Lenora May Movies
- 1996
Leaving Julia (Neve Campbell) in charge of the younger kids, Charlie (Matthew Fox) heads to Chicago for a surprise reunion with Kirsten (Paula Devicq), which does not meet with the approval of her troubled mother Ellie (Kathleen Noone). Before long, Kirsten is begging Charlie to take her away from all this. . .as far as San Francisco. Back at home, Julia is convinced that her pesky sister Claudia (Lacey Chabert) is feigning illness--until Claudia ends up in the hospital with appendictis. And in her efforts to find out why Bailey (Scott Wolf) is avoiding her, Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt) finally learns the awful truth. Several awful truths, in fact. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The bizarre relationship between an overbearing mother and her son, a convicted rapist, forms the basis of this dark drama based on a novel by Jack Olsen, which is in turn based on a true story. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dale Midkiff, (more)
- 1987
This made-for-TV movie is the second follow-up to the astonishingly successful Kenny Rogers as the Gambler (1980). Rogers returns as Old West gambler Brady Hawkes, while Bruce Boxleitner, Rogers' co-star in 1983's The Gambler: The Adventure Continues, is also back as Hawkes' sidekick Billy Montana. Others in the cast include Linda Gray as adventuress Mary Collins, Jeffrey Jones as Buffalo Bill Cody and George American Horse as Sitting Bull. This time around, Brady and Billy try to protect the Sioux Nation from corrupt, treaty-breaking cavalry officers who've been stealing cattle and shifting the blame to the Indians. The Gambler III: The Legend Continues debuted November 22, 1987, an occasion celebrated by a TV Guide cover story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This sequel to New World Pictures' surprise horror hit bears little connection with its predecessor apart from the participation of writer Ethan Wiley, who also assumed directorial duties. This time around, the title abode is an old mansion inherited by the great-great-grandson of its original owner, a legendary frontier outlaw. The new owner, Jesse (Arye Gross), whose parents were murdered in the mansion 20 years ago, unwisely searches the premises for a cache of gems believed to be hidden there. With the aid of girlfriend Kate (Lar Park Lincoln) and buddy Charlie (Jonathan Stark), Jesse stumbles upon the original owner himself (Royal Dano), who is remarkably still alive (albeit in particularly decrepit condition) and cantankerous as all get-out. Great-great-grandpa has been preserved by the supernatural powers of an Aztec crystal skull, which is also capable of reanimating the dead and opening portals into other dimensions. Its true powers are tested readily when the skull falls into the wrong hands, leading our heroes on a wacky supernatural chase. The horror comedy formula that kept the original film's shaky premise afloat is far less functional here, filling the story with silly contrivances that include a collection of pet monsters and a time-travel romantic subplot. Still, the film has some clever moments, mainly from Dano, who makes the most of his difficult character by adding a cartoonish flair, and from Cheers alum John Ratzenberger's amusing cameo turn as a plumber strangely accustomed to cross-dimensional travel. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Arye Gross, Jonathan Stark, (more)
- 1984
Often cited as a rip-off of such "parent-kid personality switch" films of the 1980s as Like Father, Like Son and Vice Versa, this ABC Afterschool Special actually predates those projects by several years. Summer camper Ben Andrews (Scott Schwartz) would like to be a grown-up. Ben's father, Bill Andrews (Robert Klein), a harried movie executive, yearns for the carefree days of childhood. Inevitably, Ben and Bill switch personalities, with uproarious results. Amazingly, no one seems to notice the switch, not even when 12-year-old Ben puffs away on a pipe while heading a movie conference, and middle-aged Bill totes a teddy bear all around summer camp. (One would think that the overacting of both stars would rather give the game away, but we shouldn't be seeking logic here, should we?) Summer Switch is based on a novel by Bruce Rodgers. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Klein, Scott Schwartz, (more)
- 1983
Richard Thomas stars as country music star Hank Williams Jr. in this made-for-TV biopic, based on Williams' own memoirs. Williams wasn't yet four years old when his father, the legendary country singer/songwriter Hank Williams, died en route to a show. By the time he was eight, his mother, Audrey (Allyn Ann McLerie), had put Hank Jr. on-stage, singing his father's songs as a novelty act. As a teenager, Williams was signed to a recording contract, still specializing in his father's material. Williams made a respectable living in the music business, but he longed to create a musical identity of his own. Williams' struggle to come out from under the long shadow of his father's legacy was a difficult one, and it took a prolonged bout with alcoholism, an unsuccessful suicide attempt, and a near-fatal fall while mountain climbing before Williams was able to come to terms with his father's reputation, forging a country-rock style all his own and finding success on his own terms. Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story also features Williams' long-time manager and friend Merle Kilgore as himself; country star Naomi Judd also makes a cameo appearance as one of Hank's many one-night romances on the road, and a 14-year-old Christian Slater plays Hank's son. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
In this thriller, a baby-sitter is terrorized by an anonymous telephone caller who turns out to be a particularly persistent serial killer. When a stranger calls to ask, "Have you checked the children lately?" teenaged sitter Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) is understandably spooked. After a series of increasingly creepy calls culminates in a request for "your blood...all over me," Jill learns from the police operator that the man is calling from inside the house. One narrow escape and two dead children later, the police capture British maniac Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley). Several years later, the killer escapes from a mental institution and plagues Tracy (Colleen Dewhurst), a hard-drinking New Yorker. Foiled by John Clifford (Charles Durning), the same cop who investigated the original case, Duncan sets his sights back on his original victim, Jill Johnson, who, now married and out to dinner with her husband, has left her own young children at home -- with a baby-sitter. When a Stranger Calls helped inspire Drew Barrymore's famous opening scene in Wes Craven's Scream. Kane, Durning, and director Fred Walton would return for 1993's TV-movie sequel, When a Stranger Calls Back. Beckley died a year after the original film's release. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carol Kane, Charles Durning, (more)
- 1979
- PG
This is a tragic tale of the slow degeneration of a cancer patient that is filled with pathos and sorrow. Buffy Koenig (Kathleen Beller) is terminally ill with cancer and for the two-hour running time, she goes through several surgical procedures, suffers all the devastating side effects of chemotherapy, and gets unrelentingly worse. Her doctor (Marsha Mason) has a certain amount of conflict herself, but that is nothing compared to the young patient's distraught parents (Ned Beatty and Susan Clark) or her grief-stricken boyfriend (Paul Clemens). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marsha Mason, Kathleen Beller, (more)
- 1978
In search of the person who stuffed a note reading "Be My Friend" in a bottle, Charles (Michael Landon) and Laura (Melissa Gilbert) come upon an abandoned baby. It soon develops that the child's unwed, teenaged parents were forced to part by the girl's resentful father. While Charles tries to patch things up with the couple's families, Laura grows increasingly attached to the baby. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
