Wendy Phillips Movies

Wills have been drawn up for Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloë Sevigny), and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) determining who will get custody of their children if they die. It's supposed to be relatively simple, according to "wife order," but the wives have other ideas. Margene privately asks Barb if she can leave her children to Barb instead of Nicki, while Nicki secretly makes arrangements to have her kids sent to Juniper Creek in the event of her death. When these maneuvers come to light, it naturally increases the tensions between the sister-wives, tensions that are exacerbated by Barb's being named a finalist in the statewide Mother of the Year contest. Bill (Bill Paxton) gets a public accolade of his own when he's invited to join the Salt Lake Leadership League. He sees it as a great opportunity for his business, but others warn him that being involved in such a public organization will increase his risk of exposure. Ernest Holloway (John Ingle) agrees to sell Bill his shares in the UEB, which will give Bill access to a seat on the council. Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) finds out that the two are meeting, and takes swift and brutal action against Ernest. Rhonda (Daveigh Chase) comes from Juniper Creek to stay with the family while she competes in a local drama competition. Sarah (Amanda Seyfried), whom Rhonda horrifyingly describes as her "step-niece and granddaughter-in-law," and Heather (Tina Majorino) spend some time with Rhonda, and are increasingly horrified by the girl's ignorance of the outside world. Ben (Douglas Smith) is overcome by feelings of remorse after having sex with Brynn (Sarah Jones), and begins trying to avoid her. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

A single woman envies the security of her married friends, while they in turn dream of her freedom in this comedy drama. Olivia (Jennifer Aniston) is a single woman in her mid-thirties who feels she's reached a crossroads in her life. Unhappy with her career as a teacher, Olivia quits and takes a job as a maid until she sorts out her feelings. However, Olivia feels as if she could use some support, both personal and financial, from her best friends, all of whom at very least have more in the bank than she does. But that's not to say they don't have problems of their own. Christine (Catherine Keener) and her husband Patrick (Jason Isaacs) are screenwriters who have discovered that collaborating is more stress than they can deal with. Jane (Frances McDormand) is married to Aaron (Simon McBurney); they work together as designers, but while their professional relationship is cordial, they've become numb to one another as lovers and friends. And Franny (Joan Cusack) and Matt (Greg Germann) are a couple who comfortably support themselves and their children thanks to an inherited fortune; while their material needs are met, emotionally they can barely handle marriage and parenthood. Friends With Money was written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, who previously made the acclaimed independent features Walking and Talking and Lovely & Amazing. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In the concluding half of Charmed's fourth-season opener (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Charmed Ones Piper and Phoebe Halliwell (Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano) adjust to the presence of the half sister they never knew they had: Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan), who like Piper and Phoebe possesses peculiar powers of benevolent witchcraft. But with Paige's arrival comes more trouble for the Halliwell girls, who have not entirely overcome the death of their sister Prue at the hands of a demon -- especially since Phoebe has had a vision of Paige being killed by that selfsame demon. This episode introduces a new and formidable Charmed villain, The Source of All Evil (personified by actor Bennet Guillory). ~ Rovi

This opening episode of Touched by an Angel's fourth season is actually the first half of a "crossover" story, with the conclusion appearing on the spinoff series Promised Land. Heavenly caseworkers Monica (Roma Downey) and Tess (Della Reese) are dispatched to the town of Chicory Creek, home of their friend Russell Greene (Gerald McRaney) and his family. At the same time, Russell's no-good brother Joe (Richard Thomas) is involved in a reckless-driving accident in which two people are killed. True to form, Joe runs away to avoid prosecution--but not before posing as the "good samaritan" who has rescued the only other survivor of the crash! Joe then makes a beeline to Russell's house, where despite a far-from-warm welcome he insists upon a reunion with Nathaniel (Eddie Karr), the son he deserted years earlier. Throughout the rest of the episode, Joe demonstrates repeatedly that he may well beyond redemption--meaning that Monica and Tess REALLY have their work cut out for them this time! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this first episode of a two-part story, Tess (Della Reese) pays a visit to the Greene family, the protagonists of the Touched by an Angel spinoff series Promised Land. She informs Joshua Greene (Austin O'Brien) that God has reserved a special purpose for him, specifically act as the "eyes" for the temporarily blinded Monica during her next assignment. Hitching a ride with one Michael Burns (George Newbern), Joshua and Monica end up in a rundown Denver neighborhood, where Michael's grandfather runs an inner-city mall. Here the travellers befriend lunch-counter owner Mary Harding (Esther Rolle) and her grandchildren Calvin (Sean Nelson) and Chanice (Myriah Darden), and also beauty salon proprietor Queenie (Jenifer Lewis). Unfortunately, the neighborhood is rife with tension over a dangerous band of "taggers" who have covered the walls with gang graffiti--and just before the episode ends, tragedy strikes one of the principal characters. Though the concluding half of this story originally aired as an episode of Promised Land, it is currently included in the Touched by an Angel syndication package. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally telecast September 15, 1996, the third-season opener of Touched by an Angel is actually the pilot episode for the spinoff series Promised Land, which debuted two days later on September 17. Down in the dumps because she has failed her most recent assignment, Heavenly caseworker Monica (Roma Downey) is referred to the even more desperate plight of laid-off factory worker Russell Greene (Gerald McRaney). Suffering one setback after another, Russell thinks he has hit rock bottom when a promised job in his home town of Chicory Creek fails to materialize. But with the help of Monica and her angelic supervisor Tess, Russell and his family find a new purpose in life when they begin travelling throughout the country bringing help and hope to those less fortunate than themselves. In addition to Gerald McRaney, this episode serves to introduce the entire cast of Promised Land, including Wendy Phillips as Russell's wife Claire, Celeste Holm as his grandmother Hattie, Austin O'Brien and Sarah Schaub as his children Joshua and Dinah, Eddie Karr as his nephew Nathaniel, and Ossie Davis as philosophical family friend Erasmus Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this feature-length episode, Mac Shayne is busily trying to prove a pop star innocent of murder charges when he stumbles across a conspiracy to kill an up-and-coming politician. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Bugsy is a character study of mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel wrapped up in a gangster movie. Siegel (Warren Beatty in a flashy performance) arrives in California in the Forties, assigned to oversee the L.A. rackets. He is quickly seduced by both the glamour of Hollywood and actress Virginia Hill (Annette Bening), whom he romances despite being unable to leave his wife and children. Siegel soon has a vision to transform a barren stretch of Nevada desert into an oasis of gambling and entertainment -- the seeds from which Las Vegas was sown. Funded by his gangster bosses, including Meyer Lansky (Ben Kingsley), the flamboyant Siegel sees his budget soar past its original $6 million, a problem compounded by the fact that Virginia has embezzled $2 million of it. In trouble with his superiors, Siegel flies back to L.A. to face the music, telling Virginia to keep the money. He would not live to see his dream of Las Vegas come true. The film is fast-paced and well-directed by Barry Levinson, with an intelligent script by James Toback and excellent support from Kingsley and Harvey Keitel as gangster Mickey Cohen. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

From Hollywood to Deadwood is an agreeable private-eye yarn, at once a spoof and a tribute to the film noir output of the 1940s. Detectives Savage and Haines (Scott Paulin, Jim Haynes) are hired to locate Lana Dark (Barbara Schock), a movie actress whose absence is costing her studio tons of money. The two Sherlocks follow the evidence trail to Deadwood, South Dakota. Here, Savage begins a one-sided romance with the restless Lana. He learns that her disappearance was all part of an insurance scam. He further learns that now that he knows all, his life, not to mention the lives of Haines and Lana, aren't worth a plug nickel. Though the film wastes no time with inessentials, we learn a lot more about the emotional and psychological makeup of the three protagonists than is customary for films of this nature. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Filmed in Alberta, The Gifted One was intended as the pilot for a weekly TV series. The title character, played by Pete Kowanko, is a very young man with remarkable mental and physical powers. Raised from childhood as a modern superman, Pete begins yearning for his roots and accordingly conducts a search for his birth mother. He is then pursued by sinister characters who have their own reasons for preventing Pete from finding out the truth about himself. The whole thing sounds a lot like the 1990s series The Pretender, which managed to get past the pilot stage. Also starring Wendy Phillips, Brandon Call, G.W. Bailey and John Rhys-Davies, The Gifted One was first telecast June 25, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The made-for-TV Shattered Vows stars Valerie Bertinelli as a young nun named Mary Gilligan. Though she tries to honor the edicts of her calling, Mary falls in love with a handsome priest (David Morse). Her overwhelming desire to marry and raise a family culminates in her leaving her order before taking final vows. The real-life Mary Gilligan Wong eventually became a clinical psychologist. Her autobiography Nun: A Memoir served as the basis for Shattered Vows, which first aired October 29, 1984 ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This pilot film for an unsold TV series was originally titled They're Playing Our Tape. Michael Constantine stars as Frank Yost, the avuncular head of a videotape dating services called "Good Possibilities." Among Yost's clients is recently divorced executive David Franklin (Martin Balsam), single mom Samantha Young (Barbara Welles), athletic coach and "health nut" Peter Barnes (Larry Breeding), swinging single Carol Clark (Jan Smithers), traditionalist mechanic Richardson (Larry Wilcox), and workaholic businesswoman Barbara Welles (Mariette Hartley). The Love Tapes rolled into view courtesy of ABC on May 9, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi