Melinda Culea Movies
Best known to audiences as reporter Amy Allen on the hit series The A-Team, Chicago native Melinda Culea began her career in show business as a model in the early '80s. Unsatisfied with mere posing, she soon left her agency in New York to pursue a career as a TV actress in L.A., where she scored roles on numerous shows like Family Ties, St. Elsewhere, and Knots Landing. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi- 1998
Ever since the 1950s, the area around the city of Springfield, Illinois has been plagued by mysterious 3-day abductions, with the victims returning just as quickly as they disappeared, seemingly none the worse for wear. In truth, however, these victims have been harvest by aliens, who, using implants on their human prey, are laying the groundwork for a mass takeover of the world once those implants are activated. But the only person who has an inkling of what is really going on is police detective Sam Adams (Christopher Meloni), a local "character" whom no one takes seriously. Things begin to intensify when Sam investigates the case of a local six-year-old girl who has undergone a sudden change of personality. Dabney Coleman and Chad Lowe play key roles in this made-for-TV derivation of the old favorite Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Target Earth originally aired February 5, 1998, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1996
In this haunting made-for-TV drama, a young woman is visited by the troubled ghost of a young girl and asked to capture the person who killed the girl's mother by throwing her off a cliff. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Tim Matheson, (more)
- 1992
Arriving at Kennedy International Airport, a confused Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is kidnapped by the minions of respected philanthropist Maxwell Hagen (Ken Howard). After being released, Jessica complains to the authorities, who refuse to believe her story, or at least act as if they don't believe her. It turns out that Jessica was mistaken for another woman, a government "mole" who was fleeing for her life--and when that woman turns up murdered, Jessica is determined to bring the culprit to justice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1992
The titular figure in this episode is Soren (Melinda Cullen, a member of the androgynous J'naii race. In defiance of her race's ban on male/female relationships, Soren has a sexual relationship and is promptly ostracized. Her plight becomes even more poignant -- and potentially deadly -- when she falls in love with Riker, whose presence amongst the J'naii might very well signal the end of the race. First broadcast March 21, 1992, "The Outcast" was written by Jeri Taylor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1990
This is one of several seventh-season Murder She Wrote episodes introduced by Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) but starring Dennis Stanton (Keith Michell), a jewel thief turned insurance investigator. Stanton's latest assignment is to investigate the suspicious events surrounding a fire that destroyed the hands of famous concert pianist Vaclav Maryska (Ricardo Montalban). The intrigue reaches a crescendo when Maryska's wife Milena (Patricia Neal) is murdered, with a veritable orchestra of suspects at Stanton's disposal. As usual, Stanton is more or less assisted by ditzy Rhoda Markowitz (Hallie Todd) and by flustered Lt. Catalano (Ken Swofford). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Unfairly imprisoned for committing a bank robbery during the waning days of the Vietnam War (no one could prove they were just following orders), the members of the A-Team, a unit of highly specialized undercover operatives, manages to escape from prison and set about to clear their names by working as soldiers-of-fortune throughout the world. This is the premise established by the two-hour pilot episode of The A-Team and carried out during the series' first season. Led by cigar-chomping, disguise-happy Hannibal Smith (George Peppard), the team includes B.A. (Mr. T), a musclebound black weapons expert; ace pilot "Howling Mad" Murdock (Dwight Schultz), who has to be busted out of a mental institution for each assignment; and all-around wheeler dealer "Faceman" Peck, played in the opening episode by Tim Dunigan and thereafter by Dirk Benedict. Also along for the ride is plucky girl reporter Amy Allen (Melinda Culea), one of the few "outsiders" who believes in the team's innocence. Relentlessly pursuing the A-Team in hopes of either locking them up permanently or seeing them all hang is a certain Col. Lynch (William Lucking).
In the two-hour opening episode, Amy Allen sets out to prove that the shadowy A-Team really exists and becomes involved in the team's plan to rescue one of her fellow reporters from kidnappers in Mexico. The season's remaining hour-long episodes find the team being hunted down "Most Dangerous Game" style by a loony cult leader, saving B.A.'s girlfriend from the clutches of a corrupt prison warden who stages illegal to-the-death gladiatorial battles, matching wits with a rogue SWAT team that commits murders on the side, going head-to-head with a small-town biker gang, taking on the Mob in Las Vegas on behalf of two coeds who are worried about the safety of their professor, championing the cause of New York shopkeepers who are being terrorized by a protection racket, crash-landing in the mountains where they try to save an innocent man from being lynched, protecting a group of farmers from a land-greed rancher, saving a young girl from a forced marriage, attempting to free passengers of a hijacked airliner despite Murdock's temporary blindness, and shielding a small town from a band of crazed murderers. And in an ironic twist, the very government that is determined to clap the A-Team behind bars must solicit the team's aid in order to rescue a general and his daughter who are being held by terrorists in the heart of Borneo. ~ Rovi
In the two-hour opening episode, Amy Allen sets out to prove that the shadowy A-Team really exists and becomes involved in the team's plan to rescue one of her fellow reporters from kidnappers in Mexico. The season's remaining hour-long episodes find the team being hunted down "Most Dangerous Game" style by a loony cult leader, saving B.A.'s girlfriend from the clutches of a corrupt prison warden who stages illegal to-the-death gladiatorial battles, matching wits with a rogue SWAT team that commits murders on the side, going head-to-head with a small-town biker gang, taking on the Mob in Las Vegas on behalf of two coeds who are worried about the safety of their professor, championing the cause of New York shopkeepers who are being terrorized by a protection racket, crash-landing in the mountains where they try to save an innocent man from being lynched, protecting a group of farmers from a land-greed rancher, saving a young girl from a forced marriage, attempting to free passengers of a hijacked airliner despite Murdock's temporary blindness, and shielding a small town from a band of crazed murderers. And in an ironic twist, the very government that is determined to clap the A-Team behind bars must solicit the team's aid in order to rescue a general and his daughter who are being held by terrorists in the heart of Borneo. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- George Peppard, Dirk Benedict, (more)
Still officially fugitives from justice as The A-Team begins its second season, the members of the titular team nonetheless continue to surface from time to time to perform acts of great courage, protecting the weak from evildoers and occasionally saving the -- er -- behind of the very government that has been relentlessly pursuing them. Back on the job are team leader Hannibal Smith (George Peppard), weapons expert B.A. (Mr. T), gonzo pilot "Howling Mad" Murdock (Dwight Schultz), and glib con artist "Faceman" (Dirk Benedict). During the previous season, the A-Team was assisted by sympathetic girl reporter Amy Allen, played by Melinda Culea. Reportedly because of friction on the set between Culea and another cast member, Amy disappears from the series after the episode titled "The White Ballot." Also, the Team's most ruthless military antagonist from season one, Col. Lynch (William Lucking), is joined in his pursuit of the good guys by another colonel, Roderick Decker (Lance Le Gault). The first of this year's missions finds the A-Team emulating the classic French film The Wages of Fear by agreeing to transport explosives to a Zimbabwe diamond mine. In subsequent adventures, the Team heads to Ecuador to locate its client's college sweetheart, thwart a dangerous gang of wild horse rustlers, protect a group of independent cabbies from the murderous excesses of a large transit company, pose as migrant workers to expose a gang of modern-day slave drivers, enter into a small-town political campaign to bring a crooked sheriff to justice, assist a Southern preacher in his efforts to halt the sale of poisonous moonshine, and face down a group of mercenaries each specially trained to kill a specific A-Team member. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- George Peppard, Mr. T, (more)
- 1982
A novel by Hila Colman is the source for this powerful ABC Afterschool Special. Future A-Team co-star Melinda Culea heads the cast as Dallas, a suburban teenager whose father dies suddenly and without warning. In the weeks that follow, Dallas' grieving mother (Patricia Elliott) becomes overly dependent upon her daughter -- so much so that the girl can't stand it. Not only does Dallas want her own independence back, but she also would like a little time alone to deal with her own grief. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Melinda Culea, Patricia Elliott, (more)
- 1982
In this domestic drama, a the marriage of a suburban couple crumbles on the eve of their 15th anniversary. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1992
- R
A woman is terrorized by her former lover in her apartment, which he remodeled to his own specifications. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Dean Anderson, Marg Helgenberger, (more)
Terry Gilliam directed this adaptation of Richard LaGravenese's mystical (and mythical) tale of redemption in the hard-time town of New York City. Jeff Bridges is shock radio DJ Jack Lucas, whose low opinion of humanity lends itself well to his radio talk show, where the enmity rubs off on his listeners. One fan in particular takes Jack's rants to heart and goes to a fancy restaurant with a gun, murdering innocent diners. Jack is so distraught at what his on-air suggestion wrought that he sinks into a three-year depression, drinking himself to sleep and mooching off of his girlfriend Anne Napolitano (Mercedes Ruehl, in an Oscar-winning performance), an attractive owner of a video store. Hitting bottom, Jack slumps to the river, prepared to commit suicide. To his rescue comes a crazed but witty homeless man named Parry (Robin Williams), who tells Jack he's destined for great things -- all his has to do is find the Holy Grail (conveniently located in mid-town Manhattan) and save Parry's soul. He also wants Jack to help him out with the woman of his dreams, Lydia Sinclair (Amanda Plummer), a shy type who works at a publishing company. Parry was once a university professor became unglued by a tragic event in his past; Jack soon realizes that to save himself, he first must save Parry. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, (more)
In this feature comedy, a womanizer (Tim Matheson) marries his live-in girlfriend (Kate Capshaw) only to quickly resume his wicked ways. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tim Matheson, Kate Capshaw, (more)
Comedian John Candy, who died during the making of this poorly received comic western, plays James Harlow, a 19th century wagon master who is heading back east with a wagon train full of oddball characters who have had their fill of Western life. They include ex-doctor Phil Taylor (Richard Lewis), kind-hearted prostitute Belle (Ellen Greene), and a bookseller, Julian (John C. McGinley). Harlow is a drunken, washed-up leader who frequently gets lost. The travelers eventually discover that he was a member of the famous Donner party, which resorted to cannibalism when stranded in the mountains. Railroad magnates try to turn back the party, figuring it's bad publicity for people out East to learn that the West is not really a paradise. The tycoons hire gunfighters and villains to stop the expedition, but local Indians protect the wagons, because they are glad to see disgruntled white settlers leaving their lands. This "backwards" western was based on a story by Jerry Abrahamson. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Candy, Richard Lewis, (more)
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