Lisa Thornhill Movies

Season one of Veronica Mars finds both the title character (Kristen Bell) and her ex-sheriff father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), regarded as lepers in the affluent community of Neptune -- and it's all because Keith made public his suspicion that Jake Kane (Kyle Secor), the town's richest man, killed his own daughter (and Veronica's best friend), Lilly (Amanda Seyfried). Hoping to find Lilly's murderer and redeem her father's reputation, 17-year-old Veronica assists Keith in his efforts to run a private detective agency -- and while in school, she tirelessly crusades for justice as a reporter for the student newspaper. Early in the season, Veronica finds herself with two loyal allies when she protects nerdy new kid Wallace (Percy Daggs III) from school bully Weevil (Francis Capra) -- and then, in the spirit of "fair and balanced" dispersion of justice, she clears Weevil from an unfounded charge of theft. Meanwhile, several of Veronica's fellow Neptunians display bizarre behavior suggesting that they know more about Lilly's death than they're willing to admit, notably Lilly's seriously disturbed brother, Duncan (Teddy Dunn), and his wealthy, arrogant best friend, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). Also, Veronica finds time to delve into the mystery of her mother, Lianne (Corinne Bohrer), who for apparently no reason had abandoned her family a year earlier. And all the while, Veronica does the "Nancy Drew" bit, 21st century style, using her acute detecting skills to restore shattered reputations, expose the dangers of cult worship, and gather vital clues pertinent to kidnappings, switched-at-birth cases, instances of alleged sexual harassment, and illegal fight clubs. The season ends with the episode "Leave It to Beaver," in which Veronica at long last has the opportunity to solve Lilly's murder -- but in so doing she may betray the trust of one near and dear to her. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the first half of Charmed's fifth-season finale (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), the mythical Titans are released from their eternal prison, whereupon they wipe out all the Whitelighter Elders -- leaving only Leo (Brian Krause) in charge. While Leo is thus occupied, a mysterious Whitelighter from the future is assigned as guardian angel for the Charmed Ones. Somehow, this results in the three girls being transformed into Greek goddesses: Piper (Holly Marie Combs) is the Goddess of Earth, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) is the Goddess of Love, and Paige (Rose McGowan) is the Goddess of War! ~ Rovi

In this whimsical romantic comedy that recalls It's a Wonderful Life, Nicolas Cage plays Jack Campbell, a workaholic bachelor who gets to see what his life might have been like had he stayed with his old sweetheart, Kate (Tea Leoni). Thirteen years before, Jack accepted a brokerage internship that marred his relationship with Kate, under the promise that they would only be separated one year. But much later, Jack has become an urban Wall Street exec with no wife or family of his own, and a mysterious proxy (Don Cheadle) offers him the opportunity to step into the life he left behind. After falling asleep in his posh New York apartment, Jack awakens to find himself in bed with his now-wife Kate, daughter Annie (Makenzie Vega), and a new baby, none of which he has ever experienced in his fast-paced single life. After discovering his "real" life has been eliminated, he begrudgingly tries to fit in with his newly appointed life as a family man. The Family Man also stars Saul Rubinek and Jeremy Piven. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

In this comic fantasy for the family, 9-year-old Molly Wilson (Danielle Lombardi and Stephanie Lombardi) is relocated to Ireland when her father Howard (Tim Matheson) inherits an estate in the Old Sod. However, the Wilsons soon learn their new home has earned the nickname "Misfortune Mansion," as nothing good ever seems to happen to anyone who lives there. True to form, Howard learns that he'll have a pay a hefty tax assessment if he wants to stay in his new home. Molly decides what "Misfortune Mansion" needs is a leprechaun to bring them good luck, but when he calls out for one, she ends up with Lucky (Warwick Davis), whose name turns out to be ironic. A Very Unlucky Leprechaun was the first feature from director Brian Kelly. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

While doing some cleaning, Brian (Steven Weber) stumbles across a pile of love letters, sent to the former tenant of the house. Sight unseen, Brian falls in love with the mysterious letter-writer, whom he knows only as "R." And in other developments, Antonio (Tony Shalhoub) lets his enthusiasm get the better of him when he installs a burglar alarm at the behest of Joe (Tim Daly) and Helen (Crystal Bernard). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi