Brian Ross Movies
- 2000
It's a case of "never cry wolf" for an overcautious geologist in this made-for-cable disaster flick. Plagued by an accident that he failed to stop years ago, Louisiana earth-watcher Matt Andrews (John Corbett) thinks that the ground is going to cave in beneath downtown New Orleans -- during Mardi Gras, no less. Meanwhile, main squeeze Allison (Jessica Steen) pleads with Matt to forget the past and get on with life, which in her mind involves proposing marriage on bended knee with a multi-karat engagement ring. Then the ground rumbles, impeding the progress of several parade floats as well as Allison's nubile niece Cindy (Brittany Daniel), who's in town for some fat Tuesday decadence. On Hostile Ground originally premiered on the TBS network. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Corbett, Jessica Steen, (more)
Real estate agent Ellen Carson (Yasmine Bleeth) makes the mistake of her life when she inadvertently cuts off a delivery truck while changing lanes hurrying home on the highway. The truck driver turns out to be a dangerously loose cannon named Eddie Madden (Jere Burns), who proceeds to chase after Ellen in an effort to run her off the road. After a terrifying few minutes on the open road, Ellen finally makes it back to the safety of her home. Alas, Eddie has memorized her license number -- and, armed with this information, he embarks upon a grotesque campaign of terror, ranging from shredding the contents of Ellen's clothes closet to murdering her best friend. This made-for-TV thriller will either compel the viewer to think twice before cutting off another motorist, or to think three times before ever watching a made-for-TV thriller again. Road Rage originally aired October 3, 1999, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yasmine Bleeth, Jere Burns, (more)
- 1996
Were it not based on a true story, this two-part TV movie could well have been dismissed as a grotesque nightmare. The story begins in 1988, when the Chicago home of Cindi and David Dowaliby (Shannen Doherty, Kevin Dillon) is invaded by person or persons unknown, who kidnap and murder their daughter Jacklyn while the couple sleeps. Once the crime is reported, the grief-stricken Dowalibys find themselves accused of their daughter's murder. The authorities are cruel and relentless, public opinion is hostile, the media is doggedly one-sided, and the family's very expensive lawyers more interested in their fee than in justice. Ultimately, Cindi is "cleared", but David is sentenced to a 45-year prison term--and both the couple's surviving child and Cindi's newborn baby are taken away from them. The rest of the film concerns Cindi's tireless and apparently futile battle to win back her children, secure her husband's release and restore the family's mud-splattered reputation. Originally telecast by CBS on February 25 and 27, 1996, Gone in the Night may indeed end on a small note of triumph, but by no means is the tragic situation completely resolved. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
The made-for-TV Pretty Poison is a remake of the 1968 "cult" film of the same name, which starred Anthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld. Fresh out of a mental institution, the charming but delusional Dennis Pitt (Grant Show) cannot cope with the harsh realities of life and creates a dream world of his own, in which he is a daring government agent. In the course of his travels, Dennis meets a high school girl named Sue Ann Stepanek (Wendy Benson), who seems to swallow his tall tales about being an FBI man hook, line and sinker. As it turns out, however, Sue Ann has got a few problems of her own--chief of which is her deadly hatred for her domineering mother (Michelle Phillips). Inevitably, Mom is murdered and Dennis and Sue Ann hit the road together--and the question becomes not "When will they get caught?" but "Who exactly is manipulating whom?" Set in New England (but filmed in Montreal) and originally telecast by the Fox network on September 24, 1996, Pretty Poison was like its predecessor based on Stephen Geller's novel She Let Him Continue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
After a series of setbacks and mishaps have resulted in the suicide of her fisherman husband, Jodie Cauldwell (Christine Hirt) hires Eric (R. H. Thomson), a reluctant, very troubled Vietnam War veteran, to man their boat in an attempt to keep her family's livelihood intact. Gradually, his deep anger and unhappiness eases, as the hard physical work and the kindness of the dead man's family heals him. A plus for this easygoing film is its footage of the gorgeous waters and coast of British Columbia. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- R.H. Thomson, Kate Trotter, (more)
