Robert Cicchini Movies
- 2005
Following Mike's (Jude Ciccolella) advice, Logan (Gregory Itzin) asks David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) to join him in the command center and essentially manage the crisis for him. Using her connections, Audrey (Kim Raver) arranges to have Paul (James Frain) flown to a proper hospital in the morning, despite the ban on air travel. But Paul's condition takes a sudden turn for the worse, requiring emergency surgery. Edgar (Louis Lombardi) is able to restore some of Marwan's (Arnold Vosloo) videotaped message, which indicates that his nuclear attack will take place before dawn. Michelle (Reiko Aylesworth) learns that Tony (Carlos Bernard) has been living with another woman when Jen (Roxanne Day) calls CTU to speak to him. Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) unlocks the hard drive of the computer she obtained in the last episode, and finds a connection between Marwan and Lee Jong (Peter Chen), a nuclear weapons expert. (Concerned over her lack of emotion after her violent heroics, she tells Edgar, "I hope I'm not some kind of psychopath.") Lee is a Chinese national, and CTU soon learns that he's taken refuge at the Chinese consulate. Palmer attempts diplomacy, contacting the consul, Koo Yin (François Chau), and asking for permission to interrogate Lee, but Koo is unable to give Palmer a speedy reply, and with the clock ticking, Palmer tells Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) to prepare to do whatever's necessary. Sure enough, Jack commands a secret raid on the consulate (considered Chinese soil) to kidnap Lee, but things go terribly wrong. Koo is accidentally shot by consulate guards, and Lee is also shot and critically wounded. Jack's team races to CTU to save Lee's life so that he can be questioned. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2005
As the fourth-season finale opens, Mandy (Mia Kirshner) has been offered complete immunity in exchange for revealing Marwan's (Arnold Vosloo) location. While Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) waits for the deal to be signed by Logan (Gregory Itzin) and sent over, Aaron Pierce (Glenn Morshower) reveals that Mandy was involved in an earlier attempt (season two) on Palmer's (Dennis Haysbert) life. But Palmer tells Logan to go ahead and sign her pardon, and she, in turn, reveals the location of her planned rendezvous with Marwan in downtown Los Angeles. While Jack races to capture Marwan alive in order to find and destroy the missile, Logan gets a call from Su Ming (Ping Wu) at the Chinese consulate, who tells him that they know Jack led the assault and kidnapping earlier. The Chinese demand that Jack be turned over to them to face "justice." As the CTU team faces down the nuclear threat, Logan and Cummings (John Allen Nelson) devise a dastardly plan to make sure that Jack doesn't implicate the U.S. government when he's turned over to the Chinese. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
Here's a "backwards BIG" where, instead of turning younger, this leading man turns into an old man--overnight. Jonathan Silverman plays Seymour, who, shortly after a promising youth full of high-minded aspirations (he'd hoped to become an astronaut), finds himself working in a dead-end office job. And then he goes to sleep to awake the next day with an 80-year-old's body. He looks the same outside, but inwardly he's become and old man. It's not long before he loses his job and is doctor- shopping in a frustrating attempt at finding the medical reason for his premature decline. Somewhat introspective, this film explores our youth-dominated society and examines the perspective of the aged. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Silverman, Robert Prosky, (more)
- 1992
In this made-for-cable-TV crime drama, New York detective Devlin must prove that he is innocent of killing his brother-in-law, a mayoral candidate. It is not easy for the unhappily married, alcoholic gumshoe because he suspects that the man trying to frame him is his arch nemesis, his corrupt father-in-law, a powerful local politician. Now while trying to save his neck and solve the murder, Devlin finds himself pursued by both his fellow cops and the mob. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
During a torrential downpour, Ross (George Clooney) struggles to rescue 12-year-old Ben Larkin (Erik Von Detten), who is trapped in a flooded culvert. Realizing that the youngster is already suffering from hypothermia and may not survive his ordeal even if rescued, Ross orders on-the-spot intensive care treatment -- an action that will either make or break his career. Elsewhere, Harper Tracy (Christine Elise) experiences her own crisis involving the bickering parents of ten-year-old hit-and-run victim Molly Phillips (J. Madison Wright). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Borrowing Luke's truck -- and nearly wrecking it in the process -- Lorelai (Lauren Graham) moves Rory (Alexis Bledel) into her new dorm room at Yale. Rory is quickly introduced to her roommates, 15-year-old prodigy Tanna (Olivia Hack) and sports jock Janet (Katie Walder). And oh yes, there's a third "roomie": none other than Rory's prep-school pal (and frequent nemesis) Paris Geller (Liza Weil), who has arrived on campus in the company of a "life coach" no less! Meanwhile, back in Stars Hollow, Luke (Scott Patterson) finds out just how difficult it is to divorce a lawyer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
This true story tells of the loving adoption of a Down Syndrome boy by a volunteer following the decision of the boy's parents to not allow a life-extending operation. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Burke
- 1993
The authorities receive an anonymous tip that a wealthy man has been murdered by his wife (Caroline Lagerfelt). But the dead man's doctor insists that his patient died of heart failure, and is successful in blocking a police autopsy. Can there be a coverup and conspiracy afoot? The episode's highlights include a heated argument between detective Logan (Chris Noth) and his new boss, Lt. Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson). Also, watch for an appearance by co-star Noth's then-girlfriend Beverly Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Paul Schrader's brilliant study of another alienated urban denizen skirting the borderline of madness stars Willem Dafoe as John Le Tour, a rich, upscale drug dealer for Manhattan professionals -- "White drugs for white people," as he puts it. John is a recovering addict and for him it's the perfect job, as he can relate completely with the self-absorbed eccentrics he services. But when his boss Ann (Susan Sarandon) tells John that she is planning to abandon the drug business for herbal cosmetics, John's life is thrown into disarray. With no future plans, he sees black clouds heading his way. Coincidentally, he runs into Marianne (Dana Delany), an old girlfriend and former addict who has returned to New York to be with her dying mother. John sees Marianne as his redemption and starts to pursue her, but she doesn't want to be reminded of her past. When the murder of an Upper West Side woman involved in a drug transaction has the police scouring the town for suspects, John thinks they are following him, and the strain upon his life and his hopes for the future become harder and harder to bear. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Willem Dafoe, Susan Sarandon, (more)
When a top secret naval mission leads to the torpedoing of the U.S.S. Indianapolis at the end of WWII, it began one of the most scandalous court-martials in the history of the military. For five days the surviving crew members were left in the shark-infested waters, with only half of them surviving to be rescued. Their well-respected Captain accepted the responsibility to keep the scandal to a minimum but his court-martial only served to show that justice is not always found in military proceedings but rather mere expediency. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 2002
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
- Starring:
- Henry Simmons
- 1993
The nervous witness to a murder committed by the Cepeda brothers proves to have good reason to be scared. Meanwhile, Kelly (David Caruso) tries to find out if his ex-wife, Laura (Sherry Stringfield), is being stalked. As these two plot strands are woven together by a sting operation involving an incarcerated Mob hit man, Roberts (Michael Harney) seeks out Kelly's help in securing work as a private bodyguard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Attractive widow Molly Bowser (Gail O'Grady) finds herself unable to get a job because of the jealous wives of her potential male employers. Determined to get money in a hurry by any means possible, Molly arranges for her sexy daughter Lily (Jennifer Morrison) to "accidentally" meet wealthy young Claude Stevens (Will Wallace). Unfortunately for Molly, her best-laid plans may all be for naught: Claude's dad has threatened to cut the boy off without a cent if he marries Lily. Filmed in 2002 under the title The Sure Hand of God, this modest comedy-drama didn't receive American play until it was telecast by cable's Lifetime channel on February 18, 2004, under the title Sinners Need Company. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gail O'Grady, James Eckhouse, (more)
- 2003
An attractive, middle-aged woman (Donna Bullock) dies while waiting in line at a self-help seminar, the apparent victim of a massive blood clot from a long-ago nose job. But it's another corpse -- an awesomely large one that falls out of its casket in the middle of the night -- that presents a headache for Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) and his new intern, Arthur (Rainn Wilson). On watch at the funeral home while Nate (Peter Krause) and Lisa (Lili Taylor) go camping with another couple, the hapless undertakers must enlist the help of Claire (Lauren Ambrose) and Russell (Ben Foster) in returning the voluminous body to its oversized coffin. Russell is on hand because, despite her decision not to date him, Claire has somehow ended up taking his virginity instead. This turn of events pleases her until David (Michael C. Hall) insinuates that Russell is gay, after all -- a notion she dismisses out of hand. Ruth (Frances Conroy), too, finds herself falling for a man of indeterminate sexual proclivities: stuffy, virginal Arthur, whose old-fashioned manners and idiosyncrasies charm her despite their large age gap. As for Nate, he's none too charmed by the constraints that new fatherhood imposes on his camping trip with his wife. Unable to get gloriously stoned or go off on walkabout like he did as a bachelor, he instead finds himself clashing with Lisa, who's freaking out about the deficiencies in their love life since she gave birth to Maya. Eventually, she and Nate reconcile with some seriously twisted al fresco sex. But Nate is haunted by a daydream about Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) stalking him. Originally broadcast April 6, 2003, on HBO, "Making Love Work" marked season three, episode six of the made-for-cable drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Given that the opening sequence of each Six Feet Under episode begins with the death of a future Fisher & Sons client, it's rarely a good sign to see a major character appear right after the credits. But exactly two seasons after the series pilot that chronicled his father's death, Nate (Peter Krause) bites the big one -- or does he? After poking around with his ghostly father (Richard Jenkins) in a number of alternate realities in which Nate dies, becomes an invalid, or was never even born, Nate finally settles into a timeline in which he survives his brain surgery, marries Lisa (Lili Taylor) and eases into domesticity. As for the other Fisher siblings, David (Michael C. Hall) ekes out emotional progress with Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) in couples therapy, while Claire (Lauren Ambrose) blows off art-school classes to hang out with a hot, tattooed musician (J.P. Pitoc) whom she meets in a crematory. Meanwhile, family matriarch Ruth (Frances Conroy) enjoys time with her granddaughter but butts heads with her new daughter-in-law over child-rearing methods. On the business side of things, Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) revels in his new role as full partner in the renamed Fisher & Diaz funeral home, while Lisa tries to attend to every whim of her shrill, high-strung movie-producer boss (Catherine O'Hara). As for Brenda (Rachel Griffiths), she's nowhere to be found -- except in the anesthetized dream in which Nate married her instead of Lisa. Originally broadcast March 2, 2003, on HBO, "Perfect Circles" marked season three, episode one of the made-for-cable drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
After a break of more than 15 years, director Francis Ford Coppola and writer Mario Puzo returned to the well for this third and final story of the fictional Corleone crime family. Two decades have passed, and crime kingpin Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), now divorced from his wife Kay (Diane Keaton), has nearly succeeded in keeping his promise that his family would one day be "completely legitimate." A philanthropist devoted to public service, Michael is in the news as the recipient of a special award from the Pope for his good works, a controversial move given his checkered past. Determined to buy redemption, Michael and his lawyer B.J. (George Hamilton) are working on a complicated but legal deal to bail the Vatican out of looming financial troubles that will ultimately reap billions and put Michael on the world stage as a major financial player. However, trouble looms in several forms: The press is hostile to his intentions. Michael is in failing health and suffers a mild diabetic stroke. Stylish mob underling Joey Zaza (Joe Mantegna) is muscling into the Corleone turf. "The Commission" of Mafia families, represented by patriarch Altobello (Eli Wallach) doesn't want to let their cash cow Corleone out of the Mafia, though he has made a generous financial offer in exchange for his release from la cosa nostra. And then there's Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), the illegitimate and equally temperamental son of Michael's long-dead brother Sonny. Vincent desperately wants in to the family (both literally and figuratively), and at the urging of his sister Connie (Talia Shire), Michael welcomes the young man and allows him to adopt the Corleone name. However, a flirtatious attraction between Vincent and his cousin, Michael's naïve daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola) develops, and threatens to develop into a full-fledged romance and undo the godfather's future plans. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, (more)
Paul Mazursky directed this comedy, which blends a broad satire of the film industry with a thoughtful tale of a middle-aged man looking back on his life's failures. Harry Stone (Danny Aiello) is a film director who desperately needs a hit -- so desperately that he gets talked into directing an inane sci-fi film about a group of farm kids (led by Ally Sheedy) who grow an enormous pickle that they turn into a spaceship, allowing them to visit the planet Cleveland (ruled by Little Richard and his right hand man, Griffin Dunne) where everyone eats nothing but meat. Convinced that the film will flop, Harry is in a state of panic as he returns to New York with his Parisian girlfriend Francoise (Clotilde Courau), a mere 20 years his junior, and visits his ex-wife Ellen (Dyan Cannon); his mother Yetta (Shelley Winters); and his son Gregory (Chris Penn). Meanwhile Harry flashes back on his childhood and the film he could have made of it, and pitches his dream film (a historical epic about the life of Montezuma) to studio executives, who instead want him to make a movie kids can relate to. The Pickle was filmed in 1991, but only received a token theatrical release two years later. Actually, the sci-fi story with Little Richard as the undisputed ruler of Cleveland looks like it might have been an ideal vehicle for Edward D. Wood Jr.. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Dyan Cannon, (more)
A detective is urged on by the lunatic he's trying to put behind bars in this crime thriller. Joel Campbell (James Spader) is a police detective who has recently relocated to Chicago after spending eight frustrating years trying to track down a vicious serial killer who has been terrorizing Los Angeles. However, the slayer, David Allen Griffin (Keanu Reeves), doesn't want the game of cat and mouse to end; even though he previously put his murderous activities on hold, Griffin has started murdering young women again -- and is sending clues to Campbell, mailing him photos of his intended victims and urging Campbell to save them while he still can. Also starring Marisa Tomei, Ernie Hudson, and Chris Ellis, The Watcher was directed by Joe Charbanic. It marked Charbanic's first feature project after directing videos for a number of alternative rock groups, including Soul Coughing, Sonic Youth, and Reeves' band, Dogstar. The film was produced under the title Driven. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Spader, Marisa Tomei, (more)
- 2000
When teenage volleyball champion Amy Cozzi (Amanda Barfield) is diagnosed with diabetes, the news is especially tough on her paretns Toni (Robin Bartlett) and Paul (Ray Abruzzo), who are preparing to open a new pizza parlor where Monica (Roma Downey) and Andrew (John Dye) are currently employed. As it turns out, Toni is less upset over Amy's illness than by the fact that it will throw off her meticulously planned "timetable"; unable to trust her family to think or act for themselves, Toni has put everyone--including her husband--on a tight, unswerving schedule, with nary a second wasted. Needless to say, Toni will have to learn the hard way that a family with no time for God is not a family at all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
