The Four Diamonds (1995) TV ~Review by Jennifer

When I was looking up the date on IMDB to see how old this movie was, I couldn’t believe that it was from 1995! That means I was only about 15 years old when I accidentally stumbled upon it on the Disney channel, and I am now 26 and enjoy the movie just as much!

Based on a true story, this movie chronicles approximately three years in the life of Christopher Millard (played by Thomas Guiry). I believe he was only 12 years old when diagnosed with a brain tumor. After undergoing a summer of chemotherapy, Chris Millard begins junior high and is assigned an essay in which he must write about his summer vacation. Instead of writing about his summer vacation, he begins writing the story of young knight Millard (also played by Thomas Guiry, shocker!) who is on a quest to obtain the four diamonds of Courage, Wisdom, Honesty, and Strength from an evil witch.

The movie moves back and forth between Chris’ real life battle with cancer, and his fictional story. The main characters are his mom Irma (played by Jayne Brook of Chicago Hope and also who I just saw a few months back on Everwood), his dad Charles (played by Kevin Dunn), his sister Stacie (Sarah Rose Karr), and his oncologist Dr. Burke (played by Christine Lahti, also of Chicago Hope). He writes each of the people closest to him into his story, and they either help or hinder his journey toward the four diamonds. His triumphs and struggles in this journey reflect his triumphs and battles in his fight against his cancer.

By far the best part of this movie is Thomas Guiry’s portrayal of Christopher Millard. This movie would not have been nearly as powerful with a lesser actor, but Thomas portrays the heartbreaks that Chris experiences with almost painful realism, and when I watched it I had to keep reminding myself that I was not watching the true Christopher Millard who was terminally ill, but an actor who was perfectly healthy! Christine Lahti is also thoroughly enjoyable, as the doctor afraid to get too attached to her patient, but also as the evil witch who tries to foil his attempts at the four diamonds. The witch speaks only in rhyme, and if these lines are directly from Christopher Millard’s story, I have to say his writing was extremely talented and clever for such a young man. It’s a pity he did not have the chance to write more.

Apparently this movie is hard to come by these days because I think Disney no longer has the rights to it (and my VHS copy is hardly watchable anymore…), but if anybody knows how to get ahold of it I would strongly recommend this movie. It is thoroughly enjoyable, addresses the significant topic of a family trying to stay strong in the midst of an ordeal with childhood cancer, and as I already said it boasts an inspiring performance by Thomas Guiry.

The Sandlot-Review by Kelly

This movie is a classic!  I remember watching it when I was a little girl.  Tom plays Scotty Smalls, a nerdy little boy who just moved to a new neighborhood.  He starts playing baseball with a group of boys-they are all super adorable!  Eventually, they have to take on "The Beast," an evil dog who eats baseballs....and boys!!  I LOVE The Sandlot!  Tom's character is a sweety, and this movie is a great story about friendship.
~PS-I HATE baseball, but this movie still kicks ass!


Lassie-Review by Kelly

When I was a little 12 year old girl, Tom's "punk-ass" character was like the sexiest, coolest person ever!  Matthew Turner, with is pierced ear and bad-boy attitude, is one of my favorite roles Tom's ever played.  Matt's family moves to a rural town and picks up a new dog, Lassie, on the way.  It's your typical Lassie storyline, but it's totally cute!  I love how Tom tries really hard to not like Lassie.  Seriously-how can you resist that adorable dog?!  Some great fight scenes in this movie too!  I highly recommend it....though, not for little 5 year old girls.  I remember seeing a preview for this movie when I was 5, and thinking, "Wow.  This looks awful!  That boy has shaggy hair and is SO wierd looking."  Ha!  But seriously, what a fun movie!


Strangers With Candy-Review by Kelly

OK-Tom's role in this movie is maybe 2 minutes long.  But it is SO worth renting the movie!!  I almost peed myself laughing!  I can't give anything away-go see it for yourself!  The rest of the movie is hilarious too, especially if you're like me and love Stephen Colbert.  The movie is really stupid though, so if you aren't into stupid comedies, you might not like it.


Strike-Review by Kelly

I still use that line, "Up your ziggy with a wah-wah brush!"  It is just fabulous and perfect for any situation!  Great movie, especially for teenage girls.  Tom plays the sexy, popular, private boys school stud.  And he plays it SO well!  Might I add as well that he has a shirtless scene..Yay!  Of course, I'm not a fan of Tom for just his good looks.  He always gets so into the role, it seems like he really is his character.  I totally fell for Frosty :)  Kirsten Dunst, you are one lucky girly!!