Jay Firestone Movies

Stephen Dorff, Val Kilmer, Jessica Gilsig, and Stephen McHattie star in this two-part mini-series inspired by the 1984 comic book series of the same name (which was later adapted into a popular video game by Ubisoft Entertainment). A young man with no recollection of the past is discovered in a forest, the only clue to his past being a tattoo that reads "XIII." Subsequently accused of assassinating the president, the man embarks on a desperate quest to discover his true identity and expose the conspirators attempting to use him as a scapegoat for a crime he didn't commit. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The fifth and final season of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda opens as Captain Dylan Hunt (Kevin Sorbo) emerges from a three-year limbo to answer a call from his former second-in-command Beka (Lisa Ryder). He discovers that his once-proud starship, the Andromeda Ascendant, is now a derelict, and that Beka and the other crew members Rhade (Steve Bacic), Harper (Gordon Michael Woolvett), and Trance (Laura Bertram) couldn't care less. In fact, they are quite adjusted to being trapped on a woebegone planet in the Seefra solar system, far away from the Known Planets of the New Commonwealth. Thus it behooves Hunt to not only reassemble his crew in order to return to the Commonwealth universe, but also to win their trust and friendship all over again. Missing from the equation is Rommie, the sexy human manifestation of Andromeda's artificial intelligence, who had been destroyed in battle at the end of season four (actually, actress Lexa Doig was on maternity leave, and could only appear in close-ups as the "televised" version of Rommie). In her stead, Harper has assembled another attractive female android named Doyle (Brandy Ledford), who has been invested with the fragments of Rommie's personality -- and who is considerably put out when she realizes she is little more than a clone. Having experienced flashbacks to his troubled past in previous seasons, Hunt is now made privy to his lofty future as a powerful Paradine, making it all the more imperative to get the Andromeda up and running and back in the galaxy, the better to locate the slipstream that will bring it back to the Known Planets. It takes a lot of doing, but ultimately Dylan's old crew agrees to help him reactivate the Andromeda, whereupon they embark on numerous goodwill and rescue missions to the other eight Seefra planets. Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda reaches closure as the Avatars of the Nebula guide Andromeda back on the Route of Ages and toward the safety of the Commonwealth -- where the crew must gird itself for the final all-out battle against their traditional enemies, the Nietzcheans. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A pair of misfit siblings travel across time and space to save their father from enslavement in this made-for-TV adaptation of the classic children's novel by Madeleine L'Engle. Meg Murry (Katie Stuart), a tomboy who fits in with neither the kids nor the teachers at her New England middle school, feels bereft when her scientist father vanishes, leading to unsavory speculation from small-town gossips. But thanks to Charles Wallace (David Dorfman), her gifted but idiosyncratic younger brother, Meg befriends Mrs. Who (Alison Elliott), Mrs. Whatsit (Alfre Woodard), and Mrs. Which (Kate Nelligan) -- three cosmic beings who lead Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe (Gregory Smith) on a journey to the sinister planet Camazotz, where Dr. Murry (Chris Potter) has been captured by the coercive power known as IT. Afflicted by hubris and naïveté, young Charles Wallace falls under IT's thrall, forcing Meg, Calvin, and their allies on a dangerous flight across time and space. But thanks to the healing touch of a kindly monster known as Aunt Beast (Ellen Dubin), Meg is able to face her own insecurities and attempt a final rescue of her loved ones. Originally broadcast May 10, 2004, on ABC, A Wrinkle in Time was released as an installment of the long-running Wonderful World of Disney. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

This weekend-morning fantasy series for kids largely took place in a sinister-looking prep school called Blake Holsey High. Because of the preponderance of curious phenomena that occurred within the walls of the school -- from spontaneously combustible desks to mysteriously disappearing freshmen -- the place was known as "Black Hole High" to its students. The individual episodes dealt with the efforts of five teenaged detectives, members all of the school's science clubs, to solve the various paranormal mysteries occurring on campus. The main characters included the analytical Josie (Emma Taylor Isherwood), the overachieving Corrine (Shadia Simmons), the popular but strangely secretive Vaughn (Robert Clark), precocious conspiracy theorist Lucas (Michael Seater), and the cheerfully geeky Marshall (Noah Reid). In keeping with the prosocial edicts of American network television, the series was careful to balance its science-fiction content with a healthy dose of science fact. Filmed at Auchmar Estate, a 150-year-old former monastery near Hamilton, Ontario, Strange Days at Blake Holsey High debuted October 5, 2002, as part of the three-hour Discovery Kids on NBC Saturday-morning programming block. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Michael Biehn starred in this gloriously derivative syndicated TV series as Judson Cross, a world-famous "professional finder" whose past discoveries included the Lost Dutchman Mine and Amelia Earhart's abandoned plane. Using the high-tech yacht "Vast Explorer" as his headquarters, Cross (who never left home without an Indiana Jones-style floppy hat) hired himself out for any and all adventures and expeditions, generally to locate what no one else could find, and often running up against unsavory types with full complements of weapons and hulking henchmen. Cross' business partners included a brace of "young renegades," Mackenzie Previn (Karen Cliche) and Gabriel Patterson (Jesse Nilsson), both of whom encountered a great deal of difficulty remaining fully clothed. Filmed on location in the Florida Keys and North Carolina, Adventure Inc. was syndicated by Tribune Entertainment beginning the week of September 30, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Standup comedian turned director Chris Ver Weil makes his debut with this wild and woolly romantic comedy cum noir crime thriller. The film centers on Trevor Finch (Christian Slater), a master counterfeiter and career con who learns that he has a price on his head from mob hitman Critical Jim (Tim Allen). The reason turns out to be a wacky case of mistaken identity -- Finch has assumed the name Cletis Tout, a sleazy, long-dead French muckraker with, it turns out, a criminal history himself. Rewind to 1977, when Micah (Richard Dreyfuss) pulls off a massive diamond heist and buries his booty in a field with the help of his young daughter Tess. Five presidential administrations later, Micah and his cellmate Finch bust out of prison, only to learn from the now-grown Tess (Portia de Rossi) that the diamonds are behind the walls of another newly built prison. Meanwhile, sparks begin to fly between Tess and Finch. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Debuting in the fall of 2001, the syndicated sci-fi/fantasy series Mutant X was created by Avi Arad and Rick Ungar, both of whom had worked on the animated version of the stylistically similar X-Men. John Shea initially headed the cast as Adam Kane, former employee of the top-secret government research lab Genomex, which was covertly involved in developing genetically enhanced, superpowered human mutants. Upon discovering that his boss Mason Eckhart (Tom McCamus) was entertaining delusions of ruling the world with his creations, Adam quit Genomex and formed his own organization, Mutant X, dedicated to rescuing the synthetic mutants from Eckhart's clutches and helping them fit into the "human" world. Many of those assisted by Mutant X were the results of botched experiments, so Adam really had his work cut out for him. Meanwhile, Adam and the renegade mutants were hunted down like animals by Eckhart's Genetic Security Agency under the cover of "Project Recall." Headquartered in Adam's safe harbor, known as the Sanctuary, were his chief mutant assistants: Shalimar "Shadowfox" Fox (Victoria Pratt), a feral mutant with cat-like characteristics and physical talents; Brennan "Fuse" Mulwray (Victor Webster) a lightning-powered "Elemental," who could absorb and emit electricity; Emma "Rapport" deLauro (Lauren Lee Smith) a psychic who used force bolts to control and monitor the emotions of those around her; and Jesse "Synergy" Kilmartin (Forbes March), a "Molecular" who, by rearranging his own chemical structure, could make himself immune to injury, dematerialize, and even pass through solid walls. With Eckhart effectively neutralized at the end of the series' first season, the Mutant X team was pursued by the new leader of the Genetic Security Agency, deranged super-mutant Gabriel Ashlocke (Michael Easton). Once Gabriel was destroyed by the Mutant Xers, they were able to focus less on helping their own kind, and more on do-gooding for the human race in general. At the climax of season two, Emma was killed, to be replaced the following season by another Elemental, Lexa Pierce (Karen Cliche). At the same time, Adam faked his own death and went into hiding to work surreptitiously on behalf of his mutant comrades. Like many another science fiction "syndies," Mutant X was generally broadcast on weekends by local stations, usually in late-afternoon and after-midnight timeslots. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The remarkable life and tragic death of Marilyn Monroe has fascinated film fans for decades, but this two-part TV miniseries, based on a novel by Joyce Carol Oates, takes an unusual approach, using dramatic license (the film announces itself as a work of fiction using the names of real people) to look inside the minds of Monroe and those around her to ponder the circumstances of her rise and fall. Young Norma Jeane Baker (Skye McCole Bartusiak) is raised by single mother Gladys (Patricia Richardson), who is unstable, uncaring, and poorly equipped to deal with the responsibilities of parenthood. As Norma Jeane grows up without a father and with little affection from her mother, she suffers from a poor self-image and craves attention; when she grows into a beautiful young woman who is unusually attractive to men, she falls into a number of romances and a short-lived marriage in search of the approval she needs so desperately. When Norma Jeane (now played by Poppy Montgomery) turns 20, she meets a photographer, Otto (Eric Bogosian), who sees star potential in her beauty. Otto's cheesecake pictures catch the eye of I.E. Shinn (Wallace Shawn), an agent who in turned introduces her to Mr. R (Richard Roxburgh), the head of a movie studio, who offers to make Norma Jeane a star -- if she would be willing to have sex with him. Norma Jeane unenthusiastically agrees, and Mr. R proves good to his word; renamed Marilyn, she becomes an major film star and an international sex symbol. But the adulation proves to be a poor substitute for the love she craves, and as she falls into relationships with any man who treats her with a modicum of respect -- including a famous baseball player (Titus Welliver) and an acclaimed author (Griffin Dunne) -- her life begins to spiral out of control. Blonde also stars Ann-Margret, Kirstie Alley, and Patrick Dempsey; the series first aired May 13 and May 16, 2001, on the CBS television network. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Chilean Raul Ruiz directed this psychological suspense thriller which might be described as Alfred Hitchcock meets La Femme Nikita. In Seattle, hit-woman Jessie (Anne Parillaud) enters a restaurant men's room, kills a businessman, goes home, falls asleep, and awakens aboard a Jamaica-bound plane, recalling the previous event as a nightmare. When just-married Jessie and her husband Brian (William Baldwin) arrive in Jamaica for their honeymoon, it becomes evident that Brian is trying to save Jessie, a rape victim carrying suicidal wrist scars. Sleeping in Seattle, minus the scars, Jessie awakens to plot another killing. Checking out an antiques shop, she sees the man from her dream, and she's immediately attracted to him. Parillaud described her character: "She goes through different sorts of reality, dream, fantasy, and illusion," seeking an exit from the trap of her psychological labyrinth. Shown at the 1998 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Premiering January 13, 1997, on the USA network, the hour-long espionage series La Femme Nikita was based on the 1990 French film of the same name -- or, to be more accurate, it was based on the 1993 American remake, Point of No Return. Peta Wilson starred as Nikita, a convicted criminal serving a life sentence for killing a cop. Problem was, Nikita was innocent; she had been framed for the murder. Unexpectedly sprung from prison by the covert government anti-terrorist organization Section One, Nikita was given a choice by the mysterious sections chief (Eugene Robert Glazer), whose name was Paul L. Wolfe but who was known as "Operations": work for us as a spy or rot in jail. Upon agreeing to these terms, Nikita was informed that she would be "canceled" (read: killed) if she ever refused an order or betrayed Section One. Trained in all aspects of self-defense, and outfitted with an arsenal of state-of-the-art weapons, Nikita embarked on a crusade against worldwide terrorism -- often using tactics that were as vicious and sadistic as those of the people she was tracking down. Dispatching Nikita on her various assignments were Michael Samuelle (Roy Dupuis), who became her lover as well as her mentor; Madeline (Alberta Watson), a ruthless master strategist; Walter (Don Francks), taciturn weapons expert; and computer whizzes Seymour Birkoff (Matthew Ferguson) and Kate Quinn (Cindy Dolenc). Adding an extra dimension to the series' derring-do was the fact that Nikita could trust absolutely no one, not even her closest associates -- who in turn, deeply mistrusted one another (and for very good reason!). La Femme Nikita ran for five seasons and 96 episodes, the last one filmed in 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi