Les Carlson

Four people of faith must take it upon themselves to save the soul of humanity in this sequel to Left Behind. When millions of people around the world suddenly disappear into thin air, the entire globe is thrown into chaos, and in the midst of this confusion and uncertainty, Nicolae Carpathia (Gordon Currie), international media magnate and president of the United Nations, steps forward as the leader who will guide all the world's nations in this difficult time. However, television journalist Buck Williams (Kirk Cameron) knows the truth behind what has happened -- the mass disappearances were the result of the Rapture, predicted in the Holy Bible as the beginning of the End Times, and Carpathia is, in fact, the Antichrist. Williams falls in with three remaining believers -- pastor and biblical scholar Bruce Barnes (Clarence Gilyard Jr.), airline pilot-turned-believer Rayford Steele (Brad Johnson), and Steele's headstrong 20-year-old daughter, Chloe (Janaya Stephens). Calling themselves the Tribulation Force, the foursome travel the world, attempting to spread the word about Carpathia and tending to the needs of the wounded; in the course of their work, Buck and Chloe fall in love, while Barnes comes to terms with the loss of his wife and child. But when sinister events occur in Israel at the site of the Wailing Wall, the Tribulation Force suspects Carpathia may have some more unpleasant surprises up his sleeve. Adapted from the popular series of Christian thrillers by Rev. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force, like the first Left Behind picture, was produced by Christian production company Cloud Ten Productions; both films were first marketed on home video, and later released to theaters to widen their public profile. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

While on a location shoot, spoiled movie actress Sydney Clarke (Sela Ward) clashes with her equally temperamental director. Storming off the set in a snit, Sydney gets lost in the woods, then hitches a ride to a small New England steel town -- where, amazingly, no one seems to recognize her. Curiously enjoying her anonymity, she befriends bowling-alley waitress Joyce (Rebecca Jenkins), who helps her land a job as a nurse at the local steel mill, managed by a handsome, down-to-earth hunk named Ryan (Andrew Jackson). Upon learning that the mill is in danger of demolition at the hands of greedy corporate fat-cats, Sydney vows to save the community's only source of income -- but will the citizens rally behind her if they find out she's been posing as something she's not? Made for the CBS TV network, Catch a Falling Star premiered March 5, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this well-wrought, moving drama from Hallmark Productions, a wife and mother puts her home life on the line when she launches a campaign to keep her ex-boyfriend, a convicted killer, off death row. Pam O'Brien (Sissy Spacek) loved Russell Gates (David Strathairn) in high school, but afterwards, he went to Vietnam and she carried on with her life, marrying Keith (Arliss Howard) and starting a family. When she learns that Russell is about to be executed for murdering a cop and that he is not appealing his case, she visits him in prison. There she is shocked to find a man destroyed by his wartime experiences. She continues her visits and slowly finds herself contending with long unresolved feelings for Russell. Her increased attentions to the jailed man only adds greater tremors to an already shakey relationship with Keith, and for a while Pam is in danger of losing everyone important to her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Actress Deborah Raffin had a hand in the screenplay of this Southern melodrama, set in the Depression. Christopher Reeve plays ex-con Will Parker, who is looking for work in a small Georgia town. The pregnant Elly Dinsmore (Deborah Raffin) has placed an ad looking for a husband to tend her farm and look after her children. Will applies for the job, and proceeds to work as a handy man for Elly. He is anxious to appear respectable, since the local sheriff, Reese Goodloe (J.T. Walsh), is breathing down his neck, anxious for him to break parole. But Will gives him no cause for concern and, as he works Elly's farm, the two slowly fall in love and agree to marry. Will gets a job as a custodian in the library and his life appears to be heading back to normal. But one night in the library, Lula Peaks (Helen Shaver), the local waitress, throws herself at him, kissing him passionately. The following morning, Lula's body is found and Goodloe arrests Will for murder. Out of her love for Will, Elly seeks out a lawyer to defend him at his trial. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

A pair of climbers attempts to scale the world's second-largest and most dangerous mountain in this visually impressive but dramatically weak adventure. Skirt-chasing lawyer Taylor Brooks (Michael Biehn) and sedate family man Harold Jamison (Matt Craven) share a love of risky mountain climbing and embark on numerous collaborative expeditions. During one of these climbs, they encounter a team of fellow mountaineers preparing to tackle the legendary Pakistani mountain K2. Brooks immediately becomes obsessed with this task, and he convinces the reluctant Jamison to join the team. The bulk of the film centers on the dangerous climb and even more challenging descent, beset with challenges both natural and human. Though adapted from a stage play by Patrick Myers, the schematic personal dramas take a back seat to cinematographer Gabriel Beristain's overwhelming landscapes, filmed both on location at the real K2 and on a smaller Canadian peak. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

In this off-beat drama set in Canada, a prison decides that the best way to rehabilitate a particularly troublesome prisoner is to chain him to the wheelchair of a rebellious, bad-tempered young man with cerebral palsy. The government rationale behind this is three fold. First it will help a terribly understaffed nursing home. Second, being chained to a handicapped person may inspire caring in the prisoner and third, it could help to toughen up the patients. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this tuneful teen drama, two disparate high school students, he a street-wise Italian rebel and she a sweet naive Jewish girl, fall in love while preparing for the annual "Sing," a competition between seniors and the other grades attending Brooklyn schools. It is the caring school music teacher who involves the street-tough, for he sees tremendous talent in the youth. With the help of the teacher and the affection of the young woman, the angry youngster, mends his self-destructive ways and makes the annual musical a smashing success. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

An Emmy-winning adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel by the same name, this is a Canadian TV production which follows the life of a feisty young girl who is adopted by a bachelor farmer and his sister who have decided to adopt a boy and have several surprises due them when Anne arrives. Part of a series that goes through her winning a place in their hearts and home, it continues on through her youth and the blossoming of young love. This particular episodes deals with her first tentative encroachments into social functions and dealing with the loss of a loved one. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

Christopher Walken plays a schoolteacher, Johnny Smith, who awakens from a five-year coma. He discovers that he has acquired the ability to foretell a person's future simply by touching his or her hand. After seeing several examples, Smith's doctor (Herbert Lom) becomes convinced that Smith can not only predict the future, but also has the power to change it. This ability is given its severest test when Smith shakes the hand of ruthless political candidate Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen) -- and suddenly has a flash-forward to a nuclear holocaust. The Dead Zone is not only one of the best-ever Stephen King adaptations, but also one of the most consistently successful (and least gory) efforts of director David Cronenberg. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hardcore pornography, sadomasochism, mind control, and living televisions all play crucial roles in Videodrome, one of director David Cronenberg's explorations of dangerous sexuality and technological obsession. The morally questionable hero of the tale is one Max Renn (James Woods), a television executive searching for an intense new program for his sex-oriented network. He ultimately discovers an underground program called "Videodrome," which appears to broadcast pornographic snuff films of actual murders. Horrified but perversely intrigued, Renn sets out to find the truth behind the program. During his search, he meets alluring femme fatale Nicki (Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry), technology cult leader Bianca O'Blivion, and other mysterious figures. Things become even more disturbing for Renn as his addiction grows, and the program begins to infect the outside world -- or perhaps merely destroy own his sanity. Cronenberg mingles his cerebral concerns about the nature of reality in the video age with enough visceral gore (courtesy of Rick Baker) to satisfy the film's intended horror audience. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Alan Arkin plays a hapless architect named Jeffrey Martley, separated from his sprightly writer wife Diana (Mariette Hartley) and his wise-beyond-her-years five-year-old daughter Nancy (Sarah Stevens). When Nancy is injured in Jeffrey's camper, she is taken to the hospital where a misunderstanding leads doctors to believe she is the victim of child abuse. An imperious social worker, Gloria Washburn (Monica Parker), compiles a computer dossier on Jeffrey, and Nancy is taken away from him and put in an orphanage. When Diana finds out the situation, she gets back together with Jeffrey in order to try to get their daughter out of the orphanage. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Adam (George Segal) is an English instructor at a U.S. college who hopes to win a professorship and tenure. Tricia (Glenda Jackson) is an English divorcee. They both wind up on a French ski slope at exactly the wrong time, and in the resulting collision, break one another's legs. While they are slinging ever-wittier insults at each other, they are also falling in love. They soon wed, with Tricia joining Adam back in the States. There, it becomes clear that Tricia was not cut out to be a dutiful, meek professor's wife. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide