Philip Akin Movies

After a blissful year of living together, Kelly (Maggie Lawson) and Michael (Joey Lawrence) decide to get married. All they want is a small, simple, old-fashioned ceremony, without the "bells and whistles" attending most contemporary weddings. Alas, Kelly's control-freak mother Carol (Marilu Henner) had other ideas--and if that isn't bad enough, the couple's friends have come up with a plethora of discouraging words about matrimony, otherwise known as "The Rules of Engagement" (which was the working title for this film). A broad but generally credible made-for-cable comedy in the tradition of Father of the Bride and Betsy's Wedding, Love Rules! made its ABC Family Channel bow on June 6, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Noted screenwriter Wesley Strick made his directorial debut with this offbeat suspense story. Ted (Anthony Michael Hall) and Eve (Sheryl Lee Diamond) are a couple who've just moved into a beautiful old house, which has an unusual feature in the basement -- a hidden bar room which was used as a "speakeasy" during Prohibition. Eve has for some time wondered if Ted is entirely faithful to her and she gets an answer when she's called to the hospital after Ted's been in a serious auto accident, and discovers his mistress is already at his bedside. Eve discovers Ted has been cheating on her with a variety of women for years and she decides to do something about it. Shortly after Ted is released, he mysteriously disappears and no one has any idea of where he's gone. While she isn't telling, Eve knows the truth about Ted -- she's locked him up in the basement speakeasy, and is keeping him captive so he can't run around on her. While Eve is happy to know where Ted is at all times, Police Detective Grant (Alex Carter) keeps popping by to ask questions, and Eve finds herself tempted by another man while struggling not to let down her guard. Hitched was produced for the USA cable network, where it first aired in 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Actor and dancer Gregory Hines served as both executive producer and star for this biographical drama that chronicles the life of legendary entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. In 1916, Robinson was a successful vaudeville performer and considered the finest tap dancer of his generation when he met Fannie (Kimberly Elise), a college student nearly two decades his junior. Even though Robinson was already married, he quickly fell in love with Fannie, and in time she was swept off her feet by the charismatic dancer and became his second wife. Fannie was one of the first people to encourage Robinson to stop performing in blackface (common for African-American vaudeville performers of the time), and in the 1930s, she and manager Marty Forkins (Peter Riegert) persuaded Bill to move to Hollywood and find work in the movies. While roles for black actors in Hollywood were severely limited at the time, Robinson managed to become a recognized film star, headlining the musical Stormy Weather and appearing in a number of pictures with child star Shirley Temple. But while Robinson's film work helped make him the best-known black performer in America, his frequent roles as domestic servants did little to earn him respect among his own people, and he was often seen as an "Uncle Tom" for his aggressively cheerful on-stage demeanor. And while Robinson was confronted with the less fortunate consequences of fame, he and Fannie had to deal with his growing addiction to gambling, which threatened to leave the highest-paid black man in America flat broke. Bojangles also features Savion Glover and Maria Ricossa; the film was produced for the Showtime premium cable network, where it first aired on February 4, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In 1974, Cicely Tyson and director John Korty (The Ewok Adventure) worked together on the acclaimed The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (winner of nine Emmys), and they reteamed for this updating of Charles Dickens' 1843 classic, A Christmas Carol. When miserly banker Ebenita Scrooge (Tyson) is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past (Michael J. Reynolds), visions prompt her to reflect on her life. An earlier female Scrooge was played by Susan Lucci in 1995, and a Mrs. Scrooge with Sally Kellerman is also in development. The TV movie Ms. Scrooge premiered December 10, 1997 on the USA Network. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, Duncan (Adrian Paul) must contend with not one but two deadly foes. Renegade Watcher Horton (Peter Hudson), the man responsible for the death of Duncan's mentor Darius, has joined forces with debauched Immortal Xavier St. Cloud (Roland Gift). A confrontation with these two miscreants nearly costs the life of Duncan's friend Charlie (Philip Akin) -- prompting Duncan to sever his ties with "good" Watcher Joe Dawson (Jim Byrnes). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Duncan's old pal, pixyish ex-prizefighter Tommy Sullivan (Bruce Weitz), has turned manager, handling an up-and-coming young boxer. As before, Duncan (Adrian Paul) finds Sully amusing, especially when the little man tries to express his love for a cute waitress. It is, however, anything but amusing when Sully reveals that he will stop at nothing to prevent his boxer from signing with another manager. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paul, Adrian~Duncan MacLeod Kirsch, Stan~Richie Ryan Byrnes, Jim~Joe Dawson Akin, Philip~Charlie DeSalvo Thrush, Michelle~Sara Lightfoot Lauter, Ed~Avery Hoskins Cuthbert, Jon~Billy Hoskins Dunn, Carolyn~Nora Fontaine Abrahams, Doug~Luke Hoskins Wray, Dean~J.J. Wright, Johnna~Margaret ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A man named Tommy is run over and killed while Duncan (Adrian Paul) is engaged in a battle with another Immortal, Gallen (played by wrestler Roddy Piper). Investigating this tragedy, Duncan realizes that Tommy was not exactly an innocent bystander, and his death was far from accidental. But Duncan barely has time to digest this when he is accused of being a professional hit man, hired to knock off Tommy's boss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The man who stole the car belonging to Charlie DeSalvo (Philip Akin) is Carl Robinson (Bruce A. Young), an African American Immortal. Once upon a time, Carl had high hopes and lofty ambitions, but these have been beaten out of him by years of relentless racial prejudice. Duncan (Adrian Paul), who, back in 1926, saved Carl from a KKK mob, tries to restore his old friend's sense of self-worth. Alas, it looks as though the old story will repeat itself again when Carl is apparently targeted for persecution -- and death -- by a white cop. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"The Zone" is a crime-infested ghetto neighborhood so dangerous that the police have long since given up trying to enforce the area. When one of Dawson's fellow Watchers is killed by Canaan (Santino Buda), the brutal gang lord in charge of The Zone, Dawson (Jim Byrnes) becomes convinced that Canaan is an Immortal. Though this proves not to be the case, Duncan (Adrian Paul) takes it upon himself to rid the Zone of Canaan once and for all. Sandra P. Grant co-stars as Duncan's reluctant ally, the street-smart Asia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After receiving an ominous warning from a gypsy fortune teller, Tessa (Alexandra Van Der Noot) is kidnapped by Pallin Wolf (Andrew Jackson), a rogue Watcher. It is all part of a scheme to draw Tessa's Immortal sweetheart, Duncan (Adrian Paul), out in the open -- thus leaving him vulnerable to Wolf's deadly final assault. Although a rescue is successfully pulled off, the ending of this episode is numbingly tragic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season two of Highlander begins as handsome 400-year-old Immortal Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) leaves Paris and returns to Vancouver, determined to destroy the killers of his mentor Darius at the end of Season One. The trail leads Duncan to a bookstore run by Joe Dawson (Jim Byrnes), who turns out to be a member of The Watchers, a secret organization that has been hunting down and eliminating evil mortals for centuries. Tragedy trikes Duncan when his mortal sweetheart Tessa (Alexandra Van der Noot) and his friend Richie Ryan (Stan Kirsch) are shot down by a mugger. Tessa dies, but Richie survives, thus revealing something he had never known: He too is an Immortal, unable to be killed unless beheaded by another Immortal. Giving up his antique shop, Duncan purchases a martial-arts store owned by a mercenary named Charlie DeSalvo (Philip Akin) but sells it back to Charlie upon making his annual pilgrimage to Paris. By the end of the season, Duncan, weary of four centuries of death and violence, prepares to embark on a worldwide odyssey of self-discovery with Charlie as his traveling companion -- but this may not be possible when an old enemy of Duncan's resurfaces foresworn to destroy the Immortal and everyone and everything he holds dear. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide