Rex Piano Movies

Thomas Calabro stars in this sci-fi thriller about a team of scientists who race to save the world after learning that several meteors are on a collision course with a nuclear-powered space station. Launched into orbit to gather information about global warming, the space station Hyperion houses 12 astronauts and a powerful nuclear reactor. Now, as scientists attempt to save the planet from a fiery fate, evidence surfaces indicating that the government was aware of the threat all along. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Devastated upon receiving news that her estranged sister has been brutally murdered and frustrated that local police refuse to offer much help, a promising South Beach lawyer unearths some sordid details about her late sibling in this thriller highlighting the dangers of online dating. Stacy (Alexandra Paul) was accepting an award at a company banquet when her cell phone rang and her life was changed forever. Upon receiving the news that her sister Kate has been brutally strangled, Stacy beats a hasty retreat to her small hometown in hopes of getting some answers. The two siblings hadn't spoken since their parents died years ago, yet their sterile childhood home has remained virtually unchanged ever since that fateful day. When the local sheriff proves incapable or unwilling to offer any real answer, Stacy realizes that catching her sister's killer will be no simple task. As her investigation commences, resourceful Stacy discovers that Kate had a particularly suggestive profile on a tacky online dating site, and that her sister was scheduled to meet a number of men the night she was murdered. The deeper that Stacy delves into the profiles of the men her sister was involved with, the more convinced she becomes that she's closing in on the killer. Later, as Stacy's confidence leads to recklessness, she begins scheduling encounters with all of the men her sister was set to meet on the night of her death, in the process discovering that some are charismatic and sympathetic while others are utterly sleazy. As her investigation intensifies, Stacy begins to discover how little she really knew about the sister she recently lost. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Nick Turturro, Dennis Christopher, and Alexandra Paul star in director Rex Piano's tightly-wound thriller concerning a group of group of kidnappers who take over an abandoned hotel while forcing the daughter of a well-known software engineer to access crucial government data. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Tracey Gold stars in this made-for-TV suspenser as Elizabeth Sorenson, the wife of corporate executive Larry Sorenson (Tobias Mehler). Alas, Larry hardly has time to start his new job in Seattle before he is kidnapped at gunpoint in broad daylight. Shortly afterward, the kidnappers contact the distraught Elizabeth, informing her that unless their demands are met within 12 hours, Larry is toast. Working in concert with Seattle detective Jimmy Kelsoe (Chris Kramer) and FBI agent Jade Marlo (Robin Givens), Elizabeth does everything in her power to save her husband's life--and in the course of events, it becomes obvious that the abduction was but a smokescreen for a more insidious scheme to manipulate stock prices and take over her husband's multinational corporation. Even more disturbing in a different way is the fact that Elizabeth and Detective Kelso are falling in love with one another. Filmed in Canada, Captive Hearts debuted in the US over the Lifetime cable channel on August 15, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There are those who might describe the made-for-cable What Lies Above as a distaff variation of the Sylvester Stallone theatrical feature Cliffhanger. Still grieving over the death of her husband in a rock-climbing accident, mountain guide Diana Pennington (Nicole Eggert) eagerly accepts a job from industrialist Curt Seaver (Marc Singer). It seems that Seaver wants to use sophisticated satellite technology to locate the body of Diana's late hubby. But upon reaching the treacherous Snowman's Pass, Diana realizes that Seaver and his two sinister-looking associates Tyler (George Stults) and Hugo (Stephane Henchoz) are actually looking for a downed enemy spy satellite--and she will be disposed of once they succeed in their quest. The rest of the film pits Diana's "mountain smarts" against the high-tech weaponry of the three bad guys. Filmed on location in British Columbia, What Lies Above premiered over the Lifetime channel on November 8, 2004; it has since been rebroadcast under the title Snowman's Pass. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inspired by the real-life rescue of several miners from a collapsed tunnel in North Carolina, this made-for-TV drama stars Mimi Rogers as Pat Bogen, superintendent of the Greymount Mine. Long concerned over safety issues at the mine, Pat finds that her worries are confirmed when a cave-in occurs, trapping seven workers. Among those entombed are Pat's own husband Chief (Ted Shackelford) and their son Rabbit (Ben Castles). With the oxygen supply running out -- and water surging into the mine's tunnel -- Pat feverishly oversees the Herculean rescue efforts, battling every inch of the way with the "instinct over technology" policies of the mine's former superintendent, her own father Cappy (Bruce Allpress). Cave In debuted May 2, 2003, on the PAX network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally made for and aired on the Movie Channel, but then released to video, this action thriller features Burt Reynolds as a mercenary who gets revenge upon the quartet of corrupt government officials who send him and his squad on a mission to Bosnia and then plan to kill him. Originally, these high-ranking politicos told Jerome "Raven" Katz (Reynolds) that his mission was to go to the war-torn country to steal a Soviet gadget designed to commandeer control of any of the world's computer defense networks. Katz succeeds, but only he and one other, Martin Grant, survive. Realizing that his was meant to be a suicide mission so that the crooks could sell the invention to Iran, he keeps the machine and tries to sell it himself. Grant protests, and a fearsome fight erupts. After that, word is passed that both men are dead and that each of them carries one half of the invaluable device. But both men are very much alive. Years pass and Grant gives up the mercenary business to settle down to a peaceful California lifestyle with his lover Cali. Raven has not changed and stalks Grant in hopes of getting the second half of the decoder. While slowly closing in on Grant, Raven is also methodically murdering the four crooks who betrayed him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide