Peter Lhotka Movies
Prolific director Bryan Singer takes a turn towards horror as the producer of this Halloween shocker directed by X2 and Superman Returns screenwriter Mike Dougherty. With four interwoven tales concerning a high-school principal who moonlights as a vicious serial killer, a college-age virgin who's saving herself for that special someone, a woman whose hatred of Halloween is only exceeded by her husband's love of the mischievous holiday, and a callous group of teens who carry out an unforgivably cruel prank, this fall frightener mixes Tarantino-style storytelling with the kind of chills that can only occur on the darkest day of the year. Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker, and Leslie Bibb all star in a Halloween treat that's sure to deliver a few nasty tricks. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, (more)
Two college students heading home for the holidays break down on a lonesome stretch of highway, only to find themselves targeted by the malevolent spirits of other travelers who met their end on the same road in a supernatural road movie directed by Greg Jacobs, and produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney. All she (Emily Blunt) wanted was to make it back home to Delaware for the holidays. Though her classmate (Ashton Holmes) has a working car and is happy to oblige by offering a ride, it quickly becomes apparent that the boy has been admiring her from afar for the entire semester. After hours of traveling on the lonesome snow swept roads, an ill-advised shortcut finds the young pair side swiped by a speeding car and hopelessly stuck in a massive snow bank. Now stranded in a cell-phone dead zone with nothing to eat and no heat, the pair gradually begins to suspect that they're not alone in this beautiful but foreboding landscape. After a run-in with a malevolent cop (Martin Donovan) provides little hope for rescue, a series of frightening apparitions begin to emerge from the chilly surroundings to suggest that these two students weren't the first to face a life or death struggle on this treacherous stretch of road. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Blunt, Ashton Holmes, (more)
Debra Winger made a rare television appearance in this emotional made-for-cable drama, based on a true story. Dawn Anna Townsend (Winger) is a single mother who has made the most of a sometimes difficult life -- despite raising four children alone on a teacher's salary, she loves her family, enjoys her work, and finds time to coach the school's volleyball team as well as start a new romance. However, Dawn Anna is handed an even greater challenge when she's diagnosed with a brain tumor; while surgery saves her life, she can no longer speak or walk, and must learn to do these things all over again. With the help of her loved ones, Dawn Anna bucks the odds and teaches herself to lead a normal life again, but another tragedy is waiting for her around the corner. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debra Winger
- 2004
Based on a true story, this harrowing made-for-TV drama centers upon a New Hampshire family headed by ebullient suburban mom Brenda Geck (Kirstie Alley). Much beloved in her community for her many philanthropic enterprises, not least of which is the adoption of several abandoned children, Brenda outwardly seems to be the perfect matriarch of the perfect household. Tragically, nothing can be further from the truth: The bipolar Brenda cruelly and violently manipulates those under her roof to do exactly what she wants, including shoplifting and arson--and God help anyone who gets in her way. Only when her adopted daughter Marie (Denna Milligan), who may have been impregnated by Brenda's biological son, and whose birth mother Nadine (Kathleen Wilhoite) has been held prisoner in the Geck cellar for decades, manages to escape Brenda's clutches is the outside world apprised of the sordid facts. Astonishingly, no one is willing to believe Marie's story--no one, that is, except prosecutor Philip Rothman (Will Patton), and even he is stymied by the beleaguered Nadine's unwillingness to say anything negative about the Gecks! Family Sins first aired March 14, 2004 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirstie Alley, Deanna Milligan, (more)
- 2002
This weekly, 60-minute sci-fi/fantasy series was based on a novel by Stephen King, previously filmed in 1983 with Christopher Walken in the lead. Anthony Michael Hall, who (in this instance, at least) bore a remarkable resemblance to Walken, starred as schoolteacher Johnny Smith, who spent several years in a coma after surviving a terrible auto accident. Upon awakening, Johnny realized that his ESP abilities, which had been mild at best before the accident, have been amplified to an astonishing degree. In fact, Johnny now possessed the ability to read a person's mind -- and that person's future -- simply by touching hands. Naturally, this gift turned out to be both blessing and curse, depending upon the touchee. As reconceived by series creator Michael Piller, the TV version of The Dead Zone had a somewhat lighter touch than the original novel and earlier theatrical film. The series debuted June 16, 2002, over the USA cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Charles Robert Carner's action thriller Breakaway stars Dean Cain as a disgraced police officer who must stop thief Jimmy Scalzetti (Eric Roberts) after the baddie hijacks a mall in Chicago. The police officer's wife is being held hostage while Scalzetti is busy trying to crack a vault in the mall with millions of dollars in it. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Take a terrifying trip back to the beginning of one man's waking nightmare as Stephen King's best-selling book comes to life in this made-for-television feature starring Anthony Michael Hall. Following a near-fatal car accident, Johnny Smith (Hall) lies motionless in a deep coma for six years. When he awakens from his deep sleep, Johnny is haunted by psychic visions that allow him to look into the future of anyone he touches. Realizing that he can use his unique powers for the good of humankind, Johnny sets out on an tireless quest for justice that's plagued by danger at every turn. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2002
An upscale shopping mall is targeted by ruthless master thief Scalzetti (Eric Roberts). With a small but well-armed band of henchmen, Scalzetti storms the mall and takes all the Yuletide shoppers hostage. It is up to police lieutenant Cornelius Morgan (Dean Cain), recently suspended from the force, to outwit the villains and rescue the captives. A fleet of hyperactive go-karts figure into the finale of this made-for-cable thriller, which made its TBS network debut on December 1, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
