Philip Sterling Movies

Third-rate talent agent Sammy Kanin (Billy Crystal) is more devoted to his career than his wife Serena (Kathleen Quinlan) and son Nick (Zane Carney), so instead of going to Nick's birthday party, he chooses to travel to Romania where his teen client Justin Allen (Rider Strong) is acting in a period adventure movie. When Sammy's auto swerves off the road, he wakes up in a monastery, having been removed from the wreckage by sensitive, Shakespeare-quoting, 7'7"-tall giant, Max (pro basketball player Gheorghe Muresan), a ward of the monks who works as a monastery caretaker. Sammy sees Max as his ticket to the top, gets him a warrior role in the adventure movie, and takes him back to the U.S. where Max hopes to win back a long-ago girlfriend Lillianna (Joanna Pacula), living in Gallup, New Mexico. Sammy and Max head for Vegas, where actor Steven Seagal (as himself) is shooting a film with a villain role perfect for Max. When Sammy contacts Lillianna, she expresses disinterest in Max, forcing Sammy to seek a solution that can bring the two together. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Originally made for television, the story concerns David Banner (Bill Bixby), thought to be dead but actually working as a janitor at a laboratory. There, he hopes to cure himself of the monster lurking inside. However, a group of terrorists are interested in the awesome power of the Hulk. ~ John Bush, Rovi

The Long Walk Home is a recreation of a troubled era in American history. The time is 1955; the place, Montgomery, Alabama. When Rosa Parks, an African American woman, is arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, it is the first volley in the great Bus Boycott, organized by Dr. Martin Luther King in order to desegregate the Birmingham transportation system. The boycott is a decided inconvenience for Miriam Thompson (Sissy Spacek), a well-to-do white woman. Now, Miriam must drive to the black section of town to pick up her maid Odessa Cotter (Whoopi Goldberg) and bring her to work. Outside of her own social circle, Miriam realizes for the first time just how privileged, sheltered and self-centered her life has been. What brings this fact home is the realization that Odessa has literally been raising two families: the Thompsons' and her own. Odessa has also sacrificed her own health and wellbeing to serve her employers without question or complaint. Awakened to the true inequities of "Separate But Equal", and impressed by Dr. King's edict of nonviolent resistance, Miriam joins the boycott. This stirs up the racist feelings harbored by Miriam's husband Norman (Dwight Schultz), who at the behest of his goonish brother Tunker (Dylan Baker) joins the Klanlike White Citizen's Council. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason and his assistant help a stage manager who is the prime suspect in the murder of the director who recently fired him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Wealthy-but-troubled Vietnam vet Jeff Fahey, his trailer-trash wife Karen Allen, and drifter Keith Carradine are the characters essential to the action in Backfire. Fahey's horrific flashbacks to his days in Nam plunge him into a catatonic state. Though he has previously drawn up a document granting his wife power of attorney in case this should happen, Fahey's protective sister Dinah Manoff keeps this fact secret, hoping to cut off the mercenary Allen--and her lover Dean Paul Martin--without a penny. Drowning her problems at a local bar, Allen makes the acquaintance of Carradine, who shortly afterwards moves into the family mansion, bag and baggage. Fed up with being treated like garbage, and equally fed up with her noncommunicative husband, Allen enmeshes Carradine in an insidious plan that will regain her the riches she feels she deserves. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Abuse is the key word of this made-for-TV drama. This time, it is abuse levelled against ageing parents by their own children. As the title indicates, the violence grows from mounting frustrations. Tuesday Weld stars as an emotionally tattered woman who goes off the deep end when her husband Peter Bonerz leaves her. Weld vents her spleen upon her mother, heartrendingly portrayed by Geraldine Fitzgerald. Of special interest is the early appearance by River Phoenix as Weld's teenaged son. Filmed under the title A Family of Strangers, Circle of Violence: A Family Drama originally aired October 12, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A young tomboy learns about love in this undistinguished story that focuses on the coyly named Tommy Boyd (Betsy Russell) who has a penchant for riding motorcycles, expertly tinkering with the mysterious inner workings of car engines and moving parts, and playing basketball. Her interest in men is nonexistent until she meets a handsome racecar driver (model Jerry Dinome) who manages to divert her attention a few degrees away from the underside of a car. After establishing their relationship, the couple have a serious argument that does not seem easy to settle. And so the two end up in a Daytona 500 race in which he drives his usual souped-up version of automotive splendor, and she counterattacks with a super-improved, four-wheeled wonder she put together before the race. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Jeff Fahey plays Raymond Graham, who for five years has lived on Death Row, awaiting execution for the murder of a store clerk. Having given up on any further legal delays, Graham wearily awaits the fatal injection. Joining the condemned man in his death watch are Graham's family and attorney, a crowd of anti-capital punishment demonstrators, and the inevitable TV crews. This drama concentrates on the final two hours of Raymond Graham's life, played out in "real time". Originally telecast November 17, 1985, The Execution of Raymond Graham was the ABC TV network's first live dramatic presentation in nearly 25 years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This evening's cases involve a porno filmmaker and a blind shoplifter. But most of the attention is focused on court bailiff Bull (Richard Bull), who is depressed because a charitable organization has refused to let him do volunteer work. It seems that Bull's fearsome appearance might scare off potential contributors! The rest of the gang do what they can to lift Bull's spirits, but it's a real uphill climb. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Returning from a mission in Guatemala, the A-Team crash-lands in the backwoods of South Carolina. Here they stumble upon a group of vicious hillbillies who are in the process of burning a surveyor at the stake. The team rescues the would-be victim and hurry back to their crippled airplane, which serves as both shelter and fortress during the final all-out assault of the backwoods villains. Meanwhile, Amy (Melinda Culea) is saddled by the unwanted attentions of fellow reporter Mitchell Barnes (Edward Winter), who is determined to locate the A-Team on behalf of the government. This episode was originally scheduled to air on March 15, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This superior ABC Theatre of the Month presentation is not so much about the reasons for divorce as it is about the tensions surrounding the actual litigation. Tom Selleck plays a topnotch Seattle divorce lawyer, juggling several delicate cases at once. Arrogantly secure in his legal prowess, Selleck suffers a major ego blow when his own wife (Jane Curtin) files for divorce. In a half-comic, half-serious manner, the travails of Selleck and Curtin are counterpointed with those of Selleck's clients. Donald Wrye and Linda Elstad's high-quality script for Divorce Wars: A Love Story bears a very faint resemblance to the recent movie hits Kramer vs. Kramer and Ordinary People--a resemblance pounced upon and amplified by the print ads for this TV movie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A compassionate social worker puts her own life in jeopardy when she begins investigating a powerful businessman suspected of selling babies on the black market. Kate Carlin (Lynda Carter) has dedicated her entire life to helping children. When Kate discovers that a local businessman has been taking advantage of troubled teens by purchasing their unwanted babies and selling them for a sizable profit, she makes it her personal mission to gather evidence against him and ensure that justice is served. But this is one businessman whose connections go all the way to the top, and when he discovers that Kate is about to bust the case wide open he makes it clear that he'll do everything in his power to silence her forever. Harold Gould and Dean Stockwell co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Can two prodigies fall in love and stay in love, even when they are competing against one another in an international piano competition? Richard Dreyfuss and Amy Irving attempt to answer that question in The Competition. Richard Dreyfuss plays Paul Dietrich, a shabby prodigy slouching past the thirty year mark. Embittered at never having won an international competition and being pushed and prodded by his parents, Paul decides to enter one last time and, if he fails, he will devote himself to teaching. Since this is his last chance, he throws himself into the competition with an energy and determination comparable to Duddy Kravitz. During preparations for the competition he meets Heidi (Amy Irving), a natural talent who is does not have Paul's drive to succeed. Heidi takes one look at Paul and immediately falls in love with him. Paul feels an attraction for her but holds his feelings in check, trying to center himself on winning the competition. Looking at the burgeoning love affair with dread is Heidi's possessive music teacher Greta Vandemann (Lee Remick), who sees Heidi's relationship with Paul as compromising her talent and jeopardizing her standing in the competition. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi