John Nielsen Movies

Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden, and Miles Heizer star in director Alison Eastwood's tale of two families locked into an emotional -- and physical -- collision course. There once was a time when Tom and Megan Stark had all the time in the world to take their dream vacation and start a family, but these days the couple's marriage is suffering and their time appears to be running short. Megan has been diagnosed with a potentially terminal illness, and when the prospect of losing his wife becomes too much to bear, railroad engineer Tom seeks escape in his work. On the tracks Tom is in control; all the routes are predetermined and he knows he'll eventually arrive at his destination. But sometimes even the most predictable events can go suddenly awry, and when Tom's train hits a car that was parked on the tracks by a suicidal mother, his life is plunged into ruin. While there was no way that Tom could have possibly stopped the train on time, the grieving conductor's woes are suddenly compounded upon realizing that he may lose his job because of the accident. Not only that, but the deceased woman's son Davey is consumed by the guilt that he could do nothing to prevent the accident, and he now places the blame for his mother's death squarely on Tom. But not all sad stories have to end in tragedy, and perhaps in the aftermath of this fateful accident Megan could receive a second chance at fulfilling her dreams, Tom could learn to open his heart before he is consumed by bitterness, and Davey could finally learn the true meaning of family. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Things get personal for 15th precinct skipper Tony Rodriguez (Esai Morales), who, while investigating a drug-related murder, comes across the body of his ex-wife, Angela. In another development, a social worker who assigned a baby to an unfit mother may be prosecuted for second-degree murder by Connie (Charlotte Ross) when the infant is scalded to death. And John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is in for a not-unpleasant surprise when he is ordered to attend a training session. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The dead body of stripper Kristen Moore (Jenna Gering) is found in the apartment of Danny Sorenson (Ricky Schroder) -- and Danny has vanished without a trace. With precious few clues to go on, Andy (Dennis Franz) and Connie (Charlotte Ross) try to link Kristen's murder and Danny's disappearance to the strip club managed by Joey Schulman (Greg Grunberg). The present crisis not only puts the entire precinct on its ear, but seriously strains the relationship between partners Baldwin (Henry Simmons) and Greg (Gordon Clapp). With this cliffhanger finale, the eighth season of NYPD Blue comes to a close. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide