Beryl TeWiata Movies
- 1999
Xena (Lucy Lawless) seeks out the shamaness Yakut (Kate Elliot) to explain why she's having nightmares about her unborn baby. Yakut explains that the spirit of the evil Alti (Claire Stansfield) is systemically sapping the life force of Xena's child so that she, Alti, can return to the land of the living. It is up to Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) to rescue both Xena and baby -- but she might have to sacrifice her own life in the process. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1998
Though flattered by Gabrielle's (Renee O'Connor) ongoing efforts to chronicle her exploits for posterity, Xena (Lucy Lawless) suggests that her friend forsake facts for the moment and turn to fiction writing. Unfortunately, this occurs just when the jealous Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings), angered that even little kiddies prefer Xena to her, has decided to cast a spell upon Gabrielle's scrolls. As a result, everything that Gabrielle has written down suddenly becomes "reality" -- and suffice to say that it isn't a pretty sight. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1996
Jealous of the beautiful mortal Psyche (Susan Ward), goddess of love Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings) orders her son Cupid (Karl Urban) to shoot Psyche with "love arrows" so that the girl will remove herself from romantic competition. What Aphrodite doesn't know is that Cupid is in love with Psyche himself, which is why he misfires his arrows and hits Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) instead. This proves to be a miscalculation when the smitten Hercules falls for Psyche himself, whereupon Cupid is so consumed by jealousy that he literally transforms into the "Green-Eyed Monster" of the title. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, (more)
- 1995
Kate Hodge guest stars as Celesta, the sister of Hades (Erik Thomson), God of the Underworld -- and the living personification of Death. Celesta is kidnapped by King Sisyphus (Ray Henwood), who hopes to use her powers to give himself eternal life. When Hades asks Xena to rescue Celesta, she hesitates -- until she realizes the awful ramifications of a world where Death no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1995
Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) rescue an abandoned baby who has been left to drown in a river. The infant is being hunted by the cruel King Gregor (Edward Newborn), out of fear of prophecies that the child will ultimately topple him from his throne. As if doing battle with Gregor isn't hard enough, Xena and Gabrielle must also help the granddaughter (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn) of the infamous Pandora, who must retrieve the equally infamous Pandora's Box, lest it be allowed to unleash havoc upon the world all over again. This is the first Xena episode to close with one of series' trademarked tongue-in-cheek "disclaimers." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1992
- PG
A grandfather joins the undead and delights his grandson with his many new talents in this Australian comedy set in New Zealand. Fortunately, those talents do not include bloodsucking. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This psychodrama is set in New Zealand during the 1880s and is based on the true story of an orphaned 18-year-old who marries a cruel, much-older man. He constantly abuses her and keeps her under his thumb until she snaps and using hypnotism, kills him. Later she is tried in court. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, John Lithgow, (more)
- 1984
In this drama from New Zealand, Donough Rees plays Constance, a school teacher bored with routine of her daily life. Constance loves movies and sometimes escapes into a rich fantasy life where she's a world-famous screen star. Constance begins trying to bring a bit of the glamour and excitement of her favorite films into her daily life, and she starts acting like her favorite movie stars. However, her continued retreat into a fantasy world has tragic consequences in real life. Constance was the debut feature for writer/director Bruce Morrison. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donough Rees, Shane Briant, (more)
Dead Kids, aka Strange Behavior, is a creepy exercise from director Michael Laughlin--who conceived this as part one of an abortive "Strange Trilogy" which also included 1983's Strange Invaders. Although lensed in New Zealand, the film is set in a sleepy American town, in which a series of gory murders committed by local teenagers are linked to a twisted brainwashing scheme by a deranged behavioral psychologist (note irony please). Despite some humorous details (e.g. one killer dons a Tor Johnson mask) and a nostalgia for '50s pulp horrors (not to mention a fondness for splattery death scenes), the disparate plot elements don't come together as well as they should, failing to live up to the premise's potential for guilty chuckles or gasps of horror. Fiona Lewis is sexually menacing as the mad doc's assistant, but Louise Fletcher's wasted role may make viewers pine for Nurse Ratched. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, (more)
