Garwin Sanford Movies

Directed, acted, and produced in the same mold -- and on the same level -- as its many other family friendly, critically-acclaimed television specials, Hallmark Entertainment presents Merlin's Apprentice: Search for the Holy Grail. Starring screen legend Sam Neill (Dead Calm, A Cry in the Dark) in the title role and one of Britain's most accomplished thespians, Miranda Richardson (Damage) as The Lady of the Lake, the miniseries opens with the great wizard returning to Camelot, only to find the entire mythical community in ruins from the theft of its most revered Holy Grail. Accompanied by a rambunctious young pickpocket named Jack (John Henry Reardon), Merlin undertakes a quest to retrieve the Grail and restore Camelot to its original glory. Merlin's Apprentice: Search for the Holy Grail co-stars Tegan Moss as Yvonne, Christopher Jacot as Graham, Meghan Ory as Brianna, and Woody Jeffreys as Arthur. Veteran Hong Kong Kung-fu filmmaker and John Woo-apprentice David Wu directs. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Former Beverly Hills 90210 costars Jason Priestleyand Emma Caulfield are reunited in this frothy made-for-cable romantic comedy. Priestly plays Ryan Banks, a once-popular movie actor whose career is in the toilet, not only because of bad role choices but also because of his unsavory reputation as an irresponsible womanizer. In hopes of revitalizing Ryan's career, his manager and best friend Todd Doherty (Bradley Cooper) comes up with an inspiration: A network reality show called "I Want to Marry Ryan Banks", in which the title character will live in the same house with 15 attractive young women, all of them prospective brides. In fine Mark Burnett tradition, one of the female contestants will be voted out each week by the viewers, with the winner chosen by popular demand. The girl who seems to have the inside track is blue-collar Charlene "Charlie" Norton (Emma Caulfield), who has entered the contest because she needs the prize money. Complications arise when, as the series draws ever nearer to its conclusion, Charlie balks at the notion of wedding Ryan Banks, only to be told that if she doesn't, she'll be sued within an inch of her life--and making things even stickier, Todd Doherty has fallen in love with Charlie himself! Produced for the ABC Family channel, I Want to Marry Ryan Banks was first seen on January 18, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Unbeknownst to Clark (Tom Welling), his new high-school ring has a red kryptonite setting. The mind-controlling extraterrestrial mineral has an adverse affect on Clark, unleashing all his inhibitions -- and his inborn aggressions. As Clark's behavior dangerously deteriorates, a secondary drama plays out involving fellow high school student Jessie Brooks (Sara Downing), whose father has just escaped from a federal witness-relocation program. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When the perfect murder is foiled by an unexpected twist and darkness descends on a small Alaskan town, a madman's hunger for blood grows in this thriller from director Michael Bafaro. As a blanket of darkness settles over Revelstoke, AK, for a period of 24 hours, local barber Dexter Miles and the rest of the citizens realize that winter's chill is soon to follow. No one would suspect a man like Dexter Miles to be a cold-blooded killer, but when Dexter overhears the sheriff mention that the body of Lucy Waters has been discovered, he quickly realizes that his dark secret is about to break wide open. Having only murdered Lucy a few days prior, Dexter had hoped that authorities wouldn't discover her body until the spring thaw. Now, as the big-city detectives cloaked in the darkness of the Alaskan winter arrive to investigate the murder, Dexter once again feels the thrill of the kill -- and he's starting to like it. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This two-part, four-hour miniseries adaptation of Dean Koontz' best-seller Sole Survivor begins with a plane crash that takes the lives of the wife and daughter of reporter Joe Carpenter. No sooner has Carpenter absorbed this tragedy than he begins receiving evidence that the air tragedy may not have been the accident it first seemed to be. At least, that is the story of Rose (Gloria Reuben), the only survivor of the crash. Following up on Rose's firsthand account of the events, Joe is led to the mysterious Quartermass Organization, where secret experiments are being conducted to imbue innocent youngsters with the power to heal, perform mind-transference feats over thousand of miles, move objects through sheer will power -- and, from time to time, to commit murder. Although John C. McGinley is cast as the nominal villain, hero Joe Carpenter would be well advised to watch his back whenever "heroine" Rose is around. Dean Koontz' Sole Survivor was originally telecast on September 13 and 14, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Owen Walters (Bill Switzer) is a terminally ill 12-year-old boy. He and some of his friends, who are also sick, deal with the typical preteen realities of life -- bullies, parents, and sports -- but their lives are haunted by their apparent short life expectancies. Owen has developed a special bond with his somewhat eccentric next-door neighbor, Mr. Rice (David Bowie), who opens Owen's mind to ideas of philosophy. Sadly, Mr. Rice dies. But Owen discovers that Mr. Rice, in the days before his death, prepared an elaborate treasure hunt that only Owen, if he uses all the planted clues, can find. Owen and his friends go to great lengths and against great odds to find the treasure, and when Owen finds it, he discovers the treasure is buried inside himself. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

75-year-old retired cabinetmaker Thomas Gerrin (Jack Lemmon) has been a widower for three years, during which time his well-meaning children have insisted upon treating him as a helpless invalid. Determined to prove that the spark of life still burns within him, Thomas impulsively cashes his most recent pension check and heads off for Monterey, California, there to touch base with an old flame (Betty Garrett) whom he hasn't seen in fifty years. En route, he befriends a free-spirted young graduate student named Leanne Bossert (Sarah Paulson). Both agree that any sort of romance would be out of the question: Nonetheless, Leanne is the catalyst for Thomas' new lease on life--and as his children franctically search for their fugitive dad, the May-December "odd couple" encounter all manner of breathtaking adventures and colorful characters. Based on Thomas Guerin, Retraite a 1978 French TV movie starring Charles Vanel, The Long Way Home was produced for the CBS television network, where it was first broadcast on March 1, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

SG-1 arrives at the primitive planet Tolla, where a volcanic eruption is destroying everything. The team manages to rescue a few surprisingly advanced humans, led by Omoc (Tobin Bell)--who are far from grateful. The Tollan Narim (Garwin Sanford) explains why the refugees are suspicious of SG-1's motives: Years earlier, Omoc's father had shared the Tollan technology with earth--resulting in a devastating war which stripped the planet of its civilization and left the surviving Tollans in a state of enslavement. As O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) tries to convince Omoc that the people of Earth have mended their ways, he is undermined by certain hawkish Pentagon officials, determined to wreak more havoc upon the hapless Tollans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While at home recovering from an accident, Olympic downhill skier Marti Gerrard (Tori Spelling) receives an unexpected phone call. It turns out to be a wrong number dialed by wealthy computer tycoon Connor Hill (Jason Brooks)--but Marti doesn't mind a bit, and for the next several minutes she and Connor enjoy a delightful conversation. Later on, Hill's wife is murdered, whereupon he approaches Marti with the realization that, thanks to the aforementioned phone call, she is the only person who can provide him with an alibi. This she does, gladly and willingly...but the story is far from over! Made for television, Alibi was first broadcast by ABC on March 16, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV suspense drama gets under way as a medical emergency aircraft en route to Denver crashes in the snowy Rockies. Fortunately, the pilot, the two paramedics, the two-year-old patient and her father all manage to survive the crash. Unfortunately, the little girl's already critical condition is rapidly worsening, her father is growing more hysterical by the minute, the pilot is seriously injured, and the paramedics are not quite sure that they are emotionally equipped for the crisis--especially since the likelihood of the rescue helicopters arriving on time seems slim to none. Inasmuch as the story is narrated by one of the doctors, the viewer knows that someone will pull through the ordeal...but who, and how many? Originally telecast by ABC, Angel Flight Down was first seen on April 29, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Canadian family drama follows a yuppie couple as they try to reclaim their hippy idealism to save the life of their young son. Andy and Jayne Blake used to be hippies. Now they are living the yuppie dream in suburban Vancouver. They have two kids and great jobs. When their son Max is given six months to live after being diagnosed with a rare immune disorder that may have been caused by environmental toxins, Andy and his family escape to rural British Columbia where they buy a farm. As Andy reaches back into his past for natural cures and his old idealism, he becomes increasingly fanatical. Jayne who is unsure about all these changes, tries to help him find a balance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this unofficial remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice, an ex-con gets a job at a run-down roadside diner owned by a blind former prison guard. He commences an affair with the owner's wife, and they both plan to kill him and find a hidden treasure. Their plan starts to unravel, however, and a deputy sheriff and another ex-con start to cause problems for the couple. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

This 1970s true story features a fanatically religious woman and her son-in-law who hold her children prisoner while waiting for her late husband's resurrection in Utah. ~ All Movie Guide