Zack Eginton Movies
- 1997
The sixth TV-movie spinoff of the popular family series The Waltons, A Walton Easter manages to reunite all of the surviving cast members--and in so doing, unintentionally reveals why several of those performers hadn't been doing much acting recently. Throwing the orginal series' chronology to the four winds, executvie producer Earl Hamner Jr. would have us believe that the 40th wedding anniversary of John and Olivia Walton (Ralph Waite, Michael Learned) is taking place in the year 1969, which doesn't quite explain how the couple managed to have all those teenaged offspring back in the late 1930s. Once we're past this inconsistency, the story boils down to the Easter reunion of the family at Walton Mountain in West Virginia--and more specifically, the return to the fold of John-Boy Walton (Richard Thomas), now a successful TV news anchorman in New York. John-Boy has not only brought along his pregnant wife Janet (Kate McNeil), but also Aurora Jameson (Sydney Walsh), a Time magazine photojournalist who is covering the reunion. Gradually, the various intrigues of the other Waltons are shunted to the background as the film's Big Question raises its head: Will John-Boy return to New York with his city-bred wife Janet, or will he sentimentally choose to remain at Walton Mountain...with someone else by his side? A Walton Easter debuted March 30, 1997 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, (more)
In this low-budget horror outing, a psychopathic killer loses the last of his warm feelings for humanity after he is involved in a freak accident. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Allport, Stephen Mendel, (more)
- 1996
- PG13
It would seem that the producers of the made-for-cable chiller Rattled had not only used Joseph Gilmore's novel Rattlers as their inspiration, but had also supped full of such horror movies as Poltergeist and Arachnophobia. The scene is Eden Valley, a luxurious housing development carved from a mountainous wilderness by architect Paul Donohue (William Katt). But things are hardly Eden-like in the valley (or, on second thought, perhaps they are!) when the development is suddenly invaded by a swarm of deadly rattlesnakes. Guilt-ridden by the realization that this serpentine invasion has been brought about by the explosives used to excavate the valley, Donohue takes it upon himself to stop the snakes -- and to overcome his mortal terror of the slimy predators. Rattled debuted February 14, 1996, on the USA network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Katt, Shanna Reed, (more)
The compilation film If These Walls Could Talk consists of three short films that each deal with the controversial issue of abortion. Although each of the stories is set in a different decade, the unifying element (aside from the subject matter) is that all three transpire in the same house. The first story stars Demi Moore as the widow of a soldier killer in combat. She becomes pregnant and does not feel it would be morally appropriate to have the baby. Because it is the '50s, she must attempt to secure an illegal abortion. The second story, set in the '70s, stars Sissy Spacek as a mother of a struggling family. Having successfully raised four children on a meager income, Spacek's character must now decide if she should seek an abortion after finding out she is expecting a fifth. The final story takes place in the '90s. Anne Heche portrays a grad student who crosses protestors' picket lines in order to consult a doctor (Cher) about having an abortion. The first two parts, "1952" and "1974," were directed by Nancy Savoca, and the last part, "1996," was helmed by Cher, in her directorial debut. If These Walls Could Talk aired originally on HBO. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
