Kirk Shaw Movies
Tracey Gold stars as Nell Swanson, unjustly convicted of murder and serving a long prison sentence. In order to secure a parole, Nell agrees to join a tough forest firefighting unit, having been trained for such dangerous work while "in stir." Among her new colleagues is an abrasive Brooklynite (Ellen Dubin), a stalwart Native American (Nathaniel Arcand), and the ill-tempered "smoke eater" (Alexander Walters) with whom Nell had trained. In a rapidly paced climax, Nell not only must parachute into a raging forest conflagration, but must also rescue her own long-estranged daughter. Filmed on location in British Columbia, Wildfire 7: The Inferno debuted (with an astonishing lack of publicity) on the PAX network on November 1, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When a group of friends wins a seemingly idyllic tropical vacation, they expect a week of sunbathing and leisure. Instead, they find themselves trapped on an island in the Bermuda Triangle defending themselves from monster insects. With an accompanying MTV camera crew as their only protection, the group races to rescue Carmen Electra from the bloodthirsty mutants and to escape from Monster Island. ~ Sarah Block, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carmen Electra
16-year-old Lindsay Dearborn (Brooke Nevin) is "Too Cool for Christmas," and wants no part of the family celebration being planned by her two male homosexual parents (Adam Harrington and Barclay Hope) and her kid sister Alexa (Jodelle Ferland. Nope, Lindsay is gonna spend the holidays skiing with her best buds, and that's the way it is. Her disdain for the Yuletide season comes to surface at the mall, where she disses a department store Santa Claus (played by George Hamilton) for his tacky beard and out-of-date clothing. Surprisingly, Santa agrees with Lindsay and asks her to help him undergo a complete "fashion makeover" so that he can win back the affections of Mrs. Claus (played by Donna Mills) Out of sympathy for the old guy, Lindsay does what he asks, then is informed that he's the genuine, bonafide, not-a-phony Santa Claus--and further, that he needs her help to deliver all his presents on Christmas Eve. Agreeing on the condition that she'll be back in town in time to go skiing, Lindsay embarks upon the thrill ride of her life--and in the course of the long winter's night, she learns a few lessons about the true meaning of Christmas. An alternate version of the film, which exchanges the homosexual couple for a straight one, was named A Very Cool Christmas and appeared on the Lifetime channel in December 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brooke Nevin, George Hamilton, (more)
- 2004
There are those who might describe the made-for-cable What Lies Above as a distaff variation of the Sylvester Stallone theatrical feature Cliffhanger. Still grieving over the death of her husband in a rock-climbing accident, mountain guide Diana Pennington (Nicole Eggert) eagerly accepts a job from industrialist Curt Seaver (Marc Singer). It seems that Seaver wants to use sophisticated satellite technology to locate the body of Diana's late hubby. But upon reaching the treacherous Snowman's Pass, Diana realizes that Seaver and his two sinister-looking associates Tyler (George Stults) and Hugo (Stephane Henchoz) are actually looking for a downed enemy spy satellite--and she will be disposed of once they succeed in their quest. The rest of the film pits Diana's "mountain smarts" against the high-tech weaponry of the three bad guys. Filmed on location in British Columbia, What Lies Above premiered over the Lifetime channel on November 8, 2004; it has since been rebroadcast under the title Snowman's Pass. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this thriller, Ben Keats (Gil Bellows) is a top executive at a leading information technology firm. Ben is happy with his job and doesn't want to leave, but that isn't about to stop Vincent Palmer (Christian Slater) from trying to lure him away. Vincent is a head-hunter who recruits personnel for leading companies and earns a seven-figure salary for getting whoever his clients want, no matter what it takes. Vincent starts with the traditional offers of more money, more power, and better perks, but when Ben refuses to be swayed, Vince starts playing hardball with his tactics escalating into violence and death threats against Ben's family. Will Ben fight fire with fire or will he be forced to do Vincent's bidding? Pursued also stars Michael Clarke Duncan, Conchita Campbell, and Estella Warren. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Slater
- 2004
Life on the streets is never easy, and when a disparate group of homeless teens attempt to mold a hopeful future from nothing more than cardboard and food dredged out of the local dumpster a street-smart counselor does her best to ensure that their efforts aren't made in vain. Genevieve Bujold, Joey Dedio, Burt Young, and Domenica Scorsese star in a gritty urban drama set in a world where every move you make could be your last. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joey Dedio, Geneviève Bujold, (more)
Thirty-three-year-old ad executive Eve Simon (Elisa Donovan) is, to all outward appearances, a success, and a fabulously wealthy one in the bargain. Even so, as she sits alone nursing an expensive drink in an upscale Manhattan watering hole on Christmas Eve, our heroine wonders if it's all been worth it -- and, more to the point, how would her life have turned out had she made different choices. "Wish upon the Christmas star!" advises a philosophical derelict named Brother James (Peter Williams). Eve does just that -- and she awakens, it is 12 years earlier, she's an unemployed 21-year-old living with her parents (Cheryl Ladd, James Kirk), and she's still engaged to Scott (Sebastian Spence), the hometown boy whom she would ultimately dump in her pursuit of a career in the Big Apple. So, will she make the same choices again, or will she follow her heart instead of her head the second time around? Made for the Lifetime cable channel, Eve's Christmas premiered December 6, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elisa Donovan, Cheryl Ladd, (more)
- 2005
No sooner has entrepreneur Devon Major (Sebastian Spence) emerged from a messy divorce than he is accused of murdering his ex-wife. Astonishingly, Devon requests that his wife's divorce attorney Susan Grace (Vanessa Angel) represent him at his trial. Despite Susan's avowed hatred of Devon, she agrees to take the case, conferring with District Attorney Kirsten Sorenson (Linda Purl) to get additional information on her client, who is simultaneously being investigated on a money-laundering charge by US treasury agent Mark Fairfield (David Palffy). It turns out that some extraordinary clever person has cooked up an elaborate hoax in order to literally get away with murder and robbery--but who is it, and how do Kirsten and Mark figure into the Hitchcock-like denoument? Made for cable, Criminal Intent was first telecast July 8, 2005, on the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When a keen-eyed scientist discovers that a large asteroid is currently on a deadly collision course with the planet Earth, she must seek the help of a military outcast to jump into action and save humanity from annihilation in a tense, end-of-the-world thriller starring Rae Dawn Chong, Antonio Sabato, Jr., and Michael Moriarty. Dr. Madison Kelsey (Chong) has made a terrifying discovery, but time isn't on her side and in order to prevent the largest disaster ever known to man she is going to have to act fast. Though ex-military scientist Richard Donovan (Sabato, Jr) may be able to help, he is still reeling after being ejected from the armed forces due to his homosexuality. There's little time for old grudges in these final days, however, and when Dr. Kelsey and Donovan agree to work together for the good of mankind, the rest of the world waits with baited breath to receive word of their ultimate fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr., Rae Dawn Chong, (more)
- 2005
Tracey Gold stars in this made-for-TV suspenser as Elizabeth Sorenson, the wife of corporate executive Larry Sorenson (Tobias Mehler). Alas, Larry hardly has time to start his new job in Seattle before he is kidnapped at gunpoint in broad daylight. Shortly afterward, the kidnappers contact the distraught Elizabeth, informing her that unless their demands are met within 12 hours, Larry is toast. Working in concert with Seattle detective Jimmy Kelsoe (Chris Kramer) and FBI agent Jade Marlo (Robin Givens), Elizabeth does everything in her power to save her husband's life--and in the course of events, it becomes obvious that the abduction was but a smokescreen for a more insidious scheme to manipulate stock prices and take over her husband's multinational corporation. Even more disturbing in a different way is the fact that Elizabeth and Detective Kelso are falling in love with one another. Filmed in Canada, Captive Hearts debuted in the US over the Lifetime cable channel on August 15, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Suspecting that her husband Russell (David Millbern) is cheating on her, Jessica Landers (Erika Eleniak) concludes that his indiscretions are her fault: She just isn't exciting enough to please Russell. Hoping to inject some spice in her life--and to find a shoulder to cry on--Jessica makes contact with Marcus Declan (Michael Bergin), a former classmate on whom she'd once had a major crush. What Jessica doesn't know is that Marcus has a history of stalking and terrorizing innocent women. As it turns out, whether or not Jessica will survive her reunion with Marcus rests in the hand of an intense young woman named Lisa (played by Juliet Landau, daughter of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain). First telecast on February 10, 2005, the US-Canadian coproduction Fatal Reunion was seen on the Lifetime cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erika Eleniak, Michael Bergin, (more)
- 2005
This US-Canadian cable thriller stars Jamie Luner as Sara Hansen, who in an effort to escape from an abusive marriage fakes her own death, assumes a new identity, and starts life anew in a faraway town. But the effort proves futile when her brutish husband Ryan (Chris Kramer) catches up with her, terrorizing her with the standard "If I can't have you, no one can". But Sara is determined to stop being a victim--even if it means killing her husband before he can kill her. In America, Stranger in My Bed was first telecast on cable's Lifetime channel, premiering August 29, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Art professor Jill Thompson (Daphne Zuniga) receives the shock of her life when the police inform her that her husband has just been murdered. You see, up to that moment, Jill had been convinced that her hubby had died ten years earlier! Investigating this phenomenon on her own, our heroine diligently digs into her husband's past and uncovers a virtual labyrinth of lies, infidelity, embezzlement and worse! A few interesting Hitchcockian touches, plus an occasional exhibit of artwork created by the film's costar Duncan Regehr), adds a bit of zing to this overly familiar "Had she but known" yarn. Produced for cable's Lifetime channel, Secret Lives originally aired on July 18, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this direct-to-video horror outing, Ashley (Siri Baruc) is a troubled teenager who has been given to episodes of suicidal depression thanks to the cruel treatment she receives from her parents. Ashley runs away from home and tracks down her sister, Leslie (Leah Cairns), who runs a dance club on the outskirts of town with a handful of her friends. But Leslie and her pals are not typical club kids -- they've been transformed into "thralls," creatures who are half vampire and half human, by the evil Mr. Jones (Lorenzo Lamas), and the club exists in order to lure in hipsters to provide fresh blood. Frustrated by the fact they don't command the full powers of a vampire, Leslie and her friends have hatched a plot to move Mr. Jones out of the picture and become fully vested bloodsuckers, and when Ashley arrives, they decide to use her as part of their scheme. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The traditional crime thriller gets a modern twist with this sequel to Third Man Out following the further adventures of gay detective Donald Strachey (Chad Allen). Hard boiled private investigator Donald Strachey has just found the lifeless body of his latest client, and now in order to catch the killer he'll be forced to rely on his straight-laced husband Tim and overenthusiastic assistant Kenny. As the investigation leads Strachey straight into Dr. Trevor Cornell's dark world of "conversion therapy,' where psychology and religion combine with the singular goal of turning average everyday homosexuals "straight," the stage is set for a climactic showdown with more than a few surprising twists and turns. Sebastian Spence and Morgan Fairchild co-star in an adaptation of author Richard Stevenson's best-selling series of books that will have viewers of all sexual pursuasions on the edge of their seats. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chad Allen, Sebastian Spence, (more)
Max Havoc: Ring of Fire stars Mickey Hardt as the title character, a former professional kickboxer now working as a photographer. While at a stylish resort in order to snap pictures of a sporting event, Max discovers that the owner of the resort has connections to some very bad men. Soon he must fall back on his lethal skills in order to survive. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Hardt
When a device more powerful than a nuclear bomb starts a chain reaction that threatens to destroy the entire world, the same scientists responsible for creating it must now figure out how to reign in it's power in this apocalyptic sci-fi action film starring Stephen Baldwin and William B. Davis. Dr. Daniel Gray (Baldwin) works in a top-secret military base alongside some of the greatest scientific minds on the planet. Recently, this crack team of scientists has created the ultimate weapon: something so revolutionary that it could give unlimited power to the military that wields it. But the weapon is experimental and unstable, and the destructive power unleashed when it soon fails threatens to consume entire continents. Now, with time running short and eager weapons dealers determined to unlock the secrets of this diabolical device, the same scientists who created it must shut it down before it's secrets are leaked and more lives are lost. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Baldwin, William B. Davis, (more)
- 2007
- R
A cryptozoologist in search of the infamous Loch Ness monster discovers that the malevolent, forty-foot long reptile from Scotland has traveled to Lake Superior via an elaborate series of subterranean tunnels, and that she's brought her hungry offspring along for a feeding frenzy. The once calm towns surrounding of Lake Superior will never be the same again, because when after the locals realize the horror that has been unleashed upon them no one will dare set foot in the water. Only one man has ever survived an encounter with old Nessie, and that's James Murphy (Brian Krause). Murphy knows Nessie like no one else, and he's determined to hunt down the mysterious creature and exact brutal vengeance. Will Murphy survive his second encounter with Nessie and her brood, or will the citizens around Lake Superior become little more than food for a beast thats time has finally come. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Krause, Don S. Davis, (more)
Actor-turned-filmmaker Stuart Townsend makes his screenwriting and directorial debut with this ensemble film set during the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle and presenting the riots that swept through the streets during the five-day conference from the perspectives of police, protestors, and city officials. A typically laid-back Northwestern city, Seattle would erupt into violence when, for five days in 1999, tens of thousands of protestors flooded the streets to voice their disapproval of the high-profile World Trade Organization conference. Among that sea of protestors are Django (André Benjamin), Sam (Jennifer Carpenter), Jay (Martin Henderson), and Lou (Michelle Rodriguez) -- each convinced that the stakes go beyond politics and equally determined to make a difference by ensuring that their voice of dissent is heard by the masses. At first the demonstration is peaceful, but in an instant the streets explode and the WTO is paralyzed. As a full-scale riot commences and a state of emergency is declared, the residents of Seattle are caught in the crossfire between protestors and police. With beleaguered mayor Jim Tobin (Ray Liotta) scrambling to diffuse tensions and riot cop Dale Anderson (Woody Harrelson) racing to protect his pregnant wife, Ella (Charlize Theron), everyone involved is forced to make difficult decisions that are sure to change their lives forever. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlize Theron, André Benjamin, (more)
Her parents having perished in a twister when she was just a young girl, Dr. April Saunders (Mimi Rogers) dedicates her life to developing more effective methods of tracking potentially dangerous storm systems. Dr. Saunders is traveling to Seattle with her daughter when she discovers a massive super-cell heading straight for the city. Her daughter caught in a dangerous twister, the daring meteorologist races to the rescue while attempting to alert Seattle to the approaching danger. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mimi Rogers
Family Portraits: A Trilogy of America director Douglas Buck follows that gruesome collection of three short films with this feature-length reimaging of cinema auteur Brian De Palma's 1973 horror film concerning a pair of mysterious siblings and the curious reporter who stumbles upon their deadly secret. Grace (Chloë Sevigny) is an ambitious young journalist conducting an investigation of a controversial psychiatrist (Stephen Rea) who is currently maintaining a questionable relationship with disturbed patient Angelique (Lou Doillon). As the investigation continues, Grace soon stumbles into an ongoing conspiracy populated by human experimentation, strange deaths, and a controversial operation. As the probing reporter delves ever deeper into the profoundly unsettling details and witnesses a brutal murder thanks to the unintended assistance of Angelique's latest love interest, Dr. Dylan Wallace, her fragile mental state is quickly shattered by the spiraling violence and unspeakable revelations to which she is now inextricably bound. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Doillon, Stephen Rea, (more)
