John D. Gowans Movies
- 1993
Cabot Cove has been chosen as the location for the pre-Broadway staging of a new play starring David North (Peter Donat), a prominent actor who is emerging from a 10-year retirement. No sooner have rehearsals started than a murder occurs, with North's business manager Eric Benderson (Bradford Dillman) as the victim. Needless to say, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is determined to find out "who done it"--and this time, there are plenty of subtle pop-cultural clues at hand, thanks to the cunning of screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Actress Susan Ruttan, who played the quietly efficient legal secretary on LA Law, does an artistic about-face in the TV movie Deadly Medicine. She plays a Texas pediatrics nurse who may have committed several "mercy killings" of her charges. 43 babies die under mysterious circumstances, with Ms. Ruttan seemingly always lurking in the corridor. When confronted by doctor Veronica Hamel, Susan threatens to accuse Ms. Hamel of the murders--and she does, with astonishing success. Though constructed like a network "mystery of the week", Deadly Medicine is founded on fact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The made-for-television film Storm and Sorrow is based on the true story of Molly Higgins (Lori Singer), a mountain climber who joins a team about to climb a 24,000-foot peak in Russia's Pamir Mountains. On the lengthy climb up the mountain, the team confronts a number of dangers--not only natural disasters, but also conflicts between the members, as well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1985
The endurance of an upper-middle-class family is put to the test in this well-made television drama about drug abuse. Based on the book of the same name by Beth Polson, Viveka Davis (Shoot The Moon) stars as Susan Bowers, the teenage daughter of a successful surgeon (George Segal) and homemaker (Stockard Channing). When innocent-looking Susan's secret life as a druggie comes to light, her parents try anything and everything to get her clean. Unable to make any headway, they turn to a strict drug-treatment center, where streetwise counselors deal with tough kids on their own terms. The Bowers soon learn that their daughter's rehabilitation will not only be a long haul but also an exercise in family dynamic exploration. Young Davis is compelling as the rebellious daughter, and Channing and Segal are wholly believable as the bewildered parents. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In this socially conscious drama, an ex-con meets constant opposition from avaricious land owners who want the land on which he has set up a ranch-style juvenile correctional facility. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
A jewelry store is robbed, one of the suspects is dead, and Hunter (Fred Dryer) is stuck without any clues. But there may be a break in the case: a beautiful model named Angie Chavina (Ada Maris), who was acquainted with the dead man, has boarded a train bound for San Diego. Hunter buys a ticket and catches up with Angie, ultimately falling in love with her--but is she merely an innocent bystander, or the "brains" behind the heist? Watch for Michael Dorn of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame as a highway patrolman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When plans to launch a second Star Trek television series in the late 1970s were scrapped by Paramount Pictures, the show's creator, Gene Roddenberry, instead transformed the aborted program's 2-hour pilot into this big budget theatrical feature. Five years after the legendary voyages of the starship Enterprise, James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is an unhappy, desk-bound admiral at Starfleet headquarters. Kirk goes aboard his old vessel to observe its re-launch under new captain Will Decker (Stephen Collins). Soon, however, an escalating crisis causes Kirk to take command of his old ship. A mysterious, planet-sized energy force of enormous power is headed for Earth. Reunited with Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and the rest of his former colleagues, Kirk takes the Enterprise inside the massive energy cloud and discovers that it is the long-lost NASA space probe Voyager. Now a sentient being after accumulating centuries of knowledge in its deep space travels, the alien, which calls itself V'ger, has come home seeking its creator. Although not a critical home run, box office receipts for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) were strong enough to inspire a revamped television series and a long-running line of theatrical sequels. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
In this film, young singer Lauri Robinson (Didi Conn) struggles to make it in the harsh music business while dealing with her romantic problems. The title song from this movie won an Oscar. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Didi Conn, Joe Silver, (more)
- 1976
This episode is a sobering lesson in civil liberties--or rather, the lack of those liberties when an innocent citizen is brought before a Federal Grand Jury. Much to his dismay, Jim Rockford (James Garner) is repeatedly subpoenaed and harrassed by zealous Federal prosecutor Gary Bevins (William Daniels), who is convinced that the detective knows more than he is willing to admit about the disappearance of union boss Frank Sorvino. When he isn't serving jail time for contempt of court, Jim is kept busy ducking and dodging Sorvino's cronies, as well as someone who is trying to kill him. Though ultimately Jim clears himself, justice has still not been served--and the episode ends with a blistering attack on the iniquities of the legal process as Rockford throws the prosecutor's sanctimonious words right back at him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
