Sarah Manninen Movies

Winona Ryder stars as Lois Wilson, co-founder of Al-Anon and wife of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson (Barry Pepper), in this biopic centered on the rocky relationship between the two people who dedicated their lives to helping others who suffer from alcohol addiction. College graduate Lois Burnham was spending the summer in Vermont when she first met her future husband Bill. Teenage sweethearts, the paid married in 1918, just before Bill went overseas to fight in World War I. Lois worked as an occupational therapist while Bill was in Europe, and upon his return the couple tried unsuccessfully to start a family. It was during this time that Bill began drinking more than usual, but after landing a job at a local financial firm the hard-working veteran landed a high-paying job as a Wall Street securities analyst in 1927. For a while the couple was financially secure, and Lois tried repeatedly to help Bill to get his drinking under control. But it was all for naught; eventually Bill's alcoholism would cost him his job, his home, and nearly his relationship with Lois. It wasn't until Bill met Dr. Bob Smith, another recovering alcoholic, that he found the strength to finally sober up. Meanwhile, Lois was devastated by the fact that all of her own efforts to help Bill had ended in failure. After connecting with the wives of Alcoholics Anonymous members, however, Lois finally found her calling, founding Al-Anon in 1951 in order to help the family members of alcoholics build a functional support system for their loved ones. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

You've met Samantha and Felicity, and in this, the third installment of the American Girl series, viewers are treated to an all-new family-friendly adventure that will warm your heart during the chilly holiday season. Molly Ringwald and Maya Ritter star as director Joyce Chopra brings the best-selling books about the lovable Molly McIntire to life on the big screen for the first time ever. The year is 1943 and war is raging across the globe. Molly's father is tending to wounded soldiers far from home, and all of the rubber rationing and turnips have gotten put the usually cheerful youngster into an uncharacteristically drab mood. To make matters worse, young Molly soon discovers that her father will not be able to return home for the holidays. But Molly isn't about to let her spirit be broken by the fact that her father is away performing his patriotic duties. Thanks to a little help from her family and friends, Molly is about to learn a lasting lesson about the importance of pulling together in times of need. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A tough cop makes a startling discovery about his wife and the leader of a band of bisexual sensualists in this erotic thriller. Raymond Pope (Conrad Pla) is a police detective with an appetite for kinky sex and an inability to stay faithful to his wife. As it happens, Pope's wife also has a wandering eye, and when she disappears under mysterious circumstances, Pope finds himself investigating the case and discovers that his spouse had fallen in with Elizabeth Kane (Caroline Neron). Kane is a woman with a taste for other women and an unquenchable sexual desire, but as Pope finds himself drawn to her strange allure, he makes a disturbing discovery -- Kane is actually Erzsebet Bathory, a Hungarian countess of the 16th century who many years ago found the secret of eternal life by bathing in the blood of beautiful women. Eternal is the first feature film from the writing and directing team of Wilhelm Liebenberg and Federico Sanchez. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The meteoric rise of the most successful American comedy team of the 20th century is colorfully chronicled in the made for TV biopic Martin and Lewis. Sean Hayes of Will & Grace fame delivers an astonishing performance as the young Jerry Lewis, easily outdistancing British actor Jeremy Northam's capable but phlegmatic portrayal of Dean Martin. The film focuses on the years 1945 to 1956, during which a promising nightclub singer named Dean Martin finds himself pairing up with a manic Borscht-belt comic named Jerry Lewis. Sky rocketing to success in films and TV, Martin and Lewis enjoy a fanatical following comparable to the one attending The Beatles in the 1960s, but ultimately fame and fortune exacts a heavy toll upon the friendship of the two entertainers, culminating in a well-publicized breakup. The script does not flinch in its recreation of Martin's aloof selfishness or Lewis' bullying megalomania, but at the same time the viewer sees the positive character traits of both men, as well as their desperate yearning to be loved and accepted -- not only by their fans, by their families and friends. And even though he is not always shown in the best light, Jerry Lewis, surviving member of the team, loved the film and gave it his unconditional blessing when Martin and Lewis made its CBS bow on November 24, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi