Julie Ariola Movies

In this sequel to the extraordinarily popular 2004 cable movie Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus, Steve Guttenberg returns in the role of Nick, son of the soon-to-be retired Santa Claus (John Wheeler) and heir to the North Pole toyshop. Likewise, Crystal Bernard repeats her characterization of Beth Sawtelle, the widowed mom who has agreed to marry Nick so that his "destiny" will be fulfilled. Nick and Beth have only four days before the Christmas Eve deadline to tie the knot, lest the Santa Claus Legacy crumble into dust. Unable to handle the wedding plans herself, Beth makes the tactical error of turning to her society-doyenne mother Joanna (Mariette Hartley) for help--and as it happens, Joanna just plain despises Nick, and isn't about to let her daughter marry "beneath her station" (Nick of course could solve the problem by revealing that his dad is Santa Claus. . .if only Joanna believed in Santa Claus!) Also returning from Single Santa Meets Mrs. Claus are Armin Shimerman as the Senior S.C.'s head elf Ernest (who prefers the title "executive assistant") and Dominic Scott Kay as Beth's son Jake. Making its television debut on December 17, 2005, Meet the Santas broke the record set by its predecessor, posting the highest-ever ratings for a Hallmark Channel movie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Weaver (Laura Innes) treats a six-week-old infant who isn't thriving as it should. Already unnerved by the news about her brother Eric, Abby (Maura Tierney) must also deal with an overmedicated -- and extremely violent -- patient (Johnny Sneed). And Dr. Gordana Horvat (Nina Sablich) a friend of Kovac (Goran Visnjic), and a fellow Croatian, supervises the surgery on a boy with a congenital heart problem. Frances Sternhagen makes her final appearance as Millicent Carter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Fisher & Diaz is called upon to provide funeral services for a disgruntled former office worker who died in the middle of a murderous rampage, moralistic Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) tries to put his foot down and refuse the business. The resulting friction with new partners David (Michael C. Hall) and Nate (Peter Krause) fuels Rico's longstanding resentment against the Fishers. Meanwhile, Lisa (Lili Taylor) deals with a whole different sort of office politics as she scurries around attending to Carol (Catherine O'Hara), the maniacal movie-exec boss with whom she and Nate reside. Although she's supposed to be merely Carol's personal chef, Lisa's duties are so extensive that she and Nate can barely find time to have uninterrupted sex. Claire (Lauren Ambrose), however, does almost nothing but have sex with Phil (J.P. Pitoc), the muscular musician she's been dating. But while Phil's off enjoying extracurricular relationships with other women, Claire finds time to bond with Russell (Ben Foster), a fellow art student. Ruth (Frances Conroy), too, makes a new friend: Bettina (Kathy Bates), a pal of her artsy sister Sarah (Patricia Clarkson). Deep in withdrawal from prescription painkillers and under Bettina's strict watch, Sarah tries to trick naïve Ruth into giving her some relief; instead, Ruth pops pills and bonds with straight-talking Bettina. As for Keith (Mathew St. Patrick), he's had enough bonding with David during their joint counseling sessions. Attending a one-on-one session with their shrink, he finally unloads some of his relationship angst. These feelings spill out again later at a dinner party during which Nate and Lisa find themselves sizing up David and Keith's relationship, and vice versa. Originally broadcast March 9, 2003, on HBO, "You Never Know" marked season three, episode two of the made-for-cable drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

In this independent comedy about the pitfalls of romance in the 1990s, Katie (Marla Schaffel) is a 25-year-old aspiring songwriter living in Los Angeles. Katie is also a virgin; she's been saving herself for the perfect man, but with the passage of time, she's becoming more firmly convinced that he doesn't actually exist. Katie frequently commiserates about the sad state of her love life with her friend Janet (Meredith Scott Lynn), who left her virginity behind a long time ago in the pursuit of a good orgasm but isn't having any more luck in landing her dream man. Katie is good friends with Ben (Mitchell Whitfield), a sweet but nebbishy guy who is crazy about Katie and wants to move their relationship from the platonic to the romantic. Katie, however, doesn't think he's the right man, and she prefers to keep him at arms length; she's shocked (but probably shouldn't be) when Ben ends up sleeping with Janet. When Katie meets Richard Webber (Michael Harris), a successful British songwriter, she thinks that she may have finally found the handsome prince she's been waiting for, but she soon discovers that he's merely a charming frog with a lot of empty promises. Julie Davis, who wrote, produced, directed, and edited I Love You . . . Don't Touch Me!, also appears in a supporting role as Lisa. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The perils and pitfalls of the so-called "repressed memory syndrome" are brought home in a chilling fashion in this fact-based TV movie. After attending a Christian retreat, young Rebecca Bradshaw (Lisa Dean Ryan) returns home to accuse her deputy sheriff father Matthew (John Shea) of sexually abusing her as a child. Matthew protests that he is innocent, but as Rebecca's claims become more vivid and outrageous--involving satanic rituals and the like--even he begins to wonder if there is any truth to the story. Making matters worse, Rebecca spreads her accusations to Matthew's old poker-playing buddies, insisting that they are all involved in a diabolical coven which requires the molestation of children! With nowhere else to turn, Matthew goes to the local pastor for advice--only to be bluntly informed that the only way he can find peace is to confess to horrendous crimes that may never have happened. Adapted from a series of articles by Lawrence Wright, Forgotten Sins originally aired March 7, 1996 on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A 15-year-old cheerleader named Angel (Shannon Doherty) falls for Tony, a dope-smoking, leather-clad punk (Antonio Sabato Jr.). He robs two stores, making her a local pariah. Her family moves to Bakersfield to make a new beginning, and she falls in love with a local jock. But Tony breaks out of jail, kills a cop and comes hunting for her. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

This made-for-television drama first aired on NBC and was made shortly after the tragic stand-off in Waco, Texas when a conflict between the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and a group of cultist led by charismatic leader and self-proclaimed messiah David Koresh turned into a bloody battle that left the believers' compound burned and many dead. Soon after the dust settled, investigations revealed that the bloodshed may have been unnecessary. Filmed on location, near Tulsa, Oklahoma, the film recounts events before, during and after the catastrophe. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

One of the most famous real-life UFO abduction cases on record becomes this character-driven drama from sci-fi screenwriter Tracy Torme. D.B. Sweeney stars as Travis Walton, a forestry worker who disappears one night during an encounter with a flying saucer. Authorities treat with skepticism the outrageous story related by the only witnesses to the event, Travis' five co-workers, who include his best friend and future brother-in-law, Mike Rogers (Robert Patrick). A state lawman (James Garner) finds a tabloid newspaper in the crew's pickup truck and quickly ascertains that tensions had arisen between Walton and a surly fellow logger (Craig Sheffer), leading him to conclude that a murder cover-up is underway. However, all of the men pass lie detector tests and the case becomes stalled until the shocking last-minute reappearance of Travis, who tells a literally fantastic story involving his whereabouts for the past week. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

In this film, a bereaved man wants to exact his revenge from the bank robber who was responsible for his wife's untimely death. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide