Michael R. Joyce Movies
An unlikely band of scientists and soldiers join forces to save the world from certain destruction in this action-drama. As the world is struck with a variety of inexplicable phenomena -- attacks by enormous swarms of birds in London, the explosion of the Colosseum in Rome, a potentially deadly malfunction which forces the Space Shuttle into a Los Angeles riverbed, and the simultaneous deaths of 32 people with pacemakers in Boston -- a team of top scientific minds from around the globe is assembled to determine what has thrown the world into such a frenzy. Dr. John Keyes (Aaron Eckhart) makes the startling discovery that the Earth's electromagnetic forces have begun to collapse, thanks to a sudden lack of movement of the molten ore at the center of the Earth. If the planet is to be saved, the core of the Earth needs a jump start, and Keyes assembles a team to burrow to the center of the planet and bomb the insides back into action. Joining Keyes on this dangerous, last-chance mission are the brilliant but arrogant Conrad Zimsky (Stanley Tucci), French arms expert Dr. Serge Levesque (Tchéky Karyo, maverick researcher "Brazz" Brazzleton (Delroy Lindo), geeky computer genius Rat (DJ Qualls), and two no-nonsense military types, Commander Richard Iverson (Bruce Greenwood) and Major Rebecca Childs (Hilary Swank). However, as the crew digs deeper into the Earth, the more they discover what they haven't been told about their mission and what's really been causing the worldwide chaos. The Core was originally scheduled for release in the fall of 2002, but the movie didn't reach theaters until the spring of 2003 as special-effects experts perfected the film's more spectacular scenes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, (more)
- 2003
Practically everyone who previewed the USA network adventure series Peacemakers before its July 30, 2003, debut arrived at the same descriptive conclusion: "CSI Goes West." The series was set in the 1880s, in the frontier town of Silver City. Tom Berenger starred as Jared Stone, a hard-bitten, set-in-his-ways federal marshal who found himself teamed with Larimer Finch (Peter O'Meara), a British-born Pinkerton detective and specialist in the brand-new field of forensic science. Although Stone preferred to use tried-and-true methods in tracking down criminals, he begrudgingly acknowledged that Finch's newfangled techniques ("They're called fingerprints!") were of some value. Also joining in the weekly investigations was Katie Owen (Amy Carlson), a medical student who had returned to Silver City to run her family's undertaking parlor. Viewers with long memories may have noted some striking resemblances between Peacemakers and the old Richard Boone Western series Hec Ramsey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Peter O'Meara, (more)
- 2003
NBC wasted precious little time in offering up a TV-movie adaptation of one of the first truly uplifting stories of the Iraq War. Saving Jessica Lynch stars Laura Regan as the title character, a 19-year-old army private with the 507th Ordinance Maintence Company. On March 23, 2003, Jessica is captured by Iraqi insurgents after the rest of her platoon is wiped out in a roadside bombing not far from Al Nasiryah. Curiously, Jessica doesn't get all that much screen time: The primary focus is on the rescue efforts mounted by a group of Army Rangers and Navy SEALS, with special emphasis bestowed upon Mohammed Al-Raheif (Nicholas Guilak), the courageous Iraqi man who shielded the captured woman from harm while she lay wounded in an enemy hospital (it should surprise no one that the script is based on Al-Raheif's own book, Because Each Life Is Precious. An inordinate amount of poetic license is taken with the events surrounding Jessica's rescue, with a plethora of ridiculous coincidences and serial-like thrills and chills thrown in to pep up the story. To her credit, the real Jessica Lynch herself neither authorized nor promoted the film, which first aired November 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Regan, Nicholas Guilak, (more)
Attila the Hun, fabled leader of a band of nomadic warriors who fearlessly took on the might of the Roman Empire, has his life story brought to the screen in this two-part miniseries. Attila (Gerard Butler) raised an army from the people of Caspia, and in time created a fighting force so strong that they received an annual tribute from the leaders of Rome as an inducement not to attack. Not all Romans were happy with this situation, and in time it was decided that General Aetius (Powers Boothe), a brave yet unscrupulous leader who attempted to usurp the rule of Empress Placidia (Alice Krige), was the only man who could confront Attila on his own terms. Aetius recognized Attila's skills as a leader, and decided the best way to prevent him from invading Rome was to lead him into an alliance, as Rome and the Huns joined forces against a third nation. But despite their mutual respect, it soon became apparent that only one man could be the undisputed leader in a meeting between Rome and the Huns. Attila also features Tim Curry as Theodosius, Simmone Jade MacKinnon as N'Kara, and Reg Rogers as Valentinian. Attila was first aired on the USA Cable Network on January 30 and 31, 2001.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerard Butler, Powers Boothe, (more)
- 2001
A couple looking for adventure and romance get a lot more than they bargained for in this made-for-TV drama based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. It's 1955, and John and Helen Lacklan (Keith Carradine and Paris Jefferson) are two scientists who've been working for the United States government as part of the nuclear weapons development program. They're also man and wife, and when John wed Helen, he gave her a ring without a stone, promising to someday find the diamond that she deserved. Needing a vacation, the Lacklans travel to Borneo, hoping to find a diamond while getting away from it all. Needing a guide, the Lacklans hire Mike Kardec (Billy Zane), an American expatriate who knows the jungles of Borneo and has done some diamond hunting himself. Mike soon finds he's strongly attracted to Helen, and Helen is equally drawn to Mike; it doesn't take long for John to see what's happening, and he angrily fires Kardec, hiring instead a native boy who claims to know where diamonds can be found. However, what John doesn't know is, the boy is a member of the Dyak tribe, whose leader Jeru (Piripi Waretini) has been responsible for the disappearance of a number of visitors; when Mike gets word of this, he sets out to find the Lacklans before it's too late. The Diamond of Jeru also stars Jackson Raine and Peter Carroll. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Zane, Paris Jefferson, (more)
In this made-for-TV thriller, a train hauling a cargo of radioactive waste is passing through Colorado when its brakes fail in the Rocky Mountains. The train begins rolling out of control and is headed for Denver with no way to stop it. John Seger (Rob Lowe), an agent with the National Transportation Safety Board, has to find a way to bring the train safely to a halt, and he soon learns that the stakes are even greater than he imagined -- a faulty Russian atomic bomb is also on board, which could blow the city sky high in the event of a wreck. Atomic Train also stars Kristen Davis, Esai Morales, and Mena Suvari, the latter shortly before she bolted to stardom with roles in American Pie and American Beauty. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Kristin Davis, (more)
- 1999
"What if they're right?" screamed the ad copy for the TV movie Y2K, referring to the millions of otherwise rational, level-headed people who lived in mortal terror that virtually every computer in the world would malfunction on December 31, 1999, because of an imbedded inability to "read" the year 2000. As it turned out, of course, "they" were wrong, and no worldwide technical meltdown occurred: but the producers of this film, which originally aired November 21, 1999, on NBC, were clearly not above exploiting everyone's panic over things to come to make a few bucks. In traditional disaster-flick fashion, the film offers a multitude of subplots with several different sets of main characters, all of whose lives will be profoundly altered by the cataclysmic events of Y2K. Likewise adhering to tradition is the notion that only one man is capable of saving the world from plunging into a computerized abyss. That man is MIT-trained "systems failure" expert Nick Cromwell (Ken Olin), who on the eve of the new millennium races against time to prevent a nuclear disaster in New York City -- one that threatens to dwarf a similar reactor meltdown that occurred a scant few hours earlier in Sweden. To juice up the suspense, the script contrives to place Cromwell's wife Kelly (Jane McGregor) and daughter Alix (Kate Vernon) in jeopardy while dad is off being a hero. The film's level of credibility reaches a crest when Jay Leno makes a cameo appearance as himself. Seen from the vantage point of the post-9/11, post-Hurricane Katrina era, Y2K seems as quaint and naïve as a 1908 Biograph one-reeler -- perhaps even more so. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Olin, Kate Vernon, (more)
- 1998
Aldous Huxley's 1932 science fiction novel was previously adapted to film (a 1980 TV movie starring Bud Cort) and radio (a 1956 CBS Radio Workshop two-parter with an opening intro by Huxley) and again to TV in this 1998 production. In a high-tech city of a future time, humans are genetically engineered, monogamy is frowned on, and the drug Soma is consumed to eliminate stress in a society where the citizens are niched into rigid classes (Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma). Scornful looks are directed at high-level Alphas Bernard Marx (Peter Gallagher) and Lenina Crowne (Rya Kihlstedt), a couple who have become interested in each other over and beyond the commonly accepted one-night stands. Bernard has climbed to the upper echelons at the Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Center, while Lenina is employed in the educational conditioning field. When Bernard and Lenina visit an outlying Reservation, their copter crashes, and they are under attack by the locals when Shakespeare-quoting "savage" John Cooper (Tim Guinee) intervenes. When John takes Bernard and Lenina to the house where he lives with his alcoholic mother Linda (Sally Kirkland), Bernard is fascinated by John's retro way of life and his collection of literature. With automatic satellite tracking in play, a craft arrives in short order to return Bernard and Lenina to the city. For research purposes, Bernard takes the two back to civilization -- where John (aka "The Savage") becomes a media celeb, and Linda gets hooked on Soma. The Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning (Miguel Ferrer) considers Cooper a threat to society, but his superior, the Controller (Leonard Nimoy), who thinks the social order is secure, holds a progressive, thoughtful attitude regarding past, present, and future. Meanwhile, Lenina has a sexual attraction for John, who rejects her passionate advances because it "isn't love," and he soon becomes disenchanted with the unspiritual, hedonistic way of life he sees in this "brave new world." Premiered April 19, 1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Gallagher, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1997
In this political thriller, Sherilyn Fenn plays Lauren Jacobs, a FBI agent assigned to protect an African-American political candidate. When he is killed by assassins, she resigns her post in despair, but later one of her former partners passes along some shocking information -- the death of the candidate was actually planned and executed by FBI agents. Desperate to learn the truth, Lauren discovers the deeper she digs into the story, the greater the danger she faces. The supporting cast includes Paul Winfield, Diedrich Bader, and Victor Love. Also shown under the title Out of the Cold. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1997
- R
Janet Meyers directed this TV movie about the search for Jack the Ripper in London of 1888. As Inspector Hansen (Patrick Bergin) searches for the murderer of East End prostitutes, his suspicions focus on Prince Albert Victor (Samuel West), eldest son of the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria's grandson. Filmed in Melbourne, Australia, this drama premiered December 6, 1997 on the Starz! channel. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Bergin, Gabrielle Anwar, (more)
- 1996
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The made for television movie Munster's Scary Little Christmas, created three decades after the demise of the original series, concerns son Eddie missing his home in Transylvania. Soon the entire family bands together to teach the young boy everything great about the holiday season. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam McMurray, Ann Magnuson, (more)
- 1996
The third incarnation of TV's gloriously ghoulish "Munster" family appears in this made-for-TV movie, originally telecast December 17, 1996 by the Fox network. That lovable pint-sized werewolf Eddie Munster (Bug Hall) feels depressed as the Yuletide holiday approaches, yearning for a "Transylvania Christmas" while being stuck in Southern California. Eddie's Frankensteinish dad Herman Munster (Sam McMurray) tries to cheer the boy up by arranging for a Christmas celebration in the tradition of the Old Country. To top things off, vampirish Grandpa Munster (Sandy Baron) extends the Holiday cheer by giving Santa Claus (Mark Mitchell) a magic potion--which, unfortunately, is swiped by a pair of larcenous elves (Ed Gale, Arturo Gil). In other developments, Lily Munster (Ann Magnuson) enters a house-decorating contest (love those designer cobwebs!), and several other copyrighted Universal Pictures monsters make fleeting cameo appearances. A critical assessment of The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas is virtually impossible: Either one loves the Munsters, or one doesn't--and that's the name of that dirge! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The fishing industry of a small Northwestern coastal town is nearly destroyed when a mysterious giant sea creature takes up residence. Based on a novel by Peter Benchley, the story bears more than passing resemblance to the author's most popular story, Jaws in that a few, including a scientist, learn the terrifying truth and try to convince a skeptical community that they are all in danger should they go too near the water. Once the town believes, it is up to the hero, a lady coast guard officer, and the scientists to stop the beast. This feature originally aired as a two-part miniseries on network television. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William L. Petersen, Karen Sillas, (more)
A young boy overcomes his obsessive fears by discovering a love for books in this animated fantasy adventure. In a live action wraparound, Macaulay Culkin stars as Richard Tyler, an easily bullied, nervous wreck of a kid who's an expert on safety statistics. His mother and father (Mel Harris and Ed Begley, Jr.) don't know how to inspire their son to embrace life boldly. Barely able to leave the house, Richard ventures out one day, but he gets lost in a storm and ends up at a mysterious library. Inside, he slips, knocks himself unconscious and finds himself in a cartoon realm where books come to life. Guided by Adventure (Patrick Stewart), Fantasy (Whoopi Goldberg) and Horror (Frank Welker), Tyler experiences the adventures of classic novels such as Moby Dick and Treasure Island, and he even meets some famed fictional characters, such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Leonard Nimoy). Through his experiences in the pages of the legendary books, Richard confronts his phobias and learns to face life more courageously. The Pagemaster was directed by Joe Johnston, a former special effects supervisor and production designer who later directed Jumanji (1995) and October Sky (1999). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, (more)
A man from the future fights to survive in a society thrown back to the dark ages in this sci-fi adventure set in 2022. Capt. Robbins (Ray Liotta) is a military man who, after he's convicted of the murder of his superior officer, is sentenced to a high-tech prison ruled by the Warden (Michael Lerner), a cruel taskmaster who enjoys torturing his inmates. After a scuffle with the Warden, Robbins is transferred to a primitive island penal colony known as Absalom, where the civilization is dominated by two groups, the Insiders, a peaceful tribe led by the Father (Lance Henriksen), and the Outsiders, a pack of violent misfits led by Marek (Stuart Wilson). Robbins runs afoul of the Outsiders and is injured in a skirmish; he escapes to the Insiders' camp, where he plots his revenge. No Escape was based on the novel The Penal Colony by Richard Herley. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Liotta, Lance Henriksen, (more)
- 1992
- PG13
Based on the book by Meg Wolitzer, This Is My Life is the directorial debut for Nora Ephron, who adapted the script with sister, Delia Ephron. Dottie Engels (Julie Kavner) is a single mother with aspirations of becoming a standup comedian. When her Aunt Harriet dies, Dottie gets an apartment in Manhattan with her daughters, teenaged Erica (Samantha Mathis) and ten-year-old Opal (Gaby Hoffmann). Soon, Dottie's career is taking off and her agent, Claudia Curtis (Carrie Fisher), gets her on a comedy tour. Everything seems to work out well for Dottie, except that her daughters are left without a mother. Erica, who has just started dating Jordan (Danny Zorn) gets especially mad when she hears Dottie talking about her personal information on a talk show. The two girls are further upset with their mother's choice for a boyfriend, Arnold Moss (Dan Aykroyd). Eventually, Erica and Opal try to track down their real father, Norm (Louis di Banco), in upstate New York. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Kavner, Samantha Mathis, (more)
A complicated thriller, directed with great visual style by Brian De Palma, Raising Cain is the story of twin brothers, Carter and Josh (John Lithgow), one good and one evil, who will stop at nothing to find children to further their father's psychological experiments. John Lithgow is outstanding in the role of the brothers. Lolita Davidovich, is also good as his wife Jenny, who he may or may not have murdered. To even identify the other characters would give away too much of the complicated plot, which twists and turns, leaving the audience constantly guessing who is really who. The film is darkly comic and De Palma and his unusual plot devices play homage to Alfred Hitchcock, along with Orson Welles and Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lithgow, Lolita Davidovich, (more)
