Ernie Hudson Movies

The world's most resourceful assassins target an FBI desk jockey in this action-packed prequel. Hal Leuco wants FBI agent Walter Weed (Tom Berenger) dead, and he's got the connections to get the job done. When Hal offers a sizable bounty for the head of Agent Weed, the killers start to come out of the woodwork. Of course, the Tremor family is always game for a challenge, but with a lethal beauty (Martha Higareda), a maniacal driller killer (Vinnie Jones), and a stealth assassin (Tommy Flanagan) all gunning for the prize, too, it'll be a miracle if Agent Weed lives to see the next sunrise. Fortunately for Agent Weed, Agent Baker (Clayne Crawford) and his team of heavily armed operatives may have just enough firepower to beat this determined team of assassins at their own game. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A notoriously gullible detective becomes the number one suspect in the murder of a tabloid reporter after accepting the task of protecting a once-famous celebrity who faked his death to escape the public eye in director Peter Ettinger's quirky adaptation of Steve Brewer's popular series of novels. The grandson of the only known fatality brought on by the 1939 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, Bubba Mabry (Jay Mohr) comes from a lone line of painfully gullible descendents - and he's determined not to live down to the family reputation. Operating from the seedy confines of a criminal-infested Route 66 Motor Inn, Bubba finds that few of Albuquerque's skeptical locals are willing to enlist the aid of a detective of such credulous origins. When a man named J.G. (Mike Star) shows up covered in gold jewelry and approaches Bubba about protecting a recently-arrived celebrity from an overzealous fan, the struggling detective sees his latest mission is an easy way to make a quick buck. Upon discovering that his latest client is none other than the Elvis Presley, and that the "fan" is actually a tabloid reporter looking to break the story that The King is still around, however, the once-simple case begins to grow increasingly complex. As if things weren't strange enough already, the body of the reporter has been discovered dead in a motel room and Elvis and J.G. have skipped town, leaving Bubba the prime suspect in the strange murder. Now, in order to crack the case and stay out of prison, Bubba is going to have to stay one-step ahead of tireless female reporters Felicia Quattlebaum (Lindsay Price) and Bambi Gamble (Nikki Cox) as he seeks out a suspicious local concert promoter and get to the source of a lucrative blackmail scheme aimed at blowing the lid off of The King's long-running ruse. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A successful executive, devoted husband, and loving father is left to care for his wife's bedridden grandmother and come to terms with the truth that he has avoided his entire life following a tragic car accident that robbed him of his entire family. Marcus Wells (Ernie Hudson) had everything that a man could ever want out of life, but it was all taken away in the blink of an eye. Now the man who spent his entire life in the city is forced to venture out to the farm and look after the woman who despises him most. Consumed by guilt and despair, Marcus realizes that his only hope for salvation is to put aside his fears and finally accept the bitter truth that he has denied all these years. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A young man's moment of triumph is spoiled when he gets kidnapped before he can impress his father in this black comedy. Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman), a well-respected scientist, has learned that he's won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, which is a mixed blessing for his friends and family; while Eli's ego is a bit strong under the best of circumstances, this affirmation of his talent and intelligence has made him insufferable. Eli's wife, Sarah (Mary Steenburgen), a talented forensic psychiatrist, is more than annoyed by Eli's fondness for extramarital affairs (and lack of concern about hiding them), while his son, Barkley (Bryan Greenberg), has spent much of his life struggling to live up to his dad's expectations, with little success. Barkley is about to receive his Ph.D, just in time for his father's prize ceremony, when he's abducted by a pair of hapless crooks. The kidnappers demand Eli's two-million-dollar Nobel honorarium in exchange for Barkley's safe return. Also starring Bill Pullman, Danny DeVito, Eliza Dushku, and Shawn Hatosy, Nobel Son received its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Helmed by the gifted Randa Haines (Children of a Lesser God, The Doctor), the inspirational drama The Ron Clark Story tells the real-life tale of Clark (Matthew Perry), a teacher from upstate New York who moves to Manhattan and re-instills courage and hope into the lives of many down-and-out students. Via highly innovative teaching strategies and rule sets, and an ongoing, strenuous effort, Clark manages to turn several lives around and raises students' test scores to admirable levels. His star pupils include a young girl forced to both attend school and care for her siblings and a graffiti-prone young man who rechannels his energies into more traditional painting with Clark's encouragement. In the end, even when pneumonia threatens to keep Clark down, he refuses to let it. Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) and Hannah Hodson co-star; Granada America produced. Max Enscoe and Annie deYoung scripted. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

This made-for-cable drama is based on the true story of Marilyn Gambrell, a former parole officer determined to give the children of habitual criminals the opportunity to live the decent and worthwhile life that had been denied their parents. Jamie Gertz stars as Gambrell, who has signed on a social worker at Houston's Smiley High School, where virtually every one of the students has a least one parent in prison. Inaugurating a "No More Victims" program, Gambrell and her colleague Perry Beasley (Ernie Hudson) dedicate themselves to mentor those students at highest risk of following the same crooked paths as their parents. Unfortunately, the school's budget has been stretched to the breaking point--and Gambrell and Beasley have been given only one year to prove that their program can be successful. When originally telecast by the Lifetime channel on August 22, 2005, Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story was followed by a specially filmed public service announcement featuring both Jamie Gertz and the real Marilyn Gambrell. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Given an ultimatum by his wife to have a second child or see their marriage dissolved, Detective Tom Black's life becomes a depressive cycle of alimony and rehab payments for his firstborn as his crooked partner makes life on the job a living hell. Left alone in the world with no one to count on except for himself, the put upon policeman does his best to find a measure of humor in his dire situation while realizing that if it's not happening at home, it's not happening anywhere. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

FBI agent-turned-reluctant beauty queen Gracie Hart (played by Sandra Bullock) is taking on both bad guys and high glamour again in this sequel to the comedy smash Miss Congeniality. After her undercover mission at the Miss United States pageant becomes public knowledge, Gracie becomes something of a celebrity, and the FBI uses her notoriety to generate positive PR for the bureau; however, Gracie would like to get back to some solid police work, especially after scuffling with fellow female agent "Sam" Fuller (Regina King), who isn't impressed with Gracie. Despite their differences, the two find themselves working side by side when two of Gracie's pals from the pageant -- contest winner Cheryl Frasier (Heather Burns) and master of ceremonies Stan Fields (William Shatner) -- fall victim to kidnappers. As she did on the first film, Sandra Bullock served as both producer and star for Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, while director John Pasquin's credits include several episodes of the situation comedy George Lopez, also produced by Bullock. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Although Oz's longtime narrator, wheelchair-bound prison inmate Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.), was killed at the end of the series' fifth season, he is still very much in attendance at the beginning of season six -- albeit from beyond the grave. Hill is, in fact, one of several ghostly prisoners, all of them victims of past tragedies occurring at the experimental "Emerald City" unit at Oswald Correction Facility, who show up to narrate the eight episodes in this, the series' final season on the air. Undaunted by previous failures and setbacks, unit manager Tim McManus (Terry Kinney) remains steadfast in his belief that the prisoners living within "Emerald City" can be rehabilitated if given freedom of movement, extra privileges, and a sense of responsibility and self-worth. Unfortunately, he may not get the chance to carry out his reforms this season, inasmuch as several prisoners have become violently ill due to faulty building substances used to renovate the unit. In another disturbing development, Emerald City's most famous "resident," charismatic Muslim leader Said (Eamonn Walker), is murdered. On a more satisfying note, the ruthlessly ambitious Governor Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek), who for six years has opposed the efforts by McManus and Warden Glynn (Ernie Hudson) to improve prison conditions, may finally be called to account for all of his crooked and underhanded dealings in the past. Oz's climactic episode, running 100 minutes, not only serves up just desserts for Devlin, but also charts the ultimate destinies of two other long-term series regulars, convicts Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) and Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen). "There's no place like home." ~ Rovi

Previously fired from his job as manager of "Emerald City," the experimental unit set up at Oswald Correctional Facility, Tim McManus (Terry Kinney) has been reinstated by the time Oz's fifth season gets under way. The season begins with an accounting of the damage caused by the gas explosion at the end of season four. Not long afterward, "Emerald City" has new facilities, and a whole new crop of inmates -- all from solitary, having been relocated due to ventilation problems. In another development, a bus accident kills the relatives of several Emerald City inmates; among those devastated by the loss is wheelchair-bound Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.), who makes a dangerous choice when he tries to console himself. Elsewhere, convict Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) puts his life on the line to reassert his control over the prisoners; inmate Rebadow (George Morfogen) is cheated out of a two-million-dollar lottery prize; and the prisoners put on a variety show. Season five ends with an overabundance of cliffhanger situations involving (among other things) a comatose convict and a capital murder conviction. There is also a devastating loss at season's end -- even more devastating than the one incurred at the outset of the season. ~ Rovi

Not to be confused with the sixth-season episode of the same title, this one concerns a talented minor-league baseball player named Ben McCloud (Omar Gooding) and his obsessive, hypercritical father Norm (Ernie Hudson). Not only is Norm living vicariously through Ben's athletic accomplishments, but he also hopes that his son will expunge the "shame" brought upon the family by Ben's own father Candy (Lee Weaver), a former Negro League ballplayer who in his later years was reduced to working as a baseball "clown". In order to convince Ben to stop pushing and start loving his son, Monica (Roma Downey)must find out if Candy's seemingly farfetched stories about his diamond career--including the claim that he once struck out Babe Ruth--might have a kernel of truth in them after all. The great Hank Aaron appears as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As season four of Oz begins, the experimental unit at Oswald State Correctional Facility known as "Emerald City" is not living up to manager Tim McManus' (Terry Kinney) hopes. Ever since he set up the unit, wherein convicts are given more freedom of movement, extra privileges, and the opportunity for advancement, McManus has been frustrated that his good intentions have not paid off in wholesale rehabilitation. In fact, things seem to have gotten worse, with too many murders and suicides occurring within the unit. Hoping to alleviate the situation, McManus' head guard, Murphy (Robert Clohessy), suggests that all the cons -- including those in solitary -- spend an hour each day indulging in healthy recreation. Again, however, the plan fails when a killing takes place during that special hour. With more episodes this season than in previous years (16, compared to the usual eight), Oz is able to devote extra time to a plethora of subplots. One of these involves convicted murderer Shirley Bellinger (Kathryn Erbe), who after losing her unborn baby under suspicious circumstances is sent back to death row. Also, a group of illegal aliens sequestered in Emerald City is the catalyst for a rash of violence; Warden Glynn (Ernie Hudson) runs for lieutenant governor; an attempt to film a documentary in Oz ends in disaster; Busmalis (aka "The Mole") (Tom Mardirosian), manages to break out of prison, only to be recaptured as he stands outside the home of his favorite TV star; crooked evangelist Rev. Cloutier (Luke Perry) is tossed into the unit; and infirmary doctor Gloria Nathan (Lauren Velez) is raped. Tensions continue to mount as McManus is fired and convict Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) escapes (these plot twists were designed to allow Acevedo and his co-star Terry Kinney to take leaves of absence to appear in other projects); new unit manager Martin Querns (Reg E. Cathey) cuts a sinister deal with drug-dealing con Adebisi (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje) to put a lid on the violence; fired guard Clayton Hughes (Seth Gilliam) tries to assassinate Governor Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek); a plot is hatched to frame wheelchair-bound convict Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.) for a crime he hasn't committed; the children of inmate Beecher (Lee Tergesen) are placed in jeopardy thanks to orders from the "inside"; and incarcerated Muslim leader Said (Eamonn Walker) settles accounts with an old enemy. The season ends with a cliffhanger, sparked -- literally -- by a deadly gas explosion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi