Rob Kerchner Movies
A brilliant hacker inadvertently sets the wheels of World War III into motion after hacking into a restricted online gaming network and learning of a national defense system designed to identify fledgling terrorist cells in this belated sequel to the popular 1982 thriller. There isn't a system on the planet that Will Farmer (Matt Lanter) can't hack into with a little work, so when he manages to breach the security of a restricted online gaming network known as R.I.P.L.E.Y., he's convinced that his skills are still as sharp as ever. But what Matt hasn't realized is that R.I.P.L.E.Y. is actually a highly classified government defense system, and he's just become its next target. Now the system knows his identity, and his entire hometown faces the threat of an automated military response. In order to clear his name, Matt will have to beat the computer at its own game. The game turns deadly, however, when R.I.P.L.E.Y. suddenly raises the stakes, threatening Armageddon in a time when the world is already dangerously unstable. With no time left to lose before the missiles start to fly, Matt must now use his formidable hacking skills to save the world from the government's own hopelessly flawed doomsday device. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Lanter, Amanda Walsh, (more)
Two best friends fall for the same guy, entering into a comical duel of good deeds in order to win the man of their dreams. Brainy Simone and boisterous Angela couldn't be more different on the surface, though over the years they've grown as close as sisters. When Calvin wanders into their lives, the rifts in Simone and Angela's friendship start to show. As the race to reel in this handsome bachelor begins, Simone and Angela find their longtime friendship erupting into all-out war. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Four college freshman who have returned home for Thanksgiving break find that the old adage about absence making the heart grow fonder rings true in director Brad Leong's nostalgic comedy drama. Back home for the first time since they set out for college, a small group of lifelong friends realize just how much their small hometown really means to them as they reminisce about the days gone by, and make a few more memories before heading back to school. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Arnold, Ben Savage, (more)
Four college students take a trip to the Florida Everglades in hopes of earning some extra credit for biology class, and instead find themselves locked in a battle to the death against a genetically modified super-eel created by their own professor. They thought they were going out into the field to conduct some standard research on the common eel, but what these students didn't realize is that their scheming professor has been playing God behind closed doors. Now, in order to make it out of the wilderness in one piece, these students will have to capture and kill the perfect predator. But as the hunt gets underway, the desperate group realizes that an old friend of the professor's is also on the hunt for the very same fish. As if dueling scientists weren't enough to contend with, the local sheriff shows up gunning for two escaped convicts who will stop at nothing to ensure they remain free men. As the struggle for survival gets underway, it quickly becomes apparent that mankind may have just moved down a peg on the food chain. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathleen LaGue, Doug Swander, (more)
- 2000
The titular "final ascent" in this made-for-cable thriller begins as a group of inexperienced backpackers are shepherded through a particular treacherous stretch of the Rockies by an experienced pair of guides. Among the "greenhorns" is a pack of thieves who are searching for money they had stolen and lost. Once the villains are revealed, it becomes obvious that they aren't about to allow the guides or the other tourists to return from the mountain alive, and thus a deadly cat-and-mouse game develops between two of the main characters, played by Antonio Sabato Jr. and Patrick Muldoon. The striking similarities between this film and the Sylvester Stallone theatrical feature Cliffhanger are underlined by a subplot involving a climber who cannot get over the fact that he caused the death of his daughter in previous ascent. Hampered by too much dialogue and too many blatantly obvious studio "exteriors", Final Ascent was first telecast November 11, 2000 on the Lifetime network, where it has since been rerun under the all-purpose title Final Descent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
When popular hockey player Matt Clerk dies before his time, he is promptly reincarnated as an Olympic-level figure skater. Only one problem: In his new incarnation, "he" has become a "she" -- Sarah Bryan by name. Retaining his macho-masculine sensibilities despite his curvaceous female frame, the hero (heroine?) has a lot of maturing to do before he's able to go for the gold. Aaron Smolinski plays the protagonist before the metamorphosis, while Nicholle Tom is seen as the "reborn" Sarah. Also in the cast are real-life skating stars Tara Lipinski and Nancy Kerrigan (and please note how no cracks are being made about broken limbs). Made for cable, Ice Angel was first telecast by the Family Channel on March 5, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicholle Tom, Tara Lipinski, (more)
- 1999
Though some observers feel that the made-for-cable Dangerous Waters was merely a derivation of the earlier theatrical feature River Wild, be assured that the later film includes a few novel and unanticipated twists. While on a rafting trip with her kids and her newboyfriend Bob (Matt McCoy), river expert Sarah (Connie Selleca) is waylaid by escaped convicts searching for stolen money. Earlier, Sarah had rescued an unconscious man, who may or may not be connected with the crooks. Whatever the case, Bob takes charge of the situation, apparently playing for time by claiming he knows the location of the money--mainly because he's the one who hid it. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse between captors and captives develops, followed by an even more harrowing excursion down the rapids and towards safety. Throughout it all, however, Sarah cannot help but wonder what Bob is up to--and why? First telecast by the Fox Family channel on February 7, 1999, Dangerous Waters was filmed under the title Imminent Danger, and still goes by that name in reruns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Connie Sellecca, Matt McCoy, (more)
Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy the Good Witch team up to fight an evil warlock. Shelly Duvall and Teri Garr star. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Duff
Two lawmen find the call of corruption too loud to ignore in the drama Route 9. Booth Parker (Kyle MacLachlan) and Earl Whitney (Wade Williams) are two deputies in a small town who discover a crime scene along a deserted highway. There appears to have been a shoot-out with no living witnesses, and left in the dust by the side of the road are a van filled with illegal drugs and $1 million in cash. Booth and Earl are too weak to resist the urge to take the money, but when a federal agent (Roma Maffia) arrives to look into the case, they soon discover there's more to the crime than they originally expected. The knots become even more tangled when another sheriff (Peter Coyote), whose wife has been sleeping with Booth, starts sticking his nose into the case. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kyle MacLachlan, Peter Coyote, (more)
Billed as a prequel to the 1995 family film Casper, which in turn is based on an enduring Harvey cartoon character "Casper the Friendly Ghost," this direct-to-video entry is aimed at younger kids (though some of the scenes may be inappropriate for really young children). The story begins as Casper, who is new to the ghostly plane, rides a death train towards Ghost Central Station where he is to attend a camp to train him to scare people. Instead, he irritates another passenger and is tossed off the train. The bewildered little spirit lands in Deedstown where he becomes friends with 10-year-old Chris Carson, a troubled boy whose mother is gone and whose work-obsessed father ignores him. Chris sees that Casper is troubled too and so decides to show him how to be a real ghost by taking him to Applegate Manor, the town's haunted house, and introducing him to the riotous Ghostly Trio. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Guttenberg, Lori Loughlin, (more)
- 1994
Inside a top-secret chemical weapons base, a master criminal takes a Congresswoman hostage. Only one man can stop the lunatic from unleashing the forces of evil against an unsuspecting American population. That man is Ryan Cooper, government special agent and one-man killing machine. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
An FBI agent finds himself the target of both his agency and arms dealers when his undercover gig is found out and he loses his memory after an attack. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1992
- R
In this actioner, a band of American soldiers are on a helicopter flight over Vietnam to find a downed plane when they suddenly crash land in enemy territory. The vegetation is dense and filled with Viet Cong and the usual jungle dangers, but that is the least of their worries, because it soon becomes apparent that one of their own engineered the crash. Unfortunately, the saboteur is the only one who knows the way back to safety. This does not stop their dangerously temperamental leader, Stewart, from executing him, causing the rest of the men to question his sanity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this martial arts thriller, a repo man accidentally brings back the wrong car and finds himself in deep trouble with the LAPD, both national security organizations, and a ring of international gun runners. When someone kidnaps the repo man's daughter, he uses his fists of fury to get bloody revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
