Nigel Bennett
The fourth installment of the Jesse Stone series finds restless New England police chief Stone (Tom Selleck) fighting boredom by attempting to solve a twelve year-old cold case involving a murdered bank teller. Jesse Stone is a transplanted L.A. cop who thrived on big city adrenaline, but ultimately buckled under the pressure. Exiled to Paradise after suffering though a nasty divorce and being busted for drinking on the job, Stone now leads a quiet life of writing parking tickets and trying to suppress the urge to cut loose with the booze and babes. When one of his officers out on maternity leave and the other recovering from a recent gunshot wound, Stone turns to some old cold cases to keep himself occupied. Twelve years ago, a local bank teller was killed in broad daylight. Though the gunman responsible for the crime was never brought to justice, Stone soon uncovers a crucial piece of evidence that went overlooked during the original investigation. Now, as this once-cold case gradually begins to heat up again, Stone continues his investigation into an alleged rape that tool place aboard a yacht during Race Week. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Selleck, Viola Davis, (more)
- 2007
- NR
The young heir to a family funeral home discovers that death can be quite a tricky business in first-time feature filmmaker Chaz Thorne's blackly comic tale of fate and formaldehyde. Oliver (Jay Baruchel) has just been called home to attend the funeral of his father, Rollie (Jeremy Akerman). Having not seen his recently deceased dad for some years now, Oliver is somewhat taken aback to view the old man's videotaped will and learn that he has been chosen as the one to inherit the family funeral home. In the video, Rollie spun a wheel to determine who would be the recipient of the once-thriving business, but in reality the patriarch performed 11 takes just to get the wheel to stop on Oliver's name. Rollie was convinced that Oliver possessed the power to bring the funeral home back from the brink, and it isn't long before the boy who fears death the most is managing the mortuary. Now, as Oliver does his best to overcome the financial roadblocks that lie ahead, thwarted heirs attempt to sabotage his efforts at every turn. Eventually, Oliver begins to seek solace in the company of enchanting mortician Roberta (Rose Byrne) -- who has worked at the funeral home for several years. When the frazzled new funeral-home owner accidentally runs over an eccentric pedestrian and Roberta reveals herself also to be the county coroner, it quickly becomes apparent to the duo that their unique relationship could serve to mask a multitude of sins. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Baruchel, Rose Byrne, (more)
Based on the best-selling novel by author Scott Turow, this four-hour miniseries tells the tale of a lawyer determined to find the evidence that will deliver the potentially innocent convicted murderer from a grim walk down the silent halls of death row. The date of execution is drawing ever closer, and mentally challenged convict Romeo "Squirrel" Gandalf's (Glenn Plummer) lawyer, Arthur Raven (William H. Macy), stumbles across evidence indicating that his client was framed for the murder. Though Raven sees the case as clear cut, he has underestimated the determination of original prosecuting lawyer Muriel Wynn (Monica Potter) and her lover, Larry Starczek (Tom Selleck), who also happens to be the original investigating officer in the case and is resolute in seeing the case followed through and the original verdict upheld. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William H. Macy, Tom Selleck, (more)
- 2004
Something of a Ghostbusters without the laughs (or the high-end special effects), the direct-to-video thriller Phantom Force involves a prehistoric rock which holds the power to revive ancient demons. Long buried in the ocean, the rock is found by the crew of a nuclear submarine--which is immediately demonized and transformed into a floating weapon of mass destruction. Counter-terrorism expert and part-time psychic Mark Dupree (Richard Grieco) and his crack Phantom Force team are summoned to save the day, and the world. Dupree and company end up duking it out with malevolent spirits in an alternate dimension. Rated "R" on home video, Phantom Force nonetheless looked like the pilot for an unsold TV series, and as such was perfect fare for cable's Sci-Fi Channel, where it made its premiere on March 27, 2004. (Incidentally, director Christian McIntire tried but failed to have his name removed from the credits. Take heed). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The post-apocalyptic action film Post Impact stars Dean Cain as Captain Tom Parker, who, after a meteor has caused a new ice age on Earth, must travel across the desolate land that was once Europe with a hodgepodge of military officers and scientists in order to help save some of the few remaining humans. The film was directed by Christoph Schrewe. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Cain
- 2003
- R
As a highly infectious ageing virus causes chaos around the world, one woman sets out on a desperate mission to save the life of her unborn child, and perhaps the rest of the human race in the process. The time is the not-so-distant future. An ageing virus has divided the world population between "cleans" and "infecteds." Once infected, the only way to avoid ageing one year every twenty-four hours is to take a daily dose of Anzanol, a drug designed to slow the effects of the virus. Meanwhile, as the creator of Anzanol schemes to keep his empire thriving at any cost, Ruth Hennessey (Polly Shannon) learns that she has gotten pregnant by her infected husband, who confides to his wife on his deathbed that he was close to discovering a cure for the disease. Fearing for the health of her unborn child, Ruth makes it her mission to finish her husband's research and ensure that the rest of the population won't have to suffer like he did. But the creator of Anzanol knows that sales of his drug will quickly dry up if a cure is found, and he's willing to kill in order to ensure that Ruth fails in her mission to eradicate the disease. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Polly Shannon, Nigel Bennett, (more)
An invisible, shape-shifting extraterrestrial has invaded a Russian nuclear power plant with the aim of causing international chaos, and now the only hope for the human race lies in one tough soldier. When Lieutenant Sean Lamber (Oliver Gruner) learns that the alien's aim is to bring about a devastating nuclear winter, he makes it his personal mission to prevent the extraterrestrial menace from executing its diabolical plan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivier Gruner, Roger R. Cross, (more)
Director Vincenzo Natali, famous for being the man behind the cult classic Cube, helms this spy thriller from the debut screenplay by writer Brian King. Jeremy Northam stars as Morgan Sullivan, a man who suddenly finds himself deeply embroiled in the fast-paced and dangerous world of corporate espionage. But it isn't until Sullivan meets a mysterious woman named Rita (Lucy Liu) that he begins to realize exactly what he's gotten himself into. Also starring David Hewlitt and Kari Matchett, Cypher was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Fantasy at the 2003 Fantasporo Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Northam, Lucy Liu, (more)
- 2000
While on a location shoot, spoiled movie actress Sydney Clarke (Sela Ward) clashes with her equally temperamental director. Storming off the set in a snit, Sydney gets lost in the woods, then hitches a ride to a small New England steel town -- where, amazingly, no one seems to recognize her. Curiously enjoying her anonymity, she befriends bowling-alley waitress Joyce (Rebecca Jenkins), who helps her land a job as a nurse at the local steel mill, managed by a handsome, down-to-earth hunk named Ryan (Andrew Jackson). Upon learning that the mill is in danger of demolition at the hands of greedy corporate fat-cats, Sydney vows to save the community's only source of income -- but will the citizens rally behind her if they find out she's been posing as something she's not? Made for the CBS TV network, Catch a Falling Star premiered March 5, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sela Ward, Rebecca Jenkins, (more)
- 2000
- AddAnne of Green Gables: The Continuing Storyto QueueAddAnne of Green Gables: The Continuing Storyto top of Queue
Megan Follows, who literally grew up before the viewers' eyes as star of the Canadian TV series Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, returns to the role of Lucy Maud Montgomery's plucky Canadian lass Anne Shirley in this four-hour TV miniseries. In the second decade of the 20th century, all grown up and a professional schoolteacher, Anne returns to Prince Edward Island after the death of her mentor, Marilla Cutherbert (played by the late Coleen Dewhurst in stock-footage flashbacks). Soon thereafter, Anne heads to New York City, intending to marry her physician fiancé, Gilbert Blythe (Jonathan Crombie), and, hopefully, to find success as an author. Alas, Anne's first manuscript is stolen by charming scoundral, Jack Garrison Jr. (Cameron Daddo), while Gilbert is defeated by the internal politicking and red tape of a big-city hospital. The couple is about to relocate to their native Canada when WWI breaks out, whereupon Gilbert dutifully signs up for military service. When word arrives that Gilbert is missing in action, Anne courageously heads off to wartorn France in hopes of finding her husband -- only to become mixed up in an espionage plot that also involves the redoubtable Jack Garrison. Originally telecast in Canada beginning March 5, 2000, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story was seen in the United States courtesy of PBS on July 23 and 30, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Megan Follows, Jonathan Crombie, (more)
- 2000
In this offbeat comedy-drama, based on the play Beyond Mozambique by George F. Walker, six desperate characters try to sort out their next move in a dangerous inner-city neighborhood after the brutal murder of the mayor throws the city into chaos. Rita (Carole Laure) is a former porn star trying to re-establish herself as a performance artist; Rocco (Nigel Bennett) is a slightly mad doctor who performs odd experiments with organs from the recently deceased; Olga (Veronique Flaguais) is Rocco's Russian spouse who is none too happy with her husband's recent work; Petru (Paul Ahmarani) is a boy from Romania who has been adopted by Rocco and Olga (and has a strange interest in the body parts Rocco collects); a reporter (Andrew Tarbet) has uncovered some disturbing information about the mayor; and a police officer (Tom Bernett) tries to sort out what's going on when he happens by on horseback. Rats & Rabbits was directed by Lewis Furey, a former composer whose wife is leading lady Carole Laure; while Furey composed the score for several of Laure's films, this time around she returned the favor, assembling the film's techno-meets-classical background music. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Ahmarani, Carole Laure, (more)
- 1999
The authorities have given up, but Elizabeth (Shelley Long) has not. Someone has kidnapped Elizabeth's 13-year-old daughter, and she is determined to find both the girl and the abductor. Even when the existing evidence points to Elizabeth's death, Elizabeth refuses to relinquish her quest, hounding the police into taking action upon the slightest of clues. Things of it is, the villain of the story has been hiding in plain sight all along. Made for television, Vanished Without a Trace was originally telecast by NBC on February 1, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Long, Jennifer Jostyn, (more)
- 1999
Based on a true story, the made-for-TV Half a Dozen Babies stars real-life married couple Melissa Reeves and Scott Reeves as Indiana couple Becki and Scott Dilley. Unsuccessful in their many attempts to have children, the Dilleys willingly undergo a new, experimental infertility treatment. As a result, in the Summer of 1993 the Dilleys become the proud parents of America's first surviving sextuplets: Julian, Claire, Brenna, Quinn, Adrian and Ian. Now Becki and Scott must not only endure the trials and tribulations of first parenthood, but they must do it six times over--and in full view of a voracious media! Reportedly, the actual members of the Dilley family were none too pleased with the liberties taken in the film, but audiences in general were satisfied. Half a Dozen Babies made its ABC network debut on May 17, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
20 years ago, a car crash left Hope Goodell (Annabeth Gish) with permanent brain damage. Hope's ultra-perfectionist mother Amanda (Lynn Redgrave) has since responded to the girl's handicap by virtually rejecting her, lavishing all her affection on Amanda's "normal" sister. Refusing to follow her mother's lead, the adult Hope intends to raise her own, healthy daughter with the unconditional love that has always been part and parcel of her personality. Made for cable, Different was first seen over the Lifetime channel on May 10, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Campbell Scott stars in this zany send-up of '50s body-snatching, alien invasion flicks. Scott plays Dr. Karel Lamonte, a pipe-smoking atomic scientist fresh from the Atomic Academy, who finds himself in the small town of Exceptional Vista -- situated somewhere between Fetus and New Imbroglio -- just before a large meteor strikes the local TV tower. Does this herald the beginning of a bizarre alien invasion? The town is littered with unusual characters: Sandy (Fiona Loewi) has an unnervingly close relationship with her brother, Guy (Tom Everett Scott); the town's sole policeman (Hardee T. Lineham) seems more interested in spanking Sandy than in solving crimes; and the mayor (Bernard Behrens) is a religious fanatic who claims that the aliens were sent from God to punish us for watching TV. When freshly gnawed-upon corpses start appearing at the edge of town, Dr. Lamonte responds like any other red-blooded atomic scientist: he bathes with a naked, inflatable likeness of himself. Top of the Food Chain was screened at the 1999 Vancouver Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Campbell Scott, Fiona Loewi, (more)
The made-for-TV Lies He Told is based on one of those true stories that most producers would reject outright as ludicrous and impossible were it offered as fiction. Feeling confined by his marriage to wife Cindy (Teddi Siddall) and his family and military responsibilities, USAF Sgt. Major Davis Bay (Gary Cole) senses the opportunity to start life all over again when he meets and falls in love with Alyson Haywood (Karen Sillas). Faking his own death, Bay then weds the unwitting Alyson, assuring her that he'll be able to support her once his Air Force pension comes in -- which of course it never will, since he's officially deceased. Over the next few years, Bay is forced to feed Alyson and her family a pack of outrageous falsehoods to keep from being exposed as a deserter and a bigamist, not least of which is the claim that he's on a "covert mission" for the government. When all else fails, he resorts to a series of bank robberies to support himself and his new bride. Meanwhile, Bay's mother, who has never believed that he is truly dead, comes closer and closer to shattering his wall of lies. Originally filmed for the ABC network, Lies He Told first aired March 17, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cole, Karen Sillas, (more)
- 1997
One of the most controversial (and widely-reported) stories of the early 1990s is vividly dramatized in this made-for-cable movie. In 1992, Allen Schindler, a navy sailor serving on the USS Belleau Wood, is savagely beaten to death while on leave in Japan. Allen's grieving mother Dorothy Hajdys-Holman (Bonnie Bedelia) becomes even more distraught when the representatives of the United States Navy refuse to provide her with full details on her son's murder. Then comes the ultimate shock: A newspaper reporter informs Dorothy that her son was gay, and that this might have been the reason he was killed. But if the Navy has anything to say about it, the entire matter will be swept under the rug, with Dorothy remaining as much in the dark as the rest of the world: A deal has already been cut with one of Allen's killers, who after a secret court-martial is given what amounts to a legal slap on the wrist. Radicalized by the incident and its aftermath, Dorothy joins forces with a crusading journalist to force the Navy to reveal the whole truth--and she isn't about to let the court-martial of Allen's other assailant to be conducted behind closed doors! The upshot of this high-profile case was the creation of the Service Members' Legal Defense Network, assuring that no branch of the armed services would ever again be able to conspire to cover up a major crime. Its title selected by the real-life Dorothy Hajdys-Holman, who served as the film's technical advisor (not surprisingly, the Navy refused to cooperate at all), Any Mother's Son made its Lifetime cable network debut on August 11, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Based on actual events from the early '90s and first aired on the Family Channel, this exciting drama centers on the attempts of one small town to keep the Mississippi river from destroying it. The leaders in this seemingly impossible quest are widower farmer Herb and the Army Corps of Engineers woman he loves. Despite their efforts to shore up the town's levees, the water keeps rising, and the town is increasingly at risk. When a levee up-river breaks, Herb's kids are caught in the flood and a massive search ensues. Finally, just as the town is about to be inundated, Herb finds himself forced to make a difficult decision between the town's welfare and his own. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Thomas, Kate Vernon, (more)
- 1997
The Section One team is forced to abandon a wounded Michael (Roy Dupuis) after a botched operation in Eastern Europe. Nikita (Peta Wilson) is all for returning to rescue Michael, but is told that such an undertaking would be "too risky." (Hmmm...Why hasn't such a possibility ever bothered Nikita's superiors in the past?) Meanwhile, Michael must depend upon the kindness of Angie (Nancy Beatty), a nurse he has been forced to kidnap, if he hopes to elude the minions of Secret Police head Petrosian (Nigel Bennett). But nothing is entirely what it seems, with friends becoming enemies and vice versa in a dizzying kaleidoscope of plot twists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peta Wilson, Roy Dupuis, (more)
Dr. Westlake/Darkman (Arnold Vosloo) is up to his old tricks, stealing from the bad and keeping for himself while still trying to perfect his synthetic skin which only lasts 99 minutes in the light. After stealing from industrialist and mobster/drug dealer Peter Rooker (Jeff Fahey), Westlake is approached by Dr. Bridget Thorne (Darlanne Fluegel) who is engaged to perform an operation to relieve his pain, but instead she implants in his brain a special device that enables his enemies to control him by inducing unbearable pain. With the help of double-crossing Dr. Thorne, Rooker wants to create a new drug based on Darkman's research. But Darkman strikes back by infiltrating Rooker's gang and his life. Darkman even starts to feel drawn to Rooker's wife Angela (Roxann Biggs-Dawson) and her daughter, who are neglected by the real Rooker. But in disguise, Darkman is able to cling to a normal life, posing as a family man. Even though this sequel was filmed before Darkman II: The Return of Durant, it was ultimately decided that it should be bumped back to part three. This direct-to-video sequel is however, in many ways, superior to the first sequel. Fahey makes an excellent villain combining the best of what made Larry Drake and Colin Friels so enjoyable in the original. Vosloo still can't capture the essence and power of Liam Neeson's character portrayal, but he does a good enough job. Fans of the saga will go feverish over this sequel and others with find it fun as well. ~ Sean D. MacLaggan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Vosloo, Jeff Fahey, (more)
This made-for-TV cop drama was the second in a series of films inspired by the best-selling "87th Precinct" novels, written by Ed McBain under the nom de plume of Evan Hunter. The major American metropolis of Isola (it's actually Toronto, as indicated by several familiar landmarks) is in the grip of its coldest and iciest winter in recent memory -- and the men of the 87th precinct are themselves gripped by the determination to solve a baffling murder. The victim was a popular dancer, found dead on a snowy street near the theater where she worked. The subsequent investigation unearths an elaborate showbiz-themed scam, a cache of stolen diamonds found on another corpse, and a drug pusher who is killed by having ice injected in his veins. Unfortunately, the killer (or killers) manages to elude the cops at every turn -- and it's getting colder, snowier, and icier outside with every passing day. Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice originally aired over NBC on February 18, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dale Midkiff, Joe Pantoliano, (more)
When the courts fail to protect her daughter from her pedophilliac father, a recent divorcee takes the child and joins an underground network that protects mothers and abused children from their abusers and the unsympathetic court system by secretly shuttling into different towns and providing them with new identities every time her relentless husband tracks them down. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Faith Ford, Kyle Secor, (more)
In this film about torn loyalties, a photographer turned undercover cop named Steve (Grant Show) finds that during the course of his mission to indict a major mob boss named Carlo Gambino (Robert Loggia), he has fallen in love with the don's step-daughter Maria (Maria Pitillo). Now he must chose a side and stay there, or else risk losing everything, including his life. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
