Mariane O'Brien Movies
- 2006
Based on the 1999 bestseller by K.C. McKinnon, this touching Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation stars Alicia Silverstone as Dee Dee, a single mom and professional candlemaker who returns to her Maine hometown after a lengthy absence. Having left town with a somewhat sullied reputation, she returns with apparently the best of intentions--bringing her 12-year-old son Trooper (Matthew Knight) along for the sentimental journey. Dee Dee's reappearance is initially met with hostility by veterinarian Lydia, whose husband (and coworker) Sam had once been Dee Dee's sweetheart. Ultimately, however, Lydia warms up to both her "rival" and her son--just before Dee Dee poignantly reveals the real reason for her unexpected homecoming. Filmed for television on location in Nova Scotia, Candles on Bay Street was first broadcast by CBS on November 26, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alicia Silverstone, Eion Bailey, (more)
Told in an unadorned straightforward manner, this drama looks at a very strange relationship between two European wanderers who become hopelessly entangled in an LA loft. Joshua met Ana in a Hollywood bar. She offers him a warm bed and a little comfort in her loft and he accepts. Unfortunately when he awakens the next morning he finds himself chained to an ancient Oldsmobile with his wallet missing. Turns out that Ana is a heroin addict and she has decided to keep Joshua locked up so he can supply her the cash she needs. Despite his forced captivity, Joshua finds himself strangely drawn to Ana and she to him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
- R
- Add Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers to QueueAdd Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers to top of Queue
Picking up six years after the events of Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, this competently produced but ultimately disappointing sequel attempts to tie up the uneven horror series' loose ends with a less-than-convincing resolution. This installment opens with Jamie Lloyd (J.C. Brandy), young niece of supernatural psycho-killer Michael Myers, giving birth on an altar amid a mysterious Druid ceremony. Before she is killed by her monstrous uncle, Jamie manages to leave her baby in the care of young Tommy Doyle (Paul Rudd), who has pursued a lifelong obsession with the horrific Myers family legacy in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Living with members of the Strode family, Tommy comes to suspect that one of them, little Danny Strode (Devin Gardner), is cursed with the same malevolent power that drove Michael to murder several members of his family. When Michael arrives in Haddonfield to find and destroy Jamie's baby, Tommy joins forces with Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), Michael's ex-psychiatrist and a life-long crusader against his sinister former patient, to find the connection between Michael and the Man in Black and end the curse once and for all. Released shortly after Pleasence's death, this confusing, horribly-edited blend of tired slasher clichés and X-Files-inspired subplots is a poor testament to the long career of the distinguished and compelling character actor. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Pleasence, Mitchell Ryan, (more)
- 1992
- R
Meg Tilly and Christine Lahti star in this female buddy story that recalls the earlier Thelma and Louise. Marianne (Meg Tilly) is a quiet waif who has just walked out on her abusive husband. Darly (Christine Lahti) is a brassy waitress who was a ballsy stripper using the stage name Pillow Talk. Darly is on her way to Alaska to claim a home being built for her and return to the family she abandoned eighteen years earlier. The two women run into each other and Darly allows Marianne to tag along as they journey to Alaska. On the way, they met a collection of colorful characters, including a strange-talking waitress named 66 (Patrika Darbo), and Walt (James Gammon), a road guy who recognizes Darly as the former Pillow Talk and wants to pay her big money for sex. The women finally make it to Alaska, where Darly finds that the house she was expecting to find has never been built. The two set up in a house trailer and, with the Alaskian wilderness as a backdrop, they begin to reevaluate their lives. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christine Lahti, Meg Tilly, (more)
