TV Guide: F. Murray Abraham

Listing: Scarface

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:15:00 -0400

Fri Oct 24 01:15 AM ENCR1

Listing: Parrots in the Land of Oz

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Sun Oct 19 08:00 PM PBS An exploration of Australia's diverse parrot population, including the fig parrot, the golden-shouldered parrot and the palm cockatoo. The overview examines their mating rituals and fight for survival, and details the damage the birds can do to farmers' crops.

Listing: All the President's Men

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:35:00 -0400

Thu Oct 16 01:35 PM MOMAXe

Listing: Color of Justice

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:15:00 -0400

Thu Oct 16 07:15 AM SHO2e

Listing: Blood Monkey

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:30:00 -0400

Tue Oct 14 11:30 PM SCI FI

Listing: The Beauty of Ugly

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Sun Oct 12 08:00 PM PBS Nature's ugliest creatures are spotlighted, including the dung beetle, elephant-seal bull, ghost-faced bat, Indian stork, naked mole rat, needle-toothed viperfish, proboscis monkey, star-nosed mole, tapeworm, vulture and warthog. Included: how their looks and attributes contribute to their survival.

Listing: Noah's Ark

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:00:00 -0400

Sun Oct 12 07:00 PM ION

Video: Try to Remember: The Fantasticks

iTunes — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:13:49 -0400

From 1960 to 2002, eight times a week, the Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York City s Greenwich Village played midwife to a musical theater ritual that attracted theatergoers from across the globe. That show was the legendary and beloved Fantasticks, and for 42 years and 17,162 performances, a legion of casts including such esteemed actors as F. Murray Abraham, Ricardo Montalban, Elliott Gould, Liza Minnelli, Glenn Close, Richard Chamberlain and John Carradine played out its sweetly timeless boy-meets-girl tale. On the eve of The Fantasticks final Off-Broadway performance, documentary filmmaker Eli Kabillio takes a wistful look back at the show s genesis, its creators and its continued worldwide popularity through regional and school theater. Features interviews with composer Harvey Schmidt, author Tom Jones, original cast member Jerry Orbach, columnist Liz Smith, talk show host Joe Franklin, and many others.

Video: Name Of The Rose, The

Video Detective — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:32:10 -0400

Adapted from Umberto Eco's best-selling novel, director Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Name of the Rose is a 14th century murder-mystery thriller starring Sean Connery as a Sherlock Holmes-esque Franciscan monk called William of Baskerville. When a murder occurs at a secluded Benedictine Abbey, William is called in to investigate. As he and his apprentice, Adson von Melk (Christian Slater), delve deeper and deeper into the case, more dead bodies begin to turn up. Eventually, Bernardo Gui, an inquisitor played by F. Murray Abraham gets involved, but he may not have the best intentions. Sean Connery's performance earned him the award for Best Actor at the 1988 British Academy Awards. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide.

Video: Nova: Einstein Revealed

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:24:37 -0400

Narrated by F. Murray Abraham, Nova: Einstein Revealed is a 120-minute dramatized documentary on the life and career of physicist Albert Einstein. Actor Andrew Sachs portrays Einstein as a man of formidable genius, passionate emotions, and powerful obsessions. The dramatized interview is coupled with historical photography, computer animation, and comments from experts. Interviewees include Jurgen Renn, of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Robert Schulmann from the Einstein Papers Project at Boston University, Francoise Balibar of the Universite de Paris, independent researcher Julian Barbour, Abraham Pais from Rockefeller University, Martin Klein of Yale University, Michio Kaku from City College of New York, and family friends Gabrielle Oppenheim and Peter Plesch. ~ Kathleen Wildasin, All Movie Guide.

Video: Noah's Ark

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:25:40 -0400

The biblical story of Noah and the Great Flood gets a decidedly unusual retelling in this film, produced as a two-part TV movie and first aired on NBC in May 1999. Noah Jon Voight is an ordinary laborer who one day begins receiving messages from God. It seems the Lord has a special assignment for him: since God is planning on destroying the world with a massive flood, he wants Noah to build a giant ark and fill it with one male and one female of each animal on earth. So why Noah of all people? As God tells him, You fit the bill. Good times, bad times, you believe in me. And why a 500-foot-long ark? I think big! I made the world in seven days! Joining Noah on the trip of a lifetime is his wife Naamah (Mary Steenburgen); those not invited along for the ride are F. Murray Abraham as Lot, Carol Kane as his wife Sarah, and James Coburn as a peddler. Some video versions run 140 minutes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide.

Video: Finding Forrester

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:17:22 -0400

In the spirit of his Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting, Gus Van Sant directs this tale of the unlikely bond that develops between an aging, reclusive novelist named Forrester (Sean Connery) -- who hasn't written anything since winning a Pulitzer Prize decades earlier -- and Jamal (Rob Brown), a 16-year-old with a hidden desire to be a writer. When Jamal is cited for his athleticism in basketball by an elite Manhattan prep school, he is forced to adapt to an environment far from his South Bronx upbringing, and a small mishap leads him to the eccentric, uneasy Forrester. After their initial apprehension of each other, they begin to fuel each other's fire for writing, and become unlikely friends despite their ages and backgrounds. Forrester's devotion to Jamal becomes enhanced when he must defend allegations of plagiarism enforced by Professor Crawford (F. Murray Abraham), jeopardizing Jamal's future. The film also features Anna Paquin, Busta Rhymes, and Zane Copeland, Jr.. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide.

Video: Final Inquiry (Inchiesta, L), The

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:17:11 -0400

A Roman warrior on a quest to uncover the truth about Jesus of Nazareth becomes enamored with an Israeli beauty after rescuing the woman from a violent mugger in this {-Biblical}-themed period drama starring Dolph Lundgren, F. Murray Abraham, Max Von Sydow, and M nica Cruz. A solar eclipse has cast darkness over the Roman Empire, and as the frightened population cowers in fear the earth beneath their feet begins to violently tremble. Having recently heard rumors about a mysterious Jewish savior who apparently transcended death, Emperor Tiberius sends fierce warrior Tauro to Jerusalem to solve a mystery that threatens to dissolve their empire. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Tauro rescues a young beauty named Tabitha and her frail grandmother from a menacing street criminal. But Tabitha is forbidden to look at Romans - much less speak to them - and now after entering into a forbidden romance with Tauro the end of an era fast approaches. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide.

Video: All New Adventures, Of Laurel And Hardy

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:06:34 -0400

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy return -- well, sort of -- in this comedy for the whole family. Bronson Pinchot plays the look-alike nephew of Stan Laurel, while Gailard Sartain appears as a man who bears a striking resemblance to his uncle, Oliver Hardy. Just like their uncles, when the younger Stan and Ollie get together, comic chaos is the inevitable result, especially after the duo travel to South Africa and encounter a mummy. F. Murray Abraham also appears in this film, which is not a biography of Laurel and Hardy or a remake of one of their classic films, but a new story inspired by the characters they created. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide.

Video: Amadeus

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:06:30 -0400

For this film adaptation of Peter Shaffer's Broadway hit, director Milos Forman returned to the city of Prague that he'd left behind during the Czech political crises of 1968, bringing along his usual cinematographer and fellow Czech expatriate, Miroslav Ondricek. Amadeus is an expansion of a Viennese urban legend concerning the death of 18th-century musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. From the vantage point of an insane asylum, aging royal composer Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) recalls the events of three decades earlier, when the young Mozart (Tom Hulce) first gained favor in the court of Austrian emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones). Salieri was incensed that God would bless so vulgar and obnoxious a young snipe as Mozart with divine genius. Why was Salieri--so disciplined, so devoted to his art, and so willing to toady to his superiors--not touched by God? Unable to match Mozart's talent, Salieri uses his influence in court to sabotage the young upstart's career. Disguising himself as a mysterious benefact

Video: Bridge Of San Luis Rey, The

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:05:47 -0400

Thornton Wilder's award-winning novel is given a lavish screen adaptation in this historical drama from writer and director Mary McGuckian. In Peru in 1714, a rickety bridge collapsed as five people were attempting to cross, forcing them to plunge to their deaths. Brother Fray Juniper (Gabriel Byrne) is a Franciscan monk who has been given the duty of looking into the tragedy by the archbishop of Lima (Robert De Niro), and to learn what he can about the victims. It is Juniper's belief that these particular people died for some reason, and that it is his duty to determine why God chose these five people to perish, while others in the vicinity survived. After five years, Juniper delivers his findings to the archbishop as well as the viceroy of Peru (F. Murray Abraham), as Juniper tells them of the lives of the troubled Dona Maria (Kathy Bates), the nun Pepita (Adriana Dominguez), warm-hearted Uncle Pio (Harvey Keitel), street kid-turned-actress La Perichola (Pilar Lopez de Ayala), and others involved in the tra

Video: Bible Series: Esther, The

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:58:00 -0400

The tenth in a series of made-for-TV movies based on stories from the Bible, this drama stars Louise Lombard as Esther, a common Jewish woman who rose to wealth and power when she captured the heart of the King of Persia. Eventually, Esther opted to use her influence to win freedom and a better life for her people. Esther also stars F. Murray Abraham as Mordecai, Jurgen Prochnow as Haman, Ornella Muti as Queen Vashti, and Thomas Kretschmann as King Ahasuerus. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide.

Video: Joshua

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:35:12 -0400

A mysterious stranger brings both spiritual comfort and a certain level of distrust to a small community in this drama based on the spiritual best-seller by Joseph Girzone. A mysterious man named Joshua (Tony Goldwyn) arrives in the small Midwestern town of Auburn sometime in the late 19th century. Joshua sets up a carpentry shop in Auburn, and soon develops a reputation for his kind and unselfish nature; after bad weather nearly destroys a church in the town's African-American neighborhood, Joshua offers to help repair the building, and has soon persuaded much of the community to offer their support, including Father Pat (Kurt Fuller), a priest at Auburn's Catholic church. Father Pat's superior, Father Tardone (F. Murray Abraham) is also struck by Joshua's talent, charm, and humble desire to help others, and asks him to carve a new statue of Saint Peter for their church. However, while much of the town is following the good example set by Joshua, when people begin to ascribe supernatural powers to the town's

Video: Muppets From Space

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:07:32 -0400

At long last, the secret of just what the Great Gonzo happens to be is revealed! As Gonzo and his friend Rizzo hit the road in search of their roots, Gonzo makes a shocking discovery: his parents are actually space aliens from another galaxy. After announcing this startling news on Miss Piggy's talk show (hey, if Ricki Lake and Rosie O'Donnell can do it, why not Miss Piggy?), Gonzo finds himself the subject of a dark and mysterious government conspiracy, led by the nefarious K. Edgar Singer (Jeffrey Tambor). In time, Gonzo is forced to choose: should he hop on board the UFO and sail off to live with his family, or stay on Earth with the friends he knows and loves? Muppets From Space once again pairs the late Jim Henson's creations with a stellar cast of human beings, including F. Murray Abraham, David Arquette, Ray Liotta, and Andie MacDowell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide.

Video: Dead Man's Walk

Video Detective — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:43:46 -0400

Author Larry McMurtry revisits Gus and Woodrow, the aging lawmen from his bestselling Western novel {-Lonesome Dove}, in their early days as young men determined to make a name for themselves as Texas Rangers in this made-for-TV prequel. Gus (David Arquette) and Woodrow (Jonny Lee Miller) join up with a ragtag band of Rangers determined to take Santa Fe away from Mexico, but they soon find they've walked into a dangerous but forbidding territory of populated by hostile Indians and dangerous opportunists. Dead Man's Walk also features Brian Dennehy, F. Murray Abraham, Keith Carradine, and Edward James Olmos. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide.

Video: Thirteen Ghosts

Video Detective — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:30:24 -0400

This haunted house chiller is the second feature from Dark Castle Entertainment, the mid-budget outfit put together in 1999 to remake the cheesy horror genre pictures of William Castle by his daughter, Terry Castle, and producers Gilbert Adler, Robert Zemeckis, and Joel Silver. Financially ravaged and widowed by a fire that is consuming him with guilt, Arthur Kriticos (Tony Shalhoub) is left to raise two kids on his own: beautiful teenager Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth) and grade school student Bobby (Alec Roberts). Good news suddenly drops into their lives when a lawyer visits and reveals that they have inherited a lavish home from a late uncle, Cyrus (F. Murray Abraham), an eccentric ghost hunter. The Kriticos family moves into the remote house only to discover its odd secret: the dwelling contains a state-of-the-art, elaborate system of moving glass walls that trap spirits inside. Soon the ghosts, which can only be seen through the use of special high-tech spectacles, are loose in the elaborate contraption and

Video: Eruption!

Video Detective — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:58:10 -0400

Forces of politics and nature converge to throw a poor nation into chaos in this drama. Sam (Cyril O'Reilly) is a photojournalist from the United States who is on assignment in the South American country of San Pedro. While his stated goal is to cover a visit by the Pope, Sam also hopes to score an exclusive interview with Marcos (Carlos Carrasco), the leader of an insurgent band of revolutionaries. While Sam's attempts to track down Marcos earn him the enmity of President Mendoza (F. Murray Abraham), San Pedro's brutally repressive leader, he also makes the acquaintance of Luisa (Patricia Velazquez), a doctor who has devoted her life to helping the poverty-stricken peasants living in the mountains. With Luisa's help, Sam finally meets Marcos and is able to document his brave struggle on film, but as a full-scale revolution is on the verge of toppling Mendoza's regime, a long-dormant volcano comes to life and threatens all of San Pedro's residents, regardless of political affiliation. Roger Corman served as e

Video: By The Sword

Video Detective — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:49:18 -0400

Villard (Eric Roberts) is an expert swordsman who runs a fencing school; he first learned the sport from his father, who was killed in a match when Villard was a young man. One day, an older gentleman (F. Murray Abraham) who looks down on his luck appears at Villard's fencing studio; he introduces himself as Suba and asks for a job teaching fencing. Villard, dubious about the ragged-looking man's credentials, instead offers him a job as a janitor, which he accepts. However, in time Villard discovers Suba really does know fencing, and finds that Suba has a secret -- he is in fact the man who killed his father, out of prison and looking for some sort of redemption. Villard, however, is more interested in revenge for his father's death. The supporting cast includes Mia Sara, Christopher Rydell, and Elaine Kagan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide.

Video: Surviving The Game

Video Detective — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:03:43 -0400

The Richard Connell short story, {-The Most Dangerous Game}, has been adapted for the screen many times. In this updated version, the rapper-actor Ice-T plays Mason, a homeless man whose best friend and his dog both die on the same day. Cole (Charles S. Dutton, a relief worker, tells Mason that there's a job available that entails leading a hunting expedition in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. The desperate Mason signs on. The hunting party is led by two CIA agents, Burns (Rutger Hauer) and Hawkins (Gary Busey), and it includes a business executive, Wolfe, Sr. (F. Murray Abraham), his son (William McNamara), and a strange Texan, Griffin (John C. McGinley). Mason flies on ahead to prepare the hunting lodge, and there he discovers that he is to be the prey for the hunt, though the hunters at least give him a head start before pursuing. The violent action pits the high-tech hunters, armed with numerous fancy weapons and vehicles, against Mason -- who must rely on his street smarts to escape and turn the