Michael Hogan Movies

The space opera's third season picks up a short time after the Colonial fleet was forced to abandon the bulk of humanity on the harsh but habitable New Caprica as the Cylons descended upon the defenseless settlement. While the commanders of Galactica and Pegasus, Adm. William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and Cdr. Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber), clash over the admiral's plan to rescue those left behind, resistance guerrillas led by Col. Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan) use suicide bombers to strike back at the Cylon occupiers on New Caprica. The occupation produces heroes, traitors and hostages-the last best personified by Capt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), who becomes a Cylon's love interest. Captive Cylon Sharon (Grace Park) redeems herself when she agrees to help Adm. Adama rescue the citizens of New Caprica. While the rescue operation unfolds, defrocked president Gaius Baltar (James Callis) locates Sharon's Cylon-human baby and accepts an invitation from D'Anna (Lucy Lawless) to join the Cylons. The large-scale rescue proves successful, but the occupation leaves emotional scars on the survivors, particularly Starbuck and Tigh, who stir up dissent within the ranks. Adm. Adama endeavors to heal his crew with a boxing event that ends up being cathartic for Starbuck and Apollo. While trying to prove his worth to the Cylons, Baltar helps D'Anna probe the mythical "final five" humanoid Cylons-who have become lost to the rest of their race-an investigation that doesn't sit well with the Cylon Cavil (Dean Stockwell). A food shortage forces the Colonial fleet to traverse a dangerous passage to an algae planet, home to a mysterious temple that houses a veritable road map to Earth, which the Cylons also covet. The tragic loss of a troubled crewmate and a sensational trial onboard Galactica become game-changing milestones during the fleet's quest for Earth. ~ Michael Chant, All Movie Guide

A star athlete with a promising future must prove his innocence after becoming the prime suspect in a murderous crime spree in this urban thriller from filmmaker Paul W.L. McDaniel. Lucky Sanderson is a wiz on the basketball court and a key member of the community, but when a key witness to a brutal murder singles out Lucky as the man responsible for the heinous crime, his easy life of fast cars and adoring girls turns to an inescapable nightmare from which he may never escape. With a death sentence looming over his head and time running out fast, Lucky must enlist the help of his police detective cousin in uncovering a conspiracy that points all the way from a vengeful street gang to the highest ranks of the police department. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Season One of Monk begins with this first episode of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour "TV" movie). On psychiatric leave from the San Francisco PD since the unsolved 1997 murder of his wife Trudy, former police detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) returns as a private eye to help the department solve two seemingly unconnected murders. The first victim is a woman named Nicole Vasquez; the second is a professional bodyguard killed during an assassination attempt on mayoral candidate Warren St. Claire (Michael Hogan). Monk determines that the link between the two murders may well by St. Claire's wife Miranda (Gail O'Grady), but his efforts to solve the crimes are impeded every inch of the way by the emotional "tics" he has developed since his wife's death: Namely, an obsessive-compulsive streak to end all obsessive-compulsive streaks, and a veritable laundry list of phobias including fear of the dark, of heights, of crowds, and especially of milk! Although most of the Monk trademarks are established in this opening episode (the lead character's obsessive-compulsiveness, his photographic memory, et.al.), there are a few significant departures from the weekly series proper: For one, the character played by Jason Gray-Stanford is named Lt. Deacon rather than Lt. Disher; and for another, the role of Sharona's son Benjy is played by Kane Ritchotte instead of Max Morrow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV drama concerns a troubled young man (played by Eric Johnson) who murdered both his mother and grandmother in a desperate bid to get his hands on the family's fortune. Scorn examines both the young man's grisly crimes, and his curious, emotionally detached history prior to the events. The film was based on the true story of Vancouver, British Columbia, multiple murderer Darren Huenemann, who spoke with the screenwriters and reviewed their work in an effort to make the film more realistic. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Debuting over the CTV network on January 23, 1998, the hour-long Canadian drama series Cold Squad was a precursor in both style and substance to the American weekly Cold Case. The series involved the concerted efforts of a dedicated Vancouver detective unit to reopen and (hopefully) solve unsolved murder cases, some of them several decades old. Julie Stewart headed the cast as Sgt. Ali McCormick, the unofficial head of the squad. There was a great deal of personnel turnover during the series' seven seasons on the air, with a complete supporting-cast overhaul at the beginning of Season Three (see the huge cast list below). The winner of eight Gemini Awards, the 98-episode Cold Squad ended its Canadian run on June 4, 2005; it was picked up for syndication in the United States on September 15, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Teenaged Adele is immature for her age and has not learned to control her impulses and frustrations, but when she discovers herself pregnant, she finds herself forced to learn control as she tries to conceal her condition from her unstable family. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Can a rough and tumble hockey player and a snooty ice dancer find love and a gold medal at the same time? That's the burning (or more appropriately freezing) question in this romantic drama. Kate Moseley (Moira Kelly) is a world-class figure skater training for the Olympics; she has genuine talent, but years of being spoiled by her wealthy family have made her all but impossible to work with. Doug Dorsey (D.B. Sweeney) is a hockey player with drive, skill, and a full complement of arrogance; his team is also on the fast track to the Olympics. Unfortunately, an eye injury suffered during a game affects Doug's peripheral vision enough to put him on the bench for the rest of the season. At the same time, Kate's colossal ego scares off yet another skating partner, and her coach, Anton (Roy Dotrice), needs to find a replacement as soon as possible. Desperate to stay in Olympic competition, Doug agrees to try working as Kate's partner, even though he has a hockey player's macho contempt for figure skating. Needless to say, the first few practices between Kate and Doug do not go well, but in time they learn to work together and become a pair to be reckoned with both on and off the ice. The Cutting Edge was released within a few months of the 1992 Winter Olympic Games. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Deftly blending Native American mysticism with ecological consciousness, suspense and graphic violence Clearcut is a powerful drama of vengeance and ultimately a lesson well-learned. Set in the Canadian woods, the tale begins during a heated conflict between an Indian tribe and an avaricious paper mill that is systematically destroying the land. When it looks as if all else will fail, a militant Indian leader abducts the owner of the mill and takes him on a Deliverance style wilderness odyssey and a harsh crash-course in tribal culture. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this award-winning Canadian drama, friends gather for a Christmastime reunion and together reminisce about the good and bad times of their lives. They also find themselves dealing with long-buried conflicting emotions about their relationships. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Bette Midler stars as Stella Claire, a working class, fun-loving barmaid in northern New York State. A brief affair with handsome Stephen Dallas (Stephen Collins) produces a daughter, Jenny (Trini Alvarado), who Stella insists upon raising alone, despite Dallas' marriage offer. As the years pass, Stella and Jenny are a happy pair. Stella gives up bartending to sell cosmetics, supported by her friend Ed (John Goodman), a bartender developing a crush on her and a problem with alcohol. Dallas has stayed involved with his beloved daughter from afar and is now a urologist in New York City, engaged to a book editor (Marsha Mason). As Jenny reaches adulthood, Stella becomes aware that life with her father would provide her daughter with opportunities that she'd never have otherwise, so she devises a painful, self-sacrificing scheme to drive Jenny from the nest. Although functional as a tearjerker, many of the themes in Stella simply don't make as much sense in a modern age of healthy, fractured families, muting the drama of the tale's earlier versions, specifically Stella Dallas (1937). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide