Marianne Hagan Movies

Comedian Martin Short plays it straight (more or less) in the role of prickly Canadian psychic Sebastian Ballentine (Martin Short). Called into the SVU offices to assist in the search for an abducted teenager, Ballentine quickly drives Detective Stabler (Christopher Meloni) up the wall with his snotty, superior attitude--and his many irritating eccentricities. But Stabler may be able to turn the tables when his colleagues begin to suspect that Ballentine knows a lot more about the kidnapping than he's letting on. A bizarre plot twist caps this offbeat episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A serious filmmaker takes on a not-so-serious subject, and finds love along the way in this romantic comedy. Katie (Marianne Hagan) is a struggling documentary filmmaker whose career seems to be going nowhere as her 32nd birthday looms on the horizon. While pitching a project about the life of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn to a public television outlet, Katie makes the acquaintance of Arlene (Barbara Gulan), a TV producer who offers her another project -- a series on the ups and down of dating and single life. Katie isn't especially interested, especially since her last relationship has soured her on romance in general, but she's in no position to turn down work; with the help of Spider (Mike Dooly), a cameraman who has known Katie for years (and long had a crush on her), she begins following Jed (Dave Gibbs), a handsome but self-centered single guy. Jed has no clue as to how he should behave around women, and most of the dates Katie films are nothing short of disastrous, but the more time she spends with Jed, the more she likes him, and she starts to wonder if perhaps with a little work he could be groomed into a better grade of boyfriend material. Dinner and a Movie also features actor and filmmaker Paul Bartel in one of his final roles; acclaimed singer/songwriter Dar Williams contributed to the musical score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A youngster dies of a virus at a day-care center. As detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) trace the source of the illness, evidence is unearthed of embezzlement and an extramarital affair. Somehow these diverse elements are all bundled together when A.D.A.'s McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Carmichael (Angie Harmon) target a drug manufacturer for prosecution. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A group of old college friends work through their long-standing sexual tensions when they reunite for a wedding in this comedy-drama. Bob (Alexis Arquette), a student at George Washington University, has a mad crush on his buff, beautiful roommate, Brendan (Christian Maelen). Brendan senses the attraction, but rejects Bob violently during a play wrestling match that goes a little too far. A few years later, the young men's mutual friends -- Matt (Jamie Harrold) and Carol (Lauren Velez) -- decide to tie the knot, and the old gang reassembles. TV writer Bob brings along his conceited soap-star boyfriend, Sterling (Tuc Watkins). Brendan comes dateless, but old flame Sarah (Marianne Hagan) -- now a conservative senator's aide -- puts the moves on him. Meanwhile, their friend Eric (Guillermo Diaz) vacillates between hooking up with long-lost lady friend Beth (Maddie Corman) or with the nubile sister of the bride. During the wedding reception, Brendan corners Bob and confesses that he, too, is now gay -- and that he's in love with Bob. This doesn't sit well with the newly self-sufficient Bob, who's finally found a backbone and doesn't want to relive painful college memories. But with stick-in-the-mud Sterling around to remind him that his new life isn't exactly perfect, Bob soon finds himself alone in a hotel room with the object of his youthful affection. The debut feature from writer/director Brian Sloan, I Think I Do was produced by Lane Janger, a fellow participant in the Boys Life anthology series. Janger would go on to cast Guillermo Diaz in his own debut feature, Just One Time. Actress/singer Marni Nixon has a cameo as Carol's wise old Aunt Alice -- her first screen role since appearing in 1965's The Sound of Music. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Picking up six years after the events of Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, this competently produced but ultimately disappointing sequel attempts to tie up the uneven horror series' loose ends with a less-than-convincing resolution. This installment opens with Jamie Lloyd (J.C. Brandy), young niece of supernatural psycho-killer Michael Myers, giving birth on an altar amid a mysterious Druid ceremony. Before she is killed by her monstrous uncle, Jamie manages to leave her baby in the care of young Tommy Doyle (Paul Rudd), who has pursued a lifelong obsession with the horrific Myers family legacy in the town of Haddonfield, IL. Living with members of the Strode family, Tommy comes to suspect that one of them, little Danny Strode (Devin Gardner), is cursed with the same malevolent power that drove Michael to murder several members of his family. When Michael arrives in Haddonfield to find and destroy Jamie's baby, Tommy joins forces with Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), Michael's ex-psychiatrist and a life-long crusader against his sinister former patient, to find the connection between Michael and the Man in Black and end the curse once and for all. Released shortly after Pleasence's death, this confusing, horribly edited blend of tired slasher clichés and X-Files-inspired subplots is a poor testament to the long career of the distinguished and compelling character actor. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

It is Veronica Hamel's show all the way in the fact-based CBS TV movie The Conviction of Kitty Dodds. Driven to desperation by her abusive policeman husband Charlie (Mark Rolston), Kitty Dodds (Hamel) ends up killing him and is sent to prison for life. Managing to escape from behind bars, Kitty starts life anew in a faraway town, where she marries gentle, warmhearted Chuck Hayes (Kevin Dobson), who knows nothing of her previous life. Ultimately, Kitty's past catches up with her and she is arrested again. Though shocked at the revelation of his wife's history, Chuck labors tirelessly with Kitty and her attorneys to get her sentence reduced on the basis of the terrible treatment afforded her by her deceased first husband. Covering a timespan of 12 years (though the characters don't seem to age very much!), The Conviction of Kitty Dodds originally aired on November 2, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi