Michael Currie Movies

In the second episode of a three-part story arc, the detectives continue tracking down the pedophile who may or may not have seriously wounded Bolander (Ned Beatty), Howard (Melissa Leo), and Felton (Daniel Baldwin) in a bloody ambush. Meanwhile, Felton begins to recover from his wounds, but his colleagues may not be so lucky. And it looks as though Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) will be forced to take the rap for the clerical error that led to the shooting -- and that Russert (Isabella Hoffman) will be the one who hangs Giardello out to dry. Real-life Baltimore homicide cop (Gary D'Addario), the series' technical advisor and the prototype for the Giardello character, appears as Col. Granger. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mel Gibson made his feature film directing debut with this drama, loosely based on the book by Isabel Holland, which combines elements from The Elephant Man, Mask, Scent of a Woman, and The Karate Kid in a study of the capacity for human trust and compassion. Gibson plays Justin McLeod, a former teacher who, after having his face and his body terribly disfigured in an automobile accident, has taken to living alone in a big house in an island off the coast of Maine. McLeod works as a free-lance artist who undergoes the humiliation of being shunned by his neighbors and called "hamburger head" behind his back. McLeod keeps to himself and wants nothing to do with his neighbors. But one day an adolescent boy, Chuck Norstadt (Nick Stahl), comes knocking at his door desperate for a tutor. At first suspicious, McLeod gradually warms up to Chuck and they become pals. But their burgeoning friendship is frowned upon by Chuck's family and the local police chief, Stark (Geoffrey Lewis), apparently because of rumors circulating that McLeod had a record concerning child molestation. This piece of gossip threatens Chuck with the loss of his teacher and a new-found friend. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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, Rovi

Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) hopes to make a corporate farewell party a lot more exciting than the dullard who is retiring. Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and the guys reluctantly attend the bris of baby Frederick, with at least one of the guests making his own cut-out a bit early. Meanwhile, Carla (Rhea Perlman) waxes sentimental over her late husband's hockey jersey. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Dead Pool is the fifth and (thus far) the last of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry movies. A sports pool is placing bets on which famous person will die next. Suddenly a serial killer who preys upon celebrities enters the scene, radically (and perhaps deliberately) changing the odds in the pool. As a celebrity of sorts, maverick cop Dirty Harry Callahan becomes a target of the killer, as does high-profile TV journalist Patricia Clarkson. Surprises are at a minimum in The Dead Pool; the film gets down to business quickly, moves logically if violently towards its climax (with a spectacular car-chase sequence thrown in for good measure), and delivers exactly what its fans expect. One major difference between this film and the earlier Dirty Harry epics is that the murders are committed in so outrageous a fashion that the picture seems at times to be a Freddie Krueger vehicle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This science fiction thriller was inspired by a mythical real-life event, the WWII era disappearance of an entire naval vessel during a radar-cloaking test. In 1943, David Herdeg Michael Pare and Jim Parker Bobby DiCicco are sailors stationed aboard a Virginia battleship. Their vessel is undergoing an experiment conducted by brilliant scientist Dr. Longstreeet (Eric Christmas), who is attempting to render Allied craft invisible to radar. The ship becomes briefly invisible, but the test is a disaster and most of the crew are horribly killed. However, two crewmen are missing. In 1984, Herdeg and Parker emerge in the Nevada desert, having somehow traveled through time. Longstreet, still trying to perfect the device after 40 years, is running another experiment that pulls the missing sailors into the present. Realizing what's occurred, Herdeg and Parker flee, fearing for their lives. Fugitives, they befriend a skeptical modern woman, Alison Hayes (Nancy Allen). An effect of time pulls Parker back into 1943, leading to a bizarre reunion between Herdeg, still trapped in the future, and Parker, now a senior citizen. The film was followed by a sequel nine years later. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

