Regina Taylor Movies
After commencing minor on-camera appearances in the early '80s, multi-talented African-American actress Regina Taylor juggled careers as a character actress and playwright with great aplomb. As both a thespian and a scribe, Taylor often dealt with material that grappled with race relations and civil rights. This was hardly accidental, for she rose up out of a bitter and tumultuous youth in the Deep South that forced her to face racism head-on and thus marked her for life. After an appearance as Mrs. Carter in John G. Avildsen's uneven Joe Clark biopic Lean on Me (1989), Taylor first made members of the press sit up and take notice with her pivotal role on I'll Fly Away. This thoughtful and heartfelt series drama -- set in the apocryphal Southern town of Bryland in the late '50s -- starred the venerable Sam Waterston as D.A. Forrest Bedford, a conservative prosecuting attorney grappling with shifting attitudes about race relations as he took on a new black housekeeper, Lilly Harper (Taylor). The program's consistent inability to land an audience, in spite of across-the-board critical acclaim, marked one of the most unfortunate events to befall a prime-time series program during the early '90s.Taylor returned to similar themes -- albeit in a much earlier setting -- with the 1995 Children of the Dust, a telemovie starring Sidney Poitier, about the tensions between black and white homesteaders. The actress also graced the casts of such noteworthy theatrical features as Spike Lee's Clockers (1995), Ed Zwick's Courage Under Fire (1996), and F. Gary Gray's The Negotiator (1998) before hearkening back to television as military man Jonas Blane's (Dennis Haysbert) beleaguered wife, Molly, on the CBS drama The Unit.
As a playwright, Taylor received her first significant break with the 1983 Watermelon Rinds, and spent the following decades authoring such critically acclaimed productions as Oo-Bla-Dee (2000) and Urban Zulu Mambo (2001). She debuted on Broadway in 2004 with her work Drowning Crow, a loose adaptation of Chekhov's The Seagull posited in the Gullah Islands of South Carolina. At one point, she was reported to have been involved with the Broadway musical production of The Color Purple, but it was ultimately credited to other writers. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Packed with explosive action and edge-of-your-seat suspense, The Unit delivers a non-stop blast of spectacular thrills and hard-edged excitement! Risking their lives on deadly undercover missions around the globe, the Unit is a highly skilled, ultra-secret contingent of special forces soldiers operating outside the traditional chain of military command. Now, the hunters become the hunted as the team and their families are targeted by a deadly and far-reaching conspiracy. And, as they are forced to relocate and assume new identities, Season Four follows the complicated day-to-day lives, intricate military operations, and extraordinary heroism of the world's finest counter-terrorism strike force - The Unit!
- Starring:
- Dennis Haysbert, Regina Taylor, (more)
The Unit's top-secret military world of conspiracy, danger, and nail-biting suspense continues with Season 3, which is filled with compelling revelations about the team, their personal lives, and the group's increasingly complex nature. Dennis Haysbert, Scott Foley, and Robert Patrick star as members of a covert Special Forces team operating outside the usual military chain of command. Their identities are classified, and their risks -- both at home and abroad -- are off the charts. Upon returning home from a successful mission, the men are thrust into their most perilous situation yet when the Unit is placed on stand-down status, pending a criminal investigation of their activities. The men all fall under suspicion, which quickly escalates to physical assault, and they are forced to use skills they've honed in the field to protect themselves and their families at home. This 3-disc collection includes all 11 episodes from The Unit's third season (all of which aired in the fall of 2007), presented in widescreen, plus such bonus features as deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
- Starring:
- Dennis Haysbert, Regina Taylor, (more)
Prepare to enter a locked and loaded world of danger, secrecy, and edge-of-your-seat suspense when The Unit returns to DVD with its second-season set (2006-7). The series' executive producers -- Pulitzer Prize-winning writer-director David Mamet and The Shield creator Shawn Ryan -- ensure that Season 2 continues the explosive nonstop action. The Unit stars Golden Globe nominee Dennis Haysbert as Jonas Blane, Scott Foley as Bob Brown, and Robert Patrick as Col. Tom Ryan. The titular Unit is a team of elite Special Forces soldiers who execute highly covert operations outside of the normal military chain of command and routinely risk their lives protecting America from its enemies. The team's very existence is a closely held secret -- even the soldiers' wives strictly adhere to fictitious cover stories that are provided for them. The six-disc Unit - Season 2 DVD collection includes all 22 episodes presented in widescreen, plus such bonus features as episode commentaries with cast and crew, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
- Starring:
- Dennis Haysbert, Regina Taylor, (more)
They are The Unit, a covert Special Forces team operating outside the usual military chain of command. Whether stateside or aboard, these heroes are on the frontlines protecting U.S. citizens and foreigners alike, slipping in under the radar and risking their lives to save the day then leaving just as quietly without any well-deserved credit or thanks. Starring Dennis Haysbert and Scott Foley, this riveting, action-packed drama is as realistic and pulse-pounding as it gets.
- Starring:
- Dennis Haysbert, Regina Taylor, (more)
- 2001
Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss made his long-awaited weekly TV series bow in CBS' weekly, 60-minute The Education of Max Bickford. In the tradition of Dreyfuss' theatrical feature Mr. Holland's Opus, the series focuses on an irascibly liberal-minded but rigidly tradition-bound professor of literature at a prestigious women's college. Passed over for a promotion in favor of his former student (and lover) Andrea Haskell (Marcia Gay Harden), Max Bickford (Richard Dreyfuss) begins to wonder if his 23 years of steadfast academic service were truly worth it. All but deserted by his best friend Steve -- who has been reinvented as "Erica" (Helen Shaver) after a sex change -- and his Gen-X daughter Lyla (Katee Sackhoff), who happens to attend the college where Max teaches, our hero finds himself drawing closer to his 13-year-old son Lester (Eric Ian Goldberg), a chip off the old block if ever there was one. The producers describe the series as "a drama about a man who realizes life has passed him by and has to re-examine a lot of his assumptions." Debuting September 23, 2001, The Education of Max Bickford was one of the few new series of the 2001-2002 season whose premiere was not delayed by coverage of the World Trade Center bombing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, Marcia Gay Harden, (more)
A short story by Langston Hughes provides the source material for this emotional made-for-TV drama. Ma Jenkins (CCH Pounder) and her adult daughter Cora (Regina Taylor) work as servants for the Studevant family, a wealthy clan living in a small Iowa community in the 1930s. Cora and Ma are also the only African-Americans in town, and they must deal with emotional isolation as well as open and inflammatory racism. When Cora's young daughter succumbs to illness, Cora continues to do her chores for the Studevants, though inside she's devastated. Lizbeth Studevant (Cherry Jones), the lady of the house, has a daughter, Jessie (Molly Graham), and given Lizbeth's busy social schedule, Cora spends much of her time watching over the child. Cora begins to project her maternal feelings on Jessie, and the child grows to love Cora as a member of the family. However, as Jessie grows to adulthood (and is now played by Ellen Muth), Lizbeth begins to feel that Cora has a closer bond with her daughter than she does, and her resentment has ugly consequences. Cora Unashamed was produced for the acclaimed PBS anthology series Masterpiece Theatre, and first aired on October 25, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Regina Taylor, Cherry Jones, (more)
- 1999
This made-for-cable TV drama is based on the book of the same name by Wall Street Journal reporters Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson. Delroy Lindo stars as Justice Clarence Thomas, whose proposed appointment to the Supreme Court by President Bush in October 1991 turns into a media frenzy that threatens to ruin his career when a former subordinate, Anita Hill (Regina Taylor), accuses him of sexual harassment before congressional confirmation hearings. In the meantime, Bush administration spin doctor Kenneth Duberstein (Mandy Patinkin) takes charge of the rapidly deteriorating scandal in a successful campaign to discredit Hill and save Thomas' nomination. Louis Gossett Jr. as Vernon Jordan and Paul Winfield as legendary jurist Thurgood Marshall co-star in this Peabody Award-winning film directed by cinematographer Ernest Dickerson, a frequent collaborator of Spike Lee. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Delroy Lindo, Regina Taylor, (more)
F. Gary Gray directed this suspenseful action thriller based on a real case experienced by police in St. Louis. The James DeMonaco/Kevin Fox screenplay follows an accused man who is forced to commit crimes in order to prove himself innocent of murder. After Chicago police hostage negotiator Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) succeeds in rescuing a little girl menaced by her gun-wielding dad, he's praised by both the police department and the media, and he returns to his usual cop routines with his longtime partner, promising his new wife Karen (Regina Taylor) he'll make it home for dinner every night. Then his partner, who had evidence of embezzlement within the police department, is killed. Since Danny arrives at the crime scene only seconds later, he's the main suspect, and Chief Al Travis (John Spencer) asks him to turn in his gun and badge. Danny invades the Chicago Internal Affairs Division headquarters and tries to get the truth from Inspector Terence Niebaum (J.T. Walsh) while holding two assistants and Commander Frost (Ron Rifkin) as hostages. He then calls for an outsider from another precinct, hostage negotiator Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey). When Sabian arrives, the two compete for control, while Danny attempts to prove to him that he's been falsely accused. The film is dedicated to J.T. Walsh, who died not long after the production wrapped. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, (more)
- 1997
In this two-part suspenser inspired by Ken Follett's bestselling novel, university pscyhobiologist Jenny Ferrami (Kelly McGillis), in the process of studying a possible link between genetics and criminal behavior, stumbles upon a secret cloning experiment conducted by a major company. Figuring prominently in the proceedings is likeable law student Steve Logan (Jason Gedrick), who may or may not be the identical twin of a serial rapist. . .or possibly two rapists! It turns out that there are far more human "duplicates" in the world than Jenny could ever have imagined--and as she tracks down these clones to convince the public that there is dirty work afoot, sinister forces, tied in with a powerful triumverate, conspire to silence Jenny for keeps. Originally telecast by CBS, Ken Follett's The Third Twin first aired on November 9 and 11, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly McGillis, Jason Gedrick, (more)
In this spooky horror movie, a painter and his pregnant wife buy a beautiful island home without realizing that it is haunted by the lovely and terribly lonely ghost of a sea captain's lover. Anxious for a new lover to join her, this sexy she-ghost does all she can to simultaneously seduce the husband and frighten away his wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon, Regina Taylor, (more)
Much of this absorbing, grim psychological thriller is set within Brooklyn's Kings County House of Detention and follows the moral downfall of an idealistic, straight-arrow black correctional officer, 36-year-old Paul Lamont. Strongly believing in prison reform yet horrified by the never-ending amount of criminals freed by the ineffectual justice system, Lamont dreams of becoming a lawyer and working for change. His humanity, honesty and rigid enforcement of rules does little to endear him to his more thug-like colleagues who have become cynical and cruel. One day the idealistic Lamont assists a badly brutalized Haitian illegal alien incarcerated for a rape he swears he didn't commit. Lamont believes Jean Baptiste is innocent and, against his wife's wishes, pays Jean's bail and brings him home. Jean Baptiste is a gentle soul, a professional baker who tries to earn enough money to support his children back home. Soon Angela finds herself slowly falling for the guest while Lamont is forced to work increasing overtime hours. Lamont loves his wife and is normally a devoted husband, but work is beginning to exact a heavy emotional toll. Realizing that an attraction between Angela and Jean Baptiste exists, he grows unnaturally jealous and insecure. It begins to show when he participates in a brutal beating at work and it culminates with a violent confrontation at home. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giancarlo Esposito, Regina Taylor, (more)
A soldier discovers how elusive the truth can be in this first major film about America's role in the Gulf War. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) was the commander of a unit during Operation Desert Storm who mistakenly ordered the destruction of what he believed to be an enemy tank, only to discover that it actually held U.S. soldiers, including a close friend. Since then, Serling has been an emotional wreck, drinking heavily and allowing his marriage to teeter on the brink of collapse. As a means of redeeming himself, Serling is given a new assignment by his superior, Gen. Hershberg (Michael Moriarty). Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) was a helicopter pilot who died in battle during the Iraqi conflict, and the White House has proposed that Walden be posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Serling is asked to investigate Walden's actions on the field of battle, but he quickly discovers that no two stories about her are quite the same; Ilario (Matt Damon) says Walden acted heroically and sacrificed herself to save the others in her company, while Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillps) claims she was a coward who was attempting to surrender to enemy troops. Meanwhile, reporter Tony Gartner (Scott Glenn) is hounding Serling, trying to get the inside story on Walden and on Serling's own difficulties. Matt Damon lost 40 pounds to prepare for his role in Courage Under Fire, which resulted in a potentially life-threatening illness for the young actor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, (more)
In this family drama, a white Southerner discovers that his family history isn't what he thought it was -- with the fact that he's half-black only one of his many surprises. Earl Pilcher, Jr. (Robert Duvall) runs a gas station in Arkansas; he's a typical middle-aged Southern man who likes his pickup truck and loves his momma. Shortly after his mother's death, he receives some very unexpected news; she wasn't really his mother after all. It seems that years ago, Earl Sr. (James N. Harrell) raped the family's African-American maid, Willie Mae, who nine months later died while giving birth to Earl Jr. To avoid further scandal, Mrs. Pilcher simply raised Earl Jr. as her own. While the family has kept the matter a secret all these years, Earl Jr. has a half-brother living in Chicago, and it was his mother's wish that the two should some day meet and become friends. Earl travels to Chicago and tracks down Ray Murdock (James Earl Jones), a veteran police officer and Willie Mae's other son. Earl Jr. quickly learns that Ray has little interest in getting to know him better; he knows all the facts behind the matter, and he's always blamed Earl for the death of his mother. However, Earl Jr. isn't used to life in a big city up north, and after he's mugged and carjacked, Ray grudgingly takes in his half-brother, letting him stay in the home he shares with his son Virgil (Michael Beach) and Aunt T. (Irma P. Hall), who raised Ray as a boy. A Family Thing was written by Billy Bob Thornton shortly before his breakthrough as writer, director, and star of Sling Blade. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, James Earl Jones, (more)
- 1996
The award-winning Reading Rainbow series points out the virtues of reading for pleasure, while also addressing important social and cultural topics for young children. In Uncle Jed's Barber Shop by Margaree King Mitchell, Uncle Jed has always wanted to have his own barber shop, but there were always obstacles in his path. Regina Taylor reads the book, which also addresses racial issues. Back at his barbershop, LeVar Burton reminisces about haircuts he had as a youngster and introduces the Persuasions, an a cappella quartet. Other books in the program include A Peddler's Dream and Alvin Ailey. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- LeVar Burton
Two women of dramatically different social, economic, and ethnic circumstances find themselves locked into a bitter child custody dispute in this emotionally powerful drama. Khailia Richards (Halle Berry) is a poor and drug-addicted single mother who, while stumbling out of a crack house one night, accidentally leaves her infant son Isaiah in a cardboard box near a trash heap. The next morning, Khailia realizes to her horror that she left her baby behind, and she runs back to the crack spot to retrieve him. However, the baby is missing, and after much search, she presumes that he must be dead. As it turns out, the baby was spotted in the nick of time by sanitation workers and rushed to a hospital, where at the insistence of social worker Margaret Lewin (Jessica Lange) the baby's life was saved. Margaret's heart goes out to the baby, who, along with illnesses brought about by neglect, suffers from emotional and educational problems often associated with children whose mothers used cocaine during pregnancy. Margaret adopts Isaiah and raises the child with the help of her husband Charles (David Strathairn). Four years later, Khailia has successfully gone through drug rehabilitation and holds down a steady and responsible job as a nanny and housekeeper. She learns by chance that Isaiah is still alive, and she quickly hires an attorney, Kadar Lewis (Samuel L. Jackson), to help her reclaim custody of her son. However, Margaret loves the child and is not about to give him up without a battle in court. LaTanya Richardson plays Caroline Jones, the attorney Kadar Lewis squares off against in court; in real life, Richardson and Jackson are married. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Lange, Halle Berry, (more)
- 1995
Friendship and racism in 1880s America is explored in this made-for-television drama. Sidney Poitier stars as Gypsy Smith, a bounty hunter who, much to the chagrin of the local white population, leads a group of black settlers to Oklahoma to form their own free community. The film shows how racial tensions erupt between the black and white homesteaders. The Native American experience of racism is intertwined into the plot as well, with the story of a young Cheyenne boy who has lost his roots. Sidney Poitier and Regina Taylor were nominated for Image awards for their performances. Based on the novel by Clancy Carlile, the film originally aired in two parts. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney Poitier, Michael Moriarty, (more)
Based on Richard Price's grim best-seller, and directed by Spike Lee from a screenplay co-written with Price, Clockers takes the structure of a police procedural to build a chilling portrait of despair, hope, and the unanswered problem of black-on-black crime in an urban housing project. The film's haunting themes are vividly visualized during the opening credits, which run over police photos of dead young black men, shot and sprawled on sidewalks, in streets, and hanging over fences. Strike (Mekhi Phifer) is a 19-year-old African-American "clocker" -- the lowest link on the drug dealing chain -- who hangs around park benches and street corners selling small amounts of druges at all hours of the day. Strike drinks chocolate milk to soothe an ulcer and plays with model trains in his apartment, dreaming of a way out of his dead-end life. Drug kingpin Rodney (Delroy Lindo) asks Strike to kill another clocker, Darryl, for skimming money, saying that this will be Strike's ticket to a higher post in Rodney's organization. Darryl is indeed shot, and suspicion immediately falls on Strike, but a weary cop named Rocco Klein (Harvey Keitel) thinks there's more to the case. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, (more)
- 1994
A midtown auto accident leaves two people dead. The subsequent investigation reveals that one of the "victims," a woman, was placed in the driver's seat after the accident -- and that she was raped before she died. Ultimately, city councilman Spencer Talbot (Anthony Heald) is charged with the crime. He manages to beat the rap, but tireless Assistant D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) has another ace -- and another charge -- up his sleeve. This episode represents a reunion between former I'll Fly Away co-stars Sam Waterston and Regina Taylor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A pre-Twister Jami Gertz heads the cast in the independently produced Jersey Girl. Born and bred in the Garden State, Gertz is overwhelmed by a desire to taste life in the Big City across the river. Once she lands in New York City, Gertz instantly meets Dylan McDermott, the man of her dreams-nearly totalling his Mercedes in the process. Likewise a refugee from New Jersey, the well-heeled McDermott feels both gratified and uncomfortable by Gertz's attentions; after all, she represents everything that he's fought long and hard to forget. Your enjoyment of Jersey Girl is utterly dependent upon your feelings towards Jami Gertz, since she's pretty much the whole show in this unpretentious PG-rated romance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jami Gertz, Dylan McDermott, (more)
- 1991
In another headline-inspired episode of Law & Order, a baby is accidentally murdered by a teenaged hired killer (Justin Crozier). Though assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) is understandably outraged by the concept of kids killing kids, he is more interested in nailing the person who hired the youthful assassin. The trail of evidence ultimately leads to a low-life drug dealer and a supposedly respectable real estate agent. S. Epatha Merkerson, who later became a Law & Order regular in the role of Lt. Anita Van Buren, is here cast as Mrs. Denise Winters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
The controversial case of a black man killed in Howard Beach, a working-class all white neighborhood of Queens, NY provides the basis of this docudrama. Much of the story centers around the attempts of Joe Hynes, the state prosecutor to bring the case to trial. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
After earning rave notices for powerful supporting turns as a pimp in Street Smart (1987) and an alcohol abuse counselor in Clean and Sober (1988), actor Morgan Freeman began his ascent to stardom with this, his first lead role in a major motion picture. Freeman is real-life high school principal Joe Clark, a tough, harsh educator and administrator who in 1987 is given a nearly impossible task by his old friend, school superintendent Dr. Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume). Clark is asked to reform inner city Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ, a hotbed of delinquent kids and drug dealers. Considered the worst school in New Jersey, the state is threatening to take control of Eastside away from the local school board. If Clark can straighten out Eastside in time to get the school's basic-skills test scores up, he can have the job permanently. Although Clark's tyrannical approach and hard-line policies alienate many members of the staff and the community, his uncompromising campaign gets results and even makes him famous, much to the chagrin of his powerful enemies. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Robert Guillaume, (more)
- 1980
Crisis at Central High is the sort of film that fully justifies the existence of made-for-TV movies. This superior effort is a dramatization of the court-ordered integration of Little Rock, Arkansas' Central High School in 1957. With threats of violence mounting (and some carried out), it becomes necessary for the government to send in Federal troops to escort the nine black teenagers who have been chosen to break the color barriers. Covering events from the beginning of the scholastic year to the graduation exercises, the film is based on the journals of Central High teacher/administrator Elizabeth Hucksby, who is here played by Joanne Woodward. Adapted (with precisely no political axes to grind) by Richard Levinson and William Link, Crisis at Central High made its triumphant debut on February 4, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
