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Sample: Title; rating (out of 4); principal setting; year of release; international co-producer (if any); cast; description; scriptwriter; director; content warning; running time.
LIAR'S EDGE
* 1/2 setting: Ont.
(1992) David Keith, Shannon Tweed, Joseph Bottoms,
Nicholas Shields, Kathleen Robertson, Christopher Plummer.....Teen
(Shields), scarred by his daredevil father's death and given to hallucinations,
may or may not have witnessed a murder. Decently acted but smarmy
suspenser starts out really slow, then deteriorates deeper into sleaze
and gratuitous violence, lacking interesting characters or much of a plot.
Nice use of Niagara Falls locales. sc./dir: Ron Oliver. - extreme
violence, sexual content, brief male nudity.- 105 min. (video)
LIAR LIAR
* * 1/2 setting: B.C.
(1993) Art Hindle, Vanessa King, Rosemary Dunsmore,
Kate Nelligan, Susan Hogan, Michelle St. John, Janne Mortil, Ashley Rogers,
Philip Akin.....Young girl (King), prone to lying, accuses her father
(Hindle) of sexual abuse, which he denies. As the case goes to court,
the question is: who's lying? Competent, jarringly graphic (and therefore,
arguably, insensitive) made-for-CBC TV film has some good scenes but suffers
because it's too cold and clinical, never getting inside anyone's head.
Manipulative, too, presenting many of the characters in black and white
(good people believe one character, bad people believe the other) making
it unsettling, but not always for the right reasons. Ultimately more
of an intellectual excercise than a human drama. sc: N.J. (Jane)
Isaak. dir: Jorge Montesi. app. 93 min. (video)
LIBERTY STANDS STILL
* 1/2 setting: USA.
(2002) (/Germany/U.S.) Linda Fiorentino, Wesley Snipes,
Oliver Platt, Martin Cummins, Hart Bochner, Jonathan Scarfe, Ian Tracey,
Brian Markinson, Jeff Seymour, Roger R. Cross, Tanya Allen.....American
arms manufacturer executive (Fiorentino) is held hostage at long distance
in the middle of a busy park by a sniper (Snipes) with an agenda. A respectable
cast in this seeming well intentioned stab at a socio-political tinged
suspense flick. Starts out promising, but quickly just starts to drag,
not really succeeding as a thriller, nor as a polemic (it's hard to even
be sure what the point is, given that Snipes' actions are so reprehensible).
Too bad. And did I just misunderstand the dialogue, or did the filmmaker
not seem to realize that Tiananmen Square ended tragically in a massacre?
Despite the best of intentions, the most interesting things about it are
Fiorentino's cleavage (and which seems to vary from shot to shot) and the
fact that this came out before "The Phone Booth" -- the Hollywood
film about a man held in one spot by a sniper, which also wanted to be
as much a morality tale as a thriller. U.S. actors Fiorentino, Snipes and
Platt (as her morally ambiguous husband) are most of the show, with the
Canadians in relatively small, thankless parts. sc./dir: Kari Skogland.
- violence.- 96 min. (video)
LIBERTY ST. (TV Series)This TV series started out as the campy TV movie X-rated, but after that film received generally bad reviews, went for a more realistic, understated style when it became a series, keeping some actors and re-casting others. Now, you may ask, if it needed such a major overhaul, why did it get the go-ahead to be a series? Answer: hey, this is Canada folks! Slick, likeable and mildly entertaining, with a good cast (particularly Bissonette, who was largely the show's heart and soul...but he was gone by the 2nd season) but the series was rarely what you'd call...gripping. Created by Linda Schuyler (of Degrassi fame). Theme song by the Cowboy Junkies. Two seasons of half-hour episodes (about 24) on the CBC. |
LIE WITH ME *
1/2
(2005) Lauren Lee Miller, Eric Balfour, Polly Shannon,
Ron White, Kate Lynch, Don Francks, Kristin Lehman.....A young woman
(Miller), who glides from one night stand to one night stand, begins an
affair with a man (American Balfour) but isn't sure how to react when it
threatens to become more than just a meaningless sexual relationship. Take
an ex-super powered mutant, one American
perpetually supporting actor, add a visually lyrical but sometimes narratively
challenged director, and get them to make one of those movies which is
intended to shock and provoke with its sexually graphic love scenes (from
"Last Tango in Paris" to "9 Songs") -- and what do you get? A moody film
that does, indeed, manage some eroticism, at least at first, but starts
to drag as the not altogether fathomable, underwritten characters never
really make us care about them...or understand their motives. Superficially
effective performances, but even then... (Miller plays most of her scenes
as if her character is perpetually stoned). Yet another Canadian movie
that assembles a respectable supporting cast...then wastes them in nothing
parts, often with only a handful of lines! Yes, that is Mayko Nguyen standing
beside Shannon during some of the rave scenes. There's plenty of nudity
from the two leads, explicit sex, and heavy breathing, delivered with sumptuous
atmosphere, so on that level, it's fine. But it wants to be more, and that's
where it seems more, um, impotent. sc: Tamara Faith Berger, Clement Virgo
(from Berger's novel). dir: Clement Virgo. - male and female nudity, explict
sexual content.- 92 min.
LIES MY FATHER TOLD ME
* * * setting: P.Q.
(1975) Yossi Yadin, Len Birman, Marilyn Lightstone,
Jeffrey Lynas, Ted Allan.....Story of a young boy (Lynas) in the '20s
who adores his ragman grandfather (Yadin), much to the chagrin of his father
(Birman), an unscrupulous, would-be inventor with get-rich-quick schemes.
Engaging serio-comic film which, despite the run-into-the-ground "growing
up" genre, manages to be fairly fresh with a good sense of time and place.
Though some scenes are a little over the top. Won the Best Picture
Etrog. sc: Ted Allan. dir: Jan Kadar. - brief female nudity, sexual
content.- 102 min. (video)
THE LIFE *
* setting: B.C.
(2004) Bruce Greenwood, Brian Markinson, Alisen Down,
Nancy Sivak, Duncan Fraser, Terry Chen, Ian Tracey, John Cassini, Katharine
Isabelle, Nicholas Campbell.....Day-to-day life of a couple of compassionate
inner city Vancouver beat cops (Greenwood and Markinson) and the various
junkies they're trying to help; and how the cops decide to make a video
record of the junkies' lives. Earnest, undoubtedly well intentioned made-for-CTV
flick...but, ultimately, it ain't really a movie. Too little in the way
of a consistent plot/narrative, or character development, as though the
filmmakers kind of just wanted to do a documentary, but thought it'd be
easier to do it with actors and a script. But despite a decent cast (Down
is particularly good as one of the junkies) it never evokes that neo-realism
that some of the NFB docudramas of the 1980s managed. Made by some of the
people behind the CBC's DaVinci's Inquest, and
good intentions aside, it's not convincing enough to be a pseudo-documentary,
nor fictional enough to be good drama. And since the film is based on the
real life documentary, Through a Blue Lense, one might ask: what's
the point of doing a fictional docudrama essentially recreating a real
documentary? Received the Best Script Gemini. sc: Alan Di Fiore, Chris
Haddock. dir: Lynn Stopkewich. 91 min.
LIFE AFTER LOVE see Vie apres l'amour
THE LIFE AND HARD TIMES OF GUY
TERRIFICO * * * setting: CDN./USA.
(2005) Matt Murphy, Natalie Radford, Kris Kristofferson,
Donnie Fritts, Phil Kaufman, Jordan Prentice, Lyriq Bent, Merle Haggard.....Faux-documentary
chronicling the short career of a fictional Bob Dylan-esque early '70s
Canadian country-rock legend (Murphy). Surprisingly authentic-seeming mockumentary
isn't quite an out-and-out spoof ala "This is Spinal Tap" in that, though
funny, and sometimes absurdly so, there are also aspects that function
more straight. And with interviews with real life celebrities (including
Ronnie Hawkins, Levon Helm, Blue Rodeo) reflecting on Guy, there's also
an aspect of a real documentary (when Kristofferson reflects on his first
time playing before a huge audience, one assumes he really is speaking
from the heart, or when Hawkins repeats what he supposedly told Guy about
life on the road...that really is what Hawkins is supposed to have said
to members of The Band). The result may be a film that kind of evolved
in mid-production, but is ultimately both an amusing satire and a nostalgia-tinged
look back at a fertile-if-tumultuous time in musical culture -- think of
it as one part parody and one part paean, with a refreshingly Canadian
twist. Surprisingly convincing performances from the ostensible non-actor
interviewees (you might not even realize that Guy's supposed manager, Phil
Kaufman...isn't an actor, but a real manager), and helped by the fact that
Murphy is a real musician, lending credibility to the concert and recording
scenes. Some effectively Dylan-esque tunes (often only heard in snippets)
add to the illusion. Though some of the actors, like Radford as his wife,
aren't sufficiently made up in the contemporary interview scenes to quite
convince you they're supposed to be in their 50s! sc./dir: Michael Mabbott.
86 min.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF EDWIN ALONZO BOYD * * * setting: CDN. (1982).....Gordon Pinsent hosts this documentary on the notorious fifties bank robber, and plays him in monologue sequences. Good little made-for-TV film is helped by its fascinating subject matter. Pinsent is almost better playing Boyd than himself. Years later, Boyd's story was re-told as a full-out big screen dramatization as Edwin Boyd. sc: Les Rose, Barry Pearson (from the book The Boyd Gang by M. Lamb and B. Pearson). dir: Les Rose.
THE LIFE BEFORE THIS*
* setting: Ont.
(1999) Catherine O'Hara, Joe Pantoliano, Sarah Polley,
Stephen Rea, Emily Hampshire, Alison Pill, David Hewlett, Jacob Tierney,
Jennifer Dale, Bernard Behrens, Fabrizio Filippo, Martha Burns, Joel Keller,
Leslie Hope, Alberta Watson.....A shoot out at a coffee shop leaves
many innocent bystanders dead; then the movie jumps back in time, showing
the day's events that led various characters to be there. Except
the shoot out is (slightly) different at the end of the film than it is
at the beginning, presumably demonstrating the movie's oft repeated idea
of how random life can be...except we don't know in what specific ways
the characters' actions over the course of the film -- leading to the shoot
out at the end -- diverge from what they did that led to the shoot out
at the beginning. You following all that? Sort of interesting concept,
and arguably well intentioned and even cathartic (coming a few years after
a well-publicized shooting at a Toronto coffee shop), and it boasts some
good scenes. But overall, it's slow moving and cuts between some only mildly
interesting stories to some, frankly, kind of dull stories, diffusing whatever
momentum it has. Nothing really goes anywhere or resolves, nor is it clear
what events impact on what (like why characters do things differently
to make the beginning "end" and the end "end" different). A movie where
they had a concept...but not necessarily an idea what to do with it. Dale
appears unbilled. sc: Semi Chellas. dir: Jerry Ciccoritti. 91 min. (video)
LIFE CLASSES *
* 1/2 setting: N.S.
(1987) Jacinta Cormier, Leon Dubinsky, Frances Knickle,
Mary Izzard, Jill Chatt.....Pregnant woman (Cormier) leaves her home
town for the big city, has the kid, then trys to earn a living as a model
for an art class where she begins to stretch her own artistic skills.
Watchable but a somewhat muddled little drama, hurt by huge time jumps.
So-so performances, though Dubinsky is good. sc./dir: Willaim D.
MacGillivray. - female and male nudity.- 117 min.
THE LIFE OF CHARLES PATHE see Voila le cinema
LIFE WITH BILLY *
* 1/2 setting: N.S.
(1993) Stephen McHattie, Nancy Beatty, Ted Dykstra,
Matthew Ferguson, Nancy Marshall, Andy Jones, Hollis McLaren.....True
story of Jane Hurshman (Beatty) who killed her husband (McHattie) while
he slept after years of physical and emotional abuse. Restrained
handling of a potentially sensationalistic subject in this undoubtedly
well-intentioned made-for-CBC TV drama. But films like this are difficult
to rate: not entertainment, but neither does it offer any insights beyond
what you could read in an article...and if you need a feature-length recreation
to understand the horrors of domestic violence (and torture) then it's
questionable whether you'll ever get it. It received Geminis for
Best Actress (Beatty), Actor (McHattie) and Director. sc: John Frizzell,
Judith Thompson (from the book by Brian Vallee). dir: Paul Donovan. - violence.-
100 min.
LIFELINE TO VICTORY
* * setting: CDN./other
(1993) Michael Riley, Simon Reynolds, Michael Hogan,
Henry Czerny, Robyn Stevan, David Hemblen, Elizabeth Marmur, Adrian Hough.....A
run-down Canadian ship and her untried crew must escort supply vessels
through the Atlantic and past German subs during W.W. II. Respectable
cast and (for Canada) unusual subject matter, but this made-for-Global
TV film never becomes more than a history lesson. Attempts at characterization,
plot and suspense have the right idea, but don't go far enough. A
movie that isn't willing to be a movie! sc: Tony Sheer (partly inspired
by the book The Sea is at Our Gates by Tony German). dir: Eric Till.
app. 91 min. (video)
LIGHTHOUSE *
* 1/2 setting: B.C.
(1991) Deborah Wakeham, Ryan Michael, Stephen E. Miller.....Couple
whose relationship is in trouble (Wakeham and Michael) rent a house on
a deserted island, where they are watched and hear ghostly voices.
Standard gothic suspense-drama is well-done but unexceptional. An
O.K. time waster. sc: Boon Collins with Stanley Park, Dan Vining,
Deborah Wakeham (story Daniel D. Williams). dir: Paul Tucker. - sexual
content, brief female nudity.- 90 min.
|
(1991) (/U.S.) * * 1/2 Wings Hauser ("Matthew Alan Coltrane"), David Stratton ("Winston Chruchill Staples"), Guylaine St. Onge ("Marie Joan Jacquard"), Marc Gomes ("Zaid Abdul-Rahmad").....Action-thriller about an elite, multinational strike-team called in for various missions (despite the military fatigues, the stories ranged from the to-be-expected action plots -- infiltrating a neo-Nazi compound, etc. -- to more investigative stories -- looking into mysterious deaths at a research base, etc.). Unusual, this multi-national team really was supposed to be multi-national: Hauser played an American, Stratton a Canadian (that's right, a Canadian series that actually had a Canadian character!), St. Onge a Frenchwoman, and Gomes, in the series' most atypical move, played an Islamic Egyptian. And the characters were treated as equals! Not, perhaps, a great series, nonetheless this was surprisingly...O.K. A good cast (headed by American actor Hauser, with everyone else Canadian) supported by decent badinage and stories that, though rushed for the half-hour, even tried to be thoughtful. Much better than the higher profile Counterstrike. One season of half-hour episodes in syndication. |
LA LIGNE DE CHALEUR *
* 1/2 setting: P.Q./USA.
(1988) Gabriel Arcand, Simon Gonzalez, Gerard Parkes,
Charlotte Boisjoli, Gerard Poirier.....Troubled man (Arcand) takes
his young son (Gonzalez) with him to Florida to pick up his dead father's
body, and their already cool relationship becomes even more strained.
Interesting, moody, well-acted but somewhat pointless drama. English
title: The Heat Line. sc: Micheline Lanctot, Hubert-Yves Rose.
dir: Hubert-Yves Rose. 95 min.
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