Tom O'Brien Movies
- 2002
Hoping to enhance his reputation, an unbalanced lawman kidnaps Chloe (Allison Mack) for the express purpose of staging a spectacular rescue. Poor Chloe is bound, gagged, blindfolded, and buried alive in a tiny vault stuffed with toy teddy bears. Outside of the rogue lawman, the only person who has an inkling of Chloe's whereabouts is Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), who, after sustaining a head injury, is able to "see" the girl's plight through the eyes of the kidnapper -- a power that places Lana's life in dire jeopardy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) is outraged when his billionaire father, Lionel (John Glover), closes down the Smallville branch of LutherCorp, thereby throwing hundreds out of work. Elsewhere, Clark (Tom Welling) and Chloe (Allison Mack) are about to share their first kiss -- a tender moment rudely interrupted when Clark must dash off to save Lana (Kristin Kreuk) from an approaching tornado. This final episode of Smallville's first season culminates in a cliffhanger climax wherein one of the key characters must make a fateful decision...while another character may be lost to the world forever. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
While attempting to rescue fellow teenager Eric Summers (Shawn Ashmore) from an outsized thunderstorm, Clark Kent (Tom Welling) is struck by a bolt of lightning. Instantly, Clark is stripped of his superpowers -- which, in turn, are transferred to Eric. As Clark tries to adjust to being just another normal high school kid, the emboldened Eric (ironically nicknamed "Superboy" by Clark's friends) ends up dangerously misapplying his new talents. Meanwhile, would-be business mogul Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) has an eventful run-in with the aristocratic father (William Samples) of Victoria Hardwick (Kelly Brook). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Season two of Smallville resolves the cliffhanger established at the end of season one, with Clark Kent (Tom Welling) using his superpowers to save Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) from an approaching tornado, and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) likewise managing to rescue his father, Lionel (John Glover, now a series regular). Now, however, Clark's adoptive father, John (John Schneider), is missing, as is the spaceship which brought Clark to earth from Krypton some 13 years earlier. Other complications involve Clark's erstwhile girlfriend Chloe (Allison Mack) and unscrupulous reporter Roger Nixon (Tom O'Brien, in his final series appearance). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
As usual, one group of CSI members investigates a death, while another group checks up on a second murder. Specifically, Grissom (William L. Petersen), Warrick (Gary Dourdan), and Nick (George Eads) look into a shooting that occurred during a casino heist, while Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Sara (Jorja Fox) probe a homicide at a remote desert convenience store. As the team compares notes, it appears as if there is a strong connection between the two crimes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Clark Kent (Tom Welling) has begun to be aware of his inherent x-ray vision -- a power that proves to be literally a headache to him. Even worse, Clark is unable to control this power, which comes and goes at the most inopportune moments. But our hero's vision problems turn out to be a blessing when Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) is accused of a theft committed by a unbalanced, shape-shifting young girl named Tina (Lizzy Caplan). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
A woman's body is found stuffed in a wooden box that is oozing a strange liquid. Andy (Jimmy Smits) and Bobby (Jimmy Smits) locate the victim's brother, who seems less concerned about the woman's murder than he is with his favorite soft drink. Elsewhere, Diane (Kim Delaney) wonders if the death of a child was the result of parental neglect, while Greg (Gordon Clapp) and Jill (Andrea Thompson) investigate the shooting of another child whose intensely religious parents are all too willing to forgive the killer. And while off duty, Jill lets Diane know that she knows something she isn't supposed to know. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Megan Follows leaves her Anne of Green Gables TV persona behind to portray Lila Nolan, a young Boston-based nurse who is suspected of mercy killing. Two of Lila's elderly patients have died under mysterious circumstances, and now she has arrived in Cabot Cove to provide home care for ailing Maggie Saunders (Audra Lindley)--who happens to be the best friend of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). Be assured that murder will soon rear its ugly head, and that Jessica will find herself in the position of defending Lila against a false charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Karate Kid, Part 4 is better known by its release title, The Next Karate Kid. The sole holdover from the first three KK flicks is Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, once more cast as janitor/martial arts maven Miyagi Yakuga. This time, his pupil is orphaned 17-year-old Hilary Swank, the granddaughter of Miyagi's war buddy. Relentlessly bullied by her male classmates and feeling responsible for her parents' fatal accident, Swank is taught self-worth through the tough-but-gentle guidance of Miyagi. While The Next Karate Kid may come off as too "PC" for the tastes of some fans, it is heaps better than the appalling Karate Kid, Part 3. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, Hilary Swank, (more)
- 1994
The sneaky underworld of baby selling is the subject of this made-for-television movie. Cybill Shepard stars as a doctor who is trying to adopt a baby. She turns to a couple who claims to be willing to sell their child, only to be swindled out of her money and the child. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cybill Shepherd, Anna Maria Horsford, (more)
- 1992
On July 19, 1989, a DC-10 en route from Denver to Philadelphia lost all its hydraulics and broke apart just outside of the Sioux City, Iowa airport, killing 110 of the 285 passengers and a single crew member, and risking the lives of everyone else on board. At that point, the rescue crew, which had spent months preparing for such an emergency, had its mettle tested above and beyond the call of duty. In this made-for-TV reenactment, Charlton Heston plays the jetliner's pilot (reprising a similar role from Airport 1975). The rescuers include Richard Thomas and James Coburn. Also known as A Thousand Heroes, Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 debuted February 24, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Richard Thomas, (more)
A yuppie and a hippie are the offbeat pairing of this character comedy in the tradition of earlier mismatched buddy films such as Midnight Run (1988). Kiefer Sutherland is uptight, 26-year-old FBI agent John Buckner, who's been assigned to escort an aging counterculture radical named Huey Walker (Dennis Hopper) to Oregon for trial on a charge that's decades old. Buckner finds Huey's lifestyle and beliefs irresponsible. Once the two are bound for their Pacific Northwest destination, Huey begins to play psychological mind games with the straight-arrow Buckner, convincing him that he's tripping on hallucinogenic drugs, getting him drunk, and setting him up with a hooker named Sparkle (Kathleen York). Huey trades places with his captor and soon a game of cat-and-mouse is afoot as the agent pursues the one-time radical, with surprising revelations abounding regarding Buckner's childhood and Huey's motivations for allowing himself to be captured. Flashback also stars Carol Kane, Cliff De Young, Richard Masur, Michael McKean, and Paul Dooley. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Hopper, Kiefer Sutherland, (more)
- 1990
Love and Lies is a TV "film noir" inspired the true exploits of detective Kim Paris. Mare Winningham stars as a no-nonsense Houston private investigator with a penchant for disguise. She is hired to gather evidence on Peter Gallagher, who is implicated in a double homicide. Assuming a false identity, Ms. Winningham puts the make on Gallagher, hoping that a little romance will put him off guard and force him to convict himself. The rub comes when Winningham falls in love with the suspect. When first telecast on March 18, 1990, Love and Lies barely managed to hold its own in the ratings opposite the competing double whammy of Gunsmoke: The Last Apache and Part One of a new adaptation of Phantom of the Opera. Perhaps as a result, it never developed into a weekly series, as had been intended. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The made-for-television film Storm and Sorrow is based on the true story of Molly Higgins (Lori Singer), a mountain climber who joins a team about to climb a 24,000-foot peak in Russia's Pamir Mountains. On the lengthy climb up the mountain, the team confronts a number of dangers--not only natural disasters, but also conflicts between the members, as well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Though this police and courtroom drama did not do well at the box-office, some reviewers thought that the lead performances by Burt Reynolds and Theresa Russell were first-rate. Joe Paris (Reynolds) is a policeman suspended from active duty. He awakens from an alcoholic binge to discover that he is being charged for a murder he has no memory of. Jenny Hudson (Russell) is his court-appointed defense lawyer, a young feminist eager to prove herself in the courtroom. After some initial difficulties, the two cooperate to unravel the tangled circumstances behind the murder. Michael Crichton directed but did not collaborate on the story or screenplay. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Theresa Russell, (more)
TV's sitcom teen (Family Ties) Justine Bateman is cast as the leader of a four-girl/one-guy rock band who's first real gig is an all-summer job playing at a resort club. The gig includes living accommodations--one room--which the entire band shares for the summer. That memorable summer, with all its emotions, plans and pains, provides the substance of the film. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justine Bateman, Liam Neeson, (more)
Based on a real-life 1983 incident, The Accused tells the story of Sarah Tobias (Jodie Foster), a working-class party girl who likes to live it up with her friends and flirt hard with the guys. After a fight with her boyfriend, she heads to a local bar to cool down -- and after a few drinks, plus some dancing and flirting, she finds herself thrown on top of a pinball machine and gang-raped by a bunch of locals, while others watch and cheer the proceedings. District attorney Kathryn Murphy (Kelly McGillis) takes Sarah's case but quickly negotiates a plea bargain in which the attackers' charges are reduced to reckless endangerment. Her reason: defense attorneys could use Sarah's not-so-pretty past to paint her as "asking for it," getting their clients off completely. But a stunned Sarah accuses Murphy of selling her out, and when the lawyer sees how the incident continues to destroy Sarah's life, she decides she must seek true justice. This time, she goes after the crowd of onlookers for "criminal solicitation" -- those who were egging the rapists on. Foster won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly McGillis, Jodie Foster, (more)
- 1987
In this first episode of a two-part story, David (Bruce Willis) finally discovers that Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) is pregnant. En route from LA to Chicago for a (hopeful) reunion with Maddie, David is sidetracked by convict felon "Mad Dog" Hundley (played by Hollywood producer Tony Bill), and before long our hero finds himself taking Mad Dog's place in a brutal prison farm. Meanwhile, David and Maddie's secretary Agnes (Allyce Beasley) comforts her new beau Bert Viola (Curtis Armstrong), who moans that the Moonlighting fans haven't "warmed up" to his character yet! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A film that captures the steamy, colorful essence of New Orleans, this crime thriller tells the romantic story of a classy detective whose investigation of a gangland murder lands him in trouble with the city's new District Attorney, a woman with a rigid penchant for following the letter of the law. Despite their differences, the two manage to work together and eventually fall in love. Unfortunately all of this leads them to have to fight for their lives when their investigation into the case and the corruption surrounding it gets them bumped up to the top of a hit man's list. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, (more)
