Sarah Manninen Movies
Awakening drenched in blood and alone in the woods, a man accused of murder goes on the run in order to recover his memory and piece together the mystery behind a deadly conspiracy. Steven (Lou Diamond Phillips) has absolutely no memory of the crime he has been accused of committing, and as the authorities close in his time starts to run short. When even your best friend has accused you of murder, who can you turn to in your most desperate hour? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Diamond Phillips
- 2006
- Add Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front to QueueAdd Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front to top of Queue
You've met Samantha and Felicity, and in this, the third installment of the American Girl series, viewers are treated to an all-new family-friendly adventure that will warm your heart during the chilly holiday season. Molly Ringwald and Maya Ritter star as director Joyce Chopra brings the best-selling books about the lovable Molly McIntire to life on the big screen for the first time ever. The year is 1943 and war is raging across the globe. Molly's father is tending to wounded soldiers far from home, and all of the rubber rationing and turnips have gotten put the usually cheerful youngster into an uncharacteristically drab mood. To make matters worse, young Molly soon discovers that her father will not be able to return home for the holidays. But Molly isn't about to let her spirit be broken by the fact that her father is away performing his patriotic duties. Thanks to a little help from her family and friends, Molly is about to learn a lasting lesson about the importance of pulling together in times of need. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maya Ritter, David Aaron Baker, (more)
- 2004
- R
- Add The Riverman to Queue
Some observers have described the made-for-cable The Riverman as a real-life Silence of the Lambs. Based on the book cowritten by Robert Keppel, formerly chief criminal investigator for the attorney general of Washington state, the film recounts Keppel's efforts to track down serial killer Gary Ridgeway, aka the Green River Killer. With 10 unsolved murders weighing on his mind, Keppel (played by Bruce Greenwood) agrees to a plan whereby an imprisoned mass murderer with a similar M.O. will be brought into the investigation in hopes of second-guessing the killer at large. Thus, Keppel travels to Florida, there to inaugurate a series of chilling interviews with the infamous Ted Bundy (Cary Elwes). Inasmuch as Bundy hopes that by helping track down the Green River Killer he himself will be able to escape the death penalty, Keppel finds himself between the proverbial rock and hard place: How can he secure Bundy's cooperation without making promises he cannot possibly keep? The Riverman was first telecast by the A&E network on September 6, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Greenwood
A tough cop makes a startling discovery about his wife and the leader of a band of bisexual sensualists in this erotic thriller. Raymond Pope (Conrad Pla) is a police detective with an appetite for kinky sex and an inability to stay faithful to his wife. As it happens, Pope's wife also has a wandering eye, and when she disappears under mysterious circumstances, Pope finds himself investigating the case and discovers that his spouse had fallen in with Elizabeth Kane (Caroline Neron). Kane is a woman with a taste for other women and an unquenchable sexual desire, but as Pope finds himself drawn to her strange allure, he makes a disturbing discovery -- Kane is actually Erzsebet Bathory, a Hungarian countess of the 16th century who many years ago found the secret of eternal life by bathing in the blood of beautiful women. Eternal is the first feature film from the writing and directing team of Wilhelm Liebenberg and Federico Sanchez. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Conrad Pla, Caroline Neron, (more)
- 2003
Full-figured Broadway actress Marissa Jaret Winokur, who won an Emmy award for her performance in the musical version of Hairspray, is felicitously (if somewhat incongruously) teamed with slender soap opera heartthrob Mark Consuelos in this uplifting made-for-cable comedy. Although she's not what one could call beautiful or svelte, Becca Wasserman (Winokur) possesses a beauty that emanates from within: she also happens to be great singer, with a great career as a teacher and a super-great fiancé named Adam (Consuelos). All Becca lacks is the money to afford her dream honeymoon to Hawaii. Partly to get even for being snubbed by the gorgeous Libby (Reagan Pasternak), and partly just to prove that she can do it, Becca enters the The Miss Squirrel Hill beauty pageant, the first prize of which is two free tickets to the Aloha State. But though everyone is pulling for Becca, the plain cold fact of the matter is that no "super-sized" woman has ever won the pageant--and even Becca's mom Amanda (Fran Drescher), hitherto her daughter's biggest booster, is certain that Becca is going to make a fool of herself. Beautiful Girl originally aired October 19, 2003 on the ABC Family channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
The meteoric rise of the most successful American comedy team of the 20th century is colorfully chronicled in the made for TV biopic Martin and Lewis. Sean Hayes of Will & Grace fame delivers an astonishing performance as the young Jerry Lewis, easily outdistancing British actor Jeremy Northam's capable but phlegmatic portrayal of Dean Martin. The film focuses on the years 1945 to 1956, during which a promising nightclub singer named Dean Martin finds himself pairing up with a manic Borscht-belt comic named Jerry Lewis. Sky rocketing to success in films and TV, Martin and Lewis enjoy a fanatical following comparable to the one attending The Beatles in the 1960s, but ultimately fame and fortune exacts a heavy toll upon the friendship of the two entertainers, culminating in a well-publicized breakup. The script does not flinch in its recreation of Martin's aloof selfishness or Lewis' bullying megalomania, but at the same time the viewer sees the positive character traits of both men, as well as their desperate yearning to be loved and accepted -- not only by their fans, by their families and friends. And even though he is not always shown in the best light, Jerry Lewis, surviving member of the team, loved the film and gave it his unconditional blessing when Martin and Lewis made its CBS bow on November 24, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Hayes, Jeremy Northam, (more)
