John Sheppard Movies

When a small-town teen becomes convinced that her new next-door neighbor is a lycanthrope, she calls on a popular television action star to dispatch the beast in this tale of terror featuring Kevin Sorbo. Sixteen year old Loren (Nina Dobrev) sensed that there was something sinister about her handsome new neighbor Jared (Peter Stebbings) from the very beginning. Unfortunately no one else around town seems to agree with Loren's assessment that Jared is in fact a werewolf who only exposes his true form under the light of the full moon. Now, as the stubbornly ignorant locals begin falling prey to a mysterious beast, Loren turns to television action star Redd Trucker (Sorbo) in hopes that he will believe her outlandish tale and display the same brand of bravura that made him a small screen superstar while doing battle with a real life monster. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this telemovie spinoff of the popular series MacGyver, the titular hero (Richard Dean Anderson) - an astonishingly resourceful scientist ere-equipped with his trusty Swiss Army Knife - embarks on an Indiana Jones-style quest to find the lost treasure of Atlantis. Brian Blessed, Sophie Ward and Christian Burgess co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

In this actioner, two teenagers find themselves drawn to a life of crime. They begin by doing a little shoplifting and soon become wanted felons. As the two young lovers race towards the border they are gunned down and die. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Jackie Chan takes a break from police thrillers featuring kung-fu and wild stunts to star and direct this action-adventure yarn featuring kung-fu and wild stunts. Chan plays Jackie, aka the Asian Hawk, an Indiana Jones-style adventurer looking to make a fortune finding exotic antiquities. After discovering a mysterious sword in Africa, a band of Satan-worshipping monks kidnap Jackie's ex-girlfriend Lorelei (Rosamund Kwan), demanding as ransom the sword and other pieces of the legendary Armour of God -- a reportedly magical outfit dating back to the Crusades. He manages to get the objects in question from wealthy collector Bannon (Bozidar Smiljanic), and together with Bannon's daughter May (Lola Forner) and, of course, Hong Kong rock star Alan (Alan Tam), the three head out to rescue Lorelei. When they do, they discover too late that she has been brainwashed. She drugs Alan, taking him and the armor back to the monastery. Jackie is forced to take on an army of satanic monks single-handedly. This film is perhaps best remembered as the shoot that almost killed Jackie Chan. While jumping from one tree to another, he slipped and plunged almost 40 feet landing on his head. True to hallowed Hong Kong tradition, that outtake along with dozens of others is included at the end of the film. This film was released in the States under the misleading title Operation Condor 2: The Armour of the Gods, even though the supposed original Operation Condor was made four years afterwards. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

The curiously neglected A Dream to Believe (aka Flying) can be summed up as a distaff Rocky. Olivia D'Abo is starred as a teen-aged girl who dreams of becoming a top gymnast. Human, emotional and financial roadblocks do not dissuade D'Abo, nor do her own severe physical shortcomings. You can see the ending come a mile away, but there'll still be tears in your eyes. Filmed in Canada, A Dream to Believe enjoyed a second life in video stores thanks to the presence in the cast of a pre-stardom Keanu Reeves. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mania is an "omnibus" film courtesy of Canadian director Paul Lynch. If you haven't heard of Lynch, you might be familiar with some of his films: Prom Night, Bullies, Humongous. This 1986 effort is a TV-style horror anthology (very likely intended for small screen) concerning four separate terror stories, united by a gritty urban setting. The film runs 120 minutes, a bit too attenuated for its subject matter. The cast of Mania is comprised of Canadian actors who are best known in the U.S. for their voice-over contributions to Saturday morning cartoon shows: Deborah Grover, Stephen B. Hunter, Lenora Zenn, Wayne Robson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

American Nightmare would seem to have been inspired by the 1979 George C. Scott feature Hardcore. In that film, Scott was a midwesterner who discovered that his beloved daughter was appearing in X-rated movies. In Nightmare, we find young Lawrence S. Day in search of his sister Lora Staley. His odyssey takes him into the seamiest recesses of the porn and prostitution scenes in the Big City. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi