Rhonda Overby Movies

A mysterious, mind-altering epidemic has infected humankind, and when a Washington, D.C. psychiatrist discovers that the outbreak seems to be extraterrestrial in origin, she struggles to save her son from infection in this sci-fi thriller starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel (Das Experiment). The space shuttle has crashed, and investigators assigned to explore the wreckage have found something unimaginable in the debris -- something from the deepest reaches of outer space. Everyone who comes into contact with it soon begins to transform in ways that can't be explained by modern science. While their physical appearance remains completely unaltered, their emotions seem to be drained and their actions become strangely inhuman. The only people who know the truth about this extraterrestrial epidemic are Washington, D.C. psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Kidman) and her longtime friend Dr. Ben Driscoll (Craig). It seems that the alien virus attacks people in their sleep, and by the time they awaken, the transformation has already taken place. The contagion is spreading rapidly, and as more people fall victim to its eerie effects by the hour, it becomes impossible to differentiate the infected from those who can still be trusted. When Carol realizes that her young son may hold the only hope for saving the human race, she struggles to remain awake long enough to find the boy and prevent planet Earth from becoming host to a terrifying new breed of extraterrestrials. Based on the book The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney, The Invasion was written by David Kajganich and co-stars Jeffrey Wright and Jeremy Northam. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The 1987 National Football League players' strike inspired this sports-themed comedy. The Washington Sentinels are one of the strongest teams in pro football -- until contract negotiations break down and the Sentinels go on strike. Determined to play the team's schedule, owner Edward O'Neil (Jack Warden) recruits a ragtag band of scab players, to be headed up and whipped into shape by the retired veteran coach Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman). At the top of the recruitment list is quarterback Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves), a promising athlete until a catastrophic defeat in the Sugar Bowl dashed his confidence. Joining Falco on the team are Clifford Franklin (Orlando Jones), a receiver who can't catch the ball; Nigel Gruff (Rhys Ifans), a chain-smoking Welsh soccer player; Bateman (Jon Favreau), a former cop with anger management problems; Fumiko (Ace Yonamine), a sumo wrestler new to football; and Wilkinson (Michael Jace), a convict on parole to the Sentinels. Can McGinty mold his new squad of misfits and no-hopers (who truly love the game) into a winning team? Brooke Langton plays Annabelle, head of the Sentinels' cheerleading squad (who has to contend with replacements of her own), and football commentators John Madden and Pat Summerall appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Coroner Griscom (Austin Pendleton) alerts the homicide unit to the fact that several recent deaths have been caused by a poison named phospozine. FBI agent Mike "McGee" Giardello (Giancarlo Esposito) is put in charge of investigating this possible act of terrorism, whereupon tension develops between McGee and his father, Al (Yaphet Kotto), while Gharty (Peter Gerety) quietly and methodically traces the source of the poison. Meanwhile, Ballard (Callie Thorne) is none too pleased that the entire unit knows that she has dated Falsone (Jon Seda). And why is Munch (Richard Belzer) seeing a doctor? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ballard (Callie Thorne) and Gharty (Peter Gerety) run up against a wall of confusion as they investigate the murders of two women who were felled by a stun gun and strangled after accepting drinks from a kinky married couple. Things get more and more curious when one of the suspects makes a full confession -- which turns out to be a lie from start to finish. Meanwhile, Lewis (Clark Johnson) turns over important information relating to the Mahoney drug shootings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An armed murder suspect takes refuge in the headquarters of the African Revival Movement, a pro-social organization headed by a former Baltimore cop. In their investigation of the case, Munch (Richard Belzer) and Pembleton (Andre Braugher) are roadblocked every inch of the way -- even though the killer's victim was an A.R.M. member. When the crisis threatens to erupt in full-scale violence, Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) defies orders from his higher-ups and takes a hand in the matter. Meanwhile, Stivers (Toni Lewis) begins to question the circumstances surrounding the recent killing of drug kingpin Luther Mahoney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jay Leno makes a brief uncredited appearance in this first episode of a two-part story , in which the homicide unit "celebrates" the new year by going after a serial sniper who strikes every eight hours. Having already claimed nine victims, the elusive killer taunts the cops by leaving behind cryptic clues based on the old game hangman. While investigating the case, Bayliss (Kyle Secor) is hampered by back pains, leading to a potentially dangerous dependency on medication. And Barnfather (Clayton LeBouef), frustrated by the lack of progress in tracking down the sniper, takes out his frustrations on Russert (Isabella Hoffman), leading to a momentous showdown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of Homicide: Life on the Street's two-part season five opener, a tense hostage crisis at a Baltimore middle school enters the second day. It soon develops that the deranged man who is holding several teachers and students at gunpoint is connected to an earlier murder in which a pet pig was the only witness. Meanwhile, Munch (Richard Belzer) refuses to make things easy for Pembleton (Andre Braugher), who continues having trouble recovering from his stroke, both at work and at home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The homicide detectives team up with the FBI to track down a serial killer who is moving progressively northward on I-95. The combined law officers manage to capture a man (Jeffrey Donovan) who fits the description of the killer perfectly -- only to find out that they might have the wrong person in custody. And in another development, Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) has an awkward meeting with his estranged daughter. The role of TV reporter Dawn Daniels is played by Rhonda Overby, a real-life correspondent for Baltimore's NBC affiliate WBAL-TV. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a three-part story arc, public anger over the shooting that left three homicide detectives seriously wounded and the killer at large results in an ultimatum: Either Homicide solves the case within 48 hours, or it will be turned over to another department. Making matters worse, the cops may have the wrong man in custody when they catch up with the suspect, and the recovery of wounded detective Stan Bolander (Ned Beatty) is progressing painfully slowly. On a more positive note, Russert (Isabella Hoffman) and Howard (Melissa Leo) finally agree to settle their differences and work in harmony -- or at least try to do so. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide