Vanessa Dorman Movies
- 2000
Though not the first TV dramatization of the lives and careers of the popular 1960s singing group the Beach Boys, this two-part miniseries was the first that did not concentrate exclusively on Brian Wilson, arguably the most brilliant and troubled member of the quintet. Instead, the production details the triumph and heartbreaks of all five Beach Boys: Brian (here played by Frederick Weller), his brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson, and non-related members Mike Love and Al Jardine. Played by Kevin Dunn, the Wilson brothers' father Murray Wilson is cast as a complete monster, shown to be both verbally and physically abusive to his grown sons, as well as a money-grubbing dictator while managing The Beach Boys during their most prolific period. The miniseries also delves into the darker side of the singers themselves, especially when Dennis Wilson (played by Nick Stabile) begins carousing with a would-be tunesmith named Charles Manson (Erik Passoja). Producer John Stamos had originally wanted to appear in the production as Dennis (who died in a surfing mishap in 1983), but the ABC network decided that Stamos was too old for the part. Many (including, reportedly, Brian Wilson himself) complained loudly about the gross liberties taken with actual events in this picture. The Beach Boys: An American Family was originally telecast on February 27 and 28, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederick Weller, Nick Stabile, (more)
An innocent man discovers things are not always what they seem as he's led into a web of murder and revenge in this sexy thriller. Babee Gordon (Thomas Newton) is a quiet, introverted bachelor who one day discovers he has new next-door neighbors, Keith and Vera Miller (Rutger Hauer and Virginia Madsen). Keith and Vera are a friendly, outgoing couple eager to become aquatinted with Babee, while Babee is intrigued by Keith, an ultra-confident ladies' man, and is more than a bit infatuated with Vera, a sexy blonde. As Babee becomes close friends with the couple, he realizes that not all is well with their relationship; one day, they become involved in a serious auto accident after a heated argument. While Vera walks away from the wreck, Keith is confined to a wheelchair, and suffers severe brain damage that prevents him from speaking. Or at least that's what Keith wants people to think. He soon confides to Babee that he's been faking his injuries, and that it's all part of an elaborate plot to seek violent retribution against everyone who has ever crossed him -- so would Babee like to be his partner in crime? Lying in Wait also stars Vanessa Dorman, Shannon Whirry, and Tony Bill. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rutger Hauer, Virginia Madsen, (more)
