Shannon Lawson Movies
A robbery victim moves to a gated community for solace and peace of mind -- only to find her darkest fears realized -- in this made-for-Lifetime thriller. Baywatch's Alexandra Paul stars as Laura Benson, a woman recovering from a harrowing, still-unsolved assault attempt. Prone to traumatic flashbacks that frighten her husband and teenage daughter, she moves to an upper-class, 24-hour-security neighborhood. But behind the gates of their tony suburb, something ominous lurks: a chipper but demanding next-door neighbor (Shannon Lawson). Laura suspects nothing at first, but when her daughter starts being harassed at school and strange goings-on begin happening around her guarded house, she's not sure whether the loose criminals are still tormenting her or if it is someone even closer to home. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexandra Paul, Shannon Lawson, (more)
Armand Assante is an ex-cop turned undercover crime fighter in this intense, high speed action film from Director Sidney J. Furie. Dejected by the failure of an undercover drug bust involving some dirty cops, Jack Cunningham (Assante) must protect the only surviving witness if there is any hopes of clearing his name and cleaning the streets of an increasingly drug-infested city. As time winds to a close and the bad guys move in for the kill, Jack's chances for survival in an urban nightmare grow as dim, though there may be one last hope of turning the tables if he can just find a good place to hide. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante
Based on a story of the same name by Dashiell Hammett, the crime thriller The House on Turk Street was directed by veteran filmmaker Bob Rafelson. Cello-playing cop Jack Friar (Samuel L. Jackson) searches for a teenage runaway on Turk Street and ends up in the home of an elderly couple (Joss Ackland and Grace Zabriskie). The house also turns out to be the headquarters for a gang of criminals who are planning a bank robbery, and Jack is quickly held hostage. When Jack is left alone with gang member Erin (Milla Jovovich), he teaches her to play the cello and the two share a mutal attraction. Meanwhile, Erin continues to manipulate gang leader Tyrone (Stellan Skarsgard), violent thug Hoop (Doug Hutchison), and inside man David (Johnathan Higgins). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Milla Jovovich, (more)
- 2000
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Megan Follows, who literally grew up before the viewers' eyes as star of the Canadian TV series Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, returns to the role of Lucy Maud Montgomery's plucky Canadian lass Anne Shirley in this four-hour TV miniseries. In the second decade of the 20th century, all grown up and a professional schoolteacher, Anne returns to Prince Edward Island after the death of her mentor, Marilla Cutherbert (played by the late Coleen Dewhurst in stock-footage flashbacks). Soon thereafter, Anne heads to New York City, intending to marry her physician fiancé, Gilbert Blythe (Jonathan Crombie), and, hopefully, to find success as an author. Alas, Anne's first manuscript is stolen by charming scoundral, Jack Garrison Jr. (Cameron Daddo), while Gilbert is defeated by the internal politicking and red tape of a big-city hospital. The couple is about to relocate to their native Canada when WWI breaks out, whereupon Gilbert dutifully signs up for military service. When word arrives that Gilbert is missing in action, Anne courageously heads off to wartorn France in hopes of finding her husband -- only to become mixed up in an espionage plot that also involves the redoubtable Jack Garrison. Originally telecast in Canada beginning March 5, 2000, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story was seen in the United States courtesy of PBS on July 23 and 30, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Megan Follows, Jonathan Crombie, (more)
- 1996
Set in British Columbia, Canada shortly after Pearl Harbor, this thought-provoking made for television drama chronicles the fate of the Kawashima family, who are forcibly uprooted from their lovely Vancouver home and successful business by the Canadian government and sent to a backwater mining camp deep in the province's interior to live until the war ended. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kawashima were Japanese immigrants, but their two children were born in Canada. Mr. Kawashima is also a WWI veteran who fought with the Canadian army so the government's suspicious and insensitive treatment of his family comes as quite a shock. They, and the 400 other "enemy" guests of the mining town, are all city dwellers are also shocked by the primitive living conditions. The townsfolk are uniformly ignorant and unsophisticated. They too have trouble adjusting to their visitors and for a while racial tensions run high. Aya Kawashima, the eldest child, gets a job working as a housekeeper for her neighbors Peg and Ed Parnham. She also helps out with their two daughters. Ed is pretty friendly and open minded about the Japanese, but Peg is at first nervous around Aya and treats her like a maid. Eventually they become real friends and this is an important part of the story. As time passes the Japanese and the townsfolk begin to intermingle and young romances bloom. Things are looking up until the Kawashima's learn that the government they have supported and staunchly believed in, sold their house and business without consulting them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shannon Lawson, Robert Wisden, (more)
- 1996
Aspiring TV journalist Sally McCormick (Suzanne Somers) can't get anyone to hire her--and the reason, she concludes, is that she is simply too chubby for the small screen. Although her boyfriend Andrew Burns (William Katt) tells her that eventually her talent will be judged separate from her weight, Sally would give anything to be thin; in fact, she would even sell her soul. Enter Seymour Kecker (Dabney Coleman), a somewhat diabolical spokesman for a popular weight-loss product. Entering into the standard Faustlike deal with Seymour, portly Sally becomes a sylphlike "Size Six" literally overnight, and before long she is anchoring the news at top-rated WPKV-TV. Of course, there's a price to be paid for this success--and the devilish Seymour intends to be paid in full! Produced for the Lifetime cable network, Devil's Food debuted September 2, 1996, originally shown in tandem with Devil's Diet, a documentary about the famous "full-figured" women of history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
- G
When he is accidentally left behind by his owners, a devoted dog sets off on an incredible journey across Canada to find them. Though Heck the dog doesn't know it, he must hurry, for the family is about to leave Vancouver, British Columbia and move to Australia. Heck is helped out along the way by a friendly hobo. Trouble comes in the form of a dog catcher who is determined to send Heck to the pound. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Riley, Chad Krowchuk, (more)
In this fact-based drama, a midwife and her spouse are accused of illegally smuggling babies to Canada for adoption. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Clark, Peter MacNeill, (more)
The Bonds of Love in this made-for-TV drama are those forged between divorcee Kelly McGillis and mentally disabled Treat Williams. What begins as a friendship between two lost souls blossoms into a deep and genuine romance. Their wedding plans are challenged by his mother (Grace Zabriskie) and father (Hal Holbrook)-who are not depicted as villains but merely well-meaning and overprotective (only Williams' brother, played by Steve Railsback, comes off in negative terms). Based on a true story, Bonds of Love is set in Kansas (though it was lensed in Ontario). The film premiered January 24, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
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Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story is a made-for-cable adaptation of James Neff's Mobbed Up, a real-life account about Teamster president Jackie Presser. Brian Dennehy plays Presser, who was Jimmy Hoffa's successor as president of the Teamsters. Like Hoffa, Presser was caught between the Mafia, the FBI, and his own ambitions, and the film follows his rise to power, as well as all the trials and tribulations that arose while he was president of the Teamsters. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Jeff Daniels, (more)
- 1989
In this comedy, the well-ordered life of a an Arab, who works as a store detective, is totally disrupted by the sudden arrival of his very traditional and deeply religious uncle. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
