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THE AFFAIR Sensitive, careful handling of a 30-ish female songwriter with polio (Wood) experiencing her first love affair with a lawyer (Wagner). Excellent cast, expert script by Barbara Turner. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
ALEXANDER: THE OTHER SIDE OF DAWN In this sequel to Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway, a country-boy-turned-Hollywood-hustler (McCloskey) tries to find legitimate work in order to marry a teen-aged prostitute (Plumb) he had hoped to regenerate, but gets involved with a homosexual football pro. A sordid tale, with McCloskey aping Jon Voight's Midnight Cowboy characterization. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT It isn't often that a TV remake can hold its own with a recognized movie classic, but this expertly crafted and memorably acted drama bears comparison with its illustrious 1930 Hollywood original. Although it lacks the power of its distinguished predecessor, this credible production touches our emotions and shakes us out of our complacency as it unfolds the tale of an idealistic German student turned soldier who comes of age on a World War I battlefield. The pain and anger of Remarque's antiwar novel is captured with force and incisiveness, making this another enduring pacifist drama. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
ALL YOU NEED IS CASH All You Need Is Cash was a film spoof on The Beatles featuring a satirical group calling themselves The Rutles. The group, comprised of Ron Nasty (Innes), Dirk McQuickly (Idle), Stig O'Hara (Fataar), and Barry Wom (Halsey), portrayed characters based on The Beatles and performed original material, written by Innes, based on The Beatles' music. The show aired in the U.S. on March 22, 1978, and included a cameo appearance by ex-Beatle George Harrison. The idea for The Rutles was conceived by Idle, who first presented a film of the group performing which was shown on the NBC-TV show Saturday Night Live. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE AMAZING HOWARD HUGHES A surprisingly colorless account of the reclusive millionaire's life. Jones' dull performance is easily overshadowed by Flanders as associate Noah Dietrich and Feldshuh as Katherine Hepburn. But there is occasional intrigue in this ambitious production. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
AN AMERICAN CHRISTMAS CAROL A lot of facial putty turns "The Fonz" into Scrooge for this update of Dickens' classic set in a Depression-era New England town. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
ARE YOU IN THE HOUSE ALONE? Predictable thriller about a high school coed who is the target of a terror campaign. Unsatisfactory adaptation of Richard Peck's Edgar Mystery Award-winning novel. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN Acclaimed drama from Ernest J. Gaines' epic novel covering, through the memories of a fictional 110-year-old slave (Tyson), the black experience from the Civil War to the start of the civil rights movement. Tyson's tour-de-force performance, Korty's subtle direction, and Tracy Keenan Wynn's intelligent script accounted for three of the nine Emmy Awards given to the film, one of the most ambitious ever made for television. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
BAD RONALD A family with three daughters moves into an old house unaware that it has a secret room occupied by a psychopathic teenager who has murdered a taunting peer. An intriguing little thriller adapted by Andrew Peter Martin from the John Holbrook Vance novel. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
BAFFLED Contrived but enjoyable race-against-time thriller by Theodore Apstein with Nimoy as an American race driver whose visions convince an ESP expert (Hampshire) that people in vision are in danger. An unsuccessful television pilot. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
BATTERED Absorbing and disturbing drama interweaves three stories of wife-beating victims; Grassle also co-wrote this teleplay with Cynthia Lovelace Sears. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE BERMUDA DEPTHS A mysterious beauty and a prehistoric monster puzzle some scientists but offer no challenge to the viewer; crummy sci-fi. Below average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE BIONIC WOMAN This series pilot is right up there with earth shoes, disco dancing, and Watergate among the important reasons we should all be embarrassed that the 1970s ever happened. We admit it: we preferred Lindsay Wagner running in slow motion as Jaime Sommers to robot Lee Majors as robot Steve Austin, but really! Wagner's winsomeness doesn't overcome the nonsensical plot. This is what you bought a VCR to escape. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
BIRDS OF PREY Good suspenser as Salt Lake City traffic-helicopter pilot Janssen witnesses a bank robbery in progress, becomes inexorably involved. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
BLACK NOON A traveling preacher and his young wife stumble upon an odd religious sect in the American west. Last shot of film explains all. Average.
BORN INNOCENT Graphic story of teenaged girl's struggle to adjust to rigors of tough juvenile detention home. Uncompromising film, distinguished in its original showing by a realistic rape of Blair by her fellow inmates (now cut from film). Otherwise, played for the sensational; average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE BLUE KNIGHT Holden gives gritty, Emmy-winning performance as Bumper Morgan, the hero of Joseph Wambaugh's best-selling novel about an aging L.A. street cop. Morgan's last four days on the job find him obsessed with finding a prostitute's killer, while his girlfriend (Remick) anxiously awaits the hour of his retirement. Well-done, authentic police story, superbly performed. Cut down from original four-part, 200-minute presentation for TV syndication. Above average.
THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE A teenager is forced to live in physical and emotional isolation, having been born with an immunity deficiency, and is faced with a life or death situation when he falls in love with girl next door. Hinges on Travolta's earnest performance, but touches of bathos and a certain sci-fi attitude in the story's approach mar it. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
A BRAND NEW LIFE A believable melodrama centering on a middle-aged couple reacting to the unexpected prospect of having their first child. Remarkable script (by Jerome Kass and Peggy Chandler Dick) and performances. Above average.
BRIAN'S SONG An exceptional film relating the real-life relationship between Chicago Bears football players Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, and the tragedy which affects entire team when Piccolo develops cancer. An outstanding teleplay by William Blinn from Sayers' I Am Third. A beautiful score by Michel Legrand. A milestone of excellence in made-for-TV movies. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
BRIEF ENCOUNTER Simply terrible remake of Noel Coward's story about a romantic liason between two married people. Originally shown at 74 min. Below average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BELL An ambitious but hollow story of Ford (in his TV dramatic debut) determined to investigate a strange secret fraternity which is bigger and more powerful than he'd imagined. Average.
CAGE WITHOUT A KEY Teen-aged girl (Dey) innocently finds herself accomplice to a robbery and murder when she accepts a ride from a stranger, and then is wrongly sentenced to jail. Tedious, run-of-the-cellblock tale, resembles a 1940s B-movie. Below average.
THE CALL OF THE WILD Stark but quite graphic remake of Jack London's 1903 tale of gold fever and adventure in the Klondike. In this version, John Beck is an eager greenhorn and Fresson is a veteran prospector, but the star is a sled dog named Buck, who faces the hazards of man as well as nature. Script by James Dickey. Above average.
CAN YOU HEAR THE LAUGHTER?: THE STORY OF FREDDIE PRINZE Affectionate account of the meteoric rise of the young comedian and his death by suicide in 1977. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
CAPTAIN AMERICA Routine attempt to bring the legendary comic strip crimefighter to TV, this plot has his ex-Marine son continuing the family tradition of righting wrongs by pursuing an archcriminal who's aiming a neutron bomb at Phoenix. Below average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
CATHOLICS Powerful futuristic religious drama pitting strong-willed abbot Howard against emmisary-of-change Sheen, sent by the Vatican to his secluded monastery. Wordy but thought-provoking, adapted by Brian Moore from his novel. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE CITY BENEATH THE SEA It is 2053 A.D.: Colonists in the first underwater city struggle through their first year of attempted invasions, ocean horrors, and interpersonal squabbles. Better than average production values thanks to Irwin Allen. Script by John Meredyth Lucas. Above average.
A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER Sentimental Depression era tale about an elderly farm couple who take in their city-bred adolescent grandson for the holidays. High-powered star cast elevates this already satisfying adoptation by Stewart Stern of Glendon Swarthout's novel, The Melodeon. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
CONSPIRACY OF TERROR Husband-wife detective team investigates the case of a man who literally was scared to death and is confronted with Satanism in suburbia. Comedy-drama, with the "cute" touch of having the ethnically mixed pair working different shifts. Average.
THE CORN IS GREEN Classy remake of the 1945 movie about a spinster teacher bringing education to a North Wales mining community. The story is beginning to wear a bit, but glistens with Hepburn's tour-de-force performance (in her tenth and final teaming with director Cukor) and on-location filming. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
CROWHAVEN FARM A middle-aged couple (Lange and Burke) inherit a farm, move in to patch up their strained marriage, and eventually adopt a child who becomes the focal point in a supernatural flashback story. A surprise ending in a generally well-handled thriller. Written by John McGreevey. Above average.
THE DARK SECRET OF HARVEST HOME A leisurely gothic horror tale set in a New England village where Bette and other weirdos maintain a ritualistic life-style, to the dismay of a commercial artist who has moved his family there from Manhattan. Adapted from Thomas Tryon's novel Harvest Home; narrated in eerie fashion by Donald Pleasance. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE DARKER SIDE OF TERROR An inept psychological thriller about a researcher who agrees to have himself cloned and then must fight his look-alike for his wife's affections. Below average.
DAWN: PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE RUNAWAY Fifteen-year-old Plumb turns to prostitution when she cannot find legitimate work after running away from her cocktail waitress mom Carlin. Serious social issue exploited for cheap sensationalism. Below average. Sequel: Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn.
DEADMAN'S CURVE Passable biography based on the meteoric tragedy-marred careers of Jan Berry and Dean Torrance, early '60s rock idols who popularized the Surfing Sound. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
DEADLY GAME Sequel to Winter Kill offers Griffith in further adventures of small town sheriff Abel Marsh. Here he investigates the destruction and scandal caused by chemical spillage from an army tanker truck. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE DEVIL'S DAUGHTER At the funeral of her mother, Montgomery is befriended by Winters, who claims a long friendship with the deceased; actually Montgomery is needed to fulfill a pact in a Devil-worshipping group. A great Rosemary's Baby-ish premise is rendered inconsequential by indifferent dialogue, acting and direction. Written by Colin Higgins. Average.
DIARY OF A TEENAGE HITCHHIKER Tawdry drama dramatizing the risk of soliciting rides from strangers. Below average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF AIMEE Period drama covering, through a courtroom hearing, the sensational disappearance and reapperance of the famed preacher, Aimee Semple McPherson, in 1926. Dunaway is fascinating as Aimee, Davis feisty as her mother in this absorbing, richly atmospheric dramatization. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
DO NOT FOLD, SPINDLE, OR MUTILATE Four elderly ladies, practical-joke enthusiasts, create a mythical girl for a computer dating questionnaire, then thirst for even more bizarre thrills. The way in which the prank turns frightening could've been handled far, far better, otherwise good performances. Average.
DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK A young couple (Darby & Hutton) inherit a strange house occupied by small creatures out to possess the wife. A decent premise ruined by an indifferent script and situations. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
DR. COOK'S GARDEN Frank Converse's return to Greenfield, Vermont, and the kindly doctor who raised him degenerates into cheap horror by the halfway mark. Even Bing Crosby as the central character can't cut it. Adapted from a play by Ira Levin. Below average.
DRACULA The indomitable count of Transylvania lives in the person of Palance, who plays Bram Stoker's vampire king as a slightly pathetic figure, a victim of twisted fate. Sterling cast, Richard Matheson's faithful adaptation, and Oswald Morris' exceptional photography, rich in gothic touches, add to this classy new version of the old chestnut. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
A DREAM FOR CHRISTMAS Inspirational story (by Earl The Waltons Hamner, Jr.) about a black minister who takes his family from Arkansas to L.A. for his new assignment: a poor congregation in a church earmarked for demolition. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
DUEL A businessman driving rented car on lonely stretch of road begins to realize that the driver of a diesel truck (whom he cannot see) is out to get him. This TV movie put Spielberg on the map, and rightly so: it's a superb suspense film, from Richard Matheson's script. Released theatrically in 1983 at 88 min. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
DYING ROOM ONLY A couple traveling back to L.A. via the desert by car stop off at a roadside diner; the husband mysteriously disappears. Excellent mood thanks to Richard Matheson's surprise-ending script, thoughtful direction, and small ensemble cast. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
EVIL ROY SLADE Excellent cast tries hard in an absurd attempt at bizarre Western comedy à la Cat Ballou. The life and times of bumbling outlaw Slade and his change in attitude after falling in love with a beautiful girl (Austin). The script by Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson isn't bad; the fault lies in what's done with it. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE EXECUTION OF PRIVATE SLOVIK Solid drama enhanced by Martin Sheen's beautiful performance as Eddie Slovik, the only American soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion (in 1945). Thoughtful, literate adaptation by Richard Levinson and William Link of William Bradford Huie's controversial book. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE EYES OF CHARLES SAND Despite excellent names connected with the script (Henry Farrell & Stanford Whitmore), a predictable, largely boring ESP-gimmicked mystery featuring a troubled lead character (Haskell) who can flash onto the future. Average.
THE FOUR FEATHERS Robust retelling (fifth time around) of the great adventure classic. Adapted by Gerald DiPego. Dandy entertainment. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
FRIENDLY FIRE Gripping if overlong Emmy-winning drama about a rural American couple who try to cope with governmental indifference to learn the truth behind their son's death in Vietnam. Burnett seems somewhat sullen in her one-note portrayal of real-life war activist Peg Mullen, but Beatty is outstanding as her husband. Script by Fay Kanin. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
GARGOYLES Anthropologist Wilde and his daughter are on a trip to Mexico, stop off at a curio station, and come upon an unusual skeleton. A very good beginning but it deteriorates halfway through the story. Flawless use of location. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE GATHERING A sentimental Emmy-winning Christmas drama of a man who seeks to reunite his shattered family for one final celebration before he dies. Ed Asner is solid as usual, but Maureen Stapleton is simply luminous as the wife who had lost him in his drive for success. Written by James Poe. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
GENESIS II Disappointing sci-fi adventure. Cord is the unique survivor of a 20th-century holocaust as earth divides into two rival factions. Created by Star Trek's Gene Roddenberry, but owes a lot to "Flash Gordon." Reworked one year later as Planet Earth. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
GET CHRISTIE LOVE! Shapely female cop goes undercover to crack a huge drug empire. Dorothy Uhnak's detective novel was the source, the later policewoman series was the result. Lots of action. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE GLASS HOUSE A gripping account of what it's like to be in state prison, adapted from a story by Truman Capote. Location-shot, with many real-life prisoners in the supporting cast. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
GO ASK ALICE Strong performances and a semi-documentary style combine in this study of a high school student's battle with drug addiction. Written by Ellen M. Violett. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE HANGED MAN Gunslinger Forrest miraculously survives his own execution and becomes an Old West soldier of fortune. Interesting idea routinely told. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
HELTER SKELTER Electrifying film of prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi's best-seller, adapted by JP Miller, about the trackdown and trial of Charles Manson and his spaced-out "family" in California. Serious, intense, and frightening, with a vivid performance by Steve Railsback as Manson. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE HOMECOMING - A CHRISTMAS STORY Patricia Neal is Olivia Walton in her first TV movie, the forerunner to the long-running TV series The Waltons. Teleplay by Earl Hamner, Jr., was adapted from his own novel, which previously had been converted into Spencer's Mountain. Corby, Thomas, and a number of the other young players continued in The Waltons for years. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
HONOR THY FATHER Extraordinary slice-of-life presentation of the day-to-day operations of an organized crime family, written (primarily) around the Bill Bonanno character. Adapted from Gay Talese's book by Lewis John Carlino. Within TV restrictions, not bad. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
HORROR AT 37,000 FEET OK fantasy premise disintegrates into a forgettable suspense drama of ancient evil aboard a transatlantic commercial flight. Below average.
THE HOUSE ON GARIBALDI STREET A textbook spy thriller about the capture of Adolph Eichmann by Israeli agents in Argentina in 1960; good, but it nearly drowns itself in polemics. Filmed in Spain with an international cast. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLAN Guilt-ridden blind mental patient Perkins thinks his release from the hospital and closeness to his sister Katherine (Harris) will cure him. Considering the talent connected with the script, direction and cast, a major disappointment. Below average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
I HEARD THE OWL CALL MY NAME A young Angelican priest is posted to a remote Indian village in British Columbia. A beautiful film translation of the Margaret Craven book. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS Black writer Maya Angelou's remembrances of her childhood in the Depression era South. Good is more than good as young Maya and Rolle is a tower of strength as the grandmother who raises her. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
I WILL FIGHT NO MORE FOREVER Moving dramatization of the historical confrontation between Chief Joseph, trying to lead his tribe of Nez Perce Indians off the reservation to safety in Canada, and the U.S. Government, which sent the cavalry out to stop the migration. Written by Jeb Rosebrook and Theodore Strauss. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
IN THE MATTER OF KAREN ANN QUINLAN Docu-drama exploring legal, moral and ethical aspects of the case of a New Jersey woman whose parents (Keith and Laurie) argued her right to die with dignity and wanted her life-saving machine turned off after she lapsed into a coma and suffered brain damage. Good performances, talky script, tiresome movie. Average.
INTIMATE STRANGERS Overlong drama about a battered wife and the destruction of a marriage. Offbeat roles for its two stars plus a sparkling cameo by Douglas as Weaver's mean old buzzard of a father. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
IT HAPPENED AT LAKEWOOD MANOR Insects on the rampage, or what happens when the traditional stellar TV cast vacationing at a secluded lodge tampers with Mother Nature. Predictable horrors, and the squeamish are forewarned. Average. Retitled Panic at Lakewood Manor and later Ants for video release. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
JAMES AT 15 Comedy-drama about the problems and pain of adolescence, with Kerwin, smitten with a high school cheerleader, faced with moving across the country with his parents. Arch family sitcom with standard plot twists. A series subsequently evolved. Average.
JAMES DEAN Dramatization of the memoirs of William Bast, James Dean's roommate, from their meeting as acting students until Dean's death. McHattie is excellent in the title role. Brandon is fine as writer Bast. Bast's script, though, is a bore. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
JESUS OF NAZARETH Leading a superb cast, Robert Powell impresses as Jesus by adding a human dimension to playing this divine personage. Although the film met with considerable criticism from various religious groups, this intensely felt chronicle of the life and teachings of Christ succeeds as a religious document without sacrificing the intimate drama of the participants, who never are portrayed as if they just stepped off a gilt-edged holy card. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
JUDGE HORTON AND THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS Excellent courtroom-based drama detailing the 1931 rape trial of nine blacks and the embattled Southern judge who presided over the proceedings. Hill is the backbone of virtue as the courageous judge. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
KATIE: PORTRAIT OF A CENTERFOLD Naïve beauty queen from Texas grows up fast after going to Hollywood in search of stardom. Below average.
 
KEY WEST Ex-CIA operative and friend, now running boat service in Florida, become involved in chase for incriminating evidence involving U.S. Senator. Good cast, story overcome uninspired direction; above average.
KILLDOZER An alien being turns a bulldozer against a hard-hat crew bossed by Walker. A man-vs-machine thriller in the shadow of Duel. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK The famed rock group (in their acting debut) try to thwart a mad scientist's plane to clone the foursome for evil purposes. Worth catching for those wanting to see Zerbe at his slimiest. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
KUNG FU Half-American/half-Chinese, young Kwai Chang Kane, a Bhuddist monk, flees mainland China to the American West with the Imperial government out to get him. Stylish use of pseudo-karate; offbeat direction to counterpoint the script's moods; good performances. Above average; pilot for the TV series. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE LAST DINOSAUR Fantasy tale, made in Japan, about the world's richest man who invades a newly-discovered prehistoric world to stalk a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Entertaining foolishness out of the "Godzilla" school, originally intended for theaters. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDEN A realistic drama blending fact and speculation about a New England spinster accused of the murders of her father and stepmother. Atmospheric as well as graphic with a thoughtful performance by Montgomery. Script by William Bast. Above average.
LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH A creepy little tale of murder and deception as an unstable girl gets the full fright-treatment at a country home. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE LIFE AND ASSASSINATION OF THE KINGFISH Ed Asner stands out in this docudrama of the controversial Huey Long, and overcomes Robert Collins' cliched script with his tour-de-force performance. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE Rock idol Shaun Cassidy's dramatic acting debut was in this drama of two mentally retarded young adults who decide to marry despite angry resistance from their families. Virtually identical to No Other Love. Average.
THE LONELIEST RUNNER Sensitive drama about the misery and humiliation suffered by a teenaged bed-wetter, a talented athelete who subsequently becomes an Olympic star. Producer-director Landon wrote this from personal experience and turns up briefly to play the title character as an adult. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY'S BABY Sequel to the 1968 occult blockbuster that traces the growth to adulthood of the demon child (McHattie). Patty Duke Astin is his distraught mommy; Milland and Gordon (recreating her original role) head the coven of devil worshippers. An uninspired successor to the Polanski classic, retitled, predictably, Rosemary's Baby II. Below average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE MIRACLE WORKER Powerful refilming of the William Gibson classic about young Helen Keller's first encounters with Anne Sullivan, who would be her teacher and life-long companion. Having Patty Duke Astin, who won an Oscar as Keller in 1962 -- play Sullivan was more a novelty than an inspired piece of casting, making this one just a notch below its predecessor. Still above average.
THE MISSILES OF OCTOBER Originally an ABC Theatre presentation, this well-handled depiction of President Kennedy's trials during the Cuban missile crisis was one of television's first docudramas. The blend of suspense and history lesson, though less powerful than it could be, stands up nicely. William Devane's superb portrayal (he was one of the first actors to play JFK) brought him a great deal of attention, and Martin Sheen provides fine support as brother Robert. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE MISSING ARE DEADLY Suspense tale about the panic caused when a disturbed teenager takes a rat infected with a deadly virus from his father's lab. Average.
MOON OF THE WOLF Muddy motivation is the major liability in a somewhat likeable modern day thriller involving a werewolf in Louisiana. The resolution is offbeat but forgettable. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE MORNING AFTER Forceful movie written by Richard Matheson with Dick Van Dyke making an auspicious dramatic debut in his portrait of a corporate executive turned alcoholic. Above average.
MRS. SUNDANCE The further adventures of Etta Place, the widow of The Sundance Kid (of Butch Cassidy and... fame), who leads a fugitive's existence frightened by the memory of her late husband. Lighthearted Western by Christopher Knopf tries vainly to recapture the charm of its blockbuster predecessor. Average; the character was later played by Katherine Ross, who originated the role, in Wanted: The Sundance Woman. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
MY SWEET CHARLIE A white unwed mother and a black N.Y.C. lawyer are thrown together in an abandoned house in rural Texas. A good adaptation of the David Westheimer novel, excellent performances, and the total effect is believable and moving. A television landmark by Richard Levinson and William Link; this movie earned a theatrical showing after its debut on TV. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE NIGHT STALKER A wise-guy reporter is assigned to a series of strange murders in Las Vegas. A near-brilliant mixture of double-edged horror, comedy; well-constructed script by Richard Matheson. Kudos to the flawless cast. Above Average. Sequel: The Night Strangler. Later a TV series. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE NIGHT STRANGLER Sequel to The Night Stalker finds McGavin eking out a living in Seattle; he latches onto a series of murders involving blood drainage by syringe, discovers a secret, underground city and its lone "resident." Great cast, but script has problems. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
NIGHT TERROR Housewife Harper vs. psychopath Romanus whom she had seen shooting a highway patrolman. Another relentless pursuit story that's resolved predictably by the fadeout. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
NO OTHER LOVE Sensitive drama focusing on the love affair of two mentally retarded young people. Thomas and Kavner's acting gives this one the edge over the similar Like Normal People. Above average.
NOWHERE TO RUN Good yarn of Janssen's elaborate scheme to get his money-grabbing wife and the gumshoe she's hired off his back. Adapted by Jim Byrnes from Charles Eisenstein's novel The Blackjack Hijack. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
ORDEAL Mohave Desert location shooting enhances this morality tale of a scheming wife (Muldaur) abandoning her broken-legged husband (Hill) in the wilderness. The film suggests profound themes but refuses to admit so. Average.
ORPHAN TRAIN Historical drama taken from Dorothea G. Petrie's novel dealing with a dedicated young social worker, a newspaper photographer, and a group of slum kids on their mid-19th-century railroad odyssey from Manhattan to new lives out West. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
OUTRAGE Local doctor (Culp) turns vigilante to deal with teen gang terrorizing his upper-middle-class neighbors. Or your average-outraged-citizen plot. Average.
PAPER MAN College computer workers find themselves in an eerie situtation that begins innocuously with a credit card scheme. An excellent idea gone awry, thanks to a rotten script and indifferent acting. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
PORTRAIT OF A STRIPPER A young widow supports her son by stripping in a local nightclub, while fighting a custody battle with the boy's grandfather. Pure sleaze. Below average.
PLANET EARTH Sci-fi fun as a future race of humans finds itself in combat with a sadistic matriarchy. A reworking of Gene Roddenberry's Genesis II (1973), though not as elaborate. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE POSSESSED Supernatural drama with Farentino, a defrocked priest, called upon to do an exorcism at Hackett's exclusive girls' school. She keeps it from going off the deep end. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
PRAY FOR THE WILDCATS Mildly diverting "macho" flick about three advertising executives who are forced to join their sadistic client (Griffith) on a desert motorcycle trip. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE PRINCE OF CENTRAL PARK Engaging tale of a pair of orphans living in a tree in Central Park and the lonely old lady who befriends them. Adapted from Evan Rhodes' ingratiating novel. Above average.
QB VII Leon Uris's effective courtroom drama introduced the mini-series to a mass American audience, and like many of its successors, this one is a mixture of the soapy and the serious, the oversimplified and the genuinely compelling. The case is libel: The plaintiff is a respected Jewish doctor (Anthony Hopkins) and the defendant is an American author (Ben Gazzara) who painted him as a war criminal in a thinly disguised characterization in a novel. Based on a real suit brought against Uris after the publication of Exodus. Fine acting from all the principals, especially Jack Hawkins and Emmy-winner Anthony Quayle. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
A QUESTION OF LOVE A top-notch cast enriches this sensitive fact-based drama by William Blinn about two lesbians and the custody battle one has with her ex-husband over their young son. Above average.
RETURN TO EARTH Cliff Robertson is A-OK in this real-life drama of the breakdown of astronaut Buzz Aldrin after his 1969 moonwalk. Adapted by George Malko from the book Aldrin wrote with Wayne Warga. Above average.
REVENGE Winters plots to avenge her daughter's rape by imprisoning the man she suspects of the deed in a cage in her basement. Shelley tears it up in Joseph Stefano's adaptation of Elizabeth Davis' novel, and John A. Alonzo's striking photography doesn't hurt one bit. Above average.
S.O.S. TITANIC Stylish docu-drama about the oft-told sea disaster, mirroring the fictional elements of the 1953 movie Titanic and the meticulously detailed facts of the 1958 A Night To Remember, faithfully recreated here through James Costigan's multicharactered teleplay. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
SARAH T. - PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE ALCOHOLIC Young girl turns to liquor to escape family problems; Blair shows competence with another of the meaty roles that made her the most put-upon screen teenager of the 1970s. Average.
SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE A passionate, probing and honest look at a marriage, its disintegration, and the relationship that follows. Liv Ullman and Erland Josephson are remarkable throughout this intimate and often painful portrait, originally made as six TV episodes and edited into feature-length by writer-director Bergman. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
SCREAM OF THE WOLF A predictable exercise in terror by Richard Matheson that has adventure writer Graves stalking a creature that has killed four people. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
SERGEANT MATLOVICH VS. THE U.S. AIR FORCE An earnest, worthwhile TV movie depicts a celebrated case of sexual discrimination, a no-win situation for an air force veteran who challenged the legality of Uncle Sam's bias against homosexuality. Brad Dourif is, for once, remarkably restrained and effective as a reluctant hero coming to grips with his sexuality and finding the courage to confront the homophobic attitude of the military establishment. Above average.
SHARON - PORTRAIT OF A MISTRESS Drama of a woman's series of affairs with married men. A boring soap opera, though earnestly performed. Average.
SHE LIVES! A young college couple coping with news that she's contracted terminal disease; an inspirational love affair ensues. Too-obvious spinoff of Love Story. Average.
A SHINING SEASON Inspired stricken-athelete story based on that of college track star John Baker who, despite a terminal illness, devoted his final year of life leading an underdog girl's track team to the championship. Above average.
SOLE SURVIVOR Title refers to the central character, the only person to walk away from a suddenly discovered B-52 crash in the Libyan desert. Odd drama by Guerdon Trueblood, with Edwards' performance a hands-down winner. Above average.
SOMEONE I TOUCHED Unbelievable melodrama about an architect, his pregnant wife, and a nubile young teenager who learn they have VD and try to figure out who gave it to whom. Cloris even sings the romantic title song! Below average.
SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME! Dandy thriller about a career woman who takes things into her own hands after being rebuffed by the police when someone begins stalking her. Carpenter also wrote the script; his first TV-movie (and first with Barbeau). Above average.
THE SPELL Occult thriller has an unloved teenager turning her supernatural powers on her tormentors. Merely a sanitized-for-TV Carrie and a poor substitute. Below average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
SPIDER-MAN So-so adaptation of the famed Marvel Comics character; grad student Nicholas Hammond is bitten by a radio-active spider, transformed into a superhero who climbs walls and thwarts a $50 million extortion plot. OK special effects; the kids may not mind the illogical plot. The once-in-a-while series followed. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
STOWAWAY TO THE MOON Delightful family-oriented tale about an 11-year-old rocket enthusiast (Link) who fulfills his life's dream by sneaking aboard a space capsule about to blast off. Above average.
STRANGE NEW WORLD Sci-fi adventure with three astronauts returning to Earth after 180 years in suspended animation to find that scientists have developed eternal life by cloning. Warner Brothers' third attempt in as many years to launch a sci-fi series (following Genesis II and Planet Earth.) Below average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE STRANGER WITHIN Melodrama about a woman whose unborn baby begins to control her mind and body. Suspiciously reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby with offbeat touches added by writer Richard Matheson. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE STREETS OF L.A. The strength is Joanne Woodward in this contemporary drama about a tenacious woman who goes alone into the L.A. barrio in pursuit of teenaged hoods who slashed her tires. Without her, the whole idea would be plain silly. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
SUMMER OF FEAR Linda Blair's not possessed this time, but she does have a witch as a guest. In this surprisingly effective TV shocker, an evil sorceress poses as a distant relative and sows seeds of dissension within a family, thus enabling her to dominate and then destroy the tight-knit suburban clan. A lean, nerve-racking thriller. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER Bittersweet romance of a Jewish teenager and an escaped Nazi POW in a small Georgia town during WW2. Loving if occasionally oversentimental, with an Emmy Award-winning performance by Esther Rolle as the family housekeeper. Based on Bette Greene's novel. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
SUMMERTREE The highly-acclaimed (if overrated) off-Broadway play by Ron Cowen fails as a film; Douglas plays a young music student who clashes with his parents over the Vietnam War.
SUNSHINE Penetrating character studies of a non-Establishment couple and the woman's doctor in the story of a terminal cancer case. A deliberately slow pacing, flashback approach hampers the lead performances. Songs by John Denver. Sequel: Sunshine Christmas.
SURVIVAL OF DANA A pretty high school coed moves to a new town and falls in with the wrong crowd. You've seen it all before. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
SWEET HOSTAGE Drama about an escaped psychopath and the illiterate farm girl he drags to a deserted cabin to become her teacher, friend and lover. Performances of Sheen and Blair almost make this talky adaptation of Nathanial Benchley's Welcome to Xanadu worthwhile. Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
SYBIL An Emmy-winning psychological study of a young woman who, disturbed by childhood experiences, has developed seventeen separate personalities. Field is remarkable in the title role and Woodward brings a special glow to the role of the psychiatrist. A fascinating but deeply disturbing drama. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
TAIL GUNNER JOE The rise and fall of Senator Joseph McCarthy, with a stunning performance by Boyle. Gripping drama woven with author Lane Slate's bias. Above average.
TERROR ON THE BEACH A middle-class family is harassed for no apparent reason during a seaside vacation. The plot's resolution is the weakest point of an otherwise interestingly directed thriller. Above average.
THAT CERTAIN SUMMER Divorcé Doug Salter (Holbrook) must find a way to discuss homosexuality with his son during one of their usual reunions in San Francisco. Outstanding performances by the entire cast in a sensibly scripted, carefully crafted film, well done by any medium's standards. A television landmark from the estimable producing/writing team of Richard Levinson and William Link. Above average.
THURSDAY'S GAME A sparkling adult comedy about pokerplaying buddies Gene Wilder and Bob Newhart and their marital and business problems. Absolutely tops with a dandy cast and a gloriously intelligent, often hilarious script by James L. Brooks. Filmed in 1971. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
TRAPPED A man mugged in a department store awakens to find he's been locked in overnight, then is attacked by security dogs. Good premise gone awry, thanks to a faulty script and subplot. Average.
THE TRIAL OF LEE HARVEY OSWALD Intriguing courtroom drama from the "what if?" school of story-telling. John Pleshette is quite good as Oswald, who may or may not have been involved in any of the Kennedy assassination theories (including several that are quite bizarre), which are explored here. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE SCANDAL How to turn a real-life catastrophe (the turn-of-the-century fire that revolutionized working conditions and fire regulations) into a perfectly dull soap opera. Average.
TRIBES The D.I. updated for the anti-war era, with tough marine drill instructor Darren McGavin having his hands full with longhair Jan-Michael Vincent. An incisive mix of comedy, drama, and social comment, with an Emmy-winning script by Tracy Keenan and Marvin Schwartz. Shown theatrically overseas as The Soldier Who Declared Peace. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
TRILOGY OF TERROR Karen plays four tormented women in three exercises in the bizarre by writer Richard Matheson. Best: the third, "Prey," has a devil doll almost hounding her to death. This segment alone is worth your time. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
TRUE GRIT: A FURTHER ADVENTURE The further adventures of Rooster Cogburn put Warren Oates in the unfortunate position of trying to fill the Duke's boots in this busted series pilot. Average.
THE TWO WORLDS OF JENNIE LOGAN Stylish murder mystery/romantic drama taking place simultaneously in two centuries. Based on David Williams' Second Sight. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
THE UFO INCIDENT An absorbing, fact-based, semi-sci-fi drama tracing the story of a New England couple who claim to have been taken aboard a UFO and examined medically. Long on monologues, skimpy in action, it's kept afloat by the two leads and Hughes, the doctor who probes their memories. Above average.
A VACATION IN HELL Vacationers at a posh island resort wander into the jungle and face terror. Wow. Average.
WHEN MICHAEL CALLS Thriller-mystery of a mother receiving strange phone calls from a voice sounding like her dead son, with a subplot about divorce. Tame, predictable resolution in film that can't even build tension convincingly. Later released on home video under the title Shattered Silence. Written by James Bridges. Below average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? Peter Graves and his family are among the survivors of a radiation explosion. An "end of the world" tale by Lewis John Carlino; unevenly spun, indifferently acted. Average.
THE WINDS OF KITTY HAWK Stunningly photographed but tediously talky dramatization about the Wright Brothers, their efforts to fly, and their feud with Glenn Curtiss and his patron, Alexander Graham Bell. Stacy and James Keach covered much of the same ground in half the time some years earlier in their production on public television. Off the ground, there's magic. Above average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
WINNER TAKE ALL
WINTER KILL Resort-town sheriff Griffith tracks murderer, who leaves spray-painted messages at the scene. Another Griffith pilot that failed to catch on. Average. Sequel: Deadly Game. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
WONDER WOMAN Live-action cartoon -- the one that didn't make it -- about a superhuman female who uses her powers to stalk an elusive espionage agent. Set in present-day. Below average. Followed by The New, Original Wonder Woman and a TV series.
YOUNG LOVE, FIRST LOVE The title tells all in this routine story that asks the nagging question: Should Valerie go "all the way"? Average. Buy the DVD/VHS at Amazon.com.
ZUMA BEACH A fading rock star becomes involved with high schoolers at a beach party. OK if watching Suzanne in a bathing suit is enough to keep you interested for 100 min. Co-written by John Carpenter! Average.
- excerpted from Leonard Maltin's TV Movies 1985-86 (New York: Signet, 1984).
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