Sandy Martin Movies

A young man discovers that his past misdeeds could come back to stain his future in this independent thriller. Paul (Josh Stewart) and Adrienne (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) are a young couple from Texas who are driving to California to attend the wedding of a college buddy. As they roll through the Mojave Desert late at night, Paul grows sleepy and Adrienne feels amorous, so they pull into an all-but-deserted roadside motel for the night. The couple gets into an argument, and after fitful sleep Paul slips out of their room to the motel's all-night diner. At the diner, Paul is approached by a mysterious stranger (Afemo Omilami) who seems to know a great deal about him. The man alludes to a dark secret in Paul's past that could destroy his relationship with Adrienne, and as the evening wears on the implications of Paul's past grow as evidence mounts that he and Adrienne have been there before. As Paul and Adrienne's evening goes haywire, their experiences are contrasted with the eccentric desk clerk, Frank (Chris Browning), and his unfaithful wife, Sandy (Angela Featherstone). The first feature from director Chad Feehan, Beneath the Dark (aka Wake) received its world premiere at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The directorial debut of filmmaker Jared Hess, who also co-wrote the screenplay, Napoleon Dynamite is a quirky, offbeat comedy set in the small Idaho town of Preston. Jon Heder stars in the titular role, a carrot-topped oddball with a decidedly eccentric family that includes his llama-loving, dune-buggy enthusiast grandmother. The story centers on the local high school's race for class president. Using some nontraditional means, Napoleon is determined to help his pal Pedro (Efrem Ramirez) run a winning campaign and defeat popular girl Summer (Haylie Duff). Also starring The Drew Carey Show's Diedrich Bader, Napoleon Dynamite premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Nicholas Gilbert (Kevin Vincent O'Connor) the deranged homeless man who witnessed the murder of a man named Jefe in the previous episode (and who was, surprisingly, the scion of a wealthy family), turns up dead after being prematurely released from lockup. Outraged, Danny (Rick Schroder) reams out the desk sergeant who let Nicholas go -- thereby leading to another black mark on Danny's record. Realizing that his partner is rapidly becoming his own worst enemy, Andy (Dennis Franz) extends a helping hand to Danny. Elsewhere, Diane (Kim Delaney) investigates a murder-suicide which may be linked with her elusive enemy Denby (Andy Cohen), who, despite the fact that no one can find him, continues to wreak havoc in the 15th precinct. On another front, Baldwin (Henry Simmons) has an unpleasant run-in with the owner of a diner -- and also wrestles with the notion of asking Valerie (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) out on a date. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Writer-director David Mamet crafted this unusual, Hitchcockian thriller in which no one is who they appear to be. Campbell Scott is Joe Ross, who has just created a "process" that stands to make his company and his boss, Klein (Ben Gazzara), millions of dollars. At a clandestine meeting in the Caribbean, Ross discusses the details of the process with company executives. There, purely by chance, or so he believes, he meets the wealthy, enigmatic Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin), and the two strike up an unusual friendship. Dell informs Ross that he's naïve to believe that his company will fairly compensate him for his valuable work. Upon returning home, Ross becomes paranoid that Dell is right, and he takes steps to protect his invention, becoming unsure if he can trust Klein or even his own love-struck assistant (Rebecca Pidgeon). When Ross discovers that Dell has lied to him about his identity, he contacts the FBI -- he then finds himself set up as a murder suspect who learns, almost too late, to trust no one. The title of the film refers not to any of the characters but to a classic con artist's scam. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Already doubting his abilities after the messy Lori O'Brien lawsuit, Greene (Anthony Edwards) suffers another blow to his self-confidence when the wife of a dead patient accuses him of killing the man. As if this wasn't trouble enough for Greene, his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Jenn, wants full custody of their daughter Rachel. Meanwhile, Carol (Julianna Margulies) is put in charge of a patient's prize collection of worms, which she promptly loses; Benton (Eriq La Salle) uncovers several factual holes in Vucelich's (Ron Rifkin) study; and Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) is a candidate for the position of chief resident. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this high-tension thriller, Christopher Reeves plays Dempsey Cain, a paralyzed detective (ironically, it was filmed a year before the tragic accident that would make him a quadriplegic) whose arrogance and penchant for perfectionism has alienated his family to the point that his wife Gail (Kim Cattrall) turns to his brother Nick (Edward Kerr) for love. Nick is also a cop, but unlike Dempsey, he tends to be irresponsible and sloppy. It was he who was responsible for Dempsey's paralysis. Dempsey knows that Nick and Gail are trysting. This coupled with his disability makes life unbearable. Wanting to end his life, but knowing that his million-dollar life insurance policy will not cover his suicide, he approaches Nick and Gail with the perfect solution -- to murder him and make it look like a burglary. Dempsey plans his demise to the nth degree. Unfortunately, despite his careful scheming, Dempsey makes one fatal flaw -- he did not include his suspicious, resentful and jealous colleague Allan Rhinehart (Joe Mantegna) into the equation and things go horribly awry. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This is the second of four "Day in the Life" episodes, in which the Night Court staff must process a huge number of cases before a midnight deadline. Upping the stakes on this occasion is a Texas millionaire (Pat Corley) who has agreed to finance an orphanage if the staff can successfully try 207 cases within the time allotted; also, Dan (John Larroquette) stands to win a large an office pool if he's guessed the correct number of convictions. Keep an eye out for those "Three Stooges" nuns! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cop Killers was one of five Police Story specials, telecast in the fall of 1988. These "new" 2-hour specials were actually rewrites of scripts from the original Police Story series of 1973-80; there was an industry strike going on in '88, and networks needed material in a hurry. Ken Olin stars in Cop Killers as a police officer who feels unworthy of his medal of valor. He acted "correctly" during a shootout, but his partner was killed in the crossfire. Olin's guilt gradually begins to take a toll on his marriage to Patricia Wettig (the real-life Mrs. Ken Olin). Police Story: Cop Killers was first telecast October 29, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This made-for-TV movie is the second follow-up to the astonishingly successful Kenny Rogers as the Gambler (1980). Rogers returns as Old West gambler Brady Hawkes, while Bruce Boxleitner, Rogers' co-star in 1983's The Gambler: The Adventure Continues, is also back as Hawkes' sidekick Billy Montana. Others in the cast include Linda Gray as adventuress Mary Collins, Jeffrey Jones as Buffalo Bill Cody and George American Horse as Sitting Bull. This time around, Brady and Billy try to protect the Sioux Nation from corrupt, treaty-breaking cavalry officers who've been stealing cattle and shifting the blame to the Indians. The Gambler III: The Legend Continues debuted November 22, 1987, an occasion celebrated by a TV Guide cover story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Attacked by a masked assailant, Marjorie (Farrah Fawcett) lives in mortal fear that the unidentified man will strike again -- especially since he knows her address. Sure enough, Joe the attacker (James Russo) breaks into Marjorie's home and subjects her to a night of terror and sexual humiliation. But Marjorie manages to turns the tables on her attacker, knocking him unconscious and rendering him helpless. The remainder of the story charts Marjorie's battle with herself: should she turn Joe over to the authorities, who may very well set him free, or should she mete out her own punishment? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A lunatic sniper has been targetting blonde women in the Griffith Park area. Since the assassin is obviously using highly sophisticated weaponry, it is only natural that departmental troubleshooter Hunter (Fred Dryer) be assigned to the case--and only logical that his partner McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) act as bait for the killer. The situation takes an unexpected twist when the Number One Suspect commits suicide, leaving McCall at the mercy of...who? This final episode of Hunter's first season was directed by series regular James Whitmore Jr.. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A big-budget spin-off from the series of three successful Superman movies, this film stars Helen Slater as the counterpart to the famous comic-book superhero. Supergirl is Kara, Superman's young cousin. She is sent to Earth is search of a Krypton power source, a lost ring that has been turned into a paperweight. She disguises herself as Linda Lee, a meek high-school student. Peter O'Toole is Zaltar, a mad villain who wants to use the power of the ring to take over the world. Faye Dunaway plays the evil sorceress Selena, who is also plotting to get the gem and uses her incredible powers of black magic in service of her scheme. Linda Lee meets Ethan (Hart Bochner), who is under a spell cast by Selena, which causes him to fall in love with the first person he sees. Selena had intended to use the spell to make Ethan fall in love with her, and she is furious when his affections are directed toward Supergirl. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi