Gloria Slade Movies
Evidently inspired by the 1958 theatrical feature It! The Terror From Beyond Space (which, of course, was also the basis for the 1979 thriller Alien), this made-for-cable melodrama begins as the crew of the space shuttle Oklahoma returns to earth after a routine mission. Unbeknownst to them, they have also brought back an alien "guest" in the form of seeds which blossom into insectoid life-forms, infiltrating human bodies to complete their evolution. At first, the victims of these aliens think they've merely broken out in blisters, but they soon learn differently -- to their unutterable horror. Racing against the clock, the Oklahoma's chief medical officer "Geronimo" Horne (Nicholas Lea) works in concert with his colleague Thaddeus Owens (Anthony Sherwood) and entimologist Savannah Bailey (Jamie Luner) to stem the alien invasion before the rapidly proliferating creatures reach the "threshold" amount -- at which point they will be impossible to control. Threshold debuted April 19, 2003, on the Sci-Fi Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicholas Lea, Jamie Luner, (more)
Two young girls find themselves growing up fast when love and tragedy visit their mother in this made-for-cable drama based on the novel by Karin Cook. Elizabeth (Tamara Hope) and Tilden (Alison Pill) are sisters growing up in Atlanta, GA, with their single mother (Elizabeth Perkins). Elizabeth and Tilden's lives are turned upside down when Mama announces that's she's getting married to Nick (Scott Bakula), a man from New York whom they've never met. Nick turns out to be a good and understanding man, but while Elizabeth easily accepts him into the family, Tilden makes no secret of her distrust of her new stepfather. However, Tilden's feelings about Nick take a back seat in the family's list of priorities when Mama discovers she has cancer, and as Elizabeth, and Tilden try to deal with this crisis, they are forced to deal with the intrusive presence of their uncle. What Girls Learns was produced for the Showtime premium cable network, where it first aired on October 14, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Bakula, Elizabeth Perkins, (more)
The plot of the futuristic made-for-TV thriller Killer Deal is predicated on the notion that a world-wide economic collapse in 2009 AD will utterly wipe out the Middle Class in America. In this not-so-brave new world, the rich and privileged Upper Class lives in Parkland, a luxurious walled community, while the Lower Class starves in the ruins of "Oldtown." With absolutely no jobs available, the poor are left with but one opportunity to escape their lot: to voluntarily donate their vital organs to the wealthy, who have bought into an organization known as "Eternity Life." The donors are provided with $10 million, which they can spend any way they wish in the 30-day period before their bodies are dissected, while their families are permitted to live in Parkland permanently. One of the few non-rich non-donors residing in the community is police sergeant James Quinn (Rick Rossovich), who is allowed to do so because of his past heroics. Unfortunately, the lives of Quinn and his family are placed in jeopardy when the elderly creator of "Eternity Life" desperately needs an organ donor to survive. Fleeing from Parkland, Quinn learns the hard way that the so-called "voluntary" donors are anything but! Originally telecast on March 25, 1999 as part of UPN's "Nightworld" movie series, Killer Deal has been released abroad as Nightworld: Parkland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rick Rossovich, Claudette Mink, (more)
The treachery of seduction takes hold when, after manipulating her lover to do away with her faithful husband, a scheming black widow stealthily begins plotting her next deadly move in a steamy erotic thriller starring Susan Lucci and Philip Casnoff. Isabelle Collins (Lucci) has been married to power broker husband Stewart (John O'Hurley) for over a decade, and despite his endless wealth, her eyes have begun to wander. After using her beauty to seduce rich and handsome widower Richard (Casnoff), Isabelle quickly manages to convince her new lover that she is stuck in an abusive relationship with no way out. Soon lead to believe that both of their lives are in immediate danger as a result of their heated affair, Richard is skillfully manipulated into hiring a violent parolee to do away with the unsuspecting Stewart. When the deed is finally done and Isabelle begins to grow increasingly distant to her ever-loyal lover, it doesn't take Richard long to realize that not only has he been manipulated into killing an innocent man, but he may be the next in line to die at the behest of the insatiable Isabelle. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
This four-hour miniseries is a sequel to 1997's top-rated miniseries, The Last Don,based on the novel by Mario Puzo of The Godfather fame, but several critics noted that The Last Don II is unintentionally funny. After Don Clericuzio (Danny Aiello, the pivotal figure in the first series) dies from old age, Clericuzio's enemies come out of the woodwork with bullets and bombs. Clericuzio's nephew Cross De Lena (Jason Gedrick) is peacefully enjoying life in Paris with his attractive wife and his autistic stepdaughter; when the wife has a mail bomb go off in her face, it marks the unleashing of a new wave of violence. Rose Marie Clericuzio (Kirstie Alley), who still bemoans the killing of her son (during the first series), encounters romantic problems with Father Luca Tonarini (Jason Isaacs). With teacher and nanny Josie Cirolia (Patsy Kensit) caring for Cross' autistic stepdaughter, it's not long before the widower and the nanny take an interest in each other. But when will he figure out that she's an FBI agent? Cross's sister is Hollywood studio exec Claudia (Michelle Rene Thomas); she's married to muscular, Austrian-accented actor Dirk (Andrew Jackson), star of an action movie titled The Fumigator. Premiered May 3, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Gedrick, Patsy Kensit, (more)
The flamboyant novelist who brought the world such deathless literary masterpieces as Valley of the Dolls and Once is Not Enough is the subject of this made-for-cable biopic. Michele Lee stars as Jacqueline Susann, a second-string actress and well-known party girl who turned to journalism after her marriage to producer Irving Mansfield (Peter Reigert). Though constantly surrounded by Show Business Glitterati, Susann would not achieve celebrity status herself until age 47, when she published the lurid best-seller Valley of the Dolls. Though outwardly giving the impression that she was tough as nails and utterly invulnerable, Susann in truth had her share of anguish and tragedy, coping with the challenge of raising an autistic son, struggling against substance abuse, and ultimately waging a long, losing battle against breast cancer. According to studio publicity, star Michele Lee (who also served as executive producer) wore some of Susann's own jewelry and wardrobe in the course of making the film. Largely based on the biography by Barbara Seaman, Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story made its USA network debut on December 9, 1998, several months before Bette Midler's theatrically released spin on the Susann legend, Isn't She Great. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Lee, Peter Riegert, (more)














