Michael O'Connor Movies
Kill Bill stars David Carradine and Daryl Hannah reunite for this two-part television mini-series set in late 1920s China, and following a Wudang monk and a vengeful lounge singer on their violent quest to assassinate the man responsible for killing their loved ones and destroying their lives. The orphaned son of Western missionaries, White Crane (Carradine) was trained by Wudang monks to become a spiritual leader and martial arts master. When Kahn Xin (Lim Kay Tong) and his murderous henchmen kill White Crane's mentor during a brutal raid on the Wudang temple, Crane infiltrates the Shainghai underworld on a mission to track Kahn down and ensure that justice is served. But during the course of his quest, Crane crosses paths with Jane Marshall (Hannah), a nightclub singer from Manhattan who also has a score to settle with Kahn. Kahn has kidnapped Jane's brother and the time to rescue him is fast running out. When Crane and Jane realize Kahn's diabolical plans are in fact much more ambitious and malevolent than previously suspected, they hatch a daring plan to enter his inner circle and destroy his gang from the inside out. Later, just as everything begins to fall into place and Kahn's empire quickly begins to crumble, Crane suddenly faces a serious moral dilemma - how can he reconcile his all-consuming hunger for revenge with the peaceful teachings of his Wudang mentors? Later, as Crane returns to help rebuild the fallen Wudang temple, he receives word that his old nemesis Bai Tang has kidnapped Jane back in Shanghai. Now, in order to prevent Jane from being forced into a life of sexual slavery, Crane and his faithful protégé Bingo (Osric Chau) set out to rescue her before all hope is lost. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, (more)
As a pair of youthful friends about to be separated by fate ponder their future lives apart in this metaphysical drama starring Richard Roundtree. His sleep suddenly interrupted by a late night telephone call, studious introvert Wes picks up the receiver to hear the voice of energetic beauty Alison. Alison is boarding a plane for Tokyo in the morning, but before she sets out on her lifelong adventure she wants to meet with Wes for one last night together. As the night turns to morning, Wes and Alison reminisce about their pasts while sharing secrets and pondering the impact of pop culture on the human condition. Through it all, Wes' spiritual guide El Doctor (Roundtree) always seems to have the right answers to the profound questions pondered by the withdrawn young man. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Roundtree, Alexandra Holden, (more)
A journey that starts as a die-hard mission to net Christian converts soon evolves into the adventure of a lifetime, in the sweeping historical epic Marco Polo. It is the 13th century. Polo (Ian Somerhalder), a Venetian trader, sets out to both prove the existence of China to European priests, and to bring its residents salvation. En route, he and his traveling companions must battle every extreme form of the elements, from the scorching abuse of the sun to paralyzing blizzards, plus violent maurading thieves and a host of other dangers. Little can Marco Polo predict, however, the dazzling world that awaits him on the opposite end - with such dazzling inventions as paper money, timepieces and a postal system, and such culinary concoctions as ice cream and pasta. And presiding over all of it is the benevolent Kubla Khan (Brian Dennehy) a ruler so impressed with Polo (and vice versa) that the brave adventurer soon becomes part and parcel of his court - and spends the better part of two decades in Asia. Kevin Connor directs, from a script by Ron Hutchinson. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Somerhalder, Brian Dennehy, (more)
A small time con artist and his loyal companion must fight to prove their innocent when they are accused of attempting to poison a princess in this adventure mini-series directed by David Wu (The Bride with White Hair) and starring David Carradine. D.B. (John Reardon) was abandoned at birth on the docks of Shanghai, but while most children never would have survived that traumatic start David was rescued from certain death and soon forged a close bond with the resourceful Bird (Carradine). As D.B. grew into a young man, Bird became his constant companion. It always seemed like there was no jam that D.B. and Bird couldn't eventually work their way out of, and when it came to swindling this cunning pair were always at the top of their game. Neither D.B. nor Bird would have ever imagined that one of their brash schemes that would ultimately change the course of their entire lives, yet a daring mission to steal the royal court's jewels did precisely that. Upon carrying out the potentially profitable but highly dangerous mission, D.B. fell desperately in love with the stunning princess Li Wei (Desiree Siahaan). Though his affections were indeed reciprocated, it began to look like their love was doomed as the princess' father attempted to find her a more suitable husband. The princess, however, thwarted this plan by challenging her suitors to a series of arduous and impossible tests ostensibly staged to prove their love for her. When the nefarious Prince of the North (Rupert Graves) frames D.B. and Bird for attempting to murder the princess and sentences them to death, the wily companions rightly begin to surmise that they may have finally gotten themselves into a jam from which there is no escape. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Reardon, David Carradine, (more)
Daryl Hannah, Campbell Scott, and Gil Bellows star in an end-of-days sci-fi thriller about a rogue archeologist who stumbles onto a terrifying alien conspiracy. Lloyd Walker scours the globe in search of answers to mankind's greatest mysterious, and what he's about to discover with forever change the fate of the human race. A series of strange events have been occurring all over San Francisco, and the only one who can make sense of these seemingly unrelated incidents is the archeologist with a bad reputation. Deep within the doomed Pericles space mission, in the enigmatic Room 86, dwells a secret that will illuminate a diabolical plan. A race of alien insects is preparing to enslave all of mankind, and the only one with the power to stop their nefarious mission of the man known as the "keeper of dead civilizations." But will Walker be able to act in time, or is it already too late for the citizens of the third rock from the sun? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daryl Hannah, Gil Bellows, (more)
- 2006
- Add Merlin's Apprentice: The Search for the Holy Grail to QueueAdd Merlin's Apprentice: The Search for the Holy Grail to top of Queue
Directed, acted, and produced in the same mold -- and on the same level -- as its many other family friendly, critically-acclaimed television specials, Hallmark Entertainment presents Merlin's Apprentice: Search for the Holy Grail. Starring screen legend Sam Neill (Dead Calm, A Cry in the Dark) in the title role and one of Britain's most accomplished thespians, Miranda Richardson (Damage) as The Lady of the Lake, the miniseries opens with the great wizard returning to Camelot, only to find the entire mythical community in ruins from the theft of its most revered Holy Grail. Accompanied by a rambunctious young pickpocket named Jack (John Henry Reardon), Merlin undertakes a quest to retrieve the Grail and restore Camelot to its original glory. Merlin's Apprentice: Search for the Holy Grail co-stars Tegan Moss as Yvonne, Christopher Jacot as Graham, Meghan Ory as Brianna, and Woody Jeffreys as Arthur. Veteran Hong Kong Kung-fu filmmaker and John Woo-apprentice David Wu directs. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, (more)
Originally conceived as a TV miniseries (but generally shown in a single three-hour installment), this lavish adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen stars Bridget Fonda as the icy-hearted title character. Arriving incognito at the alpine inn run by a man named Wolfgang (Robert Wisden), the embittered Snow Queen makes it her mission in life to ruin all chances of romance for Wolfgang's beautiful daughter, Gerda (Chelsea Hobbs). To this end, the Queen exercises her magic over Gerda's bellhop boyfriend Kai (Jeremy Guilbaut), literally freezing the boy in his tracks. In order to save her beloved, Gerda must undertake a grueling odyssey through the Four Seasons (each of them briefly appearing in human form), culminating in a final, frigid showdown with the spiteful Snow Queen. After its December 7, 2002 debut on the Hallmark cable network, The Snow Queen was almost immediately released in a deluxe DVD edition. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bridget Fonda
- 2001
- Add Snow White: The Fairest of Them All to QueueAdd Snow White: The Fairest of Them All to top of Queue
Shown theatrically in Europe and the Middle East in 2001, this live-action version of the classic fairy tale "Snow White" often bids fair to be the grimmest of all Grimm Brothers adaptations. When his wife Josephine (Vera Farmiga) dies in childbirth, hapless woodsman John (Tom Irwin) and his newborn daughter Snow White embark upon a journey which ultimately finds them hopelessly lost in the snowy wastes. Praying for a miracle, John is visited by a seemingly benign spirit called "The Green-Eyed One" (Clancy Brown), who offers to grant John three wishes: Nourishment, a kingdom, and a queen for a wife. Little does "King" John suspect that the Green-Eyed One is actually an emissary for Satan, and that his queenly new wife Elspeth (Miranda Richardson) is the Green-Eyed One's equally evil daughter. The familiar "Snow White" plot takes off from here, complete with Queen Elspeth's efforts to kill the "fair" Snow White (now grown up and played by Kristin Kreuk), her rescue at the hands of seven "little men"--each one a different rainbow color, each one named for a different day of the week--and of course, the last-act arrival of the Handsome Prince, here named Alfred (Tyron Leitso). Balancing its more frightening aspects with slapstick comedy and awesome special effects, the film debuted on American television as Snow White: The Fairest of Them All, and was first broadcast March 17 2002 as an episode of ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Miranda Richardson, Kristin Kreuk, (more)
Based on James C. Christensen's novel Voyage of the Bassett, this two-part TV movie stars Beau Bridges as recently widowed mythology professor Alan Aisling. Subscribing to the theory credendo vides (by believing, one sees), Prof. Aisling finds this philosophy put to the test when his home is invaded by malevolent trolls, determined to prevent him from fulfilling "the prophecy." Managing to escape, Alan and his older daughter, Miranda (Heather McEwen), embark upon a journey from the Sensible World to the Land of Imagination on board the magical ship "The Unicorn." Meanwhile, Alan's younger daughter, Cassie (Chantal Conlin), heads off on an adventure of her own, eventually reconnecting with her family on Faerie Isle -- where it is written that a wise man and two gentle maidens are destined to release the population from the powers of darkness. Voyage of the Unicorn made it American TV debut over the Odyssey cable network beginning March 2, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beau Bridges
