Lisa Richardson Movies

Not to be confused with Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, the Brendan Fraser adventure that was released into theaters the same year, this made-for-cable take on Jules Verne's classic tale stars Golden Globe winner Rick Schroder as the leader of a treacherous mission miles below the Earth's surface. Famed anthropologist Jonathan Brock (Schroder) has just accepted the most dangerous -- and exciting -- assignment of his entire career. Four years ago, Edward Dennison (Peter Fonda) -- husband of wealthy Martha Dennison (Victoria Pratt) -- mysteriously vanished while embarking on an expedition to the planet's core. Martha has never gotten over her husband's disappearance, and she's willing to pay Jonathan whatever it takes to locate the missing Edward. Now, in order to retrace Edward's footsteps and find the answer to Martha's biggest question, Jonathan enlists the aid of his nephew Abel (Steve Grayhm) and Edward's former partner Sergei (Mike Dopud) and sets off to Alaska in hopes of locating the secret gateway to the center of the Earth.

With Martha in tow, Jonathan, Abel, and Sergei make their way into the great unknown and discover something truly spectacular. Miles beneath the Earth's surface is a world teeming with undiscovered life, a place where prehistoric birds soar overhead and man-eating megalodons rule the underworld oceans. The most surprising discovery of all, however, is a primitive race of warriors who have never seen the sun. Edward has become the leader of these men, the God-like ruler of a secret kingdom. But while Edward is indeed considered a god among the people, there is a devil in this world as well. As a rival tribe prepares to launch an attack that could destroy all of civilization, Jonathan and the rest of his crew stage the most daring escape ever attempted. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Filmmaker Ted Schillinger turns his attentions toward a most unusual friendship with this documentary focusing on the warm bond shared between outspoken capital punishment proponent Robert Blecker and Tennessee Death Row inmate Daryl Holton. A mass murderer who strongly believes that the death penalty is a just and necessary punishment, Holton knows that his time will soon come, and spends a good deal of time discussing such topics as mercy, courage, and morality with the New York Law School professor whose efforts played a key part in ensuring his death. The result is a film that gravitates between humorous and deeply disturbing as it focuses in on one of the most controversial moral dilemmas of the modern era. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Premonition writer/director Norio Tsuruta directs iconic Japanese author Kôji Suzuki's tale of open-water terror for the small screen as Showtime's Masters of Horror series winds to a waterlogged close. Jack (Daniel Gillies) is an American lawyer working in Tokyo who is terrified of the sea. But a few small waves become the least of Jack's worries when he and the wife of his powerful client Eiji enter into a dangerous affair. Later, when Eiji personally invites Jack to join the couple for an afternoon boating excursion into Tokyo Bay, the shaken lawyer reluctantly accepts. Little do Jack and Eiji's wife realize that their greatest fears are about to become reality when a presumed pleasure cruise turns deadly personal. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A small Texas town is terrorized by an unidentified monstrous force in this installment of Showtime's Masters of Horror series adapted from an Ambrose Bierce story by writer Richard Christian Matheson, and directed by Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Sheriff Kevin Reddle (Sean Patrick Flanery) may have had a tragic past, but these days he's just looking to find a little peace by starting a family in a quiet Texas town. Any hope for restfulness is soon obliterated, however, when a terrifying entity begins turning brother against brother and parent against child, and an apocalyptic fight for the survival of the human race gets off to a gruesome start. Ted Raimi and Marisa Coughlan co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Bones director Ernest R. Dickerson takes the helm for this episode of Showtime's Masters of Horror series concerning two morbidly curious teenagers who come face to face with the ultimate nightmare. Obsessed with the prospect of seeing a real dead body, two teenage boys break into a mortuary and prepare to stare death in the face. Their victimless crime yields unexpectedly horrific results, however, when a ferocious vampire (Michael Ironside) emerges from the darkness to feast on some fresh blood. Subsequently transformed into bloodthirsty vampires, the two teens must now choose between embracing a life of nocturnal terror and sacrificing themselves for the sake of their fellow man. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Final Destination 2 screenwriters Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber make their directorial debut with the sci-fi thriller The Butterfly Effect. Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher with facial hair) wants to free himself from his disturbing childhood memories. As a kid, he often blacked out for long periods of time and tried to detail his life in a journal. As a young adult, he revisits the journal entries to figure out the truth about his troubled childhood friends Kayleigh (Amy Smart), Lenny (Elden Henson), and Tommy (William Lee Scott). When he discovers he can travel back in time in order to set things right, he tries to save his beloved friends. However, he finds out that relatively minor changes can make major problems for the future. The Butterfly Effect also stars Eric Stoltz, Ethan Suplee, and Melora Walters. The title was inspired by the story A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

The political thriller B-movie Ignition was released straight to video in the U.S. Bull Pullman stars as Conor Gallagher, a former military helicopter pilot who was discharged due to his violent rage. He is assigned to protect Federal Judge Faith Mattis (Lena Olin) after a mail bomb goes off in her office. Meanwhile, the U.S. is about to put a man on the moon and corrupt military officials plan to assassinate the President. Colm Feore plays the corrupt bad guy, General Joel MacAteer, and Peter Kent plays his henchman Brunson. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Based on a play by Tim Boland, the made-for-TV drama In the Name of the People stars Scott Bakula as death-row inmate John Burke. Facing execution for the murder of a teenaged girl, Burke's only concern is over the future of his own 13-year-old daughter Lisa (Robin Ann Phipps). Connie Murphy (Amy Madigan), mother of the murdered girl and the unforgiving leader of the activist group which lobbied for Burke's death, finds that there is a curious bond between the soon-to-be orphaned Lisa and Connie's own husband Jack (Richard Thomas), to whom forgiveness and compassion are second nature. The garrulous nature of Richard Leder's teleplay led one TV critic to characterize the film as "Dead Man Talking." In the Name of the People originally aired on February 2, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When an earth woman discovers she is carrying an alien's child, tensions between humans and the out-worlders rapidly escalate towards all-out war. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Another psychopath haunts another baby sitter in this made-for-TV sequel to the 1979 feature When a Stranger Calls. When prim schoolgirl Julia (Jill Schoelen) accepts a last-minute baby-sitting assignment from a doctor and his wife (Kevin McNulty and Cheryl Wilson), she follows all the rules: She studies diligently, checks often on the kids, and refuses to open the door for strangers -- even when a stranded motorist asks to come in and call his auto club. Julia offers to call for him, but the phone is dead, and rather than alert a strange man that she's without a link to the outside world, she lies and says they're on their way. The man returns to the door repeatedly, angrily wondering why help hasn't arrived; as he continues to badger Julia, she notices things aren't right in the house. Slips of paper disappear, doors mysteriously unlock themselves, the children vanish, and Julia barely escapes with her life. Five years later, Julia is an introverted college student with some heavy-duty locks on her door. Nevertheless, she starts getting that familiar feeling that something isn't right. Enter Jill Johnson (Carol Kane), survivor of a similar baby-sitting atrocity many years earlier. Now a guidance counselor at Julia's university, she offers to help the girl track down her stalker. With the help of an old friend, private eye John Clifford (Charles Durning), Jill picks up the trail of a disturbed ventriloquist (Gene Lythgow). But when Julia ends up with a bullet in her head in an apparent suicide attempt, even John thinks Jill's investigation is a wild goose chase. Reuniting stars Carol Kane and Charles Durning with writer/director Fred Walton, When a Stranger Calls Back features another horror veteran in its cast. Jill Schoelen previously starred in 1990's Popcorn. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide