Dana Brooks Movies
- 1994
Tattooing is the focus of this Canadian lesbian drama. The film also examines artistic ambition. The protagonist is Alex a filmmaker whose reputation in the alternative art world is well established. She is getting ready to make a feature film. She puts out an advertisement and receives a letter from Chris, a woman pretending to be a man. In the letter, Chris describes, in delicious detail, the sexual pleasure involved with getting a tattoo. Intrigued, Alex hires Chris as her production assistant. She is interested in more than Chris's skills; she also wants her input in the film. Alex's lover tries to warn her that Chris is extremely unstable, but Alex doesn't listen, and allows Chris's crush upon her to run unchecked. This leads to disaster. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
In Michael Moore's political satire, the U.S. president (Alan Alda) decides to wage a cold war against Canada in an attempt to reverse his slipping popularity, and, as a result, he drives a small group of incensed Canadians to take matters into their own hands. Alda is the first president in years not to lead his country into war, which naturally means that his approval rating is dangerously low. The sure-fire way to boost his popularity is to start a war and demonstrate American superiority. Unfortunately, as his advisors point out, the U.S. has run out of enemies. That is, until Alda's National Security Advisor Stuart Smiley (Kevin Pollak) happens to catch a segment on the news about a brawl at a Canadian hockey game that began when local American sheriff Bud Boomer (John Candy) made a remark about Canadian beer. This incident gives Smiley the notion to make the public believe that Canada is their new enemy. Determined to demonstrate the mighty power of America to the Canadians, Boomer gets a group of equally angry fellow Americans together to cross the border and perform the most serious of all Canadian crimes -- littering. However, the invasion is foiled and Boomer's numerous blunders threaten to turn a fabricated war into a real one. Written, directed, and produced by Michael Moore, Canadian Bacon takes lighthearted jabs at the differences between the U.S. and Canada, while also satirizing America's obsession with its military strength. The film features John Candy in his last complete screen performance. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, John Candy, (more)
Actor Henry Adler (Tom McCamus) has a tenuous hold on his identity in Canadian director David Wellington's I Love a Man in Uniform. On his way to audition for a violent TV police show, he sees an officer shot in the line of duty. Using what he witnessed in his tryout, he impresses the casting director and gets the role of a tough street cop. But it's more than just a part for him: he takes his uniform home, goes out on the street, and gets mistaken for a real cop. Like Anthony John in A Double Life, he has become his character, and like Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, he wants to clean the world of its filth. This film is not merely an exploration of one man's descent into madness; it is also an indictment of society's confusion of televised fiction with real life. ~ Steve Press, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom McCamus, Brigitte Bako, (more)
- 1987
Sadie (Debbie Reynolds) is a salty, streetwise New York cop, forced into early retirement. Her son (Brian McNamara) is a rookie police officer. Carl Kleinschmidt's script contrives to have Sadie and Son become partners: she performs a heroic deed while in "civvies," and is restored to the force. The rest of the film concerns itself with the younger cop's paranoia over living up to his mom's reputation, with time left over for a couple of romantic subplots. Filmed in Toronto and first telecast October 21, 1987, Sadie and Son represented Debbie Reynolds' first foray into the TV-movie field. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
