Tom O'Rourke Movies
A recently transferred high-school student finds herself walking a double-edged sword in her attempt to court friendship with the powerfully popular but frighteningly unpredictable head cheerleader in a disturbing look at the adolescent social hierarchy starring Tori Spelling and Kellie Martin. Angela Delvecchio (Kellie Martin) has just transferred to a new high school, and popularity is her highest priority. Her burgeoning friendship with beautiful cheerleader Stacy Lockwood (Spelling) a sure sign that she is fast making headway with the in crowd, Angela quickly discovers that it doesn't take much for her new best friend to become her new worst enemy. Now, as the vengeful Stacy unleashes a firestorm of cruelty and humiliation on the increasingly vulnerable transfer student, Angela grows unstable for fear of what horrors her venomous teen tormentor will inflict upon her next. But Angela isn't one to take Stacy's abuse in stride, and before the semester is over, the unrelenting tyranny of the cold-blooded cheerleader will lead the newest girl in school to commit an act so shocking that it will shake the entire community. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tori Spelling, Kellie Martin, (more)
A group of bullies terrorizing a small town meet their match in the Muscles From Brussels in this action drama. Eddie Lomax (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a drifter who has been in a suicidal funk since the death of his close friend Johnny (Danny Trejo). Riding his motorcycle into a small desert town where Johnny once lived, Lomax is confronted by a gang of toughs, who beat him and steal his bike. However, Lomax is not a man to take an injustice lying down, and soon he begins exacting a violent revenge on the men who stole his motorcycle, with local handyman Jubal Early (Pat Morita) lending a hand and several area ladies offering aid and comfort. Inferno (which was also released under the titles Desert Heat and Coyote Moon) was directed by John G. Avildsen, though Danny Mulroon is credited on some prints. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, (more)
- 1985
Maggie (Joanna Kerns) begins spending every evening at the newspaper working on a toxic-waste story with fellow reporter Fred (Tom O'Rourke). This makes Jason (Alan Thicke) angry, not so much because he'd rather spend time with Maggie, but because Fred is so darned good-looking. Meanwhile, youngest Seaver son Ben (Jeremy Miller) focues on a school science project that seems deliberately contrived to irritate his older siblings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
A lawyer is murdered, and high on the list of suspects is the dead man's abrasive girlfriend. Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) track down the suspect, only to discover that "she" is really a "he." As if that wasn't baffling enough, another suspect suddenly resurfaces, one who might be protectively shielding the genuine culprit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Investigating the stabbing death of a psychologist, the detectives find themselves in the middle of a bitter domestic dispute between a man and wife, Catholics both. The key to the investigation is the fact that the victim worked closely with the Archdiocese to arrange annulments. Once all the evidence is in, the DA's office must fence with an extremely resourceful defense attorney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
A janitor is found murdered in a college science laboratory. The prime suspect is a student employee (Mark Bateman) with a troubled past. In a spectacular, suspenseful, and emotional climax, the D.A.'s office goes after a college scientist (John Bedford Lloyd) indulging in experimental drug research -- a prosecution which hinges upon a suppressed medical report. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
When the younger daughter of a wealthy family is murdered on her own property, an investigation reveals that the girl was addicted to drugs. At first, it looks as if the girl was killed by a member of her immediate family. But further developments shift suspicion upon two sons of the family's equally wealthy friends -- leading to a great deal of pressure brought to bear on the DA's office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
ER costar Ming-Na is cast as Li Mei Nu, an immigrant woman in search of her missing sister Jiao Wu. The authorities are also interested in catching up with Li Wu, who has apparently abandoned two of her daughters in a squalid apartment. As the SVU detectives pursue the case, it becomes clear that the missing woman was being persecuted by an alien-smuggling gang which uses its "customers" as sweatshop workers and sex slaves. Unfortunately, none of the gang's victims are willing to cooperate with the detectives--especially after Li Mei is savagely beaten on the orders of a corrupt customs attorney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
This 2005 episode would seem to be inspired by a recent court case in which the defendant's addiction to the Grand Theft Auto video game allegedly resulted in a triple murder. The SVU is surprised when Dickie Stabler (Jeffrey Scapperaota), the young son of detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), points out that the police photos taken at the scene of a prostitute's rape-murder match the images in a new, particularly violent video game. Following this lead, Stabler and his colleagues arrest a pair of teenage "computer addicts" for the crime. Now it falls to Assistant DA Casey Novak (Diane Neal) to tear apart the argument of defense attorney Oliver Gates (Barry Bostwick) that the youthful killers were unable to separate fantasy from reality--and that the video game itself should be put on trial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
A TV reality series, in which several contrasting personalities share the same apartment, suddenly turns ugly when one housemate apparently kills another. The DA's office not only goes after the likely perpetrator, but also the series' producers and the TV network executives who might have deliberately fomented bad feelings amongst the housemates for the sake of ratings. All too appropriately, the outcome of the case hinges on a hidden-camera videotape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Season 12 of Law & Order featured a new face in the D.A.'s office: feisty young A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn, played by Elisabeth Rohm. The opening episode, based on a real-life California case, gets under way when a jogger and her pet terrier are mauled by a vicious pit bull. Further investigation reveals that the attack dog's original owner, now serving two life terms in Attica, bred the animal for illegal dog fights. It is up to the D.A.'s office to prove that the pit bull's current caretakers, Sherri and Roger Quinn (Melissa Leo, Bruce McCarty), were fully aware of how dangerous their "pet" was when they bought it. Originally slated to air on September 19, 2001, this episode was moved forward to the following week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Can a wealthy Republican politician find happiness with a chambermaid from the Bronx? One man is about to find out, though he hardly realizes it at first, in this romantic comedy from director Wayne Wang. Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a single mother who is raising her gifted but under-confident son Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey) on her own, with some help from her mother Veronica (Priscilla Lopez), after divorcing her husband. Marisa works as a housekeeper at the exclusive Beresford Hotel in Manhattan, where her boss Paula Burns (Frances Conroy) and chief butler Lionel Bloch (Bob Hoskins) urge Marisa and her best friend and fellow maid Stephanie (Marissa Matrone) to be as efficient and inconspicuous as possible. One day, while cleaning the room of noted socialite Caroline Lane (Natasha Richardson), Stephanie spies a beautiful designer gown and dares Marisa to try it on; against her better judgment, she does, and while all dolled up, she bumps into Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), a wealthy and well-bred bachelor who is running for the Senate. Immediately charmed, Chris asks Marisa to join him for a walk in Central Park, assuming she's the blue-blooded Caroline. Marisa manages to join Chris for the afternoon, with Ty in tow, and Chris finds himself quite taken with Marisa's beauty and down-to-earth personality, as well as Ty's precocious interest in politics. Chris later calls Caroline's room to set up a lunch date, but soon discovers the stuffy Ms. Lane is not the woman he met before. Marisa is also attracted to Chris, but while her friends encourage her to pursue a romance, Veronica believes her daughter is asking for trouble by trying to win a man so far out of her social strata. The supporting cast also includes Stanley Tucci and Amy Sedaris. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Lopez, Frances Conroy, (more)
- 1988
- R
A newspaper heiress is kidnapped, brainwashed, and forced to join a group of terrorist bank robbers in this docudrama, based on the saga of Patricia Hearst. In 1974, Hearst (Natasha Richardson), the granddaughter of publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, was a student at the University of California. On February 4, members of the Symbionese Liberation Army, a radical political group, broke into the Berkeley home she shared with her boyfriend and kidnapped her. Hearst then allegedly spent 57 days locked in a closet as she was indoctrinated into the group's revolutionary beliefs by their charismatic leader, Cinque (Ving Rhames). Eventually, Hearst joined (or at least pretended to join) the SLA, adopted the name Tania and participated in a number of high-profile bank robberies. After several SLA members died in a police fire storm, Hearst and fellow members Bill and Emily Harris (William Forsythe and Frances Fisher) went on the lam and were later arrested. Although she claimed her participation in the group was a ruse carried out to protect herself from further rape, torture, and mind control, Hearst eventually served several years in prison after her 1976 conviction for bank robbery. Based on the novel Every Secret Thing, Hearst's own account of the events, Paul Schrader's film tells the story from the heiress' own viewpoint, with little in the way of conflicting evidence. After President Carter ordered her release from prison in 1979, Hearst went on to act in several films, including Cecil B. Demented, a John Waters spoof whose plot bears some resemblance to her own life story. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natasha Richardson, William Forsythe, (more)
- 1991
Tom O'Roarke is cast as Jameson Whitworth, a very eccentric and highly superstitious client of Philip Banks (James Avery). Taking a liking to Philip's brash nephew Will (Will Smith), Whitworth hires the "Fresh Prince" as his combination business advisor and good-luck charm. Terrified that Will is a harbinger of financial ruin for Whitworth, Philip decides to fight fire with fire, using the daily newspaper horoscope as his weapon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1941
If Edward G. Robinson thought he'd get away from tough-guy roles by moving from Warners to MGM, he was sorely mistaken. Robinson plays the editor of a 1920s tabloid newspaper, compelled to accept financial aid from a gangster (Edward Arnold). Defying his "unholy partner," Robinson adopts an editorial stance in direct opposition to the gangster's activities. The crook is less upset by this than by the fact that Robinson's star reporter (William T. Orr) is romantically interested in the crook's girlfriend (Marsha Hunt). When Robinson tries to expose the gangster's insurance racket, the young reporter is kidnapped. Robinson kills the crook, then covers his tracks in noble fashion by participating in a suicidal airplane test flight. Unholy Partners manages to keep its multitude of plot threads in order, resulting in one of Edward G. Robinson's most solid vehicles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, Edward Arnold, (more)
Bloody Sunday director Paul Greengrass marks the five-year anniversary on the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States with this speculative meditation on the events that took place onboard the fourth hijacked plane, and the actions of the passengers who gave their lives to ensure the safety of others. Told in real time and acted out by a cast of unknowns who were provided with detailed studies of their real-life counterparts, United 93 attempts to reconstruct the airborne tragedy from the view of the ground and flight controllers, the passengers, and their nervous families awaiting word on the fate of their loved ones. As the terrified travelers and crew gradually become aware of the historical events taking place on the ground so far beneath them, the 90 minutes in which a random collection of strangers realized their fate and came together to confront an unthinkable threat are re-created. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Alan Basche, Richard Bekins, (more)
- 1993
In the first episode of a two-part story, Joe (Tim Daly) finds himself in the unenviable position of being the all-purpose problem-solver for everyone else. Unfortunately, no one seems available or even willing to help Joe solve his own problems, which range from an angry and abusive passenger to a crisis involving the grave of one of Fay's many late husbands. Finally, Joe reaches the bursting point -- and bursts!!! Clearly, there is nothing left for him but to escape Nantucket for parts unknown -- leaving Sandpiper Air in the trembling hands of his brother Brian (Steven Weber). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
