Michael Moriarty Movies
Detroit-born Michael Moriarty was still in his teens when he received a Fulbright Fellowship to study acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. At 22, Moriarty played Octavius Caesar in a New York Shakespeare Festival production of Antony and Cleopatra, the first of many Shakespearean assignments. He made his Broadway bow in Trial of the Catonsville 9 and his film debut in 1972's Hickey and Boggs. In 1973 and 1974, no one was a likelier candidate for big-time stardom than Michael Moriarty. He starred as ingratiatingly egotistical ballplayer Henry Wiggen in theatrical feature Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), earned an Emmy for his portrayal of the Gentleman Caller in a TV adaptation of The Glass Menagerie, and won the Tony award for his work in the Broadway play Find Your Way Home. While his stage career flourished (he'd later star in well-received revivals of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial and My Fair Lady) his movie career was not as successful. It was television that made Moriarty a "name" in the eyes of the public, especially after his chillingly effective Emmy-winning turn as pasty-faced Nazi bureaucrat Erik Dorf in the 1978 miniseries Holocaust. In his film appearances of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Moriarty evinced a preference for working in director Larry Cohen's low-budget horror efforts, which brought little in the way of prestige but which assured him juicy leading roles. He was particularly good in Cohen's Q (1982), as a scuzzy, unprincipled mercenary who becomes the film's hero-by-default. From 1990 to 1994, Moriarty earned three Emmy nominations for his work as Assistant DA Ben Stone in TV's Law and Order; he left the series in 1995, complaining that Attorney General Janet Reno's criticisms of TV violence seriously endangered his ability to perform at fullest capacity. In addition to his considerable acting accomplishments, Moriarty is a superb jazz pianist; he has cut albums with his own jazz trio, and is a frequent performer at Michael's Pub, a New York nitery which occasionally features director Woody Allen on the clarinet. In addition, Michael Moriarty can be seen as the Governor of New Jersey in Crime of the Century, a 1996 TV-movie recreation of the Bruno Richard Hauptmann trial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2007
The personification of good meets the embodiment of evil when a derelict believing himself to be Hitler clashes with a compassionate Christ figure in director Brendan Keown's screen adaptation of a controversial play by Michael Moriarty (who also scripts and stars). The setting is a seedy train station, and the characters are two of history's most contradictory figures. As Hitler (Moriarty) spews forth the kind of foul philosophy that made him one of the most reviled dictators in the history of humankind, Jesus (Wyatt Page) struggles valiantly to process the hatred being heaped upon him in the curious setting. Could it be that these men are sincerely the historical figures they claim to be, or are they simply two delusional lunatics who have become lost on their own dementia? Whatever the case may be, the debate that unfolds is sure to be as intellectually stimulating as it is completely outrageous. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Moriarty, Wyatt Page, (more)
Three soldiers offer viewers a close-up and deeply personal view of the war in Iraq in this documentary. Filmmaker Deborah Scranton gave digital video cameras to three National Guard volunteers who were called up for duty in Iraq and asked them to keep a visual diary of what they saw and how they felt about it. The three men who took Scranton up on her offer were Sgt. Zack Bazzi, Spc. Mike Moriarty, and Sgt. Steve Pink. Bazzi is a Lebanese immigrant who previously fought in Bosnia and Kosovo and loves the thrill of battle, though he has serious reservations about the nature of the American occupation and feels most of his fellow soldiers are dangerously unaware of the habits and customs of the Iraqis. Moriarty is a husband and father who volunteered for service after the terrorist attacks of September 11; he's a proud warrior and loyal to his fellow soldiers, though he's come to hate the sting of battle. And Pink is a carpenter and would-be writer who joined the Guard to help raise money for college; his dark sense of humor often rises to the surface as he confronts the uglier aspects of the conflict. Scranton took the footage shot by the soldiers (sometimes uploaded by Internet just hours after a battle) and fashioned it into a story of three different men united by a single cause who are fiercely loyal to their fellow fighting men and women, even as they become increasingly cynical about the causes and motivations behind the war. The War Tapes was screened in competition at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Pink, Mike Moriarty, (more)
When Santa's estranged daughter Mary learns that her typically jovial father has fallen too ill to finalize his Christmas plans for the year, she sets her sights on the North Pole and hatches a plan to update her father's outdated system in this family friendly holiday comedy directed by Ron Underwood (City Slickers) and starring Jenny McCarthy, Kandyse McClure, and Michael Moriarty. Depressed that her ideas for the holidays were perpetually dismissed, Arctic entrepreneur Mary Clause (McCarthy) leaves her family behind in order to seek her fortune in New York City. Years later, Mary receives word that Father Christmas (George Wendt) is too ill to travel, and seizes the opportunity to finally give dad's antiquarian system a complete overhaul. But in order to truly prove her mettle, Mary will not only have to reconcile her relationship with her father, but with her former boyfriend Luke (Ivan Sergei) as well. In the meantime, Mary's current beau (Tobias Mehler) hatches a plan to turn his girl's home into a tacky holiday mall and the elves panic at the thought of not having everything in place for the big night. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jenny McCarthy, George Wendt, (more)
When a keen-eyed scientist discovers that a large asteroid is currently on a deadly collision course with the planet Earth, she must seek the help of a military outcast to jump into action and save humanity from annihilation in a tense, end-of-the-world thriller starring Rae Dawn Chong, Antonio Sabato, Jr., and Michael Moriarty. Dr. Madison Kelsey (Chong) has made a terrifying discovery, but time isn't on her side and in order to prevent the largest disaster ever known to man she is going to have to act fast. Though ex-military scientist Richard Donovan (Sabato, Jr) may be able to help, he is still reeling after being ejected from the armed forces due to his homosexuality. There's little time for old grudges in these final days, however, and when Dr. Kelsey and Donovan agree to work together for the good of mankind, the rest of the world waits with baited breath to receive word of their ultimate fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., Rae Dawn Chong, (more)
A man seeks to unlock the mysteries of his family's tragic past in this drama. Zach Riley (Aaron Eckhart) is a psychiatrist who has resigned a prestigious position at a major university to take a job at the Millwood Clinic, a private residential facility run by one Dr. Reed (William Hurt). Riley tells Reed he was inspired to come to Millwood by the case of a family friend who was a patient there years before, but what Riley doesn't mention is the person in question was his father, T.L. Pierson (Nick Nolte), a successful but reclusive children's author whose book "Neverwas" became a remarkable critical and popular success. For all his talent and success, Pierson was haunted by mental illness and drug addiction, and after leaving Millwood he committed suicide, with young Zach finding the body. Ever since, his mother (Jessica Lange) has been bitter and blamed Zach for Pierson's death, and he's come to Millbrook looking for answers and closure regarding his dad. While working with the patients at Millwood, Riley strikes up a friendship with Gabriel (Ian McKellen), a charming older man with a poor connection to reality who was friendly with Pierson when they were both in treatment there; Riley also renews his childhood friendship with Maggie Blake (Brittany Murphy), a Millwood intern who was powerfully affected by "Neverwas" when she was young. Neverwas is the first feature film from writer and director Joshua Michael Stern. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aaron Eckhart, Ian McKellen, (more)
Executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, the ten-episode, 20-hour miniseries Taken was one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by cable TV's Sci-Fi Network, ultimately costing 40 million dollars -- a price that proved well worth it, inasmuch as the series posted the network's highest-ever ratings. Covering a period from 1947 to the present, the story focused on three different families, each of whom was profoundly affected by extraterrestrial visitation. The Keys family was headed by WWII bomber pilot Russell Keys (Steve Burton), who spent virtually his entire adult life haunted by his "close encounter" with aliens. The Clarkes were originally represented by lonely Texas waitress Sally Clarke (Catherine Dent), who was impregnated by a charming stranger (Eric Close) who turned out to be an alien survivor of the Roswell crash. And the lives of the Crawfords were dictated by ruthless Army officer Owen Crawford (Joel Gretsch), who was determined to prove that the government had covered up the truth about Roswell by dedicating his life to tracking down all space aliens and their half-human descendants. The story was narrated by Allie Keys (Dakota Fanning), a "hybrid" child of the present day, whose story determined the outcome of the final episodes. Boasting impressive computer-generated special effects and eye-popping facial makeup, Taken was seen over a two-week period, beginning December 2, 2002, and ending on December 13. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dakota Fanning, Alonso Oyarzun, (more)
This two-part CBS TV movie was filmed as Talking to Heaven, the title of the autobiographical book upon which it was based. Ted Danson stars as real-life psychic James Van Praagh, a man who spent much of his life ignoring or denying his clairvoyant gifts until it became impossible for him to suppress them any longer. After experiencing several "visitations" from dead people in his youth, Van Praagh was tagged as a freak and shunned by friends and family members alike. It is only during a particularly difficult period of his adult life that James is willing to acknowledge his special talents, and then only because he has had visions of a forlorn young boy with bound hands. Galvanized into action by such grim images, not to mention the plaintive voices of several additional ghostly youngsters, James agrees to assist the authorities in locating the buried victims of a serial killer who may still be at large. Living With the Dead originally aired on April 28 and 30, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, (more)
Morgan Freeman returns as forensic psychologist Dr. Alex Cross in this thriller based on the novel by James Patterson (whose work also formed the basis of the hit Kiss the Girls). Gary Soneji (Michael Wincott) is a brilliant but remorseless psychopath who has landed a teaching position at an exclusive private school in Washington, D.C. Using his extensive knowledge of kidnapping (he's taught a class on Charles Lindbergh), Soneji abducts one of his students - Megan (Mika Boorem), whose father Hank Rose (Michael Moriarty) is a United States senator. Ollie MacArthur (Dylan Baker), the detective investigating the case, has strong words for Jezzie Flannigan (Monica Potter), the Secret Service agent who mistakenly let Megan slip through her fingers. But when the kidnapper contacts Dr. Cross, the psychologist is brought in on the case, and Cross seeks out Flannigan, who he believes might have a valuable insight into the case. Soon, Cross and Flannigan come to the terrible realization that this crime only represents the tip of the iceberg for the ruthless Soneji. Along Came a Spider also features Penelope Ann Miller, Jay O. Sanders, and Kim Hawthorne. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter, (more)
During his all-too-short career (three starring roles in two years), James Dean helped to radically redefine the way teenagers were portrayed onscreen (and in popular culture in general), and the expressive naturalism of his performances did more to establish the "method" school of acting in the public mind than any other actor outside of Marlon Brando. James Dean is a made-for-cable biography that looks at the star's short but troubled life, his years of struggle before his sudden rise to fame, and the car crash that took his life at the age of 24. James Franco stars as James Dean, with Michael Moriarty as Winton Dean and Valentina Cervi as Pier Angeli, the actress Dean loved. Produced for the TNT cable network, James Dean first aired on August 4, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Franco, Michael Moriarty, (more)
Three strangers find their lives reflected by proverbs they find in fortune cookies at the same Chinese restaurant in this episodic comedy-drama. Chuck (Pierre Brault) is a divorced father who has trouble getting through to his son (Mark Bastianelli) or his mother (Elaine Klimasko). Hoping to encourage his son to try something new, Chuck buys his boy a violin, but the youngster doesn't have much interest in the instrument. His mother, however, is another story; she picks up the fiddle and masters the instrument with remarkable speed, and her music speaks of the deep emotions she refuses to share with her son. As it turns out, the violin itself also has a rather remarkable history to tell. Elsewhere, Ho Fook (John Ng) is an interior designer who professes to be an expert on the art of feng shui, even though he displays no gift for it in his own home, and Marshall (Dan Lalande) is tired of paying alimony, so he puts himself to the task of finding a new spouse for his ex-wife (Loraine Ansell), though given her bitterness this may be no easy task. House of Luk also features Pat Morita as the proprietor of the Chinese restaurant that's the nexus point for the film's three stories. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Brault, Dan Lalande, (more)
- 2000
In this made-for-TV movie, shown on the E! network, Richard Breggs (Harland Williams) is a super-swell guy. An aspiring actor, he drives a taxi so that he can afford to buy his girlfriend Maggie (Elizabeth Berkley) a set of window shades for their apartment. All is dandy until Richard's friend Nick informs him that his niceness is the source of his career problems, and that he'll only be able to get ahead as an actor if he becomes a class-A jerk. Richard decides to give Nick's advice a try, and four years later he wakes up with amnesia to discover that he's the star of a monstrously popular TV show called, appropriately enough, "Dick." Living in a mansion, he is informed by his butler Edward (Robert Wagner) that yes, he has become a bonafide schmuck. This news horrifies Richard, who sets about trying to find Maggie and mend his wicked ways. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harland Williams, Robert Wagner, (more)
- 2000
Set in Arizona (but filmed in Alberta), the made-for-TV thriller Children of Fortune stars James Brolin as Navy detective Dave Passenger. Assigned to investigate the murder of a sailor's girlfriend, Dave follows the trail of evidence to a small Arizona community where polygamy is still being practiced. Along for the ride is Passenger's estranged 15-year-old daughter Erica (Amanda Fuller), who has been invited to participate in the investigation by Dave in the hope that he can mend a few family fences while tracking down the culprit. Virginia Madsen appears in the role of the secretive Ingrid Bast, wife of the local sheriff (Michael Moriarty). Children of Fortune made its CBS broadcast debut on November 1, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A city undergoing an especially brutal winter discovers it's not just the weather that's putting a chill in their bones when a serial killer begins preying on young women in this thriller. A dozen teenage girls have gone missing and are feared to have been slain by a multiple murderer, and the public is clamoring for Chief Inspector Al Brodsky (Kenneth Welsh) to do something before another young woman is lost. It seems as if the police may finally have discovered some crucial evidence when the naked body of a young woman is discovered frozen solid in the snow. However, Brodsky and police detective Lou Miles (John Kapelos) soon announce that the frozen woman was a suicide and not the work of the suspected kidnapper and serial killer. This story doesn't fly with Vidal (Tony Nardi), a reporter, and as he begins to investigate the case, he discovers that Miles has more than a few secrets he's hiding, and may know more about the abductions than he's letting on. Released on home video under the title Cold Blooded, Bad Faith also stars Michael Moriarty, Patti LuPone, and Gloria Reuben. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Moriarty, Gloria Reuben, (more)
- 2000
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This video is part of the Inventors' Specials, an award-winning series of programs for children, introducing them to some of the world's leading scientists and inventors. This episode features the great astronomer, Galileo. The account is presented in fictionalized fashion, and focuses on the relationship between Galileo and his apprentice, Cosimo de Medici II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Many of Galileo's discoveries are illustrated, such as his revolutionary gravitational idea that all objects, regardless of their weight, fall at the same rate of speed. The incredible story is told of Galileo's trial and imprisonment for maintaining that the sun was the center of the universe. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
A beautiful parole officer falls for a seductive ex-con with predictably tragic results in this thriller from director Johanna Demetrakas. Sworn to uphold the law and never let personal issues take priority, Jenny (Jennifer Beals) walks a fine line between desire and duty when her relationship with an ex-con takes a dangerous turn. Despite Jenny's better judgment, she allows herself to become intimately involved with the ex-con whose all-consuming vendetta drives him to one again break the law and go on the lam. With Jenny in tow and the police hot on their trail, the renegade parole officer and her lawless lover must stay one step ahead of the law to keep their love alive. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
In this thriller, Elizabeth (Joanna Pacula) is married to Cole (Michael Moriarty), a wealthy man who allows her to live a life of luxury. However, Elizabeth isn't happy with Cole, and she falls into an affair with the young and handsome Tony (Boyd Kestner). Elizabeth's double life is threatened when a blackmailer named Willie (Peter Onorati) approaches her with photographic evidence of her infidelity, and soon Elizabeth finds herself up to her ears in danger and deception as she tries to satisfy Willie's demands while keeping her dalliances a secret from her husband. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Moriarty, Joanna Pacula, (more)
- 1999
A science-fiction drama produced for ABC, Strange World concerns Paul Turner (Tim Guinee), a one-time Army scientist who was one of a battalion exposed to a dangerous but unidentified chemical while serving in the Gulf War in 1991. While the other members of his platoon died, Turner has instead lived on, albeit with a chronic illness that is taking a horrible toll on his body. A mysterious Japanese Woman (Vivian Wu) periodically gives him an unidentified drug that gives him relief from his symptoms, but Turner is in constant and frantic search, trying to determine what it is that's killing him, what he can do about it, and why the Army is trying to keep the whole matter a secret. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Guinee, Kristin Lehman, (more)
- 1999
- R
Actor Kiefer Sutherland directed this drama about a housekeeper who tries to keep the peace between a widower and his grown-up son. Sutherland also co-stars, along with Holly Hunter, ichael Moriarty and Christopher Plummer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Holly Hunter, Kiefer Sutherland, (more)
- 1999
- Add The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg to QueueAdd The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg to top of Queue
Hank Greenberg was the first great Jewish star in baseball; at a time when the game was still racially segregated, Greenberg became a first-class hitter for the Detroit Tigers (a host city not always known for its tolerance, as the career of Father Charles Coughlin will prove), nearly beating Babe Ruth's home run record and becoming one of the game's best loved figures (he was also a friend and confidant to Jackie Robinson as he was breaking baseball's color barrier). Hank Greenberg became a powerful role model in America's Jewish community, and this documentary follows his life and career up to his death in 1986. Director Aviva Kempner includes extensive interview footage of Greenberg filmed in the year before his passing, as well as newsreel footage of Greenberg in action, reminiscences from his teammates and testimonials from his family, friends and fans, including Alan Dershowitz and Walter Matthau. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hank Greenberg
The adventures of a boy and his beagle continue in this sequel to 1997's Shiloh. Marty Preston (Zachary Browne, replacing Blake Heron, who played the role in the first film) is a well-meaning 12-year-old who adopts Shiloh, a beagle who was treated cruelly by his first master, a bitter alcoholic named Judd (Scott Wilson). However, when Judd is hurt in an auto accident, Marty realizes Judd may have lost one of the only friends he had, even if he did mistreat Shiloh. With help from his parents (Michael Moriarty and Ann Dowd), Marty tries to help Judd get back on his feet both physically and emotionally. Rod Steiger also joins the cast returning from the first film as the crusty but lovable Doc Wallace. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Moriarty, Scott Wilson, (more)
- 1998
Slipping on the ice outside a bus station, Monica (Roma Downey) suffers a severe concussion--and a complete loss of memory. Not only does she not realize that she is an angel, but she also fails to recognize Tess (Della Reese), Andrew (John Dye). . .or God. Falsely arrested for theft, Monica must be taught how to pray by a mortal, and is able to recover only after being the beneficiary of someone else's forgiveness. Once she has figured out who she is and what she's supposed to be doing in this episode, Monica tackles her latest assignment--persuading an embittered doctor (Michael Moriarty) to forgive the man who murdered his wife--with a new and somewhat overpowering zeal! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
This program is one part of a two-volume series on the Vietnam War. It is told from the point of view of people in conflict, torn between loyalty to country and to deeply felt personal convictions. To be part of the peace movement or the war effort -- that was the dilemma for many. Television's historic broadcasts of live action in the war in Southeast Asia only made the choice harder for many. Interviews with those who answered their country's call to arms, as well as those who dodged the draft, provide a poignant study of contrasts for those faced with hard decisions in the conflict that divided a nation. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1998
This program is the final part of a two-volume series on the Vietnam War. It is told from the point of view of people in conflict, torn between loyalty to country and to deeply felt personal convictions. To be part of the peace movement or the war effort -- that was the dilemma for many. This episode examines the antiwar movement in America. Was this a just war for which Americans should be ready to die? Many said no. Activists organized demonstrations that only became larger as the war dragged on and casualties increased. Interviews with demonstrators, draft dodgers, nurses, enlistees, and POWs, give insight into the differing points of view regarding the war which divided the nation. Archival news footage and photographs illustrate the war at home. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1997
This police drama details the lengths to which a police department will go to apprehend a menacing sex predator. The story centers on one detective's pursuit of the offender. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
