Graeme Campbell Movies

Based on the beloved story by Little Women author Louisa May Alcott, director Graeme Campbell's holiday-themed family drama tells the tale of a headstrong teenager who seeks to rescue her family from financial ruin by writing to her long lost grandmother, a wealthy New York socialite. Mathilda Bassett is a quick-witted young writer who just lost her father in an untimely tragedy, and now her mother is struggling just to make ends meet. Though she has never met her grandmother Isabella, Mathilda secretly puts pen to paper in a desperate bid to keep her family afloat financially. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, the made-for-cable Guilt by Association was the first "original" movie to be presented by the Court TV network. Mercedes Ruehl stars as Susan Walker, a widowed nurse with two kids and a disreputable boyfriend named Russell (Alex Carter). Unbeknownst to Susan, Russell has been dealing drugs for quite some time, and when the cops close in, he claims that Susan has been his accomplice all along. Though totally innocent, Susan is condemned by her previous actions, which circumstantially put her in the thick of Russell's criminal activities. Thanks to the government's 1986 "mandatory sentencing" law, Susan is sentenced to 20 years in prison, without hope for early parole. As her sister Angie (Alberta Watson) looks after the children, Susan fights a long and frustrating battle to secure her freedom, clear her name, and prevent her loved ones from suffering any further anguish. Guilt by Association was originally broadcast on March 13, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

What's a music biz insider to do when a beautiful girl turns out to have an ugly voice? Roger Deacon (Peter Outerbridge) is a once-successful record producer whose career hit the skids after he let a number of bad habits get the better of him. The head of a major record label offers Roger a chance to pull his career out of the doldrums by producing an album for Sunni (Kari Wuhrer), a sexy would-be pop goddess who happens to be the label chief's girlfriend. There's one little problem, though -- Sunni can't sing to save her life, and no amount of studio trickery at Roger's disposal is able to conceal that fact. One night, after a failed session with Sunni, Roger ends up at a bar on karaoke night, and he hears Maggie Stanley (Gail O'Grady), a housewife, sing a number. Roger is struck by the fact that Maggie has the perfect voice for the material he's trying to cut with Sunni, and faster than you can say Milli Vanilli, he convinces Maggie to sing for Sunni, despite her natural shyness and stage fright. However, when Sunni discovers she's been reduced to a lip sync act for her upcoming video and concert tour, she's none too happy, and shares her displeasure with her boyfriend; Roger, meanwhile, is wrestling with the fact that he's fallen in love with Maggie, who is married and not prepared to leave her husband. Also shown under the title Out of Sync, Lip Service was produced for (and originally aired on) the VH1 cable music network. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Based on the popular novel for young adults by Frank Sacks, this heart-warming drama concerns Billy Hastings (Kevin Zegers), an 11-year-old boy whose life is shattered after his leg is permanently damaged by a drunk driver. Billy and his mother Julie (Anne Archer) move to a new town in hopes of escaping the bad memories of the accident. Not long after they arrive, they visit a threadbare circus, where they discover a neglected horse. Feeling sorry for the animal, they arrange to take it home, only to discover that the horse is pregnant. That's the least of their surprises, though; the horse shortly gives birth to a unicorn, which appears to have magical powers. Nico the Unicorn also stars Michael Ontkean. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Deserted by her no-good mother Angie (Ally Sheedy), Emma Baker (Rachael Lee Cook) has been raised by her grandfather, a tough but compassionate old coal miner named Clayton Hayes (George C. Scott). Now 15 years old, Emma insists upon a reunion with her drink-sodden mom--only to be raped and impregnated by Angie's current lowlife boyfriend Ray Wilcox (Don Diamont). When Clayton goes to court in hopes of adopting Emma's sickly baby, he is thwarted by a misguided legal system that regards Wilcox as a more suitable guardian! Outraged, Clayton steals the baby and embarks upon a lengthy odyssey, with the authorities dogging his trail and a virtual battalion of truck drivers and other "little people" treating the old man as a folk hero. Produced for the CBS network, the made-for-TV Country Justice premiered January 14, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Yasmine Bleeth stars in this "drawn from the headlines" TV movie as Diane Shepherd, the idealistic producer for the bomb-throwing talkfest "The Howard Grant Show." At present, Howard's most controversial guest is Kelly Reilly (Jenny Lewis), a drugged-out prostitute and single mom. Taking a protective interest in Kelly, Diane endeavors to redeem the girl and put her on the right path--an act of largesse that is coldly vetoed not only by the Springer-esque Howard Grant (Peter Scolari), but also by Diane's ratings-driven boss Sadie (Veronica Hamel), who subscribes to the philosophy that "Everyone in this business is a whore--but we're highly paid whores." Like so many other films which try to "expose" the seamier side of the talk-show industry, Talk to Me exudes an air of smug superiority, but Yasmine Bleeth's surprisingly forceful performance compensates the script's self-righteous shortcomings. The film made its ABC network bow on October 20, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The life of Ben Kohler (Sam Robards), a homeless man shot in the head by a fleeing robber, is saved when Dr. Jennifer Martinez (Elizabeth Pena) implants an experimental computer chip in his head. Unfortunately, the chips mentally links Ben with a rampaging serial killer -- a person whom Martinez knows all too well. Will Ben have to sacrifice his own sanity, and his very existence, to bring the murderer to justice? "Living Hell" was first telecast on May 14, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When the police don't seem to be giving their all in the investigation of a young woman's disappearance, her sister decides to look into the mystery herself. The more evidence she finds, the more the finger of guilt points towards her brother-in-law. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV movie was first seen in the United States on February 2, 1992. Simon Reynolds plays Bruce Curtis, teenaged product of a troubled Canadian home. When Bruce's parents turn up murdered, the evidence trail leads to the boy's closest friend, Scott Franz (Jaimz Woolvett). The question: did Scott act alone, or did Bruce participate? Question two: was this an "In Cold Blood" or Leopold/Loeb situation, wherein two seriously disturbed young men teamed up to become one unstoppable killing machine? Kenneth Welsh costars as the boys' defense attorney. Based on an explosive real-life case, Deadly Betrayal was originally produced for Canadian television, where it ran under the title Journey Into Darkness: The Bruce Curtis Story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This crime drama is based on the true story of Billy Isaacs who with his brothers killed a family of six. The story unfolds from Billy's perspective and follows their exploits after they escape from a Maryland prison and embark upon the 13-day joyride from hell. During the journey, the boys go on an unparalleled spree of robbery and cold-blooded murder. They made it through 12 states before they were finally stopped. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide