James Shavick Movies

Private Investigator Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) realizes that his latest job may well be his last when he accepts his partner's request to help identify the anonymous philanthropist responsible for donating millions of dollars to a local youth center. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Her latest heist having gone horribly awry, a professional thief heads back to her quiet hometown in order to maintain a low profile, only to find herself recruited to watch after her young nephew and nice when her sister is stranded in a tropical storm and unable to make it home for Christmas. Cate Dove (Shannen Doherty) isn't exactly the kind of woman most folks would hire to watch after their kids. In fact, the only reason she's come returned to her hometown of Comfort, Connecticut is to avoid the authorities after botching an elaborate jewel heist and getting stabbed in the back by Clive (Conrad Coates), her once-faithful partner-in-crime. Upon receiving word that her sister is stuck on an island in a tropical storm and won't be able to catch a flight out for days, Cate reluctantly agrees to look after her nephew Parker and her niece Annie. But familial responsibilities quickly take a back seat to criminal scheming when Cate realizes that her sister's quaint little neighborhood is a virtual treasure trove just waiting to be mined by such a resourceful criminal as herself. But just as Cate begins to craft the perfect plan to take the locals for all they're worth something strange begins to happen. Could it be that the thief who once thrived on the chaos of the city is finally growing accustomed to small town life? As Cate reconnects with her friends and family while developing a playful relationship with handsome local sheriff Hank (Ty Olsson), she begins to wonder if it's finally time to give up her life of crime and as herself what really matters most in life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

When a keen-eyed scientist discovers that a large asteroid is currently on a deadly collision course with the planet Earth, she must seek the help of a military outcast to jump into action and save humanity from annihilation in a tense, end-of-the-world thriller starring Rae Dawn Chong, Antonio Sabato, Jr., and Michael Moriarty. Dr. Madison Kelsey (Chong) has made a terrifying discovery, but time isn't on her side and in order to prevent the largest disaster ever known to man she is going to have to act fast. Though ex-military scientist Richard Donovan (Sabato, Jr) may be able to help, he is still reeling after being ejected from the armed forces due to his homosexuality. There's little time for old grudges in these final days, however, and when Dr. Kelsey and Donovan agree to work together for the good of mankind, the rest of the world waits with baited breath to receive word of their ultimate fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this direct-to-video horror outing, Ashley (Siri Baruc) is a troubled teenager who has been given to episodes of suicidal depression thanks to the cruel treatment she receives from her parents. Ashley runs away from home and tracks down her sister, Leslie (Leah Cairns), who runs a dance club on the outskirts of town with a handful of her friends. But Leslie and her pals are not typical club kids -- they've been transformed into "thralls," creatures who are half vampire and half human, by the evil Mr. Jones (Lorenzo Lamas), and the club exists in order to lure in hipsters to provide fresh blood. Frustrated by the fact they don't command the full powers of a vampire, Leslie and her friends have hatched a plot to move Mr. Jones out of the picture and become fully vested bloodsuckers, and when Ashley arrives, they decide to use her as part of their scheme. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

There are those who might describe the made-for-cable What Lies Above as a distaff variation of the Sylvester Stallone theatrical feature Cliffhanger. Still grieving over the death of her husband in a rock-climbing accident, mountain guide Diana Pennington (Nicole Eggert) eagerly accepts a job from industrialist Curt Seaver (Marc Singer). It seems that Seaver wants to use sophisticated satellite technology to locate the body of Diana's late hubby. But upon reaching the treacherous Snowman's Pass, Diana realizes that Seaver and his two sinister-looking associates Tyler (George Stults) and Hugo (Stephane Henchoz) are actually looking for a downed enemy spy satellite--and she will be disposed of once they succeed in their quest. The rest of the film pits Diana's "mountain smarts" against the high-tech weaponry of the three bad guys. Filmed on location in British Columbia, What Lies Above premiered over the Lifetime channel on November 8, 2004; it has since been rebroadcast under the title Snowman's Pass. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Uwe Boll's Heart of America: Homeroom is a drama about a massacre on the final day of the school year. The last day of school contains many problems for teachers and students alike. The principal must discipline an English teacher (Michael Paré) who has let his professional frustrations get the better of him, student Dara needs to score from the drug dealing Wex (G. Michael Gray), and a foursome of cruel athletes continues to torment the losers and nerds. Unbeknown to everyone else at the school, the eternally picked upon Daniel (Kett Turton) and Barry (Michael Belyea), as well as a third accomplice, are extensively armed and plan to unleash their fury on the school right after final bell. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Tracey Gold stars as Nell Swanson, unjustly convicted of murder and serving a long prison sentence. In order to secure a parole, Nell agrees to join a tough forest firefighting unit, having been trained for such dangerous work while "in stir." Among her new colleagues is an abrasive Brooklynite (Ellen Dubin), a stalwart Native American (Nathaniel Arcand), and the ill-tempered "smoke eater" (Alexander Walters) with whom Nell had trained. In a rapidly paced climax, Nell not only must parachute into a raging forest conflagration, but must also rescue her own long-estranged daughter. Filmed on location in British Columbia, Wildfire 7: The Inferno debuted (with an astonishing lack of publicity) on the PAX network on November 1, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In her first major project following her exit from the daily talk show Live With Regis and Kathie Lee, Kathie Lee Gifford makes a courageous effort to utterly demolish her established "nice lady" image. Spinning Out of Control! stars Gifford as a spoiled, temperamental TV sitcom actress named Amanda Berkeley. As she runs roughshod over her coworkers and fights a losing battle with drug and alcohol addition, Amanda proves to be an exceedingly painful thorn in the side of her faithful press agent Marty (Howie Mandel), who manfully tries to maintain "spin control" with the press and public. Since this film is essentially a comedy, Amanda will eventually experience an epiphany -- but not before accidentally torching her own home. Made for television, Spinning Out of Control! was first broadcast by the E! Entertainment cable channel on March 18, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A first feature from the man best known as the host of the hugely successful reality-TV series Survivor, Jeff Probst's twisty thriller is centered around the world of card-playing and con men. A street artist, Tepper (Erik Palladino), finds a wallet outside his apartment building one rainy New York night and phones a number he finds inside. He finds out it belongs to Avery Phillips (James Earl Jones) but notices it contains a lottery ticket worth six million dollars and foolishly tells his garrulous pal Fishman (Matthew Lillard). On the night of their poker game, two more men enter the equation: Quigley (Ryan Reynolds), a divorced sad-sack, and Bolan (Dash Mihok). After Tepper phones him, Avery decides to sit in on their game, unaware that Tepper has his winning lottery ticket. As their game progresses, Tepper's sense of ethics is put to the test, as are the loyalties of the men at the game. Robert Forster co-stars as a street cop thrown into the proceedings, and Carly Pope appears as Tepper's longtime girlfriend Carla. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi