Ann Gillespie Movies
- 1999
It's not easy being nice to Valerie Flake (played by Susan Traylor); she has a sharp tongue and a bitterly sarcastic sense of humor that she uses to level nearly everyone in her path, making her rather difficult to comfort after the death of her husband in a motorcycle accident. Valerie takes solace where she can by getting drunk and picking up men; however, she decides she needs some time out and leaves Los Angeles for Palm Springs, where she stays with her parents. A local greengrocer (Jay Underwood) soon makes it his pet project to find the softer side of Valerie's personality, but his mother (Christina Pickles) senses there's more to her than meets the eye and wants her son to stay away. Traylor's outstanding performance as Valerie is the highlight of this film, which premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Traylor, Jay Underwood, (more)
- 1998
Greene (Anthony Edwards) treats a horse suffering from colic and very loose bowels. A wounded gunman is brought into the ER with explosives wired to his body, making it necessary to "defuse" the man before he can be treated. Carter (Noah Wyle) intubates an elderly and anonymous female patient, only to find that her HMO won't admit her to the ER without permission from her next of kin. Both Ross (George Clooney) and Anspaugh (John Aylward) have news that is guaranteed to make Weaver (Laura Innes) unhappy. And after working hours, Carter sets up a date with a former patient, an aggressive insurance salesperson named Roxanne (Julie Bowen). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
After refusing to supply an alien with a controlled substance, Bashir is subjected to a vicious telepathic attack. Upon awakening (or at least appearing to be awake), he finds DS9 deserted and in a state of disrepair, and that he himself is dying of old age. Bashir's only hope for survival is to access different parts of his personality, which manifest themselves in the forms of his fellow crew members. First broadcast April 10, 1995, "Distant Voices" was scripted by Joe Menosky, from a story by Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
On the eve of a secret peace-treaty negotation with Cardassia, Vedek Bareil (Philip Anglim) is critically injured in an accident. The only hope for his survival -- and the successful completion of negotiations -- may lie in an unorthodox and potentially lethal medical procedure. With no other choice at hand, Dr. Bashir reluctantly begins the risky treatments. First telecast January 30, 1995, "Life Support" was scripted by Ronald D. Moore, from a story by Christian Ford and Roger Soffer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Bashir's Cardassian friend Garak (Andrew Robinson) is slowly and painfully dying from an apparent brain tumor. It is soon revealed that the source of Garak's agony is actually a brain implant, the handiwork of the Cardassian intelligence agency Enabran Tran. Bashir's efforts to save his friend are stymied by Garak himself, who has become addicted to the implant and becomes violent whenever anyone approaches him. Written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, "The Wire" originally aired May 7, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Shortly after O'Brien is assigned to service the food replicators, Deep Space Nine falls victim to a mysterious and fatal virus. O'Brien, of course, is not responsible; the virus, long dormant, had been placed in the station's system years earlier to disable the Cardassians. Kira races against time to find an antidote, her task made doubly difficult by the fact that the virus renders its victims unable to communicate. First aired January 23, 1993, "Babel" was scripted by Michael McGreevey and Naren Shankar from a story by Sally Caves and Ira Steven Behr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
A spoiled rich girl leaves her pop's protection and gets a job in an L.A. bar where she meets and falls for an unknown musician. She's out to prove to daddy, that she can cut it on her own. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jill Schoelen, Don Michael Paul, (more)
- 1991
- Add The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw to QueueAdd The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw to top of Queue
The fourth of Kenny Rogers' Gambler TV movies, 1991's The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw is regarded by many Western diehards as the best. This time, gambler Brady Hawkes is en route to a high-stakes poker game in San Francisco. His travelling companions are a trouble-prone frontier Romeo (Rick Rossovich) and a feisty ex-saloon gal (Reba McEntire). Never mind that: The real attraction of Luck of the Draw is its enormous guest-star lineup of famous TV cowboy heroes of yore: Gene "Bat Masterson" Barry, Hugh "Wyatt Earp" O'Brien, Brian "The Westerner" Keith, Chuck "The Rifleman" Connors, Jack "Maverick" Kelly, Clint "Cheyenne" Walker, David "Kung Fu" Carradine, and "Virginian" co-stars James Drury and Doug McClure. The first portion of this two-part movie concentrates on setting up the plot; Part two is the card game itself, preceded by a boxing match refereed by Bat Masterson (Gene Barry). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire, (more)
- 1990
Two almost-identical bank robberies have resulted in two deaths--and Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) have nary a clue. Gradually, Hunter deduces that there had been an "inside" man at each bank. As it turns out, a beautiful but deadly female criminal (Leslie Bevis), using multiple aliases, has been seducing bank managers into becoming her unwitting accomplices--a fact that comes crashing down upon one of the unfortunate managers, who intends to take the law into his own hands! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Soviet radicals upset with the thawing of the Cold War explode a nuclear weapon in Russia, setting off a series of events that may very well trigger World War III. The president (Martin Landau) has been isolated after a helicopter accident and must outwit government and military officials who are attempting to go forward with the war. The film centers on the relationship between a pair of American pilots who have been ordered to bomb the U.S.S.R. and the attempts by some factions to bring them home before global Armageddon. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Data develops a long distance friendship with a youthful ham radio operator named Sarjenka (a pre-teen Nikki Cox). Upon learning that the girl's planet is in danger of destruction from a series of volcanic eruptions, Data puts his own life on the line to save her. The Enterprise crew goes along for the ride, thereby placing themselves in dire peril as well. Scripted by Melinda M. Snodgrass from a story by Hannah Louise Shearer, "Pen Pals" was first telecast May 6, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
This made-for-TV movie is the second follow-up to the astonishingly successful Kenny Rogers as the Gambler (1980). Rogers returns as Old West gambler Brady Hawkes, while Bruce Boxleitner, Rogers' co-star in 1983's The Gambler: The Adventure Continues, is also back as Hawkes' sidekick Billy Montana. Others in the cast include Linda Gray as adventuress Mary Collins, Jeffrey Jones as Buffalo Bill Cody and George American Horse as Sitting Bull. This time around, Brady and Billy try to protect the Sioux Nation from corrupt, treaty-breaking cavalry officers who've been stealing cattle and shifting the blame to the Indians. The Gambler III: The Legend Continues debuted November 22, 1987, an occasion celebrated by a TV Guide cover story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Saul (Dudley Moore), a married psychiatrist, becomes romantically obsessed with Chloe (Elizabeth McGovern), one of his patients. Chloe has already devastated one psychoanalyst, and although the venerable Freud himself (Alec Guinness) appears to counsel Saul in his worst moments, the man continues on his tormented way. In spite of notable names in the acting field, neither the subsidiary characters nor the story itself rise above the limited dialogue and plot. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Elizabeth McGovern, (more)
- 1981
The May 4, 1970 tragedy at Kent State University is meticulously recreated this three-hour TV movie. Conceived in semidocumentary fashion, the film illustrates the slow, simmering buildup to the fatal confrontation between students and National Guard troops on the Kent Campus. The four students who fall victim to Guard gunfire are played by Jane Fleas, Talia Balsam, Keith Gordon and Jeff McCracken. Those who might complain that victims come off in a saintly fashion should be reminded that the young, inexperienced National Guard troops are likewise treated with respect and sympathy. Screenwriters Gerald Green and Richard Kramer trace the roots of the incident back to President Nixon's decision to selectively bomb strategic targets in Cambodia; their script is based on interviews and published accounts of the shooting. Filmed in Alabama rather than Ohio, Kent State was originally telecast February 8, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
