Sean Astin

Now that his soul has been removed, Angel (David Boreanaz) reverts to his demonic self, Angelus, for the first time since season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Locked in a cave in the hotel basement, Angelus taunts Angel's comrades but refuses to offer any information about his connection to The Beast (Vladimir Kulich). Biding his time until he can escape, the fiend amuses himself by revealing everyone's secrets, including the illicit tryst between Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Connor (Vincent Kartheiser). The resulting tension among the ranks gives Wesley (Alexis Denisof) the opportunity to step up his romantic pursuit of Fred (Amy Acker); Gunn (J. August Richards), of course, is anything but pleased. Angelus finally does cough up the dirt, but only after Cordelia secretly promises to submit to his every desire in exchange for the information he has. It seems that more than 200 years ago, The Beast sought Angelus' assistance in battling the mystics known as the Svea Priestesses. Out only for himself, Angelus refused, allowing the enchantresses to banish The Beast from this dimension. Learning that the current Svea Priestesses live nearby, the Angel Investigations team rushes to consult with them. Instead, they find only the women's corpses. Realizing that Angelus' one bit of wisdom is now useless, the gang prepares to restore Angel's soul -- but find it's gone missing from the hotel safe. Originally broadcast February 5, 2003, on the WB network, "Soulless" marked season four, episode 11 of the supernatural soap opera. This episode was directed by actor Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings fame. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Director Zev Berman teams with screenwriter Eric Poppen to explore the occult-based Mexican border town murder spree that claimed the lives of sixty innocents between January and March of 1989 alone. Graduation is drawing near and the spring breeze is blowing, what better time for three thrill-seeking Texas University students to make a run for the border to celebrate with one last wild weekend of drinking and debauchery? Though all the elements were in place for the perfect weekend getaway, this hard-partying trio is about to find out just how quickly things can take a turn for the worse when you're a stranger in a strange land. Upon running afoul of an ancient blood cult in search of the perfect human sacrifice, the three unsuspecting students are abducted and prepared for the ritualistic execution that will give Mexican drug runners supernatural protection that reaches above and beyond the laws of man. Sean Astin, Rider Strong, and Jake Muxworthy star in an ominous tale of occult bloodletting inspired by actual events. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A soldier discovers how elusive the truth can be in this first major film about America's role in the Gulf War. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) was the commander of a unit during Operation Desert Storm who mistakenly ordered the destruction of what he believed to be an enemy tank, only to discover that it actually held U.S. soldiers, including a close friend. Since then, Serling has been an emotional wreck, drinking heavily and allowing his marriage to teeter on the brink of collapse. As a means of redeeming himself, Serling is given a new assignment by his superior, Gen. Hershberg (Michael Moriarty). Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) was a helicopter pilot who died in battle during the Iraqi conflict, and the White House has proposed that Walden be posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Serling is asked to investigate Walden's actions on the field of battle, but he quickly discovers that no two stories about her are quite the same; Ilario (Matt Damon) says Walden acted heroically and sacrificed herself to save the others in her company, while Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillps) claims she was a coward who was attempting to surrender to enemy troops. Meanwhile, reporter Tony Gartner (Scott Glenn) is hounding Serling, trying to get the inside story on Walden and on Serling's own difficulties. Matt Damon lost 40 pounds to prepare for his role in Courage Under Fire, which resulted in a potentially life-threatening illness for the young actor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The world finds itself on the brink of nuclear disaster, with the balance point a small diner in Colorado, in the suspenseful political thriller Deterrence. In the year 2008, U.S. President Walter Emerson (Kevin Pollak), who recently took office after the death of the former chief executive, is campaigning for re-election. After winning the Colorado state primary, Emerson finds himself stranded in a roadside diner after a freak snowstorm. Traveling with Emerson are his chief of staff, Marshall Thompson (Timothy Hutton), national security advisor Gayle Redford (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and a network TV crew. While the president exchanges pleasantries with the diner's staff and customers, a new bulletin appears on TV: Udei Hussein, son of the late Saddam Hussein, has invaded Kuwait and butchered several hundred U.S. peace-keeping troops. Outraged, the president announces that if Hussein and his forces do not withdraw and officially surrender, he will begin dropping nuclear weapons on Baghdad. However, Iraq responds that if they are attacked, 23 cities in the United States and allied nations will be immediately destroyed in a counterattack. Emerson, his advisors, and the others trapped in the diner with them debate long and loud about what to do, and what the potential consequences could be. Deterrence was written and directed by former film critic Rod Lurie. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

One woman's unusual relationship with rock & roll's greatest icon leads her into an unexpected romance in this comedy. Harmony Jones (Kim Basinger) saw Elvis Presley in concert when she was a child, and the event had a profound impact on her, as she communicates with the youthful spirit of the King of Rock 'n' Roll on a regular basis. However, Harmony has notoriously bad luck with Elvis impersonators, who tend to drop dead when she's around. After accidentally running into a carload of Elvis tribute performers, Harmony abandons her career selling cosmetics door to door and hits the road, hoping to outrun the lawmen who are now on her trail. As Harmony roams the highways, she meets Miles Taylor (John Corbett), a lawyer from New York City trying to escape some troubles of his own. Directed by Joel Zwick, who made the surprise hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Elvis Has Left the Building also stars Annie Potts, Sean Astin, and Billy Ray Cyrus. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A talented but troubled high-school rugby star gets a second shot at redemption after being sentenced to serve time in a Salt Lake City boys' home and landing a coveted spot on the famed Highland High School rugby team in this inspirational sports drama from director Ryan Little (Saints and Soldiers, Everything You Want). Rick Penning (Sean Faris ) was the star player on his Arizona rugby team until his life took a turn for the worse. Now, after a fateful brush with the law, Rick finds himself out of the spotlight and forced to ponder the consequences of his actions in a Salt Lake City juvenile detention center. As fate would have it, however, Salt Lake's famed Highland High rugby team could use a player like Rick. With a little help from coach Larry Gelwix (Gary Cole), Rick may even be able to lead the Highland High team to the national championships. When Rick discovers that the team they'll be competing against is none other than his old team from Arizona, which is coached by his father, Richard Penning (Neal McDonough), the deciding game takes on a newfound sense of gravity in the eyes of the ambitious young athlete. Arielle Kebbel and Sean Astin co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Advertised as telling the tale of "The Man Behind the Myth," the expensive-looking but economically produced NBC miniseries Hercules stars Paul Telfer as the musclebound protagonist. The issue of a romantic fling between Alcmene (Elizabeth Perkins), the Princess of Thebes, and God of the Underworld Zeus, Hercules is banished by his mother and scorned by his envious half brother Iphicles (Luke Ford). In fact, for a while it seems as though poor Herc has nothing but enemies. In addition to his own mother and brother, our hero is hated by Zeus' wife, Hera -- so much so that a war breaks out between the two gods -- and by covetous Grecian monarchs Eurystheus (Kristian Schmid) and Anateus (Tyler Mane). Worse still, Hercules has managed to get on the bad side of the Delphic Oracle Tiresias (Kim Coates) by killing that worthy's three sons. As a means to destroy Hercules and prevent him from taking his rightful place beside the throne of Zeus, all manner of deadly tasks and challenges are thrown at the poor guy, enabling the producers to trot out innumerable CGI battle sequences. Fortunately, Hercules can rely upon the help and support of Alcmene's husband, Amphytron (Timothy Dalton), not to mention Herc's sidekick, the troubadour Linus (Sean Astin, going through his familiar Lord of the Rings paces in a different setting!); his sweetheart, the statuesque Goddess of Nature Deianeira (Leelee Sobieski); and, at least for a little while, Herc's wife, the Priestess Megara (Leeanna Walsman). By the time Hercules made it to the small screen, it had been pared down from a multipart miniseries to a single, 150-minute feature film, leaving several plot points unresolved and removing a number of key characters -- including the all-important Zeus and Hera, who never appear! Evidently NBC didn't have much faith in this Hallmark production, as witness the network's decision to telecast the film on May 16, 2005, directly opposite the series finale of Everybody Loves Raymond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Randall Miller's Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School compiles an all-star cast to tell an unabashedly emotional story about life, love, and destiny. Robert Carlyle portrays Frank Keane, a man who has been in a deep depression ever since his wife passed away. One day while driving, Frank sees an accident. He investigates the scene to see if he can help and meets a dying stranger (John Goodman), who tells Frank that he was headed to a dance school in order to reunite with a woman he loved many years before. Frank decides to attend the dance school, and becomes involved with a variety of people. Originally beginning as a short film, Randall Miller's feature-length film was screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Monk (Tony Shalhoub) agrees to investigate the "accidental" deaths of a wealthy couple who lived next door to Natalie's parents. The assignment requires Monk to go undercover as the butler for the couple's closest relative, obnoxious young billionaire Paul Buchanan (Sean Austin). His new job is perfectly suited to Monk's obsessive-compulsive nature, and soon he emerges as the "perfect" gentleman's gentleman, maintaining order in Buchanan's household with a firm but steady hand. However, Monk might not be so secure in this position were he aware that his predecessor, the late Mr. Stilson (David St. James), had been "fired" by Buchanan with a hunting pistol. Incidentally, this is the episode in which Mr. Monk discovers that he has a brand-new phobia: Frogs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide