Sam Scarber Movies

A small town war hero is forced to venture into the darkest corners of his battle-scared heart upon returning to his childhood home and being forced to fight for survival in the very land he once fought to defend. Special Forces Major Matt Taylor (Greg Joelson) has seen horrors that would have driven a lesser man insane, though unlike many of his fellow soldiers Taylor returned home with no limbs lost and only superficial scars. But sometimes it's the psychic wounds that require the most healing. In order to recover from his trauma Taylor must find peace, but there's no peace to be had in a town on the brink of disaster. Most of the locals have forgotten who Taylor even is, and the local mill is about to cease production for good. When that happens, half of the town will become unemployed. Feeling betrayed by his country and unsure how to contend with the locals as they begin to lash out in anger, Taylor is soon drawn into a nightmare of mental and physical violence. Now, the only way for Taylor to escape is by drawing on his experiences from the battlefield. Is there any hope for Taylor's former way of life when the same kind of chaos he witnessed overseas begins taking form in small-town America? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Singer Anthony "Treach" Criss of the band Naughty by Nature stars in this urban action-crime thriller as Malik "The Ghost" Bishop, a former street gang member turned top assassin. Assigned by his boss to stake out and kill the man's innocent girlfriend (Kent Masters King), Malik falls for his target, forcing him to reflect on his violent past, which began in his childhood when he witnessed the murder-suicide of his parents. He's led to make the fateful choice of turning on his superiors instead of carrying out the slaying, a decision that results in a brutal showdown. Love and a Bullet co-stars Bud Sabatino, Freez Luv, and Walter Jones. The film inspired an animated web series entitled "The Contract." ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) feels she is under attack from all sides when Kayson (Sam Anderson) draws up charges against her vis-à-vis the Vennerbeck death, and ER chief Morganstern (William H. Macy) reprimands her for her lack of self-confidence. Elsewhere, Greene (Anthony Edwards) tends to a human "mule" who has secreted a half-kilo of cocaine in his stomach. Benton (Eriq La Salle) conducts a desperate search for his missing mother. And Carter (Noah Wyle) offers to help fellow med student Deb (Ming-Na) as she deals with an emotionally disturbed patient. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fear stars Ally Sheedy as a psychic who frequently helps the police track down criminals. This time, however, there's a serial killer at large who's a pretty efficient psychic in his own right. The story boils down to a battle of wills, and for while it looks as though the villain's will is the stronger of the two. Fear was tensely, tersely written and directed by Rockne O'Bannon, a veteran of the Twilight Zone TV-series revival of the 1980s, as well as the author of the screenplay for Alien Nation (1988). The star-studded supporting cast included Lauren Hutton, Michael O'Keefe, John Agar, Stan Shaw and Dina Merrill. Originally intended for theatrical release, Fear debuted July 15, 1990, over the Showtime Cable Network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A police detective (Don Johnson), whose job is the only thing he has left in his life, must investigate the murder of a fellow officer. He follows the trail and is shocked to find a white-supremacist conspiracy in the process. ~ John Bush, Rovi

After winning the heavyweight boxing championship and single-handedly winning the war in Vietnam for America, Sylvester Stallone moves on to a real challenge -- arm wrestling -- in this action drama with a family undercurrent. Lincoln Hawk (Stallone) is a long-haul truck driver who years ago abandoned his wife Christina (Susan Blakely) and their son Michael (David Mendenhall). Hawk comes to see the error of his ways and wants to reconcile with his loved ones, only to discover that Christina is in the hospital suffering through the last stages of a terminal illness. Her wealthy and powerful father, Jason Cutler (Robert Loggia), has come to hate Hawk for the way he left his daughter to fend for herself, and he wants full custody of the boy upon her death. But Hawk is desperate to mend his relationship with Michael. He kidnaps the boy, and as Jason's hired goons give chase, Hawk points his truck toward the one place where he can win the money and recognition that will earn his son's respect -- a wrist-wrestling championship in Las Vegas. Actor Sylvester Stallone also co-wrote the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this excellent thriller, crisply directed by Sidney Lumet, Alex Sternbergen (Jane Fonda), a washed-up, alcoholic actress who never quite made it, wakes up one morning in an unfamiliar, luxurious loft apartment, only to find the corpse of a stranger next to her in bed. Alex can remember nothing of the night before. In a panic, she tries to flee but is unable to get a flight out of Los Angeles, and short of cash, she hitches a ride with Turner Kendall (Jeff Bridges), a disabled former policeman who happens to be fixing his car in the airport parking lot. Alex tries to get rid of Turner and returns to the loft which she cleans in a futile attempt to get rid of her finger prints. Turner continues to take an unappreciated interest in Alex and keeps turning up unexpectedly, much to her annoyance. Finally, desperate and on the run, and never sure that she didn't commit the murder, Alex allows Turner to help her. Alex also confides in and is helped by her ex-husband and friend Joaquin Manero (Raul Julia), the only man she completely trusts. Despite Alex's suspicion of Turner, she slowly falls in love with him. The movie quickly moves to a surprising conclusion, and creates a good deal of suspense, particularly when Alex is confronted with a corpse that just won't stay put. The highlight of the film is the performance by Jane Fonda reminiscent of her magnificent performance as Bree Daniels in Klute. The Morning After never rises to the quality of Klute, but Fonda's performance was strong enough to earn her an Oscar nomination. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

Newly arrived in California from New Jersey, teenager Daniel (Ralph Macchio) almost immediately runs afoul of karate-trained high school bullies. He is rescued by Japanese janitor Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita), who agrees to teach Daniel how to harness karate for good instead of brutality. The film culminates in a championship karate bout, pitting Daniel against his sworn enemy Johnny (William Zabka) -- the cruel and thuggish boyfriend of Ali (Elisabeth Shue), with whom Daniel has fallen in love (and vice versa). Real-life karate champ Chuck Norris was offered the role of Kreese, the sadistic coach who goads Johnny into fighting dirty, but Norris turned down the role, refusing to be shown utilizing his skills negatively onscreen. Vastly popular, The Karate Kid spawned three sequels of rapidly descending merit, as well as a Saturday-morning cartoon series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

No sooner has Sam (Ted Danson) reconciled himself to the fact that his romance with Diane (Shelley Long) is a thing of the past, Diane's current heartthrob Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) comes to Sam for advice. It seems that, while in the throes of passion with Frasier, Diane called out another man's name (guess whose?). In other developments, ex-postal employee Eddie (Sam Scarber), fired when he was turned in by co-worker Cliff (John Ratzenberger) for stealing a perfume sample from a magazine, storms into Cheers with blood in his eye. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A remake of Jacques Tourneur's noir classic Out of the Past (1947), in this version a labyrinthine web of corruption touches on the world of pro football. When an injury-riddled body causes pro football player Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges) to be cut by his team, Jake Wise (James Woods), a shady gambler friend, hires him to locate his spoiled, erratic girlfriend Jessie (Rachel Ward). Terry's attempt to glean Jessie's whereabouts from the girl's coldly aristocratic mother (Jane Greer) leads to a lucrative counteroffer to keep Jessie away from Jake if he finds her. After refusing, Terry heads for scenic Cozumel, where he eventually runs down the stunning young woman. A mutual attraction quickly develops and the pair are less than eager to return to California. Painfully, Terry tells Jessie about his involvement in a betting scandal which has put him under Jake's control. Meanwhile Jake, who is angered by the delay, senses that something is going on, and sends Terry's conditioning coach, Sully (Alex Karras), to find the couple. When he finally locates them, sweatily making love in a Mayan temple, tragedy ensues, spinning the ill-fated Terry into a world of boundless deceit and corruption. ~ Michael Costello, Rovi

Season Two of A-Team begins with a nailbiting episode that owes more than a little to the French film classic The Wages of Fear. Though still officially outlaws and fugitives, the A-Team manages to avoid the American military authorities and make its way to Zulabwe, Africa, there to help Toby Griffith (Kristen Meadows), daughter of a murdered diamond-mine owner. The villains, led by Jonathan Fletcher (Albert Salmi), are determined to drive Toby off her property and claim it as their own. In exchange for ten percent of Toby's earnings (plus an uncut diamond), the Team agrees to transport explosives to her mine, navigating some of the most treacherous terrain ever seen on a TV program. And of course, a stolen helicopter figures prominently in the climax! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Actor Robert Urich cannot find work in Hollywood and his marriage is falling apart in this fictitious comedy. Can he turn his life around? Richard Levinson and William Link teams up again for made-for-TV Take Your Best Shot. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi