Robert Miano Movies

A casual bus trip across the desert becomes a harrowing struggle for survival in director Fabien Pruvot's sun-soaked frightener. The American desert is full of resilient predators, and when a psychotic madman begins stalking the terrified riders on a large passenger bus it soon becomes clear that even mankind can become the prey under the right circumstances. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The fine line between failure and success is as thin as the thread that separates love and tragedy, and in this tale of a self-destructive artist attempting to regain his identity after a harrowing bout with commercial success, one man finds out just how difficult it can be to built a stable future on the foundation of an uncertain past. Julian Lamont (Jason Barry) is a reclusive alcoholic who has invented a new genre of art. Inspired by his own deep-rooted self-loathing, "destructionism" allows the artist to unashamedly embrace their inner-hatred for the stranger in the mirror. Now, as Julian is compelled to take responsibility for his own actions while finally exploring the interpersonal relationships that have come to define his existence, he will finally find out what kind of artist he really wants to become. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Cracking the Da Vinci Code takes a closer look at some of the events discussed in Dan Brown's massive best-seller The Da Vinci Code. In addition to interview footage with Brown, the film also features interviews with religious expert Dr. Stephen A. Hoeller and authors Clive Prince and Lynn Picknett, whose nonfiction work had a direct effect on Brown's fictional creation. Also included is footage of some of the locations where the action in the book transpires. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

A ruthless drug lord must be stopped, pronto. Three able-bodied cops go undercover to bring the drug dealer to justice -- or, preferably, to kill him. Once in a while, the bad guys call a halt to the film's bloodshed to allow a sex scene to play itself out. Otherwise, this is essentially cable-TV stuff, blown up (sometimes literally) for the Big Screen. A good cast, headed by Michael Nouri and John Saxon, is the film's most tangible asset. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A couple of wealthy young California sisters decide to hit a few birds with one stone when they, with the help of some homeless folks, hold a talent show/bikini contest. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

In the made-for-cable El Diablo, Anthony Edwards plays a bespectacled Eastern schoolteacher who is bullied and cowed by the wild westerners all around him. Soon, however, he is forced to summon up his courage to expedite the rescue of his prettiest female student (M.C. Gainey), who has been kidnapped by the notorious bandit leader El Diablo (Robert Beltran). Louis Gossett Jr. is on hand as the down-to-earth gunslinger who teaches Edwards the rudiments of frontier survival. Coproduced and cowritten by John Carpenter, El Diablo debuted July 22, 1990, over the HBO pay-cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Figuring that he'll never get a pardon from the mercurial Stockwell (Robert Vaughn), Face (Dirk Benedict) plans to escape during the A-Team's next mission. But things don't quite go as expected when Face falls in love with Sally Vogel (Valerie Wildman), a journalist whose pose as the girlfriend of mobster Tommy Tedesco (Richard Romanus) has placed her in dire peril. Throughout the episode, Face continues seeking a means of escape only to return to help out Sally and his fellow A-Teamers--a pattern he follows all the way to the climax in Atlantic City. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bill Bixby earned an Emmy nomination for his chilling yet pathetic performance as Eric Doyle, a mild-mannered loser who is fascinated by police procedure. Rejected when he tries to join the San Francisco police force, Doyle vows to prove his worth by turning vigilante. Donning an authentic-looking cop's uniform, Doyle sets about to methodically--and savagely--wipe out all criminals who have managed to slip through the fingers of the legal system. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a bank robber takes up residence in a small town after having gotten away with half a million dollars, country life is disrupted by a former cop (James Spader) and a local police officer (David Keith). The two set off on a cat-and-mouse hunt for the robber and his true identity, as he was wearing a clown mask at the time of the holdup. The Stickup also features Leslie Stefanson. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Unconditional Love stars stand-up comic John Kennedy Horne as Joe Kirkman, an investigative reporter for an L.A. newspaper. When his best friend is murdered by underlings of Ted Markham (Henry Silva), a business executive with criminal ties, Kirkman decides to get revenge the best way he knows how -- by digging into Markham's business, uncovering the extent of his crimes, and bringing him to justice. He's aided in his research by Patrice (Tracey Ross), a graduate student and computer expert who soon develops a decidedly non-academic relationship with Kirkman. Unconditional Love also features supporting performances from Antonio Fargas, Robert Culp and Adrian Zmed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This drama about an undercover cop who learns the hidden dangers of working his way inside the mob was based on a true story. Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) is an FBI agent who is given an assignment to infiltrate the Mafia; calling himself Donnie Brasco, he befriends Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a low-level mob hit man whose personal life is in tatters. Lefty's marriage is falling apart, his son is a junkie, and his health is failing, which only adds to his growing disillusionment about having spent 30 years with the Mafia (and killing 26 people) with little to show for it. But in Donnie, Lefty sees someone who can succeed where he failed; he takes the young man under his wing, and under Lefty's tutelage Donnie quickly rises through the ranks of organized crime; however, the longer he plays the role of the gangster, the more Joe Pistone finds himself becoming Donnie Brasco in his increasingly rare off hours; it drives a wedge between himself and his wife (Anne Heche) and children, and Joe realizes that a break in character among the hoodlums he's come to know could mean a death sentence for himself and his family. Just as importantly, Joe has come to regard Lefty as a close and trusted friend, and Joe realizes that when the day comes where he has to turn in his Mob associates, he'll be ending Lefty's life as surely as if he put a slug in his head himself. The supporting cast includes Michael Madsen as Sonny, Lefty's boss, and Bruno Kirby as Nicky, one of Sonny's henchmen. The real-life Joe Pistone today lives under an assumed name with a 500,000-dollar contract on his life still in effect. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Tinged with morbid eroticism and drenched in gore, this low-budget vampire thriller stars Michelle Owens as Carris Blass, a sex-crimes detective who offers herself as bait to ensnare a savage sex killer stalking the streets and alleys of Los Angeles -- and discovers too late that the suspect (Gregory A. Geer) is actually a powerful vampire who sexually molests his victims. Once bitten, Blass undergoes a dramatic transformation into femme fatale, along with the usual vampire traits, such as an extreme aversion to sunlight. Despite the doubts of her cynical husband (Michael McMillen), she is determined to bring down her undead foe before her transformation becomes complete. Despite the unconventional twist of depicting the vampire as more of a deranged, rape-happy psychopath than an instinctive predator, there is little to distinguish this blood-soaked outing from the usual horror-exploitation fare. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide