Jock MacDonald Movies
In this adventure drama, four men passed over by the space program get one last chance to be heroes and live out their dreams. Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood), Hawk Hawkins (Tommy Lee Jones), Jerry O'Neill (Donald Sutherland), and Tank Sullivan (James Garner) were top pilots within an elite Air Force squadron and on the fast track to becoming the first Americans in space in the early 1950s. However, when NASA was established, the pilots were cut out of the loop; Corvin went on to become an aerospace engineer, Hawkins continued on as a freelance pilot, O'Neill became an astrophysicist with a sideline in designing roller coasters, and Sullivan took up preaching as a Baptist minister. Years later, a Russian satellite's guidance system has started to malfunction, and it is expected to crash into the Earth within a matter of weeks. The system is identical to the one Corvin designed for Skylab, so NASA head Bob Gerson (James Cromwell) asks Corvin to help him with the emergency mission to repair the satellite. Corvin agrees under one condition -- that he be sent up to do the repairs himself, with Hawkins, O'Neill, and Sullivan as his crew. Clint Eastwood directed Space Cowboys while also starring as Frank Corvin; his supporting cast includes Marcia Gay Harden, Courtney B. Vance, Loren Dean, and William Devane. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
In this drama about intolerance and acceptance that takes place during World War I, a pair of German orphans, Helmut and Brigitta, are sent to a farming community in the Pacific Northwest after a stay in an internment camp. While they are welcomed by some in the town, many resent their presence, especially those who have lost family members in the war. However, a teacher at the school takes a liking to them, and Helmut discovers he has a talent for basketball. Eventually, Helmut gets a chance to prove his worth to the community by playing in a special basketball game; if the neighborhood team wins, it will mean a new harvesting machine for the local farmers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Coyote, Karen Allen, (more)
- 1998
Michael Trent made his directorial debut with this suspense drama set in the Oregon wilderness. An elliptical opening sequence depicts a kidnapping, and the scene shifts to a remote mountain hideout where the seven kidnappers hold a youth they believe is due for a $2 million inheritance. However, the boy is not who they think he is, and since one member of the group has a different hidden agenda, their simple plan soon begins to collapse. Shown at the 1998 Dances With Films Festival of the Unknowns (Santa Monica). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Trent, Jessica Sitomer, (more)
- 1993
Remember way back when "Political Correctness" was merely a source of humor and not the official doctrine of the United States? In this episode, both Murphy (Candice Bergen) and Peter (Scott Bakula) get into trouble for making on-the-air comments that are labeled "insensitive" by certain special-interest groups. As a result, Miles (Grant Shaud) orders the enter "FYI" staff to attend a cultural-sensitivity seminar...and the results are guaranteed to offend just about everyone!. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
The CIA plays footsie with the Mob in Agent on Ice. Secret service boss Clifford David conspires with Mafia chieftan Louis Pastore in a plot to assassinate "inconvenient" political leaders. Young CIA operative Tom Ormeny, who has no inkling of David's plan, is ordered to kill Pastore-who, as it turns out, isn't killed at all. Set up as a fall guy, Ormeny is disgraced and fired from the service. His only hope for redemption is to prove that Pastore is still alive, still doing the CIA's dirty work. Though partially set in Europe, Agent on Ice was filmed entirely in New Jersey-and looks it. John Pastore, who plays the "assassinated" Mafia boss, also produced the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Ormeny, Clifford David, (more)
