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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.
RABID
* 1/2 setting: P.Q.
(1977) Marilyn Chambers, Frank Moore, Joe Silver,
Howard Ryshpan, Patricia Gage, Susan Roman, Robert O'Ree.....A skin
graft on an accident victim (Chambers) gives her a vicious appendage under
her armpit, a hunger for human blood, and the side effect of spreading
a rabies-like epidemic. Cronenberg's 2nd major release seems, in many respects,
just a (slightly) bigger budget remake of his first (Shivers)
and continues his George Romero fixation. Slow, largely characterless,
and downright silly at times (thanks to Moore and Ryshpan's poker-faced
delivery) and not particularly scary. Silver delivers a nice performance
though and look for Miguel Fernandes, Louis Negin and a host of other then-largely-unknown
faces in bit parts. Chambers is better known as an American porn actress
who was trying to go mainstream...if one can call Cronenberg mainstream.
sc./dir: David Cronenberg. - extreme violence, partial female nudity.-
91 min.
RACE FOR THE BOMB (TVMS)
* * * * setting: other/USA.
(1987) (/France) Miki Manojlovic, Jean-Paul Muel,
Denis Manuel, Tom Rack, Maury Chaykin, Peter Dvorsky, Michael Ironside,
Denis Forest, Rosemary Dunsmore, Geza Kovacs.....Fact-based epic about
the events leading to the creation of the atomic bomb during W.W. II, and
on into the fifties -- focusing on Edward Teller and Leo Szliard (Manojlovic
and Muel) initial friends who come to represent political opposites. Quite
simply, this CBC film is one of the best mini-series ever produced, anywhere.
Something this wordy, technical and potentially confusing has no right
to be as riveting as it is, but the focus is always on the human drama,
with elements of the mythic. Thought-provoking, superbly acted (despite
awkward dubbing of the foreign stars -- though well-acted by the voices
of David Calderisi, Chuck Shamata and others) with humour and wonderful
human touches. Arguably the best version of what is an oft-told story --
interestingly, most interpretations choose to focus on Robert Oppenheimer
and General Groves (here played by Rack and Chaykin) such as the U.S. productions
"Fat Man and Little Boy" (film), "Oppenheimer" (PBS mini-series) and "Day
One" (a U.S. TV movie which was filmed in Canada and co-produced by a Canadian
company but still falls short of qualifying for this site). Another Canadian-made
take on the same events was Hiroshima. 6 hours.
Superb in either hour or two hour segments. dir: Allan Eastman, Jean-Francois
Delassus.
RACE TO FREEDOM: The Underground
Railroad * * * setting:
USA.
(1994) (/U.S.) Janet Bailey, Courtney B. Vance, Michael
Riley, Ron White, Dawnn Lewis, Glynn Turman, James Blendick.....Story
of a couple of escaped slaves (Bailey and American Vance) in the 1800s
and those who help and those who hinder them as they flee across the U.S.
to freedom in Canada. Drama starts out a bit drily but picks up. The inherent
power of the story carries it over occasional obviousness. American actor
Tim Reid co-executive produced and has a cameo. sc: Diana Braithwaite,
Nancy Trites Botkin, Peter Mohan, story Braithwaite and Botkin (loosely
inspired by the novel Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker).
dir: Don McBrearty. 93 min.
RACE TO MARS (TVMS)
* * *
(2007) (/France) Michael Riley, Lothaire Bluteau, Pascale Bussieres, Frank Schorpion, Claudia Ferri, Kevan Ohtsji, Ron Lea, Macha Grenon.....A six person, international expedition makes the first manned space journey to the planet Mars and back, to collect water samples for evidence of possible life -- weathering crises and malfunctions along the way. Made for The Discovery Channel, going in one can suspect this mini-series is intended as a (quasi)-realist exploration of its speculative scenario...as opposed to some fantasy/sci-fi adventure (no Martian princesses, no mystical obelisks). And the result could, frankly, be kind of dull -- an educational procedural more than an "adventure/drama". And, at times, it can seem like just a check list of various plausible crises the characters have to deal with (power shortages, hull damage, etc.) as though based on a NASA report on the problems of manned space flights. Yet, to its credit, does start to work. A generally good cast (all-Canadian despite playing international roles) playing sympathetic, reasonably nuanced characters, with time for development of character conflicts/friendships -- with Bluteau particularly memorable as an aloof intellectual. Moody and quite atmospheric, with some genuine tension and suspense (particularly in the second half when a mysterious illness threatens the crew, creating dissension). Decent budget and effects (the Martian landscape looks like an effect...but that adds to its eerie otherworldliness). Lags here and there, but ultimately draws you in -- with enough soap opera and pulpy suspense to make it entertainment. Granted, the conceit of doing a semi-"realistic" speculative science drama isn't unique, having been done before and since (including by Canadians, such as the earlier Escape from Mars and shortly after, Defying Gravity), all usually with their own technical gaffs and inaccuracies (this being no exception). And even pulpier sci-fi flicks will work in some of these sorts of scenes, anyway, making it perhaps not quite as original as it's supposed to be. Still, perhaps the best compliment you can say about it is, once you've seen it -- you can find yourself surprised it wasn't better publicized and isn't better known! 4 hours. sc: Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens. dir: George Mihalka.
RACE TO MIDNIGHT *
* setting: Ont.
(1985) John Tench, April Johnson, Simon Richards,
Patrick Myles, Austin Schatz.....Young man (Tench) stumbles across
some money, which he decides to keep, unaware that it belongs to some very
nasty crooks. Shoe-string suspense-drama has some O.K. performances and
good ideas. A better than average Emmeritus-CHCH production. Filmed on
video. sc: Dave Toms. dir: Peter McCubbin.
Rafferty's Rules, a novel by W. Glenn Duncan, was the source for the third Snake Eater film
RAFALES *
* setting: P.Q.
(1990) Marcel Leboeuf, Denis Bouchard, Claude Bouchard,
Guy Thauvette, Remy Girard, Raymond Legault.....After a robbery goes
wrong, a novice crook (Leboeuf) wanders hopelessly through Montreal during
a Christmas blizzard, followed by an ambitious reporter (Bouchard) hoping
to exploit things for his career, leading, eventually, to a hostage taking.
Suspense-drama starts out moody, but is ultimately too slow moving and
too thinly developed. The basic ideas are fine...but hardly unique. It's
basically a character drama where, by the end, you don't really feel like
you know the characters. English title: Blizzard. sc: Denis Bouchard,
Marcel Leboeuf, Andre Melancon. dir: Andre Melancon. 84 min.
THE RAFFLE
* * setting: USA.
(1994) Nicholas Lea, Bobby Dawson, Jennifer Clement,
Jay Underwood, Mark Hamill, Teri Lynn Rutherford, Alex Bruhanski, Babz
Chula.....Three friends (Lea, Dawson and Clement) try to become rich
with a world-wide contest to find the most beautiful woman, then
selling raffle tickets for a date with her. Meandering and kind of sexist
comedy (despite frequent denials) isn't egregiously bad, but it isn't very
funny either. It's also a study in dichotomies: slick-looking with decent
performances and globe-hopping montage sequences...yet clumsy with dialogue
not synced in spots and props falling over (though Dawson's coin add-lib
is pretty inspired), and when Lea relates some statistics on a talk show
-- the numbers are reversed (which may haave been an editing mix-up)! So
is this an expensive film, marred by incompetence, or a low-budget one
raised up by professionalism in the face of fiscal adversity? As well,
the film's generally a PG affair...except for a couple of seemingly inserted
montage sequences of naked women. Notable as perhaps the only mainstream
Canadian film in which is glimpsed the female genitals. sc: John Fairely.
dir: Gavin Wilding. - female nudity.- 102 min.
RAGTIME SUMMER
* * setting: Ont.
(1977) (/U.K.) David Warner, Honor Blackman, Trudy
Young, Lois Maxwell, Tim Henry, Cec Linder, Jon Granik.....A British
conscientious objector (Warner) takes a job at a rural Ontario prep school
after W.W. I and falls in love with the headmaster's daughter (Young).
Drama is nicely rooted in its time and place, but despite some good ideas,
including a love triangle and politics, seems kind of rambling with the
characters not sufficiently fleshed out. Obvious budget problems are reflected
in some choppily edited scenes. Maxwell has just a bit part. Music score
composed by Lucio Agostini . sc: Ratch Wallace. dir: Alan Bridges. - partial
female nudity.- 97 min.
RAIDER OF THE SOUTH SEAS*
* setting: other
(1990) (/New Zealand) Martin Henderson, Rachel Crowther,
Dean O'Gorman, George Buza, Andy Anderson, Roy Billing, Pete Smith, Ruth
Springford..... During W.W. II in New Zealand, the appearance of a
mysterious old ship causes a town, and some kids, to worry about spies.
So-so family film is never quite as exciting as the mix of period, location,
and "Hardy Boys"-like story would suggest, though thoughtful undercurrents
dealing with racism are admirable. Probably plays better, and more coherently,
as 8 half-hour episodes of a mini-series, from which this film was edited
together. sc: Roger Simpson, Chris Hampson. dir: Chris Bailey. 102 min.
RAIDER OF THE SOUTH SEAS (TVMS) see Raider of the South Seas
The Rainbow Bar and Grill see Short Films
THE RAINBOW BOYS *
1/2 setting: B.C.
(1973) Donald Pleasence, Kate Reid, Don Calfa.....A
trio of losers (Brit Pleasance, Canuck Reid, American Calfa) reluctantly
go in search of a gold mine. Dull, predictable and somewhat abrasive comedy
never clicks, despite a cast that's game. Pleasence is especially good.
sc./dir: Gerald Potterton.
RAMONA (TV Series)A gimmickless, but nicely done, light-hearted limited TV series. Based on the books by Beverly Cleary. Some episodes are available on video. 15 half-hour episodes. |
THE RANCH
* setting: Alt.
(1988) Andrew Stevens, Gary Fjellgaard, Lou Ann Schmidt,
Bruce McInnes, Marlene Fedorah.....Down-on-his-luck,
New York yuppie (Stevens) inherits an Alberta ranch, and its inhabitants,
and decides to turn it into a back-to-nature health spa. Somewhat obnoxious,
weakly acted comedy. sc: Neil Gordon, Madeline Hombert. dir: Stella Stevens.
96 min.
RANDOM ENCOUNTER
(1998) Elizabeth Berkley, Joel Wyner, see Tales
of Intrigue
THE RANDOM FACTOR
*
1/2 setting: Ont.
(1995) Andrew Divoff, Dennis Hayden, Gloria Pryor,
William Richert, Victoria Morsell, Reeko, voice of Dan Aykyroyd.....After
a scientist's (Divoff) rejuvenating invention saves his life, he finds
he perceives words in reverse and fears he's been relocated to a mirror
reality. Meanwhile, bad guys want his device for sinister purposes. Oddly
ambitious (given it's really low-budget) science fiction comedy-thriller
suffers because the comedy is more often just awkward and clumsy...and
so are the drama-suspense aspects, with the usual low-budget film problems
of uneven performances (though Divoff and Richert -- as a sci-fi writer
he befriends -- are O.K.) So why is it that Canadian filmmakers often tackle
big, ambitious, fantasy ideas when they don't have much money...yet the
filmmakers who are working with decent budgets tend to just do parochial,
kitchen sink dramas? Filmed in Ottawa. sc: Tristan Russell, Bryan Michael
Stoller. dir: Bryan Michael Stoller. - violence, sexual content, brief
female nudity.- 94 min.
RANDOM PASSAGE (TVMS)
* * * setting: Nfld./other
(2002) (/Irish) Colm Meaney, Aoife McMahon, Deborah
Pollitt, Daniel Payne, Darragh Kelly, Mary-Lynn Bernard, Mike Daly, Michael
Sapieha, Michelle Rex, Jessica Pare, Ryan Black.....Saga of Irish and
British immigrants who arrive in a tiny Newfoundland fishing port in the
18th Century (so small, the arrival of one family literally doubles the
population). Atmospheric, handsomely mounted drama generates a genuine
epic feel and, despite some of the cloyingly earnest press releases, does
a decent job of straddling the needs to be a respectful, critically-approved
historical drama, and something of a soap opera which, particularly as
it goes along, throws in a few secrets and illicit affairs. Powerfully
acted (particularly Irish actress McMahon who, apparently, was only fresh
out of drama school!), though some of the Newfoundland accents may be out
of place on characters that aren't supposed to be Newfoundland-born. The
rugged, breathtaking scenery threatens to overwhelm the story and characters
at times. However, for an 8 hour epic with only a finite cast, many of
the supporting characters aren't well defined (it's even hard to keep track
of who's related to whom) nor do even the principals (with the exception
of McMahon's character) really evolve much, despite the story spanning
a couple of decades. Lots of plot threats just kind of fizzle out, too.
Still, it's a whopping 8 hours, and remains consistently watchable throughout.
McMahon received the Best Actress Gemini. sc: Des Walsh (from the novels
Random
Passage and Waiting for Time by Bernice Morgan). dir: John N.
Smith. - sexual content.-
|
(2016-) * * 1/2
Luke Roberts ("Eric Beaumont"), Sarah Greene ("Maxine Carlson"), Brandon Jay McLaren ("Oliver Yates"), Nazneen Contractor ("Zara Hallam"), with Emma de Caunes ("Nathalie")
.....Mystery-suspense about a crack American private team of professional negotiators who travel the globe to resolve hostage situations (think of it as a less intense, more genteel version of Flashpoint, with the emphasis on people in suits rather than flak jackets). Roberts plays the head of the organization, Greene plays the new team member, becoming his second-in-command and acting as the audience's "in" into the premise (though with her hair dyed red and cut the way it is, she looks curiously like Jane Levy). Contractor and McLaren round out the regular cast. The latter two are Canadian, the former two British -- but they all play American characters. De Caunes plays a French agent and "Eric"'s ex-wife.
Supposedly inspired by a real person/organization (and so kind of reminiscent of the U.S. series "Lie to Me" -- also about a private organization brought in to consult on crimes and inspired by a real person/company) the result is a bit bland. It's not an especially terrible series -- it's just not especially good or memorable, basically seeming like any of a zillion throwaway detective series made over the last few decades. The episodes are clippy enough with twists and turns, but the actors are fine without being inspired, the characters barely fleshed out, and the dialogue a bit clunky and obviously expositional. To be cynical, given this is essentially an American series (co-created by American Frank Spotnitz with David Vainola) but made with international partners, one might suspect the only reason they needed Canadian and French money was because they had been turned down by most Hollywood studios. With that said, sometimes it's the middling TV shows that are the most popular, offering innocuous "comfort food" after a hard day at work -- and it is decently-paced and slick-looking. It's an inarguably "American" series for a supposedly international co-production. Even though the four leads are all non-American actors -- they play Americans, and the series could basically be defined as "white American super-capitalist saves the world" -- an increasingly uncomfortable clichéd mythology in the era of Donald Trump. Hour-long episodes shown in Canada on Global.
|
RARE BIRDS *
* setting: Nfld.
(2002) William Hurt, Andy Jones, Molly Parker, Leah
Lewis, Bryan Hennessey, Greg Malone, Sheila McCarthy.....A melancholic
rural Newfoundland restauranteur (American actor Hurt) is persuaded by
his eccentric best friend (Jones) to claim a rare bird was seen in the
area, in order to attract bird watchers and bring business to his failing
restaurant; as well as roping him into various other bizarre -- and sometimes
illegal -- schemes. Whimsical -- occasionally surreal -- comedy has a great
"concept" premise, some nicely conceived scenes, and an agreeable cast...and
it should've been great. But too many Canadian comedies fall into one of
two camps: either they're too frenetic and over-the-top, or they're too
slow, even somnambulant. And this leans toward the latter, almost collapsing
under its lethergic pacing, and with director Gunnarsson often filming
his actors in medium and long shots, when comedy is often reactive. He
doesn't always seem to realize a story should be told through, and
about, a character, something even the script has trouble with. Why Hurt's
character is the way he is, and given to substance abuse, is never answered...nor
even asked, really. And the sort of romance between him and Parker is hurt
a little by their age discrepency. It's a cute, even clever, movie at times,
but it's not funny enough to score as just a non-think comedy, but isn't
cohesive enough to get by on its story. Too bad. American Hurt does a better
maritime accent than Canadian Parker. sc: Edward Riche (from his novel).
dir: Sturla Gunnarsson. - casual male nudity.- 101 min.
RATS a.k.a. Deadly Eyes
RATS & RABBITS *
1/2 setting: CDN.
(2000) (/France) Carole Laure, Nigel Bennett, Veronique
Le Flaguais, Paul Ahmarani, Tom Barnett, Andrew Tarbet.....Story of
various eccentric misfits -- including a demented doctor (Bennett) involved
in experiments -- who live in a slum, and events that occur following the
mayor's disappearance/murder in the area. Surreal, absurdist flick with
the actors running about, acting weird and quirky in disconnected weird
and quirky scenes...and the filmmakers seem to assume the humour will take
care of itself. But it doesn't for the most part. Or maybe it's meant to
have a serious sub-text. Hard to say. Might have an audience...but not
a very large one. An undercurrent of violence and brutality, even for a
black comedy, is more off-putting than anything. Laure was also one of
the producers. sc: Lewis Furey, Pascal Arnold (from the play "Beyond Mozambique"
by George F. Walker). dir: Lewis Furey. - extreme violence, partial female
nudity, sexual content.- 91 min.
THE RAY BRADBURY THEATER (TV Series)This TV series went through a number of backers (representing a number of countries) over a surprisingly small number of episodes but to no avail: the scripts were often too thin to fill out a half hour and were presented so solemnly, so pretentiously -- not to mention clumsily -- as to be downright boring. The episodees made in Canada pretended they were in the U.S...giving some idea as to the producer's mentality. The main actors were sometimes actual Canadian and Europeans, but mainly imported Americans and varied from the usual TV actors and no-stars to legitimate stars like Peter O'Toole. As well, the New Zealand-filmed episodes actually provided the series with one of those before-they-were-famous appearances that can make an anthology fun years later, with Lucy Lawless appearing in the episode "Fee, Fie, Foe, Fum" prior to gaining international celebrity as "Xena: Warrior Princess" (Michael Hurst, co-star of the companion series, "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys", also appeared in principal roles in a couple of episodes). The first three episodes (among the better ones) were released to video as The Bradbury Trilogy -- apparently, so were the next three (featuring O'Toole and other mainly imported actors), but that second anthology doesn't appear to have been as well distributed in Canada. Best bets: "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" with Michael Ironside as a murderer obsessed with his fingerprints; the carnival-set "The Dwarf" (an episode, ironically, criticized by Bradbury) with Miguel Fernandes and Megan Follows. 65 Half-hour episodes. The first six episodes (three each in '85 and '86), were made for the commercial-free U.S. cable network HBO and as such are edited slightly for time reasons (not content) when aired on commercial TV. The remaining episodes were made for commercial TV in the States. In Britain the episodes were apparently aired as part of a pre-existing anthology series. In Canada, all episodes were originally aired on First Choice (now The Movie Network) and subsequently re-aired on Global. - violence- |
THE RAY BRADBURY TRILOGY a.k.a. The Bradbury Trilogy
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