Back in 2005, when there was more of a distinction between theater movies and TV movies, longtime television star and second-tier cinematic leading man Tom Selleck began TV movie franchise based on Robert B. Parker’s detective novels. Although formulaic, “Jesse Stone: Stone Cold” benefits from Parker’s rich dialogue, as well as Viola Davis and Mimi Rogers in supporting roles. Selleck gets to play something familiar (a sleuth, this time as a small-town Massachusetts police chief) yet not (one with a drinking problem and a sordid past). It’s good, as far as TV movies go, back when there was a distinction.
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Back in 1998, when not everybody had cable, TNT took a bunch of movie stars and threw them together with a B-list cross between Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds for a film that turns out to be a rom-com hiding inside a legal procedural. “Legalese” stars James Garner (who, admittedly, is also a TV star) as a high-profile L.A. attorney asked to defend a movie star (Gina Gershon) accused of murder. Edward Kerr is Garner’s neophyte protégé. Mary-Louise Parker is Garner’s more experienced protégé and Kerr’s rom-com foil. The rest is dull-edged satire about lawyers, television, journalism and pop culture.
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