Ralph Michael Movies

Based on J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, Empire of the Sun stars Christian Bale as a spoiled young British boy, living with his wealthy family in pre-World War II Shanghai. During the Japanese invasion, Bale is separated from his parents. With the help of soldier-of-fortune John Malkovich, Bale learns to survive without a retinue of servants at his beck and call. By the time Malkovich and Bale are tossed into a Japanese prison camp, the boy has picked up enough street-smarts and developed enough intestinal fortitude to regard his imprisonment as an exciting adventure. The story ends during the 1945 liberation: on the verge of manhood, the 13-year-old Bale will never again be the pampered, privileged brat whom we met in the early scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Joan Hickson stars as Miss Jane Marple in this made-for-TV adaptation of one of Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery tales. An odd advertisement appears in the Chipping Cleghorne Gazette, which announces that a murder will take place on October 5 at 7 p.m. at a cottage in Little Paddocks. While the neighbors and assembled curiosity seekers who show up are expecting some sort of a stunt, it turns out the advertiser was good to their word, and three shots ring out, leaving a man dead. So who is the killer, and why did they commit such a bizarre crime? Could it be retiree Mrs. Blacklock (Ursula Howells), her cousins Julia (Samantha Bond) or Patrick (Simon Shepherd), her close friend Miss Bunner (Renee Asherson), or gardener Mrs. Haymes (Nicola King), all of whom happened to be living at the scene of the crime? ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

En route to a business meeting in Paris, newly promoted American magazine editor Lily Conrad (Cheryl Ladd) boards the legendary Orient Express. Her she is unexpectedly with her long-ago lover, aristocratic Englishman Alex Woodward (Stuart Wilson). It turns out that this rendezvous was no accident, and before long the couple's passion is rekindled. Variously aiding and abetting the course of True Love (which of course is lovelier the second time around) are such sidelines characters as Lily's brash travelling companion Susan Lawson (Ruby Wax) and Alex's stuffy, tradition-bound father Theodore Woodward (John Gielgud, who earned an Emmy nomination for his performance). Filmed on location in Italy, France and England, Romance on the Orient Express debuted March 4, 1985, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Beginning its four-episode run on September 30, 1978, "The Pirate Planet" was a follow-up to the previous Doctor Who adventure "The Ribos Operation." Having successful located the first segment of the Key to Time, the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) are that much closer to restoring the balance between Good and Evil. Using his Tracer, the Doctor locates the second segment of the Key on the planet Calufrax -- but his efforts to materialize the TARDIS on the planet's surface are mysteriously unsuccessful. Keep an eye out for star Tom Baker's sore lip, the result of an offscreen misadventure with a pet dog. Largely filmed on-location in Wales, "The Pirate Planet" was written by Douglas Adams. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tara is accused of being in cahoots with an enemy agent. Given 24 hours to clear her of all charges, Steed runs up against one dead end after another. Meanwhile, the instigators of Tara's frame-up prepare to nuke London back to the stone age. Written by frequent Avengers guest star Jeremy Burnham, "Who Was That Man I Saw You With?" made its American TV debut on March 3, 1969, and was first seen in England 16 days later. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Reno Davis (George Peppard) is an American writer who has retired from the gentle art of boxing. Now wandering through France, he takes a job as a tutor for the son of a wealthy widow. Anne de Villemont (Inger Stevens) employs Reno to help in the education of her son Paul (Barnaby Shaw). Reno is led to believe Anne's husband was a French general killed in the Algerian conflict. He is puzzled over Anne's fears that her eight-year-old son will be kidnapped. Reno discovers the family has ties to a fascist organization that plans to takeover France, Algeria and finally, all of Europe. He contends with the shady psychiatrist Morillon (Keith Michell) and mysterious family friend Leschenhaut (Orson Welles), both of whom scare Anne whenever they are around. Reno is framed for his best friend's murder as he and Anne become the targets of the ambitious and maniacal schemers who wish to rule the entire European continent. Reno and Anne escape by car and plane, dodging bullets and kidnap attempts as they try to protect Paul from being abducted. The chase ends at the Coliseum in Rome, where Reno and the villains engage in a showdown in this gripping, mysterious crime thriller. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

After declaring a holy war to rid the Sudan of Anglo-Egyptian rule in the 1880s, the fanatical Sudanese leader Muhammad Ahmad (Laurence Olivier) massacres a British-led force of 8,000 and marches on the strategic city of Khartoum at the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile. The British government of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone (Ralph Richardson) then sends one of its greatest generals, Charles George Gordon (Charlton Heston), to Khartoum to make peace and save the city. Gordon had previously served with distinction in the Crimea, China, India and South Africa. Most important, he had also served as governor of the Sudan in the late 1870s at the request of the khedive of Egypt, instituting administrative reforms, reducing the slave trade and bolstering the economy. However, before Gordon reaches Khartoum with his aide, many of his former Sudanese friends defect to the Mahdi. Nevertheless, Gordon receives a rousing reception when he arrives in the city in February 1884. Heartened, he meets in the desert with the Mahdi to try to forge a peace agreement, but the Arab leader tells Gordon he is bent on taking Khartoum. What's more, he means to conquer other cities -- Cairo, Mecca, Baghdad and Constantinople -- to establish a vast empire under his leadership. Convinced that more war is inevitable, Gordon and the loyal Egyptian troops under his command prepare for battle. Meanwhile, in London, the Gladstone government is reluctant to dispatch troops to support the outnumbered Khartoum forces because colonial meddling has become bad politics. To forestall disaster, Gordon diverts the Nile to create a moat around Khartoum and leads a foray in which he steals cattle from the Mahdi's herd to supply the besieged city with food. But when the Nile recedes, the stage is set for the final battle that will decide the fate of Khartoum. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi

In this tale of espionage and adventure set during World War II, Norway has fallen under Nazi occupation, and a factory is producing "heavy water" (a key ingredient in the manufacture of atomic weapons), under the order of the German military. Knut Straud (Richard Harris), a leading figure in the Norwegian underground, joins forces with scientist Dr. Rolf Pederson (Kirk Douglas), who is working with British intelligence agents to destroy the factory in hopes of keeping the Atomic Bomb out of Axis hands. However, while originally Straud and Pederson are only supposed to infiltrate the factory as a reconnaissance force while awaiting British troops, the English army is forced to retreat from their plans, leaving the Norwegians to destroy the factory and scuttle a shipment of the "heavy water" all by themselves. Inspired by a true story, The Heroes of Telemark also features Michael Redgrave and Anton Diffring. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

They All Died Laughing plays for satire what any other film might have played for suspense. Leo McKern plays a college professor, of the addlepated rather than absentminded variety. McKern has come to the conclusion that certain people are leeching off society, and the world would be well rid of them. He heads for his laboratory to create the means of "purging" these useless people. He comes up with a poison that prompts his victims to laugh hysterically before joining the Choir Invisible. A little more heavy-handed than the British "dark farces" of the 1950s, They All Died Laughing was originally released in England as A Jolly Bad Fellow. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This sequel to the 1960 Village of The Damned falls short of the original well-made Sci-Fi shocker. The pretentious attempt to give the film a moral message severely weakens the plot and serves to confuse the fans of the previous film. Beautiful, strange children with genius IQ's, destructive dispositions, and ray-gun eyes, who were invaders bent on overtaking the earth in the former tale, are now a sample of mankind's future sent to the earth for the purpose of being destroyed in order to teach the present-day warlike man a lesson of some sort. Plagued with a tedious and unimaginative plot. ~ Lucinda Ramsey, Rovi

The British The Court Martial of Major Keller is similar in theme if not in outcome to the American film Time Limit. Major Keller (Lawrence Payne) is up on charges for killing his superior officer. He refuses to defend himself, leaving it to his attorney to probe the reason for his silence. An intensive line of questioning reveals that Keller's motives were patriotic: His commander was about to desert to the enemy. Court Martial of Major Keller was written by Brian Clemens, a loyal staffer on TV's long-running The Avengers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, an American journalist goes to England and winds up assisting a prominent lawyer's nephew after he is falsely accused of murdering a girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Claiming to be innocent, convicted felon Joe Green (Dermot Walsh) makes repeated attempts to escape from prison. During one of these breakouts, Green contacts "Invisible Man" Peter Brady, who becomes convinced that the man is telling the truth. But the only way Brady can clear Green's name is to locate the only person who can provide him with an alibi--a young woman who is afraid that by coming forth, she herself will be arrested for being a pickpocket. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi