Richard T. Jones Movies

Based on the phenomenally popular Terminator movie franchise, the Fox network's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was NOT a sequel to the third theatrical film in the series, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines--nor could it have been, since (SPOILER ALERT!) that particular epic ended with the destruction of civilization and the death of the heroine. Instead, the Fox TV series picked up the action where the second of the three films, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, left off, going its merry way as if Terminator 3 never existed. After the reprogrammed T-800 Model 101 Terminator (the role played in the second film by Arnold Schwarzenegger) had sacrificed itself to save humanity, Sarah Connor (Lena Headey) and her 15-year-old son John (Thomas Dekker)--who was destined to grow up and lead a resistance movement against the rulers of post-apocalyptic Earth--were stalked by the futuristic agents of the covert US government project Skynet. Just as the titular robotic villain of the original 1984 Terminator movie had sent been back into time to kill Sarah Connor so that John would never be born, so too had the bad guys travelled backward to 2007 to knock off both John and Sarah. Fighting fire with fire, the Connors became fugitives from the law, dedicating themselves to preventing Skynet from being created--and, ultimately, from devastating the earth in a nuclear holocaust. They were aided by Connor's mysterious classmate Cameron Phillips (Summer Glau), who was actually a "good" reprogrammed Terminator dispatched from the Future to protect Sarah and the teenage John Connor by the "grown-up" version of John. Unfortunately, evil Terminators continued popping up everywhere, notably a "substitute teacher" named Mr. Cromarite (Owain Yeoman in the pilot episode, Garret Dillahunt thereafter), who in the pilot episode set the series' plot in motion. Also in pursuit of the fugitive Connors was human FBI agent James Ellison Richard T. Jones. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles debuted January 13, 2008. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

From director Craig Ross Jr. comes this introspective comedy about a woman who wonders why all her relationships fail, and gets the rare opportunity to find out. Jazsmin Lewis stars in the title role, an advice columnist who decides to let her filmmaking pal interview all of her past boyfriends to learn what went wrong in each instance. She might not like a lot of the answers, but she ultimately discovers a lot about herself. Traci Townsend won the Audience Choice Award at the 2006 Hollywood Black Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Based on a true story, this "Hallmark Hall of Fame" TV movie was produced by Rosie O'Donnell, who also stars as the profoundly mentally challenged Beth Simon. When Beth's father dies, her sister, Rachel (Andie MacDowell), a brittle, self-absorbed fashion photographer, takes charge of Beth -- who, having been allowed to grow up without learning anything of self-discipline and social propriety, is no prize herself. Though she loves her sister, Rachel is embarrassed by Beth's obnoxious, obstreperous behavior, especially when riding the bus, which she does religiously and obsessively every day, much to the dismay of the other passengers. (Be warned: this is not one of those lachrymose "lovable handicapped adult" movies so common to network television.) Also, Beth has been allowed by her overindulgent father to neglect her health and hygiene in a deplorable fashion. Gradually, the two sisters connect and manage to profoundly change one another. Those viewers and critics who condemned Rosie O'Donnell for her abrasive, over-the-top portrayal of Beth were generally those who had had little contact with genuine handicapped people; conversely, those who had such people in their own families, or who had worked extensively with them professionally, applauded O'Donnell for her disturbingly accurate performance. Adapted from the book by the real-life Rachel Simon (actually an English professor and not a photographer), Riding the Bus with My Sister was telecast by CBS on May 1, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Subtitled "The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs", Book of Love is a mockumentary following the lives of three L.A. bachelors (Eric K. George, Anthony "Treach" Criss, and (Richard T. Jones) as they recover from a series of unhealthy relationships. The team of average Joes are no match for their manipulative girlfriends (Robin Givens, Mari Morrow, and Salli Richardson) , however, and the over eager men are taken for all they're worth. It's this manipulative, self-serving treatment that drives the young bachelors into behaving like "dogs" themselves. Directed by Jeff Byrd, Book of Love was produced by both BET Studios and 5th Gear Entertainment, and eventually released by Strange Fruit Films. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

This made-for-cable "feel good" picture begins with a "feel-bad" moment, as the entire first-string offensive squad of the Buffalo Bills football team falls victim to food poisoning. With no other option, the Bills' ulcerated coach Ditcher (Jon Voight) must rely upon the team's second-string benchwarmers. Among these also-rans are aging reserve quarterback Dan Heller (Gil Bellows), a longtime thorn in Ditcher's side, and overeager but undertalented wide receiver Gerry Fuller (Richard T. Jones). Miraculously, Heller, Fuller and the rest of the misfits pull themselves together to the extent of qualifying for the playoffs--and, eventually, the Super Bowl. A veritable feast of sports-movie cliches and strenuous overacting, Second String first aired December 18, 2002, over the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Robin Wirkus (Debrah Farentino) is upset by the terms of her late husband's will, which will provide for Kelly (David Caruso) so long as he keeps an eye on Robin. Elsewhere, the discovery of the "wrong" corpse leads to a murder conspiracy involving a hotelier and a concierge. And Sipowicz's (Dennis Franz) teenaged son, Andy Jr. (Michael DeLuise), faces a drug charge. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A taxi driver is unexpectedly taken on the ride of his life in this stylish thriller from acclaimed director Michael Mann. Max (Jamie Foxx) is a cab driver who hopes to some day open his own limo company; one night behind the wheel begins promisingly when he picks up Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith), an attorney working with the federal government who is attractive, friendly, and gives him her business card after paying her fare. Max thinks his luck is getting even better when his next fare, Vincent (Tom Cruise), offers him several hundred dollars in cash if he'll be willing to drop him off, wait, and pick him up at five different spots over the course of the evening. Max agrees, but he soon realizes Vincent isn't just another guy with errands to run -- Vincent is an assassin who has been paid to murder five people who could put the leaders of a powerful drug trafficking ring behind bars in an upcoming trial. As circumstances force Max to do Vincent's bidding, the cabbie has to find a way to prevent Vincent from killing again and save his own skin, a task that becomes especially crucial when he discovers Annie is one of the names on Vincent's hit list. Collateral also stars Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, and Bruce McGill as police detectives hot on Vincent's trail. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Writer-director Christopher Scott Cherot (Hav Plenty) based his second feature, G, on F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel The Great Gatsby. Tre (Andre Royo), a writer for a music magazine, goes out to the Hamptons to interview a wealthy and mysterious rap mogul, Summer G (Richard T. Jones), who's recently bought a home there. Tre first stops in on his cousin Sky (Chenoa Maxwell, who also starred in Hav Plenty) and her control-freak millionaire husband, Chip (Blair Underwood). Tre soon learns that Chip is brazenly cheating on Sky, and he even witnesses Chip smack his girlfriend around. Tre doesn't have much luck getting close to Summer G, until the music impresario finds out that Tre is related to Sky, whom he dated in college. Summer G asks Tre to arrange a meeting with Sky, and Tre, apparently upset with the way Chip has been treating Sky, helps Summer G connect with his old flame. Summer G tells Sky that he still loves her, and she begins an affair with him. The snobby old-money Chip, already predisposed to dislike Summer G because of his hip-hop lifestyle, suspects that there's something going on, and plots to have Summer G chased from their exclusive Hamptons neighborhood. G was produced by Andrew Lauren, fashion designer Ralph Lauren's son, who also appears in the film as Adam Gordon, Summer G's manager. G was shown at the 2002 Tribeca Film Festival and at the 2002 Urbanworld Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi