Tamara Tunie Movies
She might not be a household name, but the statuesque character actress
Tamara Tunie sports a resumé as distinctive as she is innately glamorous.
Tunie landed her first major role as litigator Jessica Griffin McKechnie Harris on the soap opera
As the World Turns in 1986 -- a part she played for 11 years. In the mean time,
Tunie signed for a small role in the endearing yet sadly overlooked coming-of-age dramedy
Sweet Lorraine (1987), an unsung predecessor to the box-office blockbuster
Dirty Dancing, starring
Maureen Stapleton and
Trini Alvarado.
Tunie signed for a bit part in the 1989 period murder mystery
Bloodhounds of Broadway, but despite the fact that it claimed a pedigree as impressive as
Lorraine (with
Matt Dillon,
Madonna,
Jennifer Grey, and others), the movie unfortunately failed to deliver on its noble intentions.
Over the course of the next several years,
Tunie turned up several times on
Steven Bochco's
NYPD Blue, and landed the bit part of Leslie Christos in the
Al Pacino big-city crime drama
City Hall (1996), directed by
Harold Becker (
Taps). She re-teamed with
Pacino for the darkly comic supernatural horror film
The Devil's Advocate (1997), then worked with
Brian De Palma and
Nicolas Cage on the 1998 thriller
Snake Eyes.
Tunie's most high-profile work, however, was yet to come. In 2002, she delivered a compelling performance as Alberta Green in the
first season of the series thriller
24. In 1999, the actress resumed her portrayal of Jessica Harris on
As the World Turns and wrapped that characterization eight years later. Beginning in 2000,
Tunie also portrayed Melinda Warner on the popular series
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

- 2010
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- Add See You in September to Queue
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Commitment-phobic Manhattanite Lindsay (Estella Warren) realizes that she is teetering on the verge of a major epiphany when her psychiatrist leaves town for the entire month of August, and she's forced to take her therapy into her own hands. Immediately after rejecting a marriage proposal from her ideal mate, Lindsay finally begins to recognize the self-destructive cycles in her relationships, and prepares to work through them with her therapist. When Lindsay learns that her therapist has taken the entire month of August off work, and won't be able to speak with her until September, she attempts to find another analyst and discovers that the month long sabbatical has become the industry standard. Incensed at the thought of being left in the city without any guidance whatsoever, Lindsay and her pal Monica log on to "Craig's List" and organize a series of group therapy sessions with others who feel likewise abandoned by their therapists. It's during the course of those sessions that Lindsay meets AJ, whose best friend Max just happens to be pals with Monica's boyfriend Max. But while the chemistry between Lindsay and AJ is undeniable, the pair agrees to stave off sex for a month in order to get better acquainted. And their relationship is blossoming nicely until Lindsay's dream guy shows up looking for a second shot at love. Now Lindsay has a choice, and deciding which guy to spend the rest of her life with will be no simple task. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Justin Kirk, Estella Warren, (more)

- 2007
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- Add Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 09 to Queue
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Changes greet the SVU gang at the outset of the ninth season: Munch (Richard Belzer) is put in charge of the department after Capt. Cragen (Dann Florek) is temporarily removed from duty, and Det. Lake (Adam Beach) is now a full-time member of the squad. In Alternate, the season's first episode, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) investigate a case involving a woman (guest star Cynthia Nixon) with multiple personalities. Before long Cragen is back in command, but the themes of people taking on new roles and different personalities continue in Avatar, which focuses on the case of a missing woman who portrayed an underage prostitute in an online video game. In Undercover, Fin (Ice-T) poses as a corrections officer while Benson poses as a prison inmate and has an eye-opening new experience. Benson then finds herself in another precarious situation when she is kidnapped in the series' 200th episode, Authority. This milestone episode features guest star Robin Williams as a man with an antiauthority agenda who attempts to trick people into committing criminal acts. When Williams' character abducts Benson, he uses mind games to try to get Stabler to inflict pain on her. Stabler is also no stranger to pain this season: In Blinded, he temporarily loses his sight after suffering a head injury courtesy of a suspect. That same episode finds ADA Novak (Diane Neal) confronting a dark part of her personal history as she attempts to convict a schizophrenic artist. While Novak faces her past, Stabler worries about his family's future in Paternity, which finds his wife, Kathy (Isabel Gillies), and their unborn child in jeopardy after being hurt in a car accident. An unconventional family of homeless children are at the center of Streetwise, which features guest star Mae Whitman as the clan's pseudo-mother. Other notable Season 9 guest stars include Aidan Quinn, Erika Christensen, and Melissa Joan Hart. ~ Jennifer Sankowski, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, (more)

- 2005
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In the final episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's sixth season, the SVU team investigates when two police officers, both former army reservists who'd served in Afghanistan, lash out violently at their wives--after experiencing terrifying hallucinations and exhibiting suicidal tendencies. This bizarre behavior is linked to the anti-malaria drug Quinium, which is now apparently being peddled illegally. The climax finds Assistant DA Novak (Diane Neal) taking an unusually personal interest in proving that the Defense Department knew all about Quinium's disastrous side effects but had refused to reveal their findings; and at the same time, Detective Stabler (Christopher Meloni) has a showdown with his estranged wife. Law & Order regular Fred Dalton Thompson makes a cameo appearance in his familiar guise as DA Arthur Branch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2005
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This episode is a tour de force for actor Reiley McClendon, cast in the dual role of as teenaged graffiti tagger Logan Stanton and his twin sister Lindsay. After a member of the Stone Cold Assassins street gang is murdered, the SVU detectives seek out the only witness to the killing--who likewise turns up dead. When suspicion falls upon Logan Stanton, his sister Lindsay loyally comes forth, confessing to the crime. It would seem that the two siblings are covering for each other...but this is only the tip of a particularly chilling iceberg involving rape, child molestation, and an abundance of horrible family secrets. Mary Stuart Masterson makes her final sixth-season appearance as psychiatrist Rebecca Hendrix. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2005
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This 2005 episode would seem to be inspired by a recent court case in which the defendant's addiction to the Grand Theft Auto video game allegedly resulted in a triple murder. The SVU is surprised when Dickie Stabler (Jeffrey Scapperaota), the young son of detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), points out that the police photos taken at the scene of a prostitute's rape-murder match the images in a new, particularly violent video game. Following this lead, Stabler and his colleagues arrest a pair of teenage "computer addicts" for the crime. Now it falls to Assistant DA Casey Novak (Diane Neal) to tear apart the argument of defense attorney Oliver Gates (Barry Bostwick) that the youthful killers were unable to separate fantasy from reality--and that the video game itself should be put on trial. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2005
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Following up an anonymous tip, Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) finds the remains of Jeffrey Ronson, a seven-year-old who vanished in 1980. Subsequent clues suggest that Jeffrey was raped and murdered by Lucas Biggs (John Savage), an ex-ballplayer currently awaiting execution for a string of similar crimes. Problem is, though Biggs has vivid memories of all his victims, he has absolutely no recollection of Jeffrey. As the case progresses, Benson and her boss Captain Cragen (Dann Florek) begin to suspect that the tip to Jeffrey's whereabouts was somehow planted by Biggs as a means of delaying execution--but then another murder neatly explodes this theory. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2005
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Cathy Moriarty guest stars as Denise Eldridge, who demands that the SVU file statutory rape charges against Justin Sharp (Jon Foster), the 21-year-old boyfriend of Denise's 15-year-old daughter Carrie (Danielle Pannabaker). It soon becomes obvious that Denise is a neurotic control freak who will do anything to keep her daughter under her thumb--even if it means falsifying evidence to frame Justin. At the precise moment when the both the SVU and the audience are sick and tired of Denise, the woman turns up murdered. Having sided with Carrie because of her miserable experiences with her own overbearing mother, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) must now face the probability that the girl (or her boyfriend) is a murderer. Glenne Headley appears in a pivotal role as a prominent children's-rights attorney. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2005
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Angela Lansbury guest stars as Eleanor Duvall, the wealthy and politically powerful mother of suspected serial rapist Gabriel Duvall (Alfred Molina). The SVU team has built up a persuasive case against Gabriel, accusing him of preying upon illegal aliens who are in no position to testify against him. Using her hotshot lawyer Jason Whittaker (Bradley Cooper) as her mouthpiece, Eleanor threatens dire consequences against the detectives if they continue to "harrass" her son--and she has the clout to back up these threats. The situation becomes painfully personal when, shortly after Gabriel is released for lack of evidence, Assistant DA Novak (Diane Neal) is savagely attacked. Rita Moreno costars as a feisty immigrant-rights activist. Originally telecast May 3, 2005, "Night" is the first episode of a two-part story which concluded the same evening on the Law&Order: Special Victims Unit's "sister" series Law & Order: Trial by Jury, with that show's regulars Bebe Neuwirth, Kirk Acevedo and Fred Dalton Thompson appearing in both episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2005
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When HIV-positive teenager Lisa Downey (Janae Kram) is found murdered, it is revealed that she was carrying her older cousin Allison's ID. Unbeknownst to her family, Lisa had been living a double life as a hooker and porn-film actress, making her connections via the internet. After several suspects are questioned and released, the SVU teams is convinced that they've found their murderer--only to be thrown for a loop when he turns up dead, along with another teenage hooker. This episode is capped with a bravura performance by future Heroes costar Hayden Panettiere. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2004
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In an episode inspired by the capture of the notorious "BTK Killer", the police find a note duct-taped to an abandoned baby containing cryptic clues as to the mother's whereabouts. As SVU detectives Stabler (Christopher Meloni), Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Munch (Richard Belzer) and Tutuola (Ice-T) follow a trail of increasingly ominous (and often gruesome) clues, it is apparent that the mother has been kidnapped--and likely murdered--by a cunning serial killer known as RDK. But in assembling the pieces of this grim puzzle, the detectives arrive at another, even more frightening conclusion: They may be dealing with a copycat killer who intends to surpass RDK with his own murder spree. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2004
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Lea Thompson guests in this first episode of Law & Order: Special Victim Unit's sixth season as widow Michelle Osborne, who has paid a pair of private detectives to kidnap six-year-old Patty Branson (Abigail Breslin). When caught, Michelle insists that she is Patty's real mother, and that the girl had been abducted from her four years earler. Running DNA tests, medical examiner Warner (Tamara Tunie) determines that Patty's birth mother is the woman with whom she currently resides, Sarah Branson (Camilla Scott). This, however, does not prove that Michelle is lying--and in piecing the clues together, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) are led to a fertility clinic which traffics in stolen embryos. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2004
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Even while recovering from wounds sustained in a shootout, Detective Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) insists upon following a new lead on a case he'd worked on as undercover cop years before. Having promised a woman who has since been murdered that he would locate her drug-addicted daughter, Tutuola intends to keep his promise, teaming up with rookie narcotics-squad cop Mike Sandoval (Nicholas Gonzalez) for that purpose. Along the way, Fin has a bittersweet reunion with his estranged son Ken (Ernest Waddell) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2004
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Mary Stuart Masterson makes the first of three appearances as psychologist Rebecca Hendrix, whom exacutive producer Fred Wolf had brought in as a temporary replacement while series regular B.D. Wong (Dr. Huang) was appearing in the Broadway musical "Pacific Overtures." Dr. Hendrix joins the SVU team to track down rapist Thomas Mathers (Dallas Roberts), who targets mentally or physically disabled women. Mathers' most recent victim is Hendrix's patient Miranda Cole (an Emmy-winning portrayal by Amanda Plummer). Unfortuanately, Miranda's schizophrenia, coupled with a plethora of contradictory evidence, may well allow Mathers to slip through the fingers of the authorities--and the fact that Hendrix and Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) absolutely cannot agree on anything further complicates matters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2004
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Their suspicions aroused when a 12-year-old girl named Melanie (Holliston Coleman) lands in the hospital with complications relating to her pregnancy, SVU detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Munch (Richard Belzer) end up confronting a charismatic cult leader named Eugene Hoff (Jeff Kober). At any rate, that's what he's calling himself now: it seems that Hoff is a seasoned scam artist who, under a variety of aliases, has exploited gullible religious fanatics for his own crooked purposes. It turns out that Melanie is not only Hoff's wife, she is one of several of his wives--and this is not the most sinister aspect of the case. Series regular Mariska Hargitay earned an Emmy nomination for her perfomance in this harrowing episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2004
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Detectives Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Benson (Mariska Hargitay) investigate when the five-year-old son of prominent psychiatrist Brett Morton (Kyle MacLachlan) vanishes from a toy store. Though the most obvious suspect would seem to be the convicted child molester seen hanging around the store just before the boy's disappearance, the trail of clues ultimately leads to the victim's 13-year-old neighbor Jake O'Hara (Jordan Garrett). Despite his youth, Jake proves to be a cunning sociopath, adept at manipulating the detectives and leading them down several wrong paths. Ultimately, however, Jake meets his doom at the hands of someone even more clever--and far more manipulative--than he is. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 2001
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- Add 24: Season 01 to Queue
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Federal agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is having a very bad day in this unique, action-packed drama series in which events unfold in real time and the entire season takes place within one 24-hour day. Bauer is the director of the Counter Terrorist Unit in Los Angeles. He's also a married man who is attempting to rebuild a trust-depleted relationship with his wife Teri (Leslie Hope), and a father to independent-minded teen daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert). Shortly after midnight on the morning of the California Democratic presidential primary, Jack receives information that an assassination attempt will be carried out against Maryland senator David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) -- the first African-American with a legitimate chance of capturing the White House -- sometime within the next 24 hours. Jack's mission is made even more difficult when he learns from his boss Richard Walsh (Michael O'Neill) that someone within CTU may be a mole involved with the foreign-based conspiracy. Meanwhile, Palmer, unaware of the assassination plot, receives a phone call from a dogged reporter who says she has evidence that his son Keith (Vicellous Reon Shannon) committed murder. He allegedly killed his sister's rapist. Palmer initiates an investigation to uncover the truth and must decide whether to break the story himself or wait. Jack is contacted by terrorist Ira Gaines (Michael Massee), who informs him that his wife and daughter have been kidnapped by Gaines' henchmen. Gaines threatens to kill them if Jack refuses to follow his detailed instructions. Gaines' goal is simple: Jack is to carry out the assassination against Palmer himself. As the hours pass, the conspiracy deepens, and Jack learns the surprising truth behind the plot and his role in it. ~ Tim Holland, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Kiefer Sutherland, Leslie Hope, (more)

- 2001
- R
- Add The Caveman's Valentine to Queue
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A man struggles back from madness to avenge the death of someone he knew in an intelligent thriller based on the acclaimed novel by George Dawes Green. Romulus Ledbetter (Samuel L. Jackson) once had a career as an acclaimed concert pianist, a position at the Juilliard School of Music, and a loving wife and children. But Ledbetter's life has been devastated by paranoid schizophrenia; now homeless, Ledbetter wanders the streets of New York City as he rails against Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant, a man whom he believes controls all the evil in the world while following his movements from a perch atop the Chrysler Building. Most nights, Ledbetter takes shelter in a cave in Central Park, earning him the nickname "the Caveman." One morning, Ledbetter discovers a frozen corpse caught in the branches of a tree near his cave; the body is that of Scotty (Sean MacMahaon), a homeless drug addict who was close friends with his pal Matthew (Rodney Eastman). Ledbetter is determined to get justice for Scotty, and he's also eager to prove himself to his daughter Lulu (Aunjanue Ellis), now a New York City police officer. While Ledbetter is at first convinced that his nemesis Stuyvesant is responsible for Scotty's death, in time he focuses on another suspect: David Leppenraub (Colm Feore), a famous photographer known for his controversial erotic images of young men, who occasionally hired Scotty as a model. As Ledbetter attempts to investigate Leppenraub's possible role in the murder, he soon gains an unexpected ally -- Moira (Ann Magnuson), a noted sculptor and Leppenraub's sister. The Caveman's Valentine marked the major-studio debut for director Kasi Lemmons, who made an impressive debut in 1997 with the independent drama Eve's Bayou. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Colm Feore, (more)

- 1998
- R
- Add Snake Eyes to Queue
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Brian DePalma directed this taut thriller, set in Atlantic City, where a corrupt cop investigates a political assassination. Outside an Atlantic City arena-hotel-casino, a TV news reporter stands in a pre-hurricane storm to report on the heavyweight boxing match about to begin inside. A transition to the stadium interior focuses on Atlantic City homicide Detective Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage), a father with a wife and son, yet also a dishonest cop who maintains a mistress and cheerfully accepts bribes. DePalma's Steadicam follows Santoro on a fast-paced tour of the stadium as the laughing, yelling detective travels stairs and hallways, talks to a gal with a between-rounds placard, visits the dressing room of champ Lincoln Tyler (Stan Shaw), rides down an escalator to squeeze money from a small-time hood, enters the arena of 14,000 fight fans, talks on his phone with his girlfriend and wife, and sits ringside next to his lifelong buddy, Navy Cmdr. Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise). Behind Dunne, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Charles Kirkland (Joel Fabiani) is seated alongside billionaire casino owner Gilbert Powell (John Heard). As the fight gets underway, Dunne abandons his position protecting the defense chief to pursue a suspicious redhead. From his ringside vantage point, Santoro has a close view of the champ, curiously conscious despite taking a kayo punch. At that moment, an assassin fires at Kirkland. Santoro immediately concocts a good cover story for his pal (to explain why Dunne left his post protecting Kirkland). Just after the shooting, Dunne kills a Palestinian extremist, the apparent killer, and Santoro orders the stadium doors locked, hoping he can locate other suspects among the fleeing crowd. One such is Julia Costello (Carla Gugino), an injured woman in a blond wig who spoke with Kirkland seconds before the gunfire. After a video replay reveals the champ took a fall, going down to the floor from a punch that never touched him, Santoro becomes more curious and suspicious, comparing witness accounts, and he attempts to locate Julia, convinced she's the key to truth behind the assassination. As it all comes to a head, Santoro peels through successive layers of corruption, ultimately confronting himself in a self-examination of his own values. Filmed at Montreal's old Forum. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, (more)

- 1997
- R
- Add The Devil's Advocate to Queue
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Supernatural forces hover over the courtroom in this devilish drama adapted from the novel by Andrew Neiderman. Attorney Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) doesn't heed the Bible-based warnings of his mother (Judith Ivey), who views New York City as "the dwelling place of demons." Instead, he leaves Gainesville, Florida, with his wife Mary Ann (Charlize Theron) to put his legalistic skills to the test at a leading Manhattan law firm run by John Milton (Al Pacino). It all goes smoothly -- with Milton urging them to stay, putting Kevin on a $400-per-hour salary, and moving the couple into a luxurious apartment in his own building on Fifth Avenue -- where Mary Ann falls under the influence of neighbor Jackie (Tamara Tunie). After Kevin defends a weird animal sacrificer (Delroy Lindo, uncredited), he moves up to an important case with an apparent murderer, real-estate tycoon Alexander Cullen (Craig T. Nelson). Ignored by Kevin, the troubled Mary Ann has some disturbing experiences, verging on the occult, while Kevin, at work, becomes attracted to redhead Christabella (Connie Neilsen). Dazzled by his entrance into paradise, Kevin doesn't grasp who handed him this Big-Apple success. Could it be...Satan? The film features demonic creatures by Rick Baker. Cameos (Senator Alfonse D'Amato, Don King, others) add to the ambiance of ambition and power in the canyons of Manhattan. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, (more)

- 1997
- R
- Add Spirit Lost to Queue
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In this spooky horror movie, a painter and his pregnant wife buy a beautiful island home without realizing that it is haunted by the lovely and terribly lonely ghost of a sea captain's lover. Anxious for a new lover to join her, this sexy she-ghost does all she can to simultaneously seduce the husband and frighten away his wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Leon, Regina Taylor, (more)

- 1997
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Pulled over for a burned-out tail light, Fancy (James McDaniel) gets into a procedural hassle with a white cop and takes the issue to Capt. Bass (Larry Joshua). Still grieving over the death of his son Andy Jr., Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) is unnerved by a most unusual "drop-in." Simone (Jimmy Smits) clashes with an overenthusiastic detective who may have gathered incorrect evidence. Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) and Diane (Kim Delaney) team up to help a paraplegic woman who has been swindled. And despite her professed preference for members of her own sex, Abby (Paige Turco) accepts a dinner invitation from Medavoy (Gordon Clapp). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1997
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Lillian (Tamara Tunie), the wife of Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel), has become a home entrepreneur, but some of the products she coerces her husband into selling may not exactly be beneficial -- as Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) learns the hard way. Jill (Andrea Thompson) is reunited with an old school friend, now a drug addict who has been robbing her parents. A transsexual who has sought protection from his/her abusive boyfriend ends up murdered. And Diane (Kim Delaney) has a frightening run-in with an old "friend" of Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits). This episode was directed by Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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