Tyrone Benskin Movies

A materialistic businessman learns the value of giving in this family film from the Hallmark Channel. Based on a true story, the inspirational drama follows workaholic Peter Andrews (Jason Gedrick) as he attempts to redeem his self-serving ways by volunteering to start a Christmas choir at a homeless shelter run by a tough-talking nun, Sister Agatha (Rhea Perlman). ~ Sandra Bencic, Rovi

Sin City author Frank Miller's sweeping take on the historic Battle of Thermopylae comes to the screen courtesy of Dawn of the Dead director Zack Snyder. Gerard Butler stars as Spartan King Leonidas and Lena Headey plays Queen Gorgo. The massive army of the Persian Empire is sweeping across the globe, crushing every force that dares stand in its path. When a Persian envoy arrives in Sparta offering King Leonidas power over all of Greece if he will only bow to the will of the all powerful Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), the strong-willed leader assembles a small army comprised of his empire's best fighters and marches off to battle. Though they have virtually no hope of defeating Xerxes' intimidating battalion, Leonidas' men soldier on, intent on letting it be known they will bow to no man but their king. Meanwhile, back in Sparta, the loyal Queen Gorgo attempts to convince both the skeptical council and the devious Theron (Dominic West) to send more troops despite the fact that many view Leonidas' unsanctioned war march as a serious transgression. As Xerxes' fearsome "immortals" draw near, a few noble Greeks vow to assist the Spartans on the battlefield. When King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan warriors fell to the overwhelming Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, the fearless actions of the noble fighters inspired all of Greece to stand up against their Persian enemy and wage the battle that would ultimately give birth to the modern concept of democracy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A man who fails to respect the dead pays a high price for his arrogance in this horrifying thriller. For decades, the city of New York has buried the bodies of the unknown and the destitute on Hart Island, a tiny slip of land near the Big Apple's harbor, with inmates from a nearby prison on hand to do the labor. Now, multi-millionaire land developer Mr. King (Malcolm McDowell) has decided to buy the island and build a resort. King scoffs when he's told it's bad luck to disturb the resting place of the dead, but he soon learns there's a kernel of truth in their warnings -- Hart Island is also home to huge swarms of disease-carrying flies, and when King, his associates, and a crew of prisoners are trapped on the island, there's no telling if they'll make it out alive as the insects try to claim the humans as their prey. Island of the Dead also stars Bruce Ramsay, Talisa Soto, and hip-hop artist Mos Def. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Filmed in Canada and broadcast in America by the USA cable network, We the Jury offers a new and intriguing spin to the old 12 Angry Men format. There is absolutely no question that Emmy-winning TV personality Wynne Atwood (Lauren Hutton) shot and killed her cheating husband in the home of his mistress. But while the prosecution demands that Atwood be convicted of murder, her attorney, Wilfred Franciscus (Christopher Plummer), insists that the charge be reduced to manslaughter, arguing that his client had been driven to insanity by an abusive husband. Ultimately the verdict must be determined in the jury room, where at first the jurors are divided straight down gender lines. As the deliberations continue, things get hot, heavy, and potentially violent, with the various prejudices, biases, and even the ambitions of the jurors (one of whom wants to write a book about the trial!) threatening to build impenetrable roadblocks on the path of true justice. Attempting to keep his colleagues "on program" is the beleaguered jury foreman, played by future Da Vinci's Inquest star Nicholas Campbell. American viewers first saw We the Jury on October 16, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Professional wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper plays an auto mechanic jailed for accidentally busting open the head of the drunk driver who accidentally killed his girlfriend. While hoosegow bound, Piper discovers a money-laundering scheme tied in with other criminal activities. He eventually escapes from prison and sets off to clear his name, leaving a trail of blood and broken bodies behind him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Director Alain Zaloum cowrote the screenplay of Canvas: The Fine Art of Crime with Brenda Newman. Gary Busey plays Ossie Decker, an aspiring artist with a genius for forgery. Decker goes to work for mob functionary John Rhys-Davies, the better to pay off a debt of honor owed by Decker's brother. He involves himself in a scheme to steal rare paintings, then palm off phonies as the genuine article. Eventually wearying of ripping off the art-loving public-and having nearly lost his life on at least one occasion--Decker wants out. But by now, he has painted himself into a dangerously tight corner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jan Michael Vincent is the hero-by-default in Final Heist. As indicated by the title, Vincent is David King, a master thief on the verge of retirement. Feeling unfulfilled until he can pull off one last job, King discovers that his partners in crime have their own agendae. Gabrielle Lazure is the woman in the case. When first telecast on Canadian TV, Final Heist was titled L'Etrange rancon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ron Silver stars as Herman, a Holocaust survivor who believes that his wife Tamara (Anjelica Huston) perished in the concentration camps. He marries fellow immigrant Yadwiga (Margaret Sophie Stein), whose family sheltered him from the Nazis, and resettles in the Coney Island area of New York. Not all that devoted to Yadwiga, Herman begins an affair with Masha (Lena Olin), who becomes pregnant by him. Reasoning that, since Yadwiga is a gentile, his marriage is not legal in the eyes of his religion, Herman marries Masha as well. The triangle metamorphoses into a quadrangle when Tamara, who was not killed after all, reappears. Olin and Huston were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress Academy Awards. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Kiss, an erotic horror film dealing with ancient curses and the occult, is the story of a teenage girl whose world is destroyed by the arrival of her mysterious aunt and the death of her mother. Amy (Meredith Salenger) leads a normal, suburban existence until the mysterious death of her mother and the simultaneous arrival of her exotic, beautiful jet-set model aunt Felice (Joanna Pacula) who she has never met. Amy's world is completely changed as she watches her father become increasingly sexually attracted to Felice. When Amy rejects Felice's strangely intense interest, Amy and her friends begin to suffer from a series of accidents which leads Amy to believe that black magic is involved. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi