Cameron Bancroft Movies
Jay Underwood plays an autistic boy who provides a source of fascination to a new family in town. Never uttering a sound, Underwood spends hours in his backyard, attempting to fly like the birds. Lucy Deakins, the daughter of the new family, befriends Underwood; she is encouraged by teacher Colleen Dewhurst to try to draw the boy out of his shell, and to keep a journal on the subject. Rendered unconscious in a fall, Deakins dreams that Underwood can fly. The boy is suddenly whisked away to an institution, and Deakins despairs that she'll never see him again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Deakins, Jay Underwood, (more)
83 Hours 'Til Dawn utilizes a plot device originally seen on another fact-based TV movie, The Longest Night (1972). Robert Urich stars as a wealthy business executive whose 20-year-old daughter is abducted by sociopathic Peter Strauss. The kidnapper seals his victim in a small box and buries it deep underground, with an air-tube as her only conduit to the outside world. Strauss threatens to never reveal the girl's whereabouts unless Urich ponies up half a million dollars. The original telecast of 83 Hours 'Til Dawn ran a distant second to a competing network showing of the theatrical feature Three Men and A Baby (87). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- PG13
A new principal is imported to Rock 'n' Roll High to put the clamps on the rock-inspired rebelliousness that has the local school board quite concerned. The lady principal is a terse-lipped brute who's up against the predictable shenanigans concocted by school rebels. Will it be rock and roll forever, or will the Muses be forever squelched? ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corey Feldman, Mary Woronov, (more)
- 1993
Season two of Highlander gets under way as Immortal Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) returns to Canada, still searching for the murderers of his mentor, Darius. Using a book given to him by Darius as a clue, Duncan shows up at the bookstore run by Joe Dawson (Jim Byrnes, in his first series appearance). Dawson, it turns out, is a member of the Watchers, a group of mortals who have been keeping track of Immortal activities for hundreds of years. At first believing that Dawson was in on Darius' killing, Duncan is finally guided toward the genuine culprit. This episode includes "flashbacks" from the first-season Highlander installments "Mountain Men" and "The Hunters." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Paul, Alexandra Van Der Noot, (more)
- 1993
Corey Haim, the crown prince of direct-to-video films, stars in Just One of the Girls. Haim plays a teen-aged musician who is constantly being bullied. To escape his tormentors, he disguises himself as a girl. Surprise of surprises, Haim finds that he really enjoys his new identity, and decides to remain female for a little while longer just to see what develops. Also released as Anything for Love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- R
Based upon a play by screenwriter Brad Fraser, Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, Denys Arcand's dark-humored drama Love and Human Remains follows the lives of a group of young Canadians, with a particular focus on their romantic and sexual experiences. The central characters are two roommates, David and Candy. The cynical, witty David is a former television actor turned waiter, the lonely, dissatisfied Candy a book critic; the two were formerly lovers, before David proclaimed his homosexuality. Candy is also questioning her sexuality, having begun a lesbian affair after wondering if her failures with men indicates she might be happier with a woman; meanwhile, David is becoming acquainted with Kane, a handsome, young busboy of uncertain sexuality who idolizes the older David. The other members of the ensemble are also somehow connected to the roommates, through friendship or romance, including Benita, a young dominatrix and part-time psychic, and Bernie, a boastful but insecure young businessman. The couplings and shifting relationships of these characters are intercut with the rather more severe story of a serial murderer who has been terrorizing the city's women, allowing Arcand to place the film's melodramatic elements in an edgier context. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Gibson, Ruth Marshall, (more)
Real-life recovering anorexic Tracey Gold stars in this emotional drama, which is more than your average disease-of-the-week fare. Based on the true story of college-student Nancy Walsh, this above-average TV-movie focuses on the family dynamic issues often found at the core of the eating disorder known as anorexia. Viewers watch Nancy as she slowly transforms from healthy and outgoing college freshman into a secretive and withdrawn young woman, starving herself in response to pressure. Her frantic parents (Jill Clayburgh, William Devane) try everything possible to save her from the slow suicide and ultimately go to the courts to legally force their daughter into getting help. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This made-for-TV drama tells the story of a woman's struggle with ethics versus family loyalty. Faye Dunaway stars as Karen Billingsley, an upper-class family woman and mother who suspects that her son (Cameron Bancroft) was involved in a vicious rape. Her search for the truth takes its toll on her marriage to husband Roger (Stephen Collins) and puts her stable family-life to the test. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Faye Dunaway, Stephen Collins, (more)
Melissa Gilbert stars in the title role of this made-for-television adaption of the novel by Danielle Steel. Gilbert stars as Zoya, an Russian orphan who flees her homeland and falls in love with an American Army soldier stationed in Paris. The two settle in New York, start a family and all seems well, but the dramatic twists and turns for Zoya have only just begun. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa Gilbert, Bruce Boxleitner, (more)
- 1995
A true-life story of sexual harassment in the workplace is told in this thought-provoking made-for-television movie. Gail O'Grady stars as Lt. Paula Coughlin, the Navy officer who lodged sexual harassment complaints after the infamous 1991 Las Vegas Tailhook convention. Coughlin took on the military and a scandal erupted as the story became public. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Another of the many TV-movies produced for NBC's off-and-on "Moment of Truth" series, The Other Mother was based on the autobiographical novel by Carol Schaefer, herein played by Frances Fisher. The astonishing resilient Carol manages to endure a messy divorce, handling the raise of two children all by herself, and survive a nasty bout with cancer. Having weathered all these crises, Carol feels it is time to tackle an unresolved issue from her past. Thus, she embarks upon a journey (both spiritual and physical) to locate the child that she gave up for adoption 18 years ago--and faces obstacles that may, in her own words, "threaten everything I valued in life." Although the core of the drama is the rights of birth parents vs. the rights of privacy of adoptive parents, the film manages to engender sympathy and understanding for both sides of the argument. The Other Mother: A Moment of Truth Movie was first shown on April 17, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frances Fisher, Deborah May, (more)
Yuppie couple Denise Harris (Alyssa Milano) and Roger Lewis (Cameron Bancroft) get it in their wee little heads to head off to Alaska, there to work a gold mine some 75 miles away from civilization, At first, Denise and Roger revel in their exotic new surroundings, but before long the weather goes from cold to really cold, the supplies run out, and all contact with the outside world is cut off. Are the two city-dwellers prepared to endure the ordeal of making their way back to town or will they end up a pair of frozen Yuppie-sickles? In one of the big dramatic moments, the starving Denise and Roger seriously consider eating their pet dog; one suspects that this idea is borne of jealousy, since the dog gives the film's best performance. Lensed on location in British Columbia, the made-for-TV To Brave Alaska originally aired November 3, 1996, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alyssa Milano, Cameron Bancroft, (more)
- 1997
Nine years ago, the teenaged son of Idaho woman Zalinda Dorcheus (Blair Brown) was shot and killed by another teen, Jeff Parker (Cameron Bancroft). Now Jeff is up for parole, and the grimly vengeful Zalinda is determined to keep him behind bars. Going so far as to visit the jail where Jeff is held, she prepares to confront and condemn her son's killer--only to find out that Jeff is hardly the monster she imagined him to be, and that it is now up to her to move on in life, let go of the past, and forgive. Adapted from a true story, the made-for-cable Convictions debuted November 10, 1997 on the Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
- NR
A simple passionate night between a rather stuffy business exec and a seductive model complicates their normal lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cameron Bancroft, Manny Perez, (more)
Mika Kaurismaki directed this British-French-Finnish romantic comedy adapted from Richard Rayner's autobiographical novel about a series of Hollywood misadventures. Vacationing in the North of England, aspiring Los Angeles actress Barbara (Vinessa Shaw) stops briefly in a village where she meets town undertaker and obit writer Richard (David Tennant) -- who just can't stop thinking about her. Flying to California, Richard arrives at the Japanese restaurant where Barbara is a waitress, and a relationship begins -- while Richard learns about Hollywood at the hands of various hustlers and agents. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Tennant, Vinessa Shaw, (more)
In this comic drama about fame, sports, and small-town life, Mystery, Alaska is a small town in one of the least accessible parts of the coldest state in the union. It's a town where everyone knows each other and there isn't much to do. In places like this, small things tend to become very important, and in Mystery, the one thing that keeps everyone sane is hockey. Most of the men of Mystery are obsessive hockey fans, and a local hockey league has sprung up, with pools of neighborhood talent facing off on the ice every week. When a national sports magazine does a story on the hockey fans of Mystery, Alaska, someone at the National Hockey League gets an idea for a publicity stunt: send the New York Rangers to Mystery to play the local all-stars in a nationally televised game. Most of the locals are thrilled; the game will give the people of Mystery a chance to bask in the limelight and make their sleepy town a household word. On the other hand, in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's secrets, this event could cause everyone to start airing their dirty laundry in public, with the whole world watching. Mystery, Alaska was directed by Jay Roach, who enjoyed considerable success with the two Austin Powers films, and stars Russell Crowe as John Biebe, Mary McCormack as his wife Donna, Burt Reynolds as Judge Burns, and Lolita Davidovich as Mary Jane. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Hank Azaria, (more)
A woman is forced to decide which of her dreams she'd like to come true in this musical-comedy drama. Billie Golden (Isabel Rose) is a young woman who dreams of being a successful cabaret singer and often imagines herself performing in a swank lounge or starring in a classic movie musical of the 1940s. At the moment, however, Billie is singing in a dingy cocktail lounge near an airport and lives in a ramshackle row house in Queens with her hard-drinking mother (Alix Korey). One day, Billie bumps into an old friend from high school, Greg Ellenbogen (Cameron Bancroft); as it happens, Greg is now a very successful lawyer, and he still carries a torch for Billie. While Greg loves Billie and can easily give her all the creature comforts of life, she's also infatuated with Elliot (Andrew McCarthy), a hipster piano player who believes in her abilities as a singer. When Greg asks Billie for her hand in marriage, she's forced to decide between love and security or the career in music for which she's always longed. Also screened under the title Standard Time, Anything but Love includes an appearance by legendary entertainer Eartha Kitt; leading lady Rose also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabel Rose, Andrew McCarthy, (more)
- 2002
- Add He Sees You When You're Sleeping to QueueAdd He Sees You When You're Sleeping to top of Queue
He Sees You When You're Sleeping stars Cameron Bancroft as Sterling Brooks, a selfish stockbroker who dies on a golf course as the film begins. His guardian angel, Joe (Greg Evigan), informs Sterling that before he will be given access to the kingdom of heaven he must perform an act of kindness. The recipient of the attempted kindness turns out to be Annie Campbell (Erika Eleniak), a single mother on the run from the mob. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Home Improvement's Richard Karn lends his talents to this family-oriented animal-sports adventure from the producers of another animal-sports picture, Air Bud. MVP II: Most Vertical Primate picks up the story line of the first film in the series, MVP: Most Valuable Primate, but transfers its star monkey from the suburbs to the city, and switches his sport of choice from hockey to skateboarding. MVP II opens with the lovable Jack being ousted from his hockey team, the Seattle Simians, and having to hit the road after being falsely accused of league misconduct. Jack ends up in the city, where he's befriended by Ben (screen newcomer Scott Goodman), a homeless skateboarder, and Ollie (Karn), a skate shop owner. Jack proves to be as adept at mastering the half-pipe as he does at delivering a slap shot, and before long, he and Ben are crashing amateur skateboarder competitions all over the country. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cameron Bancroft, Richard Karn, (more)
- 2002
In this Ghost-like blend of fantasy and crime melodrama, stockbroker Sterling Brooks (Cameron Bancroft) dies before his time in a freak accident. Not having led the most exemplary of lives, Brooks is not permitted to enter Heaven until he performs a good deed on earth. Thus, he endeavors to rescue a young mother, Annie Campbell (Erika Eleniak), and her seven-year-old daughter, Marissa (Nickol Tschenscher), from the gangsters who have torn their family apart. One of several Mary Higgins Clark adaptations produced in Canada for the PAX network, He Sees You When You're Sleeping first aired on December 22, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
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Based on Brian Cruver's first-person book, Anatomy of Greed, this strident TV movie chronicles the rise and fall of the notorious Houston-based Enron Corporation in the early years of the 21st century. The film is related from the perspective of Cruver himself (played by Christian Kane), here depicted as a brilliant but naïve young trader who, after being hired by Enron, was dazzled and seduced by the company's "get rich quick by whatever means necessary" credo. The obscenely extravagant "Enron Culture" (represented by endless office parties and nubile young ladies) was built upon the backs of the company's stockholders and lower-echelon employees -- and, when everything inevitably crashed and burned in the spring of 2002, it was the "little people" who suffered the most. Although several real-life personalities are portrayed in the film, among them Enron CEO Ken Lay (played Mike Farrell), executive Jeff Skilling (Jon Ted Wynne), and conscience-stricken whistleblower Sherron Watkins (Jan Skene), many of the characters are composites, chief among them the mysterious, sinister Enron higher-up "Mister Blue" (Brian Dennehy), whose primary function is to spout blatantly mercenary exposition. Due to budget restraints, The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron was filmed not in Houston but in Canada; and thanks to copyright restrictions, the company's famous "slanted E" logo is considerably altered onscreen. The film made its CBS debut on January 5, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Shannon Elizabeth, (more)
- 2003
When Undercover Christmas first aired over CBS on December 7, 2003, a number of critics lauded the film for its "fresh" and "unique" storyline--blissfully unaware that the film bore a marked resemblance to the 1940 Fred MacMurray-Barbara Stanwyck vehicle Remember the Night. Jamie Gertz tops the cast as Brandi O'Neill, a sassy cocktail waitress who is the "great and good friend" of billionaire Scott Shift (Cameron Bancroft). Determned to nail Shift on a tax fraud charge, FBI agent Jake Cunningham (Shawn Christian) figures that Brandi will make an excellent federal witness, and takes her into protective custody. Unfortunately, not long afterward Jake receives word from his mother Anne (Tyne Daly) that his father Joe (Winston Rekert), a very wealthy and very conservative jurist, has suffered a heart attack--and that it would behoove Jack to come home for Christmas to see his dad just one more time. Naturally, Jake is forced to take Brandi along to meet his folks, who are shocked beyond measure when, to avoid compromising his case against Shift, Jake passes Brandi off as his new girlfriend! Things get dicier still when it turns out that Joe Cunningham's heart attack was just a sham to force Jake to come home and get his annual dressing-down for not living up to his parents' hopes--and all the while, Brandi begins to really enjoy her new luxurious surroundings, and seriously considers latching onto Jake for keeps. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Former Beverly Hills 90210 costars Jason Priestleyand Emma Caulfield are reunited in this frothy made-for-cable romantic comedy. Priestly plays Ryan Banks, a once-popular movie actor whose career is in the toilet, not only because of bad role choices but also because of his unsavory reputation as an irresponsible womanizer. In hopes of revitalizing Ryan's career, his manager and best friend Todd Doherty (Bradley Cooper) comes up with an inspiration: A network reality show called "I Want to Marry Ryan Banks", in which the title character will live in the same house with 15 attractive young women, all of them prospective brides. In fine Mark Burnett tradition, one of the female contestants will be voted out each week by the viewers, with the winner chosen by popular demand. The girl who seems to have the inside track is blue-collar Charlene "Charlie" Norton (Emma Caulfield), who has entered the contest because she needs the prize money. Complications arise when, as the series draws ever nearer to its conclusion, Charlie balks at the notion of wedding Ryan Banks, only to be told that if she doesn't, she'll be sued within an inch of her life--and making things even stickier, Todd Doherty has fallen in love with Charlie himself! Produced for the ABC Family channel, I Want to Marry Ryan Banks was first seen on January 18, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
