Shawn Williamson Movies

The romantic comedy Try Seventeen is a coming-of-age tale directed by Jeffrey Porter. Jones Dillon (Elijah Wood) is a young writer who is living on his own for the first time. Jones continually writes letters to the father he has never met, while his mother Blanche (Elizabeth Perkins) resides in Texas. Enrolled in college, he quickly abandons the stifling dormitory setting and eventually his classes as well. He finds an apartment in an old building in the city and befriends his neighbors. The place is filled with colorful artists and other nonconformist types. Jones gets romantically involved with struggling actress Lisa (Mandy Moore) and photographer Jane (Franka Potente). He buys furniture from Ma Mabley (Debbie Harry) and proceeds to try and lose his virginity while searching for his absent father. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

A competitive figure skater with Olympic aspirations turns her back on the sport by escaping to Canada in director Bruce Sweeney's border hopping family drama. Celia (Rebecca De Mornay) is an uncompromising coach determined to push her daughter Jenna (Jane McGregor) towards an Olympic gold metal. After Jenna's routine in the national figure skating finals proves less than stellar, the dejected young girl decides to escape her demanding mother by fleeing to Vancouver. Though Jenna's father is diligent in keeping his daughter's current location a secret from the fierce Celia, the gun-toting mother's determination ultimately proves too powerful to deny and she is soon off to collect her daughter. Upon attempting to cross the border, Celia begins to get a taste of just how different life in Canada is when the border guards take possession of her registered firearm. It seems that Jenna too has grown weary of living in a land where aggression does not stand, leaving both mother and daughter adrift in some strange land that neither can truly call home. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The war against the forces of darkness becomes a family affair in this cinematic prequel to the popular video game Bloodrayne. In 16th century Europe, Lord Kagan (Ben Kingsley) is an evil ruler who holds more power than any man alive, but he still dreams of having more, and when he's told of three magic talismans who, when united, will give him intense supernatural strength and the gift of immortality, he will stop at nothing to attain them. However, three warriors who have learned how to battle the forces of darkness -- Vladimir (Michael Madsen), Katarin (Michelle Rodriguez), and Sebastian (Matt Davis) -- have formed the Brimstone Society, with the goal of stripping Kagan of his power and restoring justice to their land. They can't accomplish this on their own, though, so they enlist the aid of Rayne (Kristanna Loken), a half-human, half-vampire who can approach Kagan's sinister gifts while having a desire to do good. However, Rayne is torn about signing on with the Brimstone Society, and for a good reason -- Kagan is her father. Scripted by actress, screenwriter, and video-game enthusiast Guinevere Turner, BloodRayne also stars Geraldine Chaplin, Udo Kier, Billy Zane, Michael Paré, and Meat Loaf Aday. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Seattle bomb-squad operative Lt. Tom Royko (Judge Reinhold) forms an uneasy alliance with brilliant but aloof heart surgeon Dr. Gillian Hayes (Penelope Ann Miller) to investigate a bizarre series of events, wherein three of Hayes' former patients have literally exploded. The culprit is a disgruntled lunatic (Timothy Busfield), determined to avenge the death of his son in a surgical accident. The modus operandi: a small explosive device, implanted in the pacemakers of the unfortunate patients. As Royko races against time to rescue a whole slew of "walking time bombs," Hayes is forced to come to terms with her own shortcomings as a medical professional -- and as a human being. Filmed in Vancouver, Dead in a Heartbeat premiered March 3, 2002 on the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Corruption is the law of the land in the every-city of Edison, and the only soul brave enough to peer into the fire and face the wrath of an entire squad of corrupt cops is a fresh-faced journalist in this neo-noir thriller from television director-turned-feature helmer David J. Burke. Joshua Pollack (Justin Timberlake) has discovered a glitch in the system, and as a fledgling journalist he sees it as his duty to expose the corruption. When Pollack misjudges the depth of the authoritative decay and his girlfriend is hospitalized following a brutal attack by the alliance of crooked cops known as F.R.A.T., he soon decides to take action and prove that even those who believe themselves to be above the law still aren't beyond its reach. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A hardened seaman and a dogged reporter become trapped on an island with a mysterious scientist, a ruthless band of mercenaries, and a vicious pack of unidentifiable creatures in BloodRayne director Uwe Boll's seventh video game-to-screen adaptation. A team of mercenaries has been attacked on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest, and as mysterious reports begin to emerge from the chaos, a veteran Seattle newspaper editor sends top reporters Tom Moore and Valerie Constantine to the scene in hopes of getting the scoop on the story. Shortly after arriving on the island under the guidance of ship captain Jack Carver (Til Schweiger), the trio is attacked by mercenary commander Maria Sanchez. Though Tom is killed, Valerie and Jack manage to stage a daring escape and quickly begin to bicker over their plan as Maria's murderous soldiers fast begin gaining ground. Despite Captain Jack's plan to locate his friend Emilio and get off of the island as quickly as possible, reporter Valerie remains determined to investigate the strange situation and get as many details as possible for her upcoming story. Later, when Jack, Valerie, and Emilio are captured and taken to the secret lab of genius scientist Dr. Krieger, Valerie is extended an invitation to join the doctor in announcing his latest findings to the world. Though it finally seems as if Valerie has gotten just the scoop needed to make her story, the situation quickly turns chaotic when one of Dr. Kreiger's creatures escapes from the lab and sets out on a murderous rampage. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The titular "final ascent" in this made-for-cable thriller begins as a group of inexperienced backpackers are shepherded through a particular treacherous stretch of the Rockies by an experienced pair of guides. Among the "greenhorns" is a pack of thieves who are searching for money they had stolen and lost. Once the villains are revealed, it becomes obvious that they aren't about to allow the guides or the other tourists to return from the mountain alive, and thus a deadly cat-and-mouse game develops between two of the main characters, played by Antonio Sabato Jr. and Patrick Muldoon. The striking similarities between this film and the Sylvester Stallone theatrical feature Cliffhanger are underlined by a subplot involving a climber who cannot get over the fact that he caused the death of his daughter in previous ascent. Hampered by too much dialogue and too many blatantly obvious studio "exteriors", Final Ascent was first telecast November 11, 2000 on the Lifetime network, where it has since been rerun under the all-purpose title Final Descent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Uwe Boll's Heart of America: Homeroom is a drama about a massacre on the final day of the school year. The last day of school contains many problems for teachers and students alike. The principal must discipline an English teacher (Michael Paré) who has let his professional frustrations get the better of him, student Dara needs to score from the drug dealing Wex (G. Michael Gray), and a foursome of cruel athletes continues to torment the losers and nerds. Unbeknown to everyone else at the school, the eternally picked upon Daniel (Kett Turton) and Barry (Michael Belyea), as well as a third accomplice, are extensively armed and plan to unleash their fury on the school right after final bell. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Adapted from the popular Sega arcade video game of the same name, director Uwe Boll's action horror effort finds a group of partying teens stranded on an island and doing battle with a new breed of unusually mobile zombies. Looking for a place to party away spring break, college students Cynthia (Sonya Salomaa), Greg (Will Sanderson), and Karma (Enuka Okuma) hear rumors of a rave on a remote island in the Seattle area. Rushing to catch the party boat, the teens pick up friends Simon (Tyron Leitso) and Alicia (Ona Grauer), but discover upon arrival at the dock that the boat has set sail without them. Offering a few dollars to a local captain to hitch a ride to the island, the teens reach their destination only to find it eerily silent with no party in sight. Things go from bad to worse when the group is attacked by a mysterious creature, and they are forced to seek refuge in an old dark house on the island shore. Subsequently running into a few familiar faces and learning to their horror that the rave had been overrun by a horde of terrifying zombies, the group must now make one final bid for survival over the course of a long, blood-soaked night. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Uwe Boll's fantasy adventure film In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale stars Jason Statham as Farmer, a simple man from the Kingdom of Ehb whose goal as the story begins is to care for his family. However, when the power-hungry Gallian (Ray Liotta) invades the kingdom, Farmer must abandon his simple existence in order to rescue his wife (Claire Forlani) and save his king (Burt Reynolds). This film is a cinematic adaptation of the video game Dungeon Siege. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

A teenage girl from the Pacific Northwest finds her life changed forever upon contracting a mysterious virus that has plagued the women in her community for decades. Sylvia is your typical teenage girl; she's currently juggling two boyfriends, and her father is perhaps a bit more overprotective than necessary. In recent years, a number of women in Sylvia's community have been infected with a transformative virus that finds them persecuted by the community, and forced underground. Now Sylvia has been infected, and she begins to notice the first signs of metamorphosis, she begins a bizarre journey of self-discovery that will put her survival skills to the ultimate test. Oppressed by the town's non-afflicted, Sylvia does the one thing that no one who has come before her ever dared - she takes a bold stand against the tyrannical locals in a bid to live life on her own terms, without being judged or marginalized. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

National Lampoon's Going the Distance involves three high-school friends who go on a road trip. During their time together on the amorous adventure, they meet a variety of beautiful women, some others looking to do them harm, and pop star Avril Lavigne. They eventually become mixed up with an executive in the recording business (Jason Priestley). ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide