George Cheung

Produced on a shoestring $2 million budget, documentary director Nancy Kelly and her husband, editor Kenji Yamamoto created this romantic western based on a true story. Rosalind Chao stars as Lalu Nathoy, a young woman sold into marriage by her impoverished father in late 19th century China. Lalu is transported to the U.S. by a slave trader, Jim (Dennis Dun), on whom she develops a crush. Although conflicted, Jim fulfills his professional obligation to deliver Lalu to Hong King (Michael Paul Chan), a saloon owner in a rough Idaho mining town. Refusing to participate in Hong King's plan to make her into an exotic prostitute, Lalu keeps her dignity about her and wins the adoration of Charlie (Chris Cooper), Hong King's white, alcoholic partner. Despite the prejudice of the locals, Lalu becomes a cleaning woman and a successful laundress. Though she dreams of marriage to Jim or escape to China, she recognizes Charlie's admirable qualities after a violent incident that casts him in a different light. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

At times, Another 48 Hrs. seems less like a sequel to than a parody of the first 48 Hrs., especially when Nick Nolte, repeating his role from the earlier film, begins commenting on the cliched absurdity of the goings on. This time, Nolte risks life, limb and career as he obsessively tries to bring an elusive master criminal known as "The Iceman" to justice. Eddie Murphy, who stole the show in the first 48 Hrs. as the wheeler-dealer convict who becomes Nolte's reluctant partner, is brought into the plotline of the second film when a contract is taken out on his life. The adversarial relationship between Nolte and Murphy, supposedly dissipated by the end of the first film, is revivified in the sequel via a couple of plot devices. Still, Murphy rallies to the occasion, in the process saving Nolte from being thrown off the force. Though not as successful as the first film, Another 48 Hrs. proved that there were still enough Eddie Murphy fans around in 1990 to insure a strong box-office showing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Playing in a manner that can be conservatively described as larger than life, Kurt Russell plays a macho truck driver who agrees to go to the San Francisco airport and pick up his friend's (Dennis Dun) fiancee (Suzee Pai, freshly arrived from China. Suddenly, a gang of Chinatown toughs kidnap the girl right before Russell's eyes. After a wild chase sequence, Russell discovers that the girl has been abducted by a genuine, bonafide sorceror (James Hong), the ghost of a 3000 year old warlord. And that's just for starters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Max (Jessica Alba) attends a conference on genetic engineering at the Steinlitz Hotel, where Kendra (Jennifer Blanc) is working as a translator for geneticist Dr. Yuiko Tanaka (George Kee Cheung). A world-renowned "miracle worker" in his field, Tanaka may be able to help Max with her mixed-up DNA. Unfortunately, the conference is being attended by another figure: Max's arch enemy, Manticore scientist Lydecker (John Savage). When Tanaka's audience is captured and held hostage by an anti-tech terrorist organization led by John Darius (Troy Ruptash), Max and Lydecker are forced to rely upon each other to survive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Things get off to a deceptively light-hearted start as popular professional wrestler Kornberg (Nils Allen Stewart) is brought into the ER with a twisted knee. But the story quickly turns deadly serious when, stuck in the middle of a street riot, Carter (Noah Wyle) is forced to man the wheel of the paramedic ambulance -- and in so doing sparks an even worse situation when he accidentally runs over a youngster. Meanwhile, Carol (Julianna Margulies), still mooning over the departed Ross, receives confirmation of her pregnancy. And Lucy (Kellie Martin) comes face to face with an intransigent Asian family who refuse to let their mother know that she is in dangerously declining health. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a stuffy congressman is dismayed when he discovers that his beloved daughter intends to marry limousine driver John Bourgignon (John Candy). While intending to put on a good show for his father-in-law to be, John is captured by some political opponents of the congressman. His capturers attempt to brainwash him into assassinating the congressmen, but things don't go exactly as planned. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

A band of gangster wannabees find themselves in over their heads after they rob a bank that has been laundering money for a powerful East Asian drug cartel. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Hawkeye (Alan Alda) crosses swords with Lt. Hung Lae Park (Mako), a ruthless and determined ROK officer. At the center of the conflict is a wounded Korean woman (Huanini Minn), whose life Hawkeye is determined to save. But Park insists that the woman is an enemy guerilla--and as such must be turned over to him for a particularly brutal round of interrogations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While dictating his memoirs, Higgins (John Hillerman) flashes back to 1976, the time of his last meeting with his old friend and fellow British secret agent David Worth (played by Patrick Macnee of The Avengers fame). Unfortunately, David seems to have gone a bit balmy, and is now convinced that he is none other than Sherlock Holmes, on a mission to solve a murder. Humoring David along, Higgins agrees to act as his "Dr. Watson"--only to discover that the murder is all too real, and that he and David may be next on the hit list! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode takes place in Osaka, Japan, where a wealthy motor-company executive has promised his daughter in marriage to the son of a business associate. An American race-car driver (Rick Walsh) dares to defy tradition by romancing the girl himself--and when the girl's husand-to-be is killed, the driver not only faces murder charges, but also the likelihood of his own murder. Having arrived in Osaka to deliver a computer disk to the luckless driver, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) ends up playing detective for the 252nd time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) discreetly advises the divorce-bound Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) to keep his romantic involvement with Donna (Gail O'Grady) under wraps -- at least in public. An abused woman whom Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) tried to help ends up dead. Kelly (David Caruso) and an Asian-American detective (Tzi Ma) investigate the murder of an off-duty cop in Chinatown. And Detective Adrianne Lesniak (Justine Miceli, in her first series appearance), on the rebound from a sour relationship with another cop, is transferred to the 15th. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An honest man struggles to do the right thing, even if it means breaking the law, in this drama. Artie Lewis (Michael Keaton) is a scrupulously ethical cop who believes in his work, loves his wife Rita (Rene Russo), and stands by his partner Stevie Diroma (Anthony LaPaglia). Stevie is a single parent, and when he's shot and killed on duty, his three daughters (Grace Johnston, Rhea Silver-Smith, and Blair Swanson) are left with nowhere to go. Artie and Rita want to adopt Stevie's girls, but Child Welfare Services decides that their apartment is too small for three children. Artie needs to buy a house, which would require a $25,000 down payment that he doesn't have. Desperate, Artie grabs his gun and robs Beniamino (Tony Plana), a particularly scummy drug dealer who was peripherally involved in Stevie's death. Artie uses most of the take to buy the house, and he gives the rest to Father Wills (Vondie Curtis-Hall), who runs a local orphanage. However, what Artie doesn't know is that Beniamino's girlfriend Grace (Rachel Ticotin) is actually an undercover cop who won't stand by as Artie plays Robin Hood. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this family drama, the life of a woman and her son are severely disrupted when her estranged husband, who abandoned them thirty years before, returns. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide