Jan D'Arcy Movies

Nine years ago, the teenaged son of Idaho woman Zalinda Dorcheus (Blair Brown) was shot and killed by another teen, Jeff Parker (Cameron Bancroft). Now Jeff is up for parole, and the grimly vengeful Zalinda is determined to keep him behind bars. Going so far as to visit the jail where Jeff is held, she prepares to confront and condemn her son's killer--only to find out that Jeff is hardly the monster she imagined him to be, and that it is now up to her to move on in life, let go of the past, and forgive. Adapted from a true story, the made-for-cable Convictions debuted November 10, 1997 on the Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of several ABC TV movies released under the umbrella appellation "Crimes of Passion", She Woke Up Pregnant is based on a true story. Several months after undergoing oral surgery requiring her to be sedated, Connie Loftus (Michele Greene) discovers that she's pregnant. This outrages her husband Tom (William R. Moses), who has had a vasectomy and is in no way capable of producing sperm. It turns out that Connie was but one of several unsuspecting women who have been assaulted in their sleep by rapacious dentist Dr. Roger Nolten (Joe Penny). Unfortunately, Connie's efforts to prosecute Nolten are stymied when he insists that he and Connie had been consentual lovers--and there's nothing she can do to prove otherwise! An intrepid female cop named Susan Saroyan (Lynda Carter) figures into the outcome of this compelling tale of trust betrayed and a woman's battle against the "good ol' boy" network. She Woke Up Pregnant was first telecast April 28, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mare Winningham stars in this made-for-cable TV movie about a woman who, after a lifetime of bad luck, ends up on death row -- where she insists the sentence be carried out promptly. Film was co-produced by author and noted feminist Gloria Steinem. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This is the first mainstream film to deal with the harrowing true story of a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains in October of 1972 and who were forced to resort to cannibalism to survive more than two months of isolation. (The only other film to tackle the subject, Rene Cardona's Survive! was a seedy little mess that delighted in exploiting the cannibalism aspect.) The events depicted are primarily based on the novel of the same name by Piers Paul Read. The interview-style prologue features an uncredited John Malkovich as one of the survivors, whose spiritual ruminations on the disaster kick off the film's main action. We are briefly introduced to the characters before disaster strikes, in the film's most horrifying set-piece -- the depiction of the crash in grueling detail. The handful of survivors who manage to extricate themselves from the twisted wreckage seem incapable of working through their panic as they hope against all odds that a rescue party will locate them. One of the survivors, Nando (Ethan Hawke), awakens from a coma and makes a remarkable recovery -- enough to demonstrate level-headed leadership after team captain Antonio (Vincent Spano) begins to lose his nerve. As the weeks wear on and rations are depleted, the survivors are forced into a moral dilemma: the only remaining source of food seems to be the bodies of the dead. Those who choose for religious reasons not to consume their former companions must face the realization that they will soon starve or freeze to death. In the end, three men who choose survival above all else find the strength to set out on a treacherous mission to a ridge, where hopefully one of them will make it to civilization. Director Frank Marshall infuses the proceedings with sufficient intensity to keep the story moving, but the film fails to fully explore the often-recounted spiritual aspects of the ordeal as established in the opening monologue. Ironically, the writers' apparent attempts to remain true to Read's account of events -- resulting in some rather odd stretches of dialogue -- impede the drama even more than the Hollywood glamorization of the story's nominal "heroes," who remain rugged and handsome despite months of malnutrition and severe frostbite. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

The lives behind Playboy models are examined in this made-for-television movie. The film focuses on three women who decide to go against the judgement of their families and friends and pose for the notorious adult magazine. The posers are Ivy League student Abigail Baywood (Amanda Peterson), working mother Meredith Lanahan (Lynda Carter) and broker Janet Janeway (Michele Green). Each woman has her own motivation for the risky move, and despite the lack of support from loved ones, each one comes to terms with her decision. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Sweet Revenge was originally shipped out as Dandy, the All-American Girl. The multitalented Stockard Channing plays a car thief with a penchant for elaborate disguises. She hopes to trade in her stolen goods and purchase a snazzy sports model for herself. Sam Waterston costars as a public defender who, much against his will, falls in love with the charming thief. Producer/director Jerry Schatzberg seems so certain of Channing's considerable talents that he feels a coherent story is unecessary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide