David Dunard Movies

The body of a woman who worked as a book restorer for a historical society is found in the metal cage used to protect rare volumes. In their efforts to determine if the death was from natural causes or murder, Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Nick (George Eads) receive unexpected assistance from the woman's autistic co-worker. And Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Sara (Jorja Fox) investigate the fatal crash between a train and an SUV, a tragedy that might have been the outgrowth of road rage. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This TV medical drama examines egos and ethics as a trio of doctors enter private practice. Doctors Roger Cattan (Ken Olin), Tim Lonner (Matt Craven), and Evan Newman (Rick Roberts) recruit Dr. Sarah Church (Sheryl Lee) to join their team, and they're in business -- occupying a posh office with dubious decor, and ready to display their bedside manners while building bank accounts. Will workaholic Sarah and sensitive, single-dad Newman become a twosome? Filmed in L.A., this series premiered September 21, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

One of the most heavily promoted TV movies of the 1997-98 season, The Lake is a complex sci-fi/fantasy yarn with echoes of such past genre classics as Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Stepford Wives. Former Baywatch babe Yasmine Bleeth heads the huge cast as Jackie Ivers, a professional nurse who returns to her small California home town to care for her dying father. Upon her arrival, Jackie quickly ascertains that something is not quite right about the community and the people with whom she grew up. Put bluntly, every person in town is behaving in the exact opposite manner of what might normally be expected--and this bizarre mass character conversion has spread to Jackie's own family. Ultimately, the solution to the mystery manifested a polluted lake and an alternate earth, though the conclusion of the story provides a twist calculated to confound those who think they have everything figured out by the film's midway point. The best moments go to Marion Ross in what amounts to a dual role, and to Haley Joel Osment of Sixth Sense fame. The Lake made its NBC network bow on February 1, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After innumerable false alarms, it looks as though Jamie (Helen Hunt) is going to have her baby. But before this blessed event can take place, Jamie is unexpectedly reunited with old flame Alan (Eric Stoltz), while her husband, Paul (Paul Reiser), is given a guided hospital tour by a very big movie star. Originally telecast as the hour-long finale of Mad About You's fifth season, this episode has since been divided into two half-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A young couple works to stand firm in the face of those opposed to their blossoming romance, one that transcends social and racial boundaries in this drama. Blue collar Renny meets dashing young professional C.J. in a blackened, stalled elevator. As they wait, the slowly get to know each other. Flirtatious sparks fly. Suddenly the lights come on and Renny sees that C.J. is black and he sees that she is not. Still, they go out for dinner and the seeds of romance are sown. Unfortuantely, C..J. upper middle-class family strongly disapproves, not only because she is white, but also because of her upbringing. Renny's family voices similar objections. But as the affair continues, Renny's red-necked brothers get increasingly uptight until a single violent action that brings the story to its resolution. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this drama, a renowned model gives up her fame, glory and money to return to her quiet hometown in the South. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A fugitive, a former slave, and a U.S. Marshal team up to free a desperate small town from the grip of a corrupt railroad tycoon in this western featuring Oscar-nominated actor Bruce Dern and Saw series veteran Tobin Bell. Thanks to the railroad, Payton McCay (Bruce Dern) has become a very rich man. But his cruelty knows no bounds. No one who's crossed him has lived to tell the tale, and as a result the locals cower at the mere mention of his name. McCay soon meets his match, however, in the form of three unlikely allies who won't be intimidated by his wealth and power. Luck Hatcher (Michael Ironside) is a fugitive driven by vengeance, and together with U.S. Marshal Bodine Michael (Keith Coulouris) and bounty hunter Jessup Bush (Vondie Curtis-Hall) - a one-time slave who is no stranger to breaking the bonds of oppression - he's about to teach McCay that no amount of money can pay for the innocent blood that's been shed in his ruthless quest for control of the Wild West. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

People-eating plants sown from outer galaxies are turning local yokels into human zombies. Watch this, and you're probably already one yourself! It's hard to believe that the creators of this film hadn't just viewed The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. However, this could pass as pretty good comedy. ~ Rovi

The producers insisted that this sixth entry in the Nightmare on Elm Street series marked the last; no points for guessing that additional sequels followed. This time, homicidal wraith Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) decides to extend his reign of terror past Elm Street. His agent-on-earth is his own long-lost daughter Maggie (Lisa Zane, sister of Phantom star Billy Zane). Securing a job as a dream therapist for troubled teens, Maggie is able to "open up" the minds of her patients so that Freddy can exercise his usual bloody prerogative. In a garish, 3-D climax, Freddy himself becomes the victim of the vengeful Maggie. Since what happens in this picture is laid out in the title, we can't possibly be accused of giving the ending away. Watch for cameos from Roseanne and her then-husband Tom Arnold, Alice Cooper, Elinor Donahue, and Johnny Depp, one of the stars of the very first Nightmare. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jay Underwood plays Jeff Sherman, a teenage movie fan who idolizes the classic films of Humphrey Bogart. Jeff's Uncle Ben (Vince Edwards) owns a small detective agency, and Jeff asks if he could have a job working there to earn some extra money. Ben warily agrees, assigning Jeff the most rudimentary of tasks. But when a gangster client comes to the agency, needing someone to spy on his fiancee, Rita Benson (Tracy Scoggins), whom he suspects is cheating on him, Jeff is given the assignment. Hiding out in a closet in a hotel room, Jeff documents an assignation between Rita and her lover Glenn (Charles Lucia). But then strong-arm men push their way into the room, pump Glenn with tranquilizers, and carry him off. Jeff proceeds to fall out of the closet, and Rita asks Jeff for help. They immediately go to the police to report the crime. Unfortunately for the luckless duo, the police and the kidnappers are in cahoots, and soon Jeff and Rita are on the run from both the gangsters and the cops. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

When a convict and his wife are placed on an isolated island with other convicts, the two are separated and the woman learns how to defend herself to stay alive. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

A clumsy hipster gets more than he bargained for when he mistakenly picks up a bag full of drug money instead of his clean laundry in this comedy. Interestingly the film features Olympic champions Greg Louganis and Carl Lewis in major roles. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi