Stephanie March Movies

Another Law & Order spin-off from producer Dick Wolf, NBC's weekly, hour-long Conviction starred Stephanie March, recreating her familiar Law & Order: SVU role as Assistant DA Alexandra Cabot. Formerly imbedded in the Federal Witness Protection Program, Alexandra was once more able to move about and practice her trade, this time as bureau chief for a group of young, ambitious ADAs. Her new colleagues included deputy DA and law-office manager Jim Steele (Anson Mount); born-into-privilege lawyer Nick Potter (Jordan Bridges), who idealistically left a lucrative private practice to work with Cabot for a paltry 51,000 dollars per year; arrogant grandstander Billy Desmond (J. August Richards), who went to great lengths to secure for himself only those cases that he was sure to win; Jessica Rossi (Milena Govich), Nick Potter's unofficial assistant and a woman with a murky, working-class past; Brian Peluso (Eric Balfour), whose legal brilliance was mitigated by his slovenliness and his messy private life; and Christina Finn (Julianne Nicholson), who'd been working in the office for two years before finally landing her first case and was understandably anxious to make up for lost time. Eschewing the "procedural" format of the other series in the Law & Order franchise, Conviction was built more along the lines of the medical drama Grey's Anatomy, focusing more on the various lawyers' personal problems and hang-ups than on their professional activities. Also breaking away from the Law & Order formula was the series' predilection for having the attorneys inaugurate legal investigations before it was entirely certain that a crime had actually been committed. Conviction first aired on March 3, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fay Ann Lee's modern spin on the story of Cinderella, Falling For Grace, stars Fay Ann Lee as a Chinese-American who dreams of living among the social elites in New York City. One day she is mistaken for an heiress and is invited to a posh party where she falls in love with a lawyer. She hides her true identity from him, and he himself has a few secrets he keeps from the woman. Falling For Grace had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival (where it screened under the title East Broadway). ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

When a blind date arranged by mutual friends results in a whirlwind courtship for an enchanted young couple, the pair soon discover that fate may not ultimately be so kind in director Jeff Lipsky's affecting romance. As the rain poured down on the night that they first met, Stuart and Nicole sat mesmerized in a small diner, wondering if life could truly get any better than it was in those early, magical moments. In the coming weeks they found that indeed life could get better, but as the young couple embarks on a dizzying romance their initial enchantment soon gives way to a painful reversal of fortunes. With human flaws eclipsing the perceived initial perfection and the disparities of their backgrounds prying open an ever deepening chasm filled with selfishness and religious conflict, Stuart and Nicole soon find that the heartbreak of their failing romance is as emotionally devastating as their early moments together were intoxicating. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Can a high-attitude African-American politician who says what he thinks stand a chance in a presidential campaign? Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock) is a straight-talking alderman representing a inner-city neighborhood in Washington, D.C. In the midst of a hard-fought race for the White House, the Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidates are killed in an airline crash, and with little time to prepare a new campaign, the Republican candidate, Vice President Brian Lewis (Nick Searcy), seems all but guaranteed to win. With practically nothing to loose, party head Martin Geller (Dylan Baker) approaches Gilliam and asks him to stand as the Democrat's presidential candidate. While Gilliam is dubious at first, before long his streetwise style and willingness to face the issues head-on earns him surprising figures in the polls, especially after he persuades his short-fused older brother, Mitch Gilliam (Bernie Mac), to join the ticket as vice presidential candidate -- a big jump for a bail bondsman. Gilliam's love life also becomes more complicated as his ex-girlfriend Kim (Robin Givens) decides she wants him back now that he has a shot at the White House, even though Gilliam only has eyes for Lisa (Tamala Jones). Head of State marked the directorial debut for comic and actor Chris Rock, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The so-called "repressed memory syndrome" figures heavily into "Repression," the opening episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's third season. Subsequent episodes worth noting include "Wrath," in which Detective Benson's (Mariska Hargitay) relentless pursuit of rapists (motivated, in part, by the fact that she herself was conceived in rape) may bring about her death at the hands of one whom she'd sent to prison. Similarly character-driven are such episodes as "Stolen," in which Captain Cragen (Dann Florek), skipper of the SVU unit, takes it upon himself to reopen a illegal-adoption case he'd worked on a dozen years earlier; "Redemption," wherein Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) is partnered with a detective whose professional zeal sends him spiralling into depression and public humiliation; "Execution," a story built around the recurring character of forensic psychiatrist Dr. George Huang (B.D. Wong), who races against the clock to determine if a condemned murderer is responsible for an unsolved crime; "Guilt," wherein Assistant DA Alex Cabot (Stephanie March) puts her career on the line by covertly enlisting the aid of the SVU team to trap a child molester; and "Denial," in which Det. Fin Tutuola takes a special interest in a heroin addicted rape victim. The season concludes with "Silence," a timely story about a pedophilic priest. Having ended its second season as the 25th highest-rated network program in the U.S., Law & Order: Special Victims Unit enjoyed a healthy influx of new viewers during season three, skyrocketing to 12th place in the ratings. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi