Arnie Walters Movies
- 2003
In the concluding episode of Smallville's two-part season-two finale, Clark Kent (Tom Welling) has made contact with the spirit of his real father, Jor-El of Krypton (his voice supplied by Terence Stamp, who played the villainous Zod in the 1978 and 1980 theatrical features Superman and Superman II). Now Clark must choose between leading a normal "human" life with his friends and loved ones, or accept his destiny as the supreme ruler of Earth. The episode's chaotic cliffhanger conclusion involves a wrecked spaceship, a ruined farmhouse, a tragic miscarriage, and a disastrous personality change -- not to mention a marriage that may be literally brought down in flames almost as soon as it begins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
The family drama Flower & Garnet is the feature-length debut from Canadian filmmaker Keith Behrman. Ten years after the death of the family matriarch, the widower and her two children are still coming to terms with their lives. Daughter Flower (Jane McGregor) gets pregnant and moves out. Her younger brother, Garnet (Colin Roberts), is an odd child who has trouble connecting with father Ed (Callum Keith Rennie). One of Ed's former girlfriends, and a gun, are key to the plot. Flower & Garnet was screened at the Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Callum Keith Rennie, Jane McGregor, (more)
When the perfect murder is foiled by an unexpected twist and darkness descends on a small Alaskan town, a madman's hunger for blood grows in this thriller from director Michael Bafaro. As a blanket of darkness settles over Revelstoke, AK, for a period of 24 hours, local barber Dexter Miles and the rest of the citizens realize that winter's chill is soon to follow. No one would suspect a man like Dexter Miles to be a cold-blooded killer, but when Dexter overhears the sheriff mention that the body of Lucy Waters has been discovered, he quickly realizes that his dark secret is about to break wide open. Having only murdered Lucy a few days prior, Dexter had hoped that authorities wouldn't discover her body until the spring thaw. Now, as the big-city detectives cloaked in the darkness of the Alaskan winter arrive to investigate the murder, Dexter once again feels the thrill of the kill -- and he's starting to like it. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malcolm McDowell, Jeremy Ratchford, (more)
- 2001
Alex Diakun plays the Shopkeeper, a very old and very wise alien shapeshifter who runs an antique and novelty store on earth. Somehow or other, the Shopkeeper has the happy knack of supplying his customers with bizarre gifts that turn out to be exactly what they need in life. One customer, a petty crook named Andy Pace (Johnathon Schaech), tries to take advantage of the Shopkeeper's generosity -- and lives to regret it. "Alienshop" first aired on June 22, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
One of two sci-fi/fantasy series that premiered October 27, 2000, on UPN (see separate entry for Freedom), Level 9 was co-created by executive producer John Sacret Young and mystery novelist Michael Connelly. The series is based on the not-entirely-incredible premise that the next generation's security leaks, federal crimes, and international crises will be the handiwork of rogue computer hackers. What is needed, then, is a highly skilled team of "technological enforcers" to take on the new breed of cyber-crooks. The members of the top-secret government agency Level 9 include Annie Price (Kate Hodge), Jerry Hooten (Romany Malco), Jargon (Esteban Powell), Roland Travis (Fabrizio Filippo), Joss Nakano (Susie Park), Sosh (Kim Murphy), and Wiley (Max Martini). Appearing in the pilot episode is Tim Guinee as Detective John Burrows, whose plot function is promptly taken over by the "maverick" Wiley. Burdened with surprisingly unlikable characters, Level 9 has to rely upon its story values and top-level special effects. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fab Filippo, Kate Hodge, (more)
- 1998
A young mentally impaired girl is killed by a lightning bolt. The girl's priest, Father McCue (Arnie Walters), asks another of his parishioners -- Agent Scully -- to investigate the tragedy. How, for example, could the girl have been wandering aimlessly outside her home, when she had been wheelchair-bound since her birth? Scully is brought into the case via disturbing visions of her own "lost child," Emily (Lauren Diewold). First telecast April 26, 1998, "All Souls" was written by Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The fourth-season finale of The X-Files was considered worthy of a TV Guide cover story. The episode itself, "Gethsemane," was, to no one's surprise, a cliffhanger, setting up a tense situation that would not be resolved until the opening installment of season five. Written by series creator Chris Carter, "Gethsemane" is predicated on a startling anthropological discovery that enables Mulder to irrefutably prove the existence of alien life forms. Unfortunately, this discovery results in a serious rift in the relationship between Mulder and his partner, Scully. Also brought into play: Mulder's tortured family history and the precarious state of Scully's health. "Gethsemane" first aired May 18, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
On November 2, 1997, The X-Files began its fifth season with part two of a three-part drama, carrying over several dangling plot strands from the fourth-season cliffhanger "Gethsemane." Written by series creator Chris Carter, "Redux" finds agent Scully tearfully announcing to an assembly of fellow FBI agents that her partner, Mulder, has committed suicide. In truth, however, Mulder is in fact alive and well, still seeking a cure for the disease that threatens Scully's life. Meanwhile, the possibility arises that someone at the FBI was responsible for Scully's illness -- possibly someone very close to both her and Mulder. It would take one more episode, "Redux II," to fully determine the truth that, as always, was "out there." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The three-part X-Files drama that began at the end of season four with "Gethesemane" came to a conclusion on November 9, 1997, with "Redux II." As Scully hovers between life and death, the fate of the entire X-Files project is likewise in jeopardy due to an "official" report which has written off Scully and Mulder's previous findings as part of a gigantic hoax. Meanwhile, Mulder continues seeking a cure for Scully's debilitating illness. The surprising outcome of the episode rests in the soiled hands of Mulder and Scully's perennial adversary, the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis). This 100th X-Files episode was written by series creator Chris Carter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Having all but given up on her incorrigible son, Rusy (Ryan Phillippe), single mom Marianne Dobson (Jane McDougall) in the prestigious Milgram Academy. Marianne is confident that Milgram, famed for its ability to mold "the leaders of tomorrow," will straighten Rusty out. But the boy soon learns to his horror that the Academy is run by the shadowy practioners of a particularly sinister form of mind control. "Straight and Narrow" first aired on February 23, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
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Acclaimed French-Canadian filmmaker Christian Duguay (The Art of War) directs the 1994 made-for-television feature Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story, a harrowing real-life horror tale starring Doogie Howser, M.D.'s Neil Patrick Harris, Kelli Williams of Picket Fences, and Family Ties alum Michael Gross. Based on real-life events, this inspirational story recounts the travails of married couple Jim (Harris) and Jennifer Stolpa (Williams), who -- along with infant Clayton -- run headfirst into cataclysm when they become stranded thousands of miles from home in an icy wilderness. With only the barest supplies and their own courage to sustain them, the family struggles to stay afloat. Jim is ultimately forced to leave Jennifer and Clayton at a frozen shelter, and trek some 50 miles to solicit a rescue before death knocks on the door. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Patrick Harris, Kelli Williams, (more)
- 1993
In this made-for-television drama a young mother finds herself unable to cope with her daughter's handicap and so puts her up for adoption. When her mother finds out, she launches a courtroom battle for the right to raise her granddaughter herself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patty Duke, Tracy Nelson, (more)
- 1993
After a patient murders his wife, a distraught criminal psychologist resigns from his profession. But when police present him with a puzzling murder, he goes back into practice to help solve the crime and in so doing, comes to terms with his own terrible tragedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Matheson, Alberta Watson, (more)
- 1989
Hoping to work out the problems in their relationship, federal undercover agent Vinnie (Ken Wahl) and his fiancee Amber (Patti D'Arbanville) retreat to a cabin in the mountains of Vermont. Unfortunately, they intend to act upon the advice of a therapist and abstain from sex--and sex at this point is all that is keeping them together. Meanwhile, OCB boss McPike (Jonathan Banks) considers taking Vinnie out of the line of fire by confining him to a desk job. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
