Lynn Raynor Movies
A recently divorced mother of two attempts to regain her footing in life after falling for a hunky young surf instructor while vacationing alone in Hawaii. Her marriage dissolved on the eve of her fortieth birthday, Jackie (Heather Locklear) heads to Hawaii to celebrate the landmark solo. There, she reluctantly becomes swept up in a sun-soaked romance with resident surf instructor Kyle Hamilton (Robert Buckley). Sensing that their relationship is more than just a one night stand, Jackie soon begins booking flights to Hawaii every chance she gets, despite the disapproval of her friends and her ex-husband. But Jackie is losing balance, and with a little help from her younger lover she soon discovers that forty is just the beginning. Based on the semi-autobiographical best seller by author Jane Porter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heather Locklear
- 2007
Heaviliy promoted by CBS before its "preview" unveiling on October 18, 2007--and its subsequent "official" debut on October 21--Viva Laughlin was based on the British series Viva Blackpool. The nominal hero was Ripley Holden (Lloyd Owen), a minor-league casino owner who hoped to hit it big with a lavish new gambling emporium in Laughlin, Nevada, the celebrated "mini-Las Vegas" located some 20 miles south of Sin City along the Colorado river. Alas, no sooner had Ripley arrived at his still-under-construction hotel-casino than he learned that his biggest investor had pulled out all his money. Shortly afterward, the investor turned up dead, placing Ripley under the close scrutiny of two somewhat shady characters: casino mogul Nick Fontana (Hugh Jackman, also one of the series' executive producers), who dearly coveted our hero's property; and detective Peter Carlyle (Eric Winter), who suspected Ripley of murder. Peter in fact was so determined to get the goods on Mr. Holden that he pretended to fall in love with Ripley's vacillating wife Natalie (Madchen Amick). Ever lurking in the background was Bunny (Melanie Griffith), the sexy widow of the dead investor, who dropped subtle hints that she knew more than anyone else of what was really going on. Perhaps because the CBS ad campaign misleadingly suggested that Hugh Jackman and Melanie Griffith were the stars of the show instead of secondary characters, or perhaps because viewers were confused by the series' heady blend of mystery, comedy, sexual intrigue, fantasy and out-of-left-field musical numbers, Viva Laughlin failed to win its timeslot. Truth to tell, it didn't even place or show, and was the first big casualty of the 2007-2008 season, cancelled after a scant three episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Owen, Mädchen Amick, (more)
Set largely in England (but filmed in Canada), Four Minutes is the story of Sir Roger Bannister, doctor by profession and runner by preference -- and the first man to run under a four-minute mile. Played by Jamie Maclachlan, Bannister is accurately depicted as a brilliant Oxford medical student, who in the years following WWII gains a reputation as England's fastest runner, but who regards his sports accomplishments as merely an adjunct to his studies, and thus avoids formal athletic training. Only after he fails to win a medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics does Bannister come to realize how important he has become as a morale-booster for a postwar Britain plagued by shortages, rationing, and unemployment. Shouldering this spiritual responsibility, Bannister submits himself to a grueling (but surprisingly scientific) training regimen imposed by disabled ex-athlete Archie Mason (Christopher Plummer). Originally slated for release in 2004 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Roger Bannister's "great run," Four Minutes was not seen until it was picked by the ESPN2 cable service on October 6, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Maclachlan, Christopher Plummer, (more)
Barry Pepper stars as stock-car racing legend Dale Earnhardt in this made-for-cable drama. Dale was raised by Ralph Earnhardt (J.K. Simmons), a proud man who worked at a mill to feed and clothe his family but found true satisfaction rebuilding jalopies in his garage and racing them at local events on the weekends. Ralph was a minor legend in Southern stock-car racing, and when Dale dropped out of high school to follow his own passion for racing, he started out in his father's shadow -- and with no illusions about the odds stacked against him. But after more than a decade of struggle, Dale finally began to break into the big leagues in the late '70s, and in time he became the biggest money maker in NASCAR history, tying with the great Richard Petty as the winner of the Winston Cup trophies. But the lessons Dale learned from his father took on a deeper meaning when his own teenage son, Dale Jr. (Chad McCumbee), also decided to take up racing at the age of 16 -- and Dale tried to keep his hot-headed son away from the track. Named for Earnhardt's racing number, 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story debuted on the ESPN cable network on December 11, 2004, and was released on home video shortly afterward. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Pepper, Elizabeth Mitchell, (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
After being pulled from CBS amid a flurry of controversy, The Reagans was finally aired on Showtime and went on to earn Golden Globe nominations for its stars, James Brolin and Judy Davis. Directed by Robert Allan Ackerman (Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows) and based on a book by Carl Sferrazza Anthony, the film offers an intimate and some may say scathing look at the family behind one of the 20th century's most hotly debated presidencies. Also starring John Stamos and Zeljko Ivanek, the made-for-television biography is unrated. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Davis, James Brolin, (more)
Based on a true story, Obsessed begins when Ellena Roberts (Jenna Elfman), a highly successful medical writer, is yanked out of her apartment and arrested on a charge of harrassment. It seems that Roberts has been dogging the trail of famous neurosurgeon Dr. David Stillman (Sam Robards), whom she met during a medical convention. According to Ellena, she and the very married Stillman had a torrid affair, whereupon Stillman promised to divorce his wife and marry her. When Stillman denied these charges, Ellena inaugurated a campaign of psychological warfare to reclaim the doctor for herself, going so far as to break into his house in the dead of night. The subsequent court trial boils down to a matter of he said/she said, with the neurotic but quick-witted Ellena certain that she can sway the jury to her favor -- even though her own attorney (Kate Burton) suspects that Ellena has merely imagined the entire affair. Much of the story is related through the conversations between Ellena and a fiercely feminist journalist (Lisa Edelstein), whose devotion to Ellena borders on the surreal. Something of a cross between Fatal Attraction and A Beautiful Mind, the made-for-cable Obsessed originally aired September 16, 2002, on the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jenna Elfman, Kate Burton, (more)
Two generations of R&B superstars -- legendary Motown diva Diana Ross and teen hitmaker (and star of the TV series Moesha) Brandy -- share top billing in this made-for-TV drama about the troubled relationship between a mother and daughter. Olivia King (played by Diana Ross) is an aspiring vocalist who gives up her only child in the pursuit of her career. Years later, Olivia is a major star in pop music, and the daughter she left behind, Kayla (Brandy), is a gifted young singer on the rise. Can Olivia win back the daughter she left behind years ago, and can Kayla find it in her heart to forgive her mother? The supporting cast includes Allen Payne, Christine Ebersole and former Yo! MTV Raps host Ed Lover. Produced for ABC Television, Double Platinum was first aired in May of 1999, and was released on home video two months later. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Ross, Brandy, (more)
Based on a true story, this Civil War-era epic centers on the exploits of Sarah Ashby McClure (Dana Delany) and her sister Euphemia (Annabeth Gish) as they try to make their way on the male-dominated West Texas plains. When their home is threatened by Mexican forces and Native American warriors, the sisters lead their family and friends to safety. Based on the book by Janice Woods Windle, True Women also co-stars Rachael Leigh Cook, Angelina Jolie, and Tina Majorino. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Delany, Annabeth Gish, (more)
- 1993
Made for television, the two-part, four-hour Love, Honor and Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage is the true story of "mob wife" Rosalie Profaci Bonanno, here played by Nancy McKeon. Inasmuch as the teleplay is based on Ms. Bonanno's memoirs, it is perhaps understandable that she casts herself as an innocent bystander in the ongoing saga of Mafia activity in the United States, totally ignorant (at least at first) as to how her father Joe Profaci (Tomas Milian) and his chief mob rival Joseph Bonanno (Ben Gazzara) support themselves and their families. It is further suggested that Rosalie is completely in the dark concerning the mob connections of her husband Bill (Eric Roberts), Joe Bonanno's son; after all, how could anything be amiss when the Pope Himself calls to congratulate the bride and groom? Ultimately Rosalie sees the light when her husband enters a war against opposing mob families, and is subsequently thrown in prison. The rest of the story chronicles how Rosalie struggles to escape the onus of "Mafia princess", seeking out honest, mainstream work to take care of herself and her children. Love, Honor and Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage originally aired Mary 23 and 25, 1993 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
On Wings of Eagles was adapted for television from the best-selling book by Ken Follett. Inspired by fact, the story involves the daring rescue of two American business executives, held captive in Tehran during the US Embassy takeover of 1979. Retired Special Forces colonel Arthur D. "Bull" Simons (Burt Lancaster) agrees to help the executives' employer in a bold effort to rescue the two men right from under the noses of the Ayatollah and the angry mobs surrounding the embassy. Oh, haven't we told you the name of the employer? It was none other than H. Ross Perot, here played by Richard Crenna. Originally telecast in two parts, On Wings of Eagles premiered on May 18 and 19, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
