William Marquez Movies

A lengthy spell of calm weather may cost professional stormchaser Calvin (Randall Batinkoff) his job with the National Severe Storm Labs. Then, almost miraculously, Calvin's territory is struck by a series of devastating tornadoes. Trouble is, the locals are blaming God for all the destruction, meaning that Tess (Della Reese) is going to have to work overtime to defend her Boss. At the same time, Monica (Roma Downey) hopes to persuade Calvin to stop allowing anger and selfishness to govern his life--but it is a lost child in the center of a violent storm that ultimately puts Calvin on the right track. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Like its theatrical-feature precursor Not Without My Daughter, the made-for-TV Desperate Rescue is based on a true story, though it would appear that several liberties have been taken. Mariel Hemingway plays a young mother whose daughter Lindsay Haun is abducted by Andrew Masset, Mariel's Jordanian ex-husband. Masset takes the girl back to his native Jordan, beyond the reach of the US authorities. Denied aid and comfort by the American government, Mariel takes matters into her own hands, hiring ex-Delta Force commandos Clancy Brown, Jeff Kober and James Russo to muscle their way into Jordan and rescue Lindsay. Based on an article by David Halevy and Neil C. Livingstone, Desperate Rescue premiered January 18, 1993: its title at that time was Desperate Rescue: The Cathy Mahone Story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Alexandra Maynard's (Jill Clayburgh) nightmare begins when her wallet is stolen by a psycho. In possession of Alexandra's identification and credit cards, her tormentor is able to follow her all over town, anticipating her every move. Adding to Alexandra's agony are those mocking phone calls from her ubiquitous stalker. But then...then Alexandra's friends and family form a united front, and the stalker finds himself the stalkee. Made for television, Fear Stalk debuted December 17, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally telecast as a two-hour movie TV movie, the two-part A-Team pilot episode begins as Amy Allen (Melinda Culea), intrepid girl reporter for the "Los Angeles Courier", conducts an investigation to find out if the notorious A-Team, a group of Vietnam vets who'd been unjustly imprisoned after the war for pulling off a government-ordered bank robbery, have actually escaped prison and are still at large. She soon comes face to face with the members of the A-Team, who have regrouped as soldiers of fortune dedicated to helping deserving people and righting wrongs throughout the world--all the while keeping one step ahead from the relentless Col. Lynch (William Lucking), who has vowed to put the team behind bars again. Most of Part One is devoted to introducing the individual team members: Hannibal Smith (George Peppard), team leader and master of disguise; B.A. (Mr. T), the sullen, combustible mechanic; "Howling Mad" Murdock (Dwight Schultz), versatile air pilot and habitual mental-hospital resident; and Faceman (played in the pilot only by Tim Dunigan), the resident suave, silver-tongued con artist. Promising not to reveal the team's whereabouts, Amy presses them into service to rescue her colleague Al Massey (William Windom), currently being held hostage by Mexican drug dealers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One of several syndicated TV miniseries of the 1980s, Roughnecks was part of the same "Golden Circle" project that previously yielded the multipart Wild Times. The title refers to a group of two-fisted oil wildcatters, among them self-made millionaire Paul Marshall (Steve Forrest), his lifelong pal and business partner, Plug Champion (Harry Morgan), and up-and-coming young "roughneck" O'Dell Hartman (Sam Melville). Avoiding the temptation of carbon-copying such previous oil-drilling movies like Boom Town, Flowing Gold, and Tulsa, this two-parter devoted much of its screen time to the hero's efforts to help Marshall's former sweetheart Ida McBride (Vera Miles) save her ranch by bringing in a valuable methane well. In most local markets, Roughnecks was telecast the third week of August (usually the 15th and 16th of that month) in 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The son (Will Ferrell) of a rancher unwittingly gets into a war with a local drug lord (Gael Garcia Bernal) after his supposedly wealthy brother (Diego Luna) turns out to be unable to settle the family's financial troubles in this Spanish-language comedy from Gary Sanchez Productions. Frequent Ferrell collaborator Adam McKay (Step Brothers, The Other Guys) produces, with Funny or Die's Matt Piedmont handling direction duties. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Veteran actor Andy Garcia steps into the director's chair for his first voyage into feature filmmaking with this heartfelt tribute to revolutionary, late-'50s-era Cuba featuring Dustin Hoffman, Bill Murray, Tomas Milian, and offering the director himself in the starring role. Fico Fellove (Garcia) is the politically neutral owner of the El Tropico nightclub who seeks shelter from the winds of change behind the crowded bar of his flourishing business. Unfortunately for Fico, the blood of the revolution flows deep within the veins of his passionate brothers, and it's only a matter of time before both the club owner, and his distinguished father, are forced to face the prospect of having their lives forever changed despite their indifference to the violence that surrounds them. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

B-movie director Rafal Zielinski adds another sordid tale to his CV with this C. Thomas Howell vehicle. In the film, Howell plays a cop who gets involved with a murder witness, only to find out that she's part of an international ring of sex-for-hire beauties. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Part of a pointless string of sequels ostensibly based on the werewolf novels by Gary Brandner, this entry deserves credit for taking the creatively dead series in an interesting new direction. Set in the barren rural town of Canton Bluff, the story centers on the enigmatic figure of Ian (Brendan Hughes), a likable but severely solitary drifter who takes a job making repairs to the local church. Eschewing human contact, Ian seems unnaturally leery of the impending full moon, a fear shared by a man named Harker (Bruce Payne), the owner of a sleazy traveling carnival. Aware that Ian is a genuine werewolf, Harker is able to blackmail the young man into working for his carnival, where he is put on display with other human oddities. To further complicate matters, Harker is revealed to have a monstrous secret of his own -- he's a vampire, who sees Ian's condition as a cover for preying on the blood of local folk. In a nod to Tod Browning's Freaks, Ian joins forces with the other carnival freaks to destroy their evil master. Director Hope Perello's taut, suspenseful debut makes clever references to classic horror films without lapsing into parody or imitation, and the production has a classy look and feel, helping to shrug off the unpleasant stigma normally associated with the otherwise mediocre Howling franchise. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Dudley Moore and Eddie Murphy try but fail to bring this flat comedy to life, while the story itself is hampered by intercutting between the years of 1982 in Los Angeles (Moore) and 1984 in Kuwait (Murphy), with no explanation of how these two disparate people and locations are related. Wylie (Moore) is an inept engineer trying to perfect a gyro system for his employers who contract projects with the U.S. defense department. Wylie accidentally gets some blueprints for another type of gyro -- and his company successfully manufactures the part, much to almost everyone's benefit. Unfortunately, these plans are coveted by a certain ruthless industrial spy (David Rasche), and the FBI itself is suspicious about the origins of the blueprints in Wylie's hands. Meanwhile (and in constant interspersed segments), Landry (Murphy) is trying to get his tank to stay on course, but no matter what he does the machine swerves and lunges at random -- could there be a gyro at fault here? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Jimmy Smits returned to the big screen after a career-reviving stint on the TV series NYPD Blue with this emotional drama about the difficult relationship between a father and his sons. Smits plays Arturo Ortega, a man with lifelong dreams of being a contender in professional boxing. While Arturo had the knowledge, drive, and ambition to be a champ, his career proved short-lived, and, after a brief fling with success, he's a forgotten man. However, Arturo has instilled his passion for boxing in his three sons, who grow up learning the fine art of prizefighting. All three boys begin competing in the ring, with Arturo as their manager and coach, but Johnny (Jon Seda) quickly shows so much promise that other managers and promoters want to take over his contract and put him on the fast track to the championship. Arturo feels betrayed when Johnny wants to work with another manager, while his other two sons resent Johnny for turning his back on his father and wish Arturo had the same belief in their talents in the ring. The debut feature from director Carlos Avila and screenwriter Phil Berger, Price of Glory also features Maria Del Mar, Ron Perlman, Paul Rodriguez, and Clifton Collins Jr.. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Andrew Davis followed up the action blockbuster The Fugitive (1993) with this Capra-esque box office dud that nevertheless featured engaging dual performances by Andy Garcia. Garcia stars as Ruben and Robby, twin brothers who were raised separately and have become total opposites. Ruben has recently inherited a 40,000-acre Santa Barbara estate from his eccentric guardian, Mona (Holland Taylor). A friend to artisans and migrant workers, Ruben wants to transform the land into a commune, while the cold-hearted Robby wants to steal it from his brother, develop it and make millions. Muddying the waters are Lou (Alan Arkin), a quick-thinking ex-cop and pal of Ruben's who is able to manipulate the law to his own purposes, Eddie (Joe Pantoliano), a shark lawyer who plays both sides against the middle, and Ruben's ex-wife Laura (Rachel Ticotin). When each brother masquerades as the other for a time, however, some insights are gained by both. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi