Audie England
A recent college graduate is forced to choose between a life of limitless wealth and complacent security or a potentially dangerous trip down the road less traveled in first-time director Kevin Noland's tale of love and youth told against the backdrop of the Running of the Bulls. Chris McKinley (Joshua Jackson) has decided to celebrate his college graduation by backpacking through Europe with his best friend, Ryan (Timm Sharp), and Ryan's girlfriend, Michelle (Ruthanna Hopper). With time running short before he returns to the United States and sets out on the fast track to success, Chris attempts to pack as much adventure as possible into his last three days until he locks glances with dark-haired Spanish beauty Adela (Leonor Varela). Now challenged to re-examine his priorities by both the vital young woman and a mysterious stranger named Riccardo (Dennis Hopper), Chris must search the whole of his heart and soul to find out what he really wants most out of life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joshua Jackson, Leonor Varela, (more)
Though not the first TV dramatization of the lives and careers of the popular 1960s singing group the Beach Boys, this two-part miniseries was the first that did not concentrate exclusively on Brian Wilson, arguably the most brilliant and troubled member of the quintet. Instead, the production details the triumph and heartbreaks of all five Beach Boys: Brian (here played by Frederick Weller), his brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson, and non-related members Mike Love and Al Jardine. Played by Kevin Dunn, the Wilson brothers' father Murray Wilson is cast as a complete monster, shown to be both verbally and physically abusive to his grown sons, as well as a money-grubbing dictator while managing The Beach Boys during their most prolific period. The miniseries also delves into the darker side of the singers themselves, especially when Dennis Wilson (played by Nick Stabile) begins carousing with a would-be tunesmith named Charles Manson (Erik Passoja). Producer John Stamos had originally wanted to appear in the production as Dennis (who died in a surfing mishap in 1983), but the ABC network decided that Stamos was too old for the part. Many (including, reportedly, Brian Wilson himself) complained loudly about the gross liberties taken with actual events in this picture. The Beach Boys: An American Family was originally telecast on February 27 and 28, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederick Weller, Nick Stabile, (more)
The made-for-TV disaster flick Ice first aired on German television under the title Eis: wehn die Welt erfriert on November 29, 1998. Thanks to a precipitous temperature drop on the sun, a second ice age hits Los Angeles, resulting in unseasonable 70-degrees-below-zero weather and a general breakdown of society. L.A. cop Robert Drake (Grant Show) joins forces with his girlfriend (Eva La Rue), his ex-wife (Audie England), and a black convict (Flex) who thinks that the recent cold snap is a government plot against African-Americans, the better to commandeer a submarine and head to the (temporarily) warmer climes of the Equator. Beyond its usual apocalypse-flick trappings, the film nearly collapses under the weight of visual symbolism. American viewers first saw Ice when it was telecast by ABC on July 22, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Grant Show, Eva La Rue, (more)
Steven Widi Ho directed this drama about sound mixer Igby Walters (Wayne Pere), who's working on a western-style Hamlet titled Dead Cowboys. After Igby encounters young violinist Juliet (Eliane Chappuis), he attempts to score with a promise of film score work. Can he deliver on this promise? Shown in competition at the 1998 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wayne Pere, Eliane Chappuis, (more)
With a little help from the commander of the Starship Enterprise, two geeky sci-fi buffs venture into the final frontier -- finding a steady girlfriend -- in this satiric comedy. Mark (Eric McCormack) and Rob (Rafer Weigel) are two guys in their late 20s who are emotionally stuck in adolescence; they're obsessed with science fiction, comics, and collectable toys, and they aren't especially graceful or successful in their relationships with the opposite sex. While both have actually been able to turn their obsessions into careers -- Mark edits a sci-fi fanzine, while Rob works at a film production house -- both feel the need for guidance as they approach 30. As children, they used to imagine themselves being counseled by William Shatner, whose role as Capt. Kirk on Star Trek elevated him to the status of a deity in their eyes. To their amazement, one day Mark and Rob meet Shatner in a bookstore and actually strike up a friendship with him, only to discover that he is just as confused about life, women, and work as they are (though he does confess his burning ambition to produce a new version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in which he plays all the characters himself). Emboldened by his new friendship with Capt. Kirk -- wait, make that William Shatner -- Rob begins pursuing a romance with Claire (Audie England), a fellow sci-fi fan who is pretty, charming, and a few steps up on the maturity ladder from himself. But this is bad news for Mark, who isn't at all happy to be losing his best friend to some girl. Free Enterprise was the first feature for writer/director Robert Meyer Burnett and screenwriter Mark A. Altman, who freely (and rather bravely) admit that the lead characters are based upon themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rafer Weigel, Eric McCormack, (more)
Brion James and Valerie Perrine star in this drama about a young woman who runs away from home after her father tries to force her into a loveless marriage. After she arrives in New Orleans, she discovers a strange woman is following her every move -- and stealing her lovers away from her. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie England, Brion James, (more)
Rheanna (Audie England), the beautiful widow of rebel warrior Jordis (Bruce Hopkins), seeks Hercules' (Kevin Sorbo) help in saving her village from the wrath of King Melkos (Michael Keir-Morrisey). At the same time, Hercules' friend Iolaus (Michael Hurst), struck by lightning, has been endowed with awesome psychic powers. Despite Iolaus' dire warnings that Rheanna will betray him, Hercules cannot help but fall in love with the woman -- leading to a fascinating climactic plot twist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, (more)
Set in a future in which society is controlled by an omnipotent corporation, this sci-fi thriller centers on a pair of fugitives from prison who attempt to survive in society addicted to virtual reality. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Costas Mandylor, Billy Wirth, (more)
Also known as Hello, She Lied, this made-for-cable drama stars Kathy Ireland as Marsha Thomas, a professional con artist with a conscience and a surprisingly strong sense of scruples. Be that as it may, Marsha is heavily in debt to a crooked lawyer who had saved her brother Frankie (Shareef Malnik) from a prison term, thus she reluctantly agrees to participate in a scheme to cheat an innocent young woman out of a multimillion-dollar inheritance. As luck would have it, the "innocent" in question is a blonde striptease artist named Jean Ivers (Audie England) -- and in order to learn all she can about Jean to impersonate her for the purposes of the scheme, Marsha is obliged to get a job at the same strip club where Jean works. Rather surprisingly, Kathy Ireland doesn't bare all in this R-rated opus, though we see plenty of co-star Audie England and the rest of the "peelers." Miami Hustle premiered July 21, 1996, on the Showtime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Ireland, John Enos, (more)
In this suspenseful drama, Matt's life spirals out of control after he meets his old acquaintance Simon, the man who saved Matt from burning to death after a car accident many years before. Unlike Matt who has since become a successful video game programmer, Simon's life has led him to the streets. Compassionate Matt decides to help and so invites Simon back home and then helps him find work at Matt's company. This proves to be a big mistake, for Simon is not what he seems, and nothing that has happened between him and Matt, past or present, has been an accident. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Remar, Lenny Von Dohlen, (more)
In this satiric allegory about life on the margins of the entertainment industry, Charlie (Charlie Mattera) is a guy who just wants to find steady work honestly honing on his craft, while his agent thinks that he should lower his sights a bit and take some work he might otherwise think was beneath him. However, Charlie isn't an actor, he's a hit man, and while he's good at his job, he has very strict rules about what sort of assignments he'll take -- he'll only kill women, preferably wives who are unfaithful and an economic burden to their husbands. His agent, on the other hand, thinks that if he's willing to murder the occasional husband for money, they'd both be in better shape. Charlie doesn't care for Los Angeles and is looking for new representation, but in the meantime, he's trying to keep a few steps ahead of the law, hoping that his business partners Johnny (Keith Bogart) and Todd (Todd Newman) will keep their mouths shut, and trying to keep his wife Nina (Nina Siemaszko) happy. Director Jordan Alan and leading man Charlie Mattera created the basic storyline and provided "improvisational guidelines" for the cast; from that point on, the dialogue and other material was generated spontaneously by the cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Mattera, Keith Bogart, (more)
Somewhat based on the life of author Anais Nin, this beautifully photographed erotic outing from director Zalman King (Wild Orchids, 9 1/2 Weeks) tells the story of an aspiring American writer who comes to Paris to hone her craft and ends up exploring the full extent of her sexuality. Initially, Elena's dream was to become a writer of serious literature, but that of course does not happen overnight. In the meantime there are expenses to be met, so when a wealthy and extremely handsome French novelist (whom she has been secretly watching every morning as he rows up and down the Seine) offers her a small fortune to write erotic stories, what can she do but accept the offer? She quickly discovers however, that it's difficult to write of life's sensual pleasures when one has not experienced them and so, sets off to educate herself. Her schooling leads her to a variety of steamy situations and locales with an equally broad assortment of tutors. Though filled with all the bells and whistles expected of such a film, which was originally rated NC-17 but later released on video with a tamer R-rated version, King's film has been widely panned by critics as ostentatious, trite, and worst of all, not nearly as sexy as it tried to be. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Costas Mandylor, Audie England, (more)















