Mark Rolston Movies
Character actor Mark Rolston specialized in everyman portrayals with a slightly understated, tough edge to them. Born in Baltimore, MD, in 1956, Rolston broke into film in the early to mid-'80s and scored his first major feature role with a turn as a private in James Cameron's effects-heavy sci-fi blockbuster Aliens (1986). Within a few years, he began turning up in supporting capacities in numerous additional features; the more visible included Weeds (1987), Prancer (1989), Body of Evidence (1993), Rush Hour (1998), and Martin Scorsese's Best Picture winner The Departed (2006). In 2008, Rolston signed on to play Erickson, who comes face to face with Jigsaw's (Tobin Bell) diabolical traps, in the fifth installment of the gore-soaked Saw franchise. Rolston also made television appearances on programs including Touched by an Angel and NYPD Blue. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide- 1989
- R
When former dancer and single mother Claire Vin Blanc (Anita Morris) is in danger of losing her daughter, Baby, to the welfare authorities, she attempts to pull herself together and create a model home life, complete with a husband. This film was based on the play Just Like the Pom Pom Girls. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anita Morris, Rick Overton, (more)
- 1999
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A major earthquake brings the City That Never Sleeps to a screeching halt in this made-for-TV suspense drama. New York City Mayor Lincoln (Charles S. Dutton) and Fire Chief Ahearn (Tom Skerritt) are contentious political rivals forced to set aside their differences and work together when a catastrophic earthquake rips into the city. Lincoln's urgency to dig the city out of the rubble becomes personal when he learns that his daughter Evie (Lisa Nicole Carson) is trapped in a buried subway car -- what's more, one of her fellow passengers is a murder suspect who has just won acquittal, but whom the mayor believes may have been guilty. Elsewhere, Dori (Sharon Lawrence) is a mother who, after accidentally injuring her child in an auto accident, becomes all the more panicked when she learns that her boy is trapped inside a damaged school building that could turn deadly in the event of an aftershock. Originally aired in November 1999, Aftershock: Earthquake in New York also features Cicely Tyson, Erika Eleniak, Jennifer Garner, and Fred Weller. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Skerritt, Sharon Lawrence, (more)
- 2001
Escaping the clutches of an illicit arms dealer, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) takes on her next counterespionage assignment. Her mission transports her to Madrid, where she is to purchase a 500-year-old drawing by the remarkably prophetic Renaissance artist Milo Rambaldi -- a sketch containing a portion of a code vital to the operation of a deadly nuclear device. In the course of events, Sydney continues to press her secret-agent father, Jack (Victor Garber), for details surrounding the death of her mother, Laura. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Big-budget special effects, swiftly paced action, and a distinct feminist subtext from writer/director James Cameron turned what should have been a by-the-numbers sci-fi sequel into both a blockbuster and a seven-time Oscar nominee. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, the last surviving crew member of a corporate spaceship destroyed after an attack by a vicious, virtually unbeatable alien life form. Adrift in space for half a century, Ripley grapples with depression until she's informed by her company's representative, Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) that the planet where her crew discovered the alien has since been settled by colonists. Contact with the colony has suddenly been lost, and a detachment of colonial marines is being sent to investigate. Invited along as an advisor, Ripley predicts disaster, and sure enough, the aliens have infested the colony, leaving a sole survivor, the young girl Newt (Carrie Henn). With the soldiers picked off one by one, a final all-female showdown brews between the alien queen and Ripley, who's become a surrogate mother to Newt. Several future stars made early career appearances in Aliens (1986), including Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Reiser. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, (more)
- 2001
Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), Wesley (Alexis Denisof), and Gunn (J. August Richards) get on with the business of running Angel Investigations without its founder, taking time out only to squabble about what they should now call the agency. Meanwhile, Angel (David Boreanaz) himself investigates a Wolfram & Hart plot to defraud a shelter for Los Angeles runaways of huge sums of money during a charity event. To foil their plan, Angel pretends to befriend Anne Steele (Julia Lee), the institution's manager, and convinces her that lawyer Lindsey McDonald (Christian Kane) isn't the kind benefactor he seems. Eventually, with the help of an old adversary, Angel tricks Lindsey and Lilah Morgan (Stephanie Romanov) into revealing their plans to the rich guests they're in the process of bilking. The vampire hero and his accomplice make off with the money, but Angel eventually makes sure it goes to Anne's shelter, though not before alienating her with his high-handed methods and apparent immorality. Originally broadcast January 23, 2001, on the WB network, "Blood Money" marked season two, episode 12 of the supernatural comedy drama. Although it's only hinted at in this episode and never revealed to Angel, the character of Anne actually appeared in two episodes of Angel's parent series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the episode "Anne," she was a homeless girl named Lily who befriended Buffy while the Slayer was hiding out under her middle name and eventually took over that selfsame alias: Anne. And in another Buffy installment, "Lie to Me," she briefly used the name Chanterelle when she joined a cult of wannabe vampires. The character would recur again on Angel in "The Thin Dead Line." ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Snakes on a Plane director David R. Ellis follows up his high-flying tale of reptilian terror with this horrific frightener concerning a group of college students who discover that their dormitory was once a mental hospital presided over by a sadistic doctor. As the semester gets under way, it begins to appear as if the spirit of the malevolent M.D. has decided to remain in the haunted hallways in order to continue his experiments on the latest crop of students. Written by Ethan Lawrence and starring Sarah Roemer, Mark Rolston, Ellen Hoffman, Travis Van Winkle, Cody Kasch, and Jake Muxworthy, Asylum features state-of-the-art special effects work by Academy Award-winning artist David LeRoy Anderson (Dawn of the Dead [2004], Men in Black, and The Nutty Professor). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Roemer, Mark Rolston, (more)
- 1994
June Lockhart, who previously appeared with Babylon 5 regular Bill Mumy on Lost in Space, guest-stars as Laura Rosen, an unlicensed doctor. Though Dr. Franklin welcomes the "miracle" cure for all diseases developed by Rosen, he cannot shake the feeling that something is seriously amiss. Meanwhile, Talia participates in the "execution" of a condemned man's personality, while Londo and Lennier embark upon a wild B5 pub crawl. Originally titled "The Resurrectionist", "The Quality of Mercy" was written by J. Michael Straczynski. When the episode originally aired on August 17, 1994, it was advertised as Babylon 5's first-season finale -- though there was still one more episode, "Chrysalis", in the series' manifest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael O'Hare, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1995
- R
In this martial arts actioner, a straight-arrow, Midwestern small-town sheriff teams up with a martial arts master and kicks the stuffing out of a band of white supremacists. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phillip Rhee, Gina Gershon, (more)
- 1993
Former Bewitched TV-star Elizabeth Montgomery plays against type and stars as a murderess in this made-for-television movie. Based on the book Preacher's Girl by Jim Schutze, Montgomery stars as the real-life killer Blanche Taylor Moore who was caught by authorities in 1989. The movie chronicles her transformation from the innocent 1950s daughter of a preacher into the serial killer known for poisoning her husbands with arsenic. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, David Clennon, (more)
Madonna plays Rebecca Carlson, a sex bomb who parades naked in front of the open windows of her houseboat at all hours while the lobstermen catch crabs. This entry in the Basic Instinct sweepstakes poses the question: If love hurts, does sex kill? The judge and jury certainly want to find out when Rebecca's latest conquest, a multi-millionaire, dies of a heart attack while making love to her. Eight million dollars was bequeathed to Rebecca in his will, and District Attorney Robert Garrett (Joe Mantegna) is convinced that Rebecca, knowing that her rich lover had a weak heart, killed him with wild sex so that she could get her mitts on the money. Rebecca's lawyer, Frank Dulaney (Willem Dafoe), thinks differently, suspecting the millionaire's private secretary Joanne Braslow (Anne Archer) of the crime, since she was dumped by the millionaire for Rebecca. Besides which, Frank is attracted to Rebecca himself and throws legal ethics out the window as he starts a sadomasochistic affair with her. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madonna, Willem Dafoe, (more)
- 2001
A recent spate of murders, in which all the victims were political activists, sends Logan (Michael Weatherly) on a journey to the deceptively peaceful community of Cape Haven, there to seek out an "Eyes Only" informant. Upon arrival, Logan finds a strange boy named Clyde (Kurt Max Runte) -- who, like the protagonist of the theatrical feature The Sixth Sense, can see dead people. This is but one element in a complex story line, wherein a horrible secret hidden since the technology-destroying "Pulse" is unearthed, and Logan struggles to right a very old wrong. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sylvestor Stallone comes to the rescue in this disaster/adventure picture. A truck containing dangerous chemicals explodes in the Holland Tunnel, trapping those New Yorkers not killed in the explosion. Authorities know there are survivors, but cannot figure out what to do to save them. Ruptured water mains and leaks in the tunnel itself, which is beneath the Hudson River, will cause it to fill with water in a few hours. Of all the colorful characters trapped there, only Roy Nord (Viggo Mortensen), a mountain climber, has any ideas about what to do, but he quickly dies while attempting to save the others. However, Kit Latura (Sylvester Stallone) is a former city Emergency Medical Services director who was in the area of the explosion, and he knows the tunnel's construction quirks. He quickly convinces city officials to let him wend his way through the tunnel's maze of exhaust fans to help the exhausted survivors confront the obstacles that await them. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvester Stallone, Amy Brenneman, (more)
- 1995
Hicks (CCH Pounder) warns Benton (Eriq La Salle) that he's spending too much time worrying over his ailing mother and not enough time concentrating on his job. Ross (George Clooney) has a violent showdown with an abusive father. The rivalry between Carter (Noah Wyle) and Deb (Ming-Na) intensifies. And Carol (Julianna Margulies) and Taglieri (Rick Rossovich) consider adopting six-year-old AIDS victim Tatiana (Milana Vayntrub). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Top-notch action sequences and exciting stunt work highlight this fast-moving thriller. John Kruger (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a top agent in the U.S. Marshalls' Witness Protection Program; it's his job to "erase" the pasts of Federal witnesses under his watch and deal with anyone who tries to hurt them. Kruger's latest assignment is to protect Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams), who while working for a major weapons manufacturing firm discovered evidence that the company was selling new, high-tech weapons to intentional terrorists groups with the cooperation of a faction of enemy agents within the United States government. However, when Kruger discovers that the Witness Protection Program has a rat in the house -- and that rat is his boss, U.S. Marshall Robert Deguerin (James Caan) -- Kruger has to guard his own life while trying to protect Lee's. The supporting cast is highlighted by James Coburn, Robert Pastorelli, and James Cromwell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, (more)
Originally aired on HBO and directed by Apollo 13 star and space enthusiast Tom Hanks, among others, From the Earth to the Moon explores the ups and downs of space travel, beginning with President Kennedy's famous speech before Congress on May 25, 1961, and chronicling the journey to putting the first man on the moon. This highly acclaimed, Emmy-nominated, 12-episode series is available in a six-tape VHS set and a four-disc DVD set. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Andrews, Bryan Cranston, (more)
A natural disaster breeds man-made treachery in this suspense thriller. Severe flooding threatens an Indiana town after a massive rainstorm taxes dams to the breaking point. As part of an emergency evacuation effort, armored car driver Tom (Christian Slater) and his uncle Charlie (Edward Asner) are recruited to collect cash from the town's banks and drive it to safety. However, a gang of thieves led by Jim (Morgan Freeman) plan to lay siege to the truck and steal the $3 million on board. After Jim attempts to ambush the truck, Tom hides the cash and reports the attempted theft to the local sheriff (Randy Quaid). However, the sheriff's lack of honesty soon becomes apparent; he puts Tom in a lockup and sets out to take the money for himself. As the flood waters rise, Tom has to escape from jail if he is to save both the townspeople's savings and his own life. Meanwhile, Jim and the sheriff are locked in a race to see who can find the $3 million first. Minnie Driver, Richard A. Dysart, and Betty White highlight Hard Rain's supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, (more)
Set during the Watts riots of the mid-'60s, the made-for-cable Heat Wave follows the story of Los Angeles Times reporter Robert Richardson (Blair Underwood), who was the only journalist on staff able to cover the story, since White reporters were unable to gain access to the area and the rioters. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Blair Underwood, Cicely Tyson, (more)
- 1990
- R
Actress Sondra Locke directed this visceral film noir about undercover cop Lottie Mason (Theresa Russell). A narcotics cop with the LAPD, she works a second shift at night as an undercover vice cop. Lottie works the bars and lures johns into the arms of the law. But her life is in a rut, and she would love to act on impulse like the narcotics and vice personas she adopts daily on the job. During the course of her duties, she begins a romantic relationship with district attorney Stan Harris (Jeff Fahey), who gets her involved with a case he is working on against a drug lord. But Stan is too nice to her, and she bolts from his apartment and into the nearest bar. After a few slugs of whiskey, she decides that for this one time, she will play out the role as a hooker, take a john to her apartment, and take the money. A guy saddles up to her and she goes back to his house. But the man happens to be the same drug kingpin Stan is building his case against. He is soon murdered, and she is left with a dead body and a case with $900,000 in drug money. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Theresa Russell, Jeff Fahey, (more)
Lethal Weapon 2 reteams Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as, respectively, "loose cannon" LA detective Martin Riggs and Riggs' partner, the cautious family man Roger Murtaugh. The villain this time is a South African diplomat (Joss Ackland) who doubles as a drug dealer. Though Riggs knows what's going on thanks to characterless character witness Joe Pesci, he can't touch the villain because of "diplomatic immunity." After perils too numerous to mention, Riggs and Murtaugh shoot it out with the heavies on the deck of a South African cargo ship. Lethal Weapon 2, of course, contains as one of its comic high-points a now famous suspense scene: Mel Gibson agonizingly attempting to extricate a terrified Danny Glover from a booby-trapped toilet seat. Gibson, Glover, Donner and Joe Pesci would be reunited three years later for Lethal Weapon 3 and in 1998 for Lethal Weapon 4. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, (more)
When disaster strikes and necessity dictates that the festering rivalry between the Franklin and Red Eagle families be set aside in the name of survival, the resulting tale of brotherhood gives testament to mankind's remarkable power for forgiveness in this family-oriented Western starring David Carradine and Wes Studi. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Parkes
- 1993
Making her annual pilgrimage to Ireland, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is determined to catch up with the sightseeing that has so often been interrupted in the past by murder. Alas, it isn't long before our heroine is involved in another homicide case. This time around, the eldest son (Gordon Currie) of Jessica's widowed friend Fiona Griffith (Fionnula Flanagan) is accused of killing the American cousin (Andrew Robinson) who had planned to horn in on the family business. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
During her annual visit to Ireland, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) enjoys the hospitality of a fishing lodge near Kilcleer. Coinciding with Jessica's stay is the arrival of a consortium which wants to buy the lodge in order to begin strip-mining the property. Before long, the lodge's owner, Tom Dempsey (Rod Taylor) is under suspicion for the death of a tourist found floating in a local wishing well. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
This episode is set in Ireland, where Jessica (Angela Lansbury) has arrived to research a new book in the company of her college colleague, retired Irish detective Sean Culhane (George Hearn). Invited to stay at the home of wealthy developer Neal Gillen (Dakin Matthews), Jessica and Sean are among those present when Gillen suddenly dies, presumably of natural causes. It turns out, however, that Gillen's death may have been premeditated--and may also have been tied in with a local legend concerning the spirit of a "crying woman." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
This episode marks the first appearance of Sean Culhane (George Hearn) a retired Irish detective now serving on the same Manhattan University faculty as Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). After being heard threatening the life of an old enemy from the Auld Sod--a contractor who had recently relocated to New York--Culhane is charged with the man's murder. Jessica of course is convinced that Culhane is being framed, and she won't rest until she is proven right. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
