David Purdham Movies
- 2005
This episode introduces Traylor Howard in the role of Monk's new assistant , single mom Natalie Teeger. Monk (Tony Shalhoub) meets Natalie in a typically unorthodox fashion, after she kills a burglar who had broken into her home--apparently for the purpose of stealing her pet fish! Investigating the reasons behind this bizarre set of circumstances, Monk follows the clues to a science fair. . .and in the process draws ever closer to Natalie, whom he hopes will fill the void left in his life when his former nurse-assistant Sharona Fleming left San Francisco to remarry her ex-husband in New Jersey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Famous film star Tom Haviland (Chad Michael Murray) is the primary suspect when a young Asian woman is found murdered in his bed. As Grissom (William L. Petersen) investigates, his findings are challenged by his old friend and mentor Philip Gerard (Raymond J. Barry). In fact, Gerard has been hired by Haviland's defense counsel to discredit the conclusions of the CSI in court. As it turns out, Grissom and his crew have made several significant errors -- but all this pales in the light of the episode's most startling revelation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
In the conclusion of a three-part story, a comatose Drew (Drew Carey) is taken off life support, and his soul ascends to Heaven. En route to the Pearly Gates, Drew meets his future nephew (voice provided by Jon Polito), who is heading earthward to be born to Mimi (Kathy Kinney) and Steve (John Carroll Lynch). Thanks to Drew's snide comments about Mimi, the kid changes his mind about being born, forcing Drew to undo the damage by having his soul briefly inhabit the baby's body--and letting the real baby observe his future mother from the vantage point of Heaven. Will Mimi pass the "mommy test", or will the baby reject the whole deal and go back to where he feels safe? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
In the second episode of a three-part story, Drew (Drew Carey) still hovers between life and death following his accident. As his friends and coworkers gather around his bedside, our comatose hero fantasizes about a world in which he is surrounded by unclad models, pizza trees, and his boyhood role models--and in which Mimi (Kathy Kinney) is forced to wait on him hand and foot. As a result, Drew has absolutely no desire to return to consciounsess, even though his brother Steve (John Carroll Lynch) adamantly refuses to remove his life-supprt. Ultimately, Drew opts to take his final stroll with a Heavenly Guide who looks a lot like political pundit-comedian Ben Stein--just as a pregnant Mimi goes into labor! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Garibaldi hatches a scheme to capture Sheridan, using the Captain's father as bait. Pharameutical baron William Edgars (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) then startles Garibaldi by explaining his true motivations. And Lyta agonizes about the future of Telepaths. Written by . Michael Straczynski, "The Face of the Enemy" first aired during the week of June 9, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1997
Captain Sheridan launches his final strike against the forces of President Clark. His biggest remaining obstacle is a huge fleet of Earth warships, converging near Mars. Meanwhile, Marcus makes a crucial decision that will have long-ranging effects on Ivanova --- and an immediate impact on his own life. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Endgame" was first telecast in the United States during the week of October 13, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1997
As in past years, the final four episodes of Babylon 5's 1996-97 season were broadcast in the United Kingdom before making their first American TV appearances. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Between the Darkness and the Light" is a surprisingly low-key episode, despite all that occurs within its 48-minute timeframe. Captured by the Mars Resistance, Garibaldi tries to convince Franklin and Lyta that he was not entirely responsible for his previous actions. As plans are drawn to rescue Captain Sheridan from President Clark's minions, Ivanova, armed with vital information, launches her own counterratack against Clark --- with devastating results. "Between the Darkness and the Light" made its American TV debut during the week of October 6, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1997
Having played a cop for several seasons on NYPD Blue, Kim Delaney shows up as a cop's wife in the made-for-TV All Lies End in Murder. Content to bask in the popularity of her highly respected detective husband Daniel (Jamey Sheridan), Meredith Scialo (Delaney) is totally unprepared to confront the possibility that Daniel is up to his neck in corruption. But the evidence is irrefutable, and Meredith is forced to do something about it--if she can convince Daniel's fellow cops to help her, AND if she can live long enough to do so! Originally seen over CBS on January 19, 1997, All Lies End in Murder has since been retitled Behind Every Good Man for cable-TV play. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) is more edgy than usual as the pregnant Sylvia's (Sharon Lawrence) due date approaches. Donna (Gail O'Grady) considers leaving the precinct for a better job opportunity on the West Coast. The nephew of a robbery-homicide victim is suspiciously in possession of the stolen swag. A bouncer at a strip club is beaten to death. And as the final scene of this episode approaches, the world is introduced to a new arrival named Theo Sipowicz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) goes to great lengths to peek at her diagnosis after visiting a doctor about a rash. Refusing delivery of a package with no return address, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) is faced with a charge of mail fraud -- and worse still, a "basic instinct" moment with Newman (Wayne Knight). Kramer (Michael Richards) urges George (Jason Alexander) to act upon the "fact" that a photo clerk has including a sexy picture of herself in a batch of photos. And Uncle Leo's (Len Lesser) stove explodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
New ER boss Dr. Swift (Michael Ironside) requests (read: "demands") that Greene discuss the OR death of Jodi O'Brien death before a hospital conference. Deb's (Ming-Na) rush to pile up more procedures than Carter (Noah Wyle) results in serious error. Ross (George Clooney) grows ever closer to Diane (Lisa Zane). And Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) is unpleasantly surprised by her sister Chloe's (Kathleen Wilhoite) sudden return. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
The struggle of country music's mother-daughter duo The Judds is told in this made-for-television drama. Kathleen York stars as Naomi Judd (then known as Diana Judd) a single mother of two daughters, who turned to music as way to help positively influence her increasingly belligerent and rebellious eldest daughter Wynonna (then known as Christina). The movie chronicles Naomi's struggle to provide for her daughters (the youngest is actress Ashley Judd), the singing duo's rise from Nashville fame to national celebrity, the ups and downs that accompanied a working family relationship, and Naomi's eventual retirement from the music business. The movie was based on Naomi's autobiography Love Can Build A Bridge. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner return as the Harts, married private eyes who in this made-for-TV movie interrupt their carefree lives to investigate a group of corrupt government contractors. Lionel Stander also returns as their sidekick Max, with Mike Connors and Ken Howard as guest stars. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Corporate women launch a bitter courtroom battle when their avaricious employer tells them that they will lose their jobs if they do not get sterilized. The fight takes the women through a disillusioning jungle of government red tape. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Based on a true story, this is the saga of the survivor of an automobile crash who is left wheelchair bound and bitter. Ignoring friends and family, it becomes his sole quest to end his life with dignity. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cole, Craig T. Nelson, (more)
- 1990
While touring together on a publicity junket, Murphy (Candice Bergen) and Jim (Charles Kimbrough) end up snowbound somewhere in the middle of Kansas. Stuck in their hotel, the two journalists begin playing games with each other's minds--especially Murphy, who challenges her uptight companion to show off his flirtation skills at the hotel bar. Amazingly, Jim's line of patter wins over an attractive woman named Nancy (Jennifer Bassey)...but the long-range consequences of this dalliance may prove disastrous. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Richard Crenna returns as Lt. Frank Janek of the NYPD in the TV movie Murder in Black and White. As in his previous appearances in Doubletake (85) and Internal Affairs (89), Janek is called upon to solve a bizarre and baffling murder. This time the victim is Janek's own boss, the new commissioner of police. The lieutenant deduces that this murder is tied in with the killing of a physician, which occurred only a few hours earlier. Diahann Carroll plays the commissioner's widow, who may or may not be privy to a departmental cover-up. Murder in Black and White was the first made-for-TV movie to be telecast in 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In this surprisingly amateurish production for noted Hungarian director Karoly Makk, Fitz (Christopher Plummer) is a well-known Broadway actor longing to get a leading role in a truly successful movie when his wife Lily (Maggie Smith) comes up with a sure-fire script. Too bad for Fitz, the male lead in Lily's script just has to be a blond Italian. Not one to be put off by minor details, Fitz dons a blond wig and an equally unconvincing Italian accent and lands the part. Soon the cast and crew are jetting off to Budapest, the filming location, where their parody of filmmakers may leave some viewers wondering if Lily in Love might have been successful as a parody itself. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Plummer, Maggie Smith, (more)
A structural engineer (Anthony Hopkins) and an ambitious young district attorney (Ryan Gosling) become locked in a deadly battle of wits when the former is found innocent in the attempted murder of his wife in director Gregory Hoblit's tense tale of courtroom mind games. Ted Crawford (Hopkins) is an engineer who lives with his wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz), in the couple's lavish Southern California home. One day, after carefully planning out the details to ensure that there is no way he can be convicted of murder, Ted shoots his wife in a blatant attempt to kill the woman. When head hostage negotiator Rob Nunally (Billy Burke) arrives on the scene to speak with Ted, he is shocked to find that the victim of the shooting is in fact his longtime lover. Though Jennifer survives the trauma of being shot in the head at close range, she hovers comatose between life and death as star prosecutor Willy Beachum (Gosling) reluctantly accepts the case while preparing to leave the Los Angeles criminal court system behind for a more promising career at a posh private law firm. Though the DA (David Strathairn) vehemently resents Beachum's lofty plan for departure, the hotshot young lawyer remains convinced that he can expedite the apparently open-and-shut case and be on his way to greener pastures in one week's time at the very most. Beachum's swelling ego betrays him, however, as his future boss Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike) begins to turn up the heat and fracture mechanics specialist Ted chooses to represent himself at the trial knowing well that a career spent spotting structural flaws in aeronautical systems has instilled him with just the kind of argumentative skills needed to riddle the swaggering young lawyer's "foolproof" case with doubt. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, (more)
Diane Keaton stars as a unconditionally loving, but meddling, mother whose vain attempt to prevent her insecure youngest daughter from repeating the same mistakes that she made leads to a series of comic misunderstandings in director Michael Lehmann's affectionate family comedy. When it comes to the topic of motherhood, Daphne Wilder (Keaton) has seen it all. Her eldest daughter, Maggie (Lauren Graham), is a highly respected psychologist and her middle daughter, Mae (Piper Perabo), is both sexy and smart, but youngest Milly (Mandy Moore) just can't seem to get things right no matter how hard she tries. Recognizing that the romantic exploits of her charming-but-struggling youngest always seem to end in tears, concerned mother Daphne vows to find Millie the perfect man. Though she always means well, Daphne's misguided attempt to set her daughter up by placing a carefully worded personal ad proves once and for all that even the most well-intending of mothers can sometimes overstep their boundaries. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, (more)
In this sequel to My Girl, Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky) is now thirteen and at the crossroads of adolescence, beginning to question her past. Her father Harry (Dan Aykroyd) is now married to Shelly (Jamie Lee Curtis) and preoccupied with an expectant child. Vada feels left out and decides to write about her mother -- whom she knows nothing about -- for a school project. Vada wants to travel to Los Angeles during spring break to find out more about her mother by interviewing old friends and acquaintances. Harry is reluctant to let her go but finally agrees when he arranges for her to stay with her Uncle Phil (Richard Masur), who lives in L.A. with his girlfriend Rose (Christine Ebersole) and Rose's son Nick (Austin O'Brien), who happens to be the same age as Vada. Together Vada and Nick travel all over Los Angeles, uncovering revelations about Vada's mother and her past. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Aykroyd, Anna Chlumsky, (more)
Albert Brooks wrote, directed, and stars in this philosophical comedy about a man having a hard time making a case for himself in the afterlife. When advertising executive Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) finds himself in a fatal car crash minutes after taking delivery on a new BMW, he's whisked away to Judgment City, where the recently dead are put on a sort of trial to decide their fate. If in your time on Earth you were able to face your fears and learn from your mistakes, you get to move on to a life in a better world. However, if you didn't, you have to go back to Earth and try again. As he spends the next several days watching various episodes from his life, Daniel gets the impression he doesn't stand much of a chance of moving on -- and his representative, Bob Diamond (Rip Torn), seems to have little confidence in his case. In the meantime, he frequents Judgment City's many restaurants (where the food is delicious and you can eat all you want without gaining an ounce), pays a visit to the Past Life Pavilion, and meets Julia (Meryl Streep), who seems so kind, sweet, and noble that her advancement is practically assured. Daniel and Julia fall in love, but what's going to happen if they don't end up in the same place? Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep make a witty and engaging romantic team in Defending Your Life, and Shirley MacLaine appears in a highly appropriate cameo. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, (more)
