David E. Peckinpah Movies

While negotiating with traders for maps of Tormented Space, the Moya crew suddenly undergoes profound personality changes. Some of these alterations are for the good, notably the uncharacteristic generosity of the mercenary Rygel (Jonathan Hardy) -- but some may bode ill for the crew, especially an uneasy friendship between the mercurial Scorpius (Wayne Pygram) and soldier-of-fortune Sikozu (Raelee Hill). Can these metamorphoses be due to the influence of Talikaa (Paula Arundell), the slave girl whom Chiana (Gigi Edgley) has rescued from the map traders? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Sliders find themselves on an "Old West" parallel version of the earth, where Colin (Charlie O'Connell) disappears after being shot down by a grim-visaged gunfighter known as Mr. K (Reiner Schone). As Colin is nursed back to health by homesteader Amanda Starr (Karen Austin), Maggie (Kari Wuhrer) gets a job as a saloon singer so she can afford the horses needed to launch a search for her missing friend. Meanwhile, Quinn (Jerry O'Connell) is framed for murder, thus setting the stage for the obligatory "High Noon" showdown with an old enemy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Moving from the Fox network to the Sci-Fi Channel for its fourth season, Sliders picks up the action some three months after Season Three left off. After innumerable "slides" through various wormholes taking them from one parallel Earth to another, extradimensional travelers Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) and Maggie Beckett (Kari Wuhrer) have finally arrived at Quinn's homeworld, Earth Prime--only to discover that the planet has been enslaved by the fascistic Kromagg Dynasty which Colin had briefly encountered two seasons earlier. The Kromaggs have captured fellow "sliders" Rembrandt Brown (Cleavant Derricks) and Wade Wells, enslaving Remmy and placing Wade in a breeding camp from which she will never return (actress Sabrina Lloyd) had left the series in 1997). More shocking news comes Quinn's way when, upon being reunited with his mother (Linda Henning), he is told that he was adopted--and that his actual homeworld is Kromagg Prime. Joining an underground resistance movement in hopes of liberating Remmy, Quinn and Maggie simultaneously embark upon an odyssey to find Colin Mallory, the brother Quinn never knew he had...until now. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Most Dangerous Game meets The Running Man in this episode, wherein Quinn (Jerry O'Connell), Maggie (Kari Wuhrer), Remmy (Cleavant Derricks) and Colin (Charlie O'Connell) emerge from their latest slide to land on a deserted earth. Here they find themselves in the middle of a target range created by the Hu-Maggs, a race of Kromagg-human hybrids who hunt down humans like animals. The Sliders try to rescue one of the "hunted", Jenny Anderson (Meredith Bishop), but she resists their efforts, explaining that the Hu-Maggs have promised to set her free if she survives the huntdown for twenty days. What Jenny doesn't know is that there have never been any survivors...and never will be. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Anne Werden (JoBeth Williams) is a besieged psychiatric intern in this thriller about conspiracy and murder. After Anne takes one of her young patients home and he dies under mysterious circumstances, she falls under suspicion and is arrested. Not long after that, her young son is kidnapped and Anne becomes determined to find her son and discover who killed her young patient -- aided by certain clues that point to her dead patient's family. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Season Two of the Fox sci-fi-fantasy series Sliders finds college student Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) and his friends Wade (Sabrina Lloyd), Arturo (John Rhys-Davies), and Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks) using the timing device he has invented to hopscotch around dozens of alternate versions of his native San Francisco, as the foursome desperately seek a way to return to their own world. In the season opener "Into the Mystic", the sliders pop up in a contemporary San Francisco ruled by magicians, whereupon Quinn becomes a hunted man when he refuses to pay his witch doctor's bill. Other typical episodes this season include "The Good, the Bad, and the Wealthy", in which San Francisco is part of the Nation of Texas; "Obsession", depicting a bizarro Frisco controlled by evil psychics; and "Greatfellas", in which the foursome emerge in a modern world where Prohibition has never ended, with San Francisco in thrall of old-fashioned gangsters. And foreshadowing of season three, wherein Quinn and company move beyond San Francisco and slide throughout the world and the universe, our heroines (and heroine) meet a band of fellow sliders from another planet in "Invasion." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young boy attempts to sabotage his single mother's relationship with her new fiancé in this family-oriented comedy. Ben Archer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) has become protective of his attractive mother Sandra (Farrah Fawcett) since they were abandoned by his father, and he resents the intrusion of anyone else into their lives. Despite his disapproval, however, Sandra has built up a relationship with district attorney Jack Sturges (an extremely low-key Chevy Chase), who eventually pops the question. Ben decides that marriage is out of the question, and he sets out to drive the lawyer away through a variety of schemes. These plans culminate in an effort to trick Struges into participating in the "Indian Guides," a scouting program involving all sorts of strenuous father-son activities. As one might expect, things do not quite go as Ben planned, as Jack proves himself a more suitable father figure than either expected. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Created by Stephen J. Cannell, the weekly, hour-long police drama Silk Stalkings dealt with unusual and frequently kinky crimes of passion amongst the wealthy elite of Palm Beach, FL. During the series' nine-season run, three different "dog and cat" teams of undercover cops pieced together the clues and snapped the cuffs on the perps. Introduced during season one were Sgt. Chris Lorenzo (Rob Estes) and his partner Sgt. Rita Lee "Sam" Lance (Mitzi Kapture), the latter also serving as the series' narrator. Chris and Rita took their orders first from grouchy, by-the-book Captain "Hutch" Hutchinson (Ben Vereen). He was transferred to the Ft. Lauderdale division midway through season two, then briefly replaced by Lt. Lou Hudson (Robert Gossett). By the time season three rolled around, Chris and Rita were answering to bombastic hypochondriac Captain Harry Lipschitz (Charlie Brill), who in turn answered to his domineering wife Fran (Mitzi McCall). Characters such as Harry and Fran provided comic relief to offset the drama and tension inherent in the stories. Likewise cast in a humorous vein were radio sex therapist Melissa Cassidy (Kim Morgan Greene), libidinous morgue attendant Roger (Danny Gans), bon vivant con artist Cotton Dunn (John Byner), and Runyonesque gangster Donnie "Dogs" DiBarto (Dennis Paladino). While it was "strictly business" between Chris and Rita during the series' early seasons, their relationship deepened into romance after Chris was shot and nearly killed by a demented woman at the end of season three. Ultimately, Chris and Rita were married at the beginning of the fifth season, but one month later Chris was fatally shot while trying to rescue Rita from a kidnapper. She became so distraught that she quit the force, whereupon Captain Lipschitz formed a team of replacement cops: ex-Chicagoan detective Michael Price (Nick Kokotakis) and Southern belle detective Holly Rawlins (Tyler Layton). Come season six, and both Price and Rawlins were gone with little explanation. Their replacements were Det. Sgt. Tom Ryan (Chris Potter) and Det. Sgt. Cassandra "Cassy" St. John (Janet Gunn), who had once been husband and wife. Tom and Cassy remained the stars until the series' curiously downbeat finale. Debuting November 7, 1991, Silk Stalkings was a coproduction of over-the-air network CBS and the USA cable network, and ran on both services until November 4, 1993. The series' final seven seasons were first-run exclusively on USA until the series' end in late 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a film originally made for television, a detective accidentally involves himself with a female con artist who is planning a $12 million diamond robbery. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

When an attorney returns to her hometown to defend an accused murderer, she finds that the locals have strong opinions about the defendant and do not take kindly to her position. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Heart Like a Wheel stars Bonnie Bedelia as real-life racing champion Shirley "Cha Cha" Muldowney. Overcoming sexist hurdles, Shirley works hard to qualify for the major auto race competitions of America. Firmly in her cheering section is her dad (Hoyt Axton), and--at least at first--her husband, mechanic Jack Muldowney (Leo Rossi). When Jack, jealous of Shirley's success, leaves her, she casts her lot with troublesome banned racer Connie Kalita (Beau Bridges). The film comes to a head at the 1966 National Hot Rod Association World Championship, which Shirley eventually wins three times. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Some sort of Bad Timing Award must surely be bestowed upon the otherwise worthwhile Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story. David Keith stars as American athlete Wayne Robinson, whose main goal in life is to win the Olympic Decathlon. His dream is compromised when he falls in love with Soviet athlete Anya Andreyev (Stephanie Zimbalist), sparking an international cause celebre. First shown in two parts on May 25 and 26, 1980, Golden Moment was timed to coincide with the telecast of the 1980 Olympics--from which the United States had just withdrawn! Even with this working against it, the film performed reasonably well in the ratings, and also managed to pick up an Emmy nomination for best sound mixing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide