Keith MacKechnie Movies

The dust still hasn't settled the morning after the "battle royal" between Dean (Jared Padalecki) and Jess (Milo Ventimiglia). Luke's (Scott Patterson) anguish over Jess is compounded when he is confronted by a man (Rob Estes) who identifies himself as Jess's father. Meanwhile, Rory (Alexis Bledel) is shocked to learn that Dean has decided to get married on the rebound; and Lane (Keiko Agena) wonders if she'll ever be permitted to attend the prom after drinking herself blotto at Kyle's kegger. As the episode fades, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) are confronted with a "bad news-good news" situation involving an establishment called the Dragonfly Inn. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on a true story, the sentimental TV movie A Thousand Men and a Baby takes place during the final months of the Korean War in 1953. Spiritually adopting an abandoned boy, the crew members of the U.S.S. "Point Cruz" set about to find a proper home for the infant. All the while, ship's doctor Hugh Keenan (Richard Thomas) struggles to keep the baby alive. According to some sources, the grown-up protagonist of the story appears in a bit role in this film. Originally telecast by CBS on December 7, 1997, A Thousand Men and a Baby has since been telecast in the UK under the slightly more lurid title Narrow Escape. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Crashing his DeSoto Sportsman into the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign and proclaiming, "Home, sweet home," viewers meet the vampire named Spike (James Marsters), along with his equally sardonic vamp girlfriend, Drusilla (Juliet Landau) -- a fitting introduction for two vampires who will become among the show's most memorable and reliable villains. Apparently a vampire couple -- a first for the show -- these love bats have a history with Angel (David Boreanaz). The audience learns that Spike (aka "William the Bloody") is a 200-year-old vampire sired by Angel, who earned his name by killing his victims with railroad spikes. He is utterly devoted to "Dru," who is sickly, possibly insane, and subject to psychic visions. At a meeting of vampires with the Anointed One (Andrew J. Ferchland), Spike brags about having killed two slayers in his "life," and manages to slide in some of his soon to-be-characteristic humorous asides. Unable to contain himself until the Festival of St. Vigeous, Spike and some vampires attack Sunnydale High on Parent-Teacher Night; Buffy fights them off with some help from her mom, who repels Spike with an ax. In the aftermath, Principal Snyder (Armin Shimerman) discusses the need to hide the real story from the press -- a hint that he might know something about the supernatural occurrences in Sunnydale. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi

A dysfunctional family reunites during the Apollo XI moon landing in this drama starring real-life couple Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. In 1969, eccentric teacher Washington Bellamy (Danson) turns the arrival of men on the moon into a science project for his son Andy (Ryan Todd). They drive across the country to Idaho's Spires of the Moon National Park, where the odometer of Washington's classic Pontiac Chief will read 238,857, the exact mileage traveled by Apollo XI. Left behind is wife and mother Katherine (Steenburgen), an agoraphobic who never recovered emotionally from a miscarriage seven years earlier. On the road, Washington and Andy encounter a Native American soldier (Eric Schweig), a flirty barfly (Cathy Moriarty) and Washington's long-lost brother (Max Gail). Back home, Katherine nervously ventures outside to follow her family. When Washington's car breaks down, he steals a new engine, bringing the authorities after him and leading to a rendezvous at the park between father, son, mother, and cops, as the astronauts simultaneously land on the moon. Pontiac Moon (1994) was a critical lemon for director Peter Medak, who enjoyed more success with his British crime dramas such as The Krays (1990) and Let Him Have It (1991). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

A new '90s expressiveness regarding homosexuality in movies is gently mined for laughs in this 1993 comedy that predates the similar but much more raw Chasing Amy and slightly more humorous Threesome. With her straight greasy hair, semi-paranoid outlook, and leather jacket she wears like a shield, Connie (Kelly Lynch) already seems a bit unhinged. Then her girlfriend, Ellen (Sherilyn Fenn), breaks up their relationship and Connie loses it. In her grief, she hits upon a bizarre plan: Why not hire male prostitute Joe (William Baldwin) to seduce Ellen, then break her heart? Wouldn't that make Ellen rush back into Connie's arms? Of course not. For one thing, Joe's life is complicated by his protective yet sinister pimp (Joe Pantoliano) and a thug who mistakenly believes Joe set him up for a prison sentence. And Joe and Ellen fall in love. Yet an odd, sibling-like friendship develops between Joe and Connie that steers them through the repercussions of Ellen's discovery of their deceit, the thug's attack on Joe, and Joe's desire to give up prostitution. By the story's end, they've lost Ellen, but they have one another, and have learned to step beyond the protective relationships they have lost. Three of Hearts solidified William Baldwin's ascent to leading-man status (along with brothers Stephen and Alec) after 1991's Backdraft. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., Rovi

Dolly Parton and James Woods as the screen's hottest new romantic team? That's only one of several casting surprises in this romantic comedy. Shirlee Kenyon (Dolly Parton) has had enough of life in her small Arkansas town, not to mention her small-minded Arkansas boyfriend Steve (Michael Madsen). So she decides to head for the big city of Chicago, where she applies for a job as a receptionist at a talk radio station. However, she arrives at the studios just as the staff are frantically searching for the psychiatrist hired to host a call-in show for people seeking advice with their personal problems. Shirlee is put on the air by mistake, and, while she lacks a degree in psychology, she has common sense to spare, and her no-nonsense advice makes the show a hit. Soon "Doctor Shirlee" is the talk of the town, but reporter Jack Russell (James Woods) senses that she might not be all she's supposed to be. Jack does some investigating and finds out the truth about Shirlee, but by this time the two have met and he's fallen in love with her. Will Jack obey his responsibilities as a journalist, or follow his heart? Straight Talk's supporting cast includes filmmaker John Sayles, monologist Spalding Gray, actor and producer Griffin Dunne, and future Lois Lane Teri Hatcher. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Stephanie Zimbalist stars in this made-for-cable thriller as a L.A. detective who decides to re-open the case of a murder she herself witnessed as a child. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

Chevy Chase, star of National Lampoon's Vacation and its sequel, is back as the paterfamilias of the Griswold family (including Beverly D'Angelo as his missus) to skewer the Yuletide season. Chevy mugs, trips, falls, mashes his fingers and stubs his toes as he prepares to invite numerous dysfunctional relatives to his household to celebrate Christmas. Amidst the more outrageous sight gags (including the electrocution of a cat as the Christmas tree is lit) the film betrays a sentimental streak, with old wounds healing and long-estranged relatives reuniting in the Griswold living room. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was still capable of attracting an audience five years after its release -- it was one of the top-rated seasonal TV specials of 1994, outrating even the first network telecast of It's a Wonderful Life. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi