Zack Estrin Movies
- 2005
Undoubtedly pitched to network executives as "24 Behind Bars," the weekly, hour-long continuing drama Prison Break starred Wentworth Miller as structural engineer Michael Scofield, who when first seen by the audience was somewhat inexplicably in the process of committing a bank robbery -- and then allowing himself to be arrested and convicted. Scofield was sentenced to five years at Fox River Penitentiary, where, by a stunning coincidence, his brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) was spending his last month on Death Row, awaiting execution for the murder of the brother of the U.S. vice president. Convinced that Lincoln was innocent and the victim of a government conspiracy, Scofield had purposely gotten himself incarcerated at Fox River for the express purpose of helping his brother escape -- a task made slightly less formidable by the fact that Scofield had helped design the prison! Our hero's meticulously worked out scheme depended upon the cooperation of several co-conspirators, among them Scofield's likable cellmate Sucre (Amaury Nolasco); well-connected mobster (and fellow prisoner) Abruzzi (Peter Stormare); Charles Westmoreland (Muse Watson), who may or may have not really been the legendary hijacker D.B. Cooper; and sympathetic prison doctor Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), whose dad was the governor of Illinois. Meanwhile, Lincoln's former girlfriend, lawyer Veronica Donovan (Robin Tunney), burned the midnight oil to figure out who would want to frame Lincoln and why; and Lincoln's 15-year-old son LJ (Marshall Allman) desperately tried to make sense of the fact that both his dad and his favorite uncle were now beyond his reach (temporarily, anyway). Others in the cast included Stacey Keach as Warden Pope, Robert Knepper as fearsome white-supremacist convict T-Bag, and Wade Williams as highly suspicious senior correctional officer Bellick. Merrily playing fast and loose with such intangibles as logic and common sense, Prison Break was given a major publicity blitz before its Fox network debut on August 29, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Debuting January 27, 2003, the weekly, hourlong supernatural-drama series Miracles starred Skeet Ulrich as Paul Callan, a sincere, self-effacing young seminarian whose job it was to investigate "miraculous phenomena" on behalf of the Catholic church. At first, Paul adhered to the party line, declaring that most miracles could be logically explained. All this changed when, after a near-fatal accident, Paul was brought back to life by the mysterious healing powers of a boy named Tommy -- who paid for his act of grace with his life. Just before his recovery, Paul had seen the words "God Is Now Here," scrawled in his own blood. Galvanized by this sign from above, Paul quit his job and became a freelance investigator of miracles, hoping not only to prove beyond doubt the authenticity -- or lack of authenticity -- of those miracles, but also to ascertain the reason that his life was spared and Tommy's was not. Paul was joined on this mission by ex-Harvard professor Father Alva Keel (Angus MacFadyen), an expert in the paranormal -- and like Paul, the sort of true believer who demanded complete verification of his beliefs. Alva also headed a strange Boston-based organization called "Sodalitas Quaerito" ("Brotherhood in Search of Truth"), whose acolytes seemed to be preparing for an as-yet-undetermined "large event" that might well have culminated with the end of the world. The two investigators were occasionally assisted by a sympathetic former policewoman, Evelyn Santos (Marisa Ramirez), likewise a member of Sodalitas Quaerito. A presentation of the ABC network, Miracles might have lasted longer than its six episodes had the series not been constantly pre-empted by news coverage of the unrest in the Middle East. The show was canceled on March 27, 2003, but not before it had attracted a sizeable cult following. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Skeet Ulrich, Angus MacFadyen, (more)
- 2003
Divorced Denver TV weatherman Will (Scott Wolf) only has custody of his son during holidays. Divorced mom Jane (Amanda Detmer) has custody of her daughter every day of the year except holidays. Inevitably, Will and Jane meet at the Denver airport while picking up and dropping off their respective children. And inasmuch as this is a made-for-cable romantic comedy, Will and Jane are destined to run into one another at the same airport again and again on subsequent Holiday weekends. And of course they will ultimately fall in love, despite such complications as the effort by Jane's ex-husband to win her back. The first film project of Friends star Lisa Kudrow's Is or Isn't Entertainment, Picking Up and Dropping Off made its ABC Family channel debut on December 7, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The pun-ny title of this episode refers to a fellow named Clay (Victor Browne), who is a former boyfriend of Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano). Coming back into Phoebe's life, the highly untrustworthy Clay also brings along a heap of trouble for the Halliwell girls, in the form of a cursed Egyptian urn. Elsewhere, Piper (Holly Marie Combs) learns the hard way that affairs of the heart cannot be controlled by witchcraft, while Prue (Shannen Doherty) tries to undo the damage caused by warlock Rex -- and to save the auction house from going on the block itself. Cristine Rose makes her first series appearance as hard-nosed businesswoman Claire Price. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1999
Most people are afraid of the "boogeyman"; some good witches like Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) are terrified of the "Woogeyman." Prue (Shannen Doherty) and Piper (Holly Marie Combs) scoff at Phoebe's trepidations, but it's no laughing matter when an earthquake release a genuine Woogyman in the form of a shadow demon -- who immediately takes control of Phoebe's mind and converts her to "badness." All of this puts quite a damper on Phoebe's upcoming party in honor of a famed architectural expert. Jennifer Rhodes makes her first series appearance as the girls' grandmother, Penny "Grams" Halliwell. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1999
Piper (Holly Marie Combs) finally learns the truth about her former boyfriend Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause); no mere mortal, Leo is a Whitelighter, sworn to act as guardian angel for good witches...like the Halliwells. Does his return to San Francisco mean that Leo and Piper will get back together? Well, not just yet -- not until the Halliwell sisters "borrow" Leo's powers to save a young girl (Laura Silverman) from the clutches of a Darklighter . And in another development, Andy (T.W. King), now aware that the girls are witches, must prevent his superiors from finding out...even if it costs him his job. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1998
The Halliwell sisters experience mixed emotions when their long-absent father, Victor (played in this episode by Tony Denison), returns. Things become even more strained when dear old dad aligns himself with some shape-shifting neighbors who would love to unlock the secrets of the "Book of Shadows" -- and will stop at nothing to do so. And in a plot development that will bear great significance on the episodes to come, Brian Krause makes his first appearance as studly handyman Leo Wyatt, to whom Piper (Holly Marie Combs) is immediately attracted. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Denison, Brian Krause, (more)
- 1998
In this Thanksgiving episode, Prue (Shannen Doherty) utilizes a truth spell to find out how Andy (T.W. King) would react if she revealed that she is a witch. As one fan of the series has succinctly put it, Andy "has problems" with the news -- though in a related romantic development, Piper (Holly Marie Combs) has better luck...at least temporarily. And on a more serious note, Phoebe's (Alyssa Milano) ability to see into the future alerts her to a dangerous situation involving a shadowy serial killer (Brad Greenquist) and the killer's next potential victim (Michelle Brookhurst). ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Krause, Brad Greenquist, (more)
