Tom Rowe Movies

Killed along with his fiancé Jessie (Laura Vandervoort) in a nightclub suicide bombing, American journalist Matt Ellman (Tahmoh Penikett) washes ashore in new world populated by everyone who has ever died on Earth in this fantasy miniseries adapted from the books by author Philip Jose Farmer. Now, in this strange new land, Matt's only goal is to find the woman he loves, and spend eternity with her. Along the way, the befuddled wanderer climbs aboard a riverboat piloted by celebrated American author Mark Twain (Mark Deklin), and joins forces with a fierce female warrior named Tomoe (Jeananne Goossen), who hails from the 13th Century. The further the group travels up the massive river they emerged from, the more apparent it becomes that an extraterrestrial entity is tracking their every move. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Syfy's Knights of Bloodsteel is a fantasy adventure miniseries scripted by award-winning writer Sam Egan (the 1990s' The Outer Limits). The sword-and-sorcery epic takes place in the magical kingdom of Mirabilis, which derives its life force from a powerful metal known as bloodsteel. When the bloodsteel begins to run out, wizard Tesselink (Christopher Lloyd) recruits four unlikely knights -- human John Serragoth (David James Elliott), elf Perfidia (Natassia Malthe), goblin Ber-lak (Dru Viergever), and con-man Adric (Christopher Jacot) -- to embark upon a mythic quest to keep what's left of the precious metal from falling into the hands of an evil tyrant named Dragon Eye (Mark Gibbon). ~ Sandra Bencic, Rovi

A man who makes a horrifying discovery about the founding fathers of America must protect his family from the murderous loyalist determined to safeguard the volatile secret at all costs in director Peter Medak's adaptation of a short story by author Bentley Little. Soon after his grandfather's funeral, Mike (Johnathon Schaech) unearths an artifact that paints the first president of the United States in a troubling new light. According to Mike's discovery, George Washington was a ravenous cannibal, and his flesh-eating legacy lives on to this very day. Now, as a loyal band of Washingtonians is determined to ensure that they remain well fed, and their secret never gets out. Of course, the best way to do this is by consuming Mike and his family, but this is one feast that the Washingtonians are going to have to fight for. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A quality-control supervisor and compulsive eavesdropper finds his primary hobby becoming his ultimate curse in director Brad Anderson's (Session 9 and The Machinist) adaptation of a short story by author Mike O'Driscoll. By day, Larry Pearce (Chris Bauer) spends his time listening in on the telephone conversations of his unsuspecting tech support staff. When Larry's son dies unexpectedly, the grieving father suddenly finds his sense of hearing supernaturally heightened to the point where even the smallest sound shakes his whole world. Now, as the raging sounds of the outside world become too overwhelming to bear, all the man who couldn't stop listening wants is a little peace and quiet -- and he's ready to take violent action in order to get it. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The late Robert Urich completed work on this cable-TV movie only a few days before undergoing cancer surgery. Set in the early months of the Great Depression, the story involves Angus Feagan (Urich), a Detroit family man who has lost both his job and his freedom. Arrested for a crime he didn't commit, Feagan finds that his fate is in the hands of his three children, who in their efforts to get their dad sprung before Christmas are set upon enlisting the aid of no less than President Herbert Hoover (Thomas Peacocke). In this spirit, the youngsters set out for Washington DC--and when their mother (Diane Scarwid) finds out, a frantic thousand-mile chase ensues. In fine old Frank Capra tradition, the kids encounter a variety of eccentric characters en route to the White House, all played by actors whose faces are reassuringly familiar, even if their names are not. The Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue premiered over the Family Channel on December 15, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The made-for-TV Falling From the Sky: Flight 174 was based on a true story that occurred high over Canada in July of 1983. While en route from Montreal to Edmonton, a brand-new Boeing 767 runs out of fuel in mid-flight. With only a cursory knowledge of the jet's inner works, the crew is forced to desperately improvise a means of rescuing the passengers by gliding the aircraft to a runway in Winnipeg--35 miles away. Although the actual story has enough inherent drama for five TV movies, the producers felt the necessity to add a few overly melodramatic touches to heighten the suspense; also, aviation enthusiasts weren't too happy with the script's inaccuracies, nor were movie purists impressed by the surprisingly shoddy computer enhanced special effects. Nonetheless, the film boasts excellent performances, especially from William Devine as Captain Bob Pearson. First broadcast by ABC on February 20, 1995, Falling From the Sky was adapted from William and Marilyn Hoffer's book Freefall, and has since been retitled Freefall: Flight 174 for cable-TV play. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This drama chronicles the troubled life of a teenage boy living with his father in an L.A. suburb. Young Steve tattooed the word "hate" upon his arm after a brief skirmish with the police. It has become his nickname. His dad is neither an example nor much help for the boy. He spends his days scamming worker's compensation for a fake injury. Hate encounters more trouble when one night he is riding around with his motorcycle gang shooting billboards. Beneath one he see what seems to be an attempted rape. He shoots the nicely dressed middle aged man. The teenage victim, Cindy rides off with Hate. She asks him not tell anyone. More trouble ensues as the rapist did not die. It turns out that he is the assistant D.A. He goes to the cops and tells them Hate attempted to rob him. Now Hate and Cindy must get out of town. The frightened teens are stopped by a motorcycle cop who only wants to return a purse she left at a restaurant. The panicky Hate shoots him dead. Later Cindy tells him the rapist was her uncle who had been abusing her for years. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Helmed by Anthony Harvey, director of the early-70s cult classic They Might Be Giants, this made-for-television romantic drama stars Anthony Quinn and Katherine Hepburn. The pair of aging movie stars appropriately play a pair of aging movie stars named Michael Reyman and Marion Bennett. For decades the two held intense animosity toward one another, but in their golden years they begin to realize that perhaps they've simply been trying to mask their feelings of love. Jason Bateman and Jami Gertz head up the supporting cast. The film was originally broadcast on CBS, March 13, 1994. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Another psychopath haunts another baby sitter in this made-for-TV sequel to the 1979 feature When a Stranger Calls. When prim schoolgirl Julia (Jill Schoelen) accepts a last-minute baby-sitting assignment from a doctor and his wife (Kevin McNulty and Cheryl Wilson), she follows all the rules: She studies diligently, checks often on the kids, and refuses to open the door for strangers -- even when a stranded motorist asks to come in and call his auto club. Julia offers to call for him, but the phone is dead, and rather than alert a strange man that she's without a link to the outside world, she lies and says they're on their way. The man returns to the door repeatedly, angrily wondering why help hasn't arrived; as he continues to badger Julia, she notices things aren't right in the house. Slips of paper disappear, doors mysteriously unlock themselves, the children vanish, and Julia barely escapes with her life. Five years later, Julia is an introverted college student with some heavy-duty locks on her door. Nevertheless, she starts getting that familiar feeling that something isn't right. Enter Jill Johnson (Carol Kane), survivor of a similar baby-sitting atrocity many years earlier. Now a guidance counselor at Julia's university, she offers to help the girl track down her stalker. With the help of an old friend, private eye John Clifford (Charles Durning), Jill picks up the trail of a disturbed ventriloquist (Gene Lythgow). But when Julia ends up with a bullet in her head in an apparent suicide attempt, even John thinks Jill's investigation is a wild goose chase. Reuniting stars Carol Kane and Charles Durning with writer/director Fred Walton, When a Stranger Calls Back features another horror veteran in its cast. Jill Schoelen previously starred in 1990's Popcorn. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

We wish we had a nickel for every time some producer cleverly titled his film Blind Man's Bluff -- then offered us a sightless hero or heroine. This time around, Robert Urich plays a blind professor, who finds himself the main suspect in a murder case. Investigating on his own, Urich comes to the inescapable conclusion that the killer is his own former girlfriend (Lisa Eilbacher). The suspense slackens only towards the end, when the film seems to be racing uncontrollably to a predictable dénouement. Made for TV, Blind Man's Bluff first aired on the USA cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi