Thomas Mitchell Movies

A group of former government assassins fights back against the CIA after they're targeted for knowing too much in this adaptation of Warren Ellis' acclaimed DC Comics graphic novels. Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) used to be a hired gun for the CIA. Along with Joe (Morgan Freeman), Marvin (John Malkovich), and Victoria (Helen Mirren), Frank's specialty was carrying out contracts that the government didn't want the public to know about. These days, Frank and his old gang are all retired, but the powers that be are still concerned that they know too much, and dispatch a team of top assassins to ensure their silence. Now, Frank and his former team members realize that their only hope for survival is to break into CIA headquarters and expose the truth. But once they're in, the group uncovers evidence of a massive cover-up that promises to rock the very foundation of our government. Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ernest Borgnine co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Gemini awards went to star Wendy Crewson, director Jerry Ciccoretti, writer Karen Walton and film editor George Roulston for their contributions to the fact-based Canadian TV movie The Many Trials of One Jane Doe. Crewson plays the title character, the fifth victim of the High Park Rapist, who has been systematically preying on women in Scarborough, Toronto, and Niagara Falls. After her ordeal, "Jane Doe" discovers that the police knew full well that the rapist was operating in the vicinity, but did nothing to prevent her attack; in fact, the authorities were all but using women like "Jane" as bait to flush out the perpetrator! Hiring Sean Dewart (Steven Mackintosh) as her attorney, "Jane" files suit against the police, only to be caricatured by a hostile press as a hysterical "man-hater" and irresponsible zealot--and thanks to the ruthlessness of the defense team, she is treated in court as though she were the criminal instead of the victim! First telecast by the CBC in 2002, The Many Trials of One Jane Doe subsequently received American airplay on cable's Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In 1988, Marlene Moore, the first woman to be designated a "dangerous offender" by Canada's legal system -- even though she had never committed a serious crime -- killed herself in a Kingston, Ontario federal woman's prison. The Canadian TV movie seeks to explain the circumstances that brought the unfortunate Moore to this tragic turn of events. As played by Brooke Johnson, Marlene is shown to be an awkward, withdrawn young girl, cruelly maligned and sexually abused by family and peers alike, and never afforded the moral support or mental-health treatment she deserved. Under these circumstances, Marlene's subsequent self-destructive, sociopathic behavior seems almost predestined, and her many years behind bars for various minor crimes a logical extension of her miserable upbringing. The climactic efforts by her dedicated lawyer to prevent Marlene from being entombed in prison for an indefinite term are heartrending, and Moore manages to evoke audience sympathy almost in spite of herself by the final fade-out. The film earned two Gemini Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Emmies) for both Brooke Johnsonand supporting actress Jayne Eastwood (as Marlene's mother). Originally telecast by the CBC, Dangerous Offender was first seen in America via the Lifetime network on November 7, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Is it possible to be politically correct and unified? Find out in this satire set on a fictional eastern university. Port Chester University espouses pc thinking. From the Womynists to the Republicans, everyone there is involved in a cause; many of them are militant. So involved are they, that there is no time to go to class. Much of the story focuses upon residents of the Pit, a co-ed dorm devoted to anarchy and anti-pc philosophy. They are led by Droz. All of the other groups loathe the Pit dwellers, and wish to close it down. President Garcia-Walker is also unpopular for her unbending uptight demeanor. The film's highlight is a giant party featuring the musical stylings of George S. Clinton and Funkadelic. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Michele Lee plays the outwardly cheerful mother of two very different young sons. Rick Schroder, the oldest, is mom's favorite; Corin Nemic, the youngest, is his brother's literal whipping boy. Despite the most damning evidence, Ms. Lee refuses to let herself believe that Schroder is a sadistic psychopath...until it's too late. This tragic state of affairs was, alas, based on fact. The painfully convincing performances of Michele Lee and Rick Schroder effectively lift My Son, Johnny out of the "dysfunctional family of the week" TV movie syndrome. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi