvin agrees under one condition -- that he be sent up to do the repairs himself, with Hawkins, O'Neill, and Sullivan as his crew. Clint Eastwood directed Space Cowboys while also starring as Frank Corvin; his supporting cast includes Marcia Gay Harden, Courtney B. Vance, Loren Dean, and William Devane. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
- 1998
Halloween night has several surprises in store for the ER staff as they treat a young car-crash victim whose gender is a matter of debate, and a schizophrenic woman (Sheila Kelley) who insists that she's about to give birth despite all evidence to the contrary. Meanwhile, Greene (Anthony Edwards) gets stunning news from his daughter, Rachel (Yvonne Zima). Carter (Noah Wyle) gets in hot water when he leaves Lucy (Kellie Martin) to supervise a wild med-school dorm party. And Weaver (Laura Innes) spends several humiliating hours putting up with a rival candidate for the office of ER chief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Quark's unquenchable thirst for profits has potentially deadly consquences this time around, as Quark's cousin Gaila (John Pais) gets tied up with ruthless arms dealer Hagath (Steven Berkoff), who is selling weapons that could very well bring about the Apocalypse. Never one to turn down a dishonest ducat, Quark nonetheless balks at getting involved with Hagarth, but as it happens, he may have no choice. Craggy film noir icon Lawrence Tierney guest stars as The Regent, while series regular Alexander Siddig (using his given name Siddig El Fadil directed. Originally telecast April 7, 1997, "Business as Usual" was written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Thanks to an expensive lawyer, Lesniak (Justine Miceli) has trouble prosecuting the man who "flashed" her. Simone (Jimmy Smits) collars a suspected serial killer, only to be trumped by glory-hogging Detective Solomon (Reni Santoni). Vinnie Greco (played by future Sopranos star Joe Pantoliano) tips Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) off to an upcoming armored car robbery -- and inadvertently exposes high-level corruption at Internal Affairs. And as Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) prepares to propose to Sylvia (Shannon Lawrence), his son Andy Jr. (Michael DeLuise) has a surprise in store. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Actor Billy Crystal co-wrote, directed, and starred in this romantic comedy. Forty-something couple Andy (Joe Mantegna) and Liz (Cynthia Stevenson) are about to be married, and as they gather with their friends for dinner not long before the wedding, they are told the story of their mutual friends Mickey (Billy Crystal) and Ellen (Debra Winger) as a cautionary tale of where a relationship can go wrong. Mickey is a top referee with the NBA who has traveled to Paris to bury his father, who wanted to be laid to rest with his Army buddies from World War II. The body is somehow lost in transit, and Mickey has an argument with Ellen, who works for an American airline in France. However, she likes his sense of humor, he is taken with her, and after a few days together in Paris, they decide to marry. However, once they return to Mickey's home in the United States, things get complicated; she's not so sure that she cares for his bachelor apartment ("a shrine to watching ESPN"), or juggling her career against his, while both have problems with their respective families. Several major basketball stars and sports figures appear in Forget Paris as themselves, including Charles Barkley, Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Marv Albert. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Crystal, Debra Winger, (more)
- 1993
Just as they're closing in on the Mob, Kelly (David Caruso) and Fancy (James McDaniel) are ordered to turn off the heat. Though Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) will recover from his shooting, he may not be able to remember who tried to kill him. As Kelly's soon-to-be-ex-wife, Laura (Sherry Stringfield), prepares to go into private law practice, her neighbor Goldstein (David Schwimmer) arms himself against the possibility that he'll be mugged again. And despite orders to kill Kelly, Janice (Amy Brenneman) knocks off the man who ordered the hit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Former Bewitched TV-star Elizabeth Montgomery plays against type and stars as a murderess in this made-for-television movie. Based on the book Preacher's Girl by Jim Schutze, Montgomery stars as the real-life killer Blanche Taylor Moore who was caught by authorities in 1989. The movie chronicles her transformation from the innocent 1950s daughter of a preacher into the serial killer known for poisoning her husbands with arsenic. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, David Clennon, (more)
The Houston, Texas police department is thrown into an uproar when someone discovers a bag full of severed human hands. Each one has a different number tattooed on the palm and the police suspect a serial killer. Things take an even stranger turn when they enlist the aid of an unusual boy with telepathic powers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ally Walker, Martin Sheen, (more)
Bill Murray co-directed (along with Howard Franklin) this mixture of The Out-of-Towners and After Hours, concerning Grimm (Bill Murray), a frustrated city planner who is fed up with the corruption and venality of New York City. Getting together a couple of accomplices -- Phyllis (Geena Davis), who admires Grimm for his audacity, and Loomis (Randy Quaid), a follower to Grimm's leader since grade school -- Grimm decides to rob a bank, pocket the money, get out of town and take off to tropical splendor. Dressing in a clown suit, Grimm devises a unique way to rob a bank -- taking a group of hostages at the bank and inviting the police to surround the bank. Amazingly, although pursued by a police chief (Jason Robards), the trio manage to pull off the robbery. However, the problems really start when they try to get from the bank to the airport -- which proves to be more difficult than the robbery. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Geena Davis, (more)
- 1987
Consumed by grief when his father is felled by a heart attack, 11-year-old Obie (Ricky Busker) runs away from his white, upper-class surroundings. He ends up in a particularly dismal Chicago ghetto neighborhood where, after enduring a beating administered by gang members, he is befriended by streetwise black youth Jeremy "Scam" Henderson (Darius McCrary). The two become partners in crime, leading to a deadly situation involving a pair of professional hit men. Just when it seems things can't get any worse, they do. Robert Prosky co-stars as a slimy pawnbroker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ricky Busker, Darius McCrary, (more)
- 1982
Robert Conrad fills the role of G. Gordon Liddy like the proverbial glove in this macho-driven biopic. Convicted in the Watergate conspiracy, Liddy serves 54 months in prison. At first laughed off by the other cons as merely a white-collar criminal, Liddy proves through various he-man methods that he's the match for any man behind bars. Every highlight of Liddy's autobiography is lovingly detailed, including the blood oath "I will kill for you, Mr.President" and the legendary hand held over the burning flame. Without descending to political partisanship, we note here that Conrad's G. Gordon Liddy is lot more exciting and charismatic than the genuine article. Will: G. Gordon Liddy was first telecast January 10, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
