B-Ba
Go to Bottom
Sample: Title; rating (out of 4); principal setting; year of release; international co-producer (if any); cast; description; scriptwriter; director; content warning; running time.
BABAR: The Movie *
* * setting: other
(1989) (/France) voices of Gavin Magrath, Sarah Polley,
Gordon Pinsent, Chris Wiggins, Stephen Ouimette.....Babar, the elephant
king, tells a tale of how, when younger, he saved his city from the evil
rhino army. Babar does Indiana Jones (or Scrooge McDuck) in this entertaining
animated adventure featuring the famous pachyderm and spun-off from the
CBC TV series. The animation is simple but effective and there are even
a few songs thrown in. Some might consider it a little hawkish but not
considering how nasty many "classics" are (at least no one dies in this
one!). Another Babar movie was made a few years later. sc: Peter
Saunder, John de Klein, J.D. Smith, Raymond Jafelice, Alan Bunce (whew!).
dir: Alan Bunce. 70 min.
THE BABY FORMULA *
* setting: Ont.
(2007) Angela Vint, Megan Fahlenbock, Rosemary Dunsmore, Jessica Booker, Dmitry Chepovetsky, Roger Dunn, Michael Hanrahan, Hal Eisen, R.D. Reid, Matt Baram.....Story of a lesbian couple who both get impregnated by an experimental technique combining their DNA -- so they conceive without need of male sperm -- and of their dealing with the ups and downs of pregnancy, and their somewhat dysfunctional in-laws, all recorded by a documentary crew. Mockumentary has fine performances, and Vint and Fahlenbock are engaging enough, and it even boasts a "concept" hook. All of which makes it frustrating that the end result is uneven. It's a comedy-drama, but the comedy isn't that funny (aiming more often just to be cute or light-hearted) and though there are some good dramatic scenes...others are mishandled, or the potential just kind of frittered away as though inconsequential. Most of the characters, with the exception of Dunsmore as Vint's mom, aren't any different by the end than they were at the beginning! It starts off with its speculative gimmick...but is mainly low key slice-of-life and could just as easily be about a straight couple, more about the hiccups of pregnancy (ironically, written by a male screenwriter!) and the in-laws issues. It has some good elements...but struggles to justify its running time, or to fully morph into a movie rather than an expanded short and simply the sum of its parts. sc: Richard Beattie. dir: Alison Reid. app. 90 min.
BABY JOHN DOE *
* 1/2 setting: USA.
(1985) Jayne Eastwood, George Millenbach, Janet-Laine
Green, Geoffrey Bowes, Helen Hughes, James Loxley, Ken James, Chuck Shamata.....When
the parents (Bowes and Green) of a new-born downs syndrom child refuse
to permit a life saving operation, a nurse (Eastwood) decides to take the
matter into her own hands. Issue-oriented drama suffers from obviousness
and a few weaker performances, but ultimately squeaks by on brisk pacing.
But it plays like a For the Record episode,
and would have been better shorter. Look for TV anchor Noelle Richardson
as a reporter. And why does even a low-budget, not-particularly commercial
Canadian movie still feel the need to be set in the States??? a.k.a. The
Kidnapping of Baby John Doe. sc./dir: Peter Gerretsen. 91 min.
BABY ON BOARD
* setting: USA.
(1992) Judge Reinhold, Carol Kane, Geza Kovacs, Alex
Stapley, Holly Stapley, Conrad Bergeschneider, Lou Pitoscias, Jason Blicker,
Vito Rezza, Al Bernardo, voice of Errol Slue.....Big hearted New York
cabbie (Reinhold) trys to reunite a kid with her mother (Kane) who's on
the run from mobsters (headed by Kovacs). Some nice performances and one
cute scene (where the kid's hiding in the back seat) in this cheapo suspense-comedy
can't compensate for interminable chase scenes and really unfunny gags.
sc: Damian Lee, James Shavick (story Doug Moore). dir: Francis A. Schaeffer.
91 min.
BABYFACE *
* setting: Ont.
(1998) Lenore Zann, James Gallanders, Elisabeth Rosen,
William Dunlop, Richard McMillan, Sharon Corder.....Story of some very
damaged people: an unstable, single mom (Zann), and her boyfriend (Gallanders)
and the destructive love triangle that forms when the boyfriend falls for
her fourteen year old daughter (Rosen). Gritty, slow moving drama can inspire
a certain ambivalence. It boasts some compelling scenes, often with minamalist
camera work and relying on the actors and the script. Zann and Gallanders
are particularly good; Rosen tries admirably hard to capture the body language
of her character, but is too obviously older than the part. But ultimately,
you're kind of left to say: "And...?" Is it trying to be a searing, earnest,
social drama...or just a particularly sordid film noire melodrama? It seems
to want to be unsettling with its portrait of damaged people, under-age
sex, and even child molestation, but ends up more unsavory and distasteful
than anything. Only McMillan, in a bit part as the bus driver, adds a bit
of "niceness" to the film. Filmmaker Atom Egoyan is credited as an executive
producer. sc: Sharon Corder, Jack Blum. dir: Jack Blum. - sexual content,
partial female nudity, brief male nudity.- 112 min.
BACH AND BROCCOLI see Bach et Bottine
BACH ET BOTTINE *
* setting: P.Q.
(1986) Mahee Paiement, Raymond Legault, Harry Marciano,
France Arbour, Andree Pelletier.....Story of an orphan and her pet
skunk, Bottine (a.k.a. Broccoli) who come to live with her stuffy uncle
who's heavily into Johann Bach. O.K., technically well-done film is probably
too subdued to really appeal to kids. One the Tales
For All children's series. English title: Bach and Broccoli.
sc: Bernadette Renaud, Andre Melencon. dir: Andre Melencon. 96 min.
BACK IN ACTION *
1/2 setting: USA.
(1993) Billy Blanks, Roddy Piper, Bobbie Phillips,
Matt Birman, Nigel Bennett, Damon D'Oliveira, Kai Soremekun, Sam Malkin,
Gerry Quigley.....A cop (Piper) and an ex-marine (Blanks) reluctantly
team-up when a mob hit is ordered on the latter's sister (Soremekun). Dull
action pic has moments of real dialogue and original scenes but too often
is just tired and derivative with unexciting fight scenes. A nastiness
to the violence precludes this being taken as 'all in fun'. sc: Karl Schiffman.
dir: Paul Ziller, Steve DiMarco. - extreme violence.- 91 min.
BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY *
* * setting: CDN.
(1919) Nell Shipman, Wellington A. Playter, Wheeler
Oakman, Ralph Laidlaw, Charles Arling.....Story of a nature-loving
woman (Shipman) and her run-ins with a nasty thug (Playter) who lusts after
her, both in the woods and the arctic north. Briskly-paced, atmospheric
silent movie melodrama holds up surprisingly well and is considerably more
entertaining and exciting than more recent efforts based on James Oliver
Curwood's stuff such as the Tales of the Wild films.
This film is notable both because it remains the most successful Canadian
movie of all time -- yup, in eighty years Canadian filmmakers have yet
to top it, proportionately speaking (and unlike so many, it was set in
Canada!) -- and because (even more depressing) it is believed to be the
only film still left in existence from Canada's burgeoning silent film
era. Unlike many American silent movies, it remained unavailable to TV
or video until 1997 when BRAVO! television presented a restored version
(surprisingly good, considering the obvious state of disrepair it had been
allowed to fall into) with an effective piano score (recorded live) by
Gabriel Thibaudeau. Shipman appeared in a number of movies derived from
American writer Curwood's Canadian-set stories, though the others (before
and after) were for Hollywood -- and none matched the success of this one.
Remade at least twice by Hollywood. A bit controversial at the time because
of Shipman's skinny dipping scene (you can tell she's probably naked, without
actually seeing what we would consider nudity, if you understand the distinction).
sc: James Oliver Curwood (from his novel Wapi the Walrus). dir:
David M. Hartford. 73 min.
BACK STAB *
* setting: USA.
(1990) James Brolin, Meg Foster, Dorothee Berryman,
June Chadwick, Robert Morelli, Isabelle Truchon, Brett Halsey, Bronwen
Mantel, Norris Dominigue.....Framed for murder by a woman (Truchon)
who picked him up in a bar, a U.S. widower (Brolin) finds even his own
lawyer (Foster) doesn't believe his story. Promising thriller blows most
of its opportunities with awkward scenes and dimwitted characters, but
manages a few suspenseful moments in spite of itself. Truchon's nude scenes
were re-shot for TV with clothes on -- though it'd still rate a "brief
nudity". Producer Tom Berry has a bit as a court clerk. sc: Paul Koval.
dir: James Kaufman. - partial female nudity, sexual content.- 92 min.
BACKCOUNTRY *
* 1/2 setting: CDN.
(2014) Missy Peregrym, Jeff Roop, Eric Balfour, Nicholas Campbell.....A young couple go camping in the deep woods of a Provincial Park and gradually become lost, eventually finding themselves in the territory of a rogue, murderous black bear. Minimalist suspense-drama cum horror flick is expensive-looking, benefitting from lush, atmospheric scenery. It's well made, with good direction, dialogue, and strong performances (with Peregrym and Roop 90% of the show). It's mainly 2/3rds slowly brewing build up (though gets pretty gory in the final act -- so be warned). At the same time, it brings nothing fresh to the material and the sub-genre of man-against-beast. In execution it can feel a bit like a checklist of narrative conventions/cliches (from the country mouse/city mouse dynamics of the couple to the red herring creepy guy they meet en route), without even milking them to their fullest. Still, it's engrossing enough while watching...but might leave you disappointed after the fact. Billed as "Based on a True Story" -- but that's more just marketing, and was simply inspired by analogous incidents. Came out around the same time as Grizzly. sc./dir: Adam MacDonald. - extreme violence; brief male nudity.- 91 min.
BACKPACKERS (Web series/TV Series)One could argue that the fact the TV series version of this program was cancelled after two episodes is less a mystery than that anyone thought it would work in the first place. Reid and Casey are fine, engaging actors (and the supporting players are good), and the show is slick-looking, with requisite beautiful European countryside and locations, and there are certainly occasional chuckles and mildly amusing bits. But it all feels like the creators had the idea to do a reality show (ala The Amazing Race) only using actors and scripts. Or to do a PG version of a teen sex farce only without the farce or, y'know, the sex (rather there is sex, and scenes of the characters trying to "score," just mainly off camera) or much else that's especially compelling. It's not that funny, it's not trying to be especially serious, and the plots are pretty mild. As I say: the actors are fine, it's well put together, but it's more a travelogue -- which is maybe the point, a chance for the audience to enjoy a European vacation from their couch. Created by Jay Bennett, Daniel Dales, Jarrett Sherman. sc: Adam M. Reid, Max B. Reid. dir: Josh Levy. |
BACKROADS a.k.a. Bear Walker
BAD BLOOD a.k.a. Deadly Arrangement
BAD FAITH *
* 1/2 setting: CDN.
(1999) Tony Nardi, John Kapelos, Kenneth Welsh, Brian
Markinson, Michael Moriarty, Gloria Reuben, Billy Morton, Patti Lupone.....Big
city ensemble about a reporter (Nardi) and a cop (Kapelos) looking into
what may be a police cover-up in a serial killer investigation. Film noire
drama, where almost everyone is corrupt or corruptible, has a suitably
rumpled, world weary ambience. But it's plot-driven...and the plot has
so many convolutions and machinations that by the end you aren't entirely
sure who did what to whom...or even why. Still, ambitious, with a particularly
nice performance from Markinson as a police informant who may or may not
be the chief suspect. And it's even set in Canada (which is pretty unusual
for this kind of film). sc. Ian Adams (from his novel). dir: Randy Bradshaw.
- violence.- 99 min.
BAD MONEY *
* setting: CDN.
(1999) Graham Greene, Stephen Spender, Karen Sillas,
Alisen Down, Joe Turvey, Patrick Rengger, Tamsin Kelsey, Andy Curtis.....Story
of various (occasionally intertwining) characters over the course of a
week, many in need of money, such as a white collar worker (Greene), just
laid off, or a restaurateur (American Sillas) who's forced to consider
changing her menu, and her ethics, to bring in customers. Serio-comic flick
about mores boasts an appealing cast and is quirky and amusing at times,
and even clever, but it lags a bit and none of the story lines are of particular
stand out interest. And by the end, there's a bit of an emotional vacuum
that needs filling. Not bad...but not quite a success either. sc: Blake
Brooker, John Hazlett, Michael Stephen Gregory. dir: John Hazlett. 88 min.
BAILEY'S BILLIONS
* * * setting: Ont.
(2005) (/U.K.) Dean Cain, Laurie Holden, Jennifer
Tilly, Tim Curry, Max Baker, Angela Vallee, Munro Chambers, Sheila McCarthy,
Kenneth Welsh, Richard Waugh, Jon Lovitz (voice of Bailey).....A philanthropist
leaves her fortune and her animal shelter charity to her dog, Bailey, and
his guardian, a good hearted animal behaviouralist (American actor Cain)
who can actually talk to the dog -- causing consternation among the scheming
relatives (Tilly and Curry) who had been using the charity as a cover for
their own nefarious operation. Holden plays a charity employee and single
mom. Family comedy mills familiar ground (probably borrowing ideas from
a half dozen old Disney comedies -- and even the earlier Canadian movie,
The Duke) but to surprisingly good effect.
It ain't High Art, and you can find yourself thinking "this is stupid"
as often as you laugh (some times you'll do both at the same time) but
works because of an unapologetic sense of its own absurdity and weirdness.
Kids should enjoy the slapstick and goofiness, but adults, who are willing
to let their hair down, should also get a kick out of it, thanks in part
to a nice cast. Cain (comfortably slipping into a Dean Jones-type role)
and Holden are ingratiating, and Tilly and Curry ham it up shamelessly
-- even bit parts include the likes of Euggene Lipinski, Julie Khaner, Jackie
Burroughs, Leon Pownall. Perhaps the biggest weakness is with too many
characters and plot threads, it's not always clear who the movie is mainly
about: Cain? Holden? Holden's daughter and her daughter's friend? (Despite
the title, Bailey is more a supporting character/plot device -- though
amusingly voiced by Lovitz). Most amazingly: it actually admits it's set
in Canada -- right down to McCarthy and Welsh (under-utilized) adopting
Newfoundland accents as the maid and butler. Co-written by Mary Walsh --
yes, Mary Walsh! sc: Mary Walsh, Heather Conkie. dir: David Devine. 90
min.
THE BALLERINA AND THE BLUES (1987) Rex Smith, Tamara Chaplin. see Shades of Love.
BALLS UP *
* setting: Ont.
(1999) Brent Carver, Torri Higginson, Albert Schultz,
Ellen Dubin, Jonathan Potts, David Calderisi, Angelo Mosca, Vik Sahay,
Pamela Sinha.....A couple who work at a TV lottery show (Carver and
Higginson) decide they can cheat the game and win the lottery, provided
they can dupe the no-nonsense accountant (Schultz). Small-scale caper comedy
gets better as it goes along, eventually putting some meat on the
characters...but not enough. And at its best, it's more cute than funny.
Shades of "Indecent Proposal" in that, in order to pull the scam, Higginson
must seduce Schultz, but the ideas aren't really developed. Oddest gag
is having real life ex-wrestler Mosca play himself, but in a fictional
way, as a co-conspirator in the scam, in debt to the mob. Higginson comes
closest to making her character real. Kind of racy for a TV movie (though
considering Higginson's scenes of undress, the camera shows very little).
sc: Richard Nielsen. dir: Alan Erlich. - brief male and female nudity,
sexual content.- 93 min.
BALLYKISSANGEL, a British TV series, was adapted and turned into the Canadian produced show, Hope Island.
BANANAS FROM SUNNY QUEBEC
* * 1/2 setting: P.Q.
(1993) Marc Marut, Mathieu Kermoyan, Jessica Barker,
Sebastien Tougas, Jean-Rene Ouellet, Vincent Lemay-Thivierge, Gordon Masten,
Bronwen A. Mantel.....Anglophone boy (Marut) in the '50s is sent to
a French-language boarding school where he gets into trouble and eventually
runs off with a francophone friend who intends to go to the Amazon river.
O.K. children's comedy-drama. sc: Terry Heffernan. dir: Peter Pearson.
92 min.
THE BANG BANG CLUB *
* setting: other
(2009) (/South Africa) Ryan Phillippe, Malin Akerman, Taylor Kitsch, Frank Rautenbach, Neels Van Jaarsveld.....Story about four South African photojournalists, fronted by Greg Marinovich (American actor Phillippe), during the waning days of apartheid who became internationally known as the "bang bang club" for their willingness to throw themselves into dangerous situations covering inter-tribal conflicts in the townships. Fact-based drama boasts good performances and effective sequences -- many of the scenes of the riots you can forget this is just re-enactments with actors and extras (writer/director Silver has a background in documentaries). The movie wants to touch on the characters & their motivations, journalistic ethics & responsibilities, and the political era...but ends up touching on them only in passing, skimming over or condensing scenes, presumably in favour of the big action set pieces (though does better with the character stuff in the latter part). It's a bit like the dangers of photojournalism itself: caught up in the visceral image, but neglecting the context and the substance. Take many of the scenes on their own, and it's a good-to-great movie...put them together and the whole sags a bit. Focusing on black vs. black violence, it's a less dramatized aspect of South African troubles (though making it like most other African dramas) yet there's something a bit odd about a movie set in apartheid-era South Africa...that barely even addresses white racism and segregation. a.k.a. The Bangbang Club. sc./dir: Steven Smith (from the book by Greg Marinovich & João Silva). - violence, sexual content, brief female nudity.- 108 min.
THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS see Les invasions barbares
BAREE *
* setting: CDN.
(1995) (/France) Jeff Fahey, Neve Campbell, Jacques
Weber, Lorne Brass, Genevieve Rochette, Billy Two Rivers.....Period
drama of an independent young metis woman (Campbell), lusted after by the
vicious local fur trader (Brass), and of her pet wolf-dog, Baree. Top-billed
American Fahey has relatively little screen time as basically the romantic
interest (he reprises his role from Kazan, though
this film isn't really a sequel in a literal sense). Final
Tales
of the Wild film has a lush, haunting atmosphere and is the best put-together.
It almost rates higher, but it's slow and can't ultimately make up its
mind who its main character is. Beautiful Campbell does good in her first
real leading role. a.k.a. Northern Passage. sc: Jonathan Hales (from
the novel
Baree, Son of Kazan by James Oliver Curwood). dir: Arnaud
Selignac. - violence, brief female nudity.- 96 min.
BARNEY'S VERSION * * setting: P.Q./other
(2010) (/Italy) Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Dustin Hoffman, Scott Speedman, Bruce Greenwood, Rachelle Lefevre, Mark Addy, Harvey Atkin, Macha Grenon.....Story of the (adult) life of irascible Barney Panofsky (Giamatti), told in various flashbacks, and particularly focusing on his third marriage (to Pike) -- the woman he sees as the love of his life, but whom he doesn't treat much better than most people in his life. Big screen adaptation of Mordecai Richler's novel seems to be the kind of movie people either love...or leave scratching their heads, wondering what on earth the fuss is about. It seems to get down to whether you like or are engaged by Barney. If you do, fine. If you don't...it's 2 and some hours about not very interesting people doing not very interesting things with little emotional or intellectual pay off to most of the story threads, with some static direction, though decent enough performances. Might have worked better as a mini-series, because too many of the characters and relationships seem short changed and undeveloped, with even a sub-plot about a mysterious death uncompelling -- though improves in the second half as it focuses on his marriage to Pike. The jumbled narrative can also be confusing -- some saw that as deliberate, a reflection of the character's fading memory, but it more just comes across as, well, a jumbled, confused narrative. Indeed, reading descriptions of what the movie is supposed to be (or what fans perceive it as being) can leave you more convinced of its short comings...because you might not see it. A lead character can be sympathetic or entertainingly unsympathetic, but Barney falls into the deadly middle of just being kind of bland. Lots of cameos include, among others, Paul Gross as the star of the cheesy soap opera, Maury Chaykin as an (unspeaking) wedding guest, and directors David Cronenberg (as a TV director), Denys Arcand (as a maitre d'), and Ted Kotcheff (as a train conductor -- himself a director of previous Richler adaptations). Saul Rubinek, who has one scene as the father of Barney's first wife, actually played Barney a few years earlier in a CBC radio play of the story. Received 7 Genies including for Best Actor (Giamatti), Supporting Actress (Driver), and Supporting Actor (Hoffman) -- many of the principal roles went to non-Canadians. sc: Michael Konyves. dir: Richard J. Lewis. - sexual content.- 134 min.
BARNUM see P.T. Barnum
BARRYMORE *
* 1/2 setting: USA.
(2011) (/U.S.) Christopher Plummer, John Plumpis.....While rehearsing in an empty theatre for a possible comeback in 1942, boozy and fading American stage and screen star, John Barrymore (Plummer), struggles with his lines, bickers with his off-stage prompter (Plumpis) and reminisces about his life. Plummer first performed this one-man comedy-drama (well, two man, with Plumpis) in 1997 to much critical acclaim (and a Tony Award) and it was restaged in 2010 (reuniting many of the same production team) for a limited run in Toronto and then adapted into this TV production (though still seeming basically a film of a stage play). Plummer delivers a great performance, and the play generally holds your attention enough. But it does follow the usual formula of one-man shows (a character in real time recites anecdotes from his life) and the weakness ultimately lies with the material. Barrymore's culture-historical significance is limited -- he was famous in his day but now is arguably more famous simply for being famous (and the novelty of being part of a generations-spanning acting dynasty). His story isn't especially unique (a talent brought low by booze and fast living) and without any overriding theme or narrative arc to turn it into a plot and with many of the anecdotes themselves not gelling into stories (some referencing people even more obscure today than Barrymore). Ultimately, pre-existing fans of Barrymore will get more out of it than others. sc./dir: Erik Canuel (from the play by William Luce). 84 min.
Bashir Lazhar, the play by Evelyn de la Chenelière, became the movie Monsieur Lazhar.
BASTARDS *
* * setting: B.C.
(2003) Liisa Repo-Martell, Mort Ransen, Tygh Runyan,
Murray Ritchie.....Middle-aged guy (Ransen), who lives comfortably
in his semi-isolated cabin, finds his life turned upside down when he momentarily
takes pity on a troubled, vaguely schizophrenic radical activist (Repo-Martell)...who
keeps coming back. Off-beat drama is presented in an experimental fashion
-- all scenes are shot (on video) in singlle takes from his P.O.V. (you
see his hands, and hear his voice) -- and is the sort of movie where, ten
minutes into it, you're wondering why you bothered: the technique is too
cutesy, and her character is abrasive. But, half an hour into it, you can
find yourself kind of caught up in the evolving relationship and kinetic,
talky scenes. Till, by the end, and the memorable finale, you can find
it all strangely compelling, as it evolved from just a one note nightmare
(the crazy who won't stay away), to a complex character/relationship drama,
to a socio-political parable. Uneven and rough around the edges, but more
effective than not. sc./dir: Mort Ransen. - female nudity; sexual content;
brief make nudity.- 98 min.
BATTLE OF THE BRAVE *
1/2 setting: P.Q./other
(2004) (/France/U.K.) Noémie Godin-Vigneau, David La Haye, Juliette Gosselin, Gérard Depardieu, Irène Jacobs, Vincent Perez, Sébastien Huberdeau, Bianca Gevais, Billy Merasty.....Drama set amidst the political upheavals of mid-1700s Quebec, during the French-English war, and focusing on star-crossed lovers -- an independent-minded peasant (Godin-Vigneau) and a land owner (La Haye) who uncovers local corruption. Sincere attempt at a sweeping epic, part grand historical drama/adventure (with cutaways to England and France and cameoes by everyone from Voltaire to Benjamin Franklin), and part tearjerker romantic melodrama. But disappointing. Beaudin isn't the subtlest of directors, and there are times where you could imagine it meant as a parody of such films, rather than the real thing. Even at 2 hrs & 20 min it can seem like a mini-series edited, badly, into movie length as though scenes are missing, affecting the flow and coherence. Improves a bit in the second half -- when it moves away from the history and focuses on a smaller scale drama, but even then uneven. Part of the problem is even when it (almost) works, it's just because it seems to be borrowing from better historical dramas. Godin-Vigneau and, especially, La Haye are okay, but too much of the film (and the characters) lack nuance. And, funnily, it manages to seem lavish and expensive...and kind of cheap all at the same time (some of the exteriors...look like sets!) Clearly hoping to be a cross-Canada -- and international -- success, it was shot simultaneously in both English and French and with an international cast for marquee value, like Depardieu, Jacobs, etc. Though prominently-billed U.K. actors like Jason Isaacs (as General Wolfe), Colm Meaney (as Ben Franklin), and Tim Roth (who has only a couple of lines as British Prime Minister Pitt) have minor parts. As does Merasty as La Haye's Native friend. a.k.a. Nouveau-France. sc: Pierre Billon. dir: Jean Beaudin. 143 min.
BATTLE QUEEN 2020
* * 1/2
(2000) Jeff Wincott, Julie Strain, Brian Frank, Bill
Baker, Zehra Leverman, Jade Kroll, Paul Rapovski.....In an Ice Age
future, where the remnants of civilization exist as the ruling Elites,
who live in luxury and engage in secret experiments, and the poor live
underground, the mistress (Strain) of the Elites' leader (Wincott) -- and
the Madame of their brothel -- begins to question the established order
of things and suspect that the "evil" rebels may have a point (and she's
a decent physical combatant, to boot). Better-than-to-be-expected production
from Danforth Studios still isn't a "good" movie in a conventional, mainstream
cinema sense, but not bad as a B-grade movie. Better-than-usual production
values, a decent cast, a reasonably effective evocation of a future reality
(and accompanying atmosphere), and some unusual attention paid to characterization
(with Wincott, inparticular, a more complex figure than just a black hat).
Unapologetically sexploitive, with American B-movie Sex Symbol Strain not
afraid to doff her garments, the movie's a curious mix of elements, sometimes
an erotic drama, sometimes a sci-fi thriller, sometimes a maternal drama
(as Strain befriends a kid), and sometimes a comic book film (with occasionally
scenes morphing into still illustrations with captions!). sc: Michael B.
Bruxman, William Hulkower, William B. Bostjancic, Caron Nightingale, with
Timothy Lee. dir: Daniel D'Or. - female nudity, sexual content, violence.-
93 min.
THE BAY BOY *
1/2 setting: N.S.
(1984) (/France/U.S.) Liv Ullman, Kiefer Sutherland,
Peter Donat, Mathieu Carriere, Isabelle Mejias, Alan Scarfe, Leah Pinsent.....Predictable
story of a young boy (Sutherland, in his film debut) growing up in the
maritimes during the depression that throws in every cliche in the book.
Wooden dialogue, weak performances (except for Carriere) and, frankly,
quite tedious. Won six Genies including Best Picture. sc./dir: Daniel Petrie.
107 min. - partial female nudity, violence.-
THE BAY OF LOVE AND SORROWS
* 1/2 setting: N.B.
(1993) Jonathan Scarfe, Joanne Kelly, Christopher
Jacot, Peter Outerbridge, Elaine Cassidy, Zachary Bennett, Torquil Campbell,
Rhonda McLean.....Story of various characters in a small town in New
Brunswick in 1973 and how a casual flirtation with crime leads to death
and chaos. Glossy looking but poorly done drama meanders about, story wise,
as if the characters are everything (the story, ultimately, seems to be
about a circle of friends which comes unglued in a crisis)...but the characters
are poorly drawn and ill-defined (not to mention, largely unlikeable) despite
what should be a good cast. Relentlessly unpleasant, to the point where,
towards the end, it actually threatens to get silly! sc: David Adams Richards,
Tim Southam (from the novel by Richards). dir: Tim Southam. - violence,
casual male nudity - 95 min.
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