Connection
Sonar Entertainment
- Infos
- Best films
If you like this company, let us know!
Foundation date 1 january 1979
Sonar Entertainment, Inc., formerly known as Cabin Fever Entertainment, Hallmark Entertainment and RHI Entertainment, is an American producer of television movies and miniseries, founded in 1979 by Robert Halmi Jr. and Robert Halmi Sr. (1924-2014) as Robert Halmi Incorporated.
In 1988, the Halmis merged their company with Hal Roach Studios to form Qintex Entertainment, named after the Australian company that bought a share in the new venture. After Qintex's downfall, the company's assets were acquired by RHI Entertainment, with New Line Cinema and Chemical Banking Corporation acting as shareholders. Hallmark Cards purchased RHI in 1994 and renamed it to Hallmark Entertainment. In 2006, the Halmis, along with affiliates of Kelso & Company, reacquired the company and revived the RHI name.
In 2007, RHI began offering premieres of its films to digital cable customers of Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Cox Cable and Comcast, via the video on demand service. Also that year, RHI licensed a number of its new movies, miniseries and back catalog titles to global subscribers of Apple's iTunes service.
RHI has an extensive library that includes material from its Hallmark Entertainment and Qintex Entertainment predecessors, including most of the classic Hal Roach library (Topper, Laurel and Hardy, etc.), the Lonesome Dove television franchises, and the theatrical and home video rights to the Our Gang/Little Rascals shorts released before MGM took over the series.
In June 2010, it was revealed that RHI might go bankrupt. The company filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in December of that year. After emerging from bankruptcy in March 2011, Halmi, Jr. left the company. Halmi, Sr. followed suit in February, 2012 and will form a new company. RHI's new management will now focus on "television series and other formats that have not traditionally been central to RHI’s business model."
In March 2012, RHI was renamed Sonar Entertainment.
Filmography of Sonar Entertainment (39 films)
Production
Add to a movie list
The Call of the Wild (1976)
, 1h40Directed by Jerry Jameson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about animals, Films about dogs, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors John Beck, Billy "Green" Bush, René Enríquez, Bernard Fresson, Dennis Burkley, Penelope Windust
Distribution
Black Widow (2008)
, 1h25Directed by Armand Mastroianni
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Crime
Themes Serial killer films
Actors Elizabeth Berkley, Alicia Coppola, Jeremy Howard, Brady Smith, Randall Batinkoff, Tembi Locke
Olivia (Elizabeth Berkley), is young, beautiful, brilliant, and effortlessly charming. She is a dedicated charity worker, responsible for establishing free clinics across the country for poor women. When she meets millionaire Danny Keegan (Randall Batinkoff), the pair soon form a relationship and he falls for her. However, it soon becomes clear that not everyone admires Olivia. Danny’s college friend, Melanie (Alicia Coppola), a photo journalist for the Los Angeles Post, thinks that there is something suspicious about Olivia and soon wants to learn more about the mysterious woman.
Supernova (2005)
, 2h52Directed by John Harrison
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Action
Themes Disaster films, American disaster films
Actors Luke Perry, Tia Carrere, Peter Fonda, Lance Henriksen, Clemency Burton-Hill, Emma Samms
A worldwide scientific conference is taking place in Australia when Dr. Austin Shepard (Peter Fonda) suddenly disappears. Dr. Shepard's colleague, Christopher Richardson (Luke Perry) and other individuals are soon faced with the reality of an impending crisis and an attempt to keep the information from the public. While a full-blown supernova does not occur, explosions on the sun cause massive damage in Australia and in various other parts of the world. During the impending chaos an old enemy of Richardson's wife escapes from prison, and immediately sets out to kill her and her daughter.
Snow Queen (2002)
, 3hOrigin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Adventure
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Children's films
Actors Bridget Fonda, Chelsea Hobbs, Robert Wisden, Meghan Black, Kira Clavell, Daniel Gillies
The film's story is roughly based on Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Snow Queen" but features a number of significant changes. Most prominently are that Gerda and Kai are openly romantically attached to each other, instead of simply being best friends. Another significant change is that the opening and ending portions of the film take place in a modern "realistic" setting, while Gerda and Kai's adventures are dream-like and surreal. It is never explained whether the events experienced by Gerda and Kai really took place.
David Copperfield (2001)
, 3hDirected by Peter Medak
Genres Drama
Actors Hugh Dancy, Sally Field, Michael Richards, Eileen Atkins, Anthony Andrews, Edward Hardwicke
David Copperfield, orphelin de père, est confronté à une dure réalité avec l'arrivée de Murdstone, le fiancé de sa mère, un homme opportuniste et calculateur. Envoyé chez un négociant de vin à Londres, David doit surpasser ses limites et apprendre les cruelles lois de la vie. Pour échapper à cet enfer, le petit garçon quitte la capitale et commence une nouvelle vie pleine de danger et d'amitié.
Prince Charming (2001)
, 1h35Directed by Allan Arkush
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Actors Martin Short, Christina Applegate, Sean Maguire, Andrea Martin, Bernadette Peters, Billy Connolly
On his wedding day, Prince John commits a romantic indiscretion and is cursed by being turned into a frog forever, unless a woman kisses him and marries him within a week. For good measure, his squire Rodney is similarly "frogged".
Voyage of the Unicorn (2001)
, 2h50Origin USA
Genres Fantastic, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about magic and magicians
Actors Beau Bridges, Heather McEwen, Mackenzie Gray, John DeSantis, Kristian Ayre, Mark Gibbon
Dr. Alan Aisling is an antiquities professor who has lost his wife and struggles to keep his daughters' spirits high and his loneliness at bay. His younger daughter Cassie daydreams about the mythical world her illustrator mother left behind in her drawings and annoys her older sister Miranda.
The 10th Kingdom (2000)
, 6h57Directed by David Carson, Herbert Wise
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Themes Films about animals, Films about children, Films about the labor movement, Wolves in film, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Scott Cohen, Ed O'Neill, John Larroquette, Daniel Lapaine, Dianne Wiest
In a hidden realm, fairy tale characters inhabit nine magical kingdoms where an Evil Queen plots to rule them. She is trapped in the Fourth Kingdom Prison under the rule of Prince Wendell; the spoiled, arrogant grandson of Snow White. Weeks before his coronation ceremony, the Queen enlists the help of the brutal Troll King and his three children to release her before the Prince makes his annual visit to the prison.
Rear Window (1998)
, 1h29Directed by Jeff Bleckner
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller
Themes Films about disabilities
Actors Christopher Reeve, Daryl Hannah, Robert Forster, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Ritchie Coster, Anne Twomey
Jason Kemp est un ancien architecte, aujourd'hui tétraplégique. Cloué dans son fauteuil roulant, il passe son temps à espionner ses voisins depuis la fenêtre de son appartement. Lorsqu'un jour Julian Thorpe bat sa femme Ilene, Jason décide d'appeler immédiatement la police. Mais Thorpe est finalement libéré un jour plus tard. Cette nuit-là, Jason entend un cri perçant. Le lendemain, il s'aperçoit qu'eIle n'est plus à son domicile, et qu'elle a semble-t-il été remplacée par une autre femme. Certain de la culpabilité du mari, Jason tente de convaincre sa petite amie Claudia, son infirmier Antonio et son ami Charlie...
Cleopatra (miniseries) (1998)
, 2h57Directed by Franc Roddam
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Historical, Romance
Themes Films set in Africa, Politique, Political films, Films about royalty
Actors Leonor Varela, Timothy Dalton, Billy Zane, Rupert Graves, Sean Pertwee, John Bowe
The film begins in Alexandria with Cleopatra VII, Egypt's rightful Queen, in exile, while her sister Arsinoe and brother, Ptolemy have stolen the throne. Roman general Julius Caesar comes to collect Egypt's tax debt. After conversing with a courtesan, Cleopatra smuggles herself into the palace wrapped in a carpet; a gift from her to Caesar. He accepts the gift and the young queen is revealed to Caesar. The two spend the night together, and the next morning, Cleopatra and Ptolemy are betrothed to marry by Caesar. Shortly after the siblings are wed, Cleopatra is proclaimed Queen of Egypt, forcing Ptolemy to join forces with Arsinoe and drive their sister out of Alexandria.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997)
, 1h35Directed by Michael Anderson
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Submarine films, Pirate films, Films based on science fiction novels
Actors Richard Crenna, Ben Cross, Julie Cox, Michael Jayston, Paul Gross, Patrick Dempsey
Annabelle's Wish (1997)
, 54minutesOrigin USA
Genres Adventure, Musical, Animation
Themes Films about children, Films about music and musicians, Christmas films, Musical films
Actors Jay Johnson, Jerry Van Dyke, Jim Varney, Rue McClanahan, Cloris Leachman, Aria Curzon
The story of the film is based on an old legend, that Santa Claus (or God in the original legend) gives animals the ability to speak on Christmas. The film takes place in a fictional rural farming community named Twobridge somewhere in Tennessee, where a young calf named Annabelle is born on Christmas Eve. Upon meeting Santa Claus, she becomes fascinated with reindeer and their ability to fly, and wishes to fly herself. At the same time, having been granted the temporary ability to speak, she befriends her farmer's grandson, Billy, who suffered from muteness due to a terrible fire at Annabelle's barn one night. Throughout the course of the year, they learn the true value of friendship and learn that with faith and a willingness to overcome great odds, anybody can achieve their dreams. Once Annabelle loses her ability to talk, the ability is permanently given to Billy, who later finds out. At the end of the movie, when Billy's a grown man and is now in love with and married to his childhood friend, Emily, Santa Claus grants Annabelle's wish of flying by turning her into one of his reindeer, returning her ability to speak in the process.
True Women (1997)
, 2h34Directed by Karen Arthur
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Thriller, Action, Historical, Romance, Western
Actors Dana Delany, Annabeth Gish, Angelina Jolie, Julie Carmen, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tina Majorino
The story starts with young Euphemia Texas Ashby (Tina Majorino) and her older sister Sara McClure (Dana Delany). When Euphemia gets back to the house from picking flowers she finds out that Sam Houston is coming to the house. Santa Anna is on his way so they must head east in the Runaway Scrape. While they attempt to cross a river Sara suffers from a miscarriage while her young son Little Johnnie dies in Euphemia's arms. Many other young and old Texans die and Euphemia is almost lost in a sea of graves. After a month and a week, Sam Houston defeats Santa Anna's army and Texas is reborn as the Republic of Texas. They now live in a new home with their horses. Their sisters Fannie and Jane Isabella come to live with them after their father dies at sea. They are very different from Sara and Phemie (Annabeth Gish) and must adapt to their new brutal life.
The Legend of Gator Face (1996)
, 1h39Origin Canada
Genres Comedy, Horror comedy, Adventure, Horror
Themes Comedy horror films, Children's films
Actors John White, Charlotte Sullivan, Gordon Michael Woolvett, Paul Winfield, Pam Hyatt, Scott Wickware
Two friends, Danny (John White), and Phil (Dan Warry-Smith) live in a Mississippi town near a swamp. There is a local legend of a swamp-dwelling creature called "Gator Face". They construct a Gator Face costume by modifying a wetsuit. After scaring most of the townsfolk, the pranks make national news, drawing the attention of the National Guard. Danny soon discovers that Gator Face is real and friendly. After Danny, along with his friends Phil and Angel (Charlotte Sullivan), saves Gator Face from a trap, they realize that Gator Face is protecting the swamps. Danny learns that the National Guard will kill Gator Face if he is caught so the three friends resolve to save the monster. Danny's older brother Chip (Gordon Michael Woolvett) shoots at Danny (while Danny is dressed as Gator Face) with a flare gun and misses when Danny flees into a nearby building. The townsfolk think Danny is the real Gator Face and burns the building with Danny in it, the real Gator Face jumps in and saves Danny but is himself shot. Yet the swamp won't let its defender die, so the fog heals Gator Face and the day is saved.