Zack Ward Movies

Nine years after the Yuletide slasher flick Black Christmas, Porky's director Bob Clark once again took on the holiday genre, switching from gasps to laughs with A Christmas Story. Adapted from a memoir by humorist Jean Shepherd (who narrates), the film centers on Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), a young boy living in 1940s Indiana, desperately yearning for a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas. Despite protests from his mother (Melinda Dillon) that he'll shoot his eye out, Ralphie persists, unsuccessfully trying to enlist the assistance of both his teacher and Santa Claus. All the while, Ralphie finds himself dealing with the constant taunts of a pair of bullies and trying to not get in the middle of a feud between his mother and father (Darren McGavin) regarding a sexy lamp. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

An Emmy-winning adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel by the same name, this is a Canadian TV production which follows the life of a feisty young girl who is adopted by a bachelor farmer and his sister who have decided to adopt a boy and have several surprises due them when Anne arrives. Part of a series that goes through her winning a place in their hearts and home, it continues on through her youth and the blossoming of young love. This particular episodes deals with her first tentative encroachments into social functions and dealing with the loss of a loved one. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

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

Game-to-screen specialist Uwe Boll follows up his plasma-blasting 2005 hit with this sequel that finds vengeful dhampir Rayne (Natassia Malthe) traveling to the Wild West for a violent showdown against vampiric American outlaw Billy the Kid. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Two decades after he abandoned his family and their ranch, a son returns to help out after their livestock begins mysteriously dying. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Directed by Sven Pape, L.A. Twister follows a familiar plight -- Lenny McCoy (played by Zack Ward, who some will remember as Ralphie's red-headed nemesis in A Christmas Story) is trying to make a spot for himself in Hollywood, though it seems more likely that Hollywood will make a meal out of Lenny. Far from having hit it big, Lenny decides to split the rent with Ethan (Tony Daly), an old friend whose marital problems and artistic endeavors have left him in a similar position. Rather than continuing their futile attempts to woo the industry, Ethan and Lenny decide it would be more lucrative to make their own film; however, once they get the ball rolling, making their own film seems just as hard as participating in someone else's, and both friends are forced to examine their friendship and personal ethics system in the process. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Based on a novel by Jack Schaefer (writer of Shane), and previously filmed theatrically in 1970, the made-for-cable Monte Walsh is the still-timely saga of a dying way of life. Monte Walsh (Tom Selleck) and his friends are cowboys and bronco busters, plying their trade in the Wyoming Territory of 1892. Alas, the advance of civilization has all but rendered Monte and his comrades obsolete -- and with the increasing corporate buy-ups of Wyoming land, these relics of the Old West have practically nowhere else to go. Should Monte continue as before, seeking out the last of the wide open spaces, or should he follow the advice of his sweetheart Martine (Isabella Rosselini) and settle down in a steady job -- say, as a trick rider-roper in the traveling Wild West Show owned by impresario Colonel Wilson (Wallace Shawn)? This elegiac drama debuted January 17, 2003, on the TNT network as part of the cable service's "100 Years of Westerns" celebration. The teleplay is partially credited to one of the scripters of the 1970 film, Lukas Heller, who died in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The IAB wants Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) to keep an eye on a possibly "dirty" cop, Detective Drucker (Michael MacRae). This causes some discomfort for Bobby as he and Drucker investigate the case of an alleged flasher. In another development, a young woman claims to have witnessed the murder of a pimp in a laundromat. And while cutting Sipowicz's (Dennis Franz) hair, gay cop John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) asks for advice as to how to approach the equally "uncloseted" Adrianne Lesniak (Justine Miceli). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

His obsession with winning at all costs causes friction between Bailey (Scott Wolf) and Coach Petrocelli (Dan Lauria). Likewise fed up with Bailey's selfishness is Callie (Alexondra Lee), who walks out on him at a crucial moment. The emotional strain takes its inevitable toll, and before long Bailey is drinking more than ever. Elsewhere, Julia (Neve Campbell) sees a whole new side of Sam (Ben Browder) when she joins him at dinner with his ex-fiancee. And while Charlie's (Matthew Fox) new "enlightened' attitude has its compensations, Grace may not be among them; she seems far more interested in going out with Michael Garber (Michael Garber), a man capable of fulfilling her political dreams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the only survivors of a man-made plague joins forces with a team of private warriors in a bid to save what's left of the Earth in this sequel to Resident Evil, the big-screen adaptation of the popular video game. Picking up where the first film left off, Resident Evil: Apocalypse finds Alice (Milla Jovovich) still battling the living dead who are overtaking Raccoon City, inoculated with an anti-virus by the nefarious and all-powerful Umbrella Corporation (in addition to the virus itself). Alice encounters Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), a former member of Umbrella's internal defense team. Forming an alliance with mercenary-for-hire Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) and his cohorts, this tiny band of survivors seeks out Dr. Charles Ashford (Jared Harris), Umbrella's top scientist and one of the only men with the know-how to find a solution to the zombie menace; however, they discover that Ashford's cooperation comes with a price -- the scientist's daughter Angie (Sophie Vavasseur) is missing, and he'll help Alice and her partners only if Angie is returned to him safe and sound. Resident Evil: Apocalypse was the first solo directorial credit for Alexander Witt, who previously distinguished himself as a cinematographer and second-unit director. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This interesting horror outing takes place in an immense, creepy Gothic castle, the chosen site for the Eastern High Senior Prom. The festivities include an unplanned midnight lockout for five kids, who are confronted with a series of bizarre events representing their darkest fears. It is eventually revealed that one of the students (Joel Wyner) is a member of a bizarre cabal of supernatural killers who lured the others there to test their spiritual strengths and weaknesses in the face of death, horror, longing, jealousy and isolation. The filmmakers' choice of location is responsible for the majority of the film's ominous atmosphere, which sustains the simplistic plot a lot longer than it should have to. Indeed, the castle is nearly a character in itself -- far more interesting than Wyner, whose macabre one-liners were probably meant to be edgy and chilling, but instead seem forced and silly. Several plot twists are surprisingly effective, but the ending is something of a disappointment. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Weighed down with the dysfunctional family to end all dysfunctional families, auto mechanic Christopher Titus (played by comedian Christopher Titus!) finds that simply surviving from sunup to sundown is a near-insurmountable task during Season One of the Fox network sitcom bearing his name. In the first of the season's eleven episodes, "Sex With Pudding", Christopher suspects that his girlfriend Erin (Cynthia Watros) is cheating on him, and never mind that Erin is virtually the only worthwhile person within the hero's orbit. It's likely that Christopher is merely reacting to past disillusionments, most of them doled out by his burned-out, boozed-up wreck of a father, Ken Titus (Stacy Keach). In recalling the life lessons learned during his miserable childhood while Ken wed one unfortune woman after another, Titus informs the audience "I swore I would never be like my dad. Or my mom. Or my mom. Or my mom. Or my mom. . ." Later in the season, Chris and his brainless brother Dave (Zack Ward fantasize about what life would be like should their dad suddenly vanish (this episode was actually the pilot, but was shown second); Ken frames Dave for a robbery when Dave threatens to move out of the house; Christopher learns to regret the simple question "Want some pie" when he betrays Titus in favor of a flashy waitress named Tiffany; Ownership of a customized hot rod may end up proving that Ken has finally lost what is left of his mind; a case of "road rage" reveals that, contrary to popular belief the Titus family is not the most worthless aggregation on earth; Christopher's manic-depressive mom Juanita (played this season by Christine Estabrook) escapes from a mental institution just long enough to pump drugs into all her loved ones; and Ken gives up drinking, and proves to be a crashing bore when sober. In the season finale, a phony heart attack saves Ken from losing his driver's license--but not from a real heart attack. This episode serves to introduce Mary Lou Rosato as Ken's latest "main squeeze", Nurse Kathy (Mary Lou Rosato). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having barely survived a devastating car crash, and still reeling from the breakup of his engagement to girlfriend Erin (Cynthia Watros), hapless auto mechanic Christopher Titus (played by comedian Christopher Titus) manages to summon up the energy and will to appear in the third season of the Fox sitcom bearing his name. The season opener finds Christopher anxious to return to his hobby of street racing, despite the fact that he has not regained full use of his injured left arm. In the next episode, Christopher's hopes of restoring tranquility to his relationship with Erin are dashed when her mixed-up niece Amy (Rachel Roth) moves in with the couple. And in subsequent installments, Christopher plays peacemaker when his pal Tommy (David Shatraw) discovers that his father is gay; Erin inadvertently hurts Christopher's feelings when she trains to become a social worker; and Elizabeth Berkeley guest stars as Christopher's much-talked-about "perfect" sister Shannon, who has always been held up as an example to our disgruntled hero by his own father, the boozing, foul-mouthed, evil-spirited Ken Titus (Stacy Keach). Speaking of Ken, he is anxiously looking forward to testifying against his ex-wife (and Titus' mother) Juanita, who at the end of the previous season had murdered her newest hubby at Christopher and Erin's disastrous wedding ceremony. Played in earlier episodes by Christine Estabrook and Frances Fisher, the role of Juanita Titus is this season essayed by Connie Stevens--but only long enough for the character to commit suicide! Although not technically the series finale, the two-part "Insanity Genetic" is a fitting end for the weekly exercise in daffy dysfunction known as Titus. Returning from Juanita's funeral, Christopher is obsessed with the notion that he has inherited her insanity--then proceeds to "prove" it by causing a disturbance which results in all of his friends and family members being arrested en masse! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide