Bruce Gray Movies

Based on a true story, this is the case of Carolyn Warmus, a teacher from Westchester County who was convicted of the murder of her lover's wife. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

As in past years, the final four episodes of Babylon 5's 1996-97 season were broadcast in the United Kingdom before making their first American TV appearances. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Between the Darkness and the Light" is a surprisingly low-key episode, despite all that occurs within its 48-minute timeframe. Captured by the Mars Resistance, Garibaldi tries to convince Franklin and Lyta that he was not entirely responsible for his previous actions. As plans are drawn to rescue Captain Sheridan from President Clark's minions, Ivanova, armed with vital information, launches her own counterratack against Clark --- with devastating results. "Between the Darkness and the Light" made its American TV debut during the week of October 6, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by Loring Mandel, Breaking Up stars Gena Rowlands as a middle-aged housewife who, after 16 years of marriage, is asked for a divorce by husband Granville van Dusen. Once overcoming the shock and the bitterness, Rowlands must determine the future course for herself and her two children. Her efforts to set up her own fashion design business and to enter the dating pool are almost as traumatic as the initial separation. Adding to the dilemma is an increasingly large rift between Rowlands and her teen-age daughter, who holds her mom responsible for the marital discord. Breaking Up was telecast January 2, 1978 as an ABC Theatre presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Valentine's Day is anything but festive for Piper (Holly Marie Combs), who worries that Leo (Brian Krause) will be harshly punished for aiding the Avatars in their misbegotten efforts to utopian-ize the world. Elsewhere, Paige (Rose McGowan) struggles to overcome the loss of Brody by plunging into her latest project: finding new faculty members for the magic school. English teacher Drake Robin (Billy Zane, in his first series appearance) seems eminently qualified for an academic post. However, Drake has left one teeny-tiny item off his resumé: he used to be a demon, and he has recently entered into an unholy pact! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this Canadian-filmed sequel to (what else?) The Cube, eight strangers awaken in a cube-shaped room with no idea of where they've come from or how they arrived. All they do know is that they've been plunged into a fourth-dimensional netherworld where all physical laws seem to be made up as they go along. Presented with cryptic clues as to the nature of their plight, the tiny group desperately tries to find a way out of their constantly shape-shifting environment, certain that if they don't escape, they will die slow but spectacular deaths. First shown at the Fantasy Filmfest in Munich, Germany, in the summer of 2002, Cube 2: Hypercube bounced around the sci-fi festival circuit until its American cable TV debut over the Sci-Fi Channel on April 5, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The tragic wreck of the super-tanker Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alaska on March 24, 1989 was one of the most devastating ecological disasters in recent history. Immediately after the ship ran aground and began pumping over 11 million gallons of suffocating oil from its ruptured hold, experts were sent out to assess the damage and clean up the mess. This gripping docudrama tells their story. Much centers on the conflict between local officials, the fishing industry, and the Exxon official sent out to oversee the clean-up and take the rap. With unflinching moral outrage, the filmmakers point out that much of the aftermath could have been minimized had the officials in charge been better prepared and not spent so much time involved in useless red-tape and petty bureaucratic bickering. Most of the film was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, but it also utilizes archival filmclips of the actual disaster and clean up efforts. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Dan Aykroyd must have practiced for months to perfect his Jack Webb inflections for Dragnet. Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz's directorial debut (also written by Mankiewicz, along with Aykroyd, and Alan Zweibel) is a gentle spoof of the legendary '50s television police drama -- pitting '50s conservatism smack up against the attitudes of the '80s. Basically, the film is another 48 Hours or Beverly Hills Cop clone. Aykroyd stars as Joe Friday, the nephew of the original Friday. But with his brown suit, fedora, and lockjaw, he could just as well be the incarnation of Jack Webb. He is involuntarily assigned a smart alecky, street-wise partner, Pep Streebeck (Tom Hanks), and they are appointed to investigate a series of religious cult murders in L.A. The two cops follow the trail to a phony televangelist, the Reverend Jonathan Whirley (Christopher Plummer). From there, they are only at step away from uncovering an Orange County-based religious cult calling itself P.A.G.A.N. (People Against Goodness and Normalcy). After sneaking into a secret ceremony, Friday falls in love with the sacrificial victim Connie Swail (Alexandra Paul). So much so that even after his superior Captain Gannon (Harry Morgan, reprising his role from the '60s revival of the Dragnet program) orders him off the case, Friday continues on, with the requisite car chases and crashes that usually climax any '80s cop movie or comedy. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

The first new TV-movie of 1988 (it debuted January 1st), Drop-Out Mother is a belated follow-up to the 1983 Dick Van Dyke vehicle Drop-Out Father. Valerie Harper plays a busy executive who decides one day to turn her back on the business world to become a full-time mom. Problem is, her husband and kids have pretty full lives, thus they can't quite accommodate her. Wayne Rogers plays hubby, Danny Gerard and Alyson Court are the kids, and Carol Kane is the obligatory Best Friend. Drop-Out Mother passes the time, but it's a far cry from its consistently entertaining 1983 predecessor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eye of the Storm is the eerie and tragic story of two brothers haunted by their past. Steven (Bradley Gregg) witnesses the murder of his parents by robbers. Running from the killers, Steven falls from a window and is blinded. Ten years later, Steven and his brother Ray (Craig Sheffer) are managing the motel, that was owned by their parents. Marvin (Dennis Hopper), a drunken redneck, and his gum-chewing wife Sandra (Lara Flynn Boyle) check in with tragic results for all as their lives become entwined. Despite many implausible plot twists, director Yuri Zeltser puts all this together to produce a compelling thriller and gets strong performances from his cast, particularly Gregg, who is very convincing and poignant as the blind, younger brother. Eye of the Storm, given a theatrical release in Germany but released straight to video in the United States, is a small, well-made thriller, well-worth viewing. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

Plagued throughout his life by fuzzy, disturbing memories, Coloradoan William Coit Jr. (Neil Patrick Harris) realizes that these memories may put a crimp in the happiness of his recent marriage. In his efforts to get at the root of his anxieties, Coit ruminates over his unhappy, unstable childhood -- and his much-married mother Jill (Bonnie Bartlett), who, in addition to her other peccadillos, has cheated her children out of their late father's inheritance. Can it be possible that the wanton Jill actually murdered William's father? And if so, what horrors are in store for Jill's brand-new husband (number ten!) if William does not take immediate action? Based on a true story, Legacy of Sin: The William Coit Story first aired October 3, 1995, on the Fox network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While attending a convention in Las Vegas, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) links up with Susan Hartley (Amy O'Neill), the daughter of her editor Ted Hartley (Bruce Gray). When Susan's boyfriend is accused of murdering a nasty casino manager, Jessica steps in to prove the poor fellow's innocence. In so doing, our heroine places her own life in dire jeopardy. Andrew Brye makes his second appearance in the semi-regular role of Ahmed Shanker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Angela Lansbury's former MGM colleagues Van Johnson and June Allyson are prominently featured in this episode. A double-dealing businessman is killed when he is run over by a remote-controlled station wagon. Suspicion immediately falls upon the victim's disgruntled former partner, an oddball inventor--who happens to be a neighbor of our gal Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). Can it be that the death car's curious license plate number will turn out to be a clue? (Well, maybe not.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide