Sam Vlahos Movies

Ever on the lookout for a quick buck, T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) agrees to deliver a mysterious briefcase to Oahu. En route, T.C.'s chopper plunges into the ocean, and he ends up in the hospital in a comatose state. Flying in the face of convential wisdom, Magnum (Tom Selleck) is certain that the crash was no accident, and he is determined to bring in the men responsible for T.C.'s plight. Joining Magnum in this mission is T.C.'s visiting brother Gerald (Richard Lawson)--who turns out to be pursuing an agenda of his own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Hunter travels to the banana republic of Curaguay to exact vengeance against the "Devil Prince" Raoul Mariano (Richard Yniguez), who after committing murder and sexually assaulting McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) was able to escape prosecution by invoking his diplomatic immunity. Hoping to talk sense to the rapist's father General Mariano (Michael Ansara), Hunter is aghast to discover that the old man is even more depraved than his son. Clearly, extreme measures must be taken, and Hunter is the man to take them--and never mind that McCall herself has begged him to drop the case and return home! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Richard "Cheech" Marin, of Cheech & Chong fame, directed and starred in Born in East L.A.. Inspired by Marin's music-video parody of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA", the film casts Cheech as an East Los Angeles repairman. While paying a visit to a sweatshop toy factory, Cheech is caught in the middle when the feds raid the place and cart off all the illegal alien workers. Since he's forgotten to bring his own i.d., Cheech is also shipped off to Mexico-where, having next to no knowledge of the Spanish tongue, he's virtually helpless. Desperate, he takes a job with crooked Tijuana saloon owner Daniel Stern-the first of many "make-do" jobs that he assumes to earn enough money to return home. Along the way, he falls in love with El Salvadorian girl Kamala Lopez, whose English is as fractured as Cheech's Spanish. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Night Court launches its sixth season with the second episode of a two-part story, introduced as the cliffhanger ending of Season Five (the denouement was originally telecast on October 26, 1988 as a one-hour special, later to be re-edited for syndication as two separate episodes). Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson) and the Night Court staff are mourning the demise of smarmy prosecutor Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), who was reported killed in an Alaskan plane crash. In truth, however, Dan is still alive, having been rescued by an Eskimo family after his plane did "a half-gainer" in a glacier. Now stuck in the remote village of Kiska, Dan sets off a flare to alert the authoritities of his whereabouts--and accidentally incapacitates the only doctor in the area who is able to perform an emergency appendectomy on an Eskimo girl! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It's advisable to know from the beginning of The Milagro Beanfield War that "milagro" is the Spanish word for "miracle". The scene is a rundown Hispanic community in New Mexico, bordering a posh housing development. In full control of the local water rights, the powers-that-be are secure in the belief that they'll be able to expand their development without resistance from the locals. No one can foresee that impoverished farmer Chick Vennera, during a burst of frustrated rage, will accidentally open a heretofore hidden sluice, thereby providing free water for his beanfield. At first, the locals are against Vennera's "insurrection", reasoning that the new housing development will provide jobs. But with the help of John Heard, a burned-out 60s activist who now runs the community newspaper, Vennera becomes the hero of the hour, the spiritual leader of an ever-growing "no development" movement. The evil land developers send their minions to intimidate or coerce Vennera; each time, however, he is seemingly protected from harm by Divine intervention. When Vennera is forced to shoot a trespasser on his land, it looks as though his luck has run out. Chased into the hills by private detective Christopher Walken, Vennera is once more rescued in the nick of time by what appears to be a miracle. And there are more wonders to behold before fadeout time! Whimsical yes, but thanks to its hand-picked ensemble cast (including Sonia Braga, Ruben Blades, James Gammon, Daniel Stern, Freddy Fender, M. Emmett Walsh and Melanie Griffith) the film remains totally credible throughout. Adapted by John Nichols and David Ward from Nichols' own novel, Milagro Beanfield War may be the most likeable "liberal-tract" film of the 1980s. Robert Redford's appropriately Capraesque direction is matched by Dave Grusin's vibrant Oscar-winning musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The road movie gets a smart update with this seriocomic tale of two Cheyenne men traveling from their reservation in Montana to New Mexico. For one of them, Buddy Red Bow (A Martinez), a quick-tempered activist, the journey is a practical one; his sister has been arrested and he is the only family member who can help her out. Buddy has no transportation, so he's forced to ride with Philbert Bono (Gary Farmer), a phlegmatic hulk of a man who is using his 1964 Buick as a vehicle for a spiritual journey of his own. Philbert's easygoing ways and insistence on frequent stops to meditate prove irritating at first to Buddy, but the men reach an accommodation as the trip wears on. Buddy comes to see that blaming the white man and what he sees as system rigged against Native Americans is distracting him from his true mission: to better understand himself and his place in the world. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide

Whitley (Jasmine Guy) is determined to land the best possible job after graduation, but she may end up sabotaging her chances by aiming too high. Meanwhile, Ron (Darryl M. Bell) overprotects his sister Rachel (Senait Ashenafi), who is thinking of attending Hillman. And Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) is driven to distraction while serving as host to girl-crazy freshman Zach Duncan (played by future Fresh Prince of Bel-Air regular Alfonso Ribeiro), who behaves exactly as Dwayne did two years ago...remember? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An audacious film about faith, The Rapture is a contemporary fantasy that keeps its feet unnervingly planted in reality even as reality starts to collapse. Mimi Rogers, in a strikingly accomplished performance, stars as Sharon, a telephone operator who spends her off-hours engaging in casual group sex to blot out her boredom. By chance, she becomes aware of a small Christian sect whose members believe that they have found a child with the gift of prophecy who has seen the upcoming end times. Slowly but steadily, Sharon finds herself drawn to this group, and one night she abruptly turns a corner, renounces her old life, and embraces fundamentalism with passion. She marries one of her former lovers, Randy (David Duchovny), who takes up Sharon's evangelical fervor to atone for his past as a hired killer, and they have a daughter. All seems peaceful until Randy is unexpectedly murdered, and Sharon takes her child to the desert to await the rapture that will bring the chosen to heaven. The film neither supports nor scoffs at Sharon's views, and the superb performances add immeasurably to a film that presents the unbelievable (and unthinkable) at face value, making it seem oddly plausible in the process. Michael Tolkin has also written and/or directed such films as The Player (1992), directed by Robert Altman, and The New Age (1994), both of which also skewer contemporary American society as shallow, materialistic, and desperate for something authentic to believe in. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Nicolas Roeg's Cold Heaven (based on a novel by Brian Moore) examines grief and loss and spiritual questions concerning belief and faith. Theresa Russell plays Maria, a woman in deep despair over the death of her husband Alex (Mark Harmon) in a boating accident. When Alex's body disappears from the morgue, she becomes convinced that he is still alive. Before her husband's death, she had been ready to abandon her marriage and start over again with another man, Daniel (James Russo). But Alex's death has made her guilty and has given her pause. Complicating matters is when Maria begins to see visions of Alex before her. Re-discovering her abandoned Catholicism, she begins to speak with a Carmelite nun (Talia Shire), Father Niles (Will Patton) and Monsignor Cassidy (Richard Bradford) about her Bernadette-like visions. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Director Andrew Davis followed up the action blockbuster The Fugitive (1993) with this Capra-esque box office dud that nevertheless featured engaging dual performances by Andy Garcia. Garcia stars as Ruben and Robby, twin brothers who were raised separately and have become total opposites. Ruben has recently inherited a 40,000-acre Santa Barbara estate from his eccentric guardian, Mona (Holland Taylor). A friend to artisans and migrant workers, Ruben wants to transform the land into a commune, while the cold-hearted Robby wants to steal it from his brother, develop it and make millions. Muddying the waters are Lou (Alan Arkin), a quick-thinking ex-cop and pal of Ruben's who is able to manipulate the law to his own purposes, Eddie (Joe Pantoliano), a shark lawyer who plays both sides against the middle, and Ruben's ex-wife Laura (Rachel Ticotin). When each brother masquerades as the other for a time, however, some insights are gained by both. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

When a blind homeless man abruptly regains his sight, Benton (Eriq La Salle) is hailed as a miracle worker -- and now dozens of other patients want to be anointed by "Saint Peter." Greene (Anthony Edwards) takes an important step toward getting his life back together during his treatment of 67-year-old rape victim. And Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) and Weaver (Laura Innes) temporarily bury the hatchet during a major crisis in one of their lives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When the wife (Swoosie Kurtz) of televangelist Emmitt Chambliss (Gary Grubbs) is brought into the ER suffering the aftereffects of a recent face-lift, Chambliss draws up plans to telecast a fundraiser from the hospital. Elsewhere, Ross (George Clooney) and Carol (Julianna Margulies) put their careers on the line by performing an experimental treatment on six-month-old meth addict Josh McLean instead of returning the baby to his mother. Romano (Paul McCrane) reacts strongly to the relationship between Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Corday (Alex Kingston). And HIV-positive Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) may have contacted pneumonia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An off-center comedy composed mostly of actors from the popular troupe the Actor's Gang in California, this picture follows Joe (Mackenzie Astin), a young man who is told some unusual and unsettling news. His doctor has informed him that he has a virus spreading in his body and has only a few weeks left to live. After being prescribed painkiller lollipops, Joe decides to leave his desolate Texas existence to go on a quest to search for his grade-school sweetheart, Joyce (Jennifer Morrison. On the road, Joe encounters a series of eccentric people, including religious-cult runaway Seth (John Ales); a Gulf War vet/ventriloquist (Kyle Gass) whose wooden dummy is penning a novel; Fanny (Rachel Wilson), who owns a racy karaoke strip club and roller disco; and Durango (Sam Vlahos), a garbage entrepreneur who shoots farm animals for fun. Joe races through a bizarre, semi-futuristic landscape in attempt to find his beloved before he runs out of time. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide