Valerie Wildman Movies

Not long after the death of her mother in a car accident, Kelly (Elisabeth Moss) and her father Jesse (Greg Evigan) move to New Orleans. Their new house is reportedly haunted--and Kelly is convinced that the ghost is begging for her help. Jesse, however, is more skeptical, and with the assistance of Kelly's troublesome friend Cole (Austin O'Brien) he tries to prove that the "haunting" is actually a manifestation of Kelly's own guilt feelings. As it turns out, however, both Kelly and Jesse are right! Evidently intended for theatrical release, Spirit was first seen in the US as a cable-TV offering on the Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally broadcast on HBO, Indictment: The McMartin Trial is a docudrama concerning the infamous McMartin child abuse case. In 1984, seven employees of Los Angeles' prestigious McMartin Preschool, including four members of the McMartin family, were arrested and charged with child abuse and sexual molestation. The film centers on the story of lawyer Danny Davis, an opportunistic attorney who agrees to defend the McMartins. Initially, Davis takes the case solely for the publicity, but as he investigates further, he becomes convinced of his clients' innocence. Meanwhile, however, the family is pronounced guilty by the media, which airs heated allegations of "Satanic rituals" and a "nationwide conspiracy of sexual predators," in an increasing frenzy that the film compares to a modern-day witch trial. To convince the jury of the falsehood of these charges, however, he must overcome opposition from zealous prosecutor Lael Rubin and discredit Kee McFarlane, the child therapist that Davis believes has unfairly manipulated the McMartin Preschool children into giving damaging testimony. At the time of its airing, the film met with controversy; while some found its case convincing, others alleged that the filmmakers were unfairly biased in favor of the McMartin family. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

In this road movie, the motorists are a pair of preteens--brothers Josh (Jacob Tierney) and Sam (Noah Fleiss)--who hit the highway after their parents announce their pending divorce. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

An invalid suspects that her husband and her sultry new nurse are plotting to do away with her. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

This bio-film profiles the life of Pedro Gonzalez, the first Mexican radio show host. Gonzalez, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1928, became a target for racism after he became an important political activist in the 1930's. He was most influential among the residents of East L.A. who began to threaten the racist District Attorney. He ended up being falsely accused of rape. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) has seemingly smoothed out his differences with his Beverly Hills superior Bogomil (Ronny Cox), but there's trouble ahead for both men, not to mention two other holdovers from the first Cop film, officers Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggart (John Ashton). The "untouchable" heavy this time out is masterminding a series of violent robberies, committed by leather-freak hoods Dean Stockwell and Brigitte Nielsen. Unaccumstomed to this nastiness, Bogomil entreats street-smart Foley to help find the miscreants. But mean-spirited chief of police Lutz (Allen Garfield) will brook no interference from outsiders-especially the profanely insouciant Mr. Foley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

While Salvador wasn't Oliver Stone's first film (a pair of offbeat horror stories preceded it), it defined his style of fiercely dramatic, politically oriented filmmaking, staked out his territory as one of the major directors of the 1980s and 1990s, and remains one of his strongest works to date. Veteran photojournalist Richard Boyle (James Woods) has been taking his camera to the world's trouble spots for over 20 years; while he does good work, Boyle's fondness for booze and drugs, and his colossal arrogance, have given him a reputation that's left him practically unemployable. Broke and with no immediate prospects, Boyle and his buddy Doctor Rock (Jim Belushi), an out-of-work disc jockey, head to El Salvador, where Boyle is convinced that he can scare up some lucrative freelance work amidst the nation's political turmoil. However, when Boyle and Rock witness the execution of a student by government troops just as they enter the country, it becomes clear that this war is more serious than they were expecting. Increasingly convinced that El Salvador is a disaster starting to happen, Boyle eventually decides that it's time to get out; but he has fallen in love with a woman named Maria (Elpidia Carrillo), and he doesn't want to leave her behind. James Woods gives one of his best performances as Boyle; and the passion of Stone's message, aided by the power of its truth (the film is based on actual events), propels the film forward. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

John Schlesinger directed this fact-based drama - adapted from Robert Lindsay's bestseller of the same title -- about two Californians, friends since boyhood, who are caught selling government secrets to the Soviet Union. Christopher Boyce (Timothy Hutton) is an all-American boy, studying for the priesthood in a seminary. But Boyce decides to drop out of school, and with the help of his father (Pat Hingle), a FBI agent, he gets a job working for the CIA in a message-routing center. While reading the messages, Boyce is shocked to learn that the CIA is involved in fixing Australian elections. Watching the Watergate hearings on television, he feels an ever-mounting sense of outrage at the arrogance of the U.S. government and decides to do something about it. Deciding to supply the CIA messages to the Russians, he enlists his childhood friend Daulton Lee (Sean Penn) to help him. Lee is to deliver the CIA secrets to a Russian operative (David Suchet) at the Soviet Embassy in Mexico City. But Lee is an unreliable drug dealer, and his sloppy spy trail leads the two old friends into more trouble than they bargained for. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi