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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.
CAP TOURMENTE
* * setting: P.Q.
(1993) Roy Dupuis, Elise Guilbault, Andree Lachapelle,
Gilbert Sicotte, Macha Limonchik.....Troubled young man (Dupuis) returns
to his family's rural inn where he seems to lust after his sister, mother
and best friend, and they him. Handsome drama with decent performances
and striking scenery is the kind of pic the word "pretentious" was made
for. But it's more often silly than profound. In French with some English.
sc./dir: Michel Langlois. - male nudity and brief female nudity.- 115 min.
CAPTAIN POWER AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE FUTURE (TV Series)This ultra-militaristic TV series suffered from poor dialogue, thin plots -- even given its target audience -- and bland characters with largely so-so performances. The talented Steen gave the best performance, ironic since she later revealed she was so uninterested in the material that it was in her contract that she be killed at the end of the first year -- a moot clause since the show only lasted one season. Most of the scripts were provided by American writers, including Executive Story Consultant J. Michael Straczynski whose scripts showed none of the virtues of his later successful -- and ambitious -- U.S. SF series "Babylon 5". Straczynski would also be involved with the Canadian version of The Twilight Zone. Noteworthy (or notorious) for its gimmick of inter-active television: toy guns could be bought by the viewer, and fired at the glowing chest panels of the bad guys. Not surprisingly, this Saturday afternoon show was criticized both for its violence and its merchandising. Created by Gary Goddard, Tony Christopher. Half-hour episodes, originally on Global. |
CAPTIVE (i) *
* setting: P.Q.
(1998) (/U.S.) Richard Grieco, Marie-Josee Croze,
Michele Greene, Paul Hopkins, Lawrence Arcouette.....American ad executive
(American Grieco) in Montreal, desperate for money to pay court ordered
debts, is drawn into a scheme by the local femme fatale (the beautiful
Croze) to kidnap the son of their boss (American Greene, in a small part).
Suspense drama is expensive looking and superficially slick, but kind of
paint-by-numbers, lacking any real tension or enough plot complications.
Nor do we see enough of the characters planning their crime to make it
something of a caper flick. The characters don't quite convince either:
Grieco's supposed to be a decent guy, pushed to the point of accepting
this mad scheme, but he seems more pensive than desperate. One of the Tales
of Intrigue. sc: Mark David Perry. dir: Matt Dorff. - partial female
nudity, sexual content.- 94 min.
CAPTIVE (ii) *
* 1/2 setting: USA
(1999) Erika Eleniak, Michael Ironside, Catherine
Colvey, Stewart Bick, Jack Langedijk, Noel Burton, Larry Day, Adrienne
Ironside.....After her husband's unsolved murder, a beautiful American
widow (American Eleniak) voluntarily has herself institutionalized for
depression, unaware of various (at times contradictory) schemes being plotted
against her by sundry nogoodniks. Well-acted, oddly watchable suspenser,
though it's not as cleverly twisty as it wants to be and the logic of the
thing doesn't hold up to even a cursory scrutiny...and some humour might've
helped (ala the U.S. film "Wild Things"). And only misguided Canadian filmmakers
would consider it an acceptable character quirk to have Ironside's "good
guy" cop be a wife-beater!!! Endless use of flashbacks seem intended solely
to boost the running time. sc: Rodney Gibbons, Richard Stanford. dir: Roger
Cardinal. 90 min.
THE CAPTIVE *
* setting: Ont.
(2014) Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman, Rosario Dawson, Mireille Enos, Kevin Durand, Alexia Fast, Bruce Greenwood, Arsinée Khanjian.....Multi-character drama-suspense film about a couple (Reynolds and American actress Enos), estranged years after their daughter was kidnapped by a bizarre paedophile ring, and the cops investigating (Speedman and American actress Dawson), all unaware the kidnapper (Durand) still has the now teen-age daughter (Fast) and voyeuristically maintains a hi-tech surveillance of the mother. Film was pilloried by many critics upon first release, but such notoriety is maybe a plus, as a subsequent audience might say, "oh, it's not that bad" -- not that it's very good. But it is pretty typical for Egoyan. He trots out his usual themes (dysfunctional families, voyeurism, child exploitation) and presents it with his usual style (plodding pacing, ensemble cast, scenes jumping back and forth in time, aloof, static direction, and heavy handed -- even comic booky -- dialogue). It's as if he has a bunch of different ideas in his head, and just tosses it all in without development or discipline (even throwing in a colourful squad of cops as though lifted from a TV pilot -- except they barely appear)...or even always a sense of what will work and what ends up sliding into unintentional camp. Dawson provides a humanizing presence, and the over all acting is somewhat more naturalistic than in some Egoyan films, but the problem with splitting our focus is no character really provides an emotional anchor. Although some scenes seem almost pedantic as character's give lectures about paedophilia, other times it feels as though it's just exploiting and trivializing the topic (and the accompanying human emotions) to delve into abstract cinematic themes about "stories" and voyeurism and technology! sc: Atom Egoyan, David Fraser. dir: Atom Egoyan. 112 min.
CAPTIVE HEART: The James Mink
Story * * 1/2 setting: Ont./USA.
(1996) (/U.S.) Louis Gossett Jr., Kate Nelligan, Rachel
Crawford, Ruby Dee, Peter Outerbridge, Michael Jai White, Winston Rekert,
Eric Peterson, Brenda Bazinet, Wayne Robson.....Story of an 1852 black
Toronto business man and his white wife (Gossett Jr. and Nelligan) who
marry their reluctant daughter (Crawford) off to a seemingly respectable
white man (Outerbridge) -- who immediately sells her into slavery in the
southern U.S.; and of their daring rescue. O.K. made-for-TV drama is a
little uneven but held together by Gossett's and Nelligan's strong performances.
Still, it never quite becomes more than, well, an earnest TV movie. Suggested
by a real incident. It received the Gemini for Best Cinematography. sc:
Bryon White and Brian Bird & John Wierick. dir: Bruce Pittman. - sexual
violence.- 91 min.
CAPTIVE HEARTS
* * setting: other
(1987) (/Japan/U.S.) Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, Chris
Makepeace, Mari Sato, Seth Sakai, Michael Sarrazin.....During W.W.
II, two American pilots (Makepeace and Sarrazin) crash near a remote Japanese
village under the control of a benevolent ex-soldier (Morita). They are
taken prisoner and one of them falls in love. Dull and unconvincing tale
that seems to borrow a lot from other films. Filmed in Quebec. sc: Noriyuki
"Pat" Morita, John A. Kuri. d: Paul Almond. 97 min.
CARACARA a.k.a. The
Last Witness
CARDINAL (TV Series)This series is perhaps a good example of execution over conception. Because it's nothing special in conception, from the famliar hook of a maverick older male cop partnered with a younger female who is secretly investigating him ("The X-Files," "Life," Cracked, to name just a few -- even 19-2, though in that case the younger partner was also male). Though to be fair, the novel was first published in 2000. And I'll be honest, I tend to regard serial plots as kind of lazy -- something storytellers come up with when the can't be bothered to come up with an actual mystery with twists and turns and surprise revelations (but they can pretend it's psychologically insightful). The mystery of Cardinal's shady past is, in some ways, more intriguing than the main serial killer plot (though an arguable twist is that the killers have kidnapped the -- male -- victim, and so the heroes are trying to save a life, not just avenge a murder). And the whole brooding crime-drama shtick is a staple of prime time. YET...that's where execution comes in. Because it's also stylish and well-made, with good performances throughout. Campbell is effectively sympathetic yet oblique in his world-weariness, and Vanasse also good as his partner, with good supporting turns (including Gould as a local Rez cop -- Gould who could arguably front a series like this on his own). It's also a series that sees the Canadian setting not as something to be disguised, or as a necessary evil, but to be embraced; from the wintery setting, to touching on First Nation issues, to Vanasse as a Francophone; the series is set in Canada and doesn't care who knows it! And it's these things that allow it to add narrative shading to otherwise cliched staples. The result maybe won't muscle to the top of the list of "brooding rural crime-dramas" (for that you might check out Bellevue) or "Nordic Noir" wannabes -- but it easily and comfortably takes a place among them. Hour-long episodes on CTV. |
CAREFUL *
* 1/2 setting: other
(1992) Kyle McCulloch, Gosia Dobrowolska, Sarah Neville,
Paul Cox, Brent Neale.....Period story of a European mountain village
where everyone must be careful of the noise they make, lest it induces
an avalanche: and of the various relationships, unrequited passions, secret
incestuous desires, and family conflicts that lurk within. Third feature
from Toles-Maddin is like the others: an atmospheric and technically impressive
homage to, and parody of, early European silent movies (except it's in
colour and with sound) done as if a poorly preserved print of an old film
(with over-the-top performances, washed out images, scratches on the film,
and sound glitches). Arguably their best work, it's a purple melodrama
of lust and revenge (even borrowing a bit from Hamlet in the second half)
told as if a dream like fairy tale, with a clever central metaphor of a
town that must suppress things lest there's an avalanche. Moderately interesting,
with a story that boasts twists and turns...though it goes on a bit too
long. And the problem with the movie being partly a parody is that you
can recognize the characters are saying and doing silly things...but that
doesn't necessarily mean you're laughing. It actually works better if you
take it at face value. Ultimately, once you've seen one Madden film, you've
seen them all. In fact once you've seen ten minutes of one, you've basically
seen the whole film, stylistically speaking, but this one has the best
developed story and characterization of them. Nice performance from McCulloch.
Jackie Burroughs has a small part as a Butler Academy instructor. sc: George
Toles, Guy Maddin (story Toles). dir: Guy Maddin. - brief nudiy, extreme
violence.- 99 min.
CARGO *
* setting: P.Q.
(1992) Michel Dumont, Genevieve Rioux, Guy Thauvette,
Patricia Nolin, Lorne Brass, Nelson Villagra, Manuel Aranguiz.....Withdrawn
man (Dumont) reluctantly spends the day with his daughter (Rioux) and her
boyfriend (Thauvette) on their boat, but when a storm blows in...things
take a slight turn toward the supernatural. Drama might have worked for
a half-hour "Twilight Zone" episode, or even a feature film, if only it
wasn't so ponderous and pumped full of its own self-importance. Slow and
unduly pretentious...considering its slight idea. In French. sc: Michel
Langlois, Francois Girard, dialogue by Langlois and Marcel Beaulieu. dir:
Francois Girard. - brief female nudity.- 90 min.
CARIBE
* 1/2 setting: other
(1987) John Savage, Kara Glover, Stephen McHattie,
Sam Malkin, Zack Nesis.....American-born British agent (Savage) trys
to stop an arms dealer in the jungles of Belize with the help of the baddy's
female ex-associate (Glover). The location is the star in this choppy,
sloppy thriller. But neither the scenery, McHattie's performance as the
villain, nor Maury Chaykin in a bit part can save it. sc: Paul Donovan.
dir: Michael Kennedy. - extreme violence.- 90 min.
CARNY *
* setting: USA.
(2009) (/U.S.) Lou Diamond Phillips, A.C. Peterson, Vlasta Vrana, Dominic Cuzzocrea, Simone-Elise Girard, Joe Cobden, Dan Petronijevic.....A murderous monster escapes from a travelling carnivale, with both the local Sherrif (American actor Phillips) and the sinister owner of the carny (Peterson) trying to catch it. On one hand, not as bad as it could be: it's nice to see reliable Alan Peterson in a prominent role (and he seems to be giving more nuance to his part than the script expects), and the cast overall is competent enough (Phillips is okay, though Cobden, in a supporting role as his deputy, has fronted one or two films himself and might've made an effective everyman lead). There are some unexpected moments of quirky, human touches to the scenes -- and, hey, it's got a flying gargoyle as a monster so, y'know, cool! But like a lot of its ilk, plausibility isn't paramount (the characters only seem mildly curious as to what this creature is -- which, as mentioned, is a flying freakin' gargoyle!) and never really make us care about what's going on or what happens to these people (a romantic sub-plot is decidedly minor). A more intriguing subtext about prejudice and the town/carnivale schism pokes it's head out occasionally, but is too often glossed over for a generic creature feature plot. Somewhat gory for a TV movie -- remember when Space used to say it was a sci-fi channel, not a horror channel? And now flicks like this are its bread and butter! Alas. sc: Douglas G. Davis. dir: Sheldon Wilson. - extreme violence.- app. 90 min.
CARVER'S GATE a.k.a. Dream Breaker
A CASE OF LIBEL
* * * 1/2 setting: USA.
(1983) (/U.S.) Ed Asner, Daniel J. Travanti, Gordon
Pinsent, Robin Gammell, Lawrence Dane, Chris Wiggins.....In the '50s,
a U.S. newspaper columnist (Pinsent) sues a one-time friend (Travanti)
for slanderous remarks which claim he's a communist. Strong performances
all around, especially from Pinsent and Travanti, in this stagey-but-gripping,
made-for-cable court-room drama. Inspired by a true story. Asner stars
as Pinsent's lawyer. sc: Henry Denker (from the book
My Life in Court
by Louis Nizer). dir: Eric Till. 92 min.
THE CASE OF THE WHITECHAPEL
VAMPIRE * * * 1/2 setting:
other
(2002) (/U.S.) Matt Frewer, Kenneth Welsh, Shawn Lawrence,
Neville Edwards, Michel Perron, Tom Rack, Cary Lawrence, Isabel Dos Santos.....Sherlock
Holmes and Dr. Watson (Frewer and Welsh) investigate when members of a
London monastic order are being killed off...seeming by a vampire. Fourth
teaming of Frewer and Welsh as Holmes and Watson is the first not actually
adapted from any source story, and it works surprisingly well. In fact,
it's arguably the best of the batch. These Sherlock
Holmes TV movies work because everyone seems to be having fun doing
them, and have translated that fun to the viewer; not stodgy and earnest,
but fruity and enthusiastic, with director Gibbons investing this entry
with enough of a spooky mood to make it a fun, Halloween treat (though
CanWest-Global first aired it in August -- and it's set during Christmas, suggesting they were hoping it could be an annual staple of one kind or another). It veers toward deliberate camp...but puts on the breaks before it crosses that line, with scenes between Fewer and Edwards, as an enigmatic naturalist, particularly well played with a dramatic nuance. Even the fake bats -- a notoriously
difficult special effect throughout film history -- aren't bad. There's
even a hint of more serious, modern "issues" by touching on racism and
evironmentalism. The main quibble is that writer-director Gibbons doesn't
give the viewer access to all the relevant clues, making it a bit of a
cheat. And with all those monks, it's hard to keep the names straight to
remember who's who. But all in all, a highly enjoyable romp. sc./dir: Rodney
Gibbons. 88 min.
THE CAT IN THE BAG see Le
chat dans le sac
CATWALK (TV Series)Largely overlooked gem of a TV series mixed urban grittiness with solid drama and quirky, intelligent humour all presented with a really laid-back ambience. An effective, human series with characters -- thanks to the extremely engaging and personable cast -- who you cared about. Set, more-or-less, in the United States, and, ironically, ceased production because the Americans lost interest...though, supposedly, a second season was filmed (with some cast changes) but to my knowledge it has yet to air in Canada. Despite being on the "Youth" network, this was a decidedly adult series. Interestingly, Taylor's character was supposed to be the product of mixed parentage (Chase is black, Bazinet white), which may well be one of the first times a (grown up) character in a weekly series was supposed to be the product of such a liason; TV had depicted interracial relationships, but, bizarre as it may seem, the result of such a relationship seemed to be a taboo for the longest time (another Canadian series, 9B, is another series that comes to mind featuring a mixed race character). Created by Alan Levy. Original songs composed by Orin Isaacs and Rupert Gayle. 24 hour long episodes on YTV. |
CAUGHT IN THE HEADLIGHTS
* * 1/2
(2005) Erika Eleniak, Kim Coates, Brigitta Dau, Erin
Gray, Stacy Keach, Stephen Huszar.....F.B.I. agent (Eleniak) sent to
escort a spunky fugitive (Dau) back to the U.S. from the small town to
which she'd fled, finds she claims she's innocent...and assassins are trying
to kill them! It's easy to get cynical about straight-to-video, low-budget
thrillers...but sometimes, you shouldn't. 'Cause this is actually a decent
little effort, livened up with humour, a few story twists, some quirky
ideas (Gray and Keach as an old married couple assassin duo) and some deeper-than-expected
characterization and relationships. Maybe doesn't quite jump the bar, hamstrung
by budget problems (including some clumsy action scenes) and not really
generating edge-of-the-seat suspense, but certainly an agreeable watch.
Coates does good in a change-of-pace role as a more sympathetic, albeit
enigmatic, character than he usually plays. A nice score by Harry Manfredini.
Still, I've often remarked how so many Canadian filmmakers are loathe to
acknowledge their Canadianess on camera...and here's one of the most bizarre
examples. The movie is set in a North American-looking small town where
everyone has North American English accents and it's not the USA
(as the character is being extradited) -- so there's really only one country
it could be, right? And yet the filmmakers still manage to go through an
entire film making no references to "Canada". Logically the movie has to
be set in Canada...but they never acknowledge that on screen. Eleniak,
Gray and Keach are all American. sc: Glyn Brock, Jerrold W. Lambert. dir:
Gavin Wilding. - violence.- 91 min.
THE CELESTIAL MATTER *
* setting: other
(1987) Doug Bagot, Harold Jones, Ken DeLisle, Peter
Spencer, Earl Billman .....In the middle-ages, an Italian astronomer
(Bagot) is tried for heresy before a religious tribunal for claiming the
earth revolves around the sun. Off-beat, low-budget little drama is audacious
(considering its budget) and not without its moments, but ultimately it's
a bit draggy (even considering the short running time) and not much more
than the synopsis. Filmed in Manitoba. sc./dir: John Kozak. - violence.-
65 min.
CELINE
* * * 1/2 setting: P.Q./other
(2008) Christine Ghawi, Enrico Colantoni, Jodelle Ferland, Peter MacNeill,
Louise Pitre, Mac Fyfe, Natalie Radford.....Story of singer Celine Dion, from
her working class childhood to her international stardom, and chronicling her
evolving relationship with her older manager (Colantoni). Dion is a mega star
singer, and her life had ups and downs, but not necessarily much that screams
for a dramatization, suggesting a flick mainly of interest to her existing
fandom. But this made-for-CBC TV movie is -- surprisingly -- quite compelling
even for those who've barely heard Dion sing a note, even making the central
romance plot affecting, and with good performances all around. Ghawi (in her
first major role) injects a lot of feisty charisma into her adult Dion -- even
if she does sometimes look a little distractingly like a (prettier) Andrea
Martin! Even without Dion's official participation, this is a puff piece...but
it avoids being too cloyingly fawning. Ironically, hardcore Dion fans seem to
be those most critical of it (like many "docudramas", it plays a bit loose
with details). Granted, it's a bit odd to do a bio-pic about a French-Canadian
star in which few of the actors are Francophone (and the movie glosses over
any career decisions a performer might make in trying to crossover from a
French to an English market), Credit where credit is do: so props to scripter
Martin, more than a few of whose films I've dissed on this site over the
years! sc: Donald Martin. dir: Jeff Woolnough. app. 90 min.
CENTURY HOTEL
* * 1/2 setting: CDN.
(2002) Joel Bissonnette, Lindy Booth, Colm Feore,
David Hewlett, Sandrine Holt, Janet Kidder, Mia Kirshner, Chantal Kreviazuk,
Eugene Lipinski, Raine Maida, Tom McCamus, Earl Pastko, Russell Yuen, Aron
Tager, voice of Jeremy Ratchford.....Various stories
from different 20th Century time periods are intercut, played out in the
same hotel room. Drama boasts a brisk tempo, fine performances, and smart,
crisp dialogue, making for a moderately enjoyable watch. But as is often
the case with these multi-plot type movies (that have become the rage with
modern Canadian filmmakers), it can seem a bit, well, lazy at times. By
telling "mini" movies, the plot and characterization of each individual
story is often pretty rudimentary. None of the stories are that
strong or interesting on their own. Kirshner seems to spend most of her
scenes in various stages of undress (Booth also doffs some garments, as
do some of the guys). Nice closing song by real life singers (and couple)
Kreviazuk and Maida. sc: David Weaver, Bridget Newson. dir: David Weaver.
- partial female nudity, sexual content, casual male nudity, violence.-
97 min.
CEREMONY see Spenser: Ceremony
CERRO TORRE a.k.a. Scream of Stone
A Certain Mr. Takahashi, a novel by Ann Ireland, became the film The Pianist
Certain Practices *
* * setting: Ont.
(1979) Richard Monette, Alan Scarfe, David Gardner,
Philip Akin, Susan Hogan.....A doctor (Monette) struggles with the
ethics of medical experimentation when a colleague's botched operation
results in the patient's death. Gritty, authentic hour-long drama, well
directed and acted. Made for the For the Record
series.
sc: Ian Sutherland. dir: Martin Lavut.
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