Jim Rawdon Movies
- 1996
Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) offers to help the revived mummy of Prince Ishtar (Mark Newnham) to locate his descendant, Princess Anuket (Galyn Gorg). Meanwhile, villainous high priest Sokar (John Watson) has gotten hold of Ishtar's golden pendant, with which he hopes to gain complete control of Egypt. The mummy manages to destroy Sokar -- but in the process, he becomes so dangerously powerful that Hercules must take drastic action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, (more)
- 1996
Xena (Lucy Lawless) goes to the rescue of an old friend's daughter, who has been kidnapped by the warlord Xerxes (Kevin J. Wilson). In order to infiltrate the dungeon where the girl is held, Xena pretends to be one of Xerxes' minions. Before long, she is enmeshed in an organized revolt against the warlord, led by a mysterious and charismatic figure known only as the Black Wolf. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
New Zealand poet Janet Frame is the subject of Jane Campion's biographical drama, which presents a poetically evocative look at the authoress' turbulent life. The film begins with a look at Frame's childhood, showing her as a bright but odd-looking, emotionally fragile young girl with a knack for writing. Frame faces great difficulty in adapting to the conventional rural life around her, and her social awkwardness only worsens as she grows older. After she fails in her attempt to become a schoolteacher due to an intense panic attack, she is subject to a psychiatric evaluation and shamefully misdiagnosed as a schizophrenic. Frame is subsequently committed to a mental institution, where she suffers years of unnecessary shock treatments and other horrors. Her salvation comes through her writings, however, which attract the attention of a renowned author who arranges her release. While the nightmare of Frame's institutionalization is presented with great sensitivity and power, Campion and screenwriter Laura Jones, to their credit, refuse to simplify her story to this one pivotal event. Instead, they pay equal attention to Frame's subsequent life, as she slowly adjusts life in the outside world, experiencing literary success and her first romance. Expressive visuals add immeasurably to the total effect, while Kerry Fox's superb performance creates a truly affecting portrait of Frame. Impressively, the film was originally made as a mini-series for New Zealand television, and slightly reedited for a later theatrical release. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kerry Fox, Alexia Keogh, (more)