In this taut, futuristic drama, the maiden voyage of a hypersonic passenger jet becomes a disaster when something goes terribly wrong and it gets stuck in orbit. The film is also known as Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The made-for-television Pray TV was the subject for hot debate long before its February 1, 1982 debut. This even-handed exploration of the televangelism business stars Ned Beatty as the Reverend Freddy Stone, whose religious empire nets $3 million annually. John Ritter co-stars as Rev. Tom McPherson, a newly ordained clergyman who joins the Stone operation. As Ritter begins to question the religious ethics behind Stone's lucrative ministry, a subplot develops involving Reverend Gus Keffer (Richard Kiley), who in contrast to Stone must operate on a shoestring, minus the glittery trappings of TV, radio, and SRO revival meetings. Lane Slate's teleplay takes great pains to offend no one; whether this is good or bad is up to you. Pray TV bears no relation to the earlier theatrical-feature comedy of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The only installment of the Halloween series to abandon the Michael Myers story line, Halloween III: Season of the Witch is an intricate sci-fi horror hybrid. A week before Halloween, an older man named Harry Grimbridge (Al Berry) is wounded by a mysteriously dispassionate group of assailants in an industrial parking lot. After receiving treatment at a local hospital from Dr. Dan Challis (Tom Atkins) -- a hard-drinking divorced father of two -- Grimbridge is killed by an assassin who later sets himself on fire. Blowing off his own kids, Challis teams up with Grimbridge's daughter, Ellie (Stacey Nelkin), to find out why the middle-aged toy salesman was murdered. The duo's search soon leads them to a Halloween-mask factory run by inventor and practical joker Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy). In between bouts of passionate lovemaking, Ellie and Challis begin to realize that the sinister old businessman has something other than treats in mind for America's kids -- something to do with the Silver Shamrock masks that Challis' children and thousands of other youngsters have bought for the holiday. Original screenwriter Nigel Kneale, whose scripts for Britain's Quatermass TV series made him a beloved science fiction fixture, sued the producers of Halloween III to have his name removed from the credits after seeing the gory finished product; director Tommy Lee Wallace ultimately received screenplay credit. John Carpenter, director of the first Halloween film, co-produced the third installment with Debra Hill, who would later soldier on without Carpenter for additional, belated sequels. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

With the Jerry Zucker-Jim Abrahams-David Zucker team absent, this sequel to the cash-cow 1980 spoof Airplane once again finds garrulous man-with-a-past Ted Striker (Robert Hays) compelled to take over the controls of crippled aircraft, all the while trying to patch up his relationship with stewardess Elaine (Julie Hagerty). This time, the first passenger space shuttle is launched into orbit -- and takes off for the moon - but the on-board computer malfunctions and sends the craft hurtling toward the sun, threatening the lives of everyone on board. Lloyd Bridges and Peter Graves return from the first Airplane, while William Shatner, Chad Everett, Sonny Bono, Raymond Burr and Chuck Conners join the cast, as they too lampoon their established images. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Amy Warner (Melora Hardin) and Michelle Mudd (Dana Hill) are two 12-year-old girls with one thing in common: Their parents are going through the process of a divorce. Both girls are angry and resentful, especially because they feel they've been "deserted" by their fathers. Out of their grief the girls form a strong bond of friendship, promising eternal loyalty and respect, and never to betray their trust. But what will happen when circumstances cause Amy to believe that Michelle is turning her back on her? What Are Best Friends For? is based on a novel by Mildred Ames. ~ Rovi

Vincent Sherman, who back in Hollywood's heyday directed Humphrey Bogart in The Return of Dr. X and All Through the Night, helmed the TV biopic Bogie. Unfortunately, Sherman was unable to overcome a cliched, bowdlerized screenplay, nor could he cover up the fact that star Kevin O'Connor had none of Humphrey Bogart's movie-star charisma. The film sketchily covers Bogart's life between 1899 and 1944, then zeroes in on the romance between Bogie and his To Have and Have Not leading lady Lauren Bacall, phlegmatically portrayed by Kathryn Harrold (the real Bacall reportedly refuses to see this film). Ann Wedgeworth makes a meal of her portrayal of Bogart's third wife Mayo "Sluggsy" Methot, while Bogie's close pals Patrick O'Moore and "Prince" Michael Romanoff are played, respectively, by Donald May and Alfred Ryder. Other Bogart intimates impersonated in this film include Peter Lorre (played by Herb Braham), Jack Warner (Richard Dysart), Leslie Howard (Stephen Keep), Howard Hawks (Ross Elliot), and wife #2 Mary Phillips (Carol Vogel). The script was by Daniel Tadarash, who wrote the 1949 Bogart film Knock on Any Door; it was based on Joe Hyams' affectionate (and far superior) biography of the star. Bogie was first telecast March 4, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi