Bm-Bop
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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.
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(1998-2001) (/U.K./U.S.) * * 1/2 Andy Hamilton (-2nd) ("Bob Fish"), Brian George (3rd-) ("Bob Fish"), Alison Snowden ("Margaret Fish").....Animated sitcom about a middle-class British couple; he's a dentist, she's a pediatrist (and she later worked at a Women's Centre), and they have two rolly-polly dogs. This cartoon is a lot like a Captain Star in that it's essentially aimed at grown ups in tone, delivered with a very low-key, dry wit. Though only occasionally containing material that would be unsuitable for kids, those occasions did arise, making Global's decision to show re-runs at 7:00 PM kind of odd. A cult success, the series' low-key -- very, very low-key -- style is a subjective taste. More cute than funny, it's not quite riveting. Essentially British with some Canadian financial support, in its third season the couple packed up and moved to Canada -- a transition that proved surprisingly seamless, with Canadians just as capable of being low-key as the British. The change came about, allegedly, because by that point the series had lost most of its international co-partners, and the makers must've felt, what the heck? Based on a critically acclaimed cartoon short, "Bob's Birthday". Half-hour episodes, shown in Canada on CanWest-Global. |
BODY & EARTH *
(2002) Inger Ebeltoft.....Supposed tale of the
first woman (model Ebeltoft) going on a quest for the first man. I say
"supposed" because plot isn't remotely the point here. It's just
a series of unspeaking montages of pretty Ebeltoft wandering around beautiful
landscapes while new age worldbeat pop music plays on the soundtrack --
interspersed with cutaways to naked couples dancing/posing. Essentially,
a series of Calvin Klein ads strung together. Perhaps worth turning on
for five/ten minute vignettes to help you unwind at the end of the day,
but even for what it is it could've tried shaping the material into a vague
narrative...such as by having her do things in the various vignettes
(forge for food, cross an obstacle) or make the environments seem to flow
from each other, so that it really seems like she's going somewhere (as
it is she's in a desert, then a forest, then a desert, then a beach, then
a desert again) -- and the supposed "plot" of her searching for the first
man...doesn't explain the cutaways to the naked couples (and the fact that
many of the models have similar features means it's hard to say whether
Ebeltoft appears in those sequences or not). Might make an okay photograph
coffee table book...but problematic as a movie. a.k.a. Eve and Body
and Soul. sc./dir: Neil St. Clair. - female and male nudity.- 76 min.
BODY COUNT
* * setting: Ont.
(1986) Johnathan Potts, James Lukie, Cynthia Kereluk,
Christine Manning, Johnathan Knapp.....Serial killer terrorizes the
city and the cops suspect a cabbie (Potts) of being the culprit. Shoe-string
budget, but a surprisingly well done drama. Lukie isn't bad as the terminally
ill psycho, though most of the other performances are pretty weak. Filmed
on video. An Emmeritus-CHCH production. sc: Lloyd Chelsey.
BOLLYWOOD / HOLLYWOOD *
* 1/2 setting: Ont.
(2003) Rahul Khanna, Lisa Ray, Moushumi Chatterjee,
Dina Pathak, Ranjit Chowdhry, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Jessica Pare.....To
appease his family, and so they will let his younger sister get married,
a wealthy Indo-Canadian (Khanna) hires an escort (Ray) to pretend to be
both his fiancé, and Indian. Romantic- comedy starts out
well, with a nicely flamboyant premise and humour that runs from low-key
to absurdist. But it runs out of steam -- and plot complications -- before
the end. And even some of the existing plot twists aren't clearly articulated.
Indian actor Khanna is an ingratiating protagonist, Ray appealing enough,
and Chowdhry steals a few scenes as the loyal chauffeur, making for a movie
that can be pleasant...but falls short of the initial promise. Some of
the dialogue is hard to make out, as well, partly because of some strong
Indian accents, but mainly because of an, at times, muddy sound mix. The
movie is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek homage to larger-than-life Indian
(Bollywood) and American (Hollywood) movies, meaning some of the in-jokes
might be lost on those unfamiliar with Bollywood films (the catchy musical
numbers are part of that homage). But it's a shame when you realize that
one of the only times a Canadian filmmaker would do such a blatantly "high
concept" audience-friendly premise...is as a joke on other -- successful
-- film industries! Prominently billed Pare has a small part as the hero's
first, non-Indian girlfriend. sc./dir: Deepa Mehta. 105 min.
BOMBARDIER (TVMS)
* * 1/2 setting: P.Q.
(1993) Gilbert Sicotte, Marcel Leboeuf, Sylvie-Catherine
Beaudoin, Dorothee Berryman, Denis Bernard, Marc-Andre Coallier, Ron Lea,
Jean-Francois Blanchard.....Story of Joseph-Armand Bombardier (Sicotte),
inventor and manufacturer of the snowmobile. Slick, well-paced bio benefits
from some nice performances but is a little choppy and superficial. A show
that's better in theory than fact simply because Bombardier doesn't appear
to have lived an especially dramatic life. Dubbed version of the 1991 Quebec
mini-series. 3 one-hour episodes. sc: Jacques Savoie. dir: Francois Labonte.
BON COP, BAD COP
* * * 1/2 setting: P.Q./Ont.
(2006) Patrick Huard, Colm Feore, Lucie Laurier, Sarain
Boylan, Ron Lea, Pierre LeBeau, Hugolin Chevrette, Rick Mercer, Rick Howland,
Sarah-Jeanne Larrosse, Erik Knudsen.....A straight
laced anglophone cop (Feore) and a rough and tumble francophone cop (Huard)
are reluctantly partnered to investigate a series of killings of hockey
league executives. Billed as the world's first truly bilingual action-comedy
(half the dialogue is French, half English -- with appropriate subtitles
-- the "English" version has English suubtitles for the French dialogue
and the "French" version has French subtitles for the English dialogue)
and it became one of the most successful Canadian movies -- domestically
-- ever (most of it in Quebec, but it aalso grossed a respectable take in
the rest of Canada). And you know what? It's actually pretty good! Expensive
and stylish-looking (maybe a little too stylish) it makes no pretence at
being anything more than an action-comedy that's mining pretty familiar
terrain (mismatched partners) but not only is it genuinely funny and reasonably
exciting, it somehow manages to transcend its own genre at times. Intellectually
you know it's all a cliché, but it doesn't entirely feel that way,
and that owes a lot to the fact that the leads, as written and performed,
are more nuanced and "real" than simply cartoon heroes in a cartoon movie
(like the fact that both heroes are bilingual). It's an unapologetically
B-movie story...with A-movie performances from Huard and Feore. As such,
when the plot seems to meander, as it does, and the mystery itself seems
to be pushed toward the back burner, you still find yourself interested...'cause
the leads are interesting. It could've used a bit of tightening,
and the plot can seem a bit loosely developed at times, and the villain
probably shouldn't get killed in the climax (if you're trying to do THE
quintessential Canadian action movie, since Canada doesn't have the death
penalty, it might be more appropriate for them to arrest the villain).
But those are more quibbles -- on a visceral level, it's a thoroughly enjoyable
romp -- with a great title! sc: Patrick Huard, Leila Basen, Kevin Tierney,
Alex Epstein. dir: Eric Canuel. - violence; sexual content; partial female
nudity.- 116 min.
BONANNO: A Godfather's Story
(TVMS) * * setting: USA/other
(2000) (/U.S.) Bruce Ramsay, Tony Nardi, Zachary Bennett,
Edward James Olmos, Martin Landau, Costas Mandylor, Donald Pilon.....Story
of the life of mobster Joseph Bonanno, from his birth in Sicily, his early
days as a young man in New York (Ramsay) and his middle years as a mafia
godfather (Nardi), as told by him as an old man (Landau). Epic drama is
an endless string of episodes, most not very interesting in and of themselves,
but rarely forming a consistent narrative thread, either, relying on narration
to fill in character stuff that isn't evident in the impersonal scenes.
Confusing, too. It's also kind of silly, like a parody of "The Godfather"
movies (right down to the lighting!) rather than a true life bio-pic. It's
also a loving portrait of an unrepentant man who made his living through
extortion and murder (and who knows what else), co-executive produced by
his son and one-time mobster, Bill (portrayed by former child actor Bennett).
And since the Bonanno's made their living through lies and deception, the
veracity of this story is open to question, too. Weak as a drama...and
creepy as a social document. The first part features some American actors,
but the second part is almost all Canadian, and both Ramsay and Nardi are
Canadians. 5 hours (originally aired on cable). sc: Thomas Michael Donnelly
(from the books Bound by Honor by Bill Bonanno and A Man of Honor
by Joseph Bonanno and Sergio Lalli). dir: Michel Poulette. - violence,
partial female nudity, sexual content.-
THE BONE SNATCHER *
* setting: other
(2003) (/South Africa/U.K.) Scott Bairstow, Rachel
Shelley, Warrick Grier, Patrick Shari, Adrienne Pearce, Andre Weideman,
Patrick Lyster, Chris April.....Scientist (Bairstow) and some para-military
types in an African desert find the fresh bones of some prospectors and
gradually realize they're stranded with a monster. Horror thriller has
a decent cast, an intriguing monster, an atypical setting, and even a few
creepy scenes...but the script and the choppy, frenetic, "aren't I edgy"
direction lapse into incoherence periodically. And despite stabs at characterization
(albeit of the bitchy/tempers flaring variety) the characters are kept
at arms length. Still, for fans of monster movies who, frankly, are used
to reigning in their expectations, the good things about it means it has
its moments. Though there's some gore, it's more restrained than a lot
of its type. And we're to infer Bairstow's character is actually
Canadian -- who'd of thunk it from a Canadian made B-movie, eh? sc: Gordon
Render, Malcolm Kohll. dir: Jason Wulfsohn. - extreme violence.- 90 min.
BONHOEFFER: Agent of Grace
* * setting: other/USA.
(2000) (/Germany/U.S.) Ulrich Tukur, Ulrich Noethen,
Robert Joy, Johanna Klante, R.H. Thomson.....Fact-inspired story of
Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Tukur) who worked with anti-Hitler
factions in World War II Germany and was imprisoned by the Nazis. Made-for-TV
biopic is good looking and has good performances and some good scenes,
but it plays like a mini-series edited down into movie length...with way
too many crucial scenes left out. Too bad. A mid-film sequence, almost
a three character play with Tukur, Joy as his Gestapo interrogator, and
Thomson as a sympathetic guard, could almost have made a fascinating film
on its own (if handled right). Made in co-operation with a Lutheran organization,
which may be another problem. The filmmakers may be less interested in
narrative coherence, and more interested in the religious martyr theme
(even to the point of letting the viewer infer that the Nazis were atheists,
which isn't exactly true). John Neville and Blu Mankuma have bit parts.
sc: Gareth Jones, Eric Till. dir: Eric Till. - casual male nudity.- app.
90 min.
BONJOUR TIMOTHY *
1/2 setting: other
(1995) (/New Zealand) Dean O'Gorman, Sabine Karsenti,
Sylvia Rands, Sydney Jackson, Milan Borich, Angela Bloomfield, Nathaniel
Lees.....Awkward New Zealand teen (O'Gorman) thinks he's lucked out
when the French Canadian exchange student staying with his family turns
out to be beautiful and female (Karsenti)...only she doesn't particularly
like him. Tedious comedy takes a thin idea...and doesn't bother fleshing
it out. Other than its technical finesse (minus Karsenti's voice dropping
out during a home movie sequence), and (for the most part) lack of explicitness,
there's not much to distinguish this "family" film from teen sex-comedies
like, say, Meatballs III. sc: David Preston
(story David Parry). dir: Wayne Tourell. 98 min.
LES BONS DEBARRAS *
* setting: P.Q.
(1979) Marie Tifo, Charlotte Laurier, Germain Houde,
Roger Le Bel, Louise Marleau, Gilbert Sicotte.....Story of a strained
small-town family relationship, a mother (Tifo), her retarded brother (Houde)
and the troubled daughter (Laurier) who is mainpulatively obsessed with
her. Dark drama benefits from good ambience and performances, but it's
slow and repetative with the characters not appealing enough, nor the story
compelling enough, to keep itself going. Well-regarded by (Canadian) critics
and it received 8 Genies including Best Picture. English title: Good
Riddance. sc: Rejean Ducharme. dir: Francis Mankiewicz. - brief female
nudity.- 115 min.
BOOGIE'S DINER (TV Series)With its really obvious jokes and broad characterizations, this TV series seemed an attempt to emulate the successful U.S. teen sitcom "Saved by the Bell" and might appeal to fans of that show's style. Others be warned. Still, taken on its own level, it could be sparodically amusing and benefitted from a good cast (most of whom were Canadian, save Marsden). Created by Jeff Franklin and Steve Waterman. |
THE BOOKFAIR MURDERS *
* 1/2 setting: other/CDN
(2000) (/Germany) Samantha Bond, Linda Kash, Saul
Rubinek, Bernd Michael Lade, Robert Joy, Jonathan Higgins, Richard McMillan,
Genevieve Bujold, Peter Blais, Eli Wallach.....At an international
bookfair in Germany (where publishers and agents make deals) the murder
of an author, possibly related to a book he was writing on works of art
stolen during World War II, has various characters investigating, including
an editor (British actress Bond), her best friend, a Canadian reporter
(Kash), and a German detective (Lade). Slick, moderately entertaining made-for-CTV
mystery, though it doesn't really generate the sense that it is
a mystery, with little sense of danger, too few clues or suspects, and
Bond, who is ostensibly the main character, investigates the least! Bujold,
though always welcome, appears in a kind of extraneous sub-plot. sc: Herman
F.G. Stuck (from the novel by Anna Porter). dir: Wolfgang Panzer. 93 min.
BOOKY MAKES HER MARK
*
* 1/2 setting: Ont.
(2006) Tatiana Maslany, Meghan Follows, Stuart Hughes,
Sarah Allen, Kate Todd, Lauren Collins, Erik Knudsen, Ephraim Ellis, Mike
Lebel, Roberta Maxwell.....Story of a poor but precocious teenager
(Maslany) in Depression-era Toronto. Drama mixes downbeat Depression-era
grittiness with frothy whimsy, with sometimes bumpy results, but is well
acted and the scenes are well put together. But it is too obviously based
on a series of books, as the plot seems to meander about, with characters
popping in and out, and too little in the way of a consistent thread or
theme. At one point the character refers to Lucy Maud Montgomery as her
favourite author...when we hadn't even seen her reading any books
at all! Still, slick enough to hold your attention if you aren't expecting
more. Follows and Hughes, as the parents, are married in real life, too.
sc: Joe Wisenfeld (from the books by Bernice Thurman Hunter). dir: Peter
Moss. app. 90 min.
BOOZECAN *
* * setting: Ont.
(1996) Justin Louis, Eugene Lipinski, Kenneth Welsh,
Andrew Miller, Ranjit Chowdhry, Shirley Blanco, Frank Crudele, Jan Rubes.....Free-roaming
story of a (relatively) clean-living guy (Louis) who, ironically, makes
his living staging illegal afterhours clubs (boozecans) but wants to open
a legitimate bar instead, unaware that the psychotic brother (Lipinski)
of a guy who o.d. during one of his parties, is out to undermine everything
he does. Gritty, odd ball serio-comic suspense-drama is rambling, sometimes
incoherent, but nonetheless draws you into this fringe life of junkies
and drifters and characters who are at once sleazy and oddly endearing.
Energetic and entertaining...basically a '90s answer to The
Rubber Gun. Actor Campbell's first (fiction) film, and he seems to
have a flawless knack for directing actors, handling a big cast mixing
"name" actors, familiar faces, and relative unknowns, and eliciting note-perfect
performaces from everyone. Lots of familiar people in bit parts (Susan
Hogan with maybe one line as Lipinski's wife, Leslie Hope in only a couple
of scenes as a cop, etc.). David Cronenberg appears as a famous actor --
and actually gives a performance, not just a walk-through (again, credit
Campbell?) -- and Ronnie Hawkins crops up. Curiously, despite starring
in Urban Angel, this is Louis' only starring film
role -- why? He deserves them. sc: Luciano Diana (story Diana and Michael
Fruet). dir: Nicholas Campbell. - violence, partial female and male nudity,
sexual content.- 97 min.
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