Mario Azzopardi Movies

Spun off from the Emmy-winning TV miniseries of the same name (which in turn was based on a series of children's novel by James Gurney) , the weekly ABC fantasy-adventure series Dinotopia picked up where its predecessor left off, albeit with an entirely new cast. Stranded in an idyllic lost land where humans and dinosaurs co-exist, millionaire Frank Scott (Michael Brandon) and his hunky sons Karl (Erik Von Deeten) and David (Shiloh Strong) do their best to acclimate themselves to their new home -- and to console themselves with the fact that they can never leave. As Karl and David compete for the attentions of Marion Waldo (Georgina Rylance), the attractive future leader of Dinotopia, both boys also become entangled in the activities of The Outsiders, a group of political insurgents led by another dazzlingly beautiful woman named Le Sage (Lisa Zane). Originally slated to debut on October 10, 2002, Dinotopia ultimately aired on November 28 of that year, reportedly because of technical problems surrounding the series' computer-generated Tyrannosaurs, Pteranodons and other dinosaurs. ~ All Movie Guide

Five self-absorbed high school students with absolutely nothing in common are suddenly abducted by an alien. Each of the students is given an ultimatum: He or she must decide which of the five is to be killed, or else they all will die within the next five hours. Suddenly realizing that they truly care about one another despite their differences, the kids try to figure a way out of their deadly dilemma -- but first they must escape from a bizarre parallel world. "Abduction" first aired on August 18, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, the Canadian TV movie The Stork Derby begins with the death of wealthy Toronto lawyer and lifelong bachelor Charles Vance Miller (Frank Fontaine). Going through Miller's effects, his lawyers discover that he intended to divide his fortune among the Canadian women who would deliver the most babies within a decade after his birth. Fueled by the circulation-hungry Toronto Daily Star, "The Great Toronto Stork Derby" held the Dominion in thrall throughout the Depression years, with hundreds and thousands of women hoping to escape the ravages of the Depression via mass procreation. The contest boils down to three front runners: French-Canadian Vivanne Kennelly (Pascale Montpetit), whose anxiousness to win at all costs leads to tragedy; Colleen Brant (Janine Thierault), who has multiple babies by multiple fathers; and Gina Bonaggio (Ellen David), an impoverished Italian immigrant. Dutifully chronicling each twist and turn of the contest is Canada's only female journalist Kate Harrington (Megan Follows), who at first regards the whole affair as demeaning to women, but ultimately becomes an ardent crusader for fair play when, during the 1938 court trial that will determine the winner, it becomes painfully obvious that the Canadian government will succumb to traditional colonial bigotry and see to it that no "inferior" women--that is, non-white non-Protestants--will benefit from Miller's legacy. Adapted from a book by Elizabeth Wilton, The Story Derby made its CBC debut on January 8, 2002, and shortly thereafter was shown in the U.S. courtesy of the Lifetime cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At a research facility in the Arctic, William Grimes (Brad McDonald), leader of an exploration team, suddenly goes mad, killing himself and his two colleagues. Investigating the tragedy, psychologist Jack Burrell (Martin Cummins) has a disturbing reunion with Robby Archer (Robert Sean Leonard), a boyhood friend who is now a patient in the facility's mental ward. Despite their mutual animosity, Jack and Robby form a united front to combat the deadly, psychosis-creating polar mites which the late Grimes has unleashed upon the facility. "The Nest" first aired on August 18, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It's a case of "never cry wolf" for an overcautious geologist in this made-for-cable disaster flick. Plagued by an accident that he failed to stop years ago, Louisiana earth-watcher Matt Andrews (John Corbett) thinks that the ground is going to cave in beneath downtown New Orleans -- during Mardi Gras, no less. Meanwhile, main squeeze Allison (Jessica Steen) pleads with Matt to forget the past and get on with life, which in her mind involves proposing marriage on bended knee with a multi-karat engagement ring. Then the ground rumbles, impeding the progress of several parade floats as well as Allison's nubile niece Cindy (Brittany Daniel), who's in town for some fat Tuesday decadence. On Hostile Ground originally premiered on the TBS network. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

This series for the Showtime premium cable network was based on the hit 1990 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone. In the year 2070, David Hume (played by Michael Easton) is a futuristic law enforcement officer who discovers that the death of his partner was not accident -- that it was the work of powerful men with a hidden agenda. Hume and his android partner, Ian Farve (Karl Pruner) are determined to find the truth, no matter the risk. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In a new twist on the old Jack the Ripper legend, Cary Elwes stars as John C.V. York, a Victorian-era doctor who is hot on the trail of the elusive Jack. Dr. York has come to the conclusion that the Ripper is "not of this world," and he intends to prove it. But he had better hurry: The body count is increasing with each passing day, and one of York's own closest associates may be next on the list. "Ripper" was originally broadcast on May 7, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thanks to some tragic blunders in his past, Dr. Larry Chambers (Gregory Harrison) has lost all credibility with the inhabitants of the Janus Five space colony. Even so, Chambers continues with his work, and in this capacity he makes the daunting discover that Janus Five is doomed to be destroyed by radiation. Desperately, Chambers urges the colonists to evacuate -- but no one will believe him, and some even demand that he be locked up in jail for spreading falsehoods. "To Tell the Truth" originally aired on April 24, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rutger Hauer plays William Palmer, formerly the chief medical examiner of Chicago who now makes his living as a writer. Palmer has written a novel based on one of the more interesting cases he investigated, a psychopathic murderer who would remove the bones from his victims while they were still alive. In his novel, the fiend, nicknamed "Bone Daddy," is caught and brought to justice, but in real life he was never found, and after the publication of his novel, the real-life Bone Daddy is inspired to resume his grisly work. Palmer begins receiving revolting packages in the mail -- human bones wrapped in pages from his book -- and it turns out the bones belong to William's agent. William has to find out where Bone Daddy is while his friend might still be alive, especially since the police have developed the mistaken notion that Palmer's son might be the culprit. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In the future, environmental organizations have succeeded in banning the hunting of animals. To satisfy their urge to kill, sportsmen like George Nichols (Ron White) must now hunt down obsolete androids. Even though the hunters can only use bows and arrows, this "sport" is still rather one-sided, since androids have been programmed not to turn on their pursuers. There is, however, at least one android at large who doesn't know the "rules." "The Hunt" was originally broadcast on January 30, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Returning to Chulak, SG-1's Jaffa team member Teal'c (Christopher Judge) hopes to save his son Rya'c (Neil Denis) from undergoing the ancient Jaffa ritual of having a larval Gou'ald implanted in his belly. Disguised as monks, the other team members endeavor to help Teal'c in the rescue of his son, and along the way Teal'c's mentor Bra'tac (Tony Amendola) also lends a hand. Alas, it turns out that Rya'c will die if he fails to carry the larva--whereupon Teal'c vows to sacrifice himself for his son's sake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

SG-1 heads to the planet P8XY987, there to locate another SG team that had been investigating a black hole. It turns out that a mysterious disease has wiped out the other SG and everyone else on the planet--everyone except a little girl named Cassandra (Katie Stuart). During SG-1 return to earth, Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) becomes close to Cassandra, only to discover that the child has been implanted by the Goa'uld with a time bomb designed to destroy the earth's Stargate. This places Carter in a quandary: Should she endeavor to protect Cassandra, or should she kill the girl to save Humanity? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of Stargate SG-1's opening episode, Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and his SG-1 team have located scientist Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), discoverer of the ancient Stargate technology enabling Earth to contact other solar systems. Jackson, who has proof that other Stargates exist throughout the galaxy, has for the last year been living on the planet Abydos with his alien wife, Sha're (Vaitare Bandera), and her brother, Skaara (Alexis Cruz). Sha're is kidnapped by the evil Egyptian god Apophis (Peter Williams), who hopes to use the Stargates to take over the universe with the help of the Goa'ulds, parasitic snake creatures who need humans as host bodies. Newly relocated to the planet Chulak, Apophis rules the populace with Sha're (her body taken over by Goa'ulds) as his queen. Though they cannot rescue Sha're, the SG-1 team hope to save themselves and Skaara, so that they can continue thwarting Apophis throughout the universe. In this pursuit, they find an unexpected ally in the form of Teal'c (Christopher Judge), a Jaffa soldier in Apophis' army who carries a larval Goa'uld in his own belly. Originally telecast as a two-hour episode, "Children of the Gods" has since been divided into two hour-long installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide