Jill Gordon Movies

Five brilliant artists join forces against breast cancer as each directs a short segment of this groundbreaking movie. Charlotte depicts a woman (Ginnifer Goodwin) struggling to say goodbye to her young daughter. The story of Mia (Patricia Clarkson) is conveyed through a series of flashbacks. Cheyanne (Lyndsy Fonseca) is a gorgeous stripper whose new marriage is shaken by her disease. Lili follows an overachiever (Rosario Dawson) who turns to her sister for help telling their mother of her diagnosis. And, finally, Pearl, an oncologist (Jeanne Tripplehorn) suddenly finds herself in the patient's seat. Also starring Annie Potts, Bob Newhart and Tony Shalhoub, Five is an unforgettable inspiration.

Actress Dyan Cannon, whose 1976 directorial debut Number One was nominated for a "best short subject" Academy Award, moves on to feature-length projects with The End of Innocence. In addition to directing, Ms. Cannon wrote the screenplay and played a leading role in this story of a young girl spiritually torn apart by forces beyond her control. Rebecca Schaeffer plays Stephanie Lewis, unwanted and ignored by her eternally squabbling parents. Mom and Dad do further damage to Stephanie's battered psyche by giving her mixed messages concerning sex and religion. The girl's self-esteem dwindles to microscopic proportions thanks to a series of no-good boyfriends. Suffering a nervous breakdown, she is placed in an asylum, where for the first time she treated as a human being rather than a nuisance by compassionate psychiatrist John Heard. Completed in the late 1980s, End of Innocence was released in 1990, one year after the death of star Rebecca Schaeffer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this comedy, an ordinary woman finds herself sharing both her home and her body with a ghost who has a pronounced wild streak. Jan (Glenn Close) and Nick (Mandy Patinkin) are a couple moving into an apartment in an old Victorian house in San Francisco. Jan is a straight-laced secretary working for a Catholic bishop, while Nick deals in used books. While stripping some old wallpaper in their new home, they discover a message written on the wall, which their flaky landlady Mrs. Lavin (Ruth Gordon) informs them was written by Maxie, a high-spirited flapper who had a career in silent films before dying in a car wreck on her way to audition for D.W. Griffith. Out of curiosity, Jan and Nick rent a video of one of Maxie's films to see her in action, but it just so happens that Maxie's ghost still lives in the house -- and is looking for a human host. Maxie's spirit enters Jan's body and makes her presence known at the most inconvenient times; suddenly mild mannered Jan is kicking up her heels, swilling gin, starting arguements, and acting like a flaming youth straight out of the 1920s. Nick finds Maxie a good bit more exciting than Jan and even tries to launch Maxie back into a movie career by having her audition for a remake of Cleopatra opposite Harry Hamlin; Jan, however, just wants to have her body to herself again. Maxie proved to be one of the last screen appearances for veteran actress Ruth Gordon, who died several weeks before the film was released. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This unique episode features only one of the series' regulars--namely, Lavrne (Penny Marshall). Depressed over recent events in her life, Laverne retreats to a monastery in hopes of getting her head together. Under the watchful eye of the Mother Superior (Fran Ryan), Shirley does her best to fit in with the other pilgrims, tackling duties ranging from pottery-molding to bell-ringing. But our usually loquacious heroine has a lot of trouble--a LOT of trouble--adhering to the monastery's strict vow of silence. Also appearing in this episode is former Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman star Louise Lasser as Sister Margaret. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A young Jim Belushi appears as Wheezer, the new man in Laverne's life. Unfortunately for his ego, Wheezer exhibits a cowardly streak when Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Carmine (Eddie Mekka) are harrassed by a gang of bullies. Hoping to build up Wheezer's self-esteem, Laverne arranges for him to become a "hero"--with the requisite disastrous results! This episode was directed by Paul Sills, creator of the famed improvisational "Story Theatre" troupe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi