Walter Emanuel Jones Movies

The world's most famous team of astronauts-cum-superheroes returns in the effects-heavy sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. As the story opens, Sue Storm (aka The Invisible Girl [Jessica Alba]) and Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic [Ioan Gruffudd]) prepare for their upcoming, superhero-studded wedding celebration. But Reed cannot stay focused on the nuptials -- he's distracted by wire reports of a bizarre, comet-like object hurtling toward the Earth with tremendous force, triggering brownouts, blackouts, tropical storms, and various other climatological disasters. When the said object hits the island of Manhattan, destroying much of the city in its wake, its identity becomes resoundingly clear. "It" is actually a "he" -- a psychotic villain known as The Silver Surfer (voice of Larry Fishburne) who intends, for some unascertainable reason, to destroy much of the Earth, just as he obliterated dozens of planets before it. Feeling compelled to rally their old gang and save the day, Sue and Reed summon Ben Grimm (aka The Thing [Michael Chiklis]) and Johnny Storm (aka The Human Torch [Chris Evans]) to take on the Surfer -- and end up battling not only him, but an obnoxious Army general (Andre Braugher) and the cantankerous Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), who has broken out of his icy prison that held him captive at the end of the first movie. Tim Story returns to direct this sequel. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

James Coburn stars in this disappointing drama about a man who tracks the gun he believes killed his daughter. Living out his twilight years in a dreary, snowbound Vermont town, tragedy strikes when his beloved daughter (Virginia Madsen) returns home for the holidays. While out doing some last minute shopping, she is shot and killed, seemingly by a nameless local thug. Crushed by her tragic and sudden death Coburn's hard-working everyman falls to pieces and decides to set out on in search of the weapon that laid the final blow. Also in search of his estranged granddaughter, Coburn crisscrosses the country as he comes into contact with the various owners of the titular weapon, hearing each of their diverse stories. ~ Rachel Deahl, Rovi

The squad prepares a farewell party for the newly promoted Martinez (Nicholas Turturro, here making his last NYPD Blue appearance). Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Sorenson (Rick Schroder) trace a gun used in an earlier shooting to a more recent homicide, leading them to a deadly case of sibling rivalry. After a night of drinking, Denby (Scott Cohen) tells Diane (Kim Delaney) that he inadvertently let suspected drug trafficker Don Kirkendall (Erich Anderson) slip through his fingers. Later, Don contacts his ex-wife, Detective Jill Kirkendall (Andrea Thompson) -- who, after the conversation, seems uncharacteristically willing to place loyalty over duty. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

On the night before Halloween, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and friends attend a costume party at the Alpha Delta house. Oz (Seth Green) helps prepare the sound system, subsequently cutting himself and dripping blood onto an occult symbol a frat brother is painting on the floor. Unbeknownst to everyone, the symbol summons the fear demon Gachnar, who forces everyone to face their fears. As Buffy, still hung up on Parker (Adam Kaufman), fears being alone, Oz fears the monster within himself. Meanwhile, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) fears she cannot control her magic, and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) fears his friends will forget about him. His may be the most well-founded worry, as no one tells him about the party and he (almost) stays home alone to watch Phantasm instead. This is also the first time that Buffy actually notices the Initiative Commandos -- see "The Initiative" -- but mistakes them for costumed students. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi

A young rollerblader is torn between money and his personal morality in this family friendly made-for-TV movie. Andy Brinker (Erik Von Detten), known to his friends as "Brink," is a teenager who lives for in-line skating. Andy and his skating buddies skate for the sheer love of the sport, and view professional skaters with no small degree of suspicion. However, when Andy's family falls on hard times financially, he wants to do something to help, and after Andy is approached by Val Horrigan (Sam Horrigan), the manager of a team of pro skaters, he decides to swallow his pride and sign up. Andy's friends think he's betrayed his principles, and begin to shun him. What's worse, Andy soon learns just how corrupt and underhanded Val can really be, and he has to decide if bringing in a few bucks for his family is worth having to deal with someone so inherently dishonest. Brink first aired on The Disney Channel on August 29, 1998. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Writer-director Spike Lee's epic portrayal of the life and times of the slain civil rights leader Malcolm X begins with the cross-cut imagery of the police beating of black motorist Rodney King juxtaposed with an American flag burning into the shape of the letter X. When the film's narrative begins moments later, it jumps back to World War II-era Boston, where Malcolm Little (Denzel Washington) is making his living as a hustler. The son of a Baptist preacher who was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, Little was raised by foster parents after his mother was deemed clinically insane; as an adult, he turned to a life of crime, which leads to his imprisonment on burglary charges. In jail, Little receives epiphany in the form of an introduction to Islam; he is especially taken with the lessons of Elijah Mohammed, who comes to him in a vision. Adopting the name 'Malcolm X' as a rejection of the 'Little' surname (given his family by white slave owners), he meets the real Elijah Mohammed (Al Freeman, Jr.) upon exiting prison, and begins work as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Marriage to a Muslim nurse named Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett) follows, after which X spearheads a well-attended march on a Harlem hospital housing a Muslim recovering from an episode of police brutality. The march's success helps elevate X to the position of Islam's national spokesperson. There is dissension in the ranks, however, and soon X is targeted for assassination by other Nation leaders; even Elijah Mohammed fears Malcolm's growing influence. After getting wind of the murder plot, X leaves the Nation of Islam, embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca that proves revelatory; renouncing his separatist beliefs, his oratories begin embracing all races and cultures. During a 1965 speech, Malcolm X is shot and killed, reportedly by Nation of Islam members. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi