Michael Murphy Movies

This edition of the documentary series American Experience charts the life of infamous American outlaw Jesse James and the series of famous crimes he committed with the help of his brother, Frank. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

In the late 1840s San Francisco was little more than a quaint seaside village of 800, and few could have foreseen that remarkable future that fate held in store for sleepy community. Soon after gold was discovered in the American River, however, the rapid growth that followed would alter the course of an entire nation. By early 1854 San Francisco was well on its way to becoming the economic powerhouse that it is today. In this documentary, filmmakers take an informative look back at that crucial era of development with original recreations and rare daguerreotypes that truly transport the viewer back to one of the most vital and transformative eras in American history. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Julia Child may well have introduced more Americans to classic European cuisine than anyone else; as the author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and host of the long-running public television series The French Chef, Child's playful sense of humor and no-nonsense approach to the nuts and bolts of fine food made her a favorite of food snobs and aspiring cooks alike. Julia Child! America's Favorite Chef is a documentary on Child's remarkable life and times, including her work with the OSS during World War II, her long and happy marriage to Paul Child, her experiences as the only woman in her class at Paris' Cordon Bleu cooking school, and how a guest spot plugging her book on an educational television station in Boston started her on a long and successful career before the camera. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Childstar concerns an egotistical 12-year-old named Taylor who has skyrocketed to fame at that young age. His relationship with his driver, Rick, takes a turn when Taylor confides in him about the problems of celebrity and the fears of his impending teenage years. When Taylor disappears one day, Rick attempts to find the boy and help him through this troubling period. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Documentary filmmakers offer a fascinating look at one of the most spectacular engineering feats of the 19th Century as the story of the Transcontinental Railroad comes to life in a film that's sure to appeal to historians and railroad enthusiasts alike. As legions of tireless workers toiled for six years to realize the vision of shady entrepreneurs and imaginative engineers, the remarkable railway dream slowly became a reality. But not everyone was so pleased with the remarkable achievement. Despite the devastating effect that the tremendous transportation breakthrough would have on the Native American population, the lasting impact of the Transcontinental Railroad on the politics and culture of a rapidly expanding country would forever mark it as an invaluable component of the American success story. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

As America geared itself for another possible armed conflict in Iraq, the HBO cable service offered a dramatization of events surrounding the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Originally telecast on December 8, 2002, Live From Baghdad recounted the efforts by the CNN network to be first on the scene when hostilities broke out in the Gulf in late 1990. Inaugurating round-the-clock coverage of the warfare with the invasion of Kuwait, dauntless CNN producers Robert Wiener (Michael Keaton) and Ingrid Formanek (Helena Bonham Carter), aided and abetted by on-the-scene reporters Bernard Shaw (Robert Wisdom), Peter Arnett (Bruce McGill), and John Holliman (John Carroll Lynch), among many others, represented the only American news service on the scene during the first night of bombing on January 16, 1991. Not only does Live From Baghdad celebrate the heroism (and meticulous fairness) of the CNN crew, but it also vividly demonstrates how a tiny but tenacious basic cable channel managed to out-scoop the Big Three networks, thereby becoming one of the most powerful and influential journalistic forces in the world. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cyrus Nowrasteh directs this wacky postmodern indie flick. Shipwrecked Gen-Xer Rob (Kai Lennox) happens upon an uncharted Caribbean island with a suitcase full of drugs and cash. Much to his surprise, he also happens upon an aging, but very much alive, Marilyn Monroe (Sally Kirkland) who lives on this top-secret retreat with none other than JFK (Michael Murphy). ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Part one of this acclaimed PBS series explores the earliest roots of the Irish people in the New World. Centering on the crucial event of the Potato Famine, this tape examines the causes of what would become one of the greatest mass migrations in world history. The conditions faced by early arrivals in the United States are examined, including the prejudice that made the end of the remarkable journey so bittersweet for thousands of families in search of a new life. Serious in tone and well documented, this tape is appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

Part two of the acclaimed PBS series explores the path taken by new Irish arrivals in the New World. Irish roles in the building of the American nation are examined, as well as the emergence of Irish-American heroes including such figures as John L. Sullivan and John Mackey. Still dogged by prejudice and often persecuted because of their heritage, the Irish often had no one but each other to turn to. The video examines such groups as the Molly Maguires and their role in the fight for early acceptance. Serious in tone and well documented, this tape is appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

The real-life story of Olympic diver Greg Louganis is chronicled in this made-for-television drama. Mario Lopez stars as Louganis, an adopted child who went through a difficult adolescence, only to emerge as a world-class diver in the 1988 Olympics. After a notorious diving injury during those games, Louganis went on to win two gold medals. After the games ended though, Louganis was forced to face an even more challenging period and go public with his homosexuality and deal with his HIV-positive status. The film is based on the book of the same name. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV movie is staged in the form of an ongoing news report, unfolding in "real time." The year is 2014, and the men and women of the Global News Network are covering the final two hours of the first manned space mission to Mars. Suddenly, before an audience of billions, things begin to go horribly awry: Eugene Slader (Keith Carradine), captain of the spaceship "Destiny", falls ill and the ship's computer malfunctions. But what seems to be an unavoidable tragedy is revealed to be a massive corporate conspiracy when a group of protesters "hijacks" the telecast with the intention of exposing the whole truth. In the tradition of the similar Special Bulletin, the film is capped by a surprise ending that is both shocking and eminently logical. Unfortunately, NBC chose to premiere Special Report: Journey to Mars on March 25, 1996, directly opposite ABC's Academy Awards telecast--meaning that probably the only people who saw it were the Martians (unless, they too, wanted to find out if Bravehart would beat out Apollo 13 for the Best Picture Oscar). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide