Karen Robinson Movies
Lars (Ryan Gosling) and Gus (Paul Schneider) are the grown children of a father who died recently and a mother who died giving birth to Lars. But as brothers, they couldn't be more different. While Gus lives in the family home and has a loving wife (Emily Mortimer) and a child on the way, Lars leads a more reclusive existence in the family's garage, hiding in plain sight of his small, wintry hometown. Painfully shy and eccentric, Lars fails to recognize that his co-worker Margo (Kelli Garner) has a major crush on him, and he picks up on a casual reference made by his cubicle mate, who mentions a website where you can order life-sized, anatomically correct sex dolls. But instead of seeing a sex object, Lars sees in this doll a potential life partner and the only kind of social "peer" he can relate to. So Lars orders a doll, whom he names Bianca, and begins treating her with utmost gentlemanly respect -- and as though she's his real-life, flesh-and-blood girlfriend. As he begins bringing Bianca with him everywhere he goes, the townspeople have to find just the right balance between supporting Lars' unusual romance and trying to introduce him to a more conventional partner. Lars and the Real Girl was written by Six Feet Under scribe Nancy Oliver and directed by Mr. Woodcock's Craig Gillespie. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, (more)
- 2003
Based on fact, this made-for-cable movie stars Elizabeth Berkley as Christine Dawson, an attractive and popular high school chemistry teacher. In her efforts to help all of her students succeed, Christine takes special interest in Josh Gaines (Corey Servier), a troubled student from a dysfunctional family. Unfortunately, Josh misinterprets Christine's concern and fantasizes that she is sexually attracted to him. Eventually, the delusional Josh attacks Christine, whereupon charges are filed -- but when the case comes to court, it is Josh who accuses Christine of coming on to him. With her career and reputation in tatters, Christine fights valiantly to let the truth be known to a hostile public. Student Seduction first aired May 5, 2003, on the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Berkley, Corey Sevier, (more)
The time: June 1998. The place: The sleepy town of Jasper, TX. Three young, self-styled white supremists overpower a 49-year-old black man named James Byrd Jr., chain him to the back of their pickup, and literally drag him to death. What follows is a media firestorm, exacerbated by scores of network and cable-TV news services, the grim pronouncements of so-called pundits, and the intrusion upon Jasper of several extremist activists, ranging from members of the Ku Klux Klan to the newly formed Black Panthers. As the frenzy continues, the heretofore peaceful, if somewhat tenuous, relationship between the white and black residents of Jasper is severely strained, with echoes of past racism resounding throughout the area. In the center of the controversy are two decent, hard-working public servants: R.C. Horn, the first black mayor of Jasper, and Billy Rowles, the town's white sheriff. Also profoundly affected by the appalling murder of Byrd are the respective parents of the victim and the killers. Happily, when the dust clears, justice is done (two of the murderers are condemned to death, the third sentenced to life imprisonment), and, instead of being wrenched apart, the black and white communities of Jasper draw closer together than they have ever been. Made for cable TV, this feature-length reenactment stars Louis Gossett Jr. as Horn and Jon Voight as Rowles. Although certain liberties are taken (the actor playing Byrd is clearly much younger than his real-life counterpart and the Black Panthers and KKK are incorrectly shown descending upon Jasper the same day), the film is, by and large, accurate. Better still, there is a minimum of preaching and proselytizing. Previewed at the Philadelphia Film Festival, Jasper, Texas was given its official Showtime network cable premiere on June 8, 2003 -- almost five years to the day after Byrd's death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Voight, Louis Gossett, Jr., (more)
- 2003
- Add America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story to QueueAdd America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story to top of Queue
Originally titled America's Son, this cable-TV biopic of John F. Kennedy Jr. begins at the end, with the plane crash of July 19, 1999, that took the lives of Kennedy, his wife Caroline, and his sister-in-law. From this tragic vantage point, the film segues into flashbacks detailing the very public life of J.F.K. Sr.'s only son, of whom it was once said, "The world knew his name before he did." Based on The Day John Died, a book by George Andersen, the film intimates that "John-John" would have been happy charting his own course in life, but was instead channelled into following in the Kennedy tradition by his iron-willed mother Jacqueline (played by Jacqueline Bisset, who'd previously essayed an à clef version of Jackie O. in the theatrical feature The Greek Tycoon). Thus, John enters law school, where he is twice humiliated by failing to pass the bar exam. Finally, as editor of the high-profile George magazine, John can stand on his own merits and not as an adjunct of the Kennedy mystique. Naturally, the film devotes time aplenty to J.F.K. Jr.'s well-publicized romances, notably his lengthy association with actress Daryl Hannah (here played by Tara Chocol) and his ultimate marriage to Caroline Bessette (Portia de Rossi). Somewhat undercutting the credibility of the restaged scenes is the producers' utilization of interviews with the actual friends and associates of John Jr. -- not to mention film clips of the "real" Kennedy, employed as bridges between scenes. America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story debuted January 12, 2003, on TBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kris Polaha, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
- 2000
This made-for-cable docudrama stars Penelope Ann Miller as the infamous Mary Kay Letourneau, the married-with-children Seattle schoolteacher who made national headlines when she had an affair with one of her sixth-grade students, 13-year-old Vili Fualaau (Omar Anguiano). Landing in jail on a statutory rape charge, and ultimately bearing Fualaau's baby, Letourneau is released with a warning to stay away from her youthful inamorta. But she is unable to do so, and the result is another out-of-wedlock baby by the same young man. The teleplay, by Julie Herbert, suggests that Letourneau's inability to control her emotions and impules stemeed from her relationship with her mother, a woman who regarded any sign of affection as a form of weakness. Ultimately, however, Mary Kay Letourneau remains an enigma, and it is up to the viewer to determine whether her behavior was motivated by true love or by a psychotic need for "approval". The Mary Kay Letourneau Story: All American Girl debuted over the USA network on January 18, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penelope Ann Miller, Omar Anguiano, (more)
- 1998
Dwayne Adway portrays Dennis Rodman in this biographical drama that begins with Rodman as a Dallas teen, follows him to college where he confronts racism, and then traces his NBA ascendancy (Detroit Pistons to San Antonio Spurs), ending with his 1995 leap to the Chicago Bulls. Rodman himself is intercut between scenes to comment on plot highlights. The screenplay was adapted by John Miglis and Gar Anthony Haywood from the book Badd As I Wanna Be by Rodman and Tim Keown. Filmed in Toronto, this drama premiered February 8, 1998 on ABC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dwayne Adway, John Terry, (more)
- 1996
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly McGillis, Lauren Hutton, (more)
- 1994
In this chilling drama, a beautiful widow's gratitude turns to naked fear when she learns that a good Samaritan has been stalking her after saving the life of her son. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maryam D'Abo, Jay Underwood, (more)
- 1993
- R
- Add Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. to QueueAdd Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. to top of Queue
A teen girl struggles to reconcile her desire for self-improvement with her rebellious nature and her lack of maturity in this coming-of-age drama, which won first-time director Leslie Harris a special jury prize at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. Chantel (Ariyan Johnson), the self-possessed eldest child of hard-working parents in a Brooklyn housing project, hangs with her homegirls, helps out at home, studies hard, and holds down a part-time job. Stymied by teachers whose lessons she doesn't find relevant, Chantel asks her guidance counselor to let her graduate early so she can get a jump on college and eventually medical school; he declines, telling her that her explosive temper proves she lacks the necessary maturity. Meanwhile, frustrated by her responsibilities at home, Chantel begins making time with boys -- first with her broke but sweet neighbor, Gerard (Jerard Washington), then with the financially well-off, parentally unsupervised Tyrone (Kevin Thigpen), who refuses to wear a condom when Chantel begins having sex with him. When she becomes pregnant, Tyrone flips out and tries to pressure her into having an abortion; Chantel refuses, goes deep into denial, hides her pregnancy, and alienates even her best friend, Natete (Ebony Jerido). Reportedly shot for 100,000 dollars in just 17 days, Just Another Girl was billed as the first film ever written, directed, and produced by an African-American woman. The actors are mostly unknowns, although star Johnson would go on to appear in Hollywood features such as Bulworth and The General's Daughter. The hip-hop-heavy soundtrack made prominent and repeated use of rapper Nikki D's "Daddy's Little Girl," whose lyrics echo the film's story line and whose chorus samples "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Wilkes, Ariyan Johnson, (more)
