Michael Kane Movies

Johnny Was screenwriter and executive producer Brendan Foley makes his feature directorial debut with this psychological thriller that asks what a burned-out sports journalist, an eccentric vagrant, and a Charles Dickens novel could have to do with a series of unsolvable murders. Mike Sullivan (Vinne Jones) is s sports writer who longs to become a serious newsman. Strangely, and for reasons beyond Sullivan's comprehension, his superiors at the newspaper and a Police Inspector named Willis (P.H. Moriarty) seem to be blocking his efforts at every turn. And when Sullivan begins investigating a recent murder case, their efforts to steer him back to the sports pages only intensify. Later, seemingly by happenstance, Sullivan comes into possession of an original manuscript for Dickens' The Riddle. As Sullivan begins to draw parallels between the age-old story and a collection of corpses whose official causes of death are flimsy at best, the true intentions of his secretive superiors gradually begin coming into focus for the budding investigative journalist. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Directed by Harley Cokliss, An Angel for May follows a modern boy (Matthew Beard) living in Yorkshire, England, and his dog, who cross through a brick wall leading directly into the early 1940's. Tom (Beard) looks very strange to Sam Wheeler (Tom Wilkinson), who owns the property which Tom managed to land on. Sam, who lives with his adult daughter, Alison (Julie Cox), also provides shelter for a traumatized waif named May (Charlotte Wakefiled). May, who had been buried under the rubble when her entire family was killed in a bombing raid, sleeps with the dog outside and refuses to come inside the house even for meals. However, after she spends some time with Tom, she quickly progresses. Tom, meanwhile, is intent on finding his way back to the future. However, once he gets there, he realizes that he left something very important back in the past. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Cisco and his pal Pancho return in this made-for-cable nostalgic and comical reworking of the once popular western adventure series. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Taking place in 19th-century New Zealand, this over-the-top melodrama stars Kevin Smith as Lawrence Hayes, who is spotted by the beautiful but reserved Dorothea Brook (Jennifer Ward-Lealand). She asks Lawrence to do her a favor and marry her sister Rose in order to keep Rose away from her drug-dealing boyfriend, Fraser (Cliff Curtis). In return, Dorothea agrees to remunerate Lawrence for his time by giving him a tract of land of his own. But, along with the land, Lawrence also desires Dorothea. Unfortunately, Dorothea refuses to let go of her girlfriend Anne (Lisa Chappell). The plot further thickens when it turns out that Dorothea is also engaged to marry political boss William Poyser (Michael Hurst).To solve all these problematic relationships, desperate remedies are indeed required, and Lawrence is ready to provide the solution. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In this pilot Western produced for Canadian television, two brothers and their cousin become bandits to rescue their ranch from a greedy land developer. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

In a tour-de-force sci-fi story with only three main characters, Kiwi director Geoffrey Murphy creates an interesting dynamic nuanced with shades of mysticism. When scientist Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) experiments with a radical new power source -- a band of energy that would circle the planet -- the project goes awry and apparently wipes out all living creatures (they vanish without a trace). At first Zac adjusts by indulging himself in some of his materialistic desires, but he soon starts a serious search for other signs of human life. He discovers it in New Zealand in the form of Joanne (Alison Routledge), with whom he falls in love, and Api (Peter Smith), a Maori. The challenges the three face in order to survive, as well as their personal interactions, keep this human drama engrossing. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Aimed primarily at American football fans, this dramatized biography of Paul Bryant, a celebrated football coach nicknamed the "Bear," focuses on the man's early career as a player and his later work as a coach in the locker rooms and on the field with his own players -- in Kentucky, Texas, and Alabama. While the Bear's personality is clearly brought forward in Gary Busey's interpretation -- he is alternately caring and verbally abusive, depending on the situation at hand -- the people who must have meant a lot to him in his life outside of football are underwritten here, and a sense of unfolding drama -- outside of his career and the football field -- is missing. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Jovana (Milena Dravic) is a cross-country runner training for the Olympics with the help of a kindly priest. She meets a poor man on one of her journeys but falls for his black brother-in-law, a worker at the local crematorium. The worker is killed by his jealous brother-in-law and the first man is sentenced to death, but the woman continues her running as if nothing had happened in this dark comedy with tinges of satire and slapstick. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Quincy (Jack Klugman) prepares to provide expert testimony in the murder trial of mob boss Victor Ramsay (Tige Andrews), determined to prove that Ramsay pressured his victim into having a heart attack. Unfortunately, Ramsay's son Joseph (Peter Virgo Jr.) has carefully arranged for Quincy to be discredited by planting phony evidence near the dead body of the only witness to the crime. Now Quincy has a scant three weeks to restore his reputation and nail the bad guys. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A handful of part time soldiers unwittingly turn a field exercise into a miniature war in this offbeat action drama from writer and director Walter Hill. A group of National Guard reservists are sent to Louisiana on a chilly weekend for war games exercises. None of these weekend warriors seem especially happy to be there, especially laid-back Spencer (Keith Carradine), tightly-wound macho man Reece (Fred Ward) and transplanted Texan Hardin (Powers Booth). While making their way through swamp country, the reservists discover their maps are out of date and they've become lost. Rather than march back to camp and start over, they decide to "borrow" several canoes they've found by the banks of the bayou, which should put them back on track. When a Cajun local catches the soldiers stealing his canoes, Stuckey (Lewis Smith) fires a few rounds in his direction; for the purposes of their exercises, the Guardsmen have been given blank shells, so Stuckey imagines this is a harmless way to scare the man off. However, the Cajun soon returns fire -- with real bullets. After Poole (Peter Coyote) is killed by a shotgun blast, the Guardsmen find themselves lost in a place they do not understand, surrounded by angry men determined to drive the unwelcome visitors off their land at all costs. A taut and atmospheric action film which is also serves as an intelligent and evocative metaphor for America's role in the Vietnam war, Southern Comfort also features an excellent score by guitarist (and frequent Walter Hill collaborator) Ry Cooder. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Sexual obsession provides the basis of this taut thriller, an adaptation of a Romain Gary novel. The story centers upon a prominent financier who must fight to save his crumbling business empire and his rapidly fading manhood. The obsession begins when the impotent magnate begins dreaming that a handsome gypsy is making love to his much younger girlfriend. He cannot get the dream out of his head and so goes to a Parisian madam to see if he can make the fantasy real. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this film, the mysterious Kira (Olivia Newton-John) appears to assist and inspire a young artist, Sonny Malone (Michael Beck). When she helps him meet up with the rich Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly), the two join up together to create an artistic and business success, an unique club called "Xanadu." ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

In a conventional, tried and true way, Foolin' Around tells the predictable story of a couple of widely divergent students who fall in love against all odds. Wes (Gary Busey) is attending a well-endowed college when he signs up for a psychology experiment and meets Susan (Annette O'Toole), a young woman from a terribly rich family. The two are immediately attracted to each other though they face more than economic differences -- Susan is engaged to the stolid Whitley (John Calvin). As events unfold, her grandfather (Eddie Albert) places his millions on Wes' side of the table since Whitley's opportunistic streak is as apparent as the white stripe on a skunk. Maybe the lovers have a chance after all, even if Whitley's mother (Cloris Leachman) is hung up on social status. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi