Dennis Kelly Movies

The most recent victims of an apparent serial killer are a woman who worked with underprivileged children and a sportscaster. Upon investigating the background of one of the victims, it is discovered that a fondness for kinky sex may have been the motivation for the murder. The captured killer tries to get off on the "Kojak" defense, claiming that his mind was "twisted" by watching too much television. The strategy used by McCoy (Sam Waterston) to attack this argument could well have been Law & Order producer Dick Wolf's own personal response to those who think that purging TV of violence is the solution to violence in real life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Shaking the Tree is an ensemble dramedy about four male friends living in Chicago, pushing 30, who help each other through a series of crises. Barry (Arye Gross) is a real estate salesman and a huge White Sox fan who's nervous about his impending wedding to Michelle (Christina Haag). When he presses her about her sexual past, he finds out she once slept with one of his pals. Duke (Steven Wilde, who co-wrote the script with director Duane B. Clark) was forced to give up boxing due to an injury, and is unhappy with his life as a womanizing bartender. Sully (Gale Hansen) comes from a wealthy family. He is also a womanizer, and his gambling problem is spiraling out of control. When he loses ten grand to some shady characters, his family refuses to bail him out. Michael (Doug Savant of Melrose Place) is a college professor with a massively pregnant wife, Kathleen (Courteney Cox), and his fear of becoming a father leads him to consider an affair with a seductive student, Brigette (played by actor Gale Hansen's wife, Brittney Hansen). After Cox became a success on television with Friends, the film was re-released on video with the photo on the box changed to feature the actress prominently, although she plays a supporting role in the film. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Jane Fonda stars in this made-for-TV movie, which uses the backdrop of World War II and urbanization to tell the story of one woman's fight to keep her family together. Gertie Nevels (Fonda), the wife of a Kentucky sharecropper, wants nothing more than to one day own her own farm. Thriftily hiding her savings from husband Clovis (Levon Helm), she prepares to make her dream come true -- until Clovis summons her to come join him in Detroit, where he's gone to work in a factory to help with the war effort. Arriving with her children in tow, Gertie finds Clovis all settled into a tenement-like block house and living the life of a union man. Soon, though, the downside of urban life -- from monstrous neighbors and repressive schools to the pitfalls of the industrial landscape itself -- threaten Gertie's family both individually and as a whole. Despite Clovis' freewheeling way with money and his propensity to blame her for the family's problems, Gertie continues to save money. A lifelong whittler, she begins selling hand-crafted wooden dolls, and when the union goes on strike, Gertie finds herself supporting the family. Adapted from Harriet Arnow's novel by Hume Cronyn and Susan Cooper, who would go on to collaborate on the similarly themed Foxfire in 1987, The Dollmaker was directed by feature and TV veteran Daniel Petrie. It debuted on ABC on May 13, 1984, and earned Fonda an Emmy for her work. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide