Elizabeth Sung Movies
An aimless young Chinese-American finds his hoop dreams unexpectedly sidelined when his parents are injured in an accident and he is forced to give ping-pong lessons in the fiction feature debut of acclaimed documentary filmmaker Jessica Yu (In the Realms of the Unreal). Christopher "C-dub" Wang (Jimmy Tsai) may not be able to sink a lay-up to save his life, yet he longs to realize his lifelong goal of playing in the NBA. Add to this the fact that C-dub still lives at home and will likely never emerge from under the shadow of his successful older brother, Michael (Roger Fan), and it's beginning to look like this wannabe pro-athlete is going nowhere fast. C-dub's parents (Jim Lau and Elizabeth Sung) are a pair of former table tennis champs who now own a successful ping-pong supply shop and teach lessons on the side. Much like his parents were back in the day, C-dub's brother Michael (Roger Fan) is a ping-pong wizard who is championed by the Chinese community for taking top rank in the tournaments year after year. But now, Michael and C-dub's parents have both been injured in a car accident, forcing the ill-equipped -- and extremely reluctant -- family slacker to take over the ping-pong teaching duties. While at first C-dub doesn't take his new responsibility all too seriously, he quickly discovers that the future of his family rests in his hands after Michael is injured and rendered unable to compete in this year's championships. Soon, C-dub realizes that by stepping in for Michael and winning the championships, he may also be able to win the heart of the girl he has fallen head over heels in love with. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy Tsai, Smith Cho, (more)
- 2006
Fay Ann Lee's modern spin on the story of Cinderella, Falling For Grace, stars Fay Ann Lee as a Chinese-American who dreams of living among the social elites in New York City. One day she is mistaken for an heiress and is invited to a posh party where she falls in love with a lawyer. She hides her true identity from him, and he himself has a few secrets he keeps from the woman. Falling For Grace had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival (where it screened under the title East Broadway). ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fay Ann Lee, Gale Harold, (more)
- 2002
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
- Starring:
- Henry Simmons
- 2000
Monica (Roma Downey) is summoned for jury duty in the trial of 18-year-old Brendan Falstaff, accused of setting fire to the home of his girlfriend Elizabeth for the purpose of murder. On the first ballot, the vote is eleven to one for conviction--and guess who's the sole holdout? Convinced that reasonable doubt still exists, Monica would like to use her angelic powers to sway the other jurors, but is forbidden from doing so by fellow angel Andrew (John Dye). Thus, Monica must adopt another strategy: finding the real reason that the intractable jury foreman (Bonnie Franklin) is so grimly determined to condemn the boy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Executive-produced by actor Anthony Edwards, the made for TV Border Line is a showcase for Edwards' ER costar Sherry Stringfield, cast as attorney and single mom Allison Westlin. As the representive of the LA-based Fuller Adoption Agency, Allison has never had any reason to question the integrity of her employers--until she stumbles upon the murder of an Asian woman. Investigating, Allison unhappily concludes that the Fuller Agency has been using illegal strongarm tactics abroad, literally snatching babies from the arms of poor and helpless Asian mothers to service their customers. Working hand in glove with Private Eye Mariano (Christopher Reid) and immigration officer Macivers (James LeGros), Allison puts her own life on the line--not to mention those of her daughter and her Hispanic nanny (Elizabeth Pena)--to see that justice is served. Border Line debuted February 22, 1999 on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
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
- 1998
It is nothing unusual when impressionable Piper (Holly Marie Combs) falls in love again. What is out of the ordinary is that Piper's new beau, Mark (John Cho), is the ghost of a murder victim, who hopes not only to avenge his death but to arrange his own funeral before his body can be "claimed" by demonic forces. Elsewhere, the peripatetic Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) hopes to use her forecasting skills to good use -- and make big money in the bargain -- by going to work for a psychic. And while preparing for her birthday, Prue (Shannen Doherty) is laid low by a crushing disillusionment. Fans of the series (and even non-fans!) will certainly appreciate the scene in which co-star Alyssa Milano shows up in a fetching harem outfit. ~ All Movie Guide
Robert A. Heinlein's 1951 novel The Puppet Masters comes to the screen 43 years later. Sharp-eyed viewers will recognize similarities to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but Heinlein's book came first. Parasitic space aliens invade the Midwest, taking over the bodies of humans and manipulating these unfortunates to do their bidding. US security agent Donald Sutherland and his team of troubleshooters attempt to squash the extraterrestrial scheme before everyone in the world is turned into Howdy Doody. Adding an extra layer to this familiar scenario is the fact that Sutherland doesn't get along with everyone on his side-in particular, he has a lot of trouble relating with his son Eric Thal. Stuart Ormes' perfunctory direction is not up to the standard set by the actors and special effects. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Sutherland, Eric Thal, (more)
Director Wayne Wang and screenwriter Ronald Bass effectively interweave sixteen mother-daughter tales in their silken film version of Amy Tan's best-selling novel about the clash between generations. The film takes place in present-day San Francisco, concentrating on a group of late-middle-aged Chinese women. Ever since arriving in the United States after World War II, the women have gathered weekly to play mah-jongg and to tell stories, regaling each other with tales of their children and grandchildren, giving each other a sense of hope and renewal in the midst of poverty and hardship. The Joy Luck Club is made up of four women -- Suyuan (Kieu Chinh), Lindo (Tsai Chin), Ying Ying (France Nuyen), and An Mei (Lisa Lu). But when Suyuan dies, the three surviving members invite Suyuan's daughter June (Ming-Na Wen) to take her place. Along with the daughters of the other members -- Waverly (Tamlyn Tomita), Lena (Lauren Tom), and Rose (Rosalind Chao) -- June is a Chinese-American with only a passing interest in her rich cultural heritage. But through vignettes that switch back and forth in time, the daughters begin to appreciate the struggles of their mothers to start their families in the optimistic promise of the United States. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, (more)
This sci-fi actioner is set in the year 2074. The story is framed by the war between the two international corporate giants, Pinwheel Robotics and Kobayashi, responsible for manufacturing the cyborgs that 21st century technology has become dependent upon. In fact, most of the world is being run by the sophisticated androids. The conflict turns violent when the Kobayashi cyborgs begin methodically killing their competition. To stop them, the head of Pinwheel, Martin Dunn, creates the perfect computer housed in the body of a beautiful woman. The cyborg, Casella Reese, has a strange fluid flowing within in her that when activated will cause her to literally explode should she have an orgasm; Dunn designed her to infiltrate Kobayashi and assassinate the CEO. The real problems begin when Casella, who is also equipped with human emotions and independent thought, falls in love with her martial arts teacher, Colt Ricks. When she learns of her upcoming suicide mission, she and Colt, with the help of their informer, the cyborg mercenary Mercy, try to reach Mombasa where unlicensed androids can live in peace. Unfortunately, they must first escape their city and the cyborg killers who pursue them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Palance, Elias Koteas, (more)
- 1991
- PG
- Add China Cry to Queue
Julia Nickson (then billed as Julia Nickson-Soul) stars as Nora Lamm, whose childhood was rent asunder when the Japanese invaded Shanghai at the outset of World War II. Recalling these horrific times, Nora remembers the cloistered pre-invasion existence she enjoyed thanks to the prominence of her physician father (played by James Shigeta). The deprivations she experienced at the hands of the invaders are compounded when postwar China is taken over by the Communists. In the early 1960s, Nora escapes to Hong Kong, where she works tirelessly on behalf of basic human rights for those still trapped on the Mainland. China Cry is based on the autobiography by Sung Neng Yee. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Nickson, Russell Wong, (more)
- 1990
The made-for-television Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes recounts the August, 1945 nuclear bombing of Hiroshima through the eyes of a number of survivors, including Japanese soldiers, citizens, and American prisoners of war. The film is partly based on Michihiko Hachiya's Hiroshima Diary. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1989
This time, the spotlight is on a friend of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury--namely, Bill Boyle (Ken Howard), a former football star turned detective. When Bill agrees to temporarily take care of a pal's valuable poodle, he ends up permanently saddled with the pooch when the owner is murdered, clutching three empty IV bags in his cold, dead fingers. It soon becomes clear that the murderers have now targeted both Bill and the poodle, plunging man and dog alike into a hotbed of international intrigue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sylvester Stallone tries his luck with his first cop buddy movie in Tango and Cash, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. Stallone is Ray Tango, a Los Angeles narcotics cop who dresses in fancy suits, wears wire-rim glasses, and talks to his stockbroker more than he talks to his mother. Kurt Russell is Gabriel Cash, another Los Angeles narcotics cop who has long, disheveled blonde hair and dresses in worn-out sweatshirts. Together, Tango and Cash are the two best narcs in LA, which causes drug baron Yves Perret (Jack Palance) no end of distress. Since Yves controls a billion-dollar drug empire, Tango and Cash have to be taken out of the picture in some way. So Yves arranges for Tango and Cash to be framed for a crime. But the duo accepts a plea bargain that will give them 18 months in a minimum-security prison. Unfortunately, Yves arranges for their destination to be diverted to a maximum-security hell-hole where Yves's minions proceed to torture Tango and Cash --although they still have time to trade quips with each other. Ultimately, they escape from their torture chamber and seek out Yves and his gang. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, (more)
