Philip Gordon Movies

A man learns his past was more truth than imagination in this horror story. Tim (Barry Watson) is a man who is still haunted by traumatic memories of his past, many linked to the death of his father. Desperate to resolve his issues, Tim returns to his old hometown so he can pay a visit to the house where he grew up. But while Tim wants to convince himself the ghostly memories he carries are just a figment of his imagination, circumstances lead him to believe that there may be a kernel of truth to them. Boogeyman also features Emily Deschanel, Lucy Lawless, and Skye McCole Bartusiak. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The wonderful performances of three developmentally challenged teenage actors placed House Gang several cuts above the usual Australian sitcom. The plot got under way when builder Mike Wilson (Chris Haywood) went bankrupt, forcing him to give up ownership of his house. With nowhere else to go, Mike and his contentious 15-year-old daughter Chloe (Jocelyn Rosen) decided to move in with their tenants: a trio of handicapped young adults named Belinda (Ruth Cromer), Trevor (Saxon Graham), and Robert (Chris Greenwood), and their special-ed teacher Jack (Jeanette Cronin), who had an iconoclastic streak a mile wide and who loved motorbike racing. At first appalled by their new roommates, the Wilsons soon discovered that they had a lot to learn from the industrious, well-adjusted Belinda, Trev, and Robert, who in many ways were the cleverest and most resourceful characters on the show. Created by Diana Emry, Gaby Mason, and Craig Pearce, the 12 episodes of House Gang were originally telecast in Australia from 1996 to 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Director Cirio Santiago plays a cameo in his own Fast Gun. Contrary to expectations, the film is not a western but an espionager. An ex-CIA "spook" -- a man assigned to infiltrate enemy strongholds -- becomes unhinged when the department lets him go. Arming himself to the teeth, he takes over a small town. Only one man is willing to stand up to the former spy, and that man has a history of his own.Kaz Garas is the most recognizable name among the cast members of Fast Gun. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this sequel to the 1987 actioner Black Cobra, Fred Williamson resumes his role as a tough-as-nails urban detective. The villain is a terrorist who'll kill anyone who impedes his escape. The terrorist breaks into a schoolroom full of children and holds the kids hostage. It's up to Williamson -- now saddled with an unwanted partner -- to eliminate the bad guy without taking the kids with him. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The New Zealand-produced thriller Bridge to Nowhere takes place in and around an actual unfinished bridge, abandoned in the mid-1920s. Five urban youths head into the wilderness in search of this legendary structure. They have the misfortune to cross the path of mad mountain dweller Bruno Lawrence, who considers himself lord of all he surveys. In the tradition of The Most Dangerous Game, Lawrence decides to hunt down the kids like animals. Is there any 1980s New Zealand-based film that doesn't star Bruno Lawrence? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Enriched by a phalanx of deeply-etched characters straight out of New Zealand's finest folklore, this winning comedy by Kiwi director Ian Mune tells the story of two buddies out to ride a great horse-racing scam for as long as they can. Based on a story by the late writer Ronald Hugh Morrieson, the setting is around 1949 in rural New Zealand. Wes Pennington (Peter Bland) and his pal Cyril (Philip Gordon) are inveterate gamblers who have joined forces to bilk local bookies by taking advantage of delayed broadcasts of horse races. The duo do not linger long in each place, but when they arrive in Tainuia Junction, fate catches up with them. Through a series of unforeseen circumstances, Cyril and Wes get involved in uncovering a bootlegging ring, arson, murder, and other dastardly deeds. The townspeople are in a class of their own, but outstanding among them is the Tainuia Kid (Billy T. James) who is a kind of protector for the put-upon, gambling duo. The "Kid" is a mix of modern New Zealand ingenuity and traditional patriotic values, with a bit of humor thrown in as well. Viewers do not have to be from New Zealand to appreciate the story, the comedy, and the characters that emerge in this entertaining film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Endlessly imitated, The Terminator made the reputation of cowriter/director James Cameron -- who would go on to make 1997's titanic Titanic -- and solidified the stardom of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie begins in a post-apocalyptic 2029, when Los Angeles has been largely reduced to rubble and is under the thumb of all-powerful ruling machines. Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), a member of the human resistance movement, is teleported back to 1984. His purpose: to rescue Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the mother of the man who will lead the 21st-century rebels against the tyrannical machines, from being assassinated before she can give birth. Likewise thrust back to 1984 is The Terminator (Schwarzenegger), a grim, well-armed, virtually indestructable cyborg who has been programmed to eliminate Sarah Connor. After killing two "Sarah Connors" who turn out to be the wrong women, he finally aims his gunsights at the genuine article. This is the film in which Schwarzenegger declared "I'll be baaaack" -- and back he was, in "kinder and gentler" form, in the even more successful Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After wiping out half a village of native South Pacific tribesmen, Captain Bully Hayes (Tommy Lee Jones) is eventually captured, put in prison, and the rest of this swashbuckling action film is told in a series of flashbacks as he remembers the recent past. The lead-in scene may be off-putting, but its larger context is soon revealed. Hayes had just left a young couple, Nate (Michael O'Keefe) and Sophie (Jennie Seagrove) on an island so they could set up housekeeping and follow in the missionary footsteps of an uncle, when the villain Ben Pease (Max Phipps) shows up, kidnaps Sophie and leaves her husband for dead. Pease runs into a German naval officer who feels it would be advantageous to join up with him -- so when Captain Hayes saves Nate and, the two go looking for Sophie, their enemies are formidable villains indeed. Laced with humor and acting in the grand pirate-movie tradition, Nate and Hayes has enough adventure and style to stay entertaining for its 100-minute running time. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi