Michael Swerdlick Movies

Two girls have an unexpected (and unwelcome) reunion with several millions of people watching in this blend of comedy and adventure. Shane (Mary-Kate Olsen) and Lizzie (Ashley Olsen) are teenage twin sisters whose parents divorced when they were young, with each girl living with one of their parents. With time, Shane and Lizzie have developed strongly differing personalities -- Shane is a neo-hippie with bohemian leanings and a fascination with nature, while Lizzie is a high-strung and firmly regimented yuppie in training. Unknown to one another, both girls have applied to take part in a popular television reality series, "The Challenge," in which young people compete for college scholarships by taking part in a series of physical and psychological tests on a remote tropical island. Sensing a possible ratings boost, the show's producers choose both of the battling siblings to appear on the show, but after a few on-camera squabbles, Shane and Lizzie realize they'll have to cooperate if they want to win the contest. The Challenge was the last in a series of successful direct-to-video features starring the Olsen sisters before they made a much-publicized return to the big screen with New York Minute. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

America's favorite pubescent TV twins head overseas -- again -- for this family oriented teen comedy. The Olsen Twins: When in Rome features Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen as two spunky young women who land a glamorous internship with an entertainment company in the titular Italian capital. When their internship is suddenly canceled on them, however, they're determined to find out why -- and a slew of crazy adventures follows. Romance, intrigue, and fish-out-of-water hilarity ensue. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Now that Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) have broken up, Shawn (Rider Strong) advises Cory to plunge back into the dating pool. This he does, but his feelings for Topanga are still so strong that he can't bring himself to kiss the beauteous Melissa (Anndi McAfee). But lest he think that Topanga feels the same way, Cory is in for a shock when he spies his former sweetie "locking lips" with another guy. Elsewhere, Eric (Will Friedle) is gulled into believing that has been accepted at a college--which unfortunately doesn't exist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Charles Lane directed Andy Breckman's script, based on an old "Saturday Night Live" sketch of Breckman's that featured Eddie Murphy. Comic Lenny Henry takes Murphy's place in True Identity as a black man forced to don white face in order to save his life. Henry plays Miles Pope, an agreeable British actor whose luck sours when he finds out that businessman Leland Carver (Frank Langella) is actually a notorious underworld mobster. Carver now wants to rub Miles out and the only way that Miles can escape Carver's retribution is to disguise himself as a man named Frank LaMotta, the Italian-American killer that Carver has hired to kill him. During the story, Miles finds that he has to assume a variety of roles to keep from getting shot --a gay real estate agent, a British lord, James Brown's brother Val, and even Othello. But the biggest shock for Miles comes when he plays the white man and discovers that he is given preferential treatment --not only by whites, but also by blacks and Hispanics. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a divorced dad fights for visitation rights with his daughter after she and her mother are relocated to an unknown locale as part of the Federal Witness Protection program. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide