Christopher Shyer Movies

Actor-turned-director and producer Griffin Dunne (Practical Magic, Addicted to Love) teams up with scenarist Dirk Wittenborn for the slice-of-life ensemble drama Fierce People. As summer encroaches, 16-year-old Manhattanite Finn Earl (Anton Yelchin) would love nothing more than to trek off to South America and spend the year's sun-drenched months near the equator, embarking on thrilling adventures with his estranged archaeologist father, whom he's never met. Alas, the bonds of family rein in tight when Finn's booze- and coke-addled mother, the masseuse Liz (Diane Lane), cries out for help -- and, in the process, unwittingly gets Finn arrested. In a dramatic attempt to reverse circumstances and sort out the complications in both of their lives, Liz insists on taking custody of Finn for the summer. Both, she insists, will live in the home of one of her former massage clients, the aging billionaire Ogden C. Osborne (Donald Sutherland) -- with whom she may be amorously involved. Though Finn agrees begrudgingly at first, in time he finds the environment welcoming -- as he develops a crush on Ogden's gorgeous granddaughter (Kristen Stewart) and befriends Ogden's grandson. But when an unforeseen and shocking act of violence erupts, it estranges Finn and Liz from their posh surroundings and provides a sobering, harrowing reminder of the socioeconomic differences between the Earls and their new friends. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Of all of the ways humankind can destroy the planet, none can hold a candle to the awe-inspiring and earth-shattering power of Mother Nature. As chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, Andy Goodman (Brian Dennehy) has seen his share of storms. Now, just days shy of his eagerly anticipated retirement, Goodman is disturbed to discover three separate storm fronts approaching Chicago: a cluster of tornados from the west, a warm storm front from the south, and an Arctic system from the north. As Goodman enlists the aid of his longtime storm-chasing friend "Tornado Tommy" (Randy Quaid) in tracking the storms, ambitious Chicago television reporter Amy Harkin (Nancy McKeon) is busy researching the mysterious drought and record heat wave that has plagued the city for nearly six weeks. Though the citizens of Chicago are warned to reduce their energy consumption by secretary of energy Shirley Abbott (Dianne Wiest) the Windy City is thrust into darkness when severe thunderstorms destroy the city's main power-generating plant. With no means to warn the outside world of the dangers fast approaching, Harkin and Midwest Electric chief of operations Mitch Benson (Thomas Gibson) must race against time to get the word out to citizens and emergency workers before the snowballing blackout causes a complete collapse of the entire North American power grid. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The granddaughter of a prominent and powerful politician, canny businesswoman Nell MacDermott (Sean Young) has every hope of following in grandpa's footstep. Unfortunately, her future in public service is threatened by the alleged shady business practices of her husband, who was recently killed in a mysterious explosion. Together with Lisa Ryan (Ursula Karven), who also lost her husband in the tragedy, Nell is determined to uncover the truth about her husband and hopefully clear her name -- and to that end, she secures the services of a brace of shady private detectives and a psychic. It perhaps goes without saying that many a shock and surprise await Nell -- who may well end up suffering the same grisly fate as her hapless husband. One of several PAX Network adaptations of the novels of Mary Higgins Clark, Before I Say Goodbye first aired on February 21, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the tradition of the previous "backstage" TV movies about such iconic series as Batman, The Partridge Family, Gilligan's Island, and The Brady Bunch, this NBC effort promised to give the lowdown on the long-running (1977-1984) ABC sitcom Three's Company. In truth, there is little in this film that was not already common knowledge when it first aired on May 12, 2003, but it's still fun to see a cast of attractive actors portraying another cast of attractive actors. In case anyone needs reminding, Three's Company was the popular tickle-and-tease comedy series based upon the British Man About the House, in which a virile young heterosexual man was forced to pose as a homosexual so that he could remain the roommate of two sexy young ladies. It was perhaps the quintessential "jiggle" sitcom, thanks primarily to its well-endowed co-star Suzanne Somers (here played by Judy Tylor). Because of its risqué (but basically inoffensive) content, Three's Company was turned down by both NBC and CBS before ambitious ABC CEO Fred Silverman (played by Brian Dennehy) decided to take a chance on the property. The rest, as they say, is history, with Three's Company not only setting ratings records but also establishing a whole new threshold for what was and wasn't acceptable in network prime time. Inevitably, the show collapsed under its own weight, especially after the revolving-door cast changes which followed in the wake of the acrimonious defection of Suzanne Somers, but it was fun while it lasted. For the record, the other Three's Company stars were the multi-talented John Ritter (played by Bret Anthony) and the underrated Joyce DeWitt (Melanie Deane-Moore). The actual Joyce DeWitt also appears as herself in this movie, serving as narrator and sidelines commentator. Though the film often pulls its punches regarding the original series' backstage intrigues and legal entanglements, there is enough authentic detail remaining to satisfy the casual sitcom buff. Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company was filmed under the title Three's Company Revisited. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The obsessions of two disturbed people cross paths in this thriller, created with the interactivity of the DVD format in mind. Jane (Stephanie Von Pfetten) is a beautiful but neurotic artist who keeps her distance from others, preferring to deal with the outside world through her work. When Jane moves to a new city, she finds herself becoming increasingly obsessed with Frank (Chris Bradford), a handsome musician who's apartment is across the alley from her loft. Jane begins creating increasingly sexual paintings and drawings of Peter and herself, and in time decides she should meet him. However, an attempt to arrange a date through personal ads puts Jane in contact with Peter (Paul Jarrett), a strange man with an unpleasant past. However, police detective Edwards (Christopher Shyer) has his eye on Jane as well, since it seems her own past is significantly more troubling than she lets on. Director David Wheeler created the DVD edition of Point of View to explore the interactive possibilities of the format. Each chapter ends with a quiz that allows the moods and attitudes of the viewer to shape the story and a number of plot points can be shifted by inputting different information, and, as a result, a great number of different versions of the film can be assembled by the viewer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Six people are invited to a remote island by a famous horror author, Roland Levy (Lance Henriksen), for dinner and conversation. The only thing the people have in common is that they know Roland, although it turns out some have connections that aren't apparent. During dinner, Roland reveals that during a soul-searching expedition in the Andes, the local Indians poisoned him -- and he died. But when he was revived he saw the world differently and found the spirit within himself to become a better person. And now he wants to do the same for his six friends, who have been eating and drinking while he's been talking. And guess what? They've been poisoned -- and if they admit to the errors of their ways he'll give them the antidote. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

This TNT miniseries stars Alec Baldwin as Robert Jackson, the Supreme Court justice who served as the head prosecutor for the war crimes tribunal that took place in Nuremberg after the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust. The film follows Jackson from his preparations for the trial to the outcome of the trial itself, paying particular attention to the interplay between Jackson and the Nazi thugs he is trying to prosecute. Brian Cox co-stars a Hermann Goering, Hitler's right-hand man, while Christopher Plummer plays British prosecutor Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe, and Jill Hennessey portrays Elise Douglas, Jackson's invaluable secretary and sometime lover. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide