Bill MacDonald Movies

Damian Harris directs this sleazy erotic thriller about lipstick lesbians, naked corpses, and S&M covens, starring Julian Sands. Catherine Palmer (Ellen Barkin) is a hard-driving homicide cop who drinks like a fish and curses like a sailor, investigating a series of murders which leave the (inevitably female) victims bound, naked, and eyelid-less. Tall drink of water Vickie Kittrie (Peta Wilson), who was last seen with the latest victim, eventually admits involvement with a tribalistic S&M society. Palmer dutifully accompanies Kittrie on one such outing, featuring pouting models in designer corsets and lots of heavy breathing. When the serious girl-on-girl action kicks off though, Palmer makes a beeline for the door, only to be seduced by Kittrie against her kitchen sink (a la Fatal Attraction). Meanwhile, lead suspect psychologist Dr. Boussard (Sands) continues to snivel and cross-dress as the bodies start piling up. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Not to be confused with the cable-television movie Strange Justice, which aired the same evening on August 29, 1999, the NBC TV movie Cruel Justice stars A. Martinez as Jerry Metcalf, the intensely protective single father of 16-year-old Amy Metcalf (Nicki Lynn Aycox). Already distraught over the fact that Amy has been raped, Jerry goes completely over the edge when his daughter's attacker beats the rap in court. Taking the law into his own hands, Jerry dedicates his life to wreaking vengeance against the smirking perpetrator. The fact that Cruel Justice was run at the tail end of the 1998-1999 TV season, a time when few people were watching, is indicative of NBC's nervous feelings about the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Habitually abused by her arrogant surgeon husband Thomas (Stephen Lang), successful realtor Elizabeth Cooper (Joanna Kerns) has decided to get a divorce. Shortly after this decision, Elizabeth is in conference with a new client, John Davis (Tim Matheson)--who stops her short by announcing that he is a "hit man", hired by Thomas to murder Elizabeth. But after meeting his potential victim, John has had a change of heart, and is now determined to rescue her from her husband. Togther, John and Elizabeth formulate a plan: She will disappear, he will arrange the evidence to make it seem as if he's killed her, and then he'll trap Thomas into a confession. Although she hates the idea of being so long separated from her beloved children, Elizabeth agrees to the scheme. That things don't go off precisely as intended should at this point be a foregone conclusion. Made for television (and based on a true story to boot!), At the Mercy of a Stranger first aired November 3, 1999, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This debut episode of the TV series La Femme Nikita adheres to the premise set up by the 1990 French theatrical feature (and its 1993 American remake) -- up to a point, that is. Falsely accused of murdering a cop and sentenced to life, sexy street punk Nikita (Peta Wilson) is offered a "second chance" by a clandestine counterterrorism organization known as Section One. Making it appear as though Nikita killed herself in prison, Section One recruits her as a special undercover operative: "You can learn to shoot. You can learn to fight. But there's no weapon as powerful as your femininity." But even if Nikita had qualms about her new assignment, she doesn't have much choice: She can either go along with the program, or be abruptly "canceled." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The normally docile Diefenbaker is impounded after biting an animal control officer. Can it be that the hard-of-healing wolf is reverting to the wild? Fraser (Paul Gross) hopes not, lest he be forced to destroy his pet. It turns out that the source of Diefenbaker's bad behavior is a pack of stray mutts known around the neighborhood as the Wild Bunch--not to mention a crooked dog catcher who is part of a sinister human conspiracy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Marilu Henner stars as a stalking victim in this made-for-TV movie based on a true story. Henner stars as Nancy Conn, a woman who becomes the obsession of stalker Richard Mark Ellard (Doug Savant). After she and her cousin are targeted by Ellard, both are savagely attacked and left for dead. Conn survives, Ellard is jailed, and over time Conn slowly puts her life back together and begins to heal physically and mentally. Astonishingly though, Ellard comes up for early parole and Conn makes it her mission to keep Ellard locked up for his crimes. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Where has director Michael Anderson been since Logan's Run? Earning his keep on such slick TV-style time-fillers as Millennium. Kris Kristofferson plays the head of an official committee investigating the head-on collision of two commercial jets. A thorough analysis reveals the presence of a weapon of unknown origin in the wreckage; it is also pointed out that some of the victims' watches are running backwards. This, coupled with the cryptic warnings by flight attendant Cheryl Ladd to drop the investigation, prompts Kristofferson to burrow further and uncover the truth: Ladd is a sentinel from 1000 years in the future, who has come back to the 20th Century to help repopulate her dying civilization. Plot pegs and obstacles are in the hands of such sideline characters as enigmatic professor Daniel Travanti and amiable android Robert Joy. Millennium was adapted by John Varley from his own story Air Raid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide