Michael Stokes Movies
An act of kindness gets a busload of travelers into a world of trouble when they stop to check on an injured biker and incur the wrath of his psychotic fellow gang members. It's Christmas Eve in Texas: ten passengers board a bus in hopes of getting home for the holiday, but find their journey delayed after their bus strikes a biker and the driver pulls over to ensure he's alright. But this isn't your average biker; he's all hopped up on crystal meth and armed to the teeth as well. Upon regaining consciousness, the drug-frenzied biker opens fire on the bus. Terrified, the passengers somehow manage to gain the upper hand and kill their trigger-happy assailant. Unfortunately for the passengers, this is only the beginning of their Christmas nightmare. The rest of the gang has witnessed the lynching, and now they're determined to avenge the death of their brother by killing everyone responsible. After forcing the boss off of the road and into an abandoned wrecking yard, the gang surrounds the stranded passengers and prepares to move in. But while this gang of renegade bikers may excel in the area of brutality, their intended victims are even more cunning when it comes to utilizing every resource at their disposal to wage a life or death struggle for survival. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lea Thompson, Desmond Harrington, (more)
Haunted by gruesome visions of violence and death that would be far out of place in her successful series of children's books, a sophisticated author embarks on a brief sabbatical into the countryside that turns out to be far from the convalescent getaway her doctor had prescribed. Claire Holloway (Gabrielle Anwar) is an author whose rich imagination has fueled a successful career in children's literature, but one glimpse beneath the surface of her fragile psyche reveals a woman whose life has been far from storybook perfect. Tortured by a darkness that seems to grow blacker with each passing day, Claire follows her doctor's advice to leave the city behind and collect her thoughts at the picturesque Rose Marsh Farmhouse. Upon arriving at the remote farmhouse, however, Claire quickly realizes that the formidable estate bears an uncanny resemblance to the house that plagues her nightmares. When a series of strange and seemingly supernatural events lead Claire to believe that the ghostly young girl who dwells in her dreams may in fact be real, the frightened author seeks out the aid of handsome newspaper publisher Noah (Justin Louis) and paranormal consultant hunt (Forest Whitaker) in solving the mystery of this cursed village. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabrielle Anwar
Max Havoc: Ring of Fire stars Mickey Hardt as the title character, a former professional kickboxer now working as a photographer. While at a stylish resort in order to snap pictures of a sporting event, Max discovers that the owner of the resort has connections to some very bad men. Soon he must fall back on his lethal skills in order to survive. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Hardt
- 2003
Based on the long-running British TV series of the same name, the NBC sitcom Coupling was clearly designed to fill the gap that was about to be opened by the departure of the network's popular ensemble piece Friends. The difference here was that the sexual shenanigans on Coupling had a lot more edge, and were heaps more complicated and controversial, with a group of basically selfish, unlovable Manhattan thirtysomethings perpetually seducing and/or betraying one another. Steve (Jay Harrington) fell in love with Susan (Rena Sofer, replacing the pilot episode's Melissa George), but was still attached to Jane (Lindsay Price). Susan was the ex-girlfriend of Steve's best friend, Jeff (Christopher Moynihan), and also of Patrick (Colin Ferguson). As for Patrick, he currently carried a torch for Susan's best friend, Sally (Sonya Walger, replacing the pilot's Emily Rutherfurd), and on and on and on it went. When it debuted on September 25, 2003, Coupling became something of a cause célèbre, with a number of special-interest groups complaining about the frankness of the series' sexual scenes and situations; critics were not as bothered by the series' raciness as by the fact that it failed to live up to the standards of the British original. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rena Sofer, Jay Harrington, (more)
- 2000
Four African-American women deal with dating, relationships, and the many perils of being single in this sophisticated situation comedy series. Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross) is a successful 29-year-old lawyer who is bright, principled, and interested in finding the right man, but she isn't about to bend over backwards to catch him. Maya (Golden Brooks) is Joan's assistant, who is eager to learn but lacks her mentor's grace and eloquence. Lynn (Persia White) is a self-styled bohemian who knew Joan in college and has an interest in New Age philosophies as well as free love. And Toni (Jill Marie Jones) is an unabashed man chaser who is interested in anyone who's male, good looking, and has a healthy bank account. Mara Brock Akil, a writer for the series Moesha and The Jamie Foxx Show, served as both writer and executive producer for Girlfriends; actor Kelsey Grammer also was a member of the show's production team. Girlfriends first aired on the UPN network on September 11, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1998
In this TV sitcom, 26-year-old single mom Jesse Warner (Christina Applegate) is a waitress in a Buffalo bar owned by her father, John Warner Sr. (George Dzundza). Jesse's life centers around her ten-year-old son, Little John (Eric Lloyd), her dad, and her eccentric brothers -- nutty John Jr. (John Lehr), an elective mute, and dreamer Darren (David DeLuise), who concocts such get-rich-quick schemes as selling unfinished gnome statues. Jesse has to deal with her romantic feelings after Chilean immigrant Diego (Bruno Campos) moves next door. Filmed in Burbank, this series premiered September 24, 1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Applegate, Bruno Campos, (more)
The fourth entry in the Iron Eagle series follows the return of General Charles "Chappy" Sinclair (Louis Gosset Jr., who deserves better) as he trains a Dirty Dozen-style team of juvenile delinquents to improve their quality of life by flying planes and combatting evil. This time the Air Force itself is the enemy, as the intrepid teens uncover a conspiracy involving biological weaponry. When Chappy contacts his old friend, General Kettle (Al Waxman), he learns the General is in on the action. Along the way, the group manages to combat some ill-prepared drug dealers as well. This installment is better than the second or third, but that's not the highest of praise; Iron Eagle IV is a dumb-dumb fantasy for fourteen-year-old boys who don't yet have their learner's permits, much less their pilot's licenses. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Gossett, Jr., Jason Cadieux, (more)
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper stars in this urban thriller as Lt. Jake Cornel, a police detective assigned to clean up a dangerous part of town ruled by drug dealers and gangs called Jungleground. When a sting operation goes bad, Cornel is captured by members of a gang led by Odin (J.R. Bourne), who offers him a challenge: if Cornel can escape Jungleground and get back home before dawn, he'll be free to go. If not, Odin's men will kill his girlfriend. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roddy Piper, Torri Higginson, (more)
