J. Karen Thomas Movies
- 1999
Tipped off by a man (Billy Jayne) whose fiancée has been killed in a grisly manner, Andy (T.W. King) teams with FBI agent Fallon (Jocelyn Seagrave) to hunt down the Wendigo, a vicious creature who tried to attack Piper (Holly Marie Combs). Alas, it soon develops that the hunted beast is a lot closer than Andy had ever imagined. Meanwhile, Prue's (Shannen Doherty) efforts to keep the auction house afloat may be jeopardized by one of Phoebe's (Alyssa Milano) most unsettling visions -- this one involving a "dead" kidnap victim who may still be alive. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jocelyn Seagrave, Billy Jayne, (more)
- 2001
The wedding of Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) may never come off, thanks to a combination of terrible weather, squabbling in-laws, a misplaced wallet, and a clueless limo service. Back at the ER, with most of the nurses invited to the wedding, Abby (Maura Tierney) must hold down the fort while suffering from a bad cold; and Kovac (Goran Visnjic) and Carter (Noah Wyle) argue over the treatment of the victims of a prison-van accident. And while embarking on a vacation to get over her relationship with Legaspi, Weaver (Laura Innes) makes a new "friend" (Casey Biggs). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An altruistic divorcée learns that sometimes it takes a patient to heal the healer in a touching tale of forgiveness and compassion starring Annabeth Gish, Ethan Embry, and Ed Begley, Jr. Denise (Gish) has just been through an emotionally taxing divorce, and when the hospital she is employed at commits an unforgivable act of injustice, she inadvertently compounds her emotional woes by walking off the job in a defiant act of disapproval. After taking a temporary position at a rehabilitation facility for patients who have suffered brain injuries, Denise is assigned the task of looking after 25-year-old car-accident victim Rick (Embry). Now, as she begins a new life at a new job, Denise finds that love can blossom in the most unlikely of environments and finds that even the most competent of caregivers can learn a thing or two from those they so lovingly look after. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annabeth Gish, Ethan Embry, (more)
- 1999
- PG13
This made-for-television docudrama that aired on March 28, 1999 on NBC, relates the story of an actual event that occurred during World War II, but is centered around the lives of fictional characters. On July 17, 1944 at a U.S. naval base near San Francisco, a ship exploded causing the deaths of 323 men and injuring another 390. Just over 200 of the dead and another 200 of the injured were African-American Navy personnel. The story begins with the events that led up to the tragedy, with the second half of the film describing the actions of the men who refused to report back to work the next day after the explosion. Initially, 250 of the men refused to return, fearing another catastrophe. When base officers threatened to charge them with mutiny, 200 returned to work. The 50 who refused to return were given dishonorable discharges, in addition to 15 years of hard labor from the mutiny convictions. Eventually, the sentences were reduced to 4 years, but no official governmental acknowledgment of wrongdoing has ever been made. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Jai White, David Ramsey, (more)
- 1998
In a follow-up to the previous episode, "Don't Kill the Messenger," Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) and Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) continue to be frustrated in their efforts to pin a nurse's murder on misogynistic cop Tommy Richardson (Michael Wiseman). Elsewhere, a graduate student who is shot during the theft of his camera wants to exact his own brand of justice. On a more personal level, Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) rushes to Abby's (Paige Turco) side when she shows signs of going into labor. "Upstairs," John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) starts a printing business, and Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence) tries to persuade Andy to undergo prostate surgery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Filmmaker Chris Payne explores the many factors that played into the ultimate failure of the electric car to catch on with consumers, even as gas prices began to skyrocket, in a thoughtful meditation on the increasingly important role that renewable energy plays in modern society. Introduced as a means of providing an alternative to increasing oil consumption and reducing pollution in 1996, the electric car was all but a forgotten memory only a decade later -- but why? Though interviews with consumer advocacy experts, automotive industry experts, and oil industry heavyweights, Payne paints a though-provoking picture of a culture whose aversion to change and reliance on dwindling resources may be rooted in the financial concerns of a wealthy few, and may also be leading consumers down a troubling path. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greg "Gadget" Abbott, Dave Barthmuss, (more)
One woman's odyssey through a hellish life of sexual abuse, drug addiction, and crime is resolved in faith in this tough but inspiring drama based on a true story documented by evangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes. Michelle Jordan (Kimberly Elise) was raised by a single mother, Cassie (Loretta Devine), who became involved with a cruel and opportunistic man named Reggie (Clifton Powell). Reggie began displaying an inappropriate interest in Michelle when she was only eight, and at 12 he began violating her on a regular basis. Stung by her mother's denials of Reggie's wrongdoings, Michelle ran away from home and ended up on a dead-end road of drug abuse and prostitution, which led to a stretch in prison for murder. While behind bars, Michelle hears of the teachings of Bishop T.D. Jakes and his work with abused women, and writes the noted preacher in hopes of someday meeting him. To her surprise, Jakes (who plays himself) pays her a visit, and as she shares with him the story of her blighted life, she takes the first steps on the road to emotional and spiritual recovery. Jakes arranges for Michelle to have a three-day furlough from prison so she can attend a revival he's hosting in the area; opting to stay in a half-way house rather than see Cassie and Reggie, Michelle reconnects with many of her old friends during her three days of freedom, including former stripper Nicole (Idalis de Leon), childhood friend and hairdresser Twana (Debbi Morgan), and former boyfriend Todd (Michael Boatman). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kimberly Elise, Loretta Devine, (more)
