Thomas Lennon Movies

With her forty-minute work The Blood of Yingzhou District, documentarist Ruby Yang (the editor of Bill Moyers's acclaimed Becoming American: The Chinese Experience (2003)) pulls viewers into a low-profiled (yet horrific) social crisis: the AIDS epidemic in China. With this film, Hong Kong native Yang shockingly details how the Chinese government ran blood banks, promising thousands of dirt poor local residents 50 Yuan in exchange for blood - with contaminated needles and other supplies. A large number of participants contracted AIDS and subsequently died, leaving behind a wave of orphans who became social outcasts. Many of the children then raised each other, aside from a very few, who were taken in by loving families. Yang enters the Yingzhou region and follows the plight of a number of these orphans, including a particularly unfortunate one, Gau Jun. Abandoned by his family, he hasn't uttered a word since and is now treated as a pariah by surrounding communities. The film reveals how the little boy is taken in by a loving, accepting family and given a second chance. But Yang reminds her audience that because of governmental irresponsibility, many other less fortunate children exist, left to fend for themselves, who may never find adoptive parents and social acceptance. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

The toughest man in the American military faces a new kind of challenge -- looking after four kids in soccer-mom suburbia -- in this family-friendly comedy from Walt Disney Pictures. Shane Wolf (Vin Diesel) is a former Navy SEAL who was assigned to protect a scientist working on a top-secret defense project for the government. Despite Wolf's efforts, however, an assassin slipped past him and murdered the man he was guarding. The inventor's project is still being stored in his home, so Wolf has now been assigned to protect Julie (Faith Ford), the scientist's widow, as well as her four children, Zoe (Brittany Snow), Seth (Max Thieriot), Lulu (Morgan York), and baby Peter (Kegan Hoover and Logan Hoover). Wolf has had years of military experience in some of the most dangerous places on Earth, but he doesn't know much about raising kids, and he soon discovers his new job demands he be a nanny as much as a bodyguard. The Pacifier also co-stars Brad Garrett, Lauren Graham, and Carol Kane. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

What is known about Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) is that he was the third president of the United States, drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was an advocate of the anti-slavery movement. These facts are a matter of public record, chronicled in every history text for all American children to learn -- but what of his personal life? From Frontline, on PBS, correspondent Shelby Steele takes the viewer into the secret world of this founding father who not only sired a nation but quite possibly two separate families. One from the privilege of the main house, the other from the slave quarters. ~ C. Dwayne Smith, All Movie Guide

Part four of the acclaimed PBS series explores the rise of two great Irish dynastic families in America, the Kennedys and the O'Neills. The trial, triumphs, and tragedies of these two clans are investigated in detail and held up as examples of the final arrival of the Irish in the New World. The lasting contributions of the Irish to American culture are investigated, as well as the continuing effort of Irish-Americans to both celebrate their heritage and remain true to their roots. Serious in tone and well documented, this tape is appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

Part three of the acclaimed PBS series explores the golden age of Irish-Americans living in America as immigrants, with children who begin to make their first indelible marks upon American society. Included are brief profiles of such figures as Al Smith and Ned Harrigan. Also covered is the rise of the first Irish political machine, Tammany Hall, which proved both a blessing and a curse for the Irish in America. Serious in tone and well documented, this tape is appropriate for use in the college classroom. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

Arguably the greatest film ever made, Citizen Kane almost never saw the light of day. In this documentary from directors Michael Epstein and Thomas Lennon, the story behind the legendary film is told, highlighting the attempts by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst to kill the thinly-veiled biographical film by first-time filmmaker, 25-year-old Orson Welles. The meteoric rises of both figures are chronicled, drawing parallels between the lives of not only Hearst and the fictional Charles Foster Kane, but Welles, as well. Along with archival footage and clips from Citizen Kane, the documentary includes interviews with journalists, historians, and filmmakers, such as long-time Welles assistant William Alland, newspaper writer Jimmy Breslin, and director Peter Bogdanovich. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Produced by Thomas Lennon, this Frontline special report highlights the Presidential choice that faced the American public in the year 1992. Correspondent Richard Ben Cramer pulls back the curtain on the life and times of Republican and then incumbent President George Bush and the suave challenger from the South, Arkansas Governor and Democratic hopeful Bill Clinton. Courtesy of PBS, this insightful documentary explores the private and public domains of these two men, their characters, their achievements, and their policies in regard to a now post-Cold War America. This program was winner of the 1992 Special Jury Prize at the San Francisco International Film Festival. ~ C. Dwayne Smith, All Movie Guide

Directed by the Emmy Award-winning Thomas Lennon, this episode of the PBS television series The American Experience focuses on how Prohibition, which lasted from 1919 to 1933, did not come about simply because of Bible-thumping teetotalers, but was in large part a modern attempt to improve the life of workers. As Lennon shows, Detroit-based automobile tycoon Henry Ford parlayed the success of his "Sociological Department," which reduced alcohol use by Ford's workers, into a movement to outlaw alcohol nationwide. Unfortunately, as the documentary also shows, prohibiting something that millions wanted led to criminalizing millions of citizens and opened the door for corruption, smuggling, and graft. In the end, many of Prohibition's supporters came to support repeal of the 18th Amendment. Highlights of this program include archival photos and newsreel footage, as well as commentary by historians. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide