Phillip J. Roth Movies
The ghosts of Kayako and Toshio return to spread terror as the Grudge saga continues in this sequel featuring Saw star Shawnee Smith. Jake (Matthew Knight) may have survived the previous supernatural onslaught, though the sheer terror of his harrowing ordeal has rendered him nearly insane. Hospitalized, Jake is haunted by visions of his ghostly attackers as his caretaker Dr. Sullivan (Smith) sets out to investigate his incredible tales. In the midst of exploring Jake's Chicago home, Dr. Sullivan discovers that Kayako and Toshio have targeted a new family. Should Dr. Sullivan fail in convincing a mysterious Japanese woman to help in banishing the vengeful spirits, everyone involved faces a fate worse than death. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
In this prequel to the Pang Brothers' terrifying English-language debut, the eerie backstory of farmer John Rollins plays out in all its bone-chilling glory. Doing what he believes must be done in order to save his family and livelihood, John places an odd scarecrow among his crops and promptly reaps the benefits. The thing is, his luck probably won’t last for long. Produced by the celebrated Ghosthouse Pictures (30 Days of Night, Drag Me To Hell) and penned by Todd Farmer (the screenwriter behind the 2009 remake of My Bloody Valentine), this is one hayride best not taken alone. ~ All Movie Guide
This horror film focuses on a rogue weapons research scientist who, after losing his project to a shut-down by the American military, sets up camp in the Belzan forest of Chechnya. A team of hardcore Deltas are making their way through the wilderness to find the doctor's lab before the Russians do, but they're confronted by unanticipated terror when they run up against the scientist's project: a massive cloud of bloodthirsty bats. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Chokachi, Michael Jace, (more)
A college sophomore faces an unspeakable horror after witnessing the alleged suicide of her best friend as the saga that begin in the 2005 chiller Boogeyman continues. When Sarah Morris saw her best friend take her own life, she unwittingly opened herself up to the wrath of the dreaded Boogeyman. Her dorm-mates thing she's crazy, but Sarah knows that the Boogeyman is real. Later, Sarah's friends begin to pay the ultimate price for their disbelief as the ultimate evil descends upon the entire campus. Now it's not just a matter of if the Boogeyman will get them, but when. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The serine waters of Lake Placid stir once again in this sequel that finds laid-back Sheriff James Riley (John Schneider) teaming with an inquisitive Fish and Wildlife Agent (Sarah LaFleur), a quick-triggered big game hunter (Sam McMurray), and his intuitive guide (Joe Holt) to investigate suspicions that another killer crock may be on the loose in the rural community. Two years ago, a pair of thirty foot-long prehistoric crocodiles terrorized the residents of Lake Placid. While most of the locals assumed that the nightmare had ended when the murderous creatures were killed, local crocodile lover Sadie (Cloris Leachman) knows that the truth is far more terrifying. Beneath the surface of Lake Placid, the remaining predators have been quietly reproducing, awaiting the moment they will emerge from the water and cement their status on the top of the food chain. Now, as Sheriff Riley's rebellious teenage son (Shad Collins) departs for a relaxing lakeside camping trip, the desperate father realizes the danger that lies beneath the surface and races to confront a prehistoric predator that won't stop until it's consumed every last local. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Schneider, Cloris Leachman, (more)
Jeff Fahey, Robert Beltran, Chase Masterson, and Heather Donahue star in Walking Tall: The Payback and Walking Tall: Lone Justice director Tripp Reed's horrific tale of an army battalion that sets out into war-torn Iraq to locate a missing news crew, but instead comes face to face with an ancient evil beyond human comprehension. As the battle rages on in Iraq, reports emerge that a news crew has mysteriously vanished after embarking on a dangerous assignment. Now, as a war-weary squadron of Army soldiers set out to ensure that the crew find their way home safely, they are forced to contend with a mythical winged beast that has lain dormant for centuries. Awakened by power-hungry leaders who would seek to retain control of this crucial parcel of land, this merciless beast decimates the ranks of the terrified squadron as it takes flight once again to dominate the desert skies. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Beltran, Jeff Fahey, (more)
C. Thomas Howell and Jeff Fahey headline this high energy sci-fi adventure set in the near future, where dwindling natural resources have prompted a manned mission to Mars in hopes of discovering a new energy source. Upon arriving on the Red Planet the hopeful space explorers discover that they've stumbled into the middle of civil war that's erupted amongst a previously undiscovered alien civilization, leaving the fate of not one, but two planets in question. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Genetically engineered locusts escape a top-secret Midwestern government facility, swarming across the land and devouring everyone in their path as a determined researcher races to save the world. Dan Cortese, Julie Benz, David Keith, and Jeff Fahey star in a sci-fi flavored natural horror thriller directed by Ian Gilmour (Code Red: The Rubicon Conspiracy, Magma: Volcanic Disaster. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The post-apocalyptic action film Post Impact stars Dean Cain as Captain Tom Parker, who, after a meteor has caused a new ice age on Earth, must travel across the desolate land that was once Europe with a hodgepodge of military officers and scientists in order to help save some of the few remaining humans. The film was directed by Christoph Schrewe. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Cain
Filmed in Bulgaria, this made-for-cable thriller draws upon both Greek and Herbraic legend for its inspiration. Shiri Appleby stars as Liz Parker, a normal 24-year-old woman living a normal existence. At least, that's the case until Liz is informed that she is actually the immortal demoness Lilith, who in Biblical times had been the first wife of Adam and thus the evil doppelganger of Eve! Having cut a murderous swath through the world for centuries, Lilith had disappeared from view when she was hypnotized into believing she was an orphaned mortal--and thus "Liz Parker" was born. Now, a secret society called Faith is determined to bring Lilith back to life and to rechannel her evil powers for the forces of Good. It is up to Faith's chief agent William Shaw to keep Liz/Lilith on the path of righteousness, a task made doubly difficult by the fact that Lilith had killed Shaw's son years earlier. Naturally, there are those in the world who hope to benefit from the activities of the "bad" Lilith, and there's also a certain demon who must be destroyed in order to save mankind. Evidently intended as the pilot for a weekly series, DarkLight first aired September 18, 2004 on the Sci-Fi Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
David Flores' thriller Boa vs. Python begins with an enormous python living on a private reserve escaping from captivity. In order to help find and subdue the deadly animal, the FBI decides to release a Boa Constrictor into the area. Thrill-seeking hunters complicate the situation as they want to kill the python for their own ego. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
When a highly advanced race of extraterrestrials attempt to hold planet Earth hostage in order to save their own race, one angry father whose daughter has been chosen for sacrifice determines to fight back in this sci-fi thriller starring Brad Johnson and Carl Weathers. An alien race is dying, and in order to survive they need the blood of eight million humans. In order to better persuade the citizens of Earth to make such a substantial "donation," the aliens place a powerful doomsday device over the North Pole. Should humankind refuse to cooperate, the aliens will activate the device and destroy the planet; should they comply, the device will become a power supply source capable of meeting all energy needs for the next three centuries. As countries around the globe prepare to surrender the necessary number of citizens, the United States prepares to deal with the situation by starting a lottery system. Those unfortunate enough to be selected will be immediately liquidized and surrendered to the alien overlords -- at least that was the way it was supposed to go. When scientist Steven Chase learns that his daughter has been singled out for oblation, he chooses not to offer up his only child but to fight back instead. Now, as Steven wages a seemingly futile battle to expose the aliens' weakness and save his daughter's life, the malevolent invaders wreak havoc on the planet by reneging on their plan and harvesting humans at will. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Johnson, Carl Weathers, (more)
Gigantic, intelligent electric eels are preventing the submarine crews of a United Nations mission to detonate nuclear charges in a growing fissure under the North Pole that is causing the Pole to melt at a disastrous rate. Capt. Andy Raines (David Keith) is brought in to help scientists Dr. Anne Fletcher (Simmone Jade Mackinnon) and Chomsky (Mark Sheppard) figure out how to defeat the eels and save the planet. Little do the rest of them know, but Dr. Fletcher has been communicating with them, and maybe on the side of the slippery fish. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Keith, Simmone Mackinnon, (more)
Phillip Roth's action/disaster film Maximum Velocity concerns the efforts of a group of military men and scientists to thwart an oncoming storm that would devastate the planet. He group must utilize a still unproven new weapon to dissipate the storm before all is lost. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wendy Carter, Gregor Toerzs, (more)
In the dark waters of the Gulf of Mexico, several great white sharks complicate things for a secret U.S. military mission. Once enough sailors are lost to the surprisingly cunning beasts, MIT drop-out marine biologist Robin (Simmone Jade MacKinnon) and renegade fish expert Dane (Lorenzo Lamas) are taken to a classified submarine where they are to help the Marines get rid of the dorsal-finned predators. But there's more than that happening on the sub, and before long Dane and Robin don't know the good guys from the sharks. Bullets fly, sharks attack. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorenzo Lamas, Simmone Mackinnon, (more)
Ancient warriors are pitted against fire-breathing creatures from outer space in this made-for-TV fantasy adventure. In the Middle Ages, a handful of meteorites begin plummeting toward Earth, but these are not ordinary bits of space debris. The meteorites contain eggs which hatch into fire-breathing dragons, and King Fastrad (John Rhys-Davies) discovers their presence when they destroy his castle. Fastrad is forced to enter into an alliance with another monarch in order to protect his people, but when they find themselves at odds about how to deal with the dragons, they enlist the forces of Silas (Maxwell Caulfield), a master hunter, who is now out to capture the greatest prey of his life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Rhys-Davies
A race with a 25-million-dollar prize is at the center of this action film starring Antonio Sabato Jr. Tensions are rising as the big event draws near, and with a monster hurricane threatening to strike, the potential for a violent confrontation between man and nature is growing. Produced and directed by Phillip Roth, Hypersonic also stars Adam Baldwin and William Zabka. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr.
An invisible, shape-shifting extraterrestrial has invaded a Russian nuclear power plant with the aim of causing international chaos, and now the only hope for the human race lies in one tough soldier. When Lieutenant Sean Lamber (Oliver Gruner) learns that the alien's aim is to bring about a devastating nuclear winter, he makes it his personal mission to prevent the extraterrestrial menace from executing its diabolical plan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivier Gruner, Roger R. Cross, (more)
Former TV Superman Dean Cain stars in this sci-fi horror film reminiscent of James Cameron's 1986 classic Aliens. Boa sets its action in the not-too-distant future, where volatile criminals are shipped off to a place called Facility Number One, a super-high-security prison located -- just to be safe -- in the distant, icy confines of Anarctica. What the prisoners and their wardens don't know, however, is that there's a presence more dangerous than all of them combined: A giant, prehistoric, flesh-eating snake, hibernating in the ground just underneath the facility. When the creature gets a whiff of what's going on above ground, the oversized boa decides it's time for a little light snacking, and the good and bad guys have to join together to escape the carnage. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
In this made-for-cable sequel to Pythons, the U.S. Army's Colonel Jefferson (Marcus Aurelius) has successfully neutralized the horrific 12-ton, 57-foot python that had been developed as a jungle weapon by a top-secret intelligence organization. Unfortunately, still another synthetic "Beta Snake" has escaped from Sub-Basement 9 of the Russian-American Joint Military Operations -- and this one is 85 feet long, and even meaner and more invulnerable than the original python prototype. When the slimy predator slithers into the Ural Mountains, it is up to disgraced ex-ballplayer Dwight Stoddard (Dana Ashbrook) and his Russian wife Nadia (Simone Jade McKinnon) to capture and kill the monster. Alas, mysterious American Greg Larson (Billy Zabka), who claims to be a "biotechnician," proves to be the real snake in the grass in this melodramatic Bulgarian-American coproduction. Pythons II was first telecast in the U.S. by the Sci-Fi Channel on August 17, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Zabka, Dana Ashbrook, (more)
Lance Henriksen stars as ex-FBI agent Richard Gaynes in this made for video techno-thriller, which has much in common with the classic 1966 science fiction feature Fantastic Voyage. A brilliant bomb expert, Gaynes is miniaturized and injected into the bloodstream of comatose terrorist Anthony Moran (Julian Vergov). The reason? There's a microchip imbedded somewhere within Moran that is set to trigger a worldwide nuclear holocaust within 24 hours. Going along for the ride is the requisite Sexy Woman Scientist, played by Robin Givens. Originally rated R, Antibody was toned down a bit for its "official" US debut, which occurred February 8, 2003 on cable TV's Sci-Fi Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Phillip Roth directs Dean Cain in the action film Dragon Fighter. As part of an experiment, the military takes a DNA sample from a creature believed to be a fire-breathing dragon and creates a clone of the beast. When the thing escapes, the only person who stands between the dragon and his desire to destroy the world is security officer David Carver (Cain). ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2001
- R
A covert US/Soviet military experiment designed to create the ultimate telepathic and telekinetic soldier backfires when the sole successful test subject goes AWOL in an explosive tale of action-packed conspiracy starring Judge Reinhold. It was a risky venture from the onset, and when only one of the five test members emerged from the top-secret military experiment suitable for battle they could never have imagined the trouble he would cause after learning the real purpose of his training. With time running out before the powerful soldier called Mindstorm decides to turn on his handlers in an attempt to get revenge for their deception, it's up to former Black-Ops officer Evan Mink (Reinhold) to find and contain the unstable warrior and ensure that the government's dirty little secret doesn't hit the headlines. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Wilfred Schmidt's suspense film Dark Descent stars Dean Cain as Will Murdack, a member of the Deep Submersible Division. Murdack is sent to investigate why people are dying in an underwater mining installation. Between the physical pressures of being 35,000 feet underwater, the psychological ravages of never seeing sunlight, and the constant claustrophobia, Murdack must work quickly to rescue himself as well the workers. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Science must confront a power greater than our own in this unusual sci-fi-thriller. As seismic activities around the world begin going haywire, causing untold damages in major cities and claiming thousands of lives, the President of the United States orders Kasia Czaban, one of his top scientific advisers, and Mason Rand, a leading weapons expert, to investigate the phenomenon and see if it can be stopped. Kasia and Mason's investigation leads them to the Himalayas, where they discover a strange object of otherworldly origin that can generate its own power and water, spawn and support its own life forms, and either extend or extinguish human lives at will. What is this strange item? What is its role in the history of our universe? And can Mason and Kasia unlock its secrets without falling prey to its dangers? Epoch stars David Keith, Stephanie Niznik, Ryan O'Neal, and Shannon Lee. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Keith, Ryan O'Neal, (more)
