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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.
MORE TEARS (TV Series)Finkleman (who wrote, directed and produced) was given carte blanche by the CBC to create a new project after the surprise critical and commercial success of his sitcom The Newsroom. This was the result. Proponents (and flak catchers) were quick to argue that it was better, more sophisticated, and more edgy than the similar The Newsroom...and anyone who didn't think so was just dumb. Hmmm. Unfortunately, saying doesn't make it so. Everyone agreed the big laughs were no longer in evidence, but the problem was, the media/political satire wasn't any more perceptive or cutting than in The Newsroom and, in fact, it seemed almost less so at times, with some pretty broad delivery, lack of character-insight, and claustrophobic direction. Finkleman's fascination with European and Fellinesque art films was also much apparent, leading to vacuous sequences of him wandering around, squinty-eyed and poker-faced, bedding woman half his age (story elements that seemed more narcissistic than anything)...and can a comedy (or a drama, which this more closely resembled) really work when the main character is a blank slate, unimpacted on by events around him? To be fair, Finkleman probably genuinely thought he was doing a cutting edge satire detailing the decline of Western Civilization, but he only rarely succeeded, with the best sequences being Alianak's coffee house political monologues (Alianak, too, played a middle-aged guy bedding nubile young things). Though Finkleman played "George Findlay", TV news producer, he claimed it wasn't the same George Findlay he'd played in The Newsroom. Huh? Three half-hour episodes and one 90 minute episode (which probably means 6 half-hours) and the first episode was shown without commercials, making it literally about 30 minutes long. Shown on the CBC. |
Morgentaler: A Difficult Hero, the biography by Catherine Dunphy, served as the source for the TV movieChoice: The Henry Morgentaler Story
MORNING *
* 1/2 setting: Ont.
(1990) Michael Hannigan, Andrea Moodie, Dawn Gilmour,
Kris Ryan, Maria Piccoli, Cynde Harmon, Michael Kennedy.....A man (Hannigan),
arriving at a cottage on an island, discovers it inhabited by two mute
women (Moodie and Gilmour) -- victims, unbeknowst to him, of government
mind experiments. Low-budget drama is O.K. if you're looking for atmosphere
over story. Benefits from Hannigan's performance (and Moodie and Gilmour
are fine too, not that their roles give them much to do). Curiously, no
scriptwriter is listed. dir: Darek Banasik. - female nudity.- 80 min.
MORNING GLORY
* * 1/2 setting: USA.
(1993) Christopher Reeve, Deborah Raffin, Lloyd Bochner,
Nina Foch, Helen Shaver, J.T. Walsh.....Story of the relationship between
an ex-convict (Reeve) and a reclusive single mom (Raffin) in the Southern
U.S. at the end of the Depression. Atmospheric, nicely acted drama starts
out fine but bogs down a little in the last half-hour (ironically, when
it gets more melodramatic) with a tired trial sequence. sc: Deborah Raffin,
Charles Jarrott (from the novel by Lavyrie Spencer). dir: Steven Hilliard
Stern. - sexual content, brief female nudity.- 96 min. (video)
THE
MORNING MAN * * * setting: P.Q.
(1987) Bruno Doyon, Kerrie Keane, Alan Fawcett, Mark
Strange, Rob Roy, Damir Andrei.....Convict (Doyon) escapes from prison,
intending to stay free for one year and prove to himself that he can go
straight. His former partners, however, have trouble seeing it his way.
Fine made-for-CBC TV suspense/drama is based on a true story. sc: Clark
Wallace. dir: Daniele J. Suissa.
THE MORRISON MURDERS
* * 1/2 setting: USA.
(1996) John Corbett, Jonathan Scarfe, Maya McLaughlin,
Gordon Clapp, Tanya Allen, Alex Carter.....A small town Georgia family
is murdered in their home, and the authorities suspect one of the remaining
sons, much to the consternation of the eldest (American Corbett). One more
made-for-TV "shocking true story" is slick and oddly watchable in a non-think
way, as long as you don't mind inconsistent characterization and just the
overall sordidness of such enterprises -- movies like this are not made
for social relevance, to expose important facts, or even to enlighten about
famous incidents (who in Canada had even heard of the case?). They are
made to exploit human misery and serve it up as a Sunday's entertainment
by writers, directors and producers with nothing better to do. As Corbett's
wife, McLaughlin's performance and character works best, but Corbett is
too often opaque and his role not well delineated. sc: Keith Ross Leckie.
dir: Chris Thomson. 87 min.
MOSQUITO LAKE (TV Series)This TV series about cottage life just never managed to be funny, with stand-up comic McDonald's broad style seeming unsuited to an acting role and the talented Redican wasted in a supporting part as his dimwitted buddy. Half-hour episodes originally on the CBC. |
MOTEL *
* 1/2 setting: USA.
(1998) Scott McCord, Martine Charron, Frank Bonner,
Earl Pastko, Jacob Tierney, Len Carlson, Tamara Bick, Gerry Quigley.....A
good natured crook (McCord) witnesses a murder while staying at a motel,
wrestles with his conscience since he can't go to the police, and eventually
decides to take the law into his own hands. Quirky serio-comic pic has
trouble sustaining enough narrative momentum to carry it over the dull
spots, but eventually emerges as a refreshingly clever, amusing little
effort. Not an unqualified success (it needed tightening), but worth sticking
with. It's another one of those Canadian movies with a split personality:
Parker-the-writer throws in Canadian gags (like the hero muddling the Lord's
Prayer and the national anthem) but Parker-the-director makes sure the
currency is American and the Sheriff uniforms and has a token American
actor (Bonner in a thankless part but, like the rest of the cast, he's
good). sc./dir: David Parker. - partial female nudity, violence, sexual
content.- 95 min.
MOTHER LODE *
* * 1/2 setting: B.C.
(1982) (/U.S.) Charlton Heston, Nick Mancuso, Kim
Basinger, John Marley .....Couple (Mancuso and Basinger), searching
for both a missing friend and a gold mine in the remote B.C. mountains,
encounter a mysterious and menacing gold prospector (Heston). Off-beat
suspenser, maligned by critics, benefits from breathtaking scenery, good
performances (particularly Mancuso), ambience and more than a few heart-pounding
moments. Pulpy, old fashioned fun. Fraser (who also produced) is Chuck's
kid. sc: Fraser Clarke Heston. dir: Charlton Heston. - violence.- 101 min.
(video)
THE MOTHERLODE OF THE YUKON see The Adventures of Smoke Belliou
"Mother Variations" a play by Aviva Ravel, became the movie Mothers and Daughters
MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
* *
(1992) Mary Peach, Claire Sims, Rebecca Nelson, Gordon
Day, Aaron Tager, Libby Barrett, Rachelle Nelson.....Story of the conflicts
that arise when an independent-minded widow (Peach) finds her middle-aged
daughter (Nelson), teen-aged granddaughter (Sims) and baby great-granddaughter
move in with her. So-so drama might've been better, but the scenes are
often flatly directed and the characters largely unappealing. sc: Linda
Jarosiewicz, Larry Kent, additional dialogue William Marsden (from the
play "Mother Variations" by Aviva Ravel). dir: Larry Kent. 86 min.
MOUNT ROYAL *
* setting: P.Q.
(1989) (/France) Patrick Bauchau, Domini Blythe, Jonathan
Crombie, Guylaine St. Onge, Catherine Colvey.....The exploits of a
wealthy Montreal family: business man father (Bauchau), reporter daughter,
entrepeneur son, etc. This pilot to the short lived CTV series doesn't
really come together as a movie onto itself, but deserves credit for trying
to suggest one doesn't have to be J.R. to be a successful business man.
Bauchau has a lot of charisma. sc. ... dir: Mario Azzopardi. app. 97 min.
(video)
MOUNT ROYAL (TV Series)So-so TV series kind of needed some sort of narrative thrust and never did create an opulent ambience. Still, the idea of a rich guy who didn't believe money was the bottom line and a family that actually got along was a refreshing contrast to Empire, Inc. and U.S. shows like "Dallas". Filmed in Montreal and France. One season of hour-long episodes (including the two-hour opener, reviewed separately) originally on CTV. |
MOUVEMENTS DU DESIR*
* * setting: CDN.
(1994) (/Switzerland/France) Valerie Kaprisky, Jean-Francois
Pichette, Jolianne L'Allier-Matteau, William Jacques, Mathew Mackay, Elise
Guilbault.....Two people, a single mom (Kaprisky) and a man (Pichette)
meet and begin to fall in love on a train trip from Montreal to Vancouver.
Moody, sensual, quietly compelling and, ultimately, engaging romantic drama
with good performances and dialogue. Pool's best film, and certainly her
most accessible...though still given to pretentious dream sequences and
visuals. But at least they aren't a substitute for story or character this
time around. English title: Desire in Motion. sc./dir: Lea Pool.
-- partial female nudity, sexual content.- 997 min. (video)
MOVING MALCOLM
* * setting: B.C.
(2003) Elizabeth Berkley, Benjamin Ratner, John Neville,
Jay Brazeau, Babz Chula, Rebecca Harker, Nicholas Lea, Linda Sorensen.....A
man (Ratner), still not over being jilted by his ex-fiance (American actress
Berkley), reluctantly agrees to help move her ailing father (Neville) into
a new apartment while she's out of town. Comedy-drama is meant to be bittersweet...but
ends up far more bitter than sweet. One can't decide whether actor-turned-writer-director
Ratner is trying to find humour in unfunny matters (the decrepitude of
age, dysfunctional relationships, heart break, the mentally handicapped)
-- which is probably good -- or whether he aactually sees humour
in it -- which is probably bad. The movie seems like it knows what it wants
to be, but can't figure out how to achieve it, so a lot of scenes seem
more like place holders to fill out the running time, while characters
and their relationships (which is what the movie's about!) don't entirely
come into focus, and the resolution is both predictable and disappointing.
A few scenes (like the one with Neville and Ratner on the dock) click,
but are too few and far between. Some nice performances (particularly Neville),
though people like Lea and Sorensen have little to do. But Ratner, the
actor, may not be bringing out the elements that Ratner-the-writer intended.
sc./dir: Benjamin Ratner (his directorial debut). - sexual content; brief
female nudity.- 82 min. (video)
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