Jacqueline McKenzie

When the imaginary friends of a young girl living in Australia's Lightning Ridge opal-mining town go missing, the inexplicable illness that befalls her soon prompts her brother to organize a desperate search for his sister's transparent pals in director Peter Cattaneo's adaptation of Ben Rice's popular children's novella. Kellyanne is a young girl with a vivid imagination and two invisible friends named Pobby and Dingan. Though her brother, Ashmol, was never the affectionate type, his concern at seeing his little sister become ill after Pobby and Dingan disappear quickly sets into motion an incredible journey that will serve as a transformative rite of passage for not just Ashmol, but the whole town of Lightning Ridge as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

As Season Two of USA Network's sci-fi thriller The 4400 gets under way, several of the secrets closely held during Season One have been revealed--foremost among the fact that those 4400 humans who'd suddenly reappeared in a flash of light after having been kidnapped from the earth over a period of nearly six decades were not alien abductees, but instead had been snatched up by futuristic earthlings. The purpose was to "seed" the abductees throughout history to prevent the apocalyptic destruction of the earth! Of special importance to National Threat Assessment Command agent Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch), who along with fellow agent Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie) had been assigned to track down all of the "4400" once some of them had begun exhibiting awesome paranormal powers, is the fact that the futuristic kidnappers had selected Tom's own son Kyle (Chad Faust as their primary messenger--and also as an avenging angel, foresworn to kill the one "4400" member who poses the greatest threat to mankind It is also now known that it is the "promicin", a transmitter imbedded in each of the 4400's brains, that gives them their unique powers, and that NTAC plans to kill off the most "dangerous" abductees (as well as few innocent bystanders!) with a promicin inhibitor. The only antidote to this inhibitor is found in the blood of Isabelle, the infant daughter of "4400" Lily Moore (Laura Allen) and Richard Tyler (Mahershalhashbaz Ali)--and thus Isabelle has been targetted for elimination as soon as she can be found. As the season ends, the NTAC goes to great lengths to wipe out all evidence that the 4400 ever existed. But those "in the know" intend to see that justice is done to the surviving 4400...and to solve the many puzzles still remaining. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first season of USA Network's sci-fi thriller The 4400 begins (pardon the cliché) with a bang, as a huge, glowing object falls from the sky and lands near Highland Beach, Washington. The comet-like object then disgorges some 4400 human beings, all of whom had vanished from the earth over the past 58 years! After a brief quarantine, the "4400" leave for various parts of the world--and then several returns, exhibiting such paranormal abilities as telekinesis, mind control, supersensitve hearing, and even, in the case of Shawn Farrell (Patrick Flueger), the power to revive the dead. Another of the 4400, Lily Moore, is pregnant with the child of Richard Tyler (Mahershalahashbaz Ali) Acutely aware that the returnees' otherworldly powers can be used for evil as well as good, Dennis Ryland (Peter Coyote), head of the National Threat Assessment Command division of Homeland Security, dispatches agents Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch) and Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie) to locate the rest of the 4400 to make certain that nothing terrible happens. Unfortunately, the damage has already been done, as witness the serial killer who has the power to make others do his dirty work. Also, whatever has caused the 4400 to develop these skills also has a profound effect on the two NTAC agents--to say nothing of Tom's son Kyle (Chad Faust), whose erratic behavior turns is a harbinger of things to come. Meanwhile, another of the 4400, the mysterious Jordan Collier (Bill Campbell), offers protection and shelter to his fellow retunees at Arcadia Estates--an outward act of altrusim that may be a cover up for a sinister hidden agenda. The five-episode first season ends after several of the 4400 are assassinated once their identities are made public--and after the startling secret behind the 4400 is revealed (we won't give too much away here: suffice to say that, though the 4400 were definitely abduction victims, their abductors were NOT aliens from another planet!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Daphne (Jacqueline McKenzie), a taxidermist with a penchant for going through other peoples' personal belongings, agrees to allow Nick (Jack Finsterer) to take up residence in her home, she didn't realize he shared the same habit. Sure enough, the two quickly root through each other's things and begin to unearth highly incriminating diaries and erotic literature, among other things. Nick, it seems, is a complicated individual -- not only does he have a disturbing tendency toward self-mutilation, but he is haunted by the voice of his dead mother. This doesn't deter Daphne, however, and the odd couple show signs of falling in love, to the dismay of a fellow boarder (Simon Burke) who has been trying to scam Daphne into believing he can contact her dead father. Preservation was directed by Sofya Gollan. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Screenwriter Callie Khouri makes her directorial debut with this adaptation of a pair of popular novels by author Rebecca Wells, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Little Altars Everywhere. Sandra Bullock stars as Sidda Lee Walker, a New York playwright who opens a can of emotional worms with her estranged, boozy mother, Vivi (Ellen Burstyn), when she discusses her painful childhood and particularly Vivi's less-than-enviable mothering skills in a Time magazine article. The eccentric Louisiana drama queen Vivi has already been barred from her daughter's oft-delayed wedding to her fiancé, Connor (Angus Macfadyen), so the article sends her into a rage. Coming to the rescue of the relationship are Necie (Shirley Knight), Caro (Maggie Smith), and Teensy (Fionnula Flanagan), a trio of bickering women, who, along with Vivi, formed a secret society of feminist empowerment and friendship 60 years earlier that they dubbed the "Ya-Ya Sisterhood." The Ya-Yas kidnap Sidda and bring her home to Louisiana, where they reveal to Sidda via a carefully maintained scrapbook her mother's painful past (with Vivi portrayed in flashback by Ashley Judd), effecting a rapprochement between mother and daughter. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood also stars James Garner. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

This 2001 TV docudrama relates the story of tennis' 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" between Wimbledon champions Billie Jean King (Holly Hunter) and Bobby Riggs (Ron Silver), an event considered by many to be an early victory for feminism. Riggs, 20 years past his prime, lives to wager on anything and everything. Seeing the rise of feminism, he decides he can make some money by challenging top female players, 30 years his junior, into exhibition matches. His first choice for an opponent is Billie Jean King, but she turns him down because she is too busy organizing the members of the female tennis tour into a de facto union, and winning tennis tournaments. After Bobby defeats the number one female tennis player in the world, Margaret Court, King realizes she needs to beat him. Following months of hype in which Bobby's bluster is matched at every point by Billie's confidence, the two face off in the Astrodome before a huge live and television audience. When Billie Beat Bobby was written and directed by Jane Anderson who had previously written The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom, which also featured Holly Hunter in the title role. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Although mako sharks are among the fastest and deadliest predators in the ocean, they're not as smart as humans -- at least, they weren't. However, Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) has been using mako sharks as her test subjects for research on the regeneration of human brain tissues. McAlester has altered the DNA of several sharks, raising them close to the level of human intelligence; the sharks have also become faster and stronger in the process. While these DNA experiments have yielded fascinating results, they're also of questionable ethics and legality, earning her the distrust of several members of her crew, including shark authority Carter Blake (Thomas Jane and cook "Preacher" Dudley (LL Cool J). The financial backers of these experiments have also expressed skepticism, so when McAlester is ready to perform some major tests, financier Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson) arrives for the occasion. McAlester and her team are delicately extracting brain tissue from one of the altered makos when the animal regains consciousness - and becomes very angry. The shark not only attacks the researchers but also damages the floating lab, leaving the crew aboard a literally sinking ship, with the makos eager to go a few rounds - in an arena that favors sharks. Deep Blue Sea was directed by Renny Harlin, and filmed in Mexico at Fox Studios Baja in the underwater filming facilities created for James Cameron's Titanic. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Stephen Grynberg wrote and directed this drama, an indie road movie about three strangers who meet at the New York funeral of a mutual friend. They set out for Montana to scatter his ashes. Henry's Southern girlfriend Samantha (Jacqueline McKenzie) is joined by Henry's childhood friend, bureaucratic Walter (Pruitt Taylor-Vince), and Henry's college pal Eric (Simon Baker-Denny). The trio uses postcards instead of a map as they head westward in a Kerouacian journey, narrated in voiceover by the dead Henry (Sam Robards). Along the way, Walter and Samantha become a twosome, and Eric gets involved with a roadside waitress. A former encyclopedia salesman (James Gammons) briefly rides with the group. After Eric and Samantha fight, Eric starts hitchhiking, but they reunite. In Missoula, there's a stopover to see Alex (Kathryne Erbe), Eric's former girlfriend, before they continue on to their destination. The title is a reference to the South Dakota town where the government once kept the M-10. Shown at the 1998 Hamptons Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Harry and his much-younger girlfriend surprise their friends one vacation weekend by announcing their desire to marry immediately. As they are visiting a small island village off the coast of west Australia, that is easier said than done. The weekend began with the aforementioned couple and their friends Louise and David sailing out to Rocknest Island to visit their friends Garth, a doctor, and Juliet. The island is truly beautiful, as is the watercolor-like cinematography, and everyone has a good time. It is Emma who drops the bomb, and even Harry is surprised, for he has made no plans for their ceremony. It turns out that neither of the island ministers can do the job on such short notice. Emma then drops another bomb, telling them that she is terminally ill. This galvanizes all to action, and in very little time and with much resourcefulness, the wedding takes place followed by a grand party. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this unusual romantic drama from Australia, Harry (John Lynch) and Kate (Jacqueline McKenzie) are both patients at a psychiatric care facility. While in therapy, the two meet and fall in love, in spite of their troubled pasts. Despite the potential complications they might foresee with the relationship, Harry's main sources of support, his brother Morris (Colin Friels) and Morris's wife Louise (Deborrah-Lee Furness), are more concerned with Harry's stability and happiness than anything else, and they soon give him their blessing to marry Kate. However, it soon becomes obvious that love does not conquer all. Kate becomes pregnant, and her doctors try to persuade her to have an abortion. They believe that her mental illness could be passed along to her child, that she would not make a fit mother, and that her medication for schizophrenia could have a harmful effect on the fetus. Kate is convinced that the angel Astral speaks to her, and that the child she carries is his earthly incarnation; she refuses to have an abortion, but compromises by not taking her medication while pregnant. Harry stops taking his as well, but the couple's happiness is short-lived when their increasing instability leads to tragic consequences. Angel Baby won seven Australian Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Using a blend of fantasy and reality, this film presents an extraordinary day in the lives of two female friends in their mid thirties. The primary focus of the film is upon their conversations at work where they design and write adult comics. Julia is upset because she suspects her husband is having an affair. She has been keeping her suspicions to herself, but now she is thinking of confronting him. Stephanie is single, but is feeling pressure from her biological clock -- she wants a baby. She recently returned from Tokyo and while a TV repair man eaves drops, tells Julia every detail of her sexploits there. As Julia talks, she gets more upset and shares her fears that her husband's mistress has been following her. Julia goes to the TV repair shop to pick up the things the man repaired earlier and ends up having a steamy encounter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The checkered career of a man who has for years pulled off an imposture of being a dentist, despite his disastrous record with patients, is at the center of this offbeat comedy. "Doctor" Gordon Fairweather (Greig Pickhaver) has skipped town just ahead of the British police, who would love to get their hands on him. His story is told by his most loyal patient's daughter Vanessa (Jacqueline McKenzie), who worked as his nurse and wanted to marry him, and by his much-abused patient and potential father-in-law George Prestcott (Patrick Blackwell), who eventually had a mouth only a (real) dentist could love. It seems that Fairweather started out in Australia and had a bit of mental trouble before he struck out for Britain. It is amusing to note that the director of this movie, Chris Kennedy, is himself a former dentist. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide