Michael Slovis Movies
A thief finds one of his best friends is in jeopardy when a disastrous robbery turns out to yield the score of a lifetime in this action thriller. Jack Tolliver (Wesley Snipes) is a former Delta Force commando who has jumped to the wrong side of the law to take part in a massive heist intended to carry off the winnings of several major London casinos. However, the robbery goes haywire and one of Tolliver's partners is taken hostage by handful of brutal Russian gangsters. It seems the gangsters want something that Tolliver mistakenly grabbed during the foiled heist -- a case containing a rare painting by Van Gogh worth millions -- and Tolliver is forced to team up with rival Kelly Anders (Tamzin Outhwaite) to save both his friend and himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wesley Snipes
A man struggling to come to terms with the sins of his father makes the terrible discovery that his own son has fallen into a life of crime in a drama based on a true story. Vincent LaMarca (Robert DeNiro) is a dedicated and well-respected New York City police detective who has gone to great lengths to distance himself from his past; four decades earlier, Vincent's father Angelo killed a young child, and since then Vincent has carried emotional scars from this incident that he refuses to show to the world. Vincent lives alone in a small apartment building, though he has nurtured a close if tentative relationship with his downstairs neighbor, Michelle (Frances McDormand). One day, Vincent and his partner, Reg Duffy (George Dzundza), are assigned to investigate a murder when the body of a young man is found dead in a dumpster. It turns out the body was that of a drug dealer, and the dealer's partner in crime, Spyder (William Forsythe), believes the killer was one of his regular customers -- a junkie would-be musician who calls himself Snake (Brian Tarantina). City By the Sea was adapted from a piece by journalist Mike McAlary which first appeared in Esquire magazine; the cast also includes Eliza Dushku and Anson Mount. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, (more)
Action hero Steven Seagal goes behind bars -- though don't worry, he isn't really a bad guy -- in this action thriller. Sascha Petrosevitch (Seagal) is an FBI agent working undercover to infiltrate a gangland kingpin's operations. While Petrosevitch is able to gain the trust of one of the gangster's lieutenants, Nick Frazier (Ja Rule), things go haywire during an FBI raid, and Petrosevitch takes several slugs in the back as he struggles to maintain his cover. Eight months later, Petrosevitch and Frazier are serving time together in the newly refurbished Alcatraz Penitentiary, as Petrosevitch secretly continues his investigation. Prison warden Hubbard (Stephen J. Cannell) is arranging for the execution of convicted killer and thief Lester (Bruce Weitz), and U.S. Supreme Court justice Jane McPherson (Linda Thorson) has announced she will attend as a witness. But Hubbard's assistant Donny (Morris Chestnut) has devised a secret plan -- it seems Lester stole and stashed away 200 million dollars in gold before he was arrested, and Donny, along with an underground SWAT team, takes control of the prison and takes Hubbard, McPherson, and the other assembled dignitaries hostage, demanding to be told where Lester has hidden his fortune. Now Petrosevitch must drop his cover and persuade his allies within the prison -- including Frazier and Little Joe (Michael "Bear" Taliferro) -- to join him in a desperate bid to foil Donny and free the hostages. Half Past Dead also features Nia Peeples, Kurupt, Tony Plana, and Claudia Christian. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Morris Chestnut, (more)
- 2001
Not long after the death of her mother in a car accident, Kelly (Elisabeth Moss) and her father Jesse (Greg Evigan) move to New Orleans. Their new house is reportedly haunted--and Kelly is convinced that the ghost is begging for her help. Jesse, however, is more skeptical, and with the assistance of Kelly's troublesome friend Cole (Austin O'Brien) he tries to prove that the "haunting" is actually a manifestation of Kelly's own guilt feelings. As it turns out, however, both Kelly and Jesse are right! Evidently intended for theatrical release, Spirit was first seen in the US as a cable-TV offering on the Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Although actor-director-producer Michael Landon died of pancreatic cancer in 1991, his life and career remained indelibly etched on the collective consciousness of America for many years afterward, as witness this warts-and-all TV biopic written and directed by Michael Landon Jr. Although it is clear throughout that the younger Landon loved and adored his father, the film is unstinting in its depiction of the emotional damage wrought upon the boy when, at age 15, his parents were divorced. In fact, it is the elder Landon's infidelities (and his almost casual selfishness) that galvanize the storyline, creating a schism between father and son that would not be repaired until the two Landons came to terms during Michael Sr.'s long and painful terminal illness. To be fair, the film allows Michael Sr. to score points vis-à-vis his tireless dedication to his work and his sincere efforts to be a loving and protective father to his enormous family. John Schneider is cast as the elder Landon, with Joel Berti as the adult Michael Jr., Cheryl Ladd as his mother (and his dad's second wife) Lynn, and Julie Condra as Michael Sr's third wife Cindy, a makeup artist whom the actor had met on the set of Little House on the Prairie (is it any surprise that Lynn comes off far more sympathetically than Cindy in the context of the film?) Michael Landon, the Father I Knew premiered May 23, 1999 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this adventure, a journalist embarks upon an exciting quest for a priceless diamond that disappeared during WW II. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Silver, Joanna Pacula, (more)
Trace (Stephen Baldwin) is a cop who's just been assigned to a new unit led by Lt. Devon (Chazz Palminteri). Trace is alarmed at the tactics of his new partners, who shoot criminals to kill without warning and take bets on who will kill the primary target. The unit turns out to be a team assembled to dispatch drug dealers and mobsters, similar to the ruthless cops in Mulholland Falls or L.A. Confidential. When Trace protests, his teammates tie him up in a firing range and shoot near misses at him. Later, Trace spares a tough nightclub singer/prostitute (Tia Carrere), from a deadly raid, and both become hunted by the cops as well as the mob. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Baldwin, Chazz Palminteri, (more)
- 1998
Filmed on location in Oregon, the made-for-cable Halloweentown stars Debbie Reynolds as Aggie Cromwell, the peppery grandma to typical American kids Marnie (Joey Zimmerman), Dylan (Joey Zimmerman) and Sophie (Emily Roeske). During her annual visit to the youngsters' mother Gwen (Judith Hoag), Aggie reveals that she is a benevolent witch, and that Gwen and the kids all have latent magical powers. Whisking the three little ones off to Halloweentown, Aggie subsequently does battle with evil forces conjured up by Gwen's old flame Kalabar (Robin Thomas), a warlock with delusions of grandeur and a nasty habit of transforming children into zombies. Telecast by the Disney Channel on October 22, 1998, Halloweentown was followed three years later by a sequel, also starring Debbie Reynolds, Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, (more)
- 1997
In all fairness, it isn't surprising that the authorities have trouble believing the outlandish tale of woe related by harried heroine Lauren Carlton (Lisa Hartman Black). After all, Lauren was found in a wrecked stolen car; the body of a murdered officer lies nearby; and Lauren's daughter has mysteriously vanished. Accused of theft and double murder, Lauren can only claim that she doesn't remember a thing--not even the fact that her daughter was in the car. "Amnesia's pretty much gone out of style", clucks one of the disbelievers as Lauren is hauled off to the psych ward--while the actual perpetrators of the carjacking, abduction, and murder, a modern-day "Bonnie and Clyde" couple, are still at large! Produced for the ABC TV network, Out of Nowhere debuted March 23, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
- Add Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story to QueueAdd Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story to top of Queue
The real-life story of Olympic diver Greg Louganis is chronicled in this made-for-television drama. Mario Lopez stars as Louganis, an adopted child who went through a difficult adolescence, only to emerge as a world-class diver in the 1988 Olympics. After a notorious diving injury during those games, Louganis went on to win two gold medals. After the games ended though, Louganis was forced to face an even more challenging period and go public with his homosexuality and deal with his HIV-positive status. The film is based on the book of the same name. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Lopez, Michael Murphy, (more)
- 1997
Small-town housewife Sarah Jenks (Melissa Gilbert) would hardly qualify as the most popular woman in her community: She constantly speaks her mind, contemptuously disdains those who aren't vegetarians like herself, and (horrors!) does not attend church on Sunday. However, no one would ever claim that Sarah was not a loving and devoted mother to her children--at least not until the day that a spiteful woman named Sandy Barlow (Joely Fisher) levies accusations that Sarah is guilty of child abuse. Never bothering to question Sandy's ulterior motives (the audience knows that she has sexual designs on Sarah's husband), the authorities take her charges seriously, and before long Sarah's children have been ripped away from her and placed into foster care. Inspired by actual events, this nailbiting made-for-TV movie exposes the dangers of taking people and events at face value, accepting baseless lies as Gospel and adhering to a rigid "rules are rules" mentality. Seduction in a Small Town made itsABC debut on February 9, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This made-for-TV suspense drama gets under way as a medical emergency aircraft en route to Denver crashes in the snowy Rockies. Fortunately, the pilot, the two paramedics, the two-year-old patient and her father all manage to survive the crash. Unfortunately, the little girl's already critical condition is rapidly worsening, her father is growing more hysterical by the minute, the pilot is seriously injured, and the paramedics are not quite sure that they are emotionally equipped for the crisis--especially since the likelihood of the rescue helicopters arriving on time seems slim to none. Inasmuch as the story is narrated by one of the doctors, the viewer knows that someone will pull through the ordeal...but who, and how many? Originally telecast by ABC, Angel Flight Down was first seen on April 29, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
- NR
An African-American busdriver befriends a white girl in this sensitive drama set in 1970 during the height of the Vietnam-War protests. Horace Jones, the bus driver, is frustrated that he couldn't keep his son Willie from enlisting in the military. What makes it worse, is that Willie was an excellent student in college, and only went because he felt it was his duty; now he is missing in action. While driving his coach to a war protest in Washington, Horace encounters 17-year-old Kate Polanski, who has led such a sheltered life that she has never met a black person before. She is not going to protest; she has more personal reasons for going, involving her family. During the overnight drive to the capitol, the two begin talking, and Horace becomes a father figure to her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie R. Faison, Margaret Welsh, (more)
- 1995
- R
In this actioner, a petty crook attempts to deliver a computer disk to his boss. Unfortunately, the information upon that disk is of particular interest to corrupt G-men and the ruthless members of a drug cartel. Finding himself in the midst of this deadly struggle, the crook receives help from a plucky lady detective. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Matt Craven, (more)
A talented young rock keyboardist allows his life to fall into the gutter after he loses both hands during a mugging. He is later fitted with special hand extensions, but these neither allow him to play music nor much of anything else. Despondent, he starts drinking heavily and soon finds himself a self-pitying homeless street bum in New York. His life starts improving after he encounters Anamika, a New Age girl who befriends him and introduces him to special friends, one a computer genius and the other, her landlady, a metal sculptor. Together with some assistance from his roommate, the three devise a marvelous set of hands for the boy, ones endowed with special qualities that allow to play music even better than before. Billing himself as Cyberstorm, the lad becomes a star. A hometown concert gives him a chance at revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Applegate, James Marshall, (more)
The debut feature from director Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Party Girl pretty much cemented Parker Posey's status as the indie-film "it girl" of the 1990s. Posey stars as Mary, a fun-loving and irresponsible twentysomething New Yorker who prefers throwing bashes at her loft to pay the rent over getting a real job. But when one of her shindigs gets broken up by the cops, Mary lands in the slammer and is forced to enlist the help of her librarian godmother, Judy (Sasha von Scherler, the director's mother). In order to prove that she's not the layabout she seems to be, Mary begins working at the library with Judy. Party Girl was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival and was later turned into a short-lived Fox sitcom. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Parker Posey, Omar Townsend, (more)
An up-and-coming baseball player has a fling with a woman who doesn't want it to be a one-night stand. She starts to obsess over him and move into his life until she finally becomes dangerous. This standard "psycho-chick" movie is one of the better of its kind, even though it's awfully hard to take lead Molly Ringwald seriously. ~ Sean D. MacLaggan, All Movie Guide
