Nancy Burnett Movies

A number of unusual scientific phenomena around the world raise serious questions about the planet's ecological balance in this four-part documentary produced by National Geographic. National Geographic: Strange Days on Planet Earth offers both fascinating and disquieting information on how and why certain species are showing up in places where they've never been before, the short- and long-term effects of a slight rise in the global temperature, how the elimination of certain predatory animals may be causing as much harm as good, and an investigation of how effective measures to clean our drinking water have been. National Geographic: Strange Days on Planet Earth features narration by actor Edward Norton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The rise of the animal kingdom, as chronicled by ongoing scientific discoveries through the ages, was the focal point of this eight-part TV documentary series. A coproduction of the Sea Studios Foundation and National Geographic Television, The Shape of Life dwelt upon a different aspect of multi-celled life in each episode, with a different (and often little-known) animal species highlighted per one-hour program. Episode titles included "Origins," "Life on the Move," "The First Hunter," "The Conquerors," "Survival Game," "Ultimate Animal," "Explosion of Life," and "Bones, Brawn, and Brains." Debuting April 2, 2002 on PBS, The Shape of Life was originally broadcast in weekly two-hour blocks, with two episodes shown back-to-back. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first day of school yields a myriad of reactions from the children of the Seaver clan. Ten-year-old Ben Seaver (Jeremy Miller) runs up against the proverbial classroom bully, in this case a bruiser named Louie (played by Jamie Abbott, who ironically would later pop up in the recurring role of Ben's best friend Stinky Sullivan). Fifteen-year-older Carol (Tracey Gold) tries to come up with ways to enliven what promises to be an excruciatingly dull school year. And sixteen-year-old Mike (Kirk Cameron) finally links up with his summertime "dream girl" Debbie (Lisa Capps), only to have his head turned by another lovely young lass named Shelley (Rachel Jacobs). Bill Kirchenbauer makes his first appearance as Coach Graham Lubbock, a role he'd carry into the Growing Pains spinoff Just the Ten of Us. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This time, undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) goes behind bars to nab a master criminal. Posing as a convict, Baretta blends into the prison population in search of a minor-league jewel thief. His real target, however, is the genius who commandeered a huge jewel theft -- and ordered two brutal murders in the process. Guest stars include future Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones and soon-to-be CHiPs star Erik Estrada. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide