Tre-Tu
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.
TREACHEROUS BEAUTIES *
* 1/2 setting: CDN.
(1994) Emma Samms, Bruce Greenwood, Ron White, Catherine
Oxenberg, Mark Humphrey, Tippi Hedren, Rachel Crawford, Ian D. Clark.....To
investigate her brother's murder, a photojournalist (Samms) ingratiates
herself, incognito, with the wealthy, small town family who runs the stable
where he had worked. Mystery/suspenser isn't bad, but remains largely...bland.
A little slow-moving and the killer is obvious long before the end. Still,
if you're in the right mood... See Harlequin.
sc: Naomi Janzen, Jim Henshaw (from the novel by Cheryl Emerson). dir:
Charles Jarrott. 91 min.
TREADING WATER a.k.a. The Boy Who Smells Like Fish
TREASURE ISLAND *
* 1/2 setting: other
(1998) (/U.K./U.S.) Jack Palance, Patrick Bergin,
Kevin Zegers, Christopher Benjamin, David Robb, Malcolm Stoddard, Philip
Whitchurch, Walter Sparrow.....Possession of a treasure map sends an
English boy, Jim Hawkins (Zegers), off on a ship in search of the titular
island, unaware many in the crew are pirates led by Long John Silver (Palance).
Umpteenth adaptation of the classic period adventure is workmanlike but
briskly-paced and reasonably lavish. Rowe fails to tell the story through
the characters, though, meaning you observe the scenes, but don't really
feel
them or even understand motivation. Kind of gritty and violent, to, for
what is, after all, generally seen as a family film...and the movie skews
some of the characters, making some of the good guy adults from the novel
into decidedly more deplorable characters. Bergin has the small but pivotal
role of Billy Bones. Zegers is the only Canadian in the cast (though Stoddard,
as the ship's captain, used to star in the Canadian family series, The
Campbells). sc./dir: Peter Rowe (from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson).
- violence.- 95 min.
TREASURE TRAIN a.k.a. Odyssey of the Pacific
TREED MURRAY *
* * setting: Ont.
(2002) David Hewlett, Aaron Ashmore, Cle Bennett,
Kevin Duhaney, Jessica Greco, Carter Hayden.....An uptight executive
(Hewlett) takes a wrong turn in the park, crossing a gang of punks. Mind
games on both sides ensue when he ends up chased up a tree, unwilling to
come down, and they at the bottom, unwilling to leave. A clever, minimalist
premise for a suspense film with a limited budget, but can it fill out
a movie? Surprisingly...yes! Suffers from a few plausibility lapses, and
the suspense is more low-key than truly nail-biting. But it's decent looking
and tightly paced, mixing humour with the drama. And, despite the limited
locale and premise, it avoids seeming repetitious and never encourages
you to glance at your watch. Which, really, is what storytelling is all
about. Nice performances from Hewlett (the veritable king of independent
Canadian cinema) and a charismatic one from Bennett as the leader of the
gang. sc./dir: William Phillips. - violence.- 89 min.
UN 32 AOUT SUR TERRE *
* * setting: P.Q./USA.
(1998) Pascale Bussieres, Alexis Martin, Serge Theriault,
Richard S. Hamilton.....Emotionally discombobulated after a car accident,
a single woman (Bussieres) decides she wants to have a baby, sired by her
platonic best friend (Martin) -- putting him in an awkward position, both
because he's involved with somone else, and because he's really in love
with her; eventually taking the two of them on a spontaneous odyssey to
the Utah desert. Off-beat, quirky drama is surprisingly compelling, thanks
to some well written, often minimalist, scenes. It creates its own, hypnotic
rhythm, managing to be both focused and eccentrically meandering at the
same time, though the resolution seems a tad trite. Well acted. English
title: August 32nd on Earth. sc./dir: Denis Villeneuve. 89 min.
TRIAL AND ERROR
* 1/2 setting: USA.
(1993) (/U.S.) Tim Matheson, Helen Shaver, Eugene
A. Clark (Eugene Clark), Sean McCann, Page Fletcher, Michael J. Reynolds,
Ian D. Clark.....Five years after winning a murder conviction, a U.S.
prosecutor (Matheson) reluctantly reinvestigates the case...and risks his
budding political career. Weak, often illogical drama cum suspenser manages
to tip-toe around anything too provocative, and, just to reinforce how
inane it is, throws in a pointless car chase and some false "boos". sc:
Rick Way, Jim Lindsay, Nevin Schreiner (story Andrew Marin). dir: Mark
Sobel. 89 min.
TRIAL AT FORTITUDE BAY
* * setting: N.W.T.
(1994) Lolita Davidovich, Henry Czerny, Raoul Trujillo,
Marcel Sabourin, Robert Ito, Paul Gordon.....White lawyer (Davidovich)
comes to the NorthWest Territories to defend a young Inuit man (Gordon)
on rape charges, only to find the Inuit's more spiritual idea of justice
conflicts with the rigid Canadian one. Made-for-CBC TV drama is earnest
in one of those we're-being-important-so-we- don't-have-to-come-up-with-a-compelling-story,-characters,-scenes,-or-conflict
sort of way. Dry and obvious for the most part, saying all it's going to
say in the first few minutes. Though Trujillo and Ito, as an Inuk elder,
are good. sc: Keith Ross Leckie. dir: Vic Sarin. - casual male nudity.-
92 min.
TRIAL BY FIRE
* * * setting: N.W.T.
(2000) Tina Keeper, Tom Jackson, Peter Kelly Gaudreault,
Tracey Cook, Graham Greene, Dakota House, Wilma Pelly, Kevin McNulty, Yvon
Ponton, Michelle Thrush.....Lynx River mounties (Keeper and Gaudreault)
investigate a mysterious fire and death that is linked to her brother's
(Jackson) political ambitions to be the next premier of the Territories...and
they even suspect his direct involvement. Second TV movie spun off from
the successful North of 60 TV series is a slickly
put together effort, reuniting many of the familiar characters (many in
supporting bit parts and not in a way that you would need to be familiar
with the series to follow the story). Granted, the villain isn't too hard
to guess, but it's a decent suspense-drama, atmospheric and well-mounted,
benefiting from its setting, and some strong core performances from Keeper,
Gaudreault and, especially, Jackson. Though the movie fails to articulate
a peculiarity of Territorial politics, namely that the premier is elected
by the MLAs, not directly by the people -- it's not that important
to the story, but it explains why Jackson can be campaigning, but doesn't
seem to be hitting any campaign trails. sc: Andrew Wreggitt. dir: Francis
Damberger. 91 min.
THE TRIANGLE
* * setting: USA/other
(2001) (/U.S.) Luke Perry, Dan Cortese, Olivia d'Abo,
Dorian Harewood, David Hewlett, Polly Shannon.....A group of friends
charter a fishing boat in Bermuda, end up getting lost in the "Bermuda
Triangle", and come upon a derelict, haunted luxury liner that disappeared
decades earlier. Made-for-U.S. TV horror film starts out seeming almost
as though it's going to be a sedate fantasy story...then becomes out-and-out
horror in the final third as it becomes "The Shining" or, more closely,
the Canadian horror flick Death Ship. The cast
is respectable and there are some creepy bits when they first come upon
the derelict, but ultimately the movie is presented in such a glib, sprightly
way, there's very little tension, with the characters too often blasé
about their circumstances. And the characters are rather ill-defined and
never really make you care about them (not that you dislike them,
you're just indifferent). The movie throws in so many contradictory elements
-- voodoo, Bermuda Triangle, psychic dreamms, and a haunted ghost ship --
that you get the feeling you're seeing left overs from earlier drafts.
American movie star Chris O'Donnell was one of the producers. sc: Ted Humphrey
(story Bing Howenstein and Ted Humphrey). dir: Lewis Teague. - violence.-
app. 88 min.
TRIBE OF JOSPEH
* * 1/2 setting: B.C.
(2002) Shaun Johnston, Steven Grayhm, Kaaren De Zilva,
Garry Davey, Giacomo Baesatto, Michael Tayles, Miles Meadows, Neil Denis,
Simon Baker, Christopher Attadia.....Self-styled -- and increasingly
unstable -- religious prophet (Johnston) retreats from civilization to
the woods with his family and forms a primitive, tribalistic cult with
young runaways. O.K. suspense-drama doesn't fully realize its own ambitions,
but it's decently paced and benefits simply from its off-beat, atypical
premise. Nice B.C. scenery, too. Sidebar: in 2003, a couple of brothers
in B.C. made the news with claims they had been raised in seclusion in
the forests of B.C. by their parents...who called themselves Mary and Joseph
(it subsequently turned out to be untrue). sc./dir: Cheetche. - violence.-
99 min. .
TRIBUTE *
* setting: USA.
(1980) Jack Lemmon, Robby Benson, Lee Remick, Kim
Cattrall, Colleen Dewhurst, John Marley, Gale Garnett.....Dying, fun-lovin',
New York press agent (Lemmon) wants to patch things up with his estranged
son (Benson). Good cast but uninvolving, overly long and superficial drama.
The main character is too overbearing to be really likeable. sc: Bernard
Slade (from his play). dir: Bob Clark. - partial female nudity.- 121 min.
TRINITY *
1/2
(2002) (/U.K.) Tom McCamus, Lucy Akhurst, Stephen
Moyer.....In a totalitarian future, two security officers (Brits Akhurst
and Moyer) arrive at an isolated, deserted compound looking for a scientist
wanted for crimes against humanity -- and against whom the female officer
has a personal grudge. But they find a man (Canuck McManus) who claims
only to be a clone of the man they're looking for. Minimalist SF
psychological drama is low-budget but doesn't feel cheap; it's decent looking
and boasts a decent cast and atmosphere. It wants to be something where
things aren't quite what they seem and motives aren't quite what they appear.
Except, mostly they are. Worse, the limited characters and questions (is
McCamus the man or isn't he? Will Akhurst kill him, or bring him in alive?)
mean that very quickly they just seem to repeat the same conversations
and arguments over and over and over again. When Akhurt's shower scene
near the beginning remains the highlight, you know the story would seem
to be wanting. sc./dir: Gary Boulton- Brown. - female nudity, casual male
nudity, sexual content.- 83 min.
A TRIP TO SERENDIPITY *
*
(1992) Donna Larson, James Bell, David Brindle, Don
Spino, Patrick Brown.....Corporate climber (Larson) encounters a hobo
and various eccentric characters that cause her to re-evaluate her priorities.
Engaging performances in this whimsical, but obvious, light-hearted film.
It's impossible to dislike, but that doesn't make it engrossing. sc./dir:
Nancy Marano. 80 min.
TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE see Belleville Rendez-Vous
TRIPPING THE WIRE *
* 1/2 setting: P.Q.
(2005) Clark Johnson, Alisen Down, Micheline Lanctot,
Michael Sarrazin, Peter Stebbings, Brendan Fletcher, Karl Pruner, Hugh
Thompson, Joshua Peace, Sabrina Grdevich, Miranda Handford, Al Goulem,
Layne Coleman, Glenda Braganza, Benz Antoine.....Troubled police detective
Stephen Tree (Johnson) investigates the brutal murder of a disgraced ex-soldier
-- and whistle-blower -- while also findinng the ghosts from a shady old
case may be coming back to haunt him (in an unrelated sub-plot). Made-for-CTV
mystery starts out a little like the filmmakers have seen a few too many
cliched cop shows (repeating tired old coroner-and-food gags) but is overall
a decent little TV mystery, with some atypical scenes (like a bit set at
a medieval theme park). But the sub-plot involving the old case never fully
resolves, presumably because they're hoping this will be the first of a
series of movies (ala Joanne Kilbourn, Jinnah,
Det.
Murdoch, etc.). But it makes for a slightly disappointing stand-alone
watch (particularly since any sequel is still just hypothetical). Still,
enjoyable enough, with some strong performances, and a better sense of
Canadiana then some of the above-mentioned mystery movie series. And Johnson,
one of this countries most under-valued actors for, literally, decades,
finally gets to take centre stage...and the fact that he's black and the
lead, though not unprecedented in Canadian movies, is nonetheless not exactly
commonplace either. sc: Peter Smith, Greg Spottiswood. dir: Stephen Surjik.
- violence; sexual content.- app. 90 min.<
THE TROJAN HORSE (TVMS)
*
* 1/2 setting: USA./other
(2008) Paul Gross, Greta Scacchi, Tom Skerrit, Martha
Burns, Saul Rubinek, Clark Johnson, Stephen McHattie, William Hutt, Guy
Nadon, Susan Coyne......After the United States has absorbed Canada,
an international cabal, concerned about American imperialism and militaristic
adventurism, seeks to manipulate events so that ex-Canadian PM, Tom McLaughlin
(Gross) -- now technically an American citizen -- becomes the next president.
Loose follow-up to H2O features a large cast in
a tale of murder, assassination, multiple conspiracies, and skulduggery
on an international field, that wants to tackle real issues (Skerrit plays
a George W. Bush-type sitting president) but avoids seeming didactic by
virtue of the fact that right-and-wrong are muddled concepts (that is,
we can infer we are to sympathize with Gross and the conspirators concerns...even
as their actions are clearly villainous). But the result is too few characters
to like, let alone root for (chiefly Scacchi as a British investigative
journalist). It's a saga of conspiracy and Machiavellian machinations --
but because we are privy to the "secret" plotting, the story plays too
many of its cards too soon. The connection to H2O is tenuous at
times, so that you don't really need to have seen the earlier mini-series...except
that occasional appearances from Nadon (in a small part) and Jeff Pustil
(in a couple of scenes) have little context if you haven't seen it. This
is meant to be a bigger concept than H2O, shifting the focus from
a domestic Canadian conspiracy, to an International/American-centric one...but
as such, it actually seems less original and more cliched than H2O
(even as one could argue an American filmmaker would probably never make
a film from quite this perspective). In fact, the "Canadian" aspect here
is rather minor: the whole Canada-gets-absorbed-by-the-U.S. notion is mainly
just a catalyst to explain how Gross' character can run in the U.S. election
(and to provide his motivation) but is otherwise of little relevance (the
film never seriously asks how would the sudden influx of 30 million Canadian
voters, with Canadian values and ideology, impact on American politics?).
Not uninteresting, with a good cast (particularly Burns, McHattie, and
Skerritt who brings some nice nuance to his role as the current president)
-- but not as compelling as H2O. Foour hours. sc: Paul Gross, John
Krizanc. dir: Charles Biname.
THE TROTSKY *
* * setting: P.Q.
(2009) Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Michael Murphy, Saul Rubinek, Colm Feore, Domini Blythe, Tiio Horn, Rick Mabe, Jesse Camacho, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Tommie-Amber Pirie, Genevieve Bujold.....Teen-age boy (Baruchel), convinced he is the re-incarnation of revolutionary Leo Trotsky, sets out to live his life accordingly, including romancing an older woman (Hampshire) and trying to stir up the complacent students at his new school against the Draconian teachers (Feore and Blythe). Funny, ambitious comedy that is, in a way, everything most Canadian movies aren't...and should be. It blends both Hollywood and European flavours in its quirky, interesting premise mixing mainstream ambitions (comedy, and feel good spectacle) with a refreshing assumption the audience is as smart and well read as the characters, and with an attempt to say something about society. Yet it's a movie that feels like it should be better than it is. Maybe those very conflicting impulses collide a few times (it's a comedy, but with many of the cast more associated with drama; it's sort of a low-key, serio-comic flick and it's sort of a screwball comedy with some one-dimensional characters). What should be the emotional heart of the film (such as the romance) never quite become more than abstract plot points. And it's trying to be a political film...that is a-political (conservatives needn't fear it's some left-wing treatise). Heck...maybe at almost two hours it just needed tightening. It boasts a great cast...but the parts can be a bit underwritten (like Murphy as a jaded ex-radical) with the likes of Jessica Pare, David Julian Hirsh, and Liane Balaban (in a cameo at the end) in thankless bit parts (that's the director in the final scene, too). It is a good, clever, and quite funny film and worth catching...but just misses being the classic it had the potential to be. sc./dir: Jacob Tierney.
|
see Sweating Bullets |
TRUDEAU (TVMS) *
* * setting: CDN.
(2002) Colm Feore, Polly Shannon, Patrick McKenna,
Jean Marchand, Raymond Cloutier, Raymond Bouchard, Peter Outerbridge, David
McIwraith, Don McKellar.....The title says it in this much-anticipated
bio-pic about Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau (Feore), beginning
with his political start in the 1960s, and ending with his re-drawing the
Constitution in the 1980s. If Canada has a folklore, Trudeau is probably
it -- a good bio-pic needs to be about an interesting person who lived
at an interesting time and did interesting things, and Trudeau was all
three. The filmmakers try and cover all the key points, from his tumultuous
marriage to Margaret (Shannon), and Trudeaumania and the October Crisis,
to the Referendum and the Constitutional reform. It's a good effort, anchored
by Feore's at times uncannily evocative performance, and tackled in a funky,
sometimes light-hearted way, with lots of pop music, and winking nods to
other movies (from "A Hard Day's Night" to "Reservoir Dogs") to insure
this isn't just a dry docudrama. But those very techniques can also make
it distractingly cutesy. At times, gripping and even giddy in its enthusiasm,
but at other times it lags a little, and sometimes muddles things, where
even if you know the history it can be confusing. The October Crisis, which
takes up a good chunk of the film, ends so abruptly you aren't sure what
happened! Likewise, the climactic Constitutional stuff can be confusing.
And even the intellectual/ideological stuff is sometimes poorly articulated.
Lots of noteworthy actors play real life figures, but in small parts: R.H.
Thomson as Mitchell Sharp, Geraint Wyn Davies as Bill Davis, etc. Ultimately,
is this the best Trudeau drama it could be? Unfortunately, no. But it's
still entertaining and pretty good -- thanks as much to the man and the
times he lived in -- and will do for now. Just as a sidebar: the shot I
assumed was a joke on "Reservoir Dogs" -- with Trudeau and his cabinet
striding toward the camera in black suits and sun glasses -- was actually
lifted from a real photo of those guys taken in 1968; maybe "Reservoir
Dogs" was inspired by it! Received four Gemini Awards, including for Best
Actor (Feore), Best Script, and Best Direction. Followed by the prequel:
Trudeau
II: Maverick in the Making. Four hours. sc: Wayne Grigsby. dir: Jerry
Ciccoritti. 192 min.
TRUDEAU II: Maverick in
the Making (TVMS) * * * 1/2 setting: P.Q./other
(2005) Stephane Demers, Tobie Pelletier, Karl Pruner,
Michele-Barbara Pelletier, Gary Levert, Patrick Labbe, Suzanne Clement.....Story
of Pierre Elliot Trudeau's early life, from teenager (Tobie Pelletier)
to adult (Demers), philosopher, provocateur, dilettante, etc., from his
political "awakening" in Quebec, rebelling against the almost totalitarian
authority of Maurice Duplessis and the Church, to his eventual entering
federal politics and climaxing with his becoming prime minister. Follow-up
to the successful Trudeau mini-series (which depicted
his years in office), also by Grigsby, this prequel, surprisingly, emerges
as genuinely compelling, benefiting, precisely because it's less familiar
territory. Avoids some of the cartoony, simplified didacticism of some
bio-pics, with its warts and all portrait, showing Trudeau's intelligence
and idealism, but also his pettiness, arrogance, social awkwardness and
more. It's more personal and character focused than the previous mini-series,
but also, ironically, more political, and maybe a slightly more mature,
complex film than the original. At the core is Demers' riveting performance
that rivals Colm Feore's, thanks to greater humanizing nuance (which may
say as much about the material) -- and T. Pelletier is also good. The two
mini-series are effective companions, with this one presenting a compelling,
plausible look at the flawed man, while the original mini-series effectively
depicted the public charisma. Granted, some of the events and personalities
might not be as clearly portrayed as they could be for an audience who
might be unfamiliar with them, and some of Trudeau's ideological evolutions
are skimmed over but, ultimately, truly effective. Demers had previously
played Trudeau (in a supporting part) in the mini-series Chartrand et
Simonne; Pruner appeared in the first mini-series as John Turner, but
here has a more significant part as Frank R. Scott -- other real life figures,
depicted in cameos, include Marcel Sabourin as Duplessis, Marie Christine
Labelle as author Anne Hebert, Eric Peterson as Tommy Douglas, and Pierre
Rivard as Rene Levesque. Diana Leblanc and Lucie Laurier recur as Trudeau's
mother and sister, but with otherwise thankless parts. As perhaps an in-joke,
Jeremy Akerman appears as a character somewhat reminiscent of his role
in Grigsby's fictitious Snakes & Ladders series. Four hours. sc: Wayne
Grigsby, Guy Fournier. dir: Tim Southam. - casual male and female nudity,
sexual content.-
TRUE CONFECTIONS *
* setting: Man.
(1991) Leslie Hope, Kyle McCulloch, Jill Riley, Judah
Katz, Chandra West, Doug Silverstein, Laurissa Kowalchuk, Bernadette Li.....In
the '50s, a Jewish teen and wanna-be beatnik (Hope), must deal with anti-Semitism
and societal expectations as she searches for a husband. Provocative ideas
in this comedy-drama (when dealing with racism and sexism) and Hope is
appealing. But the film has a mean streak (established with the opening
"gag") and everything's overplayed and really obvious, with unconvincing
scenes and a choppy story -- as if stuff is missing. sc./dir: Gail Singer
(from the book by Sondra Gotlieb). - partial female nudity.- 96 min.
The Truth About Alex *
* * 1/2 setting: USA.
(1986) (/U.S.) Scott Baio, Peter Spence, Jessica Steen,
J. Winston Carroll, Michael J. Reynolds, Jeremy Ratchford, Robin Ward.....American
teen (Baio) discovers his best buddy (Spence) is gay and decides to stand
by him despite harrassment from their football teammates, and pressure
from friends and family. Crisp, extremely effective hour-long drama side-steps
the too-predictable. Strong performances with a good script and direction.
First shown on Global. sc: Craig Storper (from the novel Counter Play
by Anne Synder, Louis Pelletier). dir: Paul Shapiro.
THE TRUTH ABOUT LYING
* 1/2
(1997) John Ritter, Michele Scarabelli, Daphne Zuniga,
Tony Nardi, Sophie Lorain, Samantha Eggar, Gabrielle Boni, Linda Roy, Roddy
McDowall.....A true-crime writer (Ritter) reluctantly investigates
when the baby of a wealthy couple (Scarabelli and Nardi) is kidnapped,
only to discover many things aren't what they seem. With Martin as scripter,
Goldstein as director, and Daniele J. Suissa as producer, you know it's
going to be something special, right?...yeah, in an alternate reality.
Seriously, it's better than you'd expect, certainly more ambitious, with
a nice cast (half of whom are imports) but very quickly the film stagnates
with long, static scenes that don't go anywhere. Part of the problem is
Ritter is supposed to be the main character/investigator, but the film
seems like two movies: half the scenes are Ritter, dealing with his broken
family and alchoholism, and half are the kidnapping story, a story on which
Ritter doesn't impact until two thirds of the way through! And by the end,
it's still not clear who committed one of the ensuing murders! sc: Donald
Martin. dir: Allan A. Goldstein. 93 min.
|
(2007-2010) * * 1/2 (/Irish/U.S.) Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("King Henry VIII"), Henry Cavill ("Charles Brandon"), Sarah Bolger ("Princess Mary"), Natalie Dormer ("Anne Boleyn") (-2nd), Maria Doyle Kennedy ("Katherine of Aragon") (-2nd), Sam Neill ("Cardinal Wolsey") (1st), James Frain ("Thomas Cromwell") (-3rd), Jeremy Northam ("Sir Thomas Moore") (-2nd), Henry Czerny ("Norfolk") (1st), Anthony Brophy ("Ambassador Chapuys") (-3rd), Nick Dunning ("Sir Thomas Boleyn") (-2nd), Kris Holden-Ried ("William Compton") (1st), Jamie Thomas King ("Thomas Wyatt") (-2nd), Hans Matheson ("Thomas Cranmer") (2nd), Annabelle Wallis ("Jane Seymour") (2nd-3rd), Alan Van Sprang ("Sir Francis Bryan") (3rd), Tamzin Merchant ("Katherine Howard") (3rd-4th), Max Brown ("Earl of Hertford") (4th), Torrance Coombs ("Thomas Culpepper") (4th), David O'Hara ("Earl of Shrewsbury") (4th), Lothaire Bluteau ("Ambassador Marillac") (4th), with Simon Baker, Peter O'Toole, Max Von Sydow, Gabrielle Anwar, David Alpay, Mark Hildreth, many others.........Historical drama chronicling the reign of the notorious King Henry VIII (Rhys Meyers) of England. An international co-production, with its primary broadcaster being the U.S. Showtime cable station, and filmed in Ireland with mainly a U.K. cast (and some episodes directed by Canadians). No Canadian actors had long term roles, but at least one or two Canadians were in the title credits each season, and sometimes others appeared in prominent recurring roles -- and, other than Czerny (with his Hollywood credits), most were largely known for their domestic roles (unlike some such co-productions where the "Canadian" actors...are drawn from the Hollywood ex-pat community and have little to do with the Canadian entertainment industry). This TV series was part of the trend of such shows as "Deadwood" and "Rome" and others, all being a historical drama series jazzed up for a cable audience by throwing in sex, nudity and profanity. Running four seasons, was it actually one of the more successful of the genre. Yet it's a curiously problematic effort -- perhaps the most vapid and superficial of those series. Despite using the tag line that you don't know the whole story until you know how it begins, as though promising to shake up our views of the era, it never really delivers. Other than being young and thin, this Henry is pretty much in keeping with traditional views of him -- and it's not like the series is offering to illuminate an obscure era of history, as Henry and his shenanigans have been the subject of more films and TV shows than, perhaps, any other monarch, and the roles here have previously been essayed by the likes of Richard Burton, Robert Shaw, Paul Scofield, Genevieve Bujold and other heavyweight talents. It's handsomely mounted, with big sets, lush costumes, grand crowd scenes, and capable performances throughout. Yet the problem with historical dramas is that, by modern
standards, often these people were amoral sociopaths whose values and mores
are hard to empathize with (ironic, given that this was also a supposedly
more pious, "god fearing" age). Even so, the series doesn't do a great
job of really developing the personalities, or extrapolating a consistent motivation -- the later Borgias did, arguably, a better job (at least initially) of presenting characters where, even if we didn't agree with the characters' actions, we could better empathize with why they acted as they did. The narrative itself is sometimes choppy and episodic rather than flowing
naturally like a drama (in part a result of trying to squeeze years of history, and a supporting cast constantly in flux, into a handful of episodes per season). Yet, paradoxically, other scenes can feel a bit like place holders, as if they're struggling to pad the story -- lavish sets erected, costumes fitted, make up applied...for a scene where an actor, then, utters a line or two of rather inconsequential dialogue that could just as easily be left on the cutting room floor. And because this is "history" the narrative can't really offer any surprises or unexpected twists, so week after week, for four seasons, it's a series where largely unlikeable, unsympathetic characters go around doing reprehensible things, without even the novelty of clever twists, surprise revelations, and with a considerable amount of repetition (as Henry is notorious for his number of wives, the various courtship plot lines can kind of blur into each other). Presented as fairly straightforward, the dialogue isn't particularly clever or poetic (unlike, say, "Deadwood"), the characters not especially deep or nuanced. Yet, in the end, maybe its primary appeal is just as a visceral guilty pleasure -- lavish sets, pretty costumes, toned, nubile bodies, and the occasional be-heading -- more than to be a modern "I, Claudius".
Ironically, the series at times seems as though
aimed at history buffs, as seeming extraneous characters pop up because they were real figures...even
as, in other ways, the series plays fast and loose with historical fact
(altering the timing of events, casting actors of wildly different ages from the figures they are playing, even re-writing some of the national alliances!) Admittedly, some of that can be nitpicking...you can get the gist of the period, even as you wouldn't want to base a term paper on watching this. Though some changes can certainly influence your interpretation of the events and motives -- scenes of a trim, youngish Rhys Meyers wooing young lassies at a time when, historically, Henry was 300 pounds and past middle age might influence whether you see such relationships as courtship...or creepy. When aired on the CBC, apparently some nude scenes were trimmed
and even cut (though much nudity remained). Created
by Michael Hirst. Hour long episodes on the CBC. - partial female nudity; violence; sexual content - |
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY *
* setting: N.B.
(1986) John Alexander, Liz Dufresne, Penny Belmont,
Sheree Fitch, Perley Haynes.....Man (Alexander) returns to town after
serving time for a drunk driving homicide and finds that people are less
than happy to see him, especially the mother of the dead boy. Admirable
in that it's more than just a paint-by-numbers drama about drunk driving,
but it's a little too slow. sc: David Adams Richards, Jon Pedersen. dir:
Jon Pedersen. - brief female nudity.- 82 min.
TULIPS
* * 1/2 setting: P.Q.
(1981) Gabe Kaplan, Bernadette Peters, Al Waxman,
Henry Gibson.....Suicidal man (Kaplan) puts out a contract on his own
life but, then, meets and starts to fall in love with a neurotic woman
(Peters). Unpolished low-key comedy is nonetheless engaging. sc: Henry
Olek. dir: Stan Ferris. 92 min.
TUNNEL *
1/2 setting: ?
(2000) Kim Coates, Daniel Baldwin, Janine Theriault,
Robin Wilcock, Mark Camacho, Audrey Benoit, Ellen Dubin, Catherine Colvey.....A
captured diamond thief (Coates) makes a deal to lead authorities -- including
the guy (Baldwin) hired to protect the diamonds in the first place -- to
the loot, but double crosses them...all of which is basically just a pre-amble
to another "Die Hard" riff, this time set in a sealed up train tunnel.
Weak, low-budget action thriller is one of those violent, straight-to-video
flicks where the sleazy bad guys, basically, shoot anyone they can, though
it tries to counterpoint that with some light-hearted badinage later; a
mix that is more awkward than not. Baldwin remains a problematic actor,
while Coates does his usual sleazy-sadist shtick. Colvey, arguably the
best actor in the bunch (here playing the chief prosecutor), doesn't even
get billed in the opening credits! A kind of confused movie, too, from
the opening poem that doesn't seem to have any relevance, to the simple
logic of the thing (since Coates was captured at the scene...how can he
lead them to where the stolen diamonds are hidden?), to geographical schizophrenia:
it seems to be set in Canada, with references to "Crown" attorneys, and
even Baldwin slipping in French expressions, but makes references to capital
punishment (Canada abolished that in the early 1970s) and the F.B.I. Huh?
sc: Tony Johnston. dir: Daniel Baldwin (his directorial debut). - violence.-
94 min.
LA TURBULENCE DES FLUIDES*
* setting: P.Q./other
(2002) (/France) Pascale Bussieres, Julie Gayet, Jean-Nicolas
Verreault, Vincent Bilodeau, Norman Helms, Ji-Yan Seguin, Genevieve Bujold,
Gabriel Arcand.....A seismologist (Bussieres) reluctantly returns to
her hometown to investigate a bizarre phenomenon wherein the tide has stopped
rolling in. Film, mixing comedy, pathos, romance, and magic realism tries
to cover a lot of bases. It's a whimsical, low-key comedy-drama, but presents
itself more like a mood-heavy suspense-film (complete with ominous music);
it's a supernatural story, but one that isn't meant to be spooky. Ultimately
not uninteresting, and Bussieres spends much of the climax naked,
but too little really clicks...or makes you care. Frankly, you kind of
wish they'd have stuck with the supernatural suspense film it seems like
it's going to be at the beginning. English title: Chaos and Desire.
sc./dir: Manon Briand. - female nudity, brief male nudity, sexual content.-
112 min.
TURN OF THE BLADE *
* setting: USA.
(1994) Crystal Owens, David Christensen, Julie Horvath,
David Keith Miller, Ann Howard.....Struggling American actress (Owens)
whose marriage is going through a bumpy period, is rehearsing for a play,
lands an audition with a creepy filmmaker (Miller), and receives threatening
phone calls; while her hubby (Christensen) is tempted by a mysterious other
woman (Horvath). Low-budget suspenser is refreshingly hard to synopsize,
but conversely it takes a long time to generate any suspense. Probably
plays better if you're in an easy-going mood. sc: Mark Bark (story Bark
and Stoller). dir: Bryan Michael Stoller. - partial female nudity, sexual
content.- 81 min.
TURNING PAIGE *
* 1/2 setting: N.B.
(2002) Nicholas Campbell, Katharine Isabelle, Brendan
Fletcher, Philip DeWilde, Torri Higginson, Nikki Barnett.....Teenage
girl (Isabelle) has her life disrupted by the return of her brother (DeWilde),
exposing buried family secrets. Drama is very well acted by a crackerjack
cast (even if only Campbell bothers with a maritime accent), and the scenes
themselves are often well done and unpretentious, with an overall tight
tempo. But the sum doesn't quite live up to the parts. No character emerges
as wholly bad...but, conversely, no character is really good either, making
for sometimes abrasive characters that it's hard to become involved with.
You can empathize with their situation, sure, but you don't necessarily
care -- when possessive ex-boyfriend stalker Fletcher later becomes the
voice of wisdom, you know something's a bit off. An earnest film, which
wants to tackle its themes by saying there are no quick 'n easy solutions
(themes I can't comment on for fear of giving away some of the story revelations),
but the movie kind of wanders about...and then ends rather abruptly. A
decent enough watch, but one that seems more like an After School Special
than a movie. sc: Robert Cuffley, Jason Long. dir: Robert Cuffley. 112
min.
TURNING TO STONE
* * 1/2 setting: Ont.
(1985) Nicky Guadagni, Shirley Douglas, Jackie Richardson,
Bernard Behrens, Anne Anglin, Kim Renders, Lynne Deragon, Erin Flannery.....Caught
for smuggling drugs, naive young woman (Guadagni) must adjust to prison
life, the hardships, and the threat from other inmates. Fairly effective
drama doesn't quite seem to know what it wants to be. Is it a cautionary
tale? A character study? An expose on prisons? Or just a drama? It's none
of the third and a bit of a mish mash of the other three. Look for Paul
Gross at the beginning as Guadagni's no-good boyfriend. sc: Judith
Thompson. dir: Eric Till. - violence.- 98 min.
TUT (TVMS) * * 1/2
(2015) (/U.S./U.K.) Ben Kingsley, Avan Jogia, Sibylla Deen, Alexander Siddig, Kylie Bunbury, Nonso Anozie, Iddo Goldberg.....Historical drama about the legendary Ancient Egyptian ruler, Tutankhamen (Jogia), detailing his conflicts with foreign armies, the machinations & intrigue in his own court (including his wily vizier, Kingsely), and the two women in his life, his queen (Deen) and the peasant girl (Bunbury) with whom he falls in love. Mini-series is sort of fun in an Old School costumed epic sort of way (albeit with modern violence and sex) but does veer into cheesiness, being at times less like an old fashioned Hollywood spectacle and more like a Drive-In movie version of same. Doesn't rise to any particular heights, nor really uncover any particular depths or profound allegorical themes (despite half-hearted stabs at sub texts about intolerance and religious extremism) -- but can hold your attention for the most part. Some nuance and shading to the characters gives the machinations a little complexity (though does create odd situations where some characters are sort of forgiven their transgressions while others aren't). And you certainly shouldn't base a term paper on what is, in the end, mostly a fabrication. Funnily enough, unlike some recent Biblical-era style epics with their conspicuously WASPish stars, the filmmakers cast (mostly) Middle Eastern-looking actors...but were still greeted by complaints of racism from those arguing that (at least according to some theories) Ancient Egyptians might have been black rather than brown. In this Canadian co-production there's little Canadian presence, save -- surprisingly -- that lead actor Jogia is Canadian (and Bunbury is Canadian-born, though otherwise American). 6 hours. sc: Michael Vickerman, Peter Paige, Bradley Bredeweg. dir: David Von Ancken. - extreme violence; sexual content; casual female nudity.-
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