Gary Pearl Movies

For those who survived the earth-shaking terrors of 10.5, the tremors just keep on coming in this sequel that finds scientist Samantha Hill (Kim Delaney) and President Hollister (Beau Bridges) doing battle against Mother Nature as she unleashes her formidable wrath in the heartland. Extinct volcanoes are erupting at an alarming rate, and the ground is opening up to swallow entire cities, leading some to believe that the Apocalypse has finally begun. All hope isn't lost yet, however, and as FEMA leaps into action to provide assistance to those in need, volunteer firefighter Brad Malloy (Dean Cain) and kindly doctor Miguel Garcia (Carlos Bernard) do their best to get citizens out of the rapidly expanding danger zones. With even more destruction on the horizon, Samantha is forced to put the past behind her in hopes that her father, Dr. Earl Hill (Frank Langella), a rogue scientist whose ideas have found him exiled from mainstream science, can find a way to divert the path of the quake and save countless lives in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Liberty Wallace (Linda Fiorentino), the wife and business partner of wealthy weapons manufacturer Victor Wallace (Oliver Platt), is on her way to her regular assignation with her boyfriend, Russell (Martin Cummins), an actor who's about to go on-stage for the closing night of his hit play. Their plans are ruined by a mysterious gunman who calls himself Joe (Wesley Snipes). Joe straps Russell to a bomb in his dressing room, which will go off if he moves or speaks too loudly. Joe then calls Liberty on her cell phone and coerces her into chaining herself to a hot dog stand in a plaza outside the theater. The hot dog stand is rigged with a bomb, which will go off if Liberty hangs up her cell phone, or when it runs out of battery power. Joe also has a high-powered sniper rifle, her company's best gun, trained on Liberty. Joe doesn't make any demands at first, but it's clear that he has a problem with Liberty's weapons empire, which she inherited from her late father. He eventually tells Liberty that his young daughter was killed in a school shooting by one of the guns her company manufactured. Joe lets Liberty know that she's going to die, but she can die a hero if she exposes her company's shady business dealings and political connections before she's killed. As Joe monitors and records her every move, Liberty reveals secrets about her own past, and her business dealings. When Victor, who's also having an affair, finds out that his wife has been taken hostage, he's torn between following company protocol -- protecting himself and allowing his wife to be killed -- and going to help her. Liberty Stands Still was written and directed by Kari Skogland. The film premiered on Cinemax in July 2002. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi