Larry Drake

Milo Ventimiglia (of the blockbuster TV series Heroes), headlines this dark crime thriller, which marks the sophomore directorial outing of Marc Schoelermann, following the 2006 telemovie Hexxx. Ventimiglia portrays a young intern, newly arrived at the University Hospital in Philadelphia, who stumbles onto a psychopathic group of colleagues playing a vile game. They regularly select one of their members (on a rotational basis) to commit the "perfect murder," while the rest use forensic methods to try to determine exactly how the homicide was executed. Alyssa Milano (of TV's Who's the Boss? and Charmed) co-stars as Ventimiglia's fiancée, while thesps Johnny Whitworth and Lauren Lee Smith are among the perpetrators. Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (of Crank fame) scripted. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

The rowdy students of Billingsley University arrive in Mexico on a study-abroad trip in this sequel to the collegiate comedy that left viewers in stitches. The Surveyor has left stateside port and set sail for Mexico. Now, as the spring heat flares and the azure waters beacon the ship ashore, the inhibitions and clothes of these randy students are both quickly shed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A crystal-meth addict struggles to get his next fix as he obsesses over a recent breakup in Spun, a black-comic drug drama from music video director Jonas Akerlund. Rushmore's Jason Schwartzman stars as Ross, a young man who finds his maniacal world crumbling around him over the course of one long weekend. Spun chronicles Ross' travails as he tries to score from his regular dealer, Spider Mike (John Leguizamo), who realizes during Ross' visit that he's misplaced his stash. Indisposed by the frantic drug search, Spider Mike's girlfriend, Cookie (Mena Suvari), enlists Ross to pick up her stripper friend Nikki (Brittany Murphy) from work, and when he grudgingly agrees, he learns that Nikki might have an inside line on some of her own speed, courtesy of The Cook (Mickey Rourke). Meanwhile, two bumbling cops are onto Spider Mike's trail, and in his paranoid-delusional state, he sets out to find out who set him up. Spun premiered at the 2002 CineVegas Film Festival before securing berths at the Sundance, Toronto, and South by Southwest festivals. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

A trader named Gar (played by former Tales From the Crypt host John Kassir) steals the Doctor's data and downloads the holographic physician onto a hospital ship bound for the planet Velos. En route, the Doctor (Robert Picardo) butts heads with bureaucratic administrator Chellick (Larry Drake), who makes all decisions as to who does and does not receive medical treatment, based upon the "social importance" of the patient in question. Clearly, the pompous Chellick must be taught a lesson, and the Doctor is just the man -- or hologram -- for the job. "Critical Care" first aired on November 1, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this science-fiction TV series, bio-anthropologist Dr. Sloan Parker (Debra Messing) encounters an advanced race intent on wiping out present-day humans. Problem is -- they look just like us. In the opening episode, Parker learns that Randall Lynch (Roger Howarth), who murdered her mentor, may not be human after she checks out his DNA. In fact, there's a whole quintet of guys she can't trust, including even an FBI agent (Adam Storke). Her only help comes from her two associates (Vincent Ventresca, Larry Drake). Global warming has triggered the problem, but how can she stop this highly advanced race? The ABC series premiered January 15, 1998. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

A group of bullies terrorizing a small town meet their match in the Muscles From Brussels in this action drama. Eddie Lomax (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a drifter who has been in a suicidal funk since the death of his close friend Johnny (Danny Trejo). Riding his motorcycle into a small desert town where Johnny once lived, Lomax is confronted by a gang of toughs, who beat him and steal his bike. However, Lomax is not a man to take an injustice lying down, and soon he begins exacting a violent revenge on the men who stole his motorcycle, with local handyman Jubal Early (Pat Morita) lending a hand and several area ladies offering aid and comfort. Inferno (which was also released under the titles Desert Heat and Coyote Moon) was directed by John G. Avildsen, though Danny Mulroon is credited on some prints. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Comic actor Rowan Atkinson brought his bumbling character Mr. Bean from television to the big screen with this British comedy. Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) is a well-meaning but not especially bright fellow with a gift for making the worst of any situation. Bean is about to be fired from his job as a guard at the Royal Nation Art Gallery for sleeping on the job, but the Chairman (John Mills) intervenes at the last moment. To insure that his incompetence will manifest itself so completely that there will be no choice but to get rid of him, Bean's superiors come up with a plan -- they'll send him to America to speak at a posh private gallery owned by George Grierson (Harris Yulin), where General Newton (Burt Reynolds) will display the most recent addition to his art collection, "Whistler's Mother." It's even money whether or not the museum will still be standing before Bean is done; as if this weren't enough, while in L.A. Bean is mistaken for a surgeon and forced to operate on an injured police officer. Richard Curtis, one of the film's producers, said after viewing the final product, "It's an unpleasant family movie. I'm very pleased." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this romantic comedy, a college student's heart breaks when he thinks his beloved has been untrue and so writes her a harsh letter to end their affair. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't learn the truth until after he sends the damning missive to where she lives. Fortunately, she lives on the opposite coast. The fun comes as he frantically attempts to arrive at her domicile before the letter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This drama chronicles the moral fortitude and courage of a simple North Carolina farmer in 1815. The trouble begins when the widowed farmer August King takes his wagon to a nearby town to get supplies and make the final payment on his land. He arrives to find the townsfolk quite agitated as two slaves have escaped from the estate of Olaf Singletary, the richest man in town. August had earlier seen the fleeing 17-year-old slave girl. That night, he is camped out and the starving runaway stumbles in. August is a good, highly-principled man and decides to ignore his own personal risk and help her. He conceals the fugitive from Olaf and his posse as he hurries back to the safety of his farm. Still despite his efforts, word leaks out that a traveler is harboring the slave and that he has a milk cow attached to the back of his wagon. To fool the pursuers, August kills his cow, and later as he is shooting some wild rapids he loses his new pig. Eventually, August comes upon Olaf and sees him capture the other slave and brutally chop him up because he is angry that the young slave girl, for whom he has a special reason for wanting back, isn't with him. By the time August makes it back to his home, almost everything he values has been lost or destroyed, but he has learned some valuable lessons about what is really important in life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Jumping fairly late on the slasher-movie bandwagon, this stylish but hollow effort from director Manny Coto stars L.A. Law's Larry Drake as the psychopathic Evan Rendell, who fancies himself a misunderstood medical genius. In an inventive opening scene, Rendell performs a bit of impromptu surgery on his keepers at the asylum (who had given him the title nickname due to his fits of nervous laughter) and escapes to his hometown to set up his "practice." This medical mania seems to run in the family, as we are shown in flashback: Evan's daddy once butchered several local women in his search for a replacement heart for his wife, and although he was unable to save her, Pops managed to spirit away young Evan and keep him safe (in a very, very nasty hiding place) before being lynched by the locals. Hiding out in the abandoned family home, "Dr. Giggles" begins a random killing spree in town with his bag of medieval-looking surgical instruments... but he finds new purpose when he sees the medical records of young Jennifer (Holly Marie Combs), who is in line for a heart transplant, and vows to "cure" her himself. This film eschews the possibilities of its demented premise, choosing instead to serve up a flavorless hash of '80s slasher clichés (wisecracking killer, stupid teenage victims, virginal heroine, 20-years-later motif, etc.). The only truly inspired moment occurs in flashback, when we discover the actual hiding place the elder Dr. Rendell chose for his son. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Neglecting Julie (Frances McDormand), his lawyer lady friend, Dr. Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) works feverishly to perfect his latest invention -- artificial skin that could be used to treat burn victims. Peyton himself falls victim to an explosion when one of Julie's crooked clients sends his henchmen to sniff out an incriminating document that's been left in Westlake's lab. Hideously disfigured and left for dead, the good doctor receives an experimental medical treatment that renders him super-strong, impervious to pain and prone to heightened fits of rage. Rebuilding his lab into an underground hideout, Westlake begins using his synthetic skin to impersonate various characters and engineer his revenge against those who destroyed his life. Reconnecting with Julie, however, becomes the unsightly vigilante's biggest challenge. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Young, ambitious high school students Darcy Elliot (Molly Ringwald) and Stan Bobrucz (Randal Batinkoff) have a hitch thrown into their plans to attend college and pursue professional careers when they discover that Darcy is pregnant. Deciding against abortion or adoption, the couple decides to carry the child to term and to try to raise it themselves; however they are unprepared for the myriad of decisions and responsibilities that they are forced to deal with. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) faces the possibility of permanent paralysis as she undergoes surgery to remove a bullet from her spine. Meanwhile, Hunter (Fred Dryer) heads to Mexico, there to settle accounts with notorious pimp Big Jack Hemmings (Robert Ridgely), whom he holds responsible for McCall's plight. When Big Jack turns up murdered, Hunter is arrested--and as the story winds down, the detective must place his life in the hands of his old enemy, gonzo defense attorney Mike Snow (Martin E. Brooks). This final episode of Hunter's third season was directed by series costar Stepfanie Kramer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide