Curt Lowens Movies

Angels and Demons re-teams director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks for the sequel to their international blockbuster adaptation of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code. Although the book Angels and Demons was written before the novel The Da Vinci Code, the movie transpires after the events of the earlier movie. Hanks stars as professor Robert Langdon, the most respected symbologist in the United States, who uses his knowledge in order to decode a symbol on the skin of a murder victim. The clues put him on the trail of an international conspiracy involving the Catholic Church. Ewan McGregor and Ayelet Zurer also star in the Sony Pictures production. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

In the aftermath of a daring rescue mission gone bad, a guilt-ridden detective vows to rescue a diamond cutter from the clutches of a murderous thief in this pulse-pounding action thriller starring silver screen icon Chuck Norris. John Shepherd (Norris) is a cop with a complex. In the days following his failed rescue of an endangered diamond cutter being held hostage, Shepherd vows to make good on his mission and enlists the help of the elderly cutter's niece, Elizabeth, in bringing home her uncle safely. In order to fulfill his mission though, Shepherd will have to learn the secrets of the cutter's past. Upon learning that the cutter had perfected his skills during his harrowing tenure at an Auschwitz prison, Shepherd begins uncovering the clues that will be vital to the success of his dangerous mission. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In the second half of the two-part "A Voice in the Wilderness," Epsilon 3 is taken over by hostile aliens. Should the planet's reactors fall into the wrong hands, it may mean the end of Babylon 5. Making a bad situation worse, the heavy Earthforce cruiser Hyperion shows up, prepared to defend the planet to the last drop of everyone's blood. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, this episode includes an inside joke that will probably be spotted only by Internet aficionados. Part Two of "A Voice in the Wilderness" was originally broadcast on August 3, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this Romanian-set fantasy, a man becomes invisible in order to fight an evil, masked madman called Drago. Drago turns mobs of peasants insane and sends them to surrounding villages to kidnap young women. Behind all the mayhem is a wheelchair-bound mad scientist who controls a robot called Mandroid. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

Based on a novel by William Wharton, A Midnight Clear is set in the Adriennes Forest in December of 1944. A group of American GIs, all of whom have been together a bit too long, cling to the vestiges of their peacetime interests to remain sane. None are brilliant soldiers, though Will Knot Ethan Hawke is the one who exhibits the strongest leadership qualities. Billeted at a chateau, the soldiers begin hearing strange noises emanating from a graveyard, the handiwork of a group of mischievous German soldiers. The two enemy camps draw closer to one another as Christmas approaches, due in great part to the influence of GI Vince "Mother" Wilkins Gary Sinise. A sudden, impulsive hostile act results in the wholesale -- and unnecessary -- slaughter of the German soldiers. Though the exteriors are convincingly mid-European, the film was actually lensed in Utah. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A former Vietnam war hero becomes a drill instructor. Members of his squad begin dying from questionable accidents, and one of the soldiers discovers that the brutal DI makes his own rules. ~ All Movie Guide

In the concluding episode of a two-part story, Dan is at the nadir of his career: broke, suspended, and facing disbarment on a trumped-up blackmail charge. In order to keep from starving, Dan changes his name and takes a humiliatingly menial job at a French restaurant. And speaking of starving, Roz (Marsha Warfield) and Christine (Markie Post) are having a LOT of trouble remaining "diet buddies". Parts One and Two of "Branded" were later networkcast as a single hour-long episode on March 21, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An archaeologist has come back home with a priceless gem in his possession. However, it was ill-gotten and his life is in extreme danger. After he's killed, his widow becomes the mark of several treasure-seekers. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

In this sprawling television miniseries, originally aired in May 1983 on NBC, a race of seemingly human-like aliens arrive en masse on Earth. These "Visitors" promise cooperation and friendship -- then launch a clandestine takeover of the planet by accusing the entire scientific and medical community of conspiring to destroy them, then finally "benevolently" seizing power. Inspired by Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here, a 1935 account of a fictional fascist takeover of America, V uses a huge ensemble cast and an elliptical method of storytelling to trace the contact between humans and the Visitors, from the arrival of 50 giant flying saucers in low Earth orbit to the first major victory of the underground resistance that opposes the aliens. Major characters include Mike Donovan (Marc Singer), a television cameraman who leverages his experience filming in various war-torn locales to help expose the Visitors' true nature; news anchor Kristine Walsh (Jenny Sullivan), his sometime girlfriend, who allows her ambitions to cloud her journalistic judgment and becomes a pawn of the alien invasion; Juliet Parrish (Faye Grant), a young biochemist who finds herself thrust into the role of resistance leader; Abraham Bernstein (Leonardo Cimino), the patriarch of a Jewish family divided between the lessons of the Holocaust and the need to survive; Elias Taylor (Michael Wright), a petty thief who joins the resistance after the Visitors kill his doctor brother, Ben (Richard Lawson); and Robin Maxwell (Blair Tefkin), the surly eldest daughter of a scientist (Michael Durrell) who finds his family the target of harassment and intimidation. The Visitors, who assume common human first names as their monikers, include supreme leader John (Richard Herd); sultry science and security officer Diana (Jane Badler); hunky Brian (Peter Nelson); and gentle Willie (Robert Englund). V was written and directed by Kenneth Johnson, who initially envisioned the project as a less fanciful story of fascist aggression; when his pitch to NBC seemed to be faltering, Johnson allegedly added the alien angle extemporaneously, securing himself a green light and NBC a sweeps-week hit. The success of V spawned a second miniseries, V: The Final Battle, and a weekly TV series that lasted 19 episodes from 1984 to 1985. Johnson ended his association with the world of V halfway through production on the second miniseries, but his work on the Alien Nation TV spin-off years later would resurrect many of the themes of V. Actor Singer was already known to sci-fi fans as star of The Beastmaster, while Englund would go on to portray Freddy Krueger in countless Nightmare on Elm Street films. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Thursday's Child is full of woe in this made-for-TV drama. Rob Lowe was given "and introducing" billing in the role of a teenaged athlete in dire need of a heart transplant. As Rob's parents Gene Rowlands and Don Murray prepare to face the possibility that they may lose their son, his aunt Jessica Walter remains relentlessly optimistic and cheerful. For various reasons, the debut of Thursday's Child was twice postponed. The film finally aired February 1, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Producer/director/star Clint Eastwood takes his sweet time getting Firefox started. Eastwood plays Mitchell Gant, a past-his-prime U.S. pilot, smuggled into the Soviet Union to steal a new Russian supersonic fighting plane. Fortunately the KGB men are as burnt out as Gant, enabling him to abscond with the plane with the greatest of ease. The rest of the film is a protracted chase, pitting Gant against scores of impersonal MIG pilots. Based on a novel by Craig Thomas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Faye Dunaway portrays the Argentinian title character in this four-hour TV biopic. The story traces Evita's rise to power from humble origins; she establishes herself as a radio and film actress, then meets and marries powerful politico Juan Peron (played by James Farentino, a last minute replacement for Robert Mitchum). Peron's iron-fisted rule of Argentina allows Evita to become a political power in her own right. At first she is widely beloved as a "woman of the people", but gradually many of her followers are disillusioned by her use -- and misuse -- of her authority and her influence over Peron. After Evita dies, she is all but canonized by the Faithful, and it becomes more difficult than ever to separate fact from legend. Evita Peron was clearly produced to capitalize on the Broadway musical hit Evita, though the script takes great pains not to copy its theatrical inspiration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In Part One of "Greetings from Earth", the Galactica encounters an "ancient" space shuttle that has seemingly originated on the elusive 13th Colony--namely, the Earth. On board the shuttle, six people are in a state of suspended animation. Once awakened, the six strangers hold out hope to the Colonists that their long and frustrating search for the 13th Colony is at last at an end. Veteran song-and-dance men Ray Bolger and Bobby Van head the guest cast. Originally telecast as a two-hour "special", "Greetings from Earth" has since been reedited as two one-hour episodes for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide