Susan Gibney Movies

A young man struggles to overcome a physical handicap in this drama based on a true story. Matt Hamill (Theodore Conley) was born to a single mother (Susan Gibney), who was told her young son was bright, talented, and entirely deaf. Without a father to rely on, young Matt turns to his grandfather Stanley (Raymond J. Barry) as his male role model; Stanley encourages the boy not to allow his deafness to hold him back, and urges him to take up wrestling. Matt shows tremendous promise as a wrestler, but while the sport helps him build confidence and muscle, he isn't sure how to deal with others, particularly girls. After graduating from high school, Matt (now played by Russell Harvard) attends Purdue on a wrestling scholarship, but he's forced to leave school due to poor grades. However, he has an opportunity to redeem himself when his wrestling skills earn him an invite to the Rochester Institute of Technology, a school with a special program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. For the first time, Matt has peers who are also deaf, and he befriends his roommate Jay (Michael Anthony Spady) and falls for pretty coed Kristi (Shoshannah Stern). But it's a challenge for the lifelong loner to open up to other people and admit his weaknesses, and he also has to learn a new way of communicating by using American Sign Language after spending his life as a lip-reader. The Hammer (aka Hamill) was based on the life of Matt Hamill, a three-time NCAA wrestling champion who has gone on to become a successful mixed-martial-arts competitor. Due to its subject matter and large hearing-impaired audience, the film was exhibited as Open Caption (with onscreen readable text) in theaters. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A woman who casts spells of love discovers they don't always work as planned in this independent romantic comedy-drama. Holly (Holly Angell Hardman) is a sorceress who arrives in an oceanside community on Cape Cod with the intent of bringing lovers together. However, Holly soon discovers it is not as easy a task as she imagined, as the village has more than its share of broken hearts and dashed hopes. Vicky (Susan Gibney), a rough but good-hearted woman who drives a lobster boat, is infatuated with Damien (Liam Waite), a college student who is working with her over the summer. Damien, however, is more interested in the college girls who are vacationing in town, while Vicky has instead attracted the attentions of Shep (Jim Chiros), the town drunk. With the help of Nicole (Cole Murray), a local woman with a passion for magic, and Mona (Amy Wright), an aspiring herbalist, Holly attempts to pair off the town's lonely people with their soul mates, but she learns that her interference may be hurting more than it's helping. Besotted was the first feature film from writer and director Holly Angell Hardman, who also plays the sorceress Holly. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

As usual, one group of CSI members investigates a death, while another group checks up on a second murder. Specifically, Grissom (William L. Petersen), Warrick (Gary Dourdan), and Nick (George Eads) look into a shooting that occurred during a casino heist, while Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Sara (Jorja Fox) probe a homicide at a remote desert convenience store. As the team compares notes, it appears as if there is a strong connection between the two crimes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

John Ritter brilliantly breaks loose from his lovable "Jack Tripper" characterization in the role of the seriously disturbed Paul Hegstrom. An abusive husband and father, not to mention a serial philanderer, Paul draws his "courage" from a whisky bottle. On one fateful evening, his violent impulses completely overwhelm him and he nearly beats his wife Judy (Harley Jane Kozak) to death. Just when it seems that Paul is utterly beyond redemption, he is put into an experimental "life skills" therapy program. Despite all evidence to the contrary, what is "unforgivable" at the beginning of the film can actually be forgiven by film's end, and the climax is astonishingly inspirational--and wholly credible, since it is based on a true story. Unforgivable made its first CBS network appearance on April 30, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Deep Space Nine's first offering for the calendar year 1996 was this episode, which originally aired January 1. A crucial Federation/Romulan peace conference is interrupted by a deadly explosion, apparently the handiwork of a Dominion-aligned Changeling. Further evidence indicates that a hostile Changeling faction intends to invade Earth. As a result, Earthling Sisko and Changeling Odo are sent to San Francisco, either to prevent an all-out war, or to prepare for a wholesale Dominion attack. Ending in a cliffhanger, the plot of "Homefront" would not be resolved until the following week's episode, "Paradise Lost." Both installments were written by Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Boxing is more than just a sport -- it's also a business and a con game in this satirical comedy. Rev. Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson) is a shrewd boxing promoter and manager whose meal ticket is heavyweight champion James "The Grim Reaper" Roper (Damon Wayans), a fighter whose skill and confidence significantly outstrips his intelligence. While the top-ranked contender for Roper's title is Marvin Shabazz (Michael Jace), Sultan isn't too keen on the idea of Shabazz fighting Roper -- it seems that both fighters are black, and Sultan's figures show that mixed race matches stir up a lot more media attention and pay-per-view customers. Eager to find a white challenger for Roper, Sultan digs up Terry Conklin (Peter Berg), who won a Golden Gloves fight against Roper many years ago but is now out of the game and fronting a rock band called Massive Head Wound. Thanks to a few bribes and a couple of fixed fights, Sultan is able to arrange for Conklin to be next in line to battle "The Grim Reaper." However, Conklin is taking his renewed career as a boxer quite seriously, while Roper, convinced that Conklin doesn't stand a chance, has let himself go and gained a lot of weight. Suddenly Sultan realizes that Roper might just lose the piece-of-cake fight he's so carefully arranged, while journalist Mitchell Kane (Jeff Goldblum) smells a rat in Conklin's sudden rise to ranking status. Jon Lovitz, Cheech Marin, and Corbin Bernsen highlight the supporting cast, while members of the well-regarded alternative rock band Local H appear as Massive Head Wound. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Ray (David Marciano) falls hopelessly in love with a beautiful woman (Susan Gibney) whom he has seen but once--when she knocked him down with her car. All subsequent evidence indicates that Ray's "dream girl" is a pretty tough cookie, and an illegal arms dealer to boot. But Ray cannot get over her, even when she repeatedly tries to kill him. Can it be that he is loving neither wisely nor well, or is the girl truly the outlaw that she appears to be? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Paralyzed in a 1984 accident, writer/director Neal Jimenez (of River's Edge fame) channelled his own experiences and emotions into his 1991 film Waterdance. Eric Stoltz stars as a young writer left incapacitated by a hiking accident. He is placed in a paraplegic ward, peopled by patients of all races and emotional states. Together with his new-found friends, Stoltz rebels against the hospital system and his own debilitation. Helen Hunt and Wesley Snipes are among the costars in this effective update (though not a remake) of 1950's The Men. Waterdance was given a brief theatrical release in 1992 before being telecast on PBS' American Playhouse in early 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The away team ventures into an asteroid field to investigate a centuries-old Promelian warship. During their absence, the Enterprise is barraged with radiation, causing the ship to lose its power and be held in the thrall of the same booby trap that had destroyed the ancient warship. With time rapidly running out, Picard and Geordi decide upon a desperate strategy, which will either free the ship or kill everyone on board. Ron Roman, Michael Pillar, and Richard Danus collaborated on the script for "The Booby Trap," which originally aired November 4, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi