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Robert F. Phillips Movies

2011  
 
Add Teen Spirit to Queue Add Teen Spirit to top of Queue  
A teenage queen bee suffers a fatal mishap on prom night, and attempts to earn her angel wings by turning her misfit classmate into the next Prom Queen in this heavenly high school comedy. Every girl at Eugene Ashley High knows that Amber Pollock (Cassie Scerbo) rules the school. Now, the only thing preventing Amber from achieving legendary status is the fact that she's never been elected Prom Queen. But just as Amber prepares to don the crown, a shock accident sends her to an early grave. Though her cruel and selfish behavior would typically ensure Amber a one way elevator ride straight down, the higher-ups in heaven offer her a chance to get past the pearly gates by transforming shy Lisa Sommers (Lindsey Shaw) into the next Prom Queen. Given Lisa's complete lack of fashion sense and her geeky penchant for making claymation films, it would seem Amber has her work cut out for her. Meanwhile, the last thing Lisa wants is to be elected Prom Queen. But Lisa has been crushing hard on hunky classmate Nick (Chris Zylka), and now if Amber can just instill her with enough confidence to catch his eye, Prom Queen won't seem like such a long shot, and that elusive halo will shine brighter than any dime store tiara ever could. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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2005  
 
This hastily assembled rehash of the infamous Laci Peterson murder case is based on Amber Frey's book Witness: For the Proseuction of Scott Peterson, which may explain why she comes off as the most sympathetic person in the film. Basically, the script adheres to the facts: The mistress of Scott Peterson (Nathan Anderson), Amber Frey (Janel Moloney) begins to suspect that something is amiss with her sweetheart when, during what is supposed to his trip to Europe, he is suddenly popping up on every TV station and cable service in the country, swearing up and down that he had nothing to do with the disappearance of his wife Laci and their unborn son Connor. Eventually, Amber decides to cooperate with the Modesto Police Department in their efforts to pin a murder rap on Scott, agreeing to wear a wire while conversing with Scott over his domestic travails. In his frenzied efforts to counteract previous lies by cooking up new ones, Peterson effectively puts the noose around his own neck--and Amber rightfully emerges as the heroine of the piece (though not, it is hinted, without putting her own life in jeopardy in process). Somehow, the film manages to work in several plugs for the self-help book "du jour", The Purpose-Driven Life. Produced for CBS, the made-for-TV Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution premiered May 25, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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2004  
NR  
Add Kingdom Hospital to Queue Add Kingdom Hospital to top of Queue  
Based upon the critically acclaimed Lars von Trier miniseries Riget (The Kingdom), this American remake from fright master Stephen King unfolds over 15 hours and centers on the creepy goings-on at a hospital known as The Kingdom. Andrew McCarthy leads the cast as Dr. Hook, one of the physicians at the hospital which was built atop the scene of a fire that killed several children more than a century ago. As the inhabitants of the hospital are confronted with disturbing and unexplained phenomena that suggest the hospital is haunted, the doctors find themselves increasingly unable to come up with logical scientific explanations. Bruce Davison and Diane Ladd also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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Starring:
Andrew McCarthyDiane Ladd, (more)
 
2003  
 
Add The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron to Queue Add The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron to top of Queue  
Based on Brian Cruver's first-person book, Anatomy of Greed, this strident TV movie chronicles the rise and fall of the notorious Houston-based Enron Corporation in the early years of the 21st century. The film is related from the perspective of Cruver himself (played by Christian Kane), here depicted as a brilliant but naïve young trader who, after being hired by Enron, was dazzled and seduced by the company's "get rich quick by whatever means necessary" credo. The obscenely extravagant "Enron Culture" (represented by endless office parties and nubile young ladies) was built upon the backs of the company's stockholders and lower-echelon employees -- and, when everything inevitably crashed and burned in the spring of 2002, it was the "little people" who suffered the most. Although several real-life personalities are portrayed in the film, among them Enron CEO Ken Lay (played Mike Farrell), executive Jeff Skilling (Jon Ted Wynne), and conscience-stricken whistleblower Sherron Watkins (Jan Skene), many of the characters are composites, chief among them the mysterious, sinister Enron higher-up "Mister Blue" (Brian Dennehy), whose primary function is to spout blatantly mercenary exposition. Due to budget restraints, The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron was filmed not in Houston but in Canada; and thanks to copyright restrictions, the company's famous "slanted E" logo is considerably altered onscreen. The film made its CBS debut on January 5, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Brian DennehyShannon Elizabeth, (more)
 
2002  
PG13  
Add Rose Red to Queue Add Rose Red to top of Queue  
Horror specialist Stephen King claimed that his TV miniseries Rose Red was inspired by a number of sources, ranging from Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (twice filmed as The Haunting) to Ripley's Believe It or Not to Moby Dick. Residents of San Jose, CA, however, quickly realized that King's story owed a great deal to their own city's legendary "haunted" mansion, Winchester House. Rose Red was set in motion when psych professor Joyce Reardon (Nancy Travis), defying her tongue-clucking boss Professor Miller (David Dukes, who died during production), set about to investigate reports of paranormal phenomena in Rose Red, a crumbling and foreboding Seattle mansion. According to legend -- and a great deal of physical evidence -- Rose Red was a "living" entity in its own right, adding extras wings to its structure and rearranging its furniture whenever it felt like it. There has also been a number of mysterious deaths at the mansion, which Joyce believed were the handiwork of a ghost: Ellen Rimbauer, the insane wife of Rose Red's architect. Inviting a quintet of psychics (social misfits all, of course) to spend a weekend at the mansion, Joyce was determined to solve the mystery of Rose Red -- and, she hoped, to conjure up Ellen's hostile spirit. Thereafter, the miniseries adhered to the proven formula, with characters foolishly wandering off alone to meet their individual demises, and with such time-tested lines as "Superstitious nonsense!," "Honey -- are you in there?" and "Oh, no! AIYEEEE!" wafting through the mansion's drafty corridor. The outcome of the story -- and the fate of the survivors -- seemed to rest in the hands of Annie Wheaton (Kimberly J. Brown), an autistic teenager with astonishing telepathic skills. Premiering January 27, 2002, the three-part Rose Red posted ABC's best ratings in months, despite an almost universal drubbing by the critics. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Nancy TravisMatt Keeslar, (more)
 
2002  
R  
Add Queen of the Damned to Queue Add Queen of the Damned to top of Queue  
The second and third novels in author Anne Rice's popular book series The Vampire Chronicles provide the inspiration for this horror sequel starring ill-fated actress and recording artist Aaliyah, who was killed in an airplane crash before the film's release. Stuart Townsend is the vampire Lestat, who has awakened from a century-long slumber and turned his considerable energy to rock music. His vampirism identity mistaken for a gothic hard rock publicity stunt along the lines of Kiss or Marilyn Manson, he quickly becomes a pop music sensation. Lestat's powerful music reaches the ear of the slumbering Akasha (Aaliyah), the millennia-old "queen of the vampires" who was the first immortal bloodsucker. Akasha is soon free and embarking on a quest to seize control of the world with Lestat at her side. In the meantime, Lestat becomes an object of fascination for Jesse Reeves (Marguerite Moreau), member of a secret order studying the supernatural called the Talamasca, and a band of ancient vampires come together in an effort to stop Akasha, even though her destruction could potentially cause their own deaths. Queen of the Damned co-stars Lena Olin and Vincent Perez. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Starring:
AaliyahStuart Townsend, (more)
 
1995  
 
This made-for-television movie tells the story of the tumultuous life of heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson. The movie follows the boxer (played by Michael Jai White) from his early New York youth as criminal offender all the way to his years as a national boxing celebrity. With the help of controversial promoter Don King (Paul Winfield), Tyson became the World Heavyweight Champion, only to lose it all and go to jail for a rape conviction. This biopic was based on Jose Torres' book on Tyson, Fire and Fear. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

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1992  
 
This made-for-TV drama, adapted from a book by Vincent Bugliosi, is based on a true story about an ex-cop who deceives and murders a number of women for their life insurance benefits. The video release includes scenes not shown in the original. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

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1992  
 
Add Black Death to Queue Add Black Death to top of Queue  
In this made-for-TV drama, a teenage girl named Sarah (Kathleen Robertson) is flying home to see her parents when she falls ill. While Sarah is convinced that she has simply come down with a bad cold, when she keels over and dies while crossing a street, an autopsy reveals that Sarah had in fact contracted the pneumonic plague. Dr. Nora Hart (Kate Jackson), the hospital's authority on epidemics and highly contagious diseases, now must track down as many people as possible who came in contact with the girl before the plague begins to spread -- including Calvin Phillips (Howard Hessman), a congressman Sarah met on her flight. Based on the novel The Black Death by Gweneth Cravens and John C. Marr, Quiet Killer also stars Jerry Orbach, Luis Guzman, and Al Waxman. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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1992  
 
A lawyer whose wife is missing becomes obsessed with the below that a woman he has seen is his wife. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

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Starring:
Jaclyn SmithChristopher Reeve, (more)
 
1991  
 
In this ironic drama, a hard working, devoted doctor finds herself accused of murder after the man who raped her dies under her care. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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1989  
R  
Add Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland to Queue Add Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland to top of Queue  
Angela (Pamela Springsteen), the murderous camp counselor of Sleepaway Camp 2, returns to the scene of her crimes in this no-frills installment. Assuming a camper's identity (after mowing her down with a Mack truck), Angela arrives at Camp Rolling Hills, which was purchased and renamed "New Horizons" after her last killing spree. Husband and wife entreprenurs Herman and Lily (Michael J. Pollard and Sandra Dorsey) have reopened it as an "experiment in sharing" to bring street-smart disadvantaged kids together with snobby rich brats. Splitting up into three groups of culturally mixed teens, they go off into the woods for a camping trip designed to break down barriers. Instead, Angela finds a myriad of reasons to off her fellow campers (thanks to their constant bad behavior), and gets the job done with axes, tent spikes, a lawnmower, and firecrackers up the nose. Even the presence of an off-duty police officer (Cliff Brand), who is familar with Angela's crimes, doesn't deter her from slaughtering everyone for the merest provocation. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi

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Starring:
Pamela SpringsteenTracy Griffith, (more)
 
1989  
PG13  
Two wacky guys find both romance and fortune in the hamburger business in this comedy. Augie (Clark Brandon) and Drew (Randal Patrick) are a pair of longtime students at Hopkins University who've been making a living by pulling one semi-legal scam after another for years, but one day the dean (J. Don Ferguson) decides he's had enough of their antics and gets rid of them the best way he knows how -- he graduates them. Forced into the real world, the guys are looking for something resembling a career when Augie gets surprising news. His cousin Samantha (Tracy Griffith) runs a gas station where he works part time, but she's considering selling the place to Wrangler Bob Bundy (Jim Varney), the owner of a local burger chain who is convinced the gas station would be the perfect location for a new franchise. Drew figures if the place would be the right spot for a burger joint, they should open one themselves, and eventually Augie and Drew persuade Samantha to go along with the idea. The business gets off to a slow start, but things pick up when Drew's buddy Calvin (Lanny Horn) cooks up a special sauce for the burgers which has aphrodisiacal side effects. Wrangler Bob isn't about to give up without a fight, though, and hires corporate spy Dixie Love (Traci Lords) to get the inside scoop on the burger stand's sudden popularity. Fast Food also stars Kevin McCarthy, Michael J. Pollard, and Pamela Springsteen (Bruce's younger sister). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Clark BrandonRandal Patrick, (more)
 
1988  
PG  
In the thriller Shadow Dancing, the head of the Beaumont Theater of Dance has been haunted for decades by one of his dancers who died suddenly during a performance of "Medusa." Despite the bad memories surrounding "Medusa," the company is set to stage a production of the ballet nearly 50 years later, and a young dancer is obsessed with winning the title role. After she receives it, she begins to assume the physical and emotional characteristics of the woman who died years earlier, and as it gets closer to the actual production, it becomes apparent that she is headed toward her doom. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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Starring:
Nadine Van Der VeldeChristopher Plummer, (more)
 
1988  
R  
Add Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers to Queue Add Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers to top of Queue  
This campy horror sequel to the original 1983 feature is laced with doses of dark humor and blood-spattering special effects. Camp Rolling Hills is losing enrollment as the "bad teens" are being murdered in various gruesome manners. Angela Baker (Pamela Springsteen) is the moralistic camp counselor who tells people the campers have been "sent home." The victims are beaten, slashed choked, and one is even drowned in an outhouse as others die in creative and grisly ways. Renee Estevez stars as Molly, the heroine of the film who somehow manages to avoid being killed. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

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Starring:
Pamela SpringsteenBrian Patrick Clarke, (more)
 
1988  
R  
A New York cop takes on drug-smuggling Soviet agents in this action-espionage thriller. The trouble starts when the rebellious agents disobey orders and begin glutting the Big Apple black market with illegal drugs. The cops become alerted to the problem after four topless dancers die of heroin overdoses. Renegade detective Mace Douglas, who has just been demoted for his tendency to kill suspects and now finds himself teemed up with a smarmy college-educated, irritatingly straight arrow, sets about solving the case. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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1987  
PG13  
Add Funland to Queue Add Funland to top of Queue  
In this black comedy, the mysterious death of the owner of an amusement park prompts his widow to sell the property to a group of mobsters, the DiMaurios. When the DiMaurios take over, they lower everyone's salary and fire the park's clown mascot, Bruce Burger (David Lander). With his job taken away, the clown loses it and begins to stage his revenge. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

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Starring:
William WindomDavid L. Lander, (more)
 
1987  
 
Malcolm "Mace" Douglas (Ed Marinaro) is a vice squad detective who investigates the drug-related murders of strippers in this uneven, low-budget crime drama. The former homicide lieutenant was demoted when he earned his nickname for spraying mace down the throat of a suspect. He and Mark Cain (Darrell Larson) later become entangled in implausible international intrigue with Bulgarian diplomats, KBG agents, lowlife club owners, and blackmail. Mace loses his badge when he falls for the stripper Amber (Cassandra Gava). Isaac Hayes, Lynn Whitfield, Corbin Bernsen, and John Hancock co-star. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

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Starring:
Ed MarinaroDarrell Larson, (more)
 
1986  
PG  
As this Catholic-oriented drama opens, a definition of purgatory is offered by Dame Judith Anderson and then four men are seen sitting in a drab, nondescript room. One (John Putch) is a soldier who died in Vietnam, and the others range from a businessman (Terry Beaver) to a husband and father (Brad Dourif). The four soon discover that they went to the same Catholic school together during the 1960s, and they trace their youthful careers. Mixed with jokes and ribbing about a Catholic school education, the memories of the four are alternately humorous or insightful, given their current situation. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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Starring:
John PutchTerry Beaver, (more)