Linda Goranson Movies

The made-for-TV Lies He Told is based on one of those true stories that most producers would reject outright as ludicrous and impossible were it offered as fiction. Feeling confined by his marriage to wife Cindy (Teddi Siddall) and his family and military responsibilities, USAF Sgt. Major Davis Bay (Gary Cole) senses the opportunity to start life all over again when he meets and falls in love with Alyson Haywood (Karen Sillas). Faking his own death, Bay then weds the unwitting Alyson, assuring her that he'll be able to support her once his Air Force pension comes in -- which of course it never will, since he's officially deceased. Over the next few years, Bay is forced to feed Alyson and her family a pack of outrageous falsehoods to keep from being exposed as a deserter and a bigamist, not least of which is the claim that he's on a "covert mission" for the government. When all else fails, he resorts to a series of bank robberies to support himself and his new bride. Meanwhile, Bay's mother, who has never believed that he is truly dead, comes closer and closer to shattering his wall of lies. Originally filmed for the ABC network, Lies He Told first aired March 17, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, based on a true story, an unconventional New England principal tries some radical new techniques to reform his high school and ends up unemployed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Where has director Michael Anderson been since Logan's Run? Earning his keep on such slick TV-style time-fillers as Millennium. Kris Kristofferson plays the head of an official committee investigating the head-on collision of two commercial jets. A thorough analysis reveals the presence of a weapon of unknown origin in the wreckage; it is also pointed out that some of the victims' watches are running backwards. This, coupled with the cryptic warnings by flight attendant Cheryl Ladd to drop the investigation, prompts Kristofferson to burrow further and uncover the truth: Ladd is a sentinel from 1000 years in the future, who has come back to the 20th Century to help repopulate her dying civilization. Plot pegs and obstacles are in the hands of such sideline characters as enigmatic professor Daniel Travanti and amiable android Robert Joy. Millennium was adapted by John Varley from his own story Air Raid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Made for Canadian television, Lost is a sometimes grueling tale of courage and perserverance. The film is based on the true story of three men whose boat capsizes in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. For 74 days, the men cling to their overturned boat, hoping against hope for salvation. Special attention is given one of the men, a religious near-fanatic who believes that their peril is a test from God. Kenneth Walsh, Michael Hogan and Charles Joliffe play the three protagonists, while Helen Shaver and Linda Goranson portray the women who agonizingly wait for their return. Though unrated, Lost is much too tense for younger viewers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sometimes it seems as though all the character roles in Canadian films have been played by Al Waxman, Chris Wiggins and Gordon Pinsent. It is Pinsent who functions as both star and coscripter of the modest character study Rowdyman. He plays a roustabout, libinous middle-ager who accidently causes the death of an old friend. At first refusing to allow this tragedy to affect him, Pinsent slowly accepts the fact that he needs to make a general housecleaning of his life. While many independent Canadian films tend to trot out the usual Ontario and Alberta locations, Rowdyman makes excellent use of the underexploited vistas of Newfoundland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide