Michael Riley Movies

Originally titled America's Son, this cable-TV biopic of John F. Kennedy Jr. begins at the end, with the plane crash of July 19, 1999, that took the lives of Kennedy, his wife Caroline, and his sister-in-law. From this tragic vantage point, the film segues into flashbacks detailing the very public life of J.F.K. Sr.'s only son, of whom it was once said, "The world knew his name before he did." Based on The Day John Died, a book by George Andersen, the film intimates that "John-John" would have been happy charting his own course in life, but was instead channelled into following in the Kennedy tradition by his iron-willed mother Jacqueline (played by Jacqueline Bisset, who'd previously essayed an à clef version of Jackie O. in the theatrical feature The Greek Tycoon). Thus, John enters law school, where he is twice humiliated by failing to pass the bar exam. Finally, as editor of the high-profile George magazine, John can stand on his own merits and not as an adjunct of the Kennedy mystique. Naturally, the film devotes time aplenty to J.F.K. Jr.'s well-publicized romances, notably his lengthy association with actress Daryl Hannah (here played by Tara Chocol) and his ultimate marriage to Caroline Bessette (Portia de Rossi). Somewhat undercutting the credibility of the restaged scenes is the producers' utilization of interviews with the actual friends and associates of John Jr. -- not to mention film clips of the "real" Kennedy, employed as bridges between scenes. America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story debuted January 12, 2003, on TBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this fact-based drama, a midwife and her spouse are accused of illegally smuggling babies to Canada for adoption. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Amy Pietz stars in this made-for-TV thriller as Carrie, a professional writer who volunteers her services at a crisis-hotline center dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence. Late one evening, Carrie receives an anguished phone call from an anonymous woman who threatens to kill her abusive ex-husband. As Carrie and the rest of the staff conduct a desperate search for the would-be murderer, they must also tackle the case of a teenager who'd been viciously beaten by her boyfriend after declining help from the center. Also known as A Call for Help, Every 9 Seconds was first telecast October 12, 1997 by NBC ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inspired by a true story originally dramatized on the TV series Unsolved Mysteries, this made-for-TV thriller stars Megan Ward) as professional nurse Renee Perkins, whose friend and coworker Terry Deveroux (Kim Dickens) is murdered in a particularly vicious manner. Not long after the tragedy, Renee begins receiving psychic messages, suggesting that she has been "possessed" by Terry's spirit for the purpose of tracking down the murderer. Naturally, Terry wants to notify the police, but her doctor husband Bill (John Terlesky) is worried that such an incredible story might do damage to his career should it be proven false. Also known as Crimes of Passion: Voice from the Grave,the film made its NBC debut on March 20, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When he is accidentally left behind by his owners, a devoted dog sets off on an incredible journey across Canada to find them. Though Heck the dog doesn't know it, he must hurry, for the family is about to leave Vancouver, British Columbia and move to Australia. Heck is helped out along the way by a friendly hobo. Trouble comes in the form of a dog catcher who is determined to send Heck to the pound. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV disaster flick Ice first aired on German television under the title Eis: wehn die Welt erfriert on November 29, 1998. Thanks to a precipitous temperature drop on the sun, a second ice age hits Los Angeles, resulting in unseasonable 70-degrees-below-zero weather and a general breakdown of society. L.A. cop Robert Drake (Grant Show) joins forces with his girlfriend (Eva La Rue), his ex-wife (Audie England), and a black convict (Flex) who thinks that the recent cold snap is a government plot against African-Americans, the better to commandeer a submarine and head to the (temporarily) warmer climes of the Equator. Beyond its usual apocalypse-flick trappings, the film nearly collapses under the weight of visual symbolism. American viewers first saw Ice when it was telecast by ABC on July 22, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mile Zero, director Andrew Currie's feature debut, focuses on the emotional journey of a distraught father, Derek (Michael Riley), who feels his estranged wife, Allison (Sabrina Grdevich), and his young son, Will (Connor Widdows of the Agent Cody Banks movies), slipping away from him. He surprises Will after school one day, taking him on a long journey through British Columbia to a remote spot in the Canadian Rockies. The movie jumps back and forth between the tense journey that Derek and Will are making, and home videos and flashbacks of happier times, and the gradual dissolution of the marriage. Derek doesn't cope well with their separation, even going so far as to surreptitiously install a video monitor in his son's room so he can watch Will sleep. When Allison starts seeing someone new, Derek's fantasies of reconciliation collapse, sending him down a desperate path that ends up endangering more than just his fragile relationship with Will. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Matthew (Matthew Riley) has sad memories of his late childhood in Guyana, when his mother rejected him in a terrifically painful way. He has been living in Canada for quite some time, but now wants to revisit his birthplace. There, he meets a group of local people who help him discover what has really drawn him here. One of them is a talkative exiled Hungarian woman, whose story of a messy abortion gave rise to the film's title. Another is an attractive local teacher with whom he has an unhappy affair. It is unhappy, because he is holding himself back, and seemingly everyone knows he is walled up inside. He does experience some amusement in watching the antics a young orphan boy who reminds him of himself. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Featuring a real granny knot of a complex plot, this violently hip, hyper-stylish crime thriller follows the exploits of Louis and Dody, two petty unemployed gangsters who get into deep trouble after they steal a job from a crime lord's cousin, whom they have already killed and stashed in the trunk of their car. They start out in Montreal but end up in Toronto to do the assignment. Louis pretends to be the dead man, while another cohort hires the two to kill a one-armed, nutzoid crime lord. En route to their hit, Louis and Dody pick up an old friend to assist them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide