Kelly Rowan Movies
Born in Ottawa in 1965, Canadian fashion model-turned-actress Kelly Rowan attended Toronto's Northern Secondary School and the University of Western Ontario, and moved into film roles during her collegiate years -- initially with bit parts in locally produced features such as the period drama The Long Road Home (1989) and Tibor Takacs' horror outing The Gate (1987). Meanwhile, Rowan did print modeling on the side to support herself. She relocated to Southern California shortly thereafter and took her Hollywood bow with guest spots on prime-time television series including Dallas and Growing Pains, and a feature debut with a small role as Peter's mother in Steven Spielberg's fantasy adventure Hook (1991). Numerous additional assignments followed, in both telemovies (Adrift, 1993) and theatrically released features (Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh, 1995) though it was only via her multi-season portrayal of Kirsten Cohen on the prime-time soaper The O.C. (2003) that she truly began to shine. In 2007, Rowan scored prominent billing opposite Freddie Prinze Jr. and Taryn Manning in Vanessa Parise's romantic comedy Jack and Jill vs. the World. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2007
- PG13
A man learns about life and love from someone who has only so much of each to spare in this romantic comedy-drama. Jack (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is an advertising executive in his early Thirties who has grown jaded before his time; he devotes his life to his work but doesn't believe in it, and is trapped in a cycle of habits and routines. One day, Jack meets Jill (Taryn Manning), a beautiful young woman who clearly has no idea how to get around New York; Jack helps give her directions and is soon taken by her charm and enthusiasm for life, even if he's too cynical to share her sunny optimism. Learning that Jill needs a place to stay, Jack offers to let her stay at his place, and while the arrangement is meant to be platonic, it doesn't take long for a romance to blossom between them. Jill encourages them to develop a manifesto for responsible and compassionate living and Jack's heart begins to open up, but when Jill begins disappearing in the evenings he suspects that something is wrong. While Jack imagines at first that Jill's met someone else, the truth is more serious -- she's living with cystic fibrosis and despite regular treatments has only so much time left. Jack and Jill Vs. The World was written, produced and directed by Vanessa Parise, who also appears in the supporting cast with Robert Forster and Charles Martin Smith. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Freddie Prinze, Jr., Taryn Manning, (more)
- 2006
In a Vancouver neighborhood where the middle class share the streets with small-time criminals, prostitutes, and drug-dealers, the lives of three radically different couples interconnect in ways which can only be defined by looking at the big picture. Shortly after Doug (Ben Ratner) and Sarah (Camille Sullivan) move into their Mount Pleasant home with their six-year old daughter, the curious youngster pricks herself with a used hypodermic needle found in the backyard. Meanwhile, four blocks away, heroic-addicted teenage prostitute Nadia (Katie Boland) shares a ramshackle house with her drug dealing boyfriend and pimp Nick (Tygh Runyan). One of Nadia's best customers is affluent john Stephen Burrows (Shawn Doyle, whose high-class wife Anne (Kelly Rowan) works as a full time social coordinator and thirteen year-old daughter is maturing so fast that her preoccupied mother and father barely have time to notice. Their lives on an unexpected collision course, these Mount Pleasant residents are all about to find out that just how drastically their lives can be affected by people they would never even known existed if not for the intervention of fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Ratner, Camille Sullivan, (more)
Hook up with what's coming down as the Core Four romances of Ryan-and-Marissa and Seth-and-Summer may (or may not) go from very over to very on, Sandy and Kirsten face choices that could trainwreck their 20-year marriage, felon (and Ryan's brother) Trey gives Newport living a try, Julie's lurid past comes back to haunt her, and other new hunks and hotties become part of the coastal scene. Live. Laugh. Lie. Cheat. Grow. Share. Connive. Love. In California's beach paradise, they do everything under the sun.
- Starring:
- Peter Gallagher, Benjamin McKenzie, (more)
Destined to run an impressive 27 hour-long episodes (as opposed to the usual 22), season one of The O.C. wastes little time in setting up its premise: trouble-prone teenager Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), booted out of his Chino home and apparently foredoomed to a life of crime, is "rescued" by idealistic pro bono defense attorney Sanford "Sandy" Cohen (Peter Gallagher). Over the initial protests of his former beauty-queen wife, Kirsten (Kelly Rowan), Sandy invites Ryan to live in the pool house of the Cohens' lavish Newport Beach home in California's very upscale Orange County. Quickly making friends with the Cohen's intellectual-loner son, Seth (Adam Brody), Ryan also makes a good impression on his attractive next-door neighbor Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) -- much to the disgust of Marissa's jock boyfriend, Luke Ward (Chris Carmack). Unfolding in a serial-like fashion, the remainder of the season details the disintegrating marriage of Marissa's parents, Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan) and his avaricious wife, Julie (Melinda Clarke) (who later has an affair with the cast-off Luke); Sandy's job switch, which causes friction in his relationship with Kirsten vis-à-vis his sexy new law partner Rachel Hoffman (Bonnie Somerville); the decision by Sandy and Jimmy to jointly purchase Newport Beach's favorite restaurant, the Lighthouse; Marissa's self-destructive behavior during a vacation in Mexico, and her ill-fated association with the duplicitous Oliver Trask (Taylor Handley); Seth's dilemma as he tries to choose between two girlfriends, Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) and Anna Stern (Samaire Armstrong); and the disruptive machinations of Kirsten's high-rolling father, Caleb (Alan Dale), and her hedonistic sister, Hailey (Amanda Rhigetti). The cliffhanger climax of The O.C.'s first season is dominated by two major events: the wedding of the series' two most selfish and mercenary characters, and some devastating news delivered by Theresa (Navi Rawat), Ryan's former girlfriend from his Chino days. ~ All Movie Guide
Jason Alexander stars as fabled toy manufacturer, A.C. Gilbert in this Capraesque TV movie. An overachiever since his school days, Gilbert surprises his stern father (Ed Asner) by forsaking a career in medicine to pursue an entirely different business. Creating the now legendary Erector Set, A.C. sets up his own toy company in 1913, an enterprise which is raking in millions within two years. But with America's entry into WWI, the U.S. government prevails upon Gilbert to convert his factory into a munitions plant. Though at heart a pacifist, Gilbert agrees to do so, secure in the belief that he will be able to return to toys once the hostilities have ceased. Alas, the Government has other plans. At their behest, Gilbert reluctantly mounts a "Buy Bonds, Not Toys" campaign designed to divert the money normally spent on Christmas gifts to the war effort. Is this the end of Christmastime as millions of children know it, or will Gilbert be able to salvage both the holiday and the spirit of giving? The Man Who Saved Christmas debuted December 15, 2002, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
A playground sandbox unexpectedly yields the nude body of a woman covered with whip and restraint marks. The ensuing investigation leads a slightly embarrassed Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) to an underground fetish club. And in another case, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) and Sara (Jorja Fox) must determine if a fatal shooting occurred during or after a robbery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Dave Schultz' feature debut Jet Boy is a drama about a boy attempting to figure out his future. Nathan (Branden Nadon) goes on a search to find his father after his mother dies of a drug overdose. Nathan has been prostituting himself in order to get by when he befriends Boon Palmer (Dylan Walsh). In Dylan, Nathan sees his possible future. In Nathan, Dylan sees a chance to rectify his past. Jet Boy was filmed on location throughout Canada. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
When a dangerous extremist is apprehended by the authorities, a series of deadly bombings force a beautiful but deadly ATF agent into an uneasy alliance in this explosive action thriller from director Jonathan Heap. In the aftermath of a deadly chemical processing plan explosion, ATF agent Ashley Pryor (Kelly Rowan) finally apprehends the man responsible for the destruction -- elusive radical Alexander Scott (Stephen Baldwin). Though at first it appears that Scott's deadly reign of terror has drawn to a close, the earth is soon shaking once again and it appears as if one of Scott's own men has finally lost his grip on reality. Now Agent Pryor's only hope to stop the killings is to place her trust in the very man she staked her career on catching. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Baldwin, Kelly Rowan, (more)
- 2001
A teenager going through the typical traumas of adolescence has to confront an especially big hurdle in this made-for-TV drama. Jane (Ellen Muth) is a seemingly typical 15-year-old high school student; she's popular at school, does well in her classes, and has a good relationship with her parents, Janice (Stockard Channing) and Robert (James Naughton). Despite all this, Jane has always felt as if she's different in some way from the other kids at school, though she's not sure how. When Taylor (Alicia Lagano) moves into town and transfers into the same school as Jane, the two girls become fast friends. Before long, Jane and Taylor are inseparable, and Jane senses this is not an ordinary friendship; one night, Jane kisses Taylor, and Jane finally comes to the realization that she's attracted to women and has fallen in love with Taylor. While Jane and Taylor are happy together, Jane now faces the responsibility of telling her family that she's a lesbian, and her parents are not readily accepting of this news. The Truth About Jane features RuPaul in a rare dramatic role as Jimmy, a close friend of Janice who is also a gay man. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stockard Channing, Ellen Muth, (more)
- 2000
This made-for-TV drama concerns a troubled young man (played by Eric Johnson) who murdered both his mother and grandmother in a desperate bid to get his hands on the family's fortune. Scorn examines both the young man's grisly crimes, and his curious, emotionally detached history prior to the events. The film was based on the true story of Vancouver, British Columbia, multiple murderer Darren Huenemann, who spoke with the screenwriters and reviewed their work in an effort to make the film more realistic. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Johnson, Brendan Fletcher, (more)
In this thriller, Rob Lowe is a prison inmate who hears more than he was meant to when the convict in the next cell is murdered. The inmate discovers that the murder is just one of a series of killings meant to thin out the inmate population, with the guards working in collusion with members of a victims' rights group seeking their own brand of justice against criminals who escape the death penalty. Proximity also stars James Coburn, Fred Ward, and Jonathan Banks; it was the first feature from Zinc Pictures, a company formed by noted producer Joel Silver to produce quality low-budget films. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Coburn, Rob Lowe, (more)
- 1999
Virtually the quintessential "CBS Sunday Night Movie" (especially during the traditional "fall sweeps"), Anya's Bell is set in 1949, a time when handicapped people were feared, pitied, scorned, shunted away, but seldom treated as "worthwhile" human beings by so-called normal society. Della Reese stars as Anya Herpick, a middle-aged blind woman who has been cared for since birth by her elderly mother. Having seldom ventured outside her house, Anya has compensated for her loneliness by amassing a collection of small bells. When her mother suddenly dies, Anya is truly alone, and she is paralyzed with fear at the prospect. Enter 12-year-old delivery boy Scott Rhymes (Mason Gamble), whom has been written off by his parents as "slow" because he has never learned to read. At first wary of one another, Anya and Scott soon become the closest of friends. It is eventually revealed that Scott suffers from dyslexia (an all-but-unknown affliction back in 1949), for which Anya compensates by teaching him how to read the Braille alphabet, which turns out to be easier to comprehend than printed words. At the same time, Scott helps Anya to become more independent and self-reliant. The changes wrought on the two protagonists are both dramatic and heartwarming, clearing the path for a happy ending (relevant to the film's title) despite the death of one of the two. Filmed on location in Salt Lake City, Anya's Bell was first telecast on October 31, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
It takes quite a while to determine who the real villain is in the made-for-TV melodrama A Crime of Passion--but once the truth is revealed, it's a terror-inducing ride to a horrifying conclusion. Kindly Dr. Ben Pierce (Powers Boothe) incurs the wrath of his grown daughters Alyssa (Tracey Gold) and Natalie (essie Gold) when he comes home with his new young trophy wife--an ex-stripped named Marci Elias (Kelly Rowan). Since Marci's love for Ben seems sincere, the hostility is all on the side of his daughters, especially Alyssa, who is already on the outs with her dad because of her poor grades in medical school. A series of unfortunate misunderstandings and bad choices causes a serious rift between Ben and Marci--and before long, Ben is found murdered. Normally, Marci would be the primary suspect, but the evidence compels the police to accuse Alyssa of the crime. That is to say, the evidence as it has been carefully and meticulously pre-arranged... A rather gaudy example of the "Smiler With the Knife" school of filmmaking, A Crime of Passion was originally telecast by CBS on December 15, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tracey Gold, Powers Boothe, (more)
In this romantic comedy of mistaken identity, Oscar Novak (Matthew Perry) and Peter Steinberg (Oliver Platt) are a pair of struggling but talented Chicago architects given the chance of a lifetime: Charles Newman (Dylan McDermott), an extremely wealthy business tycoon, is considering hiring them to design a multi-million dollar cultural center. However, Oscar and Peter aren't the only ones who've been asked to contribute ideas for the project; Decker and Strauss (John C. McGinley and Bob Balaban), two highly successful designers that Oscar and Peter used to work for, have also been approached by Newman, who thinks that a competition between the two teams would be good fun and good press. Oscar is determined to show his dedication to the job, so when Newman asks him to start keeping tabs on his girlfriend Amy (Neve Campbell), he's happy to oblige. Oscar proves a sad excuse for a private eye, and finds himself falling in love with the woman that he's supposed to trail. To complicate matters, Charles gave Oscar the assignment because he was sure that Oscar is gay, and he hasn't been shy about telling people; soon Amy is convinced, along with most of Chicago. And while Oscar doesn't want to upset Newman, he also doesn't want to start living a lie, especially one that would keep him away from the woman he loves. So when Oscar is named Chicago's Gay Professional of the Year, what's a (straight) guy to do? Three to Tango features such familiar TV faces as Matthew Perry from Friends, Neve Campbell from Party of Five, and Dylan McDermott from The Practice. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, (more)
In this made-for-television drama, a mother worries when her beloved son's newest love proves to be a conniving vixen. Even though he is 26-years-old, the mother gets panicky when the son suddenly disappears. It is her suspicion that the new girlfriend had something to do with that disappearance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patty Duke, Robert Floyd, (more)
- 1998
Based on a Harlequin Romance novel, this romantic drama centers on the powerful president of a computer software company and follows him on his journey home after his brother is killed in a boating mishap. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Mancuso, Kelly Rowan, (more)
A dedicated educator loses his passion for teaching as he struggles to survive in this tense urban drama. Trevor Garfield (Samuel L. Jackson) is a science teacher trying to make a difference in a tough Brooklyn high school, but he faces an uphill battle against students more interested in gang battles than education and an administration that won't back him up. When Garfield is nearly killed by one of his students, he takes a 15-month sabbatical from education and moves to California, where he takes a position as a substitute teacher. Garfield is startled to discover that things are even worse on the West Coast; while fellow educators Ellen (Kelly Rowan) and Dave (John Heard) offer whatever help and advice they can, Garfield's superiors are more concerned about fielding lawsuits than the safety of their teaching staff. Soon, Garfield finds his life is in danger when he tries to stand up to two of his pupils, Benny (Lobo Sebastian) and Cesar (Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez). One Eight Seven (the title comes from the police code for homicide) was written by Scott Yagemann, who spent seven years as a substitute teacher in California. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, John Heard, (more)
- 1995
- R
- Add Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh to QueueAdd Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh to top of Queue
This sequel to director Bernard Rose's superb, metaphorical Candyman is a more straightforward Gothic horror project, discarding any association with the events of the previous film (which was based on the short story "The Forbidden" by horror surrealist Clive Barker) aside from the title entity, played again by the imposing Tony Todd. A melancholy but extremely deadly ghost, Candyman is revealed -- in a compelling sequence of flashbacks -- as the vengeful spirit of Daniel Robitaille, a black portraitist in post-Civil War Louisiana who was set upon and horribly mutilated by an angry white mob in retaliation for his affair with a plantation owner's daughter. In present-day New Orleans, at the height of Mardi Gras festivities (the film's title refers to the literal translation of the Latin "Carnival"), Candyman walks the realm of the undead, with a hook in place of the hand he lost to the lynch mob, waiting to be summoned by the recitation of his name five times into a mirror. The latest victims of his evisceration skills include members of the Tarrant family, with young schoolteacher Annie (Kelly Rowan) next in line. Her family's connection with the Candyman legend is eventually revealed when Annie visits the family estate to uncover the link between her ancestors and Daniel Robitaille himself. This is a well-executed horror film, with fine performances and good use of the subtle menace underlying the Mardi Gras ambience, but the deft hand of Barker is clearly absent, leaving a standard horror plot without the mythical resonance of the original. The chilling Philip Glass score is a definite plus, though. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan, (more)
Lethal Weapon director Richard Donner helms this action-adventure yarn in which Robert Rath (Sylvester Stallone), a veteran, burned-out hit man for hire who's looking to leave his profession, meets a younger, crazier, more ambitious competitor, Miguel Bain (Antonio Banderas), who is out to best Rath and make him a target in the process. Rath signs on for one last hit, but complications ensue when he falls in love with the mark, a beautiful, mysterious woman named Electra (Julianne Moore). Bain sets out to murder Electra as well, and the chase leads the two assassins into a deadly game of wits that takes them from Seattle to Puerto Rico. Critics and audiences both turned away from this thriller, which was co-scripted by Bound writer/directors Larry and Andy Wachowski and L.A. Confidential screenwriter Brian Helgeland. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, (more)
If you liked the Australian thriller Dead Calm, then the look-alike American TV movie Adrift will probably tickle your fancy as well. Kate Jackson and Kenneth Welsh play a honeymooning couple, relaxing on their yacht in the South Pacific. When they come upon a shipwrecked couple (Bruce Greenwood and Kelly Rowan), the newlyweds pull the castaways on board their vessel. That's their first mistake; the castaways are evil incarnate, and they proceed to put the young marrieds through hell. Filmed off the coast of New Zealand, Adrift premiered on April 13, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In this bizarre thriller, based on a true story, a family moves into their dream house and are appalled to discover that they are not alone when strange things begin to happen. It soon becomes apparent that the special tenants are angry spirits out to destroy the family and their neighbors who have built their homes on top of a graveyard. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patty Duke, David Selby, (more)
- 1992
TV journalist (and recovering alcoholic) Marcy Singer (Suzanne Somers) is promised an Exclusive by anonymous phone an caller. Singer is advised to show up at a well-known bar at an appointed time. Once she's arrived, she finds six corpses awaiting her. Investigating, Singer follows the trail of evidence to an unexpected-and all-too-close-source. Joe Cortese and Michael Nouri co-star in this made-for-TV melodrama. Exclusive originally aired October 4, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzanne Somers, Michael Nouri, (more)
Steven Spielberg filters J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan through a distinctly 1990s sensibility in Hook. Peter Pan has become Peter Banning (Robin Williams), a 40-year-old mergers and acquisitions lawyer with a permanent scowl on his face and a cellular phone in his belt. Banning has lost any memory of being Peter Pan, and he is also in danger of losing his wife Moira (Caroline Goodall) and two children, Jack (Charlie Korsmo) and Maggie (Amber Scott). Peter and his family travel to London to visit Granny Wendy (Maggie Smith) who recalls Peter's lost youth and asks him, "Peter, dear, don't you know who you are?" With Peter's children asleep in the same bedroom where the original Peter Pan story began, there is a blinding flash. Peter comes into the room to discover a note from Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), informing Peter that he has kidnapped his children. Granny Wendy now tells him who he really is and encourages him to re-discover his happy thoughts, transform himself into the Peter Pan of the past, and go rescue his children. With the encouragement of Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts), Peter recalls the birth of his son and once again takes wing. Then it's off to Never Land to rescue his kids. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, (more)
- 1990
Ever on the lookout for new strategies to meet girls, Mike (Kirk Cameron) and Eddie (K.C. Martel) join "Parents Without Mates"--or, as they describe the organization, "the promised land of available babes." So as not to reveal their true motives, both boys pretend to be single dads. When Mike falls for the lovely Rachel (Kelly Rowan), he tries to impress her by introducing his 6-year-old "son"--actually his little sister Chrissy (Ashley Johnson) in disguise. Featured in the cast is Jessie Gold, the sister of series regular Tracey Gold (Carol). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
