John Ottavino Movies

This film is a somewhat contrived pairing of two divorcees who are giving it a second go. They're up against considerable odds, however, because the children of each are not too pleased with their new "parent." Jeff Bridges stars as the husband and Alice Krige plays his second wife. ~ All Movie Guide

Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) is a bland, oppressed man who burns with a quiet, corrosive intensity that can flare uncontrollably. A Philadelphia prosecutor, Sabich's fire seems to have one outlet: his job. He loves prosecuting people. Otherwise, his life is dead-ended. He has a loveless marriage to a neurotic woman (Bonnie Bedelia) and an overbearing boss (Brian Dennehy) in a labyrinthine law enforcement world of corruption and twisted relationships. Then Carolyn Polhemus (Greta Scacchi) comes into his life. Lovely and seductive, Polhemus easily entices him to break his marital vows, but she schemes to get him to try for his boss' job. When he refuses, she leaves him. When she turns up dead, the victim of an apparent rape-murder, clues begin to point to Sabich. His blood type almost perfectly matches that in the semen found in the victim, carpet fibers at the crime scene match those found in his house, and most damning, his fingerprints are found on a beer glass in Polhemus' apartment. His protestations of innocence ignored, Sabich is put on trial for the murder and hires his biggest adversary (Raul Julia) to defend him. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide

The husband of high school teacher Jenna Kealey (Ashley Crow) is killed in what seems to be a hit-and-run accident. Eventually, however, it becomes obvious that the man was murdered, possibly as the result of a conspiracy between Jenna and Roy Pack Jr. (David Seaman), the teenaged student with whom she is having an affair. The D.A.'s office is in for a heap of frustration when Jenna claims that Roy was solely responsible for the killing -- and vice-versa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Writer-director Spike Lee's epic portrayal of the life and times of the slain civil rights leader Malcolm X begins with the cross-cut imagery of the police beating of black motorist Rodney King juxtaposed with an American flag burning into the shape of the letter X. When the film's narrative begins moments later, it jumps back to World War II-era Boston, where Malcolm Little (Denzel Washington) is making his living as a hustler. The son of a Baptist preacher who was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, Little was raised by foster parents after his mother was deemed clinically insane; as an adult, he turned to a life of crime, which leads to his imprisonment on burglary charges. In jail, Little receives epiphany in the form of an introduction to Islam; he is especially taken with the lessons of Elijah Mohammed, who comes to him in a vision. Adopting the name 'Malcolm X' as a rejection of the 'Little' surname (given his family by white slave owners), he meets the real Elijah Mohammed (Al Freeman, Jr.) upon exiting prison, and begins work as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Marriage to a Muslim nurse named Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett) follows, after which X spearheads a well-attended march on a Harlem hospital housing a Muslim recovering from an episode of police brutality. The march's success helps elevate X to the position of Islam's national spokesperson. There is dissension in the ranks, however, and soon X is targeted for assassination by other Nation leaders; even Elijah Mohammed fears Malcolm's growing influence. After getting wind of the murder plot, X leaves the Nation of Islam, embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca that proves revelatory; renouncing his separatist beliefs, his oratories begin embracing all races and cultures. During a 1965 speech, Malcolm X is shot and killed, reportedly by Nation of Islam members. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Visiting his drug-addicted brother Roberto (Mark Adair-Rios), detective Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) finds out that Roberto's landlord is a crooked cop who is shaking down his tenants on behalf of the Mob. After one of the tenants is murdered, Martinez wants to take action against the bad cop, but Kelly (David Caruso) intervenes. Meanwhile, newly appointed ADA Laura (Sherry Stringfield) turns up the heat on Giardella (Robert Costanzo). And the 15th Precinct is bedeviled by an inveterate practical joker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Arthur Hiller directed this comedy/drama concerning three couples, thrown together by fate, who become friendly and help each other through their marriage difficulties. Claire (Cybill Shepherd) and Leo (Ron Silver) are a wealthy couple having trouble with a daughter from a previous marriage. John (Beau Bridges) and Iris (Stockard Channing) are a couple from the '60s who have weathered a relationship involving sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Chuck (Robert Sean Leonard), a securities analyst, and Nina (Mary Stuart Masterson), a child psychologist, are newlyweds needing guidance through the pitfalls of married life. The couples meet on a committee formed at a PTA meeting. They find they like each other and invite each other to dinner parties. As they meet and talk with one another, they reveal their problems and help each other. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Dan Hedaya guest stars as a self-proclaimed werewolf who demands to be locked up at the 15th Precinct, claiming "intimate" knowledge of a recent murder. Meanwhile, a desperate Polish couple searches for their son, a homeless man is hauled in on a murder charge, and Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) discovers that the much-older fiancée of his teenaged son (Michael DeLuise) is chronically unfaithful. But all of this pales in comparison to the ordeal of Laura (Sherry Stringfield), who is an eyewitness to mob boss Giardella's assassination. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A teenager is found dead in a hospital ER. The subsequent investigation leads to a bizarre religious ritual, "dictated by a saint." Once the D.A.'s office takes over the case, they must deal with a self-styled prophet with a powerful gift for mass persuasion -- which may prove problematic once the fanatical defendant faces a jury of peers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When the disemembered head and arm of a female murder victim is found in a junkyard, the SVU team launches an extensive search for the killer. Several false leads later, a man comes forth with a confession--but this is not the end of the story, which involves a black-market ring specializing in illegal body parts. The plot takes a poignant turn when it is determined that the dead woman's missing kidney is about to be donated to an ailing youngster. This case is especially fascinating to Detective Munch (Richard Belzer), if for no other reason than it reunites him with attractive, hearing-impaired medical investigator Amy Solwey (Marlee Matlin). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide