Kevin Connor Movies

A small town music teacher invites a bad-boy country singer to perform at her town's annual Strawberry Festival, and together they discover the power of dreams in this Hallmark Channel original film. Beth Landon (Julie Mond) teaches music, but ask her neighbors what she's best known for and odds are they'll mention she's the reigning "Strawberry Queen." As this year's big Strawberry Festival draws near, Beth hatches a plan to have famed country singer Jason Keith (Trevor Donovan) be the featured musical performer. But after a series of public controversies Jason's career has hit the skids, prompting the fans to write him off as a one-hit-wonder. Realizing that the Strawberry Festival could provide the perfect setting for his big comeback, Jason agrees to perform. Meanwhile the more time Jason spends with Beth, the more he realizes that a troubling secret from his distant past could be holding him back. Together, Jason and Beth prepare to put on the concert of a lifetime, and find their dreams coming closer into reach than ever before. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A journey that starts as a die-hard mission to net Christian converts soon evolves into the adventure of a lifetime, in the sweeping historical epic Marco Polo. It is the 13th century. Polo (Ian Somerhalder), a Venetian trader, sets out to both prove the existence of China to European priests, and to bring its residents salvation. En route, he and his traveling companions must battle every extreme form of the elements, from the scorching abuse of the sun to paralyzing blizzards, plus violent maurading thieves and a host of other dangers. Little can Marco Polo predict, however, the dazzling world that awaits him on the opposite end - with such dazzling inventions as paper money, timepieces and a postal system, and such culinary concoctions as ice cream and pasta. And presiding over all of it is the benevolent Kubla Khan (Brian Dennehy) a ruler so impressed with Polo (and vice versa) that the brave adventurer soon becomes part and parcel of his court - and spends the better part of two decades in Asia. Kevin Connor directs, from a script by Ron Hutchinson. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A series of massive tidal waves decimate the entire East Coast, leading a renegade expert on man made ecological disasters and weapons of mass destruction to suspect that a force far more human than Mother Nature is at work in this terrifying mini-series starring Angus Macfayden, Tom Skerritt, and Karin Vanasse. The first wave hit the East Coast without warning, with subsequent tsunamis following in quick succession. Before long towns all along the coast have been destroyed, and scientists are at a loss to explain just where these gigantic waves originated. When top scientists fail to find a conventional explanation for the waves, renegade ecological expert John McAdams (Macfayden) is called upon to offer a hypothesis. Upon consulting with Oceanographic Institute genius Sophie Marleau (Vanasse), McAdams begins to suspect that the waves are man made disasters specifically designed to keep the population in check. After McAdams makes his suspicions public, another scientist attempts to uncover who is behind the conspiracy and is promptly murdered - leaving McAdams as the prime suspect in the killing. Later, McAdams discovers the true identity of the terrorist whose sub-aquatic nuclear missiles are holding an entire country in fear. But as the earth begins to quake and the seas begin to swell once again, it may already be too late to stop the latest attack. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This Hallmark Channel TV movie is one of a series starring John Larroquette as McBride (no first name), a hard-nosed cop turned compassionate defense lawyer, specializing in "lost causes." A brutal murder has been committed, and the victim is prominent Beverly Hills madam Heather Bradley. The most likely suspect (who of course is McBride's client) is virginal Omaha girl Marilyn Fletcher (Claire Coffee), a failed actress who out of desperation became a call girl, and who may have been seeking vengeance against Heather after her first "John", who was supposed to have been gentle and respectable, turned out to be anything but. Poring through the dead woman's cryptic e-mails, McBride finds out that she was not only a procurer, but also a big-time blackmailer--and thus the suspect list grows by leaps and bounds! McBride: It's Murder, Madam debuted March 4, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Hallmark Channel TV movie is one of a series starring John Larroquette as McBride (no first name), a hard-nosed cop turned compassionate defense lawyer, specializing in "lost causes." McBride's client this time is a hitchhiker named Dudley Banks (Devon Gummesall), who had the rotten luck to accept a ride from a beautiful, affluent-looking woman calling herself Whitney (Maeve Quinlan), just before she is found murdered. As he digs into Whitney's past, he finds that there are several men who had good reason to wish her dead--especially the several husbands she accumulated (and robbed blind) while adopting a plethora of false identities! McBride: The Chameleon Murder originally aired January 14, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Bronx bakery owned by the family of Marco Poloni (Costas Mandylor) is on the verge of bankruptcy, and Marco's Uncle Fab (David Proval) is poised to sell the place to a nationwide donut chain. To save the establishment and keep it in the family, Marco enters the "Golden Whisk Dessert Competition," hoping to win the 250,000-dollar grand prize. He further persuades the restaurant's brilliant pastry baker Grace Carpenter (Lauren Holly) to be his partner in the contest, to which she agrees, even though she's fed up to the gills with Marco's explosive temper. Grace isn't the only person who's annoyed at Marco; one of the competing contestants is his former food academy classmate (and now his bitterest enemy) Jacques du Jacques (Andrew Lauer), while among the judges is Marco's onetime teacher and mentor Emile Fragonard (Jean-Pierre Bergeron), who had washed his hands of his contentious student years earlier. And then there's the matter of Grace's jealous boyfriend. A joyous reunion for ex-Picket Fences co-stars Lauren Holly and Costas Mandylor, the made-for-cable Just Desserts premiered February 8, 2004, on the Hallmark Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Kevin Connor directs William Hurt, Donald Sutherland, and Julie Delpy in this adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The film follows the storyline of the book closely. Dr. Victor Frankenstein creates a man from the parts of different corpses, and the creature turns out to be superior to his creator in many ways -- but the creation turns on the creator when the world is unable to recognize the creation's humanity. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

The title character in this made-for-cable comedy is a youthful slacker (Nick Stabile) who has long been a source of disappointment and embarrassment for his famous jolly-old-elf father. Anxious to prove his worth, Nick (as our hero is known) decides to clamber down a few chimneys just prior to Christmas Eve. Alas, his efforts coincide with a string of burglaries, and Nick is promptly arrested by cops Daryl Bedford (Judd Nelson) and Norm Potter (George Wallace). As Nick frets away the hours before Christmas under house arrest, Bedford grows attached to Nick's court-appointed attorney, Susan Flynn (Lauren Holly) -- and inevitably, the real burglar strikes again. Santa Jr. was first telecast over the Hallmark Channel on November 30, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"The Greatest Story Ever Told, As Seen Through a Mother's Eyes." Coproduced by Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her son Bobby Shriver, this reverent retelling of the Biblical story of the Madonna stars Melinda Kinnaman as young Mary, Perrilla August as the older Mary, David Threlfall as Joseph, and Toby Bailiff and Christian Bale as, respectively, the younger and adult Jesus. The film takes a decidedly Ecumenical approach, with Mary, already aware of her Son's role in the future of mankind, gently guiding and counseling Jesus as He launches His ministry and accomplishes His miracles. She must also stand by stoically as Her beloved Son is persecuted and crucified, knowing that what must be, will be. Filmed (incredibly) in and around Budapest, Mary, Mother of Jesus debuted November 14, 1999 on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Internationally known actress Geraldine Chaplin offers a moving portrayal of one of the 20th century's greatest humanitarians. This made-for-television miniseries honors the life and sacrifices made by the feisty Yugoslavian nun who spent most of her life tending the poor and the sick of India. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The popular television detective duo from Hart to Hart reunites for another go-around in this made-for-television adventure movie. While the Harts (Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers) attend a charity auction, they stumble upon an old locket with what may be a picture of Jonathan Hart's long-lost sister. Jonathan may be on the brink of finding his missing sibling -- or he may be a pawn in scheme concocted by some thieves. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

In this Disney version of Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop, Nell Trent is well cared for by her kind and gentle grandfather (Peter Ustinov) at his London curiosity shop. She, in turn, looks after him, cooking meals and keeping him company with her angelic smile and loving nature, vowing never to leave him. All is well, or so it seems. But unknown to 13-year-old Nell, Grandfather Trent has a dark and dangerous obsession: gambling. Having lost his savings to the spendthrift ways of demanding relatives, he now pins his hopes for financial solvency -- and Nell's future -- on the luck of the draw. Every night, as Nell sleeps safely and soundly, he puts on his top hat, takes his cane in hand, and makes his way through narrow alleyways to a wooden door. After knocking, he enters and sits down to a card game by candlelight. When he leaves hours later, his pockets are empty -- always empty. To pay his gambling debts and stake himself to new games, he borrows heavily from a predatory moneylender, Daniel Quilp (Tom Courtenay). One day, after Quilp discovers what's been happening to the loans, he lays claim to the curiosity shop and takes steps to imprison Grandfather Trent. Nell and the now penniless old man think Nell's best friend, Kit Nubbles (William Mannering), betrayed them to Quilp, which is untrue. To escape the wrath of the vicious Quilp, they run off, going from town to town and meeting an odd and colorful assortment of characters along the way. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi

In this sequel to the 1992 made-for-TV crime drama Deadly Matrimony, police detective Reed (Brian Dennehy) returns, this time to bring in a murderous sociopath. He soon discovers, however, that this routine case is complicated by the U.S. government as they are using the killer as an informant and are therefore willing to go to great lengths to protect him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi