Mill Creek Ent., 185 mins; Not Rated; Amazon

Does anyone remember the countless miniseries that aired on network television and cable channels throughout the 1990s?

Well, I remember them. Miniseries were the big "events" for television back then. Nowadays, miniseries have long since disappeared, except for the few campy ones on cable. 

Recently, I watched Jack London's Sea Wolf: The Complete Mini-series DVD, which was released earlier this year from Mill Creek Entertainment. Directed by Michael Barker, the two-part miniseries stars Sebastian Koch, Neve Campbell, Stephen Campbell Moore, and Tim Roth. 

Based on the 1904 novel The Sea-Wolf by Jack London, the 2009 miniseries centers on the harsh captain of the seal hunting schooner the "Ghost," Wolf  Larsen (played by Sebastian Koch), who rescues a castaway poetry critic, Humphrey Van Wyden (played by Stephen Campbell Moore) from the high seas. Humphrey quickly learns that Wolf is a horrible captain, who puts him and the rest of the crew through hell.

The Ghost comes across another castaway, a beautiful woman named Maud, who had barely escaped the clutches of Wolf's crazed brother, Death (played by Tim Roth). After falling in love, Humphrey and Maud escape on a rowboat in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, they will once again intertwine with both Wolf and Death in a final confrontation.

Mill Creek Ent., 171 minutes; $14.98

Do you remember watching those low-budget Hallmark-produced television miniseries?

Well, I do! I have fond memories of watching campy miniseries on network television and cable channels during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s (aka - during my childhood). Miniseries are pretty much a thing of the past now, though a new one does show up on cable once in a great while.

Anyway, the only reason why I'm talking about miniseries, is because I watched Jules Verne's Mysterious Island a few nights ago. It's a 2005 miniseries that aired on the Hallmark Channel, and as you can probably tell by the title, it's based on the Jules Verne's 1874 novel "Mysterious Island," which is a crossover sequel to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and In Search of the Castaways. Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the miniseries on DVD. There are no special features or bonus extras, but the DVD does come with a Digital code that can be redeemed at www.milcreekent.com/redeem.

Directed by Russell Mulcahy (Highlander 1 & 2), the miniseries centers on Captain Cyrus Smith (played by Kyle MacLachlan), his ex-slave Neb (played by Omar Gooding), a nurse named Jane and her teenage daughter Helen (played by Gabrielle Anwar and Danielle Calvert), and a thief named Pencroff (played by Jason Durr) escaping a Confederate prison camp by stealing a hot air balloon. Eventually, the balloon crashes on a uncharted island in the Pacific, the exact same island that occupies the mad inventor Captain Nemo (played by Patrick Stewart).

To survive on the island, Cyrus and company have to outrun giant-size creatures and battle pirates who are searching for buried treasure.

Mill Creek Ent.; Not Rated; 354 minutes; $14.98; Amazon

Now available on a 2-disc DVD set from Mill Creek Entertainment is the Hans Christian Andersen Double Feature, featuring the 2001 2-part mini-series Hans Christian Andersen: My Life As A Fairytale and the 2002 2-part mini-series Snow Queen.

Produced by Hallmark Entertainment, Robert Halmi, SR., and Robert Halmi, JR., Hans Christian Andersen: My Life As A Fairytale was directed by Phillip Saville. It stars Kieran Bew, Emily Hamilton, James Fox and Simon Callow.

The real Hans Christian Andersen created many fairy tale classics, such as The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, Princess And The Pea, The Ugly Duckling and The Emperor's New Clothes. The mini-series is a fictionalized biography starring Kieran Bew in the title role, where the viewers get a glimpse of author's younger years. At the same time, his fairy tale characters are weaved into the story.


Snow Queen is based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" and is produced once again by Robert Halmi, JR. and Hallmark Entertainment. Directed by David Hu, the film stars Jeremy Guilbaut, Chelsea Hobbs and Bridget Fonda.

Mill Creek Ent.; Not Rated; 190 minutes; $14.98; Amazon

I have always ignored films, mini-series and television series that have a historical setting in the 1600s and 1700s. I can't explain it, but those eras just never appealed to me. However, after getting addicted to Starz's Outlander in 2014, I'm now trying to give these types of productions a try; which lead me to review The Devil's Mistress.

Originally titled "The Devil's Whore", it was a four-part British mini-series that aired in 2008. It was later retitled as "The Devil's Mistress" when it was released to the United States in 2011 as two 2-hour episodes. In early August, Mill Creek Entertainment released the mini-series to DVD, but it's been edited to 190 minutes (shown in two parts).

Written by Peter Flannery and directed by Marc Munden, the mini-series stars Andrea Riseborough, John Simm (Life on Mars), Michael Fassbender (X-Men flicks), Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who), and Dominic West.

Set during the English Civil War, The Devil's Mistress centers on the fictional character Angelica Fanshawe (played by Andrea Riseborough), a young woman who is forced to marry her cousin Harry (played by Ben Aldridge). Their marriage isn't great, but she tries to make the best of it. Harry gives up his manor to the enemy, which was the worst thing he could do as the King Charles I (played by Peter Capaldi) has him killed by a firing squad.


After her husband's death, Angelica is kicked out of her home and is forced to live on the streets as a beggar. Eventually, she decides to take her life into her own hands and joins the rebellion. She later marries Thomas Rainsborough (played Michael Fassbender), a former Royal Navy captain turned Roundhead. However, despite being in love with Rainsborough, Angelica must deal with her feelings for her friend  Edward Sexby (played by John Simm).

177 minutes; NOT RATED; Amazon

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is one of the most popular horror novels, though in reality the book is less horror and more of a Gothic-romance. Since it's first publication in 1818, the novel has been adapted into plays, books, cartoons, films and television mini-series. The most popular being the Universal Pictures' monster flicks in the 1930s and 40s.

Now available to own from Mill Creek Entertainment is the 2004 Hallmark 2-part mini-series Frankenstein. Directed by Kevin Connor, the mini-series starred Alec Newman, Luke Goss, Julie Delpy, William Hurt, Ian McNeice and Donald Sutherland.

Frankenstein centers on Victor Frankenstein (played by Alex Newman), a young man who has been obsessed with death ever since he was a child. After his mother (played by Julie Delpy) dies of scarlet fever, he is determined to attend the University of Ingolstadt in Germany to learn everything he can about science.

Upon arriving at the school, Victor is mentored by Professor Waldman (played by William Hurt), who sees great potential in him. However, after witnessing the death of a dog that brings back a bad childhood memory, Victor begins to tamper with electricity in the hope it will bring life back from the dead.

Shutting himself off from his friends and family, Victor begins his experiment by stealing body parts from a cemetery; resulting in his "creature" being nearly eight feet tall. Shortly after bringing the "creature" (played by Luke Goss) to life, Victor becomes repulsed by his creation and flees from his laboratory. When he later returns, the "creature" has disappeared.