Michael Tomlinson Movies
In this made-for-TV thriller, a train hauling a cargo of radioactive waste is passing through Colorado when its brakes fail in the Rocky Mountains. The train begins rolling out of control and is headed for Denver with no way to stop it. John Seger (Rob Lowe), an agent with the National Transportation Safety Board, has to find a way to bring the train safely to a halt, and he soon learns that the stakes are even greater than he imagined -- a faulty Russian atomic bomb is also on board, which could blow the city sky high in the event of a wreck. Atomic Train also stars Kristen Davis, Esai Morales, and Mena Suvari, the latter shortly before she bolted to stardom with roles in American Pie and American Beauty. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Kristin Davis, (more)
The demise of the Cold War rendered this flat and obsolete spy thriller, written and directed by Nicholas Meyer, mute upon its release in 1991. Gene Hackman plays Sam Boyd, a retired CIA agent, now making ends meet by engaging in industrial espionage. But Sam is recalled to duty and ordered to deliver a captured Russian spy, Pyiotr Grushenko (Mikhail Baryshnikov), to East Berlin for a prisoner exchange. Along with Pyiotr, Sam is also transporting $2 million in Columbian drug money to East Berlin. But due to a series of set-ups, Sam and Pyiotr finds themselves working together to keep from getting killed. Sam tries to get help from the CIA, but it turns out that the CIA (along with the KGB) wants them both dead. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Mikhail Baryshnikov, (more)
- 2000
David Caruso and Charles S. Dutton play two men at the end of their wits in this beat-the-death-sentence TV drama. Jacob Doyle (Dutton) has just seen his son wrongly convicted of murder and decides to take the law into his own hands: He sequesters the jury himself -- at gunpoint -- and demands that they re-try the case. To this end, he summons prosecuting attorney Ned Stark (Caruso), a level-headed legal eagle who, despite the fact that he just convicted the boy, believes that he's innocent. Meanwhile, the SWAT team closes in on the courthouse. Deadlocked originally aired on the TNT network. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Caruso, Charles S. Dutton, (more)
- 1997
The ER staff is galvanized by the brutal beating of Greene (Anthony Edwards) in the men's room. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) is forced to make several difficult decisions involving the three men in her life. Carol (Julianna Margulies) accuses Ross (George Clooney) of giving preferential treatment to the child of a wealthy and influential family. Carter (Noah Wyle) and Benton (Eriq La Salle) forget their differences long enough to work together during a kidney transplant. And everyone is entranced by a sexy novel that has popped up mysteriously at the admittance desk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Don Rickles guest stars as Harold Schwan, a successful dry cleaner with more than his share of dirty laundry. Unbeknownst to Schwan, the gang of thieves who've been robbing his stores consists of his "three ex-es": his former wife, his former mistress and his former secretary. As for the ladies, they are blissfully unaware that they have stolen money that Schwan was laundering (no pun intended) for a mobster named Munks (Ron Karabatsos)--and that's how Hunter (Fred Dryer) gets involved in the intrigue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A tortured man finds himself caught in a middle-ground between hallucination and reality in this supernatural thriller, scripted by Bruce Joel Rubin of Ghost (1990) and My Life (1993).
Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a soldier stationed in Vietnam who undergoes a traumatic experience on the battlefield - the nature of which is initially unclear. The film then moves into his post-Vietnam experience in 1970s New York, where he feels consistently traumatized, but can never quite remember exactly what happened to him in Southeast Asia or to free himself from his anxieties over the recent tragic death of his young son (Macaulay Culkin). Though well educated, Jacob works as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and has become romantically involved with one of his co-workers, Jezzie (Elizabeth Pena), after divorcing his wife. Soon, Jacob's tenuous hold on reality starts to slip as horrifying events befall him; he is nearly run over by a subway train, pursued by faceless demons in cars, and spots reptilian tails and horns protruding from the bodies of those he encounters. Jacob also suffers severe panic attacks related to the chaos that may be reality, or may exist only in his mind. He seeks counsel from Louis (Danny Aiello), a kindly chiropractor, as his ex-wife Sarah (Patricia Kalember), fellow Vietnam vet Paul (Pruitt Taylor Vince), and enigmatic stranger Michael (Matt Craven) all try to help the tortured soul. Jason Alexander, Ving Rhames and Eriq LaSalle highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a soldier stationed in Vietnam who undergoes a traumatic experience on the battlefield - the nature of which is initially unclear. The film then moves into his post-Vietnam experience in 1970s New York, where he feels consistently traumatized, but can never quite remember exactly what happened to him in Southeast Asia or to free himself from his anxieties over the recent tragic death of his young son (Macaulay Culkin). Though well educated, Jacob works as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and has become romantically involved with one of his co-workers, Jezzie (Elizabeth Pena), after divorcing his wife. Soon, Jacob's tenuous hold on reality starts to slip as horrifying events befall him; he is nearly run over by a subway train, pursued by faceless demons in cars, and spots reptilian tails and horns protruding from the bodies of those he encounters. Jacob also suffers severe panic attacks related to the chaos that may be reality, or may exist only in his mind. He seeks counsel from Louis (Danny Aiello), a kindly chiropractor, as his ex-wife Sarah (Patricia Kalember), fellow Vietnam vet Paul (Pruitt Taylor Vince), and enigmatic stranger Michael (Matt Craven) all try to help the tortured soul. Jason Alexander, Ving Rhames and Eriq LaSalle highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, (more)
- 1994
Jamie (Helen Hunt) tries to arrange for a former N.Y. Yankee to make a guest appearance at the annual Midnight Sale held by the sporting goods store owned by Paul's father, Burt Buchman (Louis Zorich). But Paul (Paul Reiser) is not in a particularly festive mood; he was under the impression that he would someday inherit the store from his dad, and now that doesn't seem to be the plan. On an even more sober note, there's a spirited discussion of Harvey Keitel's private parts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Swearing Murphy (Candice Bergen) to secrecy, Phil (Pat Corley) tells her that he's in deep financial trouble and is in danger of losing his bar. Phil is grateful beyond words when generous Murphy offers to give him a loan to tide him over. Unfortunately, this gratitude morphs into outrage when Murphy breaks her promise and tells everyone about her generosity--and we mean everyone! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Murphy (Candice Bergen) appears on PBS to defend her negative views of modern art before a panel of pompous art critics. Upset at the critics' patronizing attitudes, Murphy gets even by arranging for them to analyze a painting by a "new, untried" artist--namely, her infant son Avery. Featured in the cast is Harriet Sansom Harris, better known to Frasier fans as barracudalike talent agent Bebe Glazer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Featuring Jennifer Lopez in her first major big-screen role, Gregory Nava's My Family traces three generations of the Sanchez's, a Mexican-American family living in East Los Angeles. Beginning in the 1930s, the film outlines the struggles faced by Jose (Jacob Vargas) and Maria (Lopez) as a recently immigrated married couple raising a family. As Jose and Maria age, the focus shifts to their son, Jimmy (Jimmy Smits), as he starts his own family in the 1960s. While Lopez' role was uncredited, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her performance. My Family has also been released under the titles My Family, Mi Familia, Cafe Con Leche, and East L.A. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Unbeknownst to Clark (Tom Welling), his new high-school ring has a red kryptonite setting. The mind-controlling extraterrestrial mineral has an adverse affect on Clark, unleashing all his inhibitions -- and his inborn aggressions. As Clark's behavior dangerously deteriorates, a secondary drama plays out involving fellow high school student Jessie Brooks (Sara Downing), whose father has just escaped from a federal witness-relocation program. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Package, a thriller involving political assassination and intrigue, is an excellent action feature using a familiar theme and providing good performances by the cast. Boyette (Tommy Lee Jones) is a prisoner entrusted to Gallagher (Gene Hackman) for transportation back to the United States. Boyette escapes and Gallagher must find him. In doing so, Gallagher finds himself getting into far more than he had bargained for as he becomes involved in a political assignation plot that he must stop. Both Hackman and Jones are excellent in reprising familiar roles. Hackman is never better than when portraying the decent man in a precarious position, and Jones plays Boyette with the same cunning and intelligence that he brought to The Executioner's Song. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Joanna Cassidy, (more)
- 2004
As the finale of the third season of The Shield opens, Vic (Michael Chiklis), Shane (Walton Goggins), and Ronnie (David Rees Snell) are dealing with the consequences of Lem (Kenny Johnson) torching the money from the "Money Train" heist. Lem will no longer get a cut, but there's still not much left to go around for all the risk they took, and as Aceveda (Benito Martinez) explains, if Lem leaves the group, the police chief will not replace him, and the Strike Team will not have enough members to continue. The team also confirms that they're being targeted by the Armenian mob, and Vic decides to take matters into his own hands in his pursuit of Margos (Kurt Sutter, uncredited). Claudette (CCH Pounder) doggedly continues to pursue the case of the drugged-up public defender, despite getting pressured by Aceveda to drop it. That case, and Dutch's (Jay Karnes) continued interest in Vic's possible involvement with the Armenians, makes them a very unpopular pair at The Barn. Meanwhile, Danny (Catherine Dent) scores points with her handling of the case of a local business owner (André Benjamin of OutKast) who resorts to aggressive tactics in trying to get the drug dealers and prostitutes off his block. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 1999
In the opening episode of Touched by an Angel's sixth season, Heavenly caseworker Monica (Roma Downey) hopes to awaken the conscience of Senator Kate Cooper (Lindsay Crouse), and persuade the woman to make public the horrible plight of women and children in war-torn Sudan. Unfortunately, Kate stands to lose a major endorsement from a candy company which is exploiting Sudan's slave-labor pool, so she remains silent. The issue is ultimately forced when, with the gentle encouragement of Monica and fellow angel Andrew (John Dye), Kate's own son Thomas (Jake Thomas) mounts a well-publicized fundraiser for the victims of the Sudan crisis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
