Casey Siemaszko

Filmed on location in New York and Connecticut, the ESPN miniseries The Bronx is Burning was a vivid (if not overly expensive) retelling of the New York Yankees' championship year of 1977. Heading the enormous cast of celebrity lookalikes were Oliver Platt as Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and John Turturro as team manager Billy Martin. The infamously volatile relationship between the two men was the heart of the series, with the prickly Martin curiously emerging as the hero of the piece. Setting the story in motion was the hiring of baseball superstar Reggie Jackson (Daniel Sunjata), the first of several measures taken by the Yanks to reclaim the World Series. To place the action at Yankee Stadium in proper historical context, much was made of the other events which kept the citizens of New YOrk on their collective toes in the summer of 1977, including the frantic search for the serial killer known as the "Son of Sam", the devastating power blackout, the fractious mayoral race, and the ongoing violence in the streets of the Bronx. The title of the series derived from the famous TV-news headline "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning", which was also the title of the Jonathan Mahler novel upon which the show was based. The Bronx is Burning first roared into flame on July 10, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The domestic problems between Andy (Dennis Franz) and Connie (Charlotte Ross), exacerbated by the resentful Theo (Austin Majors) and the colicky baby Michelle, spill over into their work at the 15th. Cases on this week's docket include the beating death of a woman in her own kitchen, and the discovery of a body in an SVU well stocked with picnic supplies. All of this pales into insignificance when Andy's partner, Detective John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), is arrested on a drug charge by the relentless Internal Affairs Bureau. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) tries to persuade the nervous Officer Mike Shannon (James McBride) to provide the evidence needed to clear Andy's partner, John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), of a trumped-up drug charge. Meanwhile, Clark Sr.'s (Joe Spano) drinking problem gets worse, a bad cop gets his comeuppance, and the 15th investigates the murder of a community activist who worked with female gang members. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While coping with the death of her ex-husband, Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors) investigates a disturbing rape case that soon snowballs out of control, with possibly grim consequences for the rest of the squad. Elsewhere, the detectives probe the possibility that a young Asian girl may have been murdered by her own family; John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) extends a helping hand to mixed-up teenager James Kilik (Josh Zuckerman); and gay cop John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) reacts bitterly to the news that his father is undergoing heart surgery. And in a development that will have long-ranging ramifications, new IAB Captain Fraker (Casey Siemaszko) seems to determined to force precinct skipper Gonzalez (Esai Morales) out of his job. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A judge and a lawyer receive suspicious-looking envelopes in the mail -- envelopes which both explode, revealing themselves to be full of nothing more than harmless white powder. Or maybe the powder isn't so harmless, since one of the recipients goes into cardiac arrest. As the 15th precinct investigates this case, Capt. Fraker (Casey Siemaszko) of the IAB offers to turn the heat off John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) in the matter of his dead prostitute informant -- provided that John turns up evidence to destroy his own partner, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). Meanwhile, John's detective father (Joe Spano) cuts a deal that bodes ill for the future, and gay cop John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) makes plans to lavishly spend his huge inheritance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Writer/director John Sayles once again takes his audience to a place they may never have been before (this time both psychologically and geographically). Joe Gastineau (David Strathairn) lives in Juneau, Alaska, where his life has been stuck in neutral for about 25 years. When he was young, Joe was involved in an accident on a fishing boat that led to the death of two crewmembers, and he's never recovered from the blow. When Joe meets Donna De Angelo (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), however, he starts to come out of his shell. Donna is a lounge singer who goes from job to job, wherever she can get work. Her life has been built around being able to pick herself up when she falls and learning to be comfortable wherever she lands -- a gift that her teenage daughter, Noelle (Vanessa Martinez), does not share. Donna and Joe become attracted to each other, and her example leads Joe to take a job on a boat again. However, just as Joe's life is starting to get back on track, his ne'er-do-well half-brother Bobby (Casey Siemaszko) arrives to ask Joe a favor. One disaster leads to another, and Joe soon finds himself stranded on an island with Donna and Noelle, trying to hide from a group of men out to kill him. Shot on location in Alaska by award-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler, Limbo also features a soundtrack with a new song by Bruce Springsteen, "Lift Me Up"; Sayles directed three Springsteen music videos in the 1980s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The first story Stephen King wrote specifically for a television miniseries, Storm of the Century is set in Little Tall Island, a small town off the coast of Maine. The citizens are bracing themselves for what is expected to be the worst snowstorm in 100 years when a mysterious stranger named Andre Linoge (Colm Feore) arrives with a simple command: "Give me what I want and I'll go away." Andre is, in fact, an emissary of Satan, and what he wants is one of the children of Little Tall Island, whom he will raise to take over his assignment on Earth -- it seems that Satan's lifespan, although far longer than that of a normal human, is not unlimited, and he will need a replacement for that time when he must vacate his position. Andre knows everyone's secrets and can make their lives a living hell (no pun intended); he can also destroy the city at will. And only one person in town has the strength to stand up to Andre -- the sheriff, Mike Anderson (Tim Daly). While originally written for television, Stephen King's novelization of Storm of the Century was published shortly after the series was originally broadcast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Unable to overcome the death of his son Andy Jr., Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) turns to the church for help. Back on the job, Sipowicz aids in the investigate of a holdup-homicide involving a pair of mismatched siblings; Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) participates in tracking down the murderer of two people, if for no other reason than to escape his marital problems; and John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) bids yet another farewell to his colleagues. The episode ends with an affirmation of life, a renewal of hope, and the promise of a repaired romance. Justine Miceli (Adrianne Lesniak) makes her last series appearance in this, the final episode of NYPD Blue's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first superhero ever, created by Lee Falk in 1936, gets another shot at movie stardom 60 years after achieving fame in comics and serials. Billy Zane stars as Kit Walker, who discovers that he's the 21st in a line of purple-clad African superheroes known as "The Phantom" or, to superstitious Bengalla Island natives, "the Ghost Who Walks." When he's not fighting the evil Singh Brotherhood with his faithful wolf Devil and white horse Hero, the Phantom lives in the hidden Skull Cave. Kit discovers that Xander Drax (Treat Williams), a slimy industrialist, is plotting to take over the world by uniting the three long lost magical Skulls of Touganda. So he travels to New York, where he finds allies in crusading newspaper publisher Dave (Bill Smitrovich) and his niece, Diana (Kristy Swanson), who's also Kit's ex-girlfriend. Kit and Diana tackle Drax's forces, including the conflicted Sala (Catherine Zeta-Jones), in a quest for the Skulls that brings both sides back to Bengalla for a showdown. The Phantom's mixture of elaborate stunts with liberal doses of tongue-in-cheek humor was characteristic of screenwriter Jeffrey Boam, whose previous films included Innerspace (1987) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

It's the old switcheroo in this action comedy that follows the exploits of desperate extortionists. Gloria is a fluffhead with a Chinese dragon tattooed upon her chest. She wears lovely holograph earrings that just happen to contain classified detail of the U.S. space program. She is taken hostage by the bumbling extortionists and their leader Carl, former head of a freezer treat company. Unfortunately for them, Gloria accidently drowns in their pool when she tangles with a beach ball. Now the crooks must find a look-a-like for Gloria. They find her in Teresa, a college girl with a talent for mathematics. She is captured and tattooed. She soon escapes leading the crooks on a merry chase. Joining in the hunt for Teresa is an FBI agent and her new boyfriend. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this thriller, a young woman finds herself torn between two lovers, her husband and his employee. When she learns that one of the two is a serial killer, she finds herself forced to make a difficult decision. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Gary Sinese directed this respectful re-telling of John Steinbeck's classic novel, with Sinese as the wily George and John Malkovich as the brutish, simple-minded Lennie. Set during the Depression era, the film opens as George and Lennie are running from a woman with a torn dress, who has sent a gang of ruffians to chase the two out of the county. After a long bus ride and a ten-mile walk, George and Lennie arrive at a migrant farm in California's San Joaquin Valley, where they seek work. George dreams of putting together enough money to buy a small piece of land where he and Lennie can build a home; he hopes that in California the two can realize their dream. Unfortunately, the foreman of the ranch, Curley (Casey Siemaszko), enjoys tormenting Lennie, while Curley's frustrated wife (Sherilyn Fenn) entices Lennie with her sexual allure. George warns Lennie to steer clear of Curley's wife, but Lennie follows her to a barn where a tragedy occurs and George and Lennie's dreams are shattered. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

A lusty executive for a high-tech company tries to juggle his life between two disparate wives and his mistress. He is also in the Army Reserves and it is while serving his annual two weeks that he gets into big trouble. Actually, he is not actually serving; instead, he convinced his buddy to pretend to be him and go in his stead. The problems begin when the stand-in is arrested for being a spy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide