Anne Hopkins Movies
- 2008
A married couple locked in separate realities is faced with the most difficult decision of their lives after learning that their son, who loses his ability to hear at age four, could potentially regain his hearing with the help of cochlear implants. Dan Miller (Jeff Daniels) and his wife Laura (Marlee Matlin) may be husband and wife, but they're also best friends. Laura is deaf, while Dan has always been able to hear. When their four year old son Adam (Noah Valencia) suddenly loses his hearing, Dan and Laura find themselves hopelessly at odds over how to handle the situation. Laura has dealt with deafness her entire life, and believes that her son's handicap is only a minor obstacle. Dan, on the other hand, is determined to give his son a shot at living a more normal life, and becomes staunchly convinced that modern technology can make that possible. But the more research Dan conducts into cochlear implants, the clearer Laura makes it that she is completely opposed to the idea of surgery for their son. As the conflict between the couple comes to an impassioned head, Laura and Dan struggle to put aside their differences decide which option would be best for Adam's future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Daniels, Marlee Matlin, (more)
- 2003
Successful LA attorney Terry McQuinn (Gary Sinise) returns to his Maine home town, intent upon settling the estate of his late, long-estranged father Mac (Michael Rhoades), then returning home as soon as possible. But once he has arrived, Terry finds that he is inexorably bound to his old house by vague and fragmentary memories of a horrendous tragedy in his childhood. Figuring into Terry's plight is Katherine Wentworth (Joely Richardson), a girl from his past who, unbeknownst to either one of them, is also a key player in that tragedy. The story then takes a number of surprising turns, especially with the arrival of a "dead" man who isn't, and a wintertime pilgrimage to a most unusual parking garage (where, incidentally, the viewer finally learns the significance of the film's title. Adapted by Don Snyder from his own novel, Fallen Angel was produced for the CBS "Hallmark Hall of Fame" TV series, and was originally telecast on November 23, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Adapted from James Agee's posthumously published, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Death in the Family is set in Knoxville, TN, in 1915. The death of husband and father Jay Follett (John Slattery) in a car accident has profound and long-reaching effects upon his wife, Mary (Annabeth Gish), and his sensitive, seven-year-old son, Rufus (Austin Wolff). At the core of the crisis is Mary's prickly relationship with her own family, exacerbated by her late husband's unwillingness to "go with the flow" in terms of religion and race relations. The kindly intervention of Mary's free-spirited artist brother, Andrew (David Alford), enables her and her son to go on with their lives. Told from Rufus' point of view, the novel version of Death in the Family had previously served as the source for the Broadway play and film All the Way Home. This production, filmed on-location in Tennessee, was telecast by PBS on March 25, 2002 as part of Masterpiece Theatre's "American Collection." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
A girl poised on the brink of adolescence finds herself shouldering a whole new set of responsibilities in this made-for-TV drama based on the autobiographical book by Esmeralda Santiago. In 1961, Mami Santiago (Wanda De Jesus) decides to leave her life in a Puerto Rican farming community behind and move herself and her six children to New York City in search of a better life -- and better medical care for her ailing son. Mami's oldest daughter, Esmerelda (Ana Maria Lagasca) -- Negi for short -- not only has trouble adapting to her new environment, but doesn't quite fit in at her new school, where she's lumped in with other Spanish speaking students with whom she shares no common culture. Negi's burden is intensified by the fact her mother and siblings are counting on her to learn English and serve as the family's interpreter. One of Negi's teachers senses her creative gifts and arranges for her to audition for the Performing Arts School in Manhattan, but as Negi struggles to learn a monologue in a new language she has yet to master, she isn't sure if she has what it takes to make the grade. Esmeralda Santiago penned the screenplay for Almost A Woman from her own memoir; the film was first broadcast as part of the award-winning PBS anthology series Masterpiece Theater. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wanda De Jesus, Miriam Colon, (more)
- 2000
Based on Willa Cather's novel of the same name, The Song of the Lark follows Thea Kronborg (Alison Elliott) throughout her youth in the farm country of Colorado. Desperate to sing, Thea starts out in the confines of her father's church. Despite the doubts of many, she feels singing is her calling in life, and works steadfastly until landing a chance to perform in New York City. The film also features Maximilian Schell, Tony Goldwyn, Norman Lloyd, and Arliss Howard. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Acclaimed author Willa Cather offers a moving tale of an artist's self-discovery in a semi-autobiographical tale concerning a young woman from rural Colorado who moves to the big city to seek her fortune as a world-famous opera star. Originally aired as part of PBS' popular Masterpiece Theatre series, The Song of the Lark details the passion of young singer Thea Kronborg (Alison Elliott) as she strives to make a name for herself in the world of music along with a little encouragement from a country doctor, a railroad worker, and a millionaire, who assist her in her musical development. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alison Elliott, Maximilian Schell, (more)
- 2000
The lingering illness and death of his beloved wife has left young Appalachian farmer Grins Jenkins (Scott Bakula) a melancholy shell of his ebullient former self. As Christmas approaches, Jenkins can find no discernable reason for going on with his own life. But Grins' four spunky and resourceful children not about to let their father wither and die of a broken heartt. Based on a novel by Collin Wilcox Patton and Gary Carden, and filmed on location in Alberta, Papa's Angel was broadcast by CBS on December 3 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A six-year old African-American girl scores very well on early scholastics tests and is chosen by the New Orleans school district to be the first of her race to be integrated into that city's public school system. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Nine years ago, the teenaged son of Idaho woman Zalinda Dorcheus (Blair Brown) was shot and killed by another teen, Jeff Parker (Cameron Bancroft). Now Jeff is up for parole, and the grimly vengeful Zalinda is determined to keep him behind bars. Going so far as to visit the jail where Jeff is held, she prepares to confront and condemn her son's killer--only to find out that Jeff is hardly the monster she imagined him to be, and that it is now up to her to move on in life, let go of the past, and forgive. Adapted from a true story, the made-for-cable Convictions debuted November 10, 1997 on the Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A brush with death leads a loving mother and housewife to follow her dream of pursuing a higher education in this family drama starring Reba McEntire and Keith Carradine, and directed by David Hugh Jones. Lily (McEntire) has lived a charmed life. Blessed with a loving husband (Carradine) and beautiful children, the optimistic mother is fully content with her simple existence until the death of her father and a brush with breast cancer leave her longing for something more. As Lily begins to ponder her mortality and question her decision to sacrifice her education for the sake of starting a family, she realizes that it may be time to go back to school and try to make a difference in the world. Determined to make the most of her education despite the formidable obstacles that lie ahead, Lily soon finds that the support of her family is all she needs to realize her dreams of a better future and prove that it's never too late to make a fresh start. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reba McEntire, Keith Carradine, (more)
- 1992
In this Hallmark Hall of Fame TV film set in the post-war era, Kyra Sedgwick is the title character, a New Yorker who has long kept her Jewish heritage under wraps. Born in Poland but sent to the U.S. before the Holocaust, the young career woman receives word that the older sister she presumed was dead has in fact survived the Nazi terror and is coming to America, forcing Rose to confront her own past and future. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maureen Stapleton, Kyra Sedgwick, (more)
