Paulino Nunes Movies

Few figures in professional baseball had a career quite like Pete Rose -- and practically no one who climbed so high fell so hard. Rose made his major-league debut playing second base with the Cincinnati Reds in 1963; nicknamed "Charlie Hustle" for his daringness and enthusiasm over the course of his career, Rose played in eighteen All-Star games, earned three World Series rings, broke Ty Cobb's record for career hits, and in 1975 was named Sportsman of the Year by both Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. In 1984, after six years with other teams, Rose returned to the Reds, signing on as both player and manager at the age of 43; he continued to play until 1986, and stepped down as manager in 1989. That same year, a dark secret Rose had been hiding for years came to the surface -- Rose had for years been dealing with an addiction to gambling, and after falling deep in debt to bookies by betting on horse racing, he attempted to make the money back by betting on baseball, including wagering on his own team and his own games. These revelations led to Rose being banned from professional baseball, a stay in prison when an IRS investigation discovered he had failed to pay taxes on sale of memorabilia, and a decision that would prevent him from entering the Baseball Hall of Fame, though Rose denied the gambling allegations. (In his 2004 autobiography, Rose finally confessed that he did gamble on baseball but denied betting on his own teams.) Hustle stars Tom Sizemore as Pete Rose in this biographical drama produced for the cable sports network ESPN, which chronicles Rose's rise to fame, his fall from grace as he became involved with gambling, and Rose's ongoing fight to be inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Peter Bogdanovich served as director. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This remake of the classic 1975 science fiction film follows the same basic story line but focuses far more on the sports action of the fictional game at its center. Chris Klein stars as all-American athlete Jonathan Cross, the most popular player of "Rollerball," a violent 21st century sport mixing elements of basketball, hockey, roller derby, and extreme sports, along with the development of live wagering that tracks each game's action. Along with his friends and teammates Marcus (L.L. Cool J) and Aurora (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), Jonathan is living the life of a media celebrity and millionaire, enjoying the adoration of fans and all of the perks that his fame brings. When the creator of Rollerball, Alexi Petrovich (Jean Reno), realizes that the sport's ratings spike during the on-court accidents that are de rigueur for the game, he schemes to create the bloody incidents that are popular with viewers but put the athletes in mortal jeopardy. Soon, Jonathan and his friends find themselves pawns in a vast corporate conspiracy in which their lives are far less important than profits. Rollerball (2002) also stars pop singer Pink in her acting debut. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

This made-for-TV shocker was inspired by a true story which occurred in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Housewife Jessica Rayner (Joanne Kerns) becomes the latest in a long line of victims when she is attacked in her own home by a vicious serial rapist and murderer who preys on blondes. The difference is that Jessica manages to survive the attack--the first victim to do so. Despite Jessica's testimony and a trail of clues, the police seem incapable of tracking down her assailant, forcing Jessica's husband Dan (Anthony John Denison) to militantly guard his wife round the clock. But it is ultimately Jessica herself who must devise the trap that will bring her attacker to justice. No One Could Protect Her debuted February 11, 1996 on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi