Kimberly J. Brown Movies
A wisecracking lycanthrope stalks a hard-partying group of college students in this full-moon comedy shocker featuring An American Werewolf in London's David Naughton and genre veteran Clint Howard. All they wanted was a fun weekend away from their parents and the pressures of school, but when these fun-loving teens cross the path of a werewolf that isn't afraid to speak its mind as he tears them limb from limb, they must find out who is behind the furry façade and put the beast down before it can claim any more lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Tyson, Kimberly J. Brown, (more)
Marnie and her friends from Halloweentown are back in this made-for-cable feature. Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown) is a teenage witch living with her family of supernatural beings in the village of Halloweentown. Marnie and her pals are interested in attending high school in the nearby mortal community, where they'll be able to spend more time with kids their age, and with the help of her grandmother Aggie (Debbie Reynolds), she's able to convince the town council to go along with the suggestion. However, there's a catch -- if anything dangerous happens as a result of their presence in the mortal school, Marnie and her friends will lose their magical talents. Trouble does make its way to the school, but not in a way anyone expected -- the Knight of the Iron Dagger comes to the mortal world determined to wipe out Marnie and her magical companions. Halloweentown High is the third film in the Disney Channel series that also includes Halloweentown and Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Based on a true story, My Sister's Keeper stars Kathy Bates as Christine, who since childhood has suffered from a debilitating mental illness. Spending most of her life in and out of various institutions, Christine has long yearned for independence, but is unable to wrest free of her controlling mother, Helen (Lynn Redgrave). Upon Helen's death, her other daughter, Judy (Elizabeth Perkins), a successful, self-absorbed art director who has deliberately distanced herself from her family, is appointed trustee of the troubled Christine. The rest of the film chronicles Judy's frustrated efforts to balance her sister's needs with her own, and Christine's ongoing ambition to stand on her own two feet. Though the filmed studiously avoids false sentiment and pathos, it still manages to touch even the hardest of hearts. Adapted from a book by Margaret Moorman, My Sister's Keeper was first seen as a CBS "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation on January 27, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Bates, Elizabeth Perkins, (more)
Horror specialist Stephen King claimed that his TV miniseries Rose Red was inspired by a number of sources, ranging from Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (twice filmed as The Haunting) to Ripley's Believe It or Not to Moby Dick. Residents of San Jose, CA, however, quickly realized that King's story owed a great deal to their own city's legendary "haunted" mansion, Winchester House. Rose Red was set in motion when psych professor Joyce Reardon (Nancy Travis), defying her tongue-clucking boss Professor Miller (David Dukes, who died during production), set about to investigate reports of paranormal phenomena in Rose Red, a crumbling and foreboding Seattle mansion. According to legend -- and a great deal of physical evidence -- Rose Red was a "living" entity in its own right, adding extras wings to its structure and rearranging its furniture whenever it felt like it. There has also been a number of mysterious deaths at the mansion, which Joyce believed were the handiwork of a ghost: Ellen Rimbauer, the insane wife of Rose Red's architect. Inviting a quintet of psychics (social misfits all, of course) to spend a weekend at the mansion, Joyce was determined to solve the mystery of Rose Red -- and, she hoped, to conjure up Ellen's hostile spirit. Thereafter, the miniseries adhered to the proven formula, with characters foolishly wandering off alone to meet their individual demises, and with such time-tested lines as "Superstitious nonsense!," "Honey -- are you in there?" and "Oh, no! AIYEEEE!" wafting through the mansion's drafty corridor. The outcome of the story -- and the fate of the survivors -- seemed to rest in the hands of Annie Wheaton (Kimberly J. Brown), an autistic teenager with astonishing telepathic skills. Premiering January 27, 2002, the three-part Rose Red posted ABC's best ratings in months, despite an almost universal drubbing by the critics. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nancy Travis, Matt Keeslar, (more)
- 2001
A novice witch has to help out her grandmother and save the world (boy, the chores never end, do they?) in this 16-year-old made-for-cable fantasy. Witch Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown) discovers that even though she and her grandmother Aggie (Debbie Reynolds) foiled the plans of the evil warlock Kalabar three years ago, his son Kal has taken up the family tradition of evildoing. Kal has stolen Aggie's magic books and is planning top use her collection of secret spells to destroy the borders between the real world and the spooky alternate universe of Halloweentown -- which would not only bring chaos to the world, but put both Aggie and Marnie out of the witch business for good. Can Marnie use her fast-growing powers to stop Kal before it's too late? Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge was produced for The Disney Channel, where it was first aired on October 12, 2001 -- just in time for Halloween. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kimberly J. Brown, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
- 2000
In this made-for-cable comedy, 14-year-old Jamie Grover is having the usual problems dealing with growing up and wanting her own space, so she's not especially excited to learn that her mother is having a baby. But things soon get a lot more complicated than Jamie ever imagined when her mom gives birth to quintuplets, and she now has five new brothers and sisters to deal with (and to help her folks look after). Quints stars Kimberly Brown and features a guest appearance by Don Knotts. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kimberly J. Brown, Don Knotts, (more)
- 1999
Monica (Roma Downey) is the leader of a support group consisting of five terminally ill people: Corey (David Kaufman, Stasi (Lisa Jane Persky), Dolores (Eileen Brennan), Larry (Lenny Clarke), and Rachel (Nancy McKeon). It is Monica's task to help each group member realize the one big goal that must be achieved before his or her death. All are willing to take on the challenge (though Rachel is at first strangely resistant), but the journey towards that goal is fraught with surprises--not least of which is the fact that the five main characters have always shared a common bond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Filmed on location in Oregon, the made-for-cable Halloweentown stars Debbie Reynolds as Aggie Cromwell, the peppery grandma to typical American kids Marnie (Joey Zimmerman), Dylan (Joey Zimmerman) and Sophie (Emily Roeske). During her annual visit to the youngsters' mother Gwen (Judith Hoag), Aggie reveals that she is a benevolent witch, and that Gwen and the kids all have latent magical powers. Whisking the three little ones off to Halloweentown, Aggie subsequently does battle with evil forces conjured up by Gwen's old flame Kalabar (Robin Thomas), a warlock with delusions of grandeur and a nasty habit of transforming children into zombies. Telecast by the Disney Channel on October 22, 1998, Halloweentown was followed three years later by a sequel, also starring Debbie Reynolds, Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, (more)
- 1997
Filmed in Vancouver, this Hallmark Hall of Fame takes place during the '70s in the U.S. After the death of her mother, Charlotte (Glynis O'Connor), 10-year-old Ellen Foster (Jena Malone, who narrates) suffers abuse from her alcoholic father (Ted Levine) and is ill-treated by her maternal aunts Nadine (Debra Monk) and Betsy (Barbara Garrick) and also by Nadine's mean daughter Dora (Kimberly Brown). Ellen is sent to live with her grief-stricken grandmother Leonora (Julie Harris), but her problems continue since the mean-spirited Leonora blames Ellen for Charlotte's death. Harry Nilsson's song, "Remember Christmas," is featured. This TV movie premiered December 14, 1997 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Harris, Jena Malone, (more)
Underworld hipster Chili Palmer is back in the entertainment business in this sequel to the 1995 hit Get Shorty, which like the first film is based on a novel by Elmore Leonard. Gangster-turned-movie producer Chili (once again played by John Travolta) has grown tired of the screen trade, especially after his latest project turned out to be a box-office flop. Chili is looking for new horizons and thinks he may have found his niche when his close friend Tommy Athens (James Woods), a fellow mobster who runs an independent record label, is murdered by Russian gangsters. Chili takes over Athens' record company, Nothing to Lose Records, and begins courting Tommy's girlfriend, Edie (Uma Thurman). Edie is an experienced hand in record production, and together she and Chili spot what would seem to be the ideal act for their label -- Linda Moon (Christina Milian), a beautiful young woman with a powerhouse voice. Linda is stuck, however, in a going-nowhere R&B trio managed by the monumentally sleazy Raji (Vince Vaughn). Chili isn't much concerned about Linda's contract with Raji, but Raji certainly is, and the manager soon takes out a contract on Chili with the same Russian hoods who killed Tommy. Soon Chili is facing all the action he can handle between the Russian gunmen, a music mogul named Nick Carr (Harvey Keitel) who wants Chili to stay out of the business, and Sin LaSalle (Cedric the Entertainer), a successful hip-hop producer who wants Chili to pay him the 300,000 dollars he is owed by Tommy. Be Cool also features appearances by The Rock as a gay Samoan bodyguard, Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000 from the hip-hop duo Outkast) as a rapper who isn't very good with a gun, and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler as himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Uma Thurman, (more)
A man looking for a woman just like himself ends up with someone quite different in this farcical comedy. Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) is a lawyer who is having trouble getting his life back on track after his wife, Kate (Jean Smart), divorces him; he's also adjusting to his new status as a single father. Looking for companionship, Peter tries an internet dating site and virtually meets "lawyer-girl," an attractive and single fellow attorney. Peter makes a date with her, but the woman who arrives at his door turns out to be Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah), who not only isn't a lawyer, she turns out to be an escaped convict. Charlene is also a brash and brassy African-American, while Peter is perhaps the most tightly wound white guy in L.A. Charlene explains to Peter that she's strung him along because she's innocent of the crime for which she was convicted, and she needs a top-notch attorney to help prove her case. Peter isn't the least bit interested at first, but Charlene isn't the sort of woman to take "no" for an answer, and in time she wears him down and agrees to help. As Charlene moves into Peter's home, she helps him to loosen up and unleash his inner groove, which quite surprises Kate, and her down-to-earth advice comes in handy for Peter's son and daughter. But Charlene may end up going too far when Peter is asked to entertain Mrs. Arness (Joan Plowright), a wealthy woman looking for a new law firm. Bringing Down the House also features Eugene Levy as Howie, one of Peter's friends who takes a keen interest in Charlene, and Betty White as one of Peter's neighbors. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Martin, Queen Latifah, (more)
Gavin O'Connor directed, co-wrote and plays a major supporting role in this drama about a mother and daughter coming to terms with each other's problems. In Tumbleweeds, Janet McTeer plays Mary Jo Walker, a single mother with a long string of bad marriages and a habit of hitting the road when things start to turn sour. Her 12-year-old daughter Ava (Kimberly J. Brown) has learned to live with her Mom's nomadic ways and comfortably slips into the pattern of each new town. At the film's outset, Mary Jo and Ava depart Missouri for San Diego, California, with Mary Jo falling for a rough-hewn trucker named Jack (Gavin O'Connor) along the way. Once in San Diego, Mary Jo's relationship with Jack fails to run smoothly and her new job presents more than its share of challenges, while Ava has romantic problems of her own when she gains her first boyfriend. McTeer, an established stage actress in England, made her American screen debut in this film, which also features notable character actor Michael J. Pollard as Mary Jo's eccentric boss. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet McTeer, Kimberly J. Brown, (more)
Based on a series of Dutch children's books by Hans der Beer, the animated feature The Little Polar Bear is a German production made up of three separate stories about polar bear cub Lars. In the first, Lars meets and befriends a seal named Robby. In the second, he is stranded on an island and makes friends with a hippo, an eagle, and a killer whale. In the third, he and his friends plot to crash a ship that has been stealing all the fish out of the sea. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
