Mary McDonnell Movies

The space opera's third season picks up a short time after the Colonial fleet was forced to abandon the bulk of humanity on the harsh but habitable New Caprica as the Cylons descended upon the defenseless settlement. While the commanders of Galactica and Pegasus, Adm. William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and Cdr. Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber), clash over the admiral's plan to rescue those left behind, resistance guerrillas led by Col. Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan) use suicide bombers to strike back at the Cylon occupiers on New Caprica. The occupation produces heroes, traitors and hostages-the last best personified by Capt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), who becomes a Cylon's love interest. Captive Cylon Sharon (Grace Park) redeems herself when she agrees to help Adm. Adama rescue the citizens of New Caprica. While the rescue operation unfolds, defrocked president Gaius Baltar (James Callis) locates Sharon's Cylon-human baby and accepts an invitation from D'Anna (Lucy Lawless) to join the Cylons. The large-scale rescue proves successful, but the occupation leaves emotional scars on the survivors, particularly Starbuck and Tigh, who stir up dissent within the ranks. Adm. Adama endeavors to heal his crew with a boxing event that ends up being cathartic for Starbuck and Apollo. While trying to prove his worth to the Cylons, Baltar helps D'Anna probe the mythical "final five" humanoid Cylons-who have become lost to the rest of their race-an investigation that doesn't sit well with the Cylon Cavil (Dean Stockwell). A food shortage forces the Colonial fleet to traverse a dangerous passage to an algae planet, home to a mysterious temple that houses a veritable road map to Earth, which the Cylons also covet. The tragic loss of a troubled crewmate and a sensational trial onboard Galactica become game-changing milestones during the fleet's quest for Earth. ~ Michael Chant, All Movie Guide

The sensationalistic murder of diet guru Dr. Herman Tarnower is explored in this stylized take on the tabloid cover story from first-time director Phyllis Nagy. As the inventor of the popular "Scarsdale Diet," Dr. Herman Tarnower (Ben Kingsley) became an overnight success during the peak of the early '80s diet craze. Despite the popularity of the Dr. Tarnower's revolutionary "lose one pound per day" diet, the womanizing ways of the Casanova cardiologist would soon come to a brutal end at the hands of his jealous, prescription drug-addicted lover Jean Harris (Annette Bening). Driven to despair after their 14-year romance failed to result in marriage and enraged by Dr. Tarnower's shameless status as a ladies' man, Harris confronts her former lover in one violent, final act of desperation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

David Eick and Ronald D. Moore's dark reinvention of the cult sci-fi series picks up where the 2003 miniseries left off. An old battleship named Galactica leads a fleet of survivors away from their planets, which were decimated by a nuclear attack perpetrated by a race of machines known as Cylons. Galactica's senior officer, Cdr. William Adama (Edward James Olmos), and the newly sworn-in leader of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), discover how relentless the Cylons can be when they briefly manage to track, harass and nearly exhaust the fleet. Worse, the Cylons have created copies of machines that appear human, some of which have infiltrated the fleet as unwary sleeper agents. Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Grace Park) learns she is a Cylon after she sabotages Galactica's water supply. And another copy of Boomer uses Lt. Karl "Helo" Agathon (Tahmoh Penikett) as a guinea pig in an experiment the Cylons are conducting on the devastated Colonial world Caprica. A suicide bombing on Galactica forces the Colonial leadership to publicly divulge the existence of humanoid Cylons and the likelihood that some are operating within the fleet, fostering feelings of paranoia in an already stressed and depressed populace. Adama and Roslin are tasked with forging a new government and replenishing their supplies of water, fuel and fighter pilots, while they also try to keep hope alive during their search for the fabled lost colony Earth. Meanwhile, Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) must cope with his role in the near annihilation of his people, his place in the new space-faring community, and the intrusions of an incorporeal entity-that only he can see-which has taken the form of the sixth humanoid Cylon model (Tricia Helfer) to guide the troubled genius. ~ Michael Chant, All Movie Guide

Nola (Emmy Rossum) is a Kansas teen who runs away to New York City to escape an abusive stepfather. Once she gets to the big town, she sets about looking for a job and for her father, whom she's never met. She attacks both tasks with fierce determination, but has little success, until she stumbles upon a greasy spoon near Union Square where the eccentric owner, Gus (Sam Coppola), immediately takes a liking to her. Soon, she's waitressing at the diner and crashing in a room upstairs with the handsome fry cook, Ben (James Badge Dale), who also goes to law school when he feels like it. Nola spends her spare time using the phone book in an effort to track down the man she knows only as "Hutch." Things look up for Nola when she meets the sassy owner of the diner, Margaret (Mary McDonnell), who also runs a very classy escort service. Margaret sees something in Nola, and hires the girl as her assistant. As Nola's relationship with Ben gets more intimate, she tells him about her dream of being a successful songwriter. But things take an ugly turn when one of Margaret's escorts, a transsexual named Wendy (Michael Cavadias) offends a rich and powerful client, Niles (Thom Christopher). Niles is determined to have his revenge, and tries to use his media contacts to have an exposé written about Margaret's business. But the reporter assigned to the story, Leo (Steven Bauer), turns out to be an old friend of Margaret's. Nola, the feature debut of writer/director Alan Hruska, a former trial lawyer, had its world premiere at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Elizabeth (Alex Kingston) lashes out at Rachel (Hallee Hirsh) for nearly causing baby Ella's death. Greene (Anthony Edwards) worries that his brain tumor has returned. Carter's (Noah Wyle) mother (Mary McDonnell) continues "coping" with the long-ago death of her other son, Bobby, by living her life vicariously through a young leukemia patient. Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) is forced to hold down the ER fort virtually by herself when a bag of bad bagels causes the other staffers to suffer from food poisoning. And Abby (Maura Tierney) is attacked and beaten by her neighbor Brian (Matthew Settle) for offering support to Brian's abused wife. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adapted from the bestselling novel by Richard Paul Evans, the made-for-TV The Locket stars Vanessa Redgrave as Esther Huish, an elderly, embittered resident of a nursing home. Into Esther's life comes young attendant Michael Keddington (Chad Willett), who like Esther has been forced to live a life of self-sacrifice and shattered dreams. Ever since his father deserted the family, Michael has cared for his ailing mother, putting his chances for college on what seems to be permanent hold. Now that his mother is dead, Michael is facing another crisis over which he has no control: The domineering father of Michael's fiancée has refused to bless the approaching wedding. Even so, Michael makes it his mission in life to make Esther's final years as comfortable and rewarding as possible; thus, he dedicates himself to locating Esther's long-lost love, using only a faded picture in a locket as his guide. As it turns out, it is Esther who "saves" Michael when the young man is accused of murdering another nursing-home resident. A CBS "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation, The Locket first aired on December 8, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally slated to air on September 20, 2001, the eighth-season opener of ER was bumped to September 27 due to ongoing network coverage of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. This inaugural episode hopscotches through time, presenting its events from several sharply differing points of view. First off, several loose ends from the end of season seven are wrapped up, notably the aftermath of Greene's (Anthony Edwards) decision to "terminate" a man who had killed several people before being shot himself, and the aftereffects of the treatment given to Cleo Finch (Michael Michele) when she cut her hand on a vial of HIV-infected blood. In new developments, the ER staff treats the victims of a TV talk show brawl; Abby (Maura Tierney) and Carter (Noah Wyle) attend his grandfather's funeral, where Carter is brought into a confrontation with his estranged parents (Michael Gross, Mary McDonnell); Benton (Eriq La Salle) helps his sister Jackie (Khandi Alexander) cope with the death of her son; returning from vacation, Weaver (Laura Innes) worries that she has been "outed" by Romano (Paul McCrane); and Chen (Ming-Na) is appointed chief resident. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV fantasy was based on Rod Serling's "A Stop at Willoughby," a 1960 episode of Serling's classic anthology series Twilight Zone. The story begins in the year 2000, with advertising executive Charles Lattimer (Mark Harmon) escaping his hectic professional life and increasingly dissatisfying marriage to wife Kristen (Catherine Hicks) by obsessively tinkering with his elaborate model-train set. Through the aid of a magic stopwatch, Charles boards a real train and is whisked back to 1896, where he inaugurates a romance with attractive widow Laura Brown (Mary McDonnell). Traversing back and forth through the years, Charles ultimately finds that he will never truly be happy until he chooses between the "real" world and the world fashioned by his nostalgic imagination. Filmed in Alberta, For All Time made its CBS network debut on October 18, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Still in their infancy when their parents were divorced, Kelly and Chris McClain (Michelle Trachtenberg) grew up in the city with her mother, while their cowboy father Charlie (Peter Strauss) remained in the wide open spaces. When their mom is murdered, the girls are court-ordered to live with their dad, and are bitterly resentful over the fact. For his part, Charlie is taken aback by Kelly and Chris' hostility, but is willing to try to mend fences between himself in his daughter. Curiously, the mystery as to who killed the girls' mother--and why--is all but forgotten as the film focuses on the emotional impact of Charlie's reunion with his long-estranged family, with special emphasis on the relationship between Charlie and oldest daughter Kelly. Filmed under the title Cowboy Dad, A Father's Choice made its CBS network bow on January 12, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV Behind the Mask is the true story of Dr. Bob Shushan, a workaholic who disdains any sort of private life--and neglects his family in the process--the better to help his patients at the British Columbian Centre for the Mentally and Physically Disabled. When Shushan suffers a heart attack, his life is saved by the Centre's mentally handicapped janitor, James Jones (Matthew Fox)--and in the ensuing weeks, doctor and patient become closer than any father and son could ever be. Partly out of gratitude, Shushan makes it his mission to locate James' long-estranged biological father. And as a result of his relationship with James Jones, Shushan finally realizes how he has long short-changed his own family, especially his son Brian (Bradley Whitford), whom Shushan has unfairly written off as a failure. The real James Jones makes an appearance at the end of Behind the Mask, which first aired February 28, 1999 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Daphna Kastner directed this romantic comedy-drama, set in Spain. Interviewing Madrid men, journalist Zoe (Kastner) intends to expand her magazine article into a book. Her own experiences with men, however, haven't exactly made her an expert, but possibilities arise when she meets straight-talking Antonio (Toni Canto) and former professor Carl Livingston (Martin Donovan), owner of a Madrid bookstore. Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Originally broadcast on PBS, this Voices and Visions episode concentrates on William Styron and his works. He is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Confessions of Nat Turner and Sophie's Choice. Nat Turner generated controversy for Styron's fictional portrayal of the interior life of the leader of a slave rebellion, and Sophie's Choice made it to the popular cinema. Styron has also unflinchingly documented his struggles with depression. Watch this video to find what he thinks, and what others think of him. ~ Leslie Birdwell, All Movie Guide