Torri Higginson Movies

The thrilling Stargate: SG-1 spin-off, Stargate: Atlantis, is set in the lost city of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy, built millions of years ago by the most advanced race in the Stargate Universe. Season 3's (2006-7) 20 episodes brim with adventure, throwing wild new challenges weekly at the ensemble cast: Joe Flanigan (Lt. Col John Sheppard); David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay); Torri Higginson (Dr. Elizabeth Weir); Rachel Luttrell (Teyla Emmagan); Jason Momoa (Ronon Dex); Paul McGillion (Dr. Carson Beckett); and Mitch Pileggi (Col. Steven Caldwell). Executive-produced by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, the five-disc DVD set is flooded with bonus features including audio commentaries for 19 episodes, many behind-the-scenes featurettes, and photo and production design galleries.

In the two-part opener of Stargate Atlantis' first season, scientist Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) organizes a new Stargate team to journey through a newly discovered "time portal" and explore the lost city of Atlantis -- not on Earth, but somewhere in the Pegasus Gallery. Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and his cohorts Lt. Aiden Ford (Rainbow Sun Francks) and Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlitt) have volunteered for the mission despite the foreknowledge that they will not be able to return to Earth unless they locate the advanced technology left behind by the ancient alien race who built Atlantis in the far-distant past. As it turns out, the wondrous city is populated by a variety of beings who'd been lost in space, including a few Earthlings. And what happened to the original Atlantans? This question is answered during the Stargate team's stopover at a primitive planet populated by a vicious and voracious race known at the Wraith, who have gobbled down a number of space dwellers and undoubtedly intend to add the people of Earth on their list. Early attempts to experiment with the alien technology come a cropper, the Stargate ship is imperiled by a variety of unforeseen circumstances, and the crew persons are constantly under attack by strange and deadly alien life forms. On the plus side, they have picked up a valuable new crew member, a fiercely independent native of the Pegasus Galaxy named Teyla (Rachel Luttrell). As the season progresses, the Stargate team comes across a planet populated by a lemming-like race whose members commit suicide upon turning 25; an alien drug which may repel the Wraith has unexpected side effects; General George Hammond (Don S. Davis) from the original Stargate SG-1 makes a guest appearance in the story of a strange fog with stranger powers; investigating a crippled Wraith ship, the crew members meet their enemy face to face with surprising results; a visit to a world without technology may provide a safe harbor from the Wraith, but of negligible value if the means to return to Earth are never discovered; and upon recovering a woman held in suspended animation, the team is shocked to find that she is none other than their mission leader, Dr. Weir! The season's finale is the two-part cliffhanger "The Siege," wherein a military force from Earth arrives in Atlantis to help the team fend off a full-frontal assault by the Wraith -- but even these reinforcements may prove useless unless Dr. McKay can activate an orbital-weapons platform after thousands of centuries of disrepair. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The first season of the provocative Canadian anthology Bliss offers eight different tales of erotica, written and directed by women, for women. The opening episode, "Valentine's Day in Jail," stars Tory Higginson as a compassionate teacher who arranges a special visit with her prize pupil -- a prisoner serving time for drug smuggling. In "Six Days," a farm woman who has never spent a day without her husband develops an intimate relationship with a hired hand (Collum Keith Rennie) while the "mister" is recovering from an accident. "Guys and Dolls" finds a successful and famous lawyer (Jenny Levine) having a fling with a stranger (Peter Wingfield) who is unaware of her true identity -- and would not be overly pleased if he found out. Tara Spencer-Naim appears in "The Value of X" as a high school senior who fantasizes about the school's most popular boy -- that is, she fantasizes what it would be like if he were a girl! In "Voice," Mikela J. Mikael is cast as a woman whose dreams are invaded by the wife (played by Veronica Hurnik) of her lover. "Leaper" concerns two lost souls (Michelle Lipper, Paula Ducharme) drawn together in an unexpectedly sinister fashion by the "suicide" of a third woman (portrayed by Mille Tresierra. Victoria Sanchez plays a mild, reserved young miss whose animalistic urges are unleashed by a martial-arts class in "The Footpath of Pink Roses." And in the season finale, "In Praise of Drunkenness and Fornication," a dinner party attended by six middle-aged couples devolves into an exercise in overindulgence (in more ways than one). ~ Rovi

Airborne is a science-fiction fantasy film about the tribulations of a clandestine operation team recruited by the government to steal a deadly virus from a band of terrorists. Led by Commander Bill McNeil, the team confronts the thieves in a daring act of piracy and, after a standoff in mid-air, retrieves the deadly bottle. When two members of the team are subsequently murdered, McNeil suspects that the government might be behind the gruesome act. The team steals the virus back and becomes the subject of a deadly hunt by mysterious mercenaries. Airborne plays like a cross between Mission Impossible and The Rock; Steve Guttenberg, the star of Police Academy and Cocoon, might seem a strange choice as an action hero, but the film in general has entertainment value. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi

Clearly inspired by the events surrounding the Bill Clinton sex scandal, the made-for-TV The Absolute Truth starsJane Seymour as Alison Reid, crusading anchorwoman for the top-rated TV magazine show "Focus." Upon obtaining evidence that powerful senator and presidential candidate Jake Slaughter (Bruce Greenwood) has sexually harassed his press secretary Jean Douglas (Linda Purl), Alison wants to make her findings public--but fears that she will damage the reputation of Jean, who happens to be her best friend. Not so nobly motivated is the production staff of "Focus", which uses questionable tactics to bring the truth forward, thereby revealing that Slaughter has secured Jean's silence by threatening to expose an unpleasant secret from her own past. An ironic ending caps this feature-length ethical debate, which originally aired April 30, 1997 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper stars in this urban thriller as Lt. Jake Cornel, a police detective assigned to clean up a dangerous part of town ruled by drug dealers and gangs called Jungleground. When a sting operation goes bad, Cornel is captured by members of a gang led by Odin (J.R. Bourne), who offers him a challenge: if Cornel can escape Jungleground and get back home before dawn, he'll be free to go. If not, Odin's men will kill his girlfriend. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This fact-based drama chronicles the ups and downs in the lives of Diana Spencer and Sarah Ferguson when they accept offers to marry Prince Charles and Prince Andrew respectively. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi