Janet Eilber Movies

Barely recognizable under a blonde wig and several layers of garish makeup, Kirstie Alley stars in this made-for-TV drama as Marty, a freewheeling waitress who compensates for the emptiness in her life with jokes and wisecracks. On the verge of finding emotional fulfillment with a new romance, Marty is crippled in a freak traffic accident. Her subsequent efforts to adjust to her paraplegic state are hampered by a vicious assault from a mugger -- not to mention her erstwhile boyfriend's desertion. Hitting rock bottom, Marty is awash in booze and self-pity when redemption appears in the unlikely form of a handsome, upbeat guy in a wheelchair named Joe Mulvey (Jason Beghe). Suddenly originally aired December 1, 1996, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Antigone's efforts to arrange the burial of her brother Polyneices are captured in this video featuring Amy Greenfield's version of Sophocles' play. Dance steps and narrative combine as Antigone reveals her singular bravery and commitment. The treachery surrounding Polyneices' death and the threatening behavior of King Creon provide the drama to this story. ~ Elizabeth Smith, Rovi

Robert Foxworth is special guest murderer in the two-hour Columbo drama Grand Deceptions. Foxworth plays a retired Army colonel, currently fronting a paramilitary organization. He preaches duty, honor and country, all the while dipping into the organization's funds. When a colleague threatens to blow the whistle, Foxworth murders the man, making the killing look like an accident. Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) suspects that the colonel is guilty, but finds it difficult penetrating his phalanx of followers. Viewers were first treated to Columbo's customary diligence in Grand Deceptions on May 1, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Yiorgos Tzavellas wrote and directed this award-winning attempt at reimagining the classic tragedy by Sophocles as an actual motion picture rather than simply filming the play, as was common in Greek adaptations of theatrical productions since the late '20s. Manos Katrakis received widespread acclaim for his performance as Creon, who becomes King of Thebes after both of Oedipus' sons kill each other in a duel to determine ascension to the throne following his death. Creon orders the body of one son, Polynices, be left above ground, but the dead man's sister, Antigone (Irene Papas in an award-winning star turn), disobeys the new king and gives her brother a semi-proper burial by sprinkling him with dust. As punishment, Antigone is buried alive in a tomb despite her engagement to Creon's son Haemon (Nikos Kazis). Creon's mind is changed by Teiresias (Tzavalas Karoussos), a prophet who explains that leaving Polynices unburied sullies the realm of the gods. Unfortunately, by the time Creon gets around to burying Polynices and freeing Antigone, the poor girl has hanged herself in her tomb. This leads Creon's son to commit suicide as well, followed by the suicide of his own wife. Plagued with misery and guilt, the broken Creon abdicates the throne, crushed by the tragic chain of events that he had unwittingly set in motion. One of the best Greek productions of the 1960s, and highly recommended for students of classical Greek tragedy on film, Antigoni co-stars Maro Kondou, Ilya Livikou, Yiannis Argiris, and Theodoros Moridis. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Stepping into the role made famous on Broadway by Tom Conti, Richard Dreyfuss stars as a profoundly handicapped sculptor in Whose Life is it Anyway? Left a quadraplegic after an auto accident, the embittered Dreyfuss feels utterly useless, as both an artist and a human being. He doesn't want his family's love, or his doctor's care, or his nurse's ministrations. Dreyfuss simply wants to die-but this is impossible, given the legal state of things in the 1970s. Whose Life is It Anyway? may be the only film in which a person's right to self-destruction is regarded as a happy ending. Not as depressing as it sounds, Whose Life Is It Anyway is perversely hilarious at times, with Dreyfuss at his acerbic best. The film was scripted by Reginald Rose and Brian Clark from Clark's stage play. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Phoebe (Mary Steenburgen) and Jason (Dudley Moore) are a pair of Broadway playwrights who are partners in their chosen profession, but in spite of a definite inclination, they remain unpartnered (for a long time) in any other way. Phoebe is an aspiring playwright from the Northwoods and Jason is just getting married when the two meet for the first time and decide to collaborate. As their relationship produces first a failure and then a string of successes, their repartée remains sharp and witty -- and their unrequited interest in each other gathers energy over a nine-year period, until some resolution is finally in sight. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi