Dwier Brown Movies

The Charmed Ones come to the aid of Tyler (Alex Black), a ten-year-old runaway orphan with pyrokinetic powers. Unless the girls can act quickly, Tyler will be forced to enroll in an academy controlled by The Source of All Evil, which will channel the boy's talents for evil rather than good. Meanwhile, Cole (Julian McMahon) gives Gram's wedding ring to Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) -- who is immediately transformed into a 1950s-era "June Cleaver" housewife. (Oh, the horror!) ~ All Movie Guide

A friend's determination to uncover the truth is the basis for the made-for television drama. Sheila Kelley stars as Sarah Vincent, a woman who leads a bizarre double-life as a woman in business by day, and a sleazy bar-hopper by night. After Sarah is mysteriously killed, her best friend Elizabeth (Rachel Ticotin) goes on a quest to uncover the true story behind her friend's secretive life and untimely death. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge was the third in a sporadic series of TV westerns centered around fugitive do-gooder Duell McCall (Alex McArthur). Falsely accused of a whole litany of crimes, McCall is forced to drift from town to town, spreading a little goodwill wherever he happens to land. In this entry, McCall is about to be hanged. He is freed on one condition: That he head up a posse to rescue the kidnapped daughter of land baron Rod Steiger. Alice Adair plays the hostage (who isn't precisely what she appears to be), and Lise Cutter appears as McCall's romantic interest. Seven months after the 1989 premiere of Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge, there would be a fourth and final chapter in the saga of Duell McCall: Desperado: Badlands Justice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Benton (Eriq La Salle) tries to save the life of a 13-year-old gang member who's already been declared dead, thereby creating even more friction amongst the ER staffers. Meanwhile, "floating" nurse Rhonda (Jill O'Hara) continues to make disastrous mistakes. And on the domestic front, Greene (Anthony Edwards) worries that Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) may be dating Morganstern (William H. Macy), while Carter (Noah Wyle) grows ever closer to Keaton (Glenne Headly). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Determined to make a name for herself in the male dominated sport that recently claimed the life of her talented father, a female race car driver with a lead foot and love for speed punches the gas and never looks back in this family-oriented sports drama starring Mircea Monroe and Justin Guarini. Ever since she was just a young girl, Alex Johnstone (Monroe) knew that she was destined to become a true racing champion. But Alex's uncle Bill (Dwier Brown) is the man in charge of the local speedway, and there's no way he's going to lose another relative on the racetrack. As determined as Bill is to prevent his niece from crashing and burning, however, Alex is equally resolute in proving that she has what it takes to keep pace with the best male drivers around. Later, as Alex becomes involved with a professional racecar driver (Guarini) who has a reputation for always crossing the checkered flag first, the young girl's conflict proves much more complex than simple black and white. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This technically polished debut feature follows a young Los Angeleno's descent into madness and journey back again. As the film opens, he is wearing a tuxedo and is walking zombie-like through the Mojave Desert. In mock-documentary style, his relatives recount how he went wonky on the day he was to have gotten married. His relatives all believe he was killed on that day by being on an Air Force target practice field when guns and rockets were firing. Meanwhile, he is encountering one eccentric desert dweller after another, including an Eastern European woman who seems to believe that the fastest way to stardom is to sleep with every willing man in the state of California who crosses her path. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Follow the military career of Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North beginning with his Naval Academy days through to his role in the Iran-Contra scandal. ~ All Movie Guide

This mundane sequel to New World Pictures' surprise horror hit bears little connection with its predecessor apart from the participation of writer Ethan Wiley, who also assumed directorial duties. This time around, the title abode is an old mansion inherited by the great-great-grandson of its original owner, a legendary frontier outlaw. The new owner, Jesse (Arye Gross), whose parents were murdered in the mansion 20 years ago, unwisely searches the premises for a cache of gems believed to be hidden there. With the aid of girlfriend Kate (Lar Park Lincoln) and buddy Charlie (Jonathan Stark), Jesse stumbles upon the original owner himself (Royal Dano), who is remarkably still alive (albeit in particularly decrepit condition) and cantankerous as all get-out. Great-great-grandpa has been preserved by the supernatural powers of an Aztec crystal skull, which is also capable of reanimating the dead and opening portals into other dimensions. Its true powers are tested readily when the skull falls into the wrong hands, leading our heroes on a wacky supernatural chase. The horror-comedy formula that kept the original film's shaky premise afloat is far less functional here, filling the story with silly contrivances that include a collection of pet monsters and a time-travel romantic subplot. Still, the film has some clever moments, mainly from Dano, who makes the most of his difficult character by adding a cartoonish flair, and from Cheers alum John Ratzenberger's amusing cameo turn as a plumber strangely accustomed to cross-dimensional travel. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

This family-oriented holiday drama takes place in Alabama in 1957 and centers upon the heartwarming relationship between a lonely white boy and his black nanny. When she returns South to be with her family for Christmas, her young charge follows her, creating all kinds of complications. Singer Natalie Cole makes her feature-film debut as the nanny. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Appointed honorary commodore of the World's Cup Regatta, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) bears witness to the intense rivalry between yachtsmen Kyle Kimball (John Getz) and Ned Larkin (Steve Forrest). Sustaining a pre-race injury, Larkin turns the command of his vessel "Free Spirit" over to his daughter Anne (Andrea Parker). Then, two days before the race, Kyle is murdered--and Anne finds herself the number one suspect. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Swedish-born actor Leif Tilden turned to directing with this independent drama, billed as the first film made in America under the guidelines of the Dogma 95 movement, which specifies that films should only be shot with handheld cameras and available light on actual locations, and without background music or sound effects beyond those which are recorded during the shoot. Jeanie (Jennifer Rubin) is a photographer who returns to her hometown for her 20th anniversary high school reunion, only to discover most of her old classmates have no idea what she's been up to over the past two decades. Jeanie finds that life has not been kind to all her old friends; one has suffered a rift with his father after deciding to give up a career in the military, and another runs a diner while struggling to keep his drug habit under control. The supporting cast includes Billy Wirth, Rainer Judd, and Corey Glover, the latter best known as the former lead singer with the rock band Living Colour. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Long estranged from her father, Ben (Dwier Brown), Chicago-bred teenager Sydney Miller (Camilla Belle) travels to Hawaii for a reunion. Not that there's any affection involved: it seems that Sydney has inherited several acres of valuable beachfront property from her late mother, who died years earlier in a freak surfing accident -- or so Sydney has been told. Urged to sell the property by both her father and her stepmother, Elizabeth (Lauren Sinclair), Sydney chooses instead to follow the advice of her new friends Kona (Brian Christopher Stark) and Gia (Stacie Hess) and hold on to her land rather than let it be plundered by evil developers. Along the way, Sydney not only develops a love of surfing and oceanic photography, but she also forms a bond with her dad -- and as bonus, she unearths the secret behind her mom's death, giving her the trump card in the exuberant finale. Produced for cable's Disney Channel, Rip Girls made its TV premiere on April 22, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide