Sydney Walsh Movies

A child-services caseworker dies under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind a full caseload. The detectives of the 15th sift through the dead woman's notes, trying to determine if one of the persons listed therein might be angry enough to commit murder. Elsewhere, the IAB's investigation of murdered auxiliary officer Heather Peterson continues to cause friction between the uniforms and the plainclothesmen at the precinct. And Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) reluctantly agrees to fulfill the last wishes of fellow cop Paul Dwyer, who wanted half of his ashes to be spread somewhere within the precinct building. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bill Cosby guest stars as Phil, the Angel of Reconciliation. Phil's current assignment is to mend the rifts that have separated prosperous car dealer Ben Mangione (Pat Hingle) and his prodigal son Buddy (Josh Carmichael). Ben's anger over Buddy's refusal to take over the family business--not to mention the ill feelings of Ben's son-in-law Frankie (Michael Rispoli), who'd hoped to take over himself--casts a pall over the 35th wedding anniversary of Ben and his wife Sylvia (Joyce Van Patten). Even more irksome is that the habitually late Phil has yet to make an appearance, forcing Tess (Della Reese) to cover for him, and possibly complete his assignment. But this may not be possible; halfway through the anniversary, party, word arrives that Buddy has been killed in a car accident! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The sixth TV-movie spinoff of the popular family series The Waltons, A Walton Easter manages to reunite all of the surviving cast members--and in so doing, unintentionally reveals why several of those performers hadn't been doing much acting recently. Throwing the orginal series' chronology to the four winds, executvie producer Earl Hamner Jr. would have us believe that the 40th wedding anniversary of John and Olivia Walton (Ralph Waite, Michael Learned) is taking place in the year 1969, which doesn't quite explain how the couple managed to have all those teenaged offspring back in the late 1930s. Once we're past this inconsistency, the story boils down to the Easter reunion of the family at Walton Mountain in West Virginia--and more specifically, the return to the fold of John-Boy Walton (Richard Thomas), now a successful TV news anchorman in New York. John-Boy has not only brought along his pregnant wife Janet (Kate McNeil), but also Aurora Jameson (Sydney Walsh), a Time magazine photojournalist who is covering the reunion. Gradually, the various intrigues of the other Waltons are shunted to the background as the film's Big Question raises its head: Will John-Boy return to New York with his city-bred wife Janet, or will he sentimentally choose to remain at Walton Mountain...with someone else by his side? A Walton Easter debuted March 30, 1997 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Telemovie mainstays Richard Crenna and Patty Duke (who co-starred in the 1982 sitcom It Takes Two) reteamed for this 1996 prime-time docudrama. Crenna is John Porter, a husband and father whose emotional isolation from his wife (Duke) and children springs from his own ingrained fear of mortality. When the Porters' twentysomething daughter, Sarah, is kidnapped, crisis pulls the family together in a desperate attempt to find the young woman before time runs out. It also forces John to overcome his fear of intimacy and connection, by reaching out to his family at an intensely difficult time. This feature, unsurprisingly, was based on a true story. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

In the tradition of Fatal Attraction, this thriller follows an obsessive man as he stalks a the woman with whom he had a brief, passionate affair. Matilda, a young advertising executive, had a lot of fun and hot sex with Kurt whom she met in a bar while her boyfriend, Michael, was away working as a medical resident. Kurt had so much fun that he has chosen Matilda as his one true love. Unfortunately Matilda rejects him and chooses to stay with Michael. The determined and psycho Kurt, begins to stalk and harass her. Matilda's secretary and her best friend become the film's real victims. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this drama, based on a true story, a New York educator has an affair with a manipulative peer and subsequently finds himself implicated in his wife's murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This "feature film" is comprised of scenes from the six-part sequel to the 1987 TV series Vietnam War Story. Each self-contained playlet involves one or more members of the American forces which occupied Southeast Asia in the 1960s. The first story involves a black GI (Tim Guinee) whose kindness to a Vietnamese girl has tragic consequences. Next, a soldier (Tate Donovan) on leave discovers that the war has taken a toll on his marriage. Then we watch as a group of grunts plan to "frag" their hateful captain. This is followed by the story of a careless soldier who is separated from his comrades in the middle of the jungle. The fifth tale involves a new recruit's last night of "freedom." The film concludes with the story of two nurses--one a vet, one a greenhorn--who are united in their struggle against horrific hospital conditions. Vietnam War Story: The Last Days was originally telecast on a sporadic basis between July 20 and December 7, 1988, over the HBO pay-cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Desperado was the first of several made-for-TV movies revolving around the exploits of itinerant cowboy Duell McCall (Alex McArthur). This time around, McCall finds himself in the middle of a deadly feud in a small mining town. As the only honest man in the territory (comparatively speaking), our hero is ripe for a double-cross. Framed for the murder of Sheriff Whaley (Robert Vaughn), McCall is forced to wander the wild frontier in search of the one man who can clear him. Written by Elmore Leonard, this sagebrush Fugitive first aired April 27, 1987. Designed as the pilot for a weekly series, Desperado instead spawned a cluster of feature-length sequels, produced between 1987 and 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hunter (Fred Dryer) recognizes a murder victim as the mistress of crooked international financier Michael Varn (Jack Colvin)--the man suspected of killing Hunter's former partner three years ago. Making it his personal mission to bring Varn to justice, Hunter winds up falling into a well-laid trap and is framed for a brutal assault. It is up to McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) to clear Hunter, put the existing clues together, and capture Varn--assuming, of course, that she can stay alive long enough to finish the job! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Several years after the events of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Jesse Walsh and his family moved into the home of Nancy Thompson, the only survivor of supernatural killer Freddie's reign of terror. Haunted by dreams of the disfigured child-killer, the lonely Jesse has trouble sleeping, falls asleep often in school and quarrels with his picture-perfect family. Lisa, his prospective girlfriend, discovers Nancy's diary in Jesse's closet, and slowly he learns of his predecessor's ordeal. When his sadistic gym teacher catches Jesse blowing off steam at a leather bar, he attempts to exact punishment of an unsavory nature. Freddie intervenes, savagely murdering the coach in the school shower room, and Jesse must flee the crime scene naked, terrified that he's going insane. His parents become convinced he's on drugs, but Jesse knows that Freddie is trying to possess him. Bereft of sleep, alienated, and frightened of what he might do to his sister or Lisa -- especially if he responds to her sexual advances -- the youth attempts to sequester himself in his friend Ron's bedroom; Freddie emerges though, killing Ron and sending Jesse on the lam. Mayhem erupts when Freddie/Jesse crashes Lisa's pool party, leading to a showdown at the abandoned factory where the madman first preyed on the children of Springwood. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide