LeVar Burton Movies

LeVar Burton writes, directs, and stars in this drama set in a hospice, and following two patients who realize how to live and love as they begin the dying process. Alfre Woodard and Seymour Cassel star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The Avatars proceed with their plan to create a utopian society by subjecting the entire world, and its population, to a complete makeover. With the help of Leo (Brian Krause), this transformation is imposed upon the Charmed Ones as well. But can it be that the Avatars' vision of the future is not as rosy as it seems? Meanwhile, Zankou (Oded Fehr) takes control of Brody's (Kerr Smith) body in order to wreak havoc on the girls' sense of security. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The biggest names in show business come together to offer their opinions on one of the most inflammatory words in the English language in filmmaker Todd Williams' revealing and thought-provoking documentary. In its long and complex history, the word "nigger" has gone from a cutting and derogatory racial slur to a term of endearment frequently used by African-American youth culture. Though the word has in a sense been "taken back" by the very people that it targeted, it still has the power to anger and enrage when taken out of its new context. As a variety of celebrities including Quincy Jones, Russell Simmons, George Carlin, Damon Dash, and Bryant Gumbel offer their opinions on this polarizing word, the taboo of language is broken to reveal an ever-changing society that is constantly attempting to make sense of a dark past while simultaneously attempting to build a brighter future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The tenth film in Paramount's highly lucrative sci-fi franchise is also positioned as the last for the entire original Next Generation crew. En route to the honeymoon of William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) to Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receive energy readings identical to those uniquely emitted by the positronic brain of android crew member Data (Brent Spiner). Upon investigation, they discover the disassembled parts of an identical android named B4, an early prototype of Data himself, now scattered on the surface of a remote world. As they reassemble B4, the crew receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon (Tom Hardy), who claims to seek détente with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. As commander of the closest starship to Romulus, Picard is ordered there to negotiate with Shinzon. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus (the residents of which are vampire-like creatures that dwell on the perpetually dark side of their home world), and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself. It soon becomes clear that Shinzon has lured the Enterprise to Romulus using B4 as bait and that his sinister ulterior motives include the destruction of Earth. A vicious battle between the Enterprise and Shinzon's powerful warship ensues, resulting in heartbreaking heroics and a devastating casualty. Star Trek: Nemesis was written by long-time Trek fan and Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan. Regular cast members Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, and Whoopi Goldberg co-star with Ron Perlman, Dina Meyer, and Steven Culp. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Tracing the source of some Talaxian messages, Neelix (Ethan Phillips) locates a colony of his own people on an asteroid -- which happens to be in the thick of a devastating war fomented by greedy miners. Now he is forced to make a momentous choice between his Neelix heritage and his loyalty to Voyager. Without giving away the ending, it can be noted that this episode represented Ethan Phillips' final series appearance. "Homestead" was originally broadcast on May 9, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this provocative story from the heart of the rain forest, Lynn Cherry has adapted the true experiences of Mark J. Plotkin's Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice for young readers. Cherry's book, featured in Reading Rainbow: The Shaman's Apprentice: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest follows the life of Kamanya, who aspires to be like the shaman Nahtahlah in his village. When a terrible disease strikes the villagers, they turn to their only hope, the shaman and his healing plants. Viewers will learn about the medicinal value of rain forest plants and will better understand the importance of preserving rain forests. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide

Helping children cope with the loss of a loved one is the topic of this episode of the award-winning series Reading Rainbow. In the story, Badger's animal friends are all sad when he's gone, but begin to discuss their memories, and realize that he will always be a part of them. The program brings up important social issues in a low-key manner, and teaches children how to react to different situations in their lives. Host LeVar Burton looks at the art of a group of young students who have created ways to remember their lost loved ones, and speaks of his grandmother. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide

Each episode of the Reading Rainbow series presents a feature book read by a celebrity or other well-known figure, an off-site segment or two, occasional additional stories, and other entertaining and educational activities related to the topic of the program. This episode is centered around math, as host LeVar Burton checks out the stock exchange and its fast-paced action. In the main story, Lemonade for Sale, a group of kids decides to operate a lemonade stand to finance the reconstruction of their clubhouse. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide

The fifth weekly TV series in the indefatigable Star Trek franchise, Enterprise took the viewer "back to where it all began" (or so read the promotional copy). Set 100 years in the future -- yet still 150 years before the "original" Star Trek series -- the new show charted the origins of the starship Enterprise, beginning with the first close encounter between humans and Klingons. Brought to Starfleet Medical after crash-landing in a rural area, the injured Klingon Klaang is treated with hostility by the attending Vulcan physicians, something that the earthling staffer cannot understand. Pioneering Starfleet pilot Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), skipper of the recently constructed Enterprise starship, volunteers to take Klaang back to his home planet of Kronos. The continuity proper begins when Klaang is kidnapped en route by the genetically enhanced Sulibans, prompting Archer and his crew to embark upon the first of many bold forays into "where no man has gone before." Much of the series' entertainment value was engendered by displays of "primitive" pre-Federation equipment and paraphernalia, with new technology being introduced with each passing week -- new, that is, to those three or four people who have never seen any of the various Star Trek incarnations. Featured in the cast were Jolene Blalock as Archer's somewhat condescending Vulcanian first officer, T'Pol; John Billingsley as brilliant Vulcan medical doctor Phlox; Linda Park as hyper-kinetic linguistics expert Ensign Hoshi Sato; Connor Trinnear as wisecracking good-ol’-boy engineer Trip Tucker ; Dominic Keating as weapons expert Malcolm Reed; and Anthony Montgomery as navigator Travis Mayweather. Making its much-anticipated UPN premiere as a two-hour special on September 26, 2001, Enterprise settled into its standard 60-minute weekly length thereafter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eager to assume his first command, Ensign Kim (Garrett Wang) jumps at the chance to take charge of a Kraylor medical ship. In addition to the customary duties as skipper, Kim is also (apparently) responsible for the future of an entire alien race. Unfortunately, the euphoria of power is too much for Kim, whose judgment is seriously clouded by his insistence upon having his every order obeyed without question. "Nightingale" originally aired on November 22, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An ordinary child might bring home a stray kitten or dog, but what happens when a little boy brings a small wave back to his house? The comical results are shown in Reading Rainbow: My Life With the Wave, another in the series that shows students in the primary grades how much fun reading can be. Taking the show's sea theme to heart, host LeVar Burton heads for the ocean. He interviews a scientist known as "the Reef Doctor" who is dedicated to restoring endangered coral reefs. The program also looks at the lives of manatees. The books reviewed by youngsters include Here Is the Coral Reef, Water Dance, and Our Wet World. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide