Alana Austin Movies

Upon moving with his family to a new town and befriending a pair of magical mutts, a ten-year-old boy must choose between his love of animals and his desire to do the right thing in director Richard Gabai's affectionate family adventure. Like any young boy, Zack is nervous about moving to a new town. After happening across a pair of abandoned dogs with surprising magical powers though, Zack discovers that his new home may not be so bad after all. Now, with a pair of determined criminals struggling to steal the dogs for themselves and a growing determination to return his four-legged friends to their rightful owner, Zack sets out to thwart the thieves and ensure that his remarkable story has a happy ending. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Richard Gabai's family-friendly sports film Moto X Kids stars Lorenzo Lamas as Evan Hanson, a motocross coach. His daughter, Callie (Alan Austin), is one of the best racers in the country. They must win a more personal contest when a biker gang threatens to take over their hometown racetrack. The leaders of the gang (Gary Busey and Evan Marriott) agree to race against the protagonists with the winners taking possession of the track. A key injury leads to a last-minute unconventional driver racing against the bikers. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

One of The Brothers Grimm's best loved fairy tales gets an overhaul using the latest in visual effects technology in this comedy-drama for the whole family. A little girl (Dakota Fanning) has a hard time getting to sleep, so her father (Daniel Roebuck) dusts off a book of children's stories and reads her one of his favorites. Hansel (Jacob Smith) and Gretel (Taylor Momsen) are two children who are being raised by their loving father (Gerald McRaney) and his shrewish second wife (Delta Burke) after the unfortunate death of their mother. When Father is forced to leave home to find work in the city, Stepmother decides this would be the perfect time to get rid of the children, and she manages to "lose" Hansel and Gretel in an enchanted forest. While the children make a valuable and magical friend in The Sandman (Howie Mandel), they also encounter a mysterious woman with a gingerbread house (Lynn Redgrave), who takes them in; however, it isn't long before they learn she's actually a witch, and has made some unorthodox dinner plans involving her young guests. Hansel & Gretel also features the voice talents of Sinbad, Bobcat Goldthwaite, and Tom Arnold as, respectively, a talking raven, a troll, and the Bogeyman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The Retrievers stars Bettie White, Robert Hays, and Robert Wagner in the kid-friendly tale of a family who discovers a dog and her newborn litter of puppies. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Though some observers feel that the made-for-cable Dangerous Waters was merely a derivation of the earlier theatrical feature River Wild, be assured that the later film includes a few novel and unanticipated twists. While on a rafting trip with her kids and her newboyfriend Bob (Matt McCoy), river expert Sarah (Connie Selleca) is waylaid by escaped convicts searching for stolen money. Earlier, Sarah had rescued an unconscious man, who may or may not be connected with the crooks. Whatever the case, Bob takes charge of the situation, apparently playing for time by claiming he knows the location of the money--mainly because he's the one who hid it. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse between captors and captives develops, followed by an even more harrowing excursion down the rapids and towards safety. Throughout it all, however, Sarah cannot help but wonder what Bob is up to--and why? First telecast by the Fox Family channel on February 7, 1999, Dangerous Waters was filmed under the title Imminent Danger, and still goes by that name in reruns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A widow's joy at finding new love evaporates when she learns that her new husband's checkered past includes an abandoned wife. After he disappears with his two sons, the two wives team up to find him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Steve Martin produced, wrote, and starred in this modernized adaptation of the George Eliot novel Silas Marner. Martin is miserly small-town hermit Michael McCann, who hoards his wealth in the form of a rare coin collection. When his coins are stolen, McCann is ruined, but then he discovers an abandoned baby girl on his doorstep. Although he doesn't know it, the girl, whom McCann names Mathilda, is the illegitimate daughter of a prominent local politician, John Newland (Gabriel Byrne). Raising Mathilda has a profound effect on McCann, who emerges from his self-imposed exile and becomes an excellent, creative father. Mathilda grows up to be an intelligent, attractive girl, friendly with Newland and his wife (Laura Linney). When the Newlands learn that they cannot have children, John confesses his secret and embarks on a custody battle with McCann to regain guardianship of his daughter. The location of McCann's long-lost coins has a powerful impact on the proceedings, however. A rather dour and downbeat film, A Simple Twist of Fate lacked the charm and whimsy of Martin's earlier literary adaptation, Roxanne, and did not enjoy that film's box office success. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, this made-for-television drama chronicles a couple's downward spiral into drug addiction. Meredith Baxter stars as Mary Ann Guard, a nurse who gets romantically involved with heroin abuser Guy Grand (Stephen Lang). Guy turns Mary Ann onto drugs and her once-stable life is suddenly out of control, with Mary Ann stealing from her hospital in order to support their habit. Her family decides to get her clean and get Guy out of her life by checking her into rehab. Mary Ann's rough road isn't over though, and she has to decide for herself which life she wants to lead. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

This martial arts action film is about Tom, a man conned into joining the CIA and then forced into fighting against it when his ethics lead him to protect those connected with an exposé of the agency. Danny has written the exposé and when he is taken into custody by the CIA, Tom sees his partner kill off an innocent witness -- and decides to join forces with Danny's side. From that moment onward, there are chase scenes and martial arts displays, as Tom and Danny's sister and the accusatory manuscript all fight for survival. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide