Doug Steeden Movies
- 2008
Conceived along the lines of Showtime's Masters of Horror, NBC's Fear Itself was a dramatic anthology consisting of 13 separate hour-long films, each one a spinetingling exercise in psychological and physiological terror. The series boasted the combined efforts of some of show business' top horror writers and directors: talents like John Landis, Ronny Yu (the "Chucky" films), Darren Lynn Bousman (the "Saw" series), Dan Knauf (Supernatural), Mary Harron (American Psycho), Breck Eisner, Brad Anderson, Jon Gangemi, Steve Niles, and Fear Itself's creator Mick Garris. Similarly, the guest stars were drawn from the ranks of the sci-fi/fantasy realm, among them Lost's Cynthia Watros, Heroes' Eric Roberts and Star Trek: Enterprise's John Billingsley. Though not as explicit as Masters of Horror, the NBC series still succeeded admirably in raising the collective goose pimples of its fans. Fear Itself first aired on June 5, 2008. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
As the sun rises on yet another uneventful summer, a spirited teen named Moondance Alexander finds her life taking an unexpected turn thanks to the appearance of a pinto pony named Checkers that appears to have leapt clear over the walls of his paddock. Always keen to do the right thing, Moondance returns the pony to its rightful owner -- the gruff Dante Longpre. But Moondance suspects that there's something special about Checkers, and that with a little encouragement, he could become a world-class jumper. Perhaps this summer won't be quite so dull and predictable after all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kay Panabaker, Don Johnson, (more)
In this family comedy, a dad and his two kids undergo a cross-country move from Los Angeles to Edmonton on Christmas Eve. They visit the local mall to do some last-minute Christmas shopping, and while they're there, they stumble upon a pile of counterfeit cash, and inadvertently catch the criminals behind it. It would all seem like a decidedly magical sequence of events, but that just might be because there's something magical residing in the West Edmonton Mall. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Swayze, Carmen Electra, (more)
Jolly old Saint Nick goes from the nice list to the naughty list when an old wager runs up and his promise to be nice takes a backseat to his murderous impulses in this comic tale of terror from first-time director David Steiman. It turns out that the story of Santa Claus as we know it isn't quite the whole story, and instead of being a kind hearted gift-giver, Santa is actually a devilish life-taker. It was 1000 years ago that the cherubic devil lost a bet with an angel that forced him to play nice for an entire millennium. Though he remained true to his word and spread Christmas cheer for what secretly seemed like an eternity, Santa's patience has run dry with the expiration of the wager, and when this bet runs up the legend of kindly old Kriss Kringle will never be quite the same. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Goldberg, Douglas Smith, (more)
