Craig Thomas Movies
Jake Gyllenhaal headlines this sci-fi time-travel thriller directed by Moon's Duncan Jones from a script by Ben Ripley and Billy Ray. A bomb explodes on a Chicago train, derailing the locomotive and killing hundreds. In an attempt to identify the bomber and prevent another, larger attack on downtown Chicago, Captain Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) agrees to take part in a clandestine government experiment dubbed "Source Code," which allows him to enter the body of a male passenger during the eight minutes before the man is killed. But during his first trip back, Capt. Stevens fails to gather enough clues to prevent the second attack. With time quickly running out, he repeats the mission ad nauseam in a desperate race to head off one of the most deadly terrorist attacks ever to take place on American soil. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, (more)
- 2009
Upon being accused a crime he didn't commit, an innocent man enlists the aid of the government agent who fingered him in clearing his name and getting his life back on track in this buddy comedy produced by Old School director Todd Phillips. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Created by Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame, the weekly Fox animated sitcom American Dad! peered into the home life of a dedicated but thickheaded secret agent. Jut-jawed protagonist Stan Smith was a troubleshooter for the CIA who, by his own declaration, would "stop at nothing" to protect his country -- and in proving this he invariably brought down a great deal of pain and embarrassment to his family. In an all too typical example, Stan had a cute habit of shooting first and asking questions later, which wreaked havoc on faulty household appliances and the like. The Smith family included wife Francine, who had a tough time hiding her drug-addicted past from her straight-arrow husband; daughter Hayley, a community-college coed who'd gone over to extreme left-wing liberalism just to spite her dad; and dorky son Steve, who went to great and pathetic lengths to "be cool." Also members of the household were Roger, a squid-like, Paul Lynde-sounding space alien who'd been hiding out in the family's home ever since Steve rescued him from Area 51; and Klaus the goldfish, who as a result of a misfired mutation experiment spoke in a sinister Peter Lorre-ish German accent. The first cartoon series to truly reflect the singular paranoia of the post-9/11 era, American Dad! premiered February 6, 2005, right after Fox's telecast of the Super Bowl (the same route previously traveled by MacFarlane's Family Guy). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2005
Created by former Late Show with David Letterman writers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, the 30-minute CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother was, per its title, related entirely in flashback, from the vantage point of 2030. The hero, Ted (his "old" voice provided by Bob Saget) was endeavoring to regale his children with the stories of how he wooed and won his wife and their mother. The main action took place in "the present," after the twentysomething Ted (played in flashback by Josh Radnor) decided to take upon himself a bride after the unexpected engagement of his friend Marshall (Jason Segel) to the lovely Lily (Alyson Hannigan). Ted had his sights set on a girl named Robin (Cobie Smulders), but there was no guarantee that she would ultimately be the "mother" of the title, not as long as Mike allowed himself to be immersed in the what-the-hell lifestyle of the early 21st century. Providing snide sidelines comments (and most of the laughs) was Ted's know-it-all best pal, Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). How I Met Your Mother premiered on September 19, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2003
The Wonder Years met Malcolm in the Middle in this Fox network sitcom set in the early '60s. Grant Rosenmeyer starred as 11-year-old Oliver Beene, a budding intellectual and inveterate cut-up mired in a world of eccentric relatives, spiteful teachers, and mercurial females. Oliver's dad, Jerry (Grant Shaud), was a dentist who liked to spend his off-hours either drilling teeth for fun or talking about it; his mom, Charlotte (Wendy Makkena), was a neat-freak who wished she was Jackie Kennedy; and his brother, Ted (Andrew Lawrence), was a self-involved sports nut, his ear perennially glued to his transistor radio. Things weren't much better at school, where Oliver was bedeviled by venom-spouting teacher Mrs. Heller (Annie Korzen), ardently pursued by moonstruck classmate Joyce (Daveigh Chase), and studiously ignored by red-haired beauty Bonnie (Amy Castle). On the other hand, Oliver enjoyed the company of his best friends, chubby Neal (Ben Bookbinder) and closeted-homosexual Michael (Taylor Emerson). Like The Wonder Years, this series was narrated from the vantage point of the future by the leading character. Oliver Beene debuted March 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Grant Rosenmeyer, Grant Shaud, (more)
- 1998
In a follow-up to the previous episode, "Don't Kill the Messenger," Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) and Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) continue to be frustrated in their efforts to pin a nurse's murder on misogynistic cop Tommy Richardson (Michael Wiseman). Elsewhere, a graduate student who is shot during the theft of his camera wants to exact his own brand of justice. On a more personal level, Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) rushes to Abby's (Paige Turco) side when she shows signs of going into labor. "Upstairs," John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) starts a printing business, and Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence) tries to persuade Andy to undergo prostate surgery. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1997
Should Doug Ross (George Clooney) honor the wishes of 17-year-old Jad Houston (Chad Lindberg), terminally ill with cystic fibrosis, who wants to be allowed to die -- or should Ross bow to the legalities of the situation and do everything he can to save the boy's life? In other developments, Greene (Anthony Edwards) giddily sets up three dates on the same night; Haleh (Yvette Freeman) takes over the duties of the suspended Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies); and Carter (Noah Wyle) relishes the opportunity to perform an appendectomy on his longtime nemesis Benton (Eriq La Salle). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1995
Delenn's fate in the hands of the ancient inquistor Sebastian (Wayne Alexander), a 19th century earthling who has spent his life among the Vorlon. Meanwhile, Narn loyalist G'Kan sets the stage for a potential uprising against the Centauri conquerors. He is aided by B5 Security Chief Garibaldi, who enters into a shaky alliance with an illegal arm dealer. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Comes the Inquistor" aired in the United Kingdom on August 8, 1995, then ran in America on October 26 of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1988
- R
- Add Friday the 13th, Part VII: The New Blood to QueueAdd Friday the 13th, Part VII: The New Blood to top of Queue
Directed by makeup effects artist John Carl Buechler, the seventh in the long-running, grisly horror series was far from the last, although the climactic fate of its antagonist would seem to suggest a final send-off. Lar Park Lincoln stars as Tina Shepard, a teenager with uncontrolled telekinetic powers. As a girl vacationing at Camp Crystal Lake, Tina killed her abusive father with the use of her mental abilities. Years later, seeking intensive counseling from manipulative, greedy psychologist Dr. Crews (Terry Kiser), Tina agrees to participate in a radical therapy that takes her back to Camp Crystal Lake. Unfortunately, Tina's psychic skills rouse the slumbering Jason Voorhees (Kane Hodder) from his watery grave and, in typically bloody fashion, the vengeful spook begins dispatching the randy teenagers partying in a house nearby. As Tina attempts to stop Jason's slaughter with the use of her powers, the mass-murdering ghoul encounters his toughest opponent yet. Friday the 13th, Part VII: The New Blood was often referred to by series fans as "Jason vs. Carrie," an apropos reference to Tina's strong similarity to the main character in the horror classic Carrie (1976). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lar Park Lincoln, Jennifer Banko, (more)
Producer/director/star Clint Eastwood takes his sweet time getting Firefox started. Eastwood plays Mitchell Gant, a past-his-prime U.S. pilot, smuggled into the Soviet Union to steal a new Russian supersonic fighting plane. Fortunately the KGB men are as burnt out as Gant, enabling him to abscond with the plane with the greatest of ease. The rest of the film is a protracted chase, pitting Gant against scores of impersonal MIG pilots. Based on a novel by Craig Thomas. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Freddie Jones, (more)
When plans to launch a second Star Trek television series in the late 1970s were scrapped by Paramount Pictures, the show's creator, Gene Roddenberry, instead transformed the aborted program's 2-hour pilot into this big budget theatrical feature. Five years after the legendary voyages of the starship Enterprise, James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is an unhappy, desk-bound admiral at Starfleet headquarters. Kirk goes aboard his old vessel to observe its re-launch under new captain Will Decker (Stephen Collins). Soon, however, an escalating crisis causes Kirk to take command of his old ship. A mysterious, planet-sized energy force of enormous power is headed for Earth. Reunited with Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and the rest of his former colleagues, Kirk takes the Enterprise inside the massive energy cloud and discovers that it is the long-lost NASA space probe Voyager. Now a sentient being after accumulating centuries of knowledge in its deep space travels, the alien, which calls itself V'ger, has come home seeking its creator. Although not a critical home run, box office receipts for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) were strong enough to inspire a revamped television series and a long-running line of theatrical sequels. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
