John deLancie Movies

Gregory Harrison is the Angel of Death in this made-for-TV suspenser. In love with artist Jane Seymour, escaped convict Harrison vows to protect Seymour and her six-year-old son Brian Bonsall from any and all antagonists. Trouble is, Harrison is apt to love Seymour and her boy to death. If you don't care for the melodramatic angle, you'll love the scene wherein Harrison gains Seymour's confidence by agreeing to pose nude for her! Angel of Death premiered on October 2, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Successful LA marketing analyst Michael Boll (James Spader) seemingly has it all-except a sense of self-confidence. Enigmatic drifter Alex (Rob Lowe) enters Michael's life and immediately begins to exert a negative influence. As Michael's self-esteem zooms (aided by generous dollops of sex and drugs) he allows himself to be dragooned into a life of crime by the demonic Alex. The "doppelganger" aspects of Bad Influence, and the film's many unexpected twists and turns, echo films of Alfred Hitchcock, especially Strangers on a Train. The film's boldest stroke is to cast the likeable Lowe as the bad guy (albeit a charming one) and the often villainous Spader as the malleable milquetoast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Siblings Eric Roberts and Julia Roberts appear in this old-fashioned saga about oppressed Sicilian wine-growers in 19th-century California. Giancarlo Giannini stars as Sebastian Collogero, the robust Italian patriarch who is battling with railroad mogul William Bradford Berrigan (Dennis Hopper) to prevent his land from being taken over by the rail company. Sebastian's spirited son, Marco (Eric Roberts), is in love with Angelica (Lara Harris), the daughter of a rival wine-grower's clan. Marco is not very concerned about the warfare about to erupt between the wine-growers and the railroad until Berrigan's thugs torture and kill Sebastian in front of his daughter Maria (Julia Roberts). Marco then gets his friends together and organizes a revolt against Berrigan and his railroad empire. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

One of four dramatic miniseries carried by NBC under the blanket title Best Sellers, Captains and the Kings was adapted from a novel by Taylor Caldwell. Covering a time span from 1857 to 1912, this was the saga of the Irish-immigrant Armagh clan, with emphasis on the rags-to-riches career of Joseph Armagh (Richard Jordan). Achieving fame and prominence (if not full-fledged social acceptance) through a Byzantine series of investments in the oil industry, the elder Armagh was obsessed with the notion of having one of his sons become the first Irish-Catholic President of the United States (does this story sound vaguely familiar?). Along the way, Joseph and his offspring indulged in innumerable romantic liaisons, extramarital and otherwise. Featured in the all-star cast is Patty Duke Astin, who won an Emmy award for her portrayal of Bernadette Hennessey Armagh. Captains and the Kings was broadcast from September 30 to November 18, 1976 in seven installments, two of which ran 120 minutes, and the other six lasting 60 minutes -- a total of nine hours' air time in all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Out of boredom, one of the magic school students conjures up the spirits of Lady Godiva (Kristen Miller) and her age-old nemesis, Lord Dyson (Maury Sterling). If you know your English history, you'll know that Lady G. rode naked through the streets of Coventry to protest Dyson's despotism. Now on the loose in the present, Dyson intends to kill Godiva before she can make the ride that will destroy his power -- and thus the Charmed Ones must come to the rescue of the Unclad One. And in a related development, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) strips for action as she follows Lady Godiva's example on behalf of contemporary feminism. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Leo (Brian Krause) is ordered by his fellow Avatars to protect the demon seer Kira (Charisma Carpenter) in order to obtain information necessary to vanquish all other demons. At the same time, the Charmed Ones share Kira's latest vision, leading them to believe that the best of all possible worlds will be one ruled by the Avatars. Meanwhile, Kira's fellow demons release the dreaded, all-powerful Zankou (Oded Fehr, in his first series appearance) to counteract her "treason"; and Paige (Rose McGowan) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) are diametrically opposed in their feelings toward the "helpful" Brody (Kerr Smith). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed in Bulgaria, this made-for-cable thriller draws upon both Greek and Herbraic legend for its inspiration. Shiri Appleby stars as Liz Parker, a normal 24-year-old woman living a normal existence. At least, that's the case until Liz is informed that she is actually the immortal demoness Lilith, who in Biblical times had been the first wife of Adam and thus the evil doppelganger of Eve! Having cut a murderous swath through the world for centuries, Lilith had disappeared from view when she was hypnotized into believing she was an orphaned mortal--and thus "Liz Parker" was born. Now, a secret society called Faith is determined to bring Lilith back to life and to rechannel her evil powers for the forces of Good. It is up to Faith's chief agent William Shaw to keep Liz/Lilith on the path of righteousness, a task made doubly difficult by the fact that Lilith had killed Shaw's son years earlier. Naturally, there are those in the world who hope to benefit from the activities of the "bad" Lilith, and there's also a certain demon who must be destroyed in order to save mankind. Evidently intended as the pilot for a weekly series, DarkLight first aired September 18, 2004 on the Sci-Fi Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A teenager wins an interactive robot that plays shooting games. Soon it starts loading with real ammo and hunting down other kids. This film is a stupid thriller but still manages to be occasionally fun. ~ Sean D. MacLaggan, All Movie Guide

A spectacular mid-air collision leaves a commercial jet liner severely damaged forcing its pilot to draw from all his years of experience in order to safely land the aircraft. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Reality and video games merge in this high-concept sci-fi action thriller from Crank creators Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. In the not too distant future, mind-control technology allows humans to control the actions and movements of other humans, allowing reclusive billionaire Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) to create the ultimate video game. It's called "Slayers," and it's a mass-scale, multiplayer online first-person shooter that's as controversial as it is popular. In the world of gamers, Simon (Logan Lerman) is a rock star; miraculously managing to keep his character alive week after week, he racks up frags like Billy Mitchell jumps barrels. But unlike Mitchell's Mario, Simon's video-game avatar is a living, breathing human being named Kable (Gerard Butler). Defying the odds to keep Kable running and gunning though even the most explosive battles, Simon captures the imagination of a global audience. Torn from his family, thrown into prison, and forced to fight against his will, Kable realizes that his only hope of ever seeing his family again is to somehow escape the game, reclaim his identity, and expose Castle's dehumanizing technology on live television. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The second feature-length revival of the Get Smart television series (1965-1970) of blessed memory, Get Smart Again reunited Don Adams as bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart and Barbara Feldon as his wife, sultry "fellow" agent 99. Smart coerces 99 to drop her public-sector job and join him in thwarting the evil machinations of their old nemesis Siegfried (Bernie Kopell). Other alumni from the original TV series include Dick Gautier as Hymie the Robot, Robert Karvelas (Don Adams' cousin) as Larrabee, King Moody as Starker and Dave Ketchum as the ubiquitous Agent 13. A few concessions have been made to the passage of time (Smart's fabled shoe-phone now has "call waiting"), but the film scores highest on its nostalgic appeal, encapsulated by such catch-phrases as "Sorry about that", "Would you believe?" and "Missed it by that much." Get Smart, Again was first telecast February 26 (would you believe February 27?), 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This modestly budgeted feminist feature was written by actress Joan Hotchkis, who also stars. She plays a wealthy young wife who is sick to death of her well-ordered existence. She begins experimenting with any number of aberrations, ranging from bizarre mind games to what used to be called "self abuse." Both her husband and her lover are convinced that Hotchkiss is quite mad, and at the end she proves them both right. Adapted from Ms. Hotchkiss's stage play of the same name, Legacy was an early feature-length effort by director Karen Arthur. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide