Samantha Smith Movies
It's been two years since Missie's husband Willie died in a tragic accident, and now after returning to her father's Tettsford Junction ranch the girl who once lost all faith will find new cause to live after adopting a desperate teenage orphan. Compelled to defend her adopted daughter's orphaned brother as well after discovering that his malicious foster parents are woefully mistreating the boy, Missie does her best to ensure the safety of the children while simultaneously attempting to come to terms with her growing affection for the town sheriff. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erin Cottrell, Dale Midkiff, (more)
The interstellar battle between the Autobots and Decepticons rains destruction down on planet Earth as director Michael Bay adapts Hasbro and Takara's popular Transformers franchise into a big-budget, live-action summer tentpole extravaganza in this ambitious sci-fi action feature starring Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Bernie Mac, John Turturro, Jon Voight, and, of course, Optimus Prime and Megatron. Long ago, on the planet of Cybertron, a massive, powerful alien race divided into two factions, the noble Autobots, and the devious Decepticons. They fought for the sole access to a talisman known as the Allspark, a cube with the capacity to grant infinite power, and eventually the Autobots smuggled it off the planet's surface, hiding it in an unknown location on Earth. Now, hundreds of years later, the Deceptacons have come looking for it, and if the Autobots don't find it first, the Earth will be enslaved or destroyed by the evil aliens' use of its massive power. The Autobots don't know where the cube was hidden, but the information may be stored in the most unlikely of sources, as a gangly young Earthling named Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) who's just picked up his first car, has a strange connection to the Allspark's history, making him the unlikely ally of these enormous creatures, as they fight for humankind's survival and the chance to return home. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, (more)
An eighteen year old aspiring doctor finds her life suddenly pulled in two opposing directions in this period romantic drama starring Erin Cottrell and Scout Taylor-Compton. Eighteen year old Belinda Tyler (Taylor-Compton) lives in the quiet western town of Anderson Corner. As the turn of the 20th Century draws near Belinda recognizes that she must begin to build her future. While campaigning to convince the local physician to grant her an apprenticeship, Belinda suddenly finds her attentions drifting towards a handsome New York lawyer. Before long Belinda is hopelessly in love with the dashing newcomer, but she knows that all he wants is a traditional family. Is it possible for a girl to have more than one dream in life, and even if so, is it realistic to believe you can truly have everything you ever wanted? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erin Cottrell, Dale Midkiff, (more)
- 2006
Everyone is thrown for a loop (or is it a hoop?) when Lynn Hayden (Samantha Smith), Julie Teeger's much-admired high school basketball coach, dies in what seems to be a freak accident with a hair dryer. Monk (Tony Shalhoub) of course suspects murder, but this seems unlikely since Lynn apparently had no enemies. To get to the truth, Monk signs up as assistant to the school's interim coach, who happens to be Julie's mom (and Monk's caregiver) Natalie (Traylor Howard). Amidst a great deal of personal agony over having to actually stoop to physical exertion (and in a sweaty, smelly high school gym to boot) Monk uncovers a link between Lynn's demise and a recent forest fire--to say nothing of a similarly suspicious death at a country club three years before. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After creating an international sensation with the visually dazzling and intellectually challenging sci-fi blockbuster The Matrix, the Wachowski brothers returned with the first of two projected sequels that pick up where the first film left off. Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) have been summoned by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) to join him on a voyage to Zion, the last outpost of free human beings on Earth. Neo and Trinity's work together has been complicated by the fact the two are involved in a serious romantic relationship. Upon their arrival in Zion, Morpheus locks horns with rival Commander Lock (Harry J. Lennix) and encounters his old flame Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith). Meanwhile, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) has returned with some surprises for Neo, most notably the ability to replicate himself as many times as he pleases. Neo makes his way to The Oracle (Gloria Foster), who informs him that if he wishes to save humankind, he must unlock "The Source," which means having to release The Key Maker (Randall Duk Kim) from the clutches of Merovingian (Lambert Wilson). While Merovingian refuses to cooperate, his wife, Persephone (Monica Bellucci), angry at her husband's dalliances with other women, offers to help, but only in exchange for a taste of Neo's affections. With The Keymaker in tow, Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus are chased by Merovingian's henchmen: a pair of deadly albino twins (Neil Rayment and Adrian Rayment). Filmed primarily in Australia and California (the extended chase scene was shot on a stretch of highway build specifically for the production outside of San Francisco), The Matrix Reloaded was produced in tandem with the third film in the series, The Matrix Revolutions. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, (more)
- 2002
The title of the CBS doctor drama referred to the fictional Presidio Medical Group of San Francisco. Distinguishing this effort from all other forcep-and-scalpel weeklies was the fact that the staff of Presidio Med was virtually all-female, save for a brace of "token" handsome hunks. Still, in standard TV fashion, the doctors became emotionally (and sometimes intimately) involved in the welfare of their patients. The main characters included OB-GYN specialist Harriet Lanning (Blythe Danner), oncologist Rae Brennan (Dana Delany), cardiologist Letty Jordan (Anna Deavere Smith), plastic surgeon Jackie Collette (Sasha Alexander), pediatrician Jules Keating (Julianne Nicholson), and, from the male contingent, internist Matt Slingerland (Paul Blackthorne) and Greek-born surgeon Nicholas Kokoris (Oded Fehr). Created by former ER producers Lydia Woodward and John Wells, Presidio Med debuted Tuesday, September 24, 2002, before settling into its usual Wednesday-night time slot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Delany, Paul Blackthorne, (more)
Four Los Angeles friends discover that a triangle isn't necessarily limited to three sides as their lives, loves, and lofty aspirations slowly meld into one remarkable example of life in one of the most remarkable cities on planet Earth. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Garrett, Michael Marich, (more)
- 2001
Max (Jessica Alba) unexpectedly gets in touch with her "kinder, gentler" side when she agrees to accompany Logan (Michael Weatherly) to a Cale family wedding. Meanwhile, Max's friends are at the mercy of a hostile art smuggler named Duvalier (Master P), who intends to get revenge for a mix-up at the Jam Pony in which a stolen painting was delivered to the wrong place. This turn of events forces Max to briefly take leave of the wedding and rush to her pal's rescue -- but will she be able to save the day without mussing up her new 6,000-dollar dress? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Interviewing for a job at Ralph Lauren, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) didn't really mean to kiss her interviewer, Mr. Zelner (Steve Ireland), but there you are. Meanwhile, Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) set out to prove that their ardor is stronger than the attraction between Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Gary (Michael Rapaport). And Ross (David Schwimmer) beats Joey's (Matt LeBlanc) time with a new girl in the apartment building. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
With Fay (Rebecca Schull) on vacation, the Hackett brothers hire a temporary ticket-tacker -- a gorgeous young lady named Shannon (Samantha Smith). Brian (Steve Weber) is so smitten by Shannon that he can't think of anything else, but Joe (Tim Daly) is impervious to her charms -- or at least that's what he tells Helen (Crystal Bernard). Elsewhere, Casey (Amy Yasbeck) sets herself up for a fall when she helps Antonio (Tony Shalhoub) find a new job. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
George's wedding to Susan (Heidi Swedberg) is delayed by three months -- and no one is more relieved than George (Jason Alexander). Hoping to gain admittance into the Friar's Club, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) borrows a jacket -- which he promptly loses to a band of gypsies, or at least that's what it looks like. In trying to replicate Leonardo da Vinci's sleeping habits, Kramer (Michael Richards) ends up at a restaurant which specializes in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is in for it when Peterman (John O'Hurley) hires a deaf employee. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Combining drama, comedy, and romance, Jerry Maguire was a critical and commercial success built on an original script by writer/director Cameron Crowe and an Oscar-nominated performance by Tom Cruise. Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is an agent with a major sports management firm. He's enthusiastic, successful, a great negotiator and people like him. But it begins to dawn on Jerry that there's something wrong with what he's doing, and not long after a troubling encounter with the son of an injured athlete he represents, Jerry has a serious crisis of conscience. In the midst of a sleepless night, Jerry writes a memo calling on himself and his colleagues to think more about the long-term welfare of the clients they represent and less about immediate profits. While everyone around him applauds the sentiment, Jerry's superiors think his ideas are bad for business; Jerry is fired, and, rather than standing in solidarity with him, his "friends" in the firm scramble like sharks to claim Jerry's clients. At the end of his last day, the only people willing to join Jerry as he strikes out on his own are staff accountant Dorothy (Renee Zellweger), a single mother secretly in love with him, and Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a football player whose pride and arrogance have gotten in the way of his reaching his potential. Jerry Maguire earned an Academy Award for Cuba Gooding Jr.'s performance as Tidwell and provided a breakthrough role for Renee Zellweger; it also made "Show me the money!" an unavoidable catchphrase for several months. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr., (more)
- 1986
First telecast on September 21, 1985, the 2-hour pilot for the TV series Lime Street stars Robert Wagner as James Greyson Culver, an investigator for a prestigious London insurance company. His assignment is to get to the bottom of a plot to assassinate the royal family of a British principality. With three successful previous series to his credit, Wagner was money in the bank to Lime Street, which at its inception seemed a shoe-in for a long run. But the series was doomed before its premiere by an unforeseen tragedy. Wagner's daughter was to have been played by Samantha Smith, a young girl who'd risen to fame by writing a friendly letter to Soviet boss Yuri Andropov. Alas, just one month before the premiere of Lime Street, Smith was killed in a plane crash. Only four episodes of Lime Street had been filmed; out of respect for Samantha Smith, star Robert Wagner and the ABC network agreed to shut down production forever. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
