David Taylor Movies
- 1999
Arguably the most successful program ever to emerge from New Zealand network television, The Tribe was set several years after a mysterious virus wiped out the entire adult population of the Earth. The only humans left were those aged 18 and under, who, in order to survive, formed their own small tribes, most of them predatory and violent in nature. The series focused on a tribal group comprised of basically good kids who roamed the empty streets, decaying office buildings, and deserted shopping malls in search of food, clothing, and the necessary technology to stay alive. Such vicious rival gangs as the Demon Dogs and the Locusts regularly pounced upon the characters whom the audience cared about, and there was never any forewarning as to who would still be standing at the end of each episode. Not unexpectedly, several of the young actors on The Tribe proved to be extremely popular with teen and preteen viewers, though this did not in any way prevent the demise of several "likable" characters if the scripts so demanded. Debuting in New Zealand on April 24, 1999, The Tribe was originally telecast two times per week, with each half-hour episode picking up where the previous one left off. The program went on to air in the U.S. via the MoviePlex cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beth Allen, Meryl Cassie, (more)
- 1998
Now that Gabrielle's unholy daughter, Hope, has killed Xena's son, Solan, an action that also cost Hope her life, Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) are bitter enemies. But before they can act upon their mutual hatred, the two former comrades are transported to Illsuia, a dream world patterned after tarot cards. Here, with the help of several series semi-regulars, Xena and Gabrielle are forced to confront their feelings -- and, possibly, find forgiveness. This is the celebrated "musical" episode, with everyone expressing their emotions in song (even the war god Ares [Kevin Smith]!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1998
Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) is distressed to learn that her daughter, Hope (Amy Morrison), the result of an unholy alliance with satanic god Duhak, is still alive. Even more distressing is the fact that Hope has freed Callisto (Hudson Leick), mortal enemy of Xena (Lucy Lawless). Hope and Callisto aspire to cause an irreparable rift between Xena and Gabrielle by bringing about the death of Xena's son, Solan (David Taylor). Without elaborating further, it can be said that the episode's disclaimer is sadly accurate: "Xena and Gabrielle's relationship was harmed during production of this motion picture." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1997
The works of prolific British children's author Enid Blyton have been adapted to television scores of times, but seldom as vividly as in a brace of multipart Anglo-New Zealand series of the mid-'90s. The first of these began airing over Britain's Disney Channel on July 21, 1996. The Enid Blyton Adventure Series consisted of eight different serials, each comprised of three half-hour episodes. All of these serials followed the standard Blyton formula of pitting a group of intelligent rural kids against a vast array of snarling adult villains in a variety of baffling mysteries which the children invariably solved. Individual titles included "Island of Adventure," "Woods of Adventure," "Sea of Adventure," "Valley of Adventure," "Sea of Adventure," and so on and so forth. The Enid Blyton Adventure Series was followed in 1997 by another group of literary adaptations, The Enid Blyton Secret Series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Season two of Xena: Warrior Princess finds Xena (Lucy Lawless) en route to Centaur, in search of a warlord who used to be one of her minions. The warlord wants to get his hands on a sacred stone protected by the Centaurs -- a stone with the power to bestow awesome and evil powers on whoever possesses it. As the story unfolds, Xena is unexpectedly reunited with her son, Solan (David Taylor) -- who is subsequently used as bait to lure the former Warrior Princess into a deadly trap. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1992
This New Zealand coming-of-age drama follows Geoff in his relationships with his younger siblings and his mentally fuzzy friend Firpo. An imaginative boy, he is given to putting on amateur theatricals using his reluctant siblings as players. This drama is based on a autobiographical one-man show put on in the 1950s and '60s by Bruce Masson, a revered local actor and playwright, now deceased. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Gittins
