Rebecca Jenkins Movies

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the sprawling six-part, 12-hour TV miniseries Into the West covers 65 years of American history, from the first major migration westward in the mid-1820s to the massacre at Wounded Knee in the early 1890s. The story is largely seen through the eyes of two protagonists (and their families): Jacob Wheeler (Matthew Settle), a wheelwright who leaves his Virginia hometown and his family's business in 1827 to seek his destiny in the company of legendary mountain man Jedediah Smith (Josh Brolin); and Loved by the Buffalo (George Leach), a Lakota Sioux holy man who spends a lifetime seeking the answers to his profound and disturbing images about the future of his country -- and his people. Eschewing the usual "old-age makeup" route often pursued in epic tales of this nature, the main characters are played by progressively older actors in the course of the story: for example, Loved by the Buffalo is portrayed by no fewer than four different performers! In a more traditionalist How the West Was Won vein, the miniseries is festooned with major stars, some cast in very brief roles: among these are Josh Brolin, Keri Russell, Matthew Modine, Beau Bridges, Gary Busey, Tom Berenger, and Judge Reinhold. Nor is How the West Was Won the only inspiration for the multi-plotted storyline: other films echoed and emulated throughout the saga include The Iron Horse, The Big Trail, Westward the Women, The Searchers, and Dances With Wolves. As mentioned, the story is divided into six parts: "Wheel to the Stars," in which the fates of Jacob Wheeler and Loved by the Buffalo become forever intertwined; "Manifest Destiny," chronicling the first major trek to California; "Dreams & Schemes," wherein the Lakota lands are despoiled by Gold Fever and war breaks out between the North and South; "Hell on Wheels," chronicling the postwar chaos and the coming of the railroad; "Casualties of War," wherein the conflict between Native Americans and the white man results in wholesale bloodshed -- and, surprisingly, a "counter-revolution" of compassion and understanding; and "Ghost Dance," the last great stand of the Lakota, which brings the story full circle. Largely filmed in the Canadian Rockies over a six-month period, and utilizing the talents of six directors, Into the West premiered June 10, 2005, on the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The residents of Wilby, Nova Scotia, learn the importance a day can make as scandal weighs heavily on their conscience in the sophomore feature from Canadian playwright-turned-filmmaker Daniel MacIvor. Suicidal Dan Jarvis (James Allodi) is longing to find a reason to live, and as Buddy and Carol Franch's (Paul Gross and Sandra Oh) marriage falls to pieces, single mom Sandra Anderson (Rebecca Jenkins) seeks male companionship to relieve the strain of raising a child alone and unlucky painter Duck MacDonald (Callum Keith Rennie) struggles to overcome his own nagging problems. On the horizon, a shocking revelation threatens to change the way the residents of the small town view both themselves and their neighbors, but how will the people of Wilby deal with such a major problem when they can't even work out their own issues? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Thee adult sisters are forced to face the scars of their past as they wait at their mother's deathbed in this drama written by noted Canadian actor Daniel MacIvor. Agnes (Molly Parker) grew up in Sydney, a small town in Nova Scotia; hoping to get away from memories of an unhappy childhood, Agnes moved to Toronto, where she found more than her share of disappointments. When Agnes receives word that her mother Rose (Marguerite McNeil) is in failing health, she returns to Sydney for the first time in years, where she's met by her sisters, Theresa (Rebecca Jenkins), who has been turned bitter by a bad divorce, and Louise (Stacy Smith), who prefers withdrawing into herself to dealing with the outside world. As the four women attempt to make peace with one another, Agnes decides it's time they faced several unpleasant truths, including the abuse they faced at the hands of her father. The first directorial effort from Wiebke Von Carolsfeld, Marion Bridge was screened in competition at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival as part of the "Perspective Canada" series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Based on a true crime story, the two-part TV movie And Never Let Her Go recounts the disappearance of Anne Marie Fahey in June of 1996, and the subsequent arrest and conviction of her accused murderer. Hired as a secretary by powerful Delaware attorney and gubernatorial aide, Thomas Capano (Mark Harmon), Anne Marie enters into a torrid and ofttimes abusive affair with her kinky boss. When Anne Marie's relatives report that she is missing, the governor of Delaware solicits the aid of the U.S. Department of Justice to solve the case. Although detective Frank Gugliatta (Paul Michael Glaser) and assistant U.S. attorney Colm Connolly (Steve Eckholdt) suspect that Capano has done away with Anne Marie, they are stymied by a lack of tangible proof...notably, the girl's body. It is not until Anne Marie's diary turns up in a most unexpected manner that Gugliatta and Connolly are able to fully act upon their suspicions -- and even then, the ultimate solution rests with the cooperation (or lack of same) of Capano's brother, Gerry (David Hewlett). Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis appears as Thomas Capano's formidable mother. Filmed in Toronto and told largely in flashback, And Never Let Her Go was originally telecast by CBS on April 1 and 4, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A baseball player stuck in a losing streak gets some heavenly help in the second sequel to Disney's 1994 hit Angels in the Outfield. Eddie Everett (Patrick Warburton) is a pitcher with the Anaheim Angels who has been in a slump ever since a bungled play helped his team lose the pennant a year ago. Depressed, Eddie has lost confidence in his abilities; his marriage to Claire (Rebecca Jenkins) is on the rocks, and when Claire decides to move on, she leaves it to Eddie to watch over their 13-year-old daughter Laurel (Brittney Irvin). Laurel loves her father, but they're all but strangers to each other, and she isn't sure what she can do to help him. One night, Laurel prays for help for her dad, and her prayer is answered in the form of a guardian angel, Bob "Bungler" Bugler (David Alan Grier). Bob was a singularly unimpressive ball player who died ten years earlier, and has been trying to earn his wings ever since; Bob hopes that by helping Laurel, he can prove his worth to St. Peter, and by helping Eddie, he might get one last change to play in the big leagues. Angels in the Infield also features Kurt Fuller as Simon, Eddie's agent, and Colin Fox as The Devil, who has plans of his own regarding Eddie's career. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Wanting to protect her son from the sometimes harsh realities of urban life, a single mother moves to a small town. Unfortunately, her boy becomes friends with a mysterious and sinister stranger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this adventure, a quartet of dreamers sets out on a search for a famous lost mine. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV drama, adapted from a book by Vincent Bugliosi, is based on a true story about an ex-cop who deceives and murders a number of women for their life insurance benefits. The video release includes scenes not shown in the original. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

In the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap, producer/ director/ star Tim Robbins' Bob Roberts is a satire disguised as a documentary. Robbins plays the titular Roberts, a wealthy, well-connected young man running for a senatorial seat in Pennsylvania. On the surface, Roberts is an ingratiating glad-hander, a sincere believer in the restoration of such intangibles as national pride, family values, etc. But the longer Roberts is followed about by documentary filmmaker Brian Murray, the more we become aware that the candidate is a textbook case of cynicism and contempt. Only Giancarlo Esposito, a reporter for an underground newspaper, is willing to dig beneath Roberts' veneer--a habit that leads to the film's ironic conclusion. Several well-known actors make cameo appearances as TV commentators, notably Tim Robbins' longtime partner Susan Sarandon. Bob Roberts started out as a Tim Robbins-directed short subject for the TV series Saturday Night Live, then was expanded into a $4 million feature. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eating disorders such as bulemia and anorexia seem to be becoming commonplace among young women. In this documentary, the role of advertising and popular culture in the development of unrealistic ideals for women's bodies is explored. As a result of the constant pressure to look like someone they can never be (very few people can have or sustain the body type of today's models), many girls are obsessed by food, and afraid of it. Truly, they suffer from The Famine Within. In addition to providing a historical perspective on ideal female body types, the documentary explores the feminist critique of popular notions of beauty, and girls and others who have suffered as a result of obsessive dieting are interviewed. In one telling statistic, it is shown that in the mid-1960s, the ideal woman was only eight percent thinner than the average woman. Today, advertising's ideal woman is almost twenty-five percent thinner than the average - and many of these paragons of beauty are much thinner still. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Josh Morgan (Ron White) is a veteran rodeo cowboy who must care for his young son Shane (Zachary Ansley) after the death of his wife Lucy (Rebecca Jenkins) in this family drama. The two move to the ranch left to them by Shane's grandfather, but Josh can't hold a job, and Shane is in the throes of adolescent angst. Neighbor Lindsay Sutherland (Janet-Laine Green) is the veterinarian who tends to Shane's injured horse and brings father and son closer together. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide