Michael Gelbart Movies
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at the mall, where she disses a department store Santa Claus (played by George Hamilton) for his tacky beard and out-of-date clothing.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)
A boy who's looking for trouble finds a lot more than he counted on in this action-comedy. Nathan (Ryan DeBoer) is a 12-year-old kid with a smart mouth and a bit too much attitude for his own good. Not happy at home, Nathan runs away and his parents report him missing to the police; when Nathan finds out, he finds himself dodging the cops at every turn. Low on money, Nathan happens upon a large amount of cash and figures his lucky day has arrived. However, it turns out the money he found belongs to gangsters who are bound and determined to get it back, and Nathan is forced to turn himself in to Norm (Tim Matheson), a police detective, in order to stay alive. But Nathan doesn't much care for cops, and Norm is not exactly charmed by Nathan, which makes working together rough sledding. Catch Me If You Can (also released as Deadly Game and Hide and Seek) also features William Katt and Carol Alt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan De Boer, Tim Matheson, (more)
- 1998
Although the police investigation is spotty at best and the evidence questionable, Risa Gallagher (Joanna Pacula) receives a life sentence for the murder of her philandering millionaire husband. Managing to escape from prison, Risa goes from friend to friend in hopes of finding out who might have framed her, and to expose the real killer. Her task is of course complicated by the cops that dog her trail, and the fact that someone very, very close to her is responsible for her plight. Without going into further detail, let it be known that Joan Collins and Kate Jackson are respectively cast as Risa's wheelchair-bound mother (with a blonde wig), and the alcoholic ex-wife of Risa's late hubby. Produced for the Family cable channel, Sweet Deception originally aired August 2, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Jackson, Joanna Pacula, (more)
