Lou Diamond Phillips

Joe Gavilan, a seasoned veteran, is charged with showing K.C. Calden the ropes, while investigating the gangland-style murder of a rap group.

A federal witness runs away and a team of government agents track him down, but when they take a shortcut on the return trip, they're attacked by zombies. Smith, a mob informer hiding out with the Witness Protection Program, decides to make a break for it and hide out in the Arizona desert. The Feds catch up with him and rescue him just before a group of hitmen can manage to silence him for good. In the course of getting Smith away from the mafia thugs, the pair of agents assigned to protect him turn onto an abandoned stretch of highway nicknamed 'Route 666' after the mysterious death of a prison chain gang. As the three continue on their way, they soon discover just what happened to the chain gang, and how the highway earned its name. —Jean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net>

Supernova chronicles the search-and-rescue patrol of the medical ship Nightingale 229 in deep space in the early 22nd century and its six-member crew, which includes captain and pilot A.J. Marley (Robert Forster), co-pilot Nick Vanzant (James Spader), medical officer Kaela Evers (Angela Bassett), medical technician Yerzy Penalosa (Lou Diamond Phillips), search and rescue paramedic Danika Lund (Robin Tunney) and computer technician Benjamin Sotomejor (Wilson Cruz). Sweetie (Vanessa Marshall) is the ship's on-board computer. Aboard their vessel, they receive an emergency distress signal directly coming from an ice mining operation on the moon Titan 37, more than 3,000 light-years away. The ship usually receives signals from dispatch, so getting a direct signal is unusual. Titan 37 is a rogue moon as it was expelled from its parent body and is now wandering in deep space. The moon was abandoned 5 years ago, and all mining operations stopped. The call is from Karl Larson, who is Kaela's old former lover. Nick has joined the crew just 12 days before and is ex-military. He was discharged for drug use and he opted to spend his volunteer service (as part of the rehabilitation) on the Nightingale. Kaela doesn't trust Nick. Danika is having a sexual relationship with Yerzy. The crew answers the call and dimension-jumps-during which Captain Marley suffers fatal injuries due to a malfunction of the ship's equipment (the dimensional pods will allow humans to survive during the jump malfunctioned)-arriving in the path of Titan 37's debris cloud, some of which damages the ship and causes the loss of 82 percent of its maneuvering fuel. Worse still, Titan 37 orbits a blue giant, and its high gravity field will pull the ship to the point where it will be incinerated in 17 hours, 12 minutes-which happens to be almost the same amount of time that the Nightingale 229 will need to recharge its jump drive, their only possible hope for escape. Benajmin figures out that the dimension pod was showing signs of malfunction prior to the jump, which he thinks that Marley must have seen. He is puzzled as to why Marley chose to jump in this case. With only an 11-minute window for escape, the surviving crew soon find themselves in danger from the disturbing young man in his 20's (Peter Facinelli) they rescue (Karl launched a ship from the Titan's surface while the Nightingale was in orbit around the moon), and the mysterious alien artifact he has smuggled aboard. Kaela says the young man they rescued is not Karl. The man claims to be Troy, Karl's son, who he says died 3 years ago. Troy claims that he was scavenging the moon after the Govt left and was left stranded by his friends when they found nothing of value on the moon. But he reports that the moon has plenty of fuel for the Nightingale. He found the alien artifact when he was on the moon all alone. He plans to sell it to the Govt for a hefty profit and offers 5% each to the crew. But Nick says this can dangerous and plans to abandon the artifact in deep space, when they get out of their current situation with the blue star. Nick leaves on a shuttle to get fuel for the ship. Yerzy is fascinated with the artifact, while Troy seduces and has sex with Danika. The artifact is analyzed by the ship's computer and is said to contain nine-dimensional matter (The shell casing enclosing the matter is supposed to disperse it in all directions, resulting in the creation of new 3-dimensional matter. Kaela concludes its a bomb, but Sweetie says that it will replenish essential minerals in the 3 dimensional universe).. Kaela believes that an alien civilization has planted this device, so that an advanced civilization discovers it, takes it home, where it explodes and eliminates their competition. Troy cuts off Sweetie's communication with Nick, while Nick discovers many dead bodies inside the mining station. It is ultimately discovered (Sweetie matches with known the DNA records, when she can't ascertain Troy's identity as stated) that the young man who called for rescue is actually Karl Larson, an old former lover of Kaela (it is implied that he was abusive). Karl came into contact with the nine-dimensional matter after recovering the artifact. It somehow enabled him to acquire super-strength (his bones have strengthened themselves) and supernatural healing abilities, ability to read people's minds and made him younger (such that Kaela did not recognize him as Karl). Karl murders most of the crew (Danika is killed first when she finds Troy sabotaging Nick's shuttle. He kills Yerzy as he was getting stronger due to the closeness to the artifact. Benjamin discovers that Yerzy and Danika are missing and attacks Troy, who kills him) except Kaela and strands Nick on the mining platform (By flying the shuttle back to the Nightingale, remotely). Karl unsuccessfully attempts to romantically reconcile with Kaela. Nick finds his way back to the medical ship through a rescue pod left on the mining platform, and a battle ensues between Nick and Karl. Karl is ultimately killed by Kaela using explosives placed near the alien artifact which Karl was obsessed with retrieving. The explosion ejects the artifact into space, hurtling it towards the blue giant. With moments left before the dimension jump activates, Kaela and Nick place themselves into the only remaining dimensional stabilization chamber (Karl had destroyed all but one), which is the only thing that enables human beings to survive the ship's dimensional jump drive. The pods are meant to hold only one person; however, two subjects might be genetically mixed during the dimensional jump. Before Nick and Kaela enter the only remaining pod, the computer warns them that the nine-dimensional matter is reacting with the gravity of the blue giant sun and will cause a nine-dimensional reaction that will spread in all directions, such that the reaction's resulting supernova will reach Earth within 51 years. The computer hypothesizes that the reaction will either destroy life on Earth or "enable humankind to achieve a new level of existence". Just before the blue giant supernovas, the ship engages in a dimensional jump which brings Nick and Kaela back to Earth. As a result of their being in the same pod, the two of them each have one eye of the other person's original eye color. The ship's computer also reveals that Kaela is pregnant, which may be the result of them being in the pod together during the jump, or the result of their copulation hours earlier.

There is a biological emergency...so bad that the Center for Disease Control has interrupted Dr Sheila Casper's [Dina Meyer] field research in the bat caves of Skull Valley, Arizona to fly her to Gallup, Texas. Six days ago, two genetically-altered flying foxes broke free from Dr Alexander McCabe's [Bob Gunton] research laboratory. At first, they killed only animals, but now they've begun feeding on humans. Sheila Casper, a wildlife zoologist who specializes in bats (Chiroptera), has been called to help find the pair before they kill more humans or contaminate other bats in the area. Aided by Sheriff Emmett Kimsey [Lou Diamond Phillips] and CDC specialist Dr Tobe Hodge [Carlos Jacott], Sheila and her assistant Jimmy Sands [Leon] begin to search for the bats' roosting area. The first night out, Emmett and Sheila are attacked by a horde of them. They are able to capture one of them and plant a homing device under its skin. When they set it free, however, hoping that it will lead them to the roost, it is attacked and killed by the other bats, as though they knew it was a plant. Apparently, these bats have been bred for super-intelligence. Gallup must be evacuated, and the mayor is told to broadcast a warning to all residents to stay indoors and secure their houses. Unfortunately, no one listens. The bats invade the town and, within minutes, people are grabbing guns and shooting at anything that moves, cars are being smashed up and bursting into flames, and victims lay in the street dying. Tobe Hodge is one of them. More help is required. The military arrives and begins evacuating the town. They give Sheila and her bat hunters 48 hours before they start blowing things up. Sheila sets up headquarters in the most easily secured building in Gallup--the school. The military has promised to center the infrared cameras of a Chromo-B340 satellite on the area around Gallop to help locate the bat roost. Even when the roost is located, however, how are they going to annihilate every last bat? From the numbers they saw the other night, there are thousands of them. Bombing the roost will only scatter them, Sheila explains, leading to the creation of other roosts and potentiating the problem. Poisoning them is not an option, as the most popular bat poison (chlorofoccinol?) is only marginally effective against bats but highly lethal to humans. Sheila thinks the best solution is to put them to sleep by lowering the temperature in the cave. At 40 degrees F, bats begin to hibernate. At 32 degrees, they freeze to death. Jimmy arranges for an NGIC Industrial Coolant that uses freon, carbon dioxide, and oxygen to be dropped off as soon as the roost is located. When the spy satellite begins sending pictures of the bats, Emmett recognizes the area as that of the old Black Rock mine. Everything is set to begin at 0600 hours. Except that the government has other ideas, which don't include waiting until dawn. During the night, they wire the mine with explosives. Unfortunately, the bats kill them all then come for McCabe, their creator, who still has a modicum of mind control over them. The bats want their freedom. When Sheila et al arrive at the mine the next morning, they are informed by the military that they weren't able to turn on the coolant unit, so the plan now is to bomb and gas the mine starting in one hour. Sheila decides that one hour is enough time for them to get the coolant unit started, so she and Emmett suit up and enter the mine. Jimmy stays outside to monitor their progress and to blow up the mine entrance should it become necessary. Although they find themselves up to their waist in bat guano, they are successful at starting the coolant. As they make for the exit, the bats begin to pursue. Run, run, run! The moment they exit, Jimmy detonates the explosives. As they drive away, an escaped bat lifts its head out of the sand on the road. The car runs it over. Splat. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]

Melvin Smiley (Mark Wahlberg) has a good life thanks to his talents as a contract-killer but has a very working-class mentality going about his life, in combination with his constant struggles to maintain two romantic relationships. One is with the demanding and demeaning Chantel (Lela Rochon), who does not accept his work, and the other with Pam (Christina Applegate), who knows nothing of his job. Melvin is somewhat of a pushover, trying to appease all of Chantel's demands, even her most expensive wishes (like paying the next installment of $25K on her mortgage), as well as rolling over whenever one of his co-workers takes credit for his achievements. Chantel is cheating on Melvin and knows that he is engaged to Pam on the side. Pam has also taken $50K out of their savings account to loan to her parents, who are unable to get a loan to start a business due to their bad credit history in the past. Melvin carries out entire heists by himself (taking all the risks), while his co-workers wait for him outside to finish the job. But in front of the boss, they push Melvin behind to take all the credit. Perhaps as a result of his helplessness in asserting himself, throughout the early scenes, Melvin is often seen drinking Maalox to relieve a developing stress-induced ulcer. Feeling underpaid for their work for mob boss Paris (Avery Brooks), the assassin team of Melvin, Cisco (Lou Diamond Phillips), Crunch (Bokeem Woodbine), Vince (Antonio Sabato Jr.) and Gump (Robin Dunne) take an independent job, kidnapping Keiko Nishi (China Chow), the teenage daughter of local electronics magnate Jiro Nishi (Sab Shimono), for a hefty ransom. Melvin poses as her limo driver and picks her up from school. Her boyfriend Lance tries to sexually assault Keiko in the back of the limo and Melvin shoots him. Despite the kidnapping, Keiko is not afraid and instead makes fun of the fact that the kidnappers look amateurs. Unfortunately, the team does not realize that Nishi has recently gone bankrupt over his failed foray into films and furthermore, their boss Paris is the girl's godfather. Enlisted by the group to hold Keiko, Melvin has to hide the bound and gagged schoolgirl on his property. At first, Melvin hides Keiko at Chantel's place, but she kicks her out when she finds that Melvin has been unable to come up with the money for the mortgage like he had promised. Now Melvin has no option but to hide Keiko at Pam's. Attempting to keep her presence hidden from Pam and her parents (Jeanne (Lainie Kazan) & Morotn (Elliott Gould)), who are staying over at Pam's for the weekend. Pam takes her parents to the Jewish temple for their daily prayers. That allows Melvin a little breather to bring things under control. Melvin feels sorry for Keiko and relieves her from her bondage. In the ensuing hours they build up a rapport preparing dinner together, an act which leads into a love scene reminiscent of the pottery scene from Ghost, but which is cut short when Keiko attempts to escape. Melvin captures Keiko and puts her in the boot of his car. Ordered by Paris to discover the kidnappers of his goddaughter, a panicked Cisco kills Gump. While Cisco was with Paris, Gump makes the ransom call to Jiro at the appointed time. By this time Jiro had set up all the trace equipment needed to track and locate the caller. Gump gives the location of the money drop to Jiro, but Jiro stalls enough for the trace to be completed. So, Cisco rushes out (with the rest of Paris's goons) to get to Gump and kill him, because he will spill the beans to Paris. Cisco hits Gump in the midriff into implicating Melvin for the kidnapping, by saying that Keiko is with Melvin. Then Cisco kills Gump. A team of assassins crash Melvin's dinner with Pam's family, leading to a shootout during which Melvin realizes Pam was going to break up with him over pressure from her mother, a hardcore Jew who is severely against her being with Melvin, a Gentile. Melvin and Keiko's growing feelings for each other lead them to forming an awkward romance, and she and Melvin attempt to escape from the fiasco, pursued by Cisco. In the chaos, Melvin happens to run into Chantel (who was running away with her boyfriend and Melvin's money) and finally takes the opportunity to stand up to her and end their relationship. A fight ensues between Cisco and Melvin, culminating at a video store where the ever-honest Melvin stops to return an overdue tape of King Kong Lives. Melvin kills Cisco by stabbing him in the chest, but not before Cisco arms an explosive device. Melvin leaves the building and is confronted by Keiko, her father and Paris. He re-enters the building, which explodes. Paris and Nishi, believing Melvin to be dead, call off the manhunt. Soon Melvin is revealed to have survived, sheltered from the blast by an enormous solid gold film stand-up made for the flop that destroyed Nishi's career. Melvin and Keiko are reunited and ride off together, while Nishi recoups his losses by making a film out of the story of his daughter's kidnapping.

A rogue cop joins an elite L.A.P.D. unit who secretly operate as a vigilante death squad, but soon begins to question their methods. Jeff Powers is the newest member of a very elite and very secret LAPD division. Their mission is to target important criminals and to get them to stop. Police brutality is not a known term for the division and they will stop at nothing to get the job done, even if it means murder. —Steve Richer <sricher@sympatico.ca>

A Los Angeles policeman hunts a killer brought back by Satan. A killer is given the gas chamber after committing several demonic murders. His spirit is released and given power by the Devil. Now the cop that caught him before must find a way to do it again. —Glenn J. Schworak <glenn@g-world.com> A young man,Patrick Channing,born out of an incestuous relationship, and enduring an emotionally ,psychologically scarring childhood, gives in to the dark side of Satanic forces and becomes a weapon of evil. He kills with such ferocity that he becomes the main target of the L.A.P.D. Detective Russell Logan(a specialist in catching serial killers) engages in a battle of wits with Channing in life and after death. It appears that Channing can't be stopped,but Logan has a few tricks of his own to match Channing's-"First Power". —free_to _finn

The true story of Jaime Escalante, the East Los Angeles mathematics teacher who challenges the system and stereotypes to raise the standard of life for his inner-city students.

A group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted. 1878 in New Mexico: John Tunstall picks up young gun men from the road to have them work on his ranch, but also to teach them reading and to civilize them. However he's a thorn in the side of the rich rancher Murphy, as he's a competitor in selling cattle. One day he's shot by Murphy's men. Judge Wilson can't do anything, since Sheriff Brady is one of Murphy's men. But attorney Alex persuades him to constitute Tunstall's young friends to Deputies and give them warrants of arrest for the murderers. Instead of arresting them, William Bonney just shoots them down. Soon the 5 guys become famous and William gets the name "Billy the Kid" - but they're also chased by dozens of Murphy's men and the army. The people however honor him as fighter for justice. —Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>