Matthew Gross Movies

The Bad Old Days of Dallas and Dynasty were gloriously resurrected in this over-the-top ABC drama series about the impossibly wealthy, incredibly dysfunctional Darling family of New York. After the death of his father Dutch George (Trevor St. John) in a suspicious plane crash, straight-arrow attorney Nick George (Peter Krause) inherited the responsibility of looking after the Darlings--a job that largely consisted of keeping their names out of print and the family members out of prison. Actually, Nick was bribed into assuming his new responsibilities by patriarch Tripp Darling (Donald Sutherland), who offered the young attorney a $10 million annual retainer. Nick accepted only on condition that he never be required to tell lies on the family's behalf (something his less ethical father had no qualms about). Even so, it seemed at times that Nick would be corrupted in spite of himself, and the possibility of this occuring put something of a strain on the relationships between Nick, his wife Lisa (Zoe McLellan), and their impressionable daughter Kiki (Chloe Moretz). To be sure, the Darlings were quite a piece of work. Despite his protestations of respectability and fidelity, Tripp had no qualms about cheating on his imperious wife Letitia (Jill Clayburgh) with her ex-friend Natalie (Tamara Feldman). Their eldest son Patrick (William Baldwin) found his political aspirations threatened by his affair with transgendered Carmelita (Candis Cayne). Another son, Rev. Brian Darling (Glenn Fitzgerald), was saddled with an illegitimate child and weighed down by a long-standing hatred for the comparatively virtuous Nick. Daughter Karen, an unregenerate boozehound, loved to tell everyone within earshot (including her various husbands) that she had lost her virginity to Nick years earlier. And as for twin siblings Juliet (Samaire Armstrong) and Jeremy (Seth Gabel), she was a spoiled-brat pill-popper with vague aspirations of movie stardom, while he was an overage slacker with a gift for wreaking havoc and destruction wherever he went. Incredibly, there were even worse examples of humanity on the series, notably Tripp Darling's deadly rival Simon Elder (Blair Underwood). Dirty Sexy Money premiered September 26, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The surrealistic ABC cop drama Day Break was aptly characterized by most observers as "24 Meets Groundhog Day." Taye Diggs starred as police detective Brett Hopper, whom when first we met him had just endured the worst day of his life, culminating in his arrest for the murder of Assistant District Attorney Alberto Garza. Although he had an airtight alibi, Hopper was unable to convince anyone of his innocence, suggesting that his arrest was part of a conspiratorial frame-up. While being aggressively grilled by homicide detectives Spivak (Mitch Pileggi) and Choi (Ian Anthony Dale), Hopper suddenly lost consciousness, awakening in an other-worldly hideaway presided over by a sinister shadowy figure (Jonathan Banks) -- who "entertained" the protagonist by showing a tape in which Hopper's girlfriend Rita Shelten (Moon Bloodgood) died horribly.

At this point, Hopper was whisked back in time to the morning of his "worst day," only to find that he was condemned to live that same day over and over again until he was able to change its outcome. Alas, no matter how hard he tried to alter events, the day ended inexorably with his being arrested for murder and his witnessing of Rita's demise. Moreover, when the day started over again, Hopper found that the decisions he made during his previous "reliving" had had profound and disturbing consequences. In each episode, Hopper (the only person who knew that he and everyone around was trapped within the same ever-repeating time arc) was armed with knowledge he hadn't previously possessed, along with vital clues as to why all this was happening to him. Other players in this déjà vu nightmare were Hopper's partner, Andrea Battle (Victoria Pratt), who may or may not have been in on the conspiracy; his ex-partner (and Rita's ex-husband) Chad Shelten (Adam Baldwin), head of Internal Affairs and apparently a man with more than his share of dark secrets; Hopper's sister, Jennifer (Meta Golding), whose miserable domestic life weighed heavily on the plotline; and alleged gang leader Damien Ortiz (Ramon Rodriguez), who turned out to be even more a victim of circumstance than the hero. Created by Paul Zbyszewski, Day Break first aired on November 15, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young Italian-American returns to his Bronx neighborhood after World War II. Casting about for a purpose in civilian life, our hero befriends a punchdrunk boxer. He soon falls under the influence of the hazy pugilist, who subsists on dreams of glory. Within its half-hour limit, Bronx Cheers offers a tantalyzing peek at an ethnic lifestyle that is all too rapidly passing from the scene. Written and directed by Raymond DeFelitta, the film won the 1990 "best live action short subject" Academy Award. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide