Lee Holdridge Movies

Richard Trank's documentary I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal joins Into the Arms of Strangers, The Power of Good, and other recent nonfiction films that reflect on WWII-era individuals emotionally invested in the pursuit of justice. This heart-rending film concerns Wiesenthal, a concentration camp survivor released from the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in 1945 on the verge of death from starvation. During his imprisonment, Wiesenthal dreamed of one day re-entering society and establishing himself as an architect, but the atrocities of the camp pointed Wiesenthal's life and career in a much different direction. When Wiesenthal returned to the outside world, with 89 of his family members exterminated by the Holocaust, he vowed to track down and bring to justice as many of the perpetrators of the Nazi atrocity as he could find - and spent years at this task, via a running list of the camp torturers, that he had secretly kept as a detainee. In the early years, with much of the world still ignorant of the extent of the Holocaust, Wiesenthal's was virtually a one-man operation, but in time, he joined forces with the American War Crimes Unit and U.S. Army War Crimes Committee to see the task through to fruition. All told, Wiesenthal helped incriminate an astonishing 1,100 individuals, including the leaders of the Sobibor and Treblinka camps, Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele - and his overarching goal, astonishingly, was not cold blooded revenge but a simple love of humanity - the need to free future generations from the dark shadow of the Nazi threat. To create this film in Wiesenthal's memory, Trank and his crew travel to multiple continents, and film exclusive interviews with those whose lives were touched by Wiesenthal, as well as Wiesenthal's descendants; they intercut this interview footage with rare archival footage of Wiesenthal. Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman narrates. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

This made-for-cable biopic recounts the incredible career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who after a hardscrabble childhood in Austria came to America in the pursuit of the three goals: to be a champion bodybuilder, a popular film actor, and a mover and shaker in the world of politics. It goes without saying that he succeeds in all three endeavors -- spectacularly so -- and, as a bonus, enjoys a happy and enduring marriage to Maria Shriver, one of the many well-publicized offshoots of the influential Kennedy family (who, ironically, are Schwarzenegger's political polar opposites). The film parallels Schwarzenegger's dizzying campaign for the governor's office in California with his strenuous efforts to be chosen as "Mr. Olympia" some three decades earlier. Jürgen Prochnow stars as the Arnold Schwarzenegger of 2003, Roland Kickinger is seen as the younger Schwarzenegger, and Mariel Hemingway is cast as Maria Shriver. While the film doesn't really take sides, it is entertaining and good-humored enough to please both fans and detractors of Schwarzenegger alike. Based on the book by Nigel Andrews, See Arnold Run ran on the A&E Network on January 30, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally produced as a miniseries for NBC, 10.5 is a disaster film that wonders what might happen if the Western United States is ever ravaged by unprecedented earthquakes. After one quake wreaks havoc on Seattle, another strikes California, this one worse than the first. With scientists speculating that an earthquake registering 10.5 on the Richter scale could be next, the U.S. president (Beau Bridges) enlists the help of a seismologist (Kim Delaney) to somehow formulate a plan to prevent the deaths of millions of people. This film aired under the title Earthquake: 10.5 in the U.K. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Directed by Richard Trank and narrated by Ben Kingsley, Unlikely Heroes revolves around the largely untold tales of Jewish heroism during the Nazi regime. The film is supplemented with touching personal artifacts and rare footage from the Holocaust era, most of which was found in an extensive search throughout various European archives. Though much of the credit for the decline of Adolph Hitler rightfully falls on the shoulders of the worldwide military effort to defeat him, Unlikely Heroes offers members of the Jewish resistance a chance to discuss their personal contributions to ending -- and occasionally merely surviving -- one of the most violent periods in history. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Based on the best-selling novel by Anita Shreve, the made-for-TV The Pilot's Wife also bears traces of the old Lana Turner movie Another Time, Another Place. Upon being told that her pilot husband has been killed in a crash, Kathryn Lyons (Christine Lahti) is in no mood to deal with the accusation that her late spouse carelessly caused the accident. Accompanied by another pilot named Robert (Campbell Scott), Kathryn heads to the coast of Ireland to conduct her own investigation. She soon learns to her ever-mounting horror that her "perfect" husband had apparently been carrying on a double life. Filmed on location in Ireland, The Pilot's Wife was originally slated to air a few days after September 11, 2001, but for obvious reasons CBS chose to shelve the film until April 14, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A girl poised on the brink of adolescence finds herself shouldering a whole new set of responsibilities in this made-for-TV drama based on the autobiographical book by Esmeralda Santiago. In 1961, Mami Santiago (Wanda De Jesus) decides to leave her life in a Puerto Rican farming community behind and move herself and her six children to New York City in search of a better life -- and better medical care for her ailing son. Mami's oldest daughter, Esmerelda (Ana Maria Lagasca) -- Negi for short -- not only has trouble adapting to her new environment, but doesn't quite fit in at her new school, where she's lumped in with other Spanish speaking students with whom she shares no common culture. Negi's burden is intensified by the fact her mother and siblings are counting on her to learn English and serve as the family's interpreter. One of Negi's teachers senses her creative gifts and arranges for her to audition for the Performing Arts School in Manhattan, but as Negi struggles to learn a monologue in a new language she has yet to master, she isn't sure if she has what it takes to make the grade. Esmeralda Santiago penned the screenplay for Almost A Woman from her own memoir; the film was first broadcast as part of the award-winning PBS anthology series Masterpiece Theater. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

On November 9, 1938, Adolph Hitler's ugly war against the Jews began in earnest with the "Kristallnacht," in which Nazi troops joined with angry mobs to attack synagogues, Jewish-owned businesses, and residents of predominantly Jewish neighborhoods. While Hitler did not initially make clear his plans for a genocide of Germany's Jews, he openly stated his desire that Germany be free of Jews. Few nations were willing to accept the large numbers of German Jews who now wished to expatriate in fear of their lives. However, Great Britain agreed to permit Jewish children between the ages of 5 and 17 to come to the U.K. -- without their parents. Between December of 1938 and August of 1939, some 10,000 German children gained refuge in the U.K. Most were adopted by British families, and many of the older boys served in the British Army, fighting against the Nazis, but the majority were never to see their birth parents again. Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport is a documentary that looks at the "Kindertransport," which ferried the children to Great Britain, and what became of the children once they arrived in England. Judi Dench narrates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV thriller, a train hauling a cargo of radioactive waste is passing through Colorado when its brakes fail in the Rocky Mountains. The train begins rolling out of control and is headed for Denver with no way to stop it. John Seger (Rob Lowe), an agent with the National Transportation Safety Board, has to find a way to bring the train safely to a halt, and he soon learns that the stakes are even greater than he imagined -- a faulty Russian atomic bomb is also on board, which could blow the city sky high in the event of a wreck. Atomic Train also stars Kristen Davis, Esai Morales, and Mena Suvari, the latter shortly before she bolted to stardom with roles in American Pie and American Beauty. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This made-for-television docudrama that aired on March 28, 1999 on NBC, relates the story of an actual event that occurred during World War II, but is centered around the lives of fictional characters. On July 17, 1944 at a U.S. naval base near San Francisco, a ship exploded causing the deaths of 323 men and injuring another 390. Just over 200 of the dead and another 200 of the injured were African-American Navy personnel. The story begins with the events that led up to the tragedy, with the second half of the film describing the actions of the men who refused to report back to work the next day after the explosion. Initially, 250 of the men refused to return, fearing another catastrophe. When base officers threatened to charge them with mutiny, 200 returned to work. The 50 who refused to return were given dishonorable discharges, in addition to 15 years of hard labor from the mutiny convictions. Eventually, the sentences were reduced to 4 years, but no official governmental acknowledgment of wrongdoing has ever been made. ~ All Movie Guide

Set in a Nova Scotian fishing community, the made-for-TV Blue Moon focuses on a group of local citizens who are under the financial pressure of a land-grabbing tycoon. Particularly hard hit is restaurant manager Cass Medieros (Sharon Lawrence), who not only may have her property sold out from under her, but is also experiencing serious problems with her marriage. Despite these tribulations, family values emerge triumphant over so-called progress. This film represents the final screen appearance of Richard Kiley, here rather incredibly cast as the son of Kim Hunter--who was almost exactly the same age as he! Based on a novel by Luann Rice, Blue Moon debuted April 11, 1999 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stanley Donen directed this made-for-television adaptation of A.R. Gurney's international stage success, which follows the long-gestating romance between two people through their correspondence. Andy (Steven Weber) first fell for Melissa (Laura Linney) when they were in second grade, and while he's remained infatuated with her -- and she cares deeply for him -- life takes them in very different paths as he becomes a serious-minded lawyer and she pursues the life of an artist. But the two of them write one another frequently, and through the letters, notes, and messages passed between them, the audience is allowed to see how a childhood crush grows with time into a mature and abiding affection between two people. Expanded from the original stage (which featured only two actors on a bare stage), Love Letters also features Kirsten Storms, Tim Redwine, and Jackie Richards. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this direct-to-video sequel to Don Bluth's 1982 animated adventure The Secret of NIMH, Timmy (voice of Ralph Macchio) is the son of two courageous mice who helped save the day for the animals of Thorn Valley. While the wise Nicodemus has predicted that Timmy will some day be a great hero -- and his father expects nothing less -- the mouse is at once anxious to prove his courage and worried if he can live up to the expectations of others. Timmy's opportunity finally comes when his friend Jenny (Hynden Walch) asks him to help her find her parents, who may have been kidnapped by the nefarious human scientists of the National Institute of Mental Health. The voice cast for The Secret of NIMH II: Timmy to the Rescue includes Eric Idle, Harvey Korman, Doris Roberts, and William H. Macy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide