Wally Dalton Movies

For this TV movie, writer-director Jane Anderson adapted her own play contrasting biological and adoptive mothers. Impoverished and pregnant Wanda LeFauve (Laura Dern) lives in a trailer outside Shreveport with her four children and her unemployed husband Al LeFauve (Richard Lineback). When Wanda spots the classified ad of a couple who want to adopt a newborn baby, she responds with a phone call that puts her in touch with a wealthy Los Angeles Jewish couple -- Rachel (Stockard Channing) and Richard Luckman (Peter Riegert). The Luckmans arrive in Louisiana to meet the donors, and both couples deal with the legalistics, while also overcoming their fears and transcending the inevitable cultural and class barriers. Filmed in Vancouver, the film preemed August 23, 1998 on Showtime. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

In all fairness, it isn't surprising that the authorities have trouble believing the outlandish tale of woe related by harried heroine Lauren Carlton (Lisa Hartman Black). After all, Lauren was found in a wrecked stolen car; the body of a murdered officer lies nearby; and Lauren's daughter has mysteriously vanished. Accused of theft and double murder, Lauren can only claim that she doesn't remember a thing--not even the fact that her daughter was in the car. "Amnesia's pretty much gone out of style", clucks one of the disbelievers as Lauren is hauled off to the psych ward--while the actual perpetrators of the carjacking, abduction, and murder, a modern-day "Bonnie and Clyde" couple, are still at large! Produced for the ABC TV network, Out of Nowhere debuted March 23, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two unlikely friends -- a boy and a killer whale -- are reunited under potentially dangerous circumstances in this sequel to the successful family adventure Free Willy. Jesse (Jason James Richter) has finally found stability and contentment with his foster parents Glen and Annie Greenwood (Michael Madsen and Jayne Atkinson), but he is confronted with a new emotional challenge when his birth mother (a drug addict who abandoned him when he was young) dies, and his troubled half brother Elvis (Francis Capra) comes to live with the Greenwoods. Jesse also deals with new feelings when he develops a serious crush on Nadine (Mary Kate Schellhardt), the goddaughter of Randolph (August Schellenberg), an animal trainer at the theme park where Jesse helps out. But a much bigger problem is on the horizon when the safety of Willy, the killer whale he befriended and helped return to the wild, is threatened. An oil spill spoils the ocean environment where Willy and his family now live, and an unscrupulous owner of an oceanarium, Wilcox (M. Emmet Walsh), attempts to capture Willie and put him back into captivity as a performing attraction. While Free Willy featured Keiko, a trained whale who (ironically) was living in captivity when the film was shot, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home instead utilized mechanical models and digital animation to bring "Willy" to life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The tragic wreck of the super-tanker Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alaska on March 24, 1989 was one of the most devastating ecological disasters in recent history. Immediately after the ship ran aground and began pumping over 11 million gallons of suffocating oil from its ruptured hold, experts were sent out to assess the damage and clean up the mess. This gripping docudrama tells their story. Much centers on the conflict between local officials, the fishing industry, and the Exxon official sent out to oversee the clean-up and take the rap. With unflinching moral outrage, the filmmakers point out that much of the aftermath could have been minimized had the officials in charge been better prepared and not spent so much time involved in useless red-tape and petty bureaucratic bickering. Most of the film was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, but it also utilizes archival filmclips of the actual disaster and clean up efforts. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The messages referred to in the title are those conveyed on a Ouija board. The heroine (Kathleen Beller) conjures up these messages, which indicate that her future happiness is gravely in doubt. In point of fact, the words she spells out on the board are I-AM-GOING-TO-KILL-YOU. A mystery figure from the woman's past intends to fulfill this prophecy--with a dagger. Material like this only works if the producers have faith in it; Deadly Messages appears to have been made by people who found the premise amusing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide