Peter Levin Movies
- 1984
A TV pilot film, Doctor's Story explores the rights--or rather, the lack of them--of geriatric patients. Howard E. Rollins Jr. plays a young doctor who resents the throwaway attitude conveyed towards the elderly. Among Rollins' patients are a near-senile old man (Art Carney), a woman (Vivece Lindfors) with a mysterious abdominal ailment, and a suicidal widow (Uta Hagen). Stymied by hospital bureaucracy and indifference, Rollins fights to give his older charges the same care and attention afforded younger patients--and in so doing, his own marriage on the critical list. Whether or not this premise could have sustained a weekly series is problematic (the pilot didn't sell), but as a self-contained drama, Doctor's Story was certainly worth two hours of anyone's attention, young or old. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Whenever there's a TV movie about a "lone holdout" juror, you can bet that reality will be left behind at the front door. Killer Among Us is no exception. A Different World's Jasmine Guy plays a doubting jury member on a homicide case. She not only believes the defendant innocent, but suspects that the foreman of the jury, played by Dwight Schultz, is the guilty party. To make a long story short, which the scriptwriter didn't, Guy ends up being stalked by the real murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director Peter Levin brings author Richard Paul Evans' heartwarming novel to the small screen in this made for cable drama starring Rob Lowe, Paget Brewster, Frances Conroy, and Christopher Lloyd. Unexpectedly downsized from his once-comfortable job, Robert Harlan (Lowe) decides to finally pursue his dreams of becoming a writer. In order to summon inspiration, Harlan draws on the emotions his wife experienced after losing her father and the book quickly becomes a bestseller. But success has spoiled Robert Hanlan, and now his relationships with both his family and his friends are suffering: In addition to growing further apart from his devoted wife and young daughter, Hanlan barely speaks to the agent who used to be his best friend. When a mysterious stranger makes an ominous prediction about Hanlan's life, the egotistical writer finally receives a much-needed wake-up call. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Paget Brewster, (more)
- 1985
In this melodrama, a fourteen-year-old son tries to keep his father, who is suffering a mid-life crisis, just lost his job and his wife, from killing himself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A desperate mother looking to escape her past is faced with a harrowing decision in this made for television thriller starring Jean Smart and Gregory Hines. All Kay (Smart) wants is to live in peace and care for her sickly nine-month-old son. Upon arriving in a small Southern town where no one knows her name or history, it appears as if Kay may have finally gotten her wish. Kay's newfound tranquility is shattered, however, when the menacing Barnes (Hines) appears at her front door claiming to hold the key to her questionable past. Now held as a hostage in her own home, Kay must choose whether to keep running, or risk her own life as well as the life of her child to fight back in hopes of a brighter future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Smart, Gregory Hines, (more)
- 1996
Based on a true story, the made-for-TV A Stranger to Love stars Beau Bridges as Allan Grant, a reasonably happy Omaha man with a wife (Tess Harper) and two sons. Attacked by muggers and left for dead, Allan awakens with no memory of his past life--or even his name. Wandering from town to town, he ends up living on the streets of Tucson, Arizona, where he is helped by Andie (Pam Dawber), a single mother who works at a local restaurant. Andie arranges for Allan to get a kitchen job, where he exhibit a remarkable talent for whipping up tasty and exotic dishes. Ultimately, he becomes the highly sought-after chef of the Class-A motel owned by Andie, with whom he has fallen in love. Allan's "second life" then slowly but surely begins to unravel when his memory starts to return. Intelligently and realistically handled,the story comes to a sobering climax, wherein the protagonist realizes that, no matter which way he turns, someone he loves will be hurt beyond measure. A Stranger to Love was first broadcast by CBS on March 24, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on a true crime story, the two-part TV movie And Never Let Her Go recounts the disappearance of Anne Marie Fahey in June of 1996, and the subsequent arrest and conviction of her accused murderer. Hired as a secretary by powerful Delaware attorney and gubernatorial aide, Thomas Capano (Mark Harmon), Anne Marie enters into a torrid and ofttimes abusive affair with her kinky boss. When Anne Marie's relatives report that she is missing, the governor of Delaware solicits the aid of the U.S. Department of Justice to solve the case. Although detective Frank Gugliatta (Paul Michael Glaser) and assistant U.S. attorney Colm Connolly (Steve Eckholdt) suspect that Capano has done away with Anne Marie, they are stymied by a lack of tangible proof...notably, the girl's body. It is not until Anne Marie's diary turns up in a most unexpected manner that Gugliatta and Connolly are able to fully act upon their suspicions -- and even then, the ultimate solution rests with the cooperation (or lack of same) of Capano's brother, Gerry (David Hewlett). Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis appears as Thomas Capano's formidable mother. Filmed in Toronto and told largely in flashback, And Never Let Her Go was originally telecast by CBS on April 1 and 4, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon, Rachel Ward, (more)
- 1985
Elizabeth Montgomery plays a woman who awakens from a 20-year coma. Her adjustment to the new world around her is made doubly difficult by the knowledge that her long-ago sweetheart has married her sister (Karen Grassle). Worse still, Montgomery learns that her reawakening may be temporary, and that she could lapse back into a coma at any time. Matching Elizabeth Montgomery in the noble-suffering sweepstakes is Dorothy McGuire, cast as Montgomery's mother. Lori Birdsong plays the younger version of Montgomery in the flashback sequences. The made-for-TV Between the Darkness and the Dawn was first networkcast December 23, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Novice filmmaker Marc Singer lived in the bowels of a midtown Manhattan railway station for two years to shoot this harrowing account of the day-to-day existence of the homeless. Shot in noirish black and white, Singer shows how society's discarded and disenfranchised fashion a community of sorts in the sunless labyrinth of the station's transit tunnels. Though told without narration, a dozen or so individual stories emerge. Dee (the sole woman depicted in the film) lost all her children in a house fire while she was high on crack; Ralph remains inconsolable after his five-year old's rape and mutilation during a stint in prison. In the final reel, Amtrak sends in armed police to clean out the tunnels, citing health concerns. However, the subterranean tenets happen upon a stroke of luck, as an NYC social worker discovers a cache of previously unclaimed public housing. Featuring a sparse soundtrack by DJ Shadow, Dark Days won the Grand Jury prize for cinematography, the Freedom of Expression award, and an audience award at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1995
A mother desperately pleas with police to help bring her daughter back from a deadly prostitution ring, but they are powerless to help her. With no other alternatives, she hits the streets herself to launch her own investigation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
When a blind English professor falls in love with a young model, his is the heart in hiding. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 2003
- Add Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story to QueueAdd Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story to top of Queue
In this fact-based cable TV drama, Thora Birch stars as Liz Murray, the daughter of a loving but extremely dysfunctional Bronx family. Weighed down with a coke-addict father and an HIV-infected mother, Liz spends her early years shuttling from squalid apartment to public shelter and back again. At 15, she breaks away from her home life (what there is of it) and takes to the streets. Only after the death of her mother does Liz develop the determination to better her lot in life. Virtually begging her way back into high school, she becomes a superb student, and at 19, with funding from a scholarship and a part-time job with the New York Public Interest Group, "born loser" Liz enters Harvard University. The real Liz Murray co-produced the film and plays a cameo role as a social worker. Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story premiered April 7, 2003, on the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thora Birch
Sam Elliot stars as Sam Houston, the visionary who nearly single-handedly forged the state of Texas into a powerful entity in its own right. Refusing to forget the Alamo (as if anyone could), Houston led the military in Texas' rebellion against Mexico. G.D. Spradlin co-stars as President Andrew Jackson, with Michael Beck appearing as Jim Bowie, James Stephens as Stephen Austin, and Richard Yniguez as Mexican General Santa Anna. Lensed on location in the Lone Star state, this sweeping made-for-TV film originally occupied three hours' screen time on November 22, 1986. Its title at that time was Houston: The Legend of Texas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Elliott, Michael Beck, (more)
- 2000
Based on a play by Tim Boland, the made-for-TV drama In the Name of the People stars Scott Bakula as death-row inmate John Burke. Facing execution for the murder of a teenaged girl, Burke's only concern is over the future of his own 13-year-old daughter Lisa (Robin Ann Phipps). Connie Murphy (Amy Madigan), mother of the murdered girl and the unforgiving leader of the activist group which lobbied for Burke's death, finds that there is a curious bond between the soon-to-be orphaned Lisa and Connie's own husband Jack (Richard Thomas), to whom forgiveness and compassion are second nature. The garrulous nature of Richard Leder's teleplay led one TV critic to characterize the film as "Dead Man Talking." In the Name of the People originally aired on February 2, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Madigan, Richard Thomas, (more)
Diane Doniol-Valcroze and Arthur Flam debut with this noirish psychological thriller about an obsessive tailor, recalling the works of David Lynch and The Quay Brothers. Thomas (Emmanuel Salinger) is an anxious young tailor eager to please his clients and his overly critical father. Previous mistakes have made Thomas supremely conscious of measuring fabric properly. Just before the annual ball, Thomas's neurosis boils over into madness, resulting in murder. This film was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emmanuel Salinger, Myriam Cyr, (more)
- 1989
The sole reason for watching the made-for-TV Lady in a Corner is star Loretta Young, looking as youthful and stunning as ever in the role of a powerful magazine publisher. The plot introduces a British "sleaze lord" based on you-know-who, who inaugurates a hostile takeover of Young's publishing empire. Lindsay Frost, one of Young's most trusted editors, is actually an "inside man" for the British mogul and is undermining Ms. Young at every opportunity. Despite the entreaties of marriage from faithful chief editor Brian Keith, Young digs in her designer heels and fights off the takeover. Lady in a Corner is nothing to write home about, but as the last TV appearance to date of Loretta Young it's worth an hour or so of your time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
A determined editor fights tooth and nail with an executive to prevent their magazine from being taken over by a powerful publisher. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Loretta Young, Lindsay Frost, (more)
- 1992
A wealthy young bride is killed in what appears to be a mugging gone awry. The ensuing investigation reveals that the victim's husband was cheating on her. As it turns out, the solution to the case hinges on a valuable silver pin that was owned by the unfortunate woman. Nancy Marchand, best remembered as the aristocratic newspaper owner on Lou Grant and the mob matriarch on The Sopranos, is here seen as the imperious Mrs. Barbara Ryder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Made-for-television and based on a true story, this drama recounts the bizarre case of a mentally unstable woman who believes that someone is trying to kill her. When police hear Catherine's story of how a strange man has threatened her with notes and phone calls they take her seriously and launch a surveillance and investigation. It doesn't take them much time to discover that there is something strange about the case: the woman is somehow threatening herself without realizing it. The police suggest a psychiatrist, and Catherine agrees to go, thereby beginning a harrowing odyssey into the darkest realms of her long-buried memories and twisted soul. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mare Winningham, Bruce Davison, (more)
- 1998
- Add My Father's Shadow: The Sam Sheppard Story to QueueAdd My Father's Shadow: The Sam Sheppard Story to top of Queue
One of the most sensational crime stories of the 1950s was the murder trial of Cleveland doctor Sam Sheppard, who was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of his wife. Though he protested his innocence and insisted that he'd seen a "curly-haired man" leaving his house on the night of the crime, Sheppard was condemned in the court of public opinion long before the judge handed out his sentence. (This true story served as the basis for the long-running TV series The Fugitive.) Years later, Sheppard was released from prison after it was determined that he hadn't had a fair trial, but his name was never officially cleared. Forty years after the death of his mother, Sheppard's son Sam Reese made it his mission in life to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that his father was innocent. In this TV movie adaptation of the younger Sheppard's autobiographical book, Peter Strauss is seen as Dr. Sam Sheppard, and Henry Czerny as Sam Reese. My Father's Shadow: The Sam Sheppard Story made its CBS network bow on November 17, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Strauss, Henry Czerny, (more)
- 1991
Michele Lee plays the outwardly cheerful mother of two very different young sons. Rick Schroder, the oldest, is mom's favorite; Corin Nemic, the youngest, is his brother's literal whipping boy. Despite the most damning evidence, Ms. Lee refuses to let herself believe that Schroder is a sadistic psychopath...until it's too late. This tragic state of affairs was, alas, based on fact. The painfully convincing performances of Michele Lee and Rick Schroder effectively lift My Son, Johnny out of the "dysfunctional family of the week" TV movie syndrome. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Lee, Corin Nemec, (more)
- 1986
In this sci-fi film an astronaut finds himself endowed with superhuman powers after he was exposed to severe radiation resulting from a solar disturbance during the time he was in space. He uses those powers to find the one who murdered his colleague. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greg Evigan, Deborah Wakeham, (more)
- 1992
Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story stars Jean Smart as the title character. One of the rare female serial killers on record, Wuornos was eventually charged with murdering seven men on lonely Florida roads. The killing spree took place between 1990 and 1991, thus this 1992 TV movie could pat itself on the back for its timeliness. At the time Overkill was made, there was some public doubt concerning Wuornos' guilt (she was then on death row). The script suggests that her crimes were a by-product of childhood sexual abuse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Smart, Park Overall, (more)
