Michael Gershman Movies

Following their joint adventures in Los Angeles (see Angel, "Orpheus"), sorceress Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku) find their drive home to Sunnydale interrupted by the machinations of Caleb (Nathan Fillion), a murderous preacher who's turned away from God and toward The First. After espousing a rather misogynistic world view to a newly arrived potential slayer (Mary Wilcher), Caleb leaves her half-dead by the side of the road as a message for Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar). As Willow watches over the girl at the hospital, Faith finally reconnects with Buffy. Although she hasn't forgiven Faith for a multitude of past sins (see, for example, "Who Are You?"), Buffy's glad to have another slayer in town. She's less happy, however, to find Faith hitting it off with Spike (James Marsters). After mistaking the guy for a typical vamp and almost dusting him, Faith swaps smokes and stories with the soulful blood-sucker. Nobody else, though, seems very convinced that she's reformed. Soon, Caleb's victim awakens and reveals that her attacker is in control of The First's Bringers, Buffy decides it's time for the potentials to experience some real combat. Over the strenuous objections of Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), she and Faith lead a team into what turns out to be a total massacre at the hands of Caleb and his Bringers. Molly (Clara Bryant) and some other potentials bite the big one, while Rona (Indigo) suffers a broken arm. Xander (Nicholas Brendon), however, receives the most gruesome injury: Caleb puts out one of his eyes. What remains of Buffy's army flees in retreat, leaving the humbled slayer to ponder her next move. Originally broadcast April 15, 2003, on UPN, "Dirty Girls" marked episode 140 of the cult-favorite series. Three years after her last Buffy appearance and just weeks after a three-episode stint on sister series Angel, Eliza Dushku reprises her role as Faith. New villain Caleb is portrayed by Nathan Fillion, who previously starred in Firefly, the short-lived space Western from Buffy creator Joss Whedon. During a series of provocative conversations with The First, the character reveals that he's the one who blew up the headquarters of the Watchers' Council (see "Never Leave Me"). ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Screenwriter Randall Wallace, a specialist in sweeping historical epics, steps behind the camera for this fact-based Vietnam War drama that reunites him with his Braveheart (1995) star Mel Gibson. Gibson is Lt. Col. Hal Moore, commander of the First Battalion, Seventh Cavalry, the same regiment fatefully led by George Armstrong Custer. As part of the Pleiku Campaign of late 1965, Moore is assigned to an action at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Drang Valley, an area that would come to be known as the "The Valley of Death." Moore soon finds himself and his men contained to an area about the size of a football field, surrounded by more than 2,000 enemy troops and engaged in the first major battle of the war. Heroism becomes the order of the day as men like Moore, chopper pilot Bruce Crandall (Greg Kinnear), and Lt. Henry Herrick (Marc Blucas) refuse to yield, in spite of heavy losses of life. The film co-stars Madeleine Stowe, Chris Klein, Keri Russell, and Sam Elliott. We Were Soldiers is based on the book We Were Soldiers Once...and Young by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (retired) and UPI reporter Joe Galloway (played in the film by Barry Pepper). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

As the gang digest the implications of Glory (Clare Kramer) being a hell-god rather than a garden-variety demon, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) lays another whopper on them. She reveals that Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) is "The Key" that Glory so desperately seeks. Although Dawn herself caught snippets of that knowledge two episodes earlier (see "Triangle"), she doesn't grasp its implications until Spike (James Marsters) helps her sneak into the magic shop and read up on her origins. Horrified to learn that she is not truly human but rather an ancient mystical force given mortal form and memories mere months ago, the distraught teen experiences a meltdown in the midst of Buffy's 20th birthday party. The Scoobies are unsure how to comfort her, so the Slayer goes into research mode while Willow (Alyson Hannigan) works on a sort of supernatural burglar alarm to protect Dawn. As Glory is off decimating the ranks of the Knights of Byzantium, Dawn continues to act out her feelings of alienation. She sneaks out to the hospital to commune with the unfortunates who have been driven mad by Glory's soul-draining touch and are therefore capable of seeing what Dawn truly is. Dawn soon runs into Ben (Charlie Weber), the handsome doctor who recently treated her mother and who unwillingly shares his body with Glory. Ben intuits that Dawn is The Key, but then Glory takes over his body and, failing to make the same realization, tries to pump Dawn for information. Buffy shows up and brawls with Glory, who is vanquished only when Willow and Tara (Amber Benson) slap her with a teleportation spell. Unfortunately, though, Dawn's memory of Ben transforming into Glory seems to have been erased, opening a vulnerability the hell-god will exploit in the subsequent episode "Spiral." Originally broadcast February 6, 2001, on the WB network, "Blood Ties" marked episode 91 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) follows in the footsteps of undead-lovin' big sister Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) when she ends up in the arms of a cute teen vamp. Her adventures take place on Halloween -- the same day Xander (Nicholas Brendon) finally announces his engagement to Anya (Emma Caulfield). During the festivities, Tara (Amber Benson) confronts Willow (Alyson Hannigan) about her over-reliance on magic to solve life's problems. Meanwhile, Dawn deals with her own teen angst by shoplifting from the magic shop and sneaking out with a friend for a midnight rendezvous with some handsome young lads. When her date sprouts fangs, however, Dawn is forced to dust him -- shades of Buffy and Angel (see "Becoming, Part 2"). Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), Spike (James Marsters), and Buffy eventually rescue Dawn and her friend from the mess they're in. But the Slayer leaves it up to her Watcher to mete out punishment. Elsewhere, Willow seeks to escape further scoldings by casting a spell to make Tara forget their fight. Originally broadcast October 30, 2001, on UPN, "All the Way" marked episode 106 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Episode 49 finds Faith (Eliza Dushka) descending deeper into her slayer psychosis, causing Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to have a nightmare. In it, Buffy is drowning with the dead Finch (Jack Plotnick); she awakens to find that Finch's body has been found, and the Mayor (Harry Groener) is vowing retribution. Later, Buffy breaks down sobbing in front of Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and tells her how Faith killed Finch, a moment that brings them together after their protracted falling out. At the urging of Willow, Buffy tries to tell Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) the truth -- but Faith has falsely accused Buffy of the crime. Giles later tells Buffy he did not believe Faith, but that this kind of accident is not uncommon with slayers. In the process, everyone finds out that Xander (Nicholas Brendan) had sex with Faith. ~ All Movie Guide

Kellie Martin stars as a teen wrongly accused of setting a deadly arson fire in this made-for-television drama. Martin plays Billie Calhoun, a girl who has been held in a juvenile detention facility since being accused of killing her mother and sister in a fire. Up for a possible early release on her 18th birthday, Billie is again denied her freedom. Steadfastly denying any involvement and determined to find out the truth on her own, Billie escapes from the center. Out on her own, she disguises herself and befriends a young cop named Matt Samoni (Antonio Sabato Jr), and together they set out to uncover the truth. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Wolfgang Petersen directed this intricate suspense thriller, based on the novel by Richard Neely and starring Tom Berenger as Tom Merrick, who begins to suspect the auto accident that caused his memory loss may not have been accidental. The film begins with a car crash over a seaside cliff in San Francisco. Judith Merrick (Greta Scacchi) is thrown clear of the crash and escapes without injury. Her husband, Tom, on the other hand, is trapped inside and when he is finally rescued, he is disfigured and in a coma. Judith helps him through his ensuing recovery and plastic surgery and the couple returns to their home in San Francisco. Tom, now suffering from selective amnesia, meets his old friends Jeb (Corbin Bernsen) and Jenny Scott (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer). After meeting them, he gathers hints that before the accident, he wasn't well liked by many people. The next day, when he returns to work, he begins to pick up more clues on his past life -- clues that indicate his marriage wasn't as idyllic as he presumed. To make matter worse, he keeps having flashbacks of shattered glass, ocean waves, and a gun. To help him solve the mystery of his past, Dan hires retired private eye Gus Klein (Bob Hoskins), who works with Dan to unravel his past. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Eddie Murphy followed up his Beverly Hills Cop success with this fantasy adventure that plops him right into the land of Ray Harryhausen and Indiana Jones. The plot revolves around a God-like youngster (J.L. Reate) known as a "golden child," who has been sent to Tibet to bring the gift of compassion to humanity. But the devil isn't idle, sending his emissary, Sardo Numspa (Charles Dance) to kidnap the golden child. Sardo absconds with the child and takes off to Los Angeles. In L.A., a beautiful Tibetan priestess named Kee Nang (Charlotte Lewis) seeks out Chandler Jarrell (Eddie Murphy), a social worker and self-styled "finder of lost children." She tells Chandler he has been chosen to rescue the magical child from the devil and save the world from evil. Before Chandler can let go of his first riposte, he finds himself holding a magic dagger, following a sacred parakeet, and under-going several trials by fire. He also falls in love with Kee Nang, who at one point in the film has to be brought back from the dead. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In this detective drama set in Hollywood, a private investigator uses logic to solve the murder of a famous mystery writer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide