Tyler Christopher Movies

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the sprawling six-part, 12-hour TV miniseries Into the West covers 65 years of American history, from the first major migration westward in the mid-1820s to the massacre at Wounded Knee in the early 1890s. The story is largely seen through the eyes of two protagonists (and their families): Jacob Wheeler (Matthew Settle), a wheelwright who leaves his Virginia hometown and his family's business in 1827 to seek his destiny in the company of legendary mountain man Jedediah Smith (Josh Brolin); and Loved by the Buffalo (George Leach), a Lakota Sioux holy man who spends a lifetime seeking the answers to his profound and disturbing images about the future of his country -- and his people. Eschewing the usual "old-age makeup" route often pursued in epic tales of this nature, the main characters are played by progressively older actors in the course of the story: for example, Loved by the Buffalo is portrayed by no fewer than four different performers! In a more traditionalist How the West Was Won vein, the miniseries is festooned with major stars, some cast in very brief roles: among these are Josh Brolin, Keri Russell, Matthew Modine, Beau Bridges, Gary Busey, Tom Berenger, and Judge Reinhold. Nor is How the West Was Won the only inspiration for the multi-plotted storyline: other films echoed and emulated throughout the saga include The Iron Horse, The Big Trail, Westward the Women, The Searchers, and Dances With Wolves. As mentioned, the story is divided into six parts: "Wheel to the Stars," in which the fates of Jacob Wheeler and Loved by the Buffalo become forever intertwined; "Manifest Destiny," chronicling the first major trek to California; "Dreams & Schemes," wherein the Lakota lands are despoiled by Gold Fever and war breaks out between the North and South; "Hell on Wheels," chronicling the postwar chaos and the coming of the railroad; "Casualties of War," wherein the conflict between Native Americans and the white man results in wholesale bloodshed -- and, surprisingly, a "counter-revolution" of compassion and understanding; and "Ghost Dance," the last great stand of the Lakota, which brings the story full circle. Largely filmed in the Canadian Rockies over a six-month period, and utilizing the talents of six directors, Into the West premiered June 10, 2005, on the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) investigates when the production of a "faked" snuff film results in the far-from-fake stabbing death of a young woman. Or did a murder actually occur? Clues are either vague or nonexistent, and Catherine finds herself running down a multitude of blind alleys. Meanwhile, Grissom (William L. Petersen) pieces together the evidence when an abandoned aluminum toolbox yields a human skeleton -- infested with imported fire ants. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The fool-proof bid for fame made by a struggling rock band falls to pieces due to an unforeseen complication in a hilarious tale of misguided musical mischief starring General Hospital hunk Tyler Christopher. Sure, Dan Stone's (Christopher) band may have just been dumped from their record label, but they're still young and they still feel like they've got a few hits left in them. Of course, everybody knows that nothing rockets a band to the big time better than the death of a lead singer, and when the band agrees to fake Dan's death in exchange for some well-timed publicity, the plan pays off better than they ever might have expected. The trouble is, a beautiful female reporter has been assigned to investigate the mysterious death, and now, as her reporter's instincts lead her ever closer to the truth, the "dead man" realizes that the girl of his dreams is also the girl who could destroy his career if news breaks of the band's elaborate ruse. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In Catfish In Black Bean Sauce, Paul Winfield and Mary Alice play an African-American couple who in the 1970's adopted two Vietnamese children, a brother and sister. 20 years on, the two kids have grown to adulthood; Dwayne (Chi Muoi Lo) has absorbed a great deal of black culture from his adopted parents and is engaged to an attractive African-American woman (Sanaa Lathan). His sister (Lauren Tom), however, feels more comfortable with Asian cultural paths and has married an older Asian man (Tzi Ma). The siblings have recently come in contact with their birth mother (Kieu Chinh), and are awaiting her first visit to the United States, which causes no small amount of personal, cultural and familial clashes. Catfish In Black Bean Sauce is the feature debut from writer/director Chi Muoi Lo, who also plays Dwane; it was a prize winner at the 1999 WorldFest/Houston Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi