Shaun Johnston Movies
With a tough, lean, and slightly haggard look that prepped him for tough-guy roles (and that suggested a younger David Carradine), Canadian character actor Shaun Johnston specialized in slightly gritty material that crossed genre boundaries. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1958, Johnston took one of his first feature bows with the Canadian buddy comedy Two Brothers, a Girl and a Gun, and followed it up with such projects as the depression-era period film Heart of the Sun (1998), which he also co-produced; the 2000 made-for-television remake of High Noon starring Tom Skerritt; and the 2007 historical epic Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, in which Johnston played Col. Nelson Miles. He also appeared in Christopher Cain's 2007 revisionist Western September Dawn, about the notorious Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Director Christopher Cain takes an up-close look at the devastation wrought by religious fanaticism with this romantic drama set against the backdrop of the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre. As a wagon train of westward-bound settlers makes its way across southern Utah, a confrontation with a congregation of Mormons soon leads to deadly consequences for all involved. Jon Voight, Lolita Davidovich, and Jon Gries co-star in a historical drama centered on the massacre, which continues to stir controversy over a century and a half after the fact. Terence Stamp and Dean Cain contribute small roles as Brigham Young and Joseph Smith, respectively -- who were not directly involved with the massacre but are pictured in flashbacks. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Voight, Trent Ford, (more)
Director Yves Simoneau explores the plight of the American Indian in the later half of the 19th century in this docudrama exploring the effects of westward expansion and based on the book by Dee Brown. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aidan Quinn, Adam Beach, (more)
- 2005
This Canadian TV movie is based on the true story of infamous serial rapist and killer David Snow, as originally set down in print by Allison Shaw, the woman who brought Snow to justice. After narrowly escaping a sexual assault, Allison (Laura Harris) marries her rescuer Darris Shaw (Eric Johnson) and tries to put her past behind her by moving to a new neighborhood in Vancouver, British Columbia. Before long, however, Allison notices the unnatural interest taken in her by her next-door neighbor David Snow (Eric Johnson). Going public with her stories of David stalking and menacing her, Allison finds herself written off as paranoid and delusional by everyone, including the police and even her husband: It seems that Snow is a pillar of the community, beloved by all and utterly above suspicion. Eventually, a series of rapes and murders occur in the area--yet still no one but Allison is willing to link the amiable Mr. Snow to the wave of terror, despite the fact that several of the victims bear a startling resemblance to Allison! First seen on Canada's CTV network in February of 2005, A Friend of the Family made its US cable debut via the Lifetime channel on July 4 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Made for television, The Christmas Blessing is a sequel to the earlier CBS holiday offering The Christmas Shoes, with Rob Lowe briefly reprising his portrayal of Robert Layton, a lawyer whose life was forever changed by a pair of "enchanted" shoes. This time around, the shoes have passed into the hands of Tucker Bennett (Shaun Johnston), the son of a seriously ill youngster named Charlie (Angus T. Jones. As fate would have it, Charlie is a student of schoolteacher Meghan (Rebecca Gayheart), who is endeavoring to set up a day-care center for single moms in the small town where she lives. At the same time in the same town, young medical resident Nathan Andrews (Neil Patrick Harris), his self-confidence shattered by the death of a teenage patient on the operating table, has returned home to work in the garage owned by his dad Jack (Shaun Johnston). In due course, Nathan meets Meghan and Charlie, and becomes intimately involved in the trials and tribulations of both, leading to an emotional climax in which Nathan must decide whether or not to summon his dormant medical skills to save Charlie's life. Singers NewSong and Blake Shelton appear as themselves, respectively performing the title song and the new composition "Nobody But Me". The Christmas Blessing originally aired on December 18, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, (more)
- 2003
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is called in to investigate the supposedly accidental" death of of Elliot D'Souza (Mark Tymchyshyn), chief financial officer for the notorious girlie magazine "Sapphire". Elliot's secretary Miss Luden (Fay Masterson) is convinced that he was murdered by Sapphire's publisher Dexter Larsen (Gary Cole)--who, naturally, has the usual airtight alibi. Complicating matters so far as Monk is concerned is the fact that his nurse-assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) once posed nude for "Sapphire" and is trying to keep this secret from her son. And then there's the curious omnipresence of Dexter's current house guest...Danny Bonaduce! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A small-time loser who dreams of the big time discovers just how far wrong a good deed can take him in this black comedy. Frank Jacobs (Daniel Stern) is a guy with perennial bad luck living in a small town in Kansas, where he runs a gone-to-seed motel and is married to Helen (Patricia Richardson), a shrewish woman with a sharp tongue and little affection for her husband. Frank's great dream is to make a career for himself as a country and western singer, and while scrambling for a spot during an open mike night at a roadhouse, he makes the acquaintance of Julie (Lacey Kohl), a fellow singer who is married to past-prime C&W star Roy Baker (James Caan). After a quarrel, Roy leaves Julie by the side of the road, and Frank offers to give her a place to stay for the night. Helen is certain Julie's a home wrecker, and a serious argument erupts between Helen, Frank, and Julie; a gun goes off, and Helen is dead. Certain there's no easy way to explain Helen's death, Frank and Julie bury her in the backyard, and Frank soon finds himself having a fling with the attractive young singer. But before long, Roy arrives, eager to take Julie back whether she likes the idea or not, and matters are complicated when Helen's twin sister Wanda (also played by Richardson) arrives, determined to find out what's become of her sister. Viva Las Nowhere (also shown as Dead Simple) also stars Sherry Stringfield as another aspiring singer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Stern, Patricia Richardson, (more)
One of Hollywood's most acclaimed Westerns gets a new interpretation in this made-for-TV remake of Fred Zinnemann's 1952 classic. Will Kane (Tom Skerritt), the marshal of the frontier town of Hadleyville, is stepping down to marry his sweetheart Amy (Susanna Thompson) and move on to a less demanding occupation. However, on the day of his wedding, Will gets bad news -- Frank Miller (Michael Madsen), an outlaw Will helped to put behind bars, has just been released from jail and will arrive in Hadleyville on the noon train to settle his score with the marshal. Will appeals for support from the local townspeople, most of whom have done little to help him in the past, and they unfortunately behave in much the same manner in his time of greatest need; Amy even turns her back on her fiancé rather than become a widow on the day of her marriage. In the end, Will finds that he alone must face Miller in a shootout in Hadleyville's main street. Also featuring Dennis Weaver, Maria Conchita Alonso, and Reed Diamond, this version of High Noon was produced for the TNT cable network, where it first aired on August 20, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Skerritt, Susanna Thompson, (more)
- 1998
Wanting to protect her son from the sometimes harsh realities of urban life, a single mother moves to a small town. Unfortunately, her boy becomes friends with a mysterious and sinister stranger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Graham Greene, (more)
- 1998
Francis Damberger directed this Canadian period drama adapted from Betty Lambert's play, Jennie's Story. In a remote Alberta community during the Depression, farmer's wife Jennie McGrane (Christianne Hirt) believes the reason she can't have a child is because she's being punished by God. In truth, she had an affair with a priest (Michael Riley), so the church and her family conspired to give her an operation rendering her infertile. Shown at the 1998 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christianne Hirt, Shaun Johnston, (more)
- 1997
- G
In this heartwarming, youth-oriented outing, a 7-year-old girl finds the perfect playmate when she stumbles across a lost, lonely bear cub in the forest. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Begley, Jr., Shaun Johnston, (more)
- 1993
In this independent comedy-drama from Canada, a pair of brothers -- Wes ($Shaun Johnston), a reckless biker, and Cliff (David Everhart), a clean-living suburbanite -- are brought back together to patch up their differences after the death of their mother. With Wes' girlfriend (Kim Hogan) in tow, the boys begin confronting issues that have weighed them down since childhood, though their rivalries and jealousies begin to surface as well. Two Brothers, a Girl and a Gun features a number of original songs by the group The Imagineers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shaun Johnston, Kim Hogan, (more)
