TV Action & Adventure Movies

One of the most popular adventure stories of all time gets an exciting new screen adaptation in this made-for-TV movie, based on Johann David Wyss' The Swiss Family Robinson. When Mr. and Mrs. Robinson (Liam Cunningham and Brana Bajic) decide to leave their home in Switzerland and start a new life in the United States, they know they and their children will be setting out on the adventure of a lifetime. However, when their ship sinks in a violent storm at sea, the Robinsons are faced with challenges they never expected; they make their way to a small island and must learn how to survive with only their wits to guide them. In time, the Robinson family manages to not merely survive, but thrive in their new home. When a band of ruthless pirates lands on the island, they have to defend their home and themselves while pondering if this could be their last opportunity to return to civilization. Stranded also stars Jesse Spencer, Bonnie Wright, Emma Pierson, Charlie Lucas, Andrew Lee Potts, and Neil Newbon as the Robinson children. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A mid-season replacement in early 1997, Buffy the Vampire Slayer quickly established an identity separate from the jokey 1992 feature film that spawned it. An unlikely mixture of action, drama, horror, and comedy, the 12-episode first season effectively cross-pollinated The X-Files, Beverly Hills 90210, and Dark Shadows to become a sleeper hit for the fledgling WB network. Series creator Joss Whedon and his writers set out to literalize the idea that high school is hell, examining teenaged angst and sexual awakening through the lens of supernatural metaphor. The two-part opener established Sunnydale, CA, as an otherwise idyllic small town situated atop the mouth to hell. Witches, demonic hyenas, a sexy praying mantis, and, of course, vampires stalked the streets outside Sunnydale High, their various evils reflecting the raging hormones and social Darwinism within. With the show's edgy take on high-school life driving the wildly varying plot lines, a tightly knit ensemble quickly took shape. Former soap star Sarah Michelle Gellar played Buffy Summers as a reluctant hero, desperately clinging to shopping, cheerleading, and girliness to escape her calling as the mystically empowered Chosen One. Alyson Hannigan, as the geeky Willow Rosenberg, and Nicholas Brendon, as the Slayer-smitten Xander Harris, quickly became Buffy's sidekicks as well as her closest confidantes. They would remain the core of Buffy's "Scooby Gang" for the show's entire run. Charisma Carpenter, as icy teen queen Cordelia Chase, provided not only caustic humor but also a glimpse of the Buffy who might have been, if responsibility hadn't been thrust upon her. And veteran British actor Anthony Stewart Head played the role of fusty mentor Rupert Giles with a mixture of comic bumbling and fatherly wisdom. Although they would never become series regulars, frequent guest stars Kristine Sutherland, as Buffy's long-suffering mom, and Armin Shimerman, as the ineptly Napoleonic Principal Snyder, provided the typical teen pressures that would complicate Buffy's secret identity for the first three seasons. Meanwhile, sexual tension and a dark link between Buffy and arch-nemesis The Master (Mark Metcalf) arrived in the form of enigmatic dreamboat Angel (David Boreanaz). By the end of the season -- when a recently drowned Buffy sprang back to life to face down The Master and attend a sock hop -- the show's organic mixture of disparate genres was a fait accompli. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Sandbaggers Collection Set 2 comes to DVD from BFS Video Entertainment. Presented in 1.33:1 full frame and offering audio rendered in English Dolby Digital 5.1, extra features include a biography of Sandbaggers creator Ian Mackintosh, a complete episode guide, a guide to sandbaggers abbreviations, memorable dialogue quotes and production stills. Episodes include "At All Costs," "Enough of Ghosts," "Decision by Committee," "A Question of Loyalty," "It Couldn't Happen Here" and "Operation Kingmaker." ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Decision by Committee - When an airliner is high-jacked by Iraqi terrorists and ordered to Istanbul, the news sends shock waves through the British Government. Prominent on the list of passengers are two UK Chiefs of Staff, as well as Sandbagger Willie Caine and CIA Agent Karen Milner. As the plane sits on the dusty tarmac, Burnside and his Whitehall masters debate the high-jackers' demands for the release of imprisoned dissidents and threats to execute the Chiefs of Staff and blow up the entire plane if demands are not met. As Whitehall dithers, Burnside fumes and finds himself once again wrestling with red tape and political considerations. Are the high-jackers bluffing? Is the threat real? Are negotiations possible? Will Whitehall sit and wait? Or should the SIS mount an Entebbe-style rescue?

A Question of Loyalty - Warsaw. Rookie Sandbagger Mike Wallace sets out on an apparently simple assignment to escort a defecting agent to safety. The task suddenly turns highly dangerous when the agent fails to appear. When Wallace approaches his flat, he finds himself surrounded by inexplicably well-informed local police who seem to know him well. The mission has failed... but why? Wallace blames Shearburn, Head of Station in Warsaw, but Shearburn in his lightning-quick report to London, faults Wallace for bungling the operation. Whitehall sides with Shearburn, but Burnside, who knows his operative well, believes Wallace. As this tense drama builds, Burnside puts his career on the line to battle his superiors and in doing so, opens the door to yet another highly intriguing mission.

It Couldn't Happen Here - A prominent American senator is shot dead in his home by an unknown gunman. London's head of CIA suspects the FBI may be responsible. Sandbagger Willie Caine is assigned to protect the Senator's successor, a well-known civil rights leader, at the funeral. When two more apparently unconnected and accidental deaths occur and investigations reveal sinister implications, Burnside wants hard answers. Who is killing these people and why? What is the connection and where? And what, he asks, is the link between a high-ranking, secretive British Cabinet Minister and the assassinated American senator? Only one answer is certain. In the shadowy world of international intelligence, things are never quite what they seem.

Operation Kingmaker - Politics are never so treacherous as when practiced under the principles of diplomacy, power and the "old boys' network." When Burnside's superior, Sir James Greenley, is forced to retire, the question arises-who will take his place? Two strong candidates emerge-Matthew Peele, Greenley's deputy and John Tower Gibbs, Burnside's old enemy. Neither is acceptable to Burnside who has no official say in the final choice. When word leaks that Gibbs has already written a formal report advocating the breakup of the CIA-SIS Special Relationship, Burnside immediately knows he must take unusual steps to save the situation to promote the advancement of Peele, a leader he personally disdains. In doing so, Burnside sets the stage for political infighting, the likes of which Whitehall has never seen.

At All Costs - Berlin. Sandbagger Laura Dickens lies dying on the desolate cold strip of no-man's-land between East and West Germany, assassinated on the orders of Neil Burnside. Exactly one year later to the day, Bulgarian agent Galabov transmits a Top Priority signal offering enticing crucial information. His terms? An immediate meeting with Sandbagger Elliott in Bulgaria. Burnside is suspicious and unwilling to risk another Sandbagger. Why Elliott? Why now? Galabov is insistent and his terms precise-meet all details or no deal. For Burnside, the nightmare of Berlin begins again. Pressured by government spending cuts, the desire to safeguard his agents and the increasing need for an intelligence coup to provide Special Operations with a reprieve, Burnside struggles to make the right decision at all costs!

Enough of Ghosts - Brussels. A major international incident threatens when Sir Geoffrey Wellingham, Permanent Undersecretary of State, is mysteriously kidnapped by a group of terrorists while visiting NATO. For Neil Burnside, the threat is double-edged and personal. While the kidnapping is disquieting enough, Burnside is also aware of something worse. Wellingham was in possession of highly sensitive material, lent to him by Burnside himself. Who are the kidnappers and what are their demands? Burnside and his Whitehall colleagues must sit tight and wait... but not without strike-back initiatives in place. Rapidly briefed, two Sandbaggers head for Brussels, where CIA agents are already investigating from their end. What follows is a tense war of nerves that builds inevitably to a gripping and mind-numbing conclusion!

Originally made for and aired on the Movie Channel, but then released to video, this action thriller features Burt Reynolds as a mercenary who gets revenge upon the quartet of corrupt government officials who send him and his squad on a mission to Bosnia and then plan to kill him. Originally, these high-ranking politicos told Jerome "Raven" Katz (Reynolds) that his mission was to go to the war-torn country to steal a Soviet gadget designed to commandeer control of any of the world's computer defense networks. Katz succeeds, but only he and one other, Martin Grant, survive. Realizing that his was meant to be a suicide mission so that the crooks could sell the invention to Iran, he keeps the machine and tries to sell it himself. Grant protests, and a fearsome fight erupts. After that, word is passed that both men are dead and that each of them carries one half of the invaluable device. But both men are very much alive. Years pass and Grant gives up the mercenary business to settle down to a peaceful California lifestyle with his lover Cali. Raven has not changed and stalks Grant in hopes of getting the second half of the decoder. While slowly closing in on Grant, Raven is also methodically murdering the four crooks who betrayed him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi