Parley Baer Movies

Originally made for cable television, Roswell is an entertaining mix of purported actual events and science fiction. The narrative unfolds primarily in flashbacks as retired Army officer Jesse Marcel (Kyle MacLachlan) attends a reunion of the 509th Bomber Group and tries to come to closure on events that had taken place 30 years earlier. Back in 1947, Major Marcel had been part of a military team that investigated a crash site on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. The debris recovered from the site had exhibited some remarkable properties such as being able to repair itself instantly after being cut, suggesting that it might have been of extraterrestrial origin. The military brass had ordered Marcel to go along with their phony story that the material was ordinary metal foil from a weather balloon, and he had reluctantly complied. By the time of the 1977 reunion, Marcel is suffering from a terminal illness, and he feels compelled to try to find out what had really happened at Roswell all those years ago. MacLachlan gives an effective performance, particularly when he portrays Marcel as an older man trying to understand his past. Evocative location shooting in the American Southwest adds cinematic impact. ~ Rovi

The ghost of Frank Capra must have smiled when he saw Dave, an amusing and effective update of one of Capra's favorite themes -- the scrupulously honest little guy who becomes a force for good against a corrupt system. Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) runs an employment agency and seems to genuinely enjoy finding work for people who need it. He also bears a striking resemblance to the president of the United States, Bill Mitchell (also played by Kline) and occasionally gets work as a Bill Mitchell impersonator. One day, Dave gets a call from the Secret Service -- for security purposes, they want to hire him to act as a decoy for an upcoming appearance by the president. All goes well, but later that evening President Mitchell suffers a massive stroke while in bed with his mistress. Wanting to keep the matter a secret, two of the president's top advisors appeal to Dave to stand in as Bill Mitchell until he regains his health. One of the men behind this scheme, Bob Alexander (Frank Langella), hopes to use Mitchell's absence to promote his own right-wing political agenda, but after a few weeks "in office," Dave decides it's time to promote some changes of his own that will help increase employment and keep homeless shelters open. Dave also finds himself growing fond of Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver), the President's wife, while Ellen sees in Dave the idealism her husband left behind years ago. Dave features numerous cameo appearances by politicians, Washington insiders, and journalists; Oliver Stone also appears to explain a conspiracy theory regarding sudden changes in Bill Mitchell's behavior. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Australian star Paul Hogan just couldn't seem to come up with a hit comparable to his 1986 international hit Crocodile Dundee. Hogan's Almost an Angel was a nice try, but no cigar. The star plays a lifelong thief who suffers a potentially fatal accident. While "in limbo", Hogan is visited by God (amusingly played by Charlton Heston-well, why not Charlton Heston?). When he recovers, Hogan is convinced that he'd been returned to the land of the living in order to do God's work. He turns over a new leaf, coming to the assistance of wheelchair-bound Elias Koteas and his pretty sister Linda Kozlowski (the real-life Mrs. Hogan). At first suspicious of Hogan, Kozlowski is finally won over by his new-found sincerity. So lightweight that it threatens to float away at any moment, Almost an Angel is held together exclusively by Paul Hogan's star appeal. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough to insure a box-office success. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this time bending sci-fi film, three scientists living in the year 2033 must find the evil doctor who has purloined a time machine and is using it to go back in time to insure that his rivals are never born. During their travels the scientists make stops in 1990s New York and merry old medieval England. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Based on an illustration by Norman Rockwell and set in a tiny Texas town during the 1950s, this touching made-for-television domestic drama tells the tale of a hard-working father who dreams of sending his boy to college. The lad, anxious to spread his wings, is happy to go. Unfortunately his mother's illness may keep him stranded on the farm. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The 90-minute TV movie Flag was meant to be a joint spoof of the nighttime serials Dallas and Knots Landing. In this instance, it was "bite the hand that feeds you time": Flag was produced by David Jacobs, creator of both Dallas and Knots, and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures, which also distributed both above-mentioned programs. Tom Isbell plays Rudy Flag, an idealistic social worker. Rudy's world is set on its ear when he inherits his family's huge international business concerns, bringing him in close contact with the more evil and mercenary branches of the Flag clan (including reliable old patriarchal type Darren McGavin). Moses Gunn costars as Rudy Flag's social worker associate, who hangs around throughout this TV pilot film to keep the hero honest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Luke Duke (Tom Wopat) unknowingly drinks pond water that has been contaminated by a genetic-drug spill. As a result, Luke undergoes a total change in personality: He's unbelievably nasty to friends and family alike--and even worse, he becomes a "rat" with women. But the limit is reached when Bad Luke cooks up a scheme to rob the bank owned by Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) and pin the blame on his own kinfolk. The final fistfight between Luke and Bo is worth the price of admission alone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough makes a return visit to Hazzard county, this time to provide words of comfort to a seriously ill youngster who is about to undergo surgery. Unfortunately, Yarborough somehow gets involved with bank robbers, who manage to frame both him and the Duke cousins for a high-profile heist. Wanna bet that the story is resolved by some fancy race-car calisthenics in the climactic chase scene? Oh, and look: Playing one of the bad guys is Saved by the Bell's "Mr. Belding", Dennis Haskins! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

On the outskirts of Las Vegas, a gang of mercenaries called the Scorpions have been utilizing sophisticated commando tactics and high-tech weaponry to commit a series of minor crimes. Clearly, the Scorpions are merely rehearsing for Something Big--namely, the murder of their ex-comrade Al Driscoll (Robert Dryer),who has been taking into custody as a federal witness. Once they have determined that the Scorpions are being helped by a pretty "mole" in a Vegas casino, the A-Team goes into action to thwart the villains, through the simple expedient of practically begging to be attacked and/or kidnapped! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

James Best plays a dual role in this episode, as bumbling Sheriff Roscoe and a lookalike criminal named Woody. Having undergone plastic surgery to make himself Roscoe's exact double, Woody kidnaps the sheriff and takes his place. It's all part of a scheme to steal a million dollars from an armored truck--but will Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) be able to determine which Roscoe is which in the customary nick of time? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A little-seen film, suppressed by Paramount studio executives and never released theatrically in the U.S., this drama is a powerful saga about racism. Julie Sawyer (Kristy McNichol) hits a handsome white dog with her car one night and then nurses it back to health. One day, the theretofore mild-mannered dog saves her life by viciously attacking and killing a rapist who breaks into her home. Lucy discovers that the dog has been trained to attack black skin. She consults an animal trainer, Carruthers (Burl Ives), who urges her to have the dog exterminated. But a maverick black trainer, Keys (Paul Winfield), who has tried before to break the training of such dogs but never succeeded, steps in. Director Sam Fuller had made other controversial films, but this one frightened studio executives, who deep-sixed it. It was hailed by critics when it was released in Europe. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

George Segal plays rich and surly California executive Walter Whitney, who learns out-of-the-blue that he has a 17-year-old black son, in Michael Schultz's lightweight Carbon Copy. When his son Roger Porter (Denzel Washington) arrives, Walter tries to pass him off to his neighbors in the restricted all-white suburb as a sociological experiment. But when he eventually confesses his parenthood to his wife Vivian (Susan Saint James), his world is turned upside down. In a flash, all the trophies of upper-class white respectability are removed -- he loses his job, his credit cards are revoked, and Vivian throws him out of the house. Without the white man's trappings, he is forced to accept the help of downtrodden minorities. When he is compelled to manual labor, Walter comes to understand the troubles his son goes through. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi