One Magic Christmas

• Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen (MELVIN AND HOWARD) gives a solid performance as Ginny Grainger, a young mother who rediscovers the joy and beauty of Christmas, thanks to the unshakable faith of her six-year-old daughter Abbie (Elizabeth Harnois) and Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), Ginny's very own guardian angel. Ginny's wondrous experience will touch your heart and warm your soul in

CROSS CREEK - DVD MovieAcademy Award® winner* Mary Steenburgen and Roddy McDowall star in a pulse-pounding thriller in the tradition of the legendary master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. "You'll find yourself on the edge of your seat" (Los Angeles) with this bone-chilling tale of deception, blackmail and murder in which no one is who they seem to be and any mistake could be your last. When actress Katie McGovern (Steenburgen) is summoned to an isolated estate for a screen test, she finds that her mysteri! ous hosts, Mr. Murray (McDowall) and Dr. Joseph Lewis (Jan Rubes), have plans for her'that have nothing to do with acting! And when the deadly money-making scheme erupts in a firestorm of double-crosses and cold-blooded murder, Katie realizes she has only one chance at survival: She must turn the tables on her enemies by giving the performance of her life! *1980: SupportingActress, Melvin and HowardThis unofficial remake of the minor film noir classic My Name Is Julia Ross stars Mary Steenburgen as an out-of-work actress lured to the mansion of a crazy millionaire (Roddy McDowall). Once there, she realizes she has been kidnapped and is being groomed to play someone else. While eerie and unsettling, this 1987 film is also wrapped in a thick, anachronistic melodrama, making it hard to see the movie as anything but an instant artifact. The question is, why did director Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde) have anything to do with it? On the plus side, McDowall is quit! e creepy as an elegant psychopath. --Tom Keogh Award-wi! nning ac tress Mary Steenburgen (TV's JOAN OF ARCADIA, HOPE SPRINGS) gives a solid performance as Ginny Grainger, a young mother who rediscovers the joy and beauty of Christmas, thanks to the unshakable faith of her six-year-old daughter Abbie (Elizabeth Harnois) and Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), Ginny's very own guardian angel. Ginny's wondrous experience will touch your heart and warm your soul in the timeless tradition of past Disney favorites. ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS fulfills all your most treasured Christmas fantasies. Share it with those you love.Grab an econo-pack of tissues, gather your loved ones around a cozy television, and bring on the hot cocoa--it's time for a dose of Christmas spirit. The tender and charming Mary Steenburgen (Parenthood) dons a sour disposition in her role as Ginny Grainger, a woman who finds little joy in life lately--let alone in the impending holiday season. Money is tight, her husband (beautifully downplayed by nice-guy Gary Basaraba) lost hi! s job, and the family must move out of their house. Ginny cannot even bring herself to say, "Merry Christmas," despite her family's enthusiasm about the big day. With help from Ginny's brave and loving daughter (sweetly performed by Elisabeth Harnois) and a Christmas angel named Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), Ginny undergoes a life-altering experience à la It's a Wonderful Life. The result? Happy endings, hugs and kisses, pass the tissues.

Not a light holiday entertainer by any means, the plot verges on depressing at times, as the family struggles through money issues and the tedium of daily suburban survival. While handled fairly subtly, some of the bridging story--including a shooting, a kidnapping, and a drowning--might prove disturbing to children under 6 years old. And really: if the somber Harry Dean Stanton (Paris, Texas) repeatedly appeared in your neighborhood, cloaked in a cowboy hat and overcoat, would you allow your kids outside? S! till, a well-made favorite to cherish. --Liane Thomas