Philip Craig Movies

Ace in the Hole documents the search for and eventual capture of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein months after the initial invasion by American led military forces in early 2003. The film offers footage of the underground bunker where Hussein was apprehended. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Set in New York and New England (but filmed in Newfoundland), Behind the Red Door stars Kyra Sedgwick as Manhattan-based photographer Natalie Haddad, who enjoys success with her strangely gloomy and foreboding camerawork. When her agent and best friend Julia (Stockard Channing) arranges for her to accept a lucrative contract with a Boston ad agency, Natalie discovers that she will be working for her own gay brother Roy (Kiefer Sutherland), whom she hasn't seen in a decade. Although Roy is insufferably snobbish and manipulative, he manages to exert a curious control over Natalie, forcing her to confront several disturbing, long-suppressed memories of her past (shown in black-and-white flashbacks). Before the film is over, Natalie is made to realize why Roy's behavior is so overbearing -- and also, the viewer learns just how intimately Julia is involved in the lives of both siblings. Underwritten by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation as part of an ongoing program to heighten HIV/AIDS awareness, Behind the Red Door made its Showtime cable-network bow on January 12, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Danny DeVito steps behind the camera for this darkly funny satire that combines elements of Barney and Friends with the real-life Pee-Wee Herman scandal while recalling the director's previously twisted black comedies Throw Momma From the Train (1987) and The War of the Roses (1989). Robin Williams stars as Randolph Smiley, a popular children's show host known professionally as "Rainbow Randolph." Dismissed from his beloved job when he's caught taking payola, Randolph becomes increasingly mentally unhinged and the target of his delusional revenge fantasies is Sheldon Mopes (Edward Norton), otherwise known as Smoochy, the fuchsia rhino character that has replaced him and soared to national popularity. Randolph soon learns that his ex-girlfriend and network executive Nora Wells (Catherine Keener) is sleeping with Sheldon, so he sets out to kill Smoochy, egged on by an unexpected ally: corporate president Marion Frank Stokes (Jon Stewart), who should be profiting from Smoochy's rise to fame, except for the fact that he and his cronies are unable to control the idealistic Sheldon's on-air agenda. Death to Smoochy (2002) co-stars Harvey Fierstein, Vincent Shiavelli, and Michael Rispoli. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Set largely in England (but filmed in Canada), Four Minutes is the story of Sir Roger Bannister, doctor by profession and runner by preference -- and the first man to run under a four-minute mile. Played by Jamie Maclachlan, Bannister is accurately depicted as a brilliant Oxford medical student, who in the years following WWII gains a reputation as England's fastest runner, but who regards his sports accomplishments as merely an adjunct to his studies, and thus avoids formal athletic training. Only after he fails to win a medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics does Bannister come to realize how important he has become as a morale-booster for a postwar Britain plagued by shortages, rationing, and unemployment. Shouldering this spiritual responsibility, Bannister submits himself to a grueling (but surprisingly scientific) training regimen imposed by disabled ex-athlete Archie Mason (Christopher Plummer). Originally slated for release in 2004 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Roger Bannister's "great run," Four Minutes was not seen until it was picked by the ESPN2 cable service on October 6, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on a true story, the made-for-TV Half a Dozen Babies stars real-life married couple Melissa Reeves and Scott Reeves as Indiana couple Becki and Scott Dilley. Unsuccessful in their many attempts to have children, the Dilleys willingly undergo a new, experimental infertility treatment. As a result, in the Summer of 1993 the Dilleys become the proud parents of America's first surviving sextuplets: Julian, Claire, Brenna, Quinn, Adrian and Ian. Now Becki and Scott must not only endure the trials and tribulations of first parenthood, but they must do it six times over--and in full view of a voracious media! Reportedly, the actual members of the Dilley family were none too pleased with the liberties taken in the film, but audiences in general were satisfied. Half a Dozen Babies made its ABC network debut on May 17, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Playwright Neil Simon got his first big break in the early '50s as a staff writer on Sid Caesar's fabled television series Your Show of Shows, and this comedy (adapted by Simon from his play) takes a fictionalized look at the backstage chaos that went into producing one of the landmarks of television's golden age. Max Prince (Nathan Lane) is the star of The Max Prince Show, a popular comedy-variety series with ratings that have begun to slip; Prince's show is still a major hit on the East Coast, but network executive Cal Weebs (Colin Fox) insists that it's too sophisticated for the Midwest, and urges Prince to dumb down his act. Prince has also become the whipping boy of newspaper columnist Walter Winchell (Frank Proctor), and between the tensions of producing a hour of top-quality comedy each week and being pestered about his ratings, Prince is beginning to unravel. His relationship with his wife Faye (Sherry Miller) and their children is falling apart, and stress is eating him alive. Prince's brother Harry (Richard Portnow) is Max's assistant, and his last line of defense against both the network and his writing staff, which spend its days coming up with business for the show while hurling humorous invective at each other and anyone else within earshot. (The actors playing Max's writers include Mark Linn-Baker, Victor Garber, Dan Castellaneta, Saul Rubinek, Peri Gilpin, and Zach Grenier.) Laughter on the 23rd Floor received its world premiere at the 2001 Palm Springs Film Festival and was scheduled for showings several months later on the Showtime premium cable network (who co-produced the feature). The film was directed by Richard Benjamin, who previously teamed with Mark Linn-Baker for another comedy inspired by the career of Sid Caesar, My Favorite Year. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

One of the most sensational crime stories of the 1950s was the murder trial of Cleveland doctor Sam Sheppard, who was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of his wife. Though he protested his innocence and insisted that he'd seen a "curly-haired man" leaving his house on the night of the crime, Sheppard was condemned in the court of public opinion long before the judge handed out his sentence. (This true story served as the basis for the long-running TV series The Fugitive.) Years later, Sheppard was released from prison after it was determined that he hadn't had a fair trial, but his name was never officially cleared. Forty years after the death of his mother, Sheppard's son Sam Reese made it his mission in life to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that his father was innocent. In this TV movie adaptation of the younger Sheppard's autobiographical book, Peter Strauss is seen as Dr. Sam Sheppard, and Henry Czerny as Sam Reese. My Father's Shadow: The Sam Sheppard Story made its CBS network bow on November 17, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jamie Foxx once again brilliantly demonstrates his acting chops as Stan "Tookie" Williams, the South Central Los Angeles native who, at the age of 17, co-founded the infamous Crips street gang. If one is to believe the script of this made-for-cable film, Williams hadn't intended the Crips to wallow in crime and violence; instead, he'd hoped that the gang would form a united front to protect his 'hood from other gangbangers. Needless to say, it didn't turn out that way, and within a few years of its 1971 formation, the Crips was the biggest and most powerful gang in the country, with branches in virtually every state. Ultimately, Williams is charged with murder and sentenced to San Quentin's death row in 1987. There he experiences an epiphany and becomes an advocate for peace, harmony, and tolerance, writing children's books that preach against the lure of street gangs. As the years roll by and the date of his execution draws closer, Williams manages to negotiate a peace between the Crips and their chief rivals, the Bloods, and even manages to receive three Nobel Prize nominations. Lynn Whitfield co-stars as Barbara Becnel, the crusading journalist who helped Williams see the light -- not so much to save his soul, but to prevent a similar fate from befalling her own son. Although considerable liberties are taken with the facts, Redemption: The Stan "Tookie" Williams Story neither glamorizes nor excuses its title character, nor the "gangsta" culture that he so enthusiastically embraced in his youth. After a showing at the Sundance Film Festival, the movie made its FX network debut on March 3, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

To fully appreciate Boy in Blue, it's helpful to know a little bit about the sport of "sculling"-or competitive rowing. Nicolas Cage stars as the real-life Ned Hanlan, who at the turn of the century was Canada's foremost sculling champ. A wild, uncontrollable youth, Hanlan is "adopted" by a gambler named Bill (David Naughton), who promotes the boy on the sculling circuit for his own monetary gain. Ruthlessly businessman Knox (Christopher Plummer) assumes control of Hanlan's career, but when Ned discovers just how ruthless Knox can be, he casts his lot with the first honest man he's met, inventor-speculator Walter (Sean Sullivan). Hanlan's professional success is capped by his marriage to Margaret (Cynthia Dale), Knox's previously unattainable niece. The by-the-numbers Boy in Blue was given an R rating due to a few disposable sex scenes, thereby cutting its potential audience (hero-worshipping youths) in half. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Roy Dupuis stars as the first professional hockey player to score 50 goals in one season in director Charles Biname's docudrama tracing the life of Canadian sports legend Maurice "The Rocket" Richard. As a 17-year-old boy, Quebec native Richard labored the day away in a Montreal factory before lacing up his skates and hitting the ice. Richard's dream was to someday play on the national hockey league, and after years of hard work he eventually made that fantasy a reality. But Richard would accomplish much more than simply earning a spot on the biggest league in the country; his passion for the game eventually propelled him to become one of the most beloved players in hockey history. In 1955, when Richard was suspended for deliberately injuring another athlete on the ice, the outrage that erupted would culminate in the notorious riot at the Montreal forum. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this two-part suspenser inspired by Ken Follett's bestselling novel, university pscyhobiologist Jenny Ferrami (Kelly McGillis), in the process of studying a possible link between genetics and criminal behavior, stumbles upon a secret cloning experiment conducted by a major company. Figuring prominently in the proceedings is likeable law student Steve Logan (Jason Gedrick), who may or may not be the identical twin of a serial rapist. . .or possibly two rapists! It turns out that there are far more human "duplicates" in the world than Jenny could ever have imagined--and as she tracks down these clones to convince the public that there is dirty work afoot, sinister forces, tied in with a powerful triumverate, conspire to silence Jenny for keeps. Originally telecast by CBS, Ken Follett's The Third Twin first aired on November 9 and 11, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi