J.B. White Movies
A money-minded modern day Scrooge with no time for family is given twelve days to discover the true meaning of Christmas in this holiday comedy from director Martha Coolidge. Calvin Carter (Steven Weber) is strictly business. The owner of a popular discount store chain whose lowbrow business ethics has earned him the fear of his employees and isolated his family, Calvin spend Christmas Eve tending to business instead of celebrating the holiday with his wife and children. When Calvin's car is hit by a falling sign on his way home from work and he awakens in a hospital, the no-nonsense nurse on duty gives him twelve days to discover the true meaning of Christmas, or risk dire consequences by continuing to place the value of a dollar over the value of his family. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Weber, Molly Shannon, (more)
A summit meeting between the American president and the Chinese premier, held in secret on the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth 2 somewhere on the high seas, is rudely interrupted when the ship is hijacked by Taiwanese extremists. Fully prepared to nuke the vessel and spark a world war to get the point across, the terrorists cannot be stopped by traditional peacekeeping methods. It is up to a pair of long-estranged brothers, ATF agent Vince Kellogg (Joe Lando) and Secret Service operative Thomas Kellogg (Rob Estes), to secretly parachute onto the deck of the QE2 and save the world from annihilation -- with a little help from the ship's plucky (and drop-dead gorgeous) security head, Brittany Cooper (Rachel Blakely). Also appearing are Marie Matiko as Maggie Chang, a terrorist posing as a martial arts movie star, and Christopher Lawford, son of actor and former J.F.K. intimate Peter Lawford, ironically cast as the American vice president. Originally filmed as Attack on the Queen (the title of the novel on which it was based), Counterstrike first aired March 2, 2003, on the TBS superstation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
This two-part TV movie was based on the true story of a Long Island heart specialist, accused of killing his wife out of love for his mistress. Treat Williams stars as Dr. Stephen Carrow, whose longtime "perfect" marriage disintegrates when he falls for unhappily married church organist Jenny Moran (Marcia Gay Harden). When murder rears its inevitable head, the film's "official" stars take a back seat to a trio of supporting characters: Gary Basaraba as Jenny's smarter-than-he-looks husband, and Olympia Dukakis and Dan McDonald as the parents of the victim. Filmed in Toronto in 2000, Guilty Hearts aired over the CBS network on February 10 and 13, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
While on a vacation in the Pacific Northwest, widower Nick Conway (Kyle McLachlan) and his son Dennis (Joseph Cross) are involved in a car accident. Dennis is rushed to the hospital in a strange, remote village called Springdale, where all the residents seem unusually youthful and attractive. As he slowly falls in love with the nurse caring for Dennis, Nick comes to the realization that the town harbors a secret fountain of youth--and that there is ultimately a terrible price to pay for being eternally young. Based on a novel by Clifford Irving, The Spring aired January 16, 2000 on NBC, reportedly as the pilot for a never-produced weekly series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Cross, Kyle MacLachlan, (more)
- 1999
Perhaps befitting its subject, this cable TV biopic of Playboy magazine maven Hugh Hefner is as glossy and superficial as Playboy itself. In the tradition of Sunset Blvd., the story is narrated by a dead person: Hefner's assistant, Bobbie Arnstein (Natasha Gregson Wagner), who killed herself in 1975 in the midst of a drug scandal at Playboy Enterprises. Hefner himself, played by Randall Batinkoff, is given a much happier denouement, when, after nearly 40 years of heading a publishing empire that has elevated the nudie-mag format into an empire, he surprises everyone by (briefly) giving up his notorious girl-chasing hedonism and weds Kimberly Conrad (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos). Since this film was shown on the basic-cable USA Network, there was no actual nudity, but plenty of implication along the way. Pauly Shore appears uncredited as legendary comedian Lenny Bruce, whom Hefner regularly featured on his early '60s TV variety show. Hefner: Unauthorized originally aired on December 12, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The fishing industry of a small Northwestern coastal town is nearly destroyed when a mysterious giant sea creature takes up residence. Based on a novel by Peter Benchley, the story bears more than passing resemblance to the author's most popular story, Jaws in that a few, including a scientist, learn the terrifying truth and try to convince a skeptical community that they are all in danger should they go too near the water. Once the town believes, it is up to the hero, a lady coast guard officer, and the scientists to stop the beast. This feature originally aired as a two-part miniseries on network television. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William L. Petersen, Karen Sillas, (more)
- 1995
Andy Griffith shed a bit of his nice-guy image in this made-for-TV movie, in which he plays Jack McGruder, the elderly father of Clarke McGruder (John Ritter), a successful lawyer. Jack has been missing for years, and Clarke has spent some time trying to track down his father's whereabouts; after the death of Clarke's mother, Jack reappears, and Clarke goes out of his way to reintegrate him with his family, allowing him to move in with his wife and son. But while Jack seems genial on the surface, there's a dark and troubling undercurrent to his personality, and in time Clarke realizes his father isn't just cranky, but dangerous. Gramps first aired in 1995, and its initial broadcast ran opposite the much-anticipated wedding episode of the popular TV series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Dr. Quinn won a decisive victory in the ratings that night, leading Andy Griffith to quip to a reporter, "It's hard to beat a 39-year-old virgin getting married." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Griffith, John Ritter, (more)
