David Ferry Movies
Boondock Saints, the 2000 crime picture renowned for the unique story of the fast rise and fall of its egomaniacal filmmaker, Troy Duffy, as well as the cult following that appeared later on home release, gets the sequel treatment with this follow-up. Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus reunite as the vigilante MacManus brothers, with Billy Connolly returning as Il Duce. Duffy once again directs from his own script, with Clifton Collins Jr., Julie Benz, and David Della Rocco filling out the rest of the cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, (more)
Shannen Doherty (Charmed) and Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck) star in this drama with a science-fiction twist. Doherty plays Kate, a woman whose boyfriend, Paul (Max Martini), dies while she is pregnant with his baby. Years later, Kate has been able to move on thanks to the presence of a new love (McMahon). However, an accident transports Kate back to the days before Paul died, and she must make an impossible choice between the men she loves. ~ Kimber Myers, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shannen Doherty, Julian McMahon, (more)
- 2000
Robert Mantegna stars as tough Boston private eye Spencer in this made-for-cable adaptation of the Robert B. Parker novel Thin Air. It all begins when Lila St. Claire (Yancy Butler, the new bride of police detective Frank Belson (David Ferry), is kidnapped by Latino ganglord Luis DeLeon (Jon Seda). As a personal favor to Belson, Spencer agrees to burrow into the barrio in hopes of rescuing Lila. In so doing, Spencer is made privy to more unsavory aspects of Beantown's Latino subculture--and also learns more than he cares to know about Lila's clouded past. Thin Air was originally telecast by the A&E network on September 12, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Mantegna, Marcia Gay Harden, (more)
Feeling that they are doing God's will, two Catholic men from Boston set out to kill everyone in this Reservoir Dogs-style vigilante thriller. Brothers Conner and Murphy MacManus (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) take to performing their divine duty against the Russian mob. They massacre a bunch of unsuspecting Mafioso in a scene of absurd violence, then they let more blood in a mass killing of porn-shop customers. Instead of getting thrown in jail, they are dubbed "saints" by the Boston Herald, and they are praised by brilliant, tortured, and gay FBI agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe). ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, (more)
- 2000
Created and written by Mark Shekter, this Canadian children's adventure series revolved around the exploits of teenage basketball star Dick Daring (Jeremy Guilbaut and his girlfriend Tracy Grace (Kristi Booth). Raised to believe that his private-eye father Dick Daring Sr. (David Ferry) has been killed in the line of duty, Dick Jr. learned to his astonishment that his dad merely faked his death to evade his enemies. Once he had digested this bit of information, Dick Jr. was persuaded to take over Dick Sr.'s detective agency, with Tracy as his erstwhile Girl Friday. The 13-week Daring & Grace: Teen Detectives debuted October 7, 2000 as part of the weekend "CBC-4 Kids" lineup. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Guibaut, Kristin Booth, (more)
The private life of celebrated author and philosopher Ayn Rand takes center stage in this film produced for the Showtime cable network. In 1951, Ayn Rand (Helen Mirren) is a best-selling author and celebrated thinker when she meets Nathaniel Branden (Eric Stoltz) and his friend Barbara (Julie Delpy), two college students who admire her writing and ideas. Rand takes the students under her wing, but before long her mentoring becomes less benevolent and more abusive. She badgers Barbara and Nathaniel, who were never more than close friends, into marrying, and while Nathaniel responds well to Rand's tutelage, Barbara begins to shrink from Rand's lack of compassion, which Rand sees as weakness. Things become more uncomfortable when, after Barbara and Nathaniel join Ayn and her often-ignored husband Frank O'Connor (Peter Fonda) on a vacation, Ayn and Nathaniel demand "permission" to have an affair, which they feel is dictated by the importance of their work. Based on Barbara Branden's autobiography about her years with Rand, The Passion Of Ayn Rand was premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, Eric Stoltz, (more)
A priest has been murdered in the neighborhood of Inspector Paul Fein's youth, and it's up to the seasoned cop to crack the case in director David Greene's entry into the tense Family of Cops series. It's not going to be easy going back to the streets of his childhood, but despite the demons that linger in the shadows of every corner, this is one case he's not willing to let slip through the cracks. With all evidence pointing to the Russian Mafia as being responsible for the crime, Inspector Fein searches desperately for a witness who's willing to talk. As fear tightens its grip on the scared Russian community of Milwaukee, bodies continue to pile up and an unspoken code of silence threatens to stonewall the investigation. Now, with both his life and the lives of his family hanging in the balance, Inspector Fein must make the decision to pull back, or press forward and pray that the killer won't get to him before he gets to them. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Angela Featherstone, (more)
- 1996
Hoping to put her life back together after an abusive first marriage, mild-mannered Laura Jameson (Mel Harris) weds again, thereby incurring the wrath and resentment of her rebellious teenage daughter Kelly (Nicholle Tom). Still holding Laura responsible for the suicide of her father, Kelly goes completely off the deep end, beginning with an overnight stay in juvenile custody and culminating in an eight months of legal hell in a dizzying progression of courtrooms. Clearly over her head when trying to cope with Kelly (all she can say upon her daughter's release is "Was it awful in jail, honey?"), Laura will ultimately be forced to draw upon reserves of inner strength that she never knew or believed she had. Made for the NBC TV network, What Kind of Mother Are You? was first telecast on November 18, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A peaceful Nebraska town on a sweltering summer day becomes the setting for an unprecedented disaster when it is struck by a deadly series of strong tornados. The story is told from the viewpoint of a 12-year-old boy who is forced to overcome his own terror to save the lives of friends and family in the horrifying aftermath. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Devon Sawa
The reticent owner of a small bed and breakfast sets out on the adventure of a lifetime after joining a rugged bounty hunter in his search for an elusive antiques smuggler. Sara is a woman who never took any risks in life. She always lived strictly by the book, but her life is about to be turned upside down by Flynn, a handsome bounty hunter on the trail of a convicted antiques smuggler. Now, as Sara and Flynn pose as archeologists, art collectors, and husband and wife, a passion that the reserved bed and breakfast owner never knew existed is suddenly awakened. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cynthia Geary, David Beecroft, (more)
- 1994
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Darkman is up to his old tricks. He's robbing from the criminals and keeping for himself so he can further perfect his synthetic skin which dissolves after 99 minutes in the light. His old arch-nemesis, Robert Durrant (Larry Drake) returns, having survived the helicopter crash in the first film. Durant attempts to rebuild his crumbling empire by devising a new particle gun to sell on the market. After Durant kills a young scientist for his warehouse, Darkman goes on a rampage, vowing to destroy Durant once and for all. Darkman concocts masks of his enemies and infiltrates Durant's gang, turning everyone on themselves. This sequel is above the typical direct-to-video quality and director May has captured Raimi's comic-book style, but the energy that propelled the original is sorely missing here. Welcome back is Drake who once again astonishes with a gleefully maniacal performance, rightfully stealing the show. Replacing the title character is Arnold Vosloo, who coolly plays Darkman without the enraged melodramatics Liam Neeson brought to his portrayal of the tormented hero. This sequel was actually filmed after Darkman III: Die, Darkman, Die but was released on video first despite the fact that Universal thought it looked good enough to release into theaters. ~ Sean D. MacLaggan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Vosloo, Larry Drake, (more)
- 1993
Pascal (David Ferry) pilots a space-freighter, and is not particularly nosy about what his cargo is, so long as the shipments are properly paid for. Thus, when he crashlands on a backwater planet, he is not too surprised to discover that his cargo was an illegal drug, especially since his former boss trafficked in it. However, he must take special pains to avoid being captured and killed (or worse) by a particularly persistent addict, who has followed him to the planet. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ferry, Olga Prokhorova, (more)
- 1991
In this off-beat, suspenseful Canadian fable, an introverted, repressed young writer becomes obsessed with peeping into the apartment of a beautiful rock singer. She becomes his whole world until he finds himself witnessing her murder. Shocked back to reality, he attempts to stop peeping. He attends the singer's funeral and there meets an intriguing woman. They become lovers, but as time passes, he begins suspecting that she and the late singer are somehow inextricably linked. Meanwhile, his involvement with the new woman, does little to strengthen his resolve to quit spying on others. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Nelligan, Maurice Godin, (more)
- 1990
As indicated by the title, this made-for-TV movie charts the rise and fall of Olympic figure skater Tai Babilonia. Partnered since childhood with Randy Gardner, Tai skated her way to the 1979 World Championship. Her hopes for Olympics success in 1980 are scuttled when her partner Gardner suffers a groin injury and is unable to compete. Tai responds to this disappointment by descending into drug abuse, culminating in an attempted suicide. The plucky skater recovers from all this, and the film ends on a hopeful note. On This Ice: The Tai Babilonia Story stars Rachel Crawford as Tai and Charlie Stratton as Randy, but that's the real Babilonia and Gardner recreating their classic routines in the long shots. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel Crawford, Charles Stratton, (more)
- 1990
- PG
Aaron Kim Johnston both wrote and directed the intimate Canadian drama Last Winter. 10-year-old Joshua Murray is perfectly happy as a "country boy." When his parents announce their impending move to the city, Joshua becomes sullen and disconsolate. It takes the soothing words of the boy's grandfather (Gerard Parkes), himself no great lover of the city, to convince Joshua that the move is for the best. This lovingly assembled coming-of-age tale was jointly underwritten by the CBC TV network and the National Film Board of Canada. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joshua Murray, Gerard Parkes, (more)
This WW II-set drama follows the creation of the first atomic bomb. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, David Strathairn, (more)
Though this police and courtroom drama did not do well at the box-office, some reviewers thought that the lead performances by Burt Reynolds and Theresa Russell were first-rate. Joe Paris (Reynolds) is a policeman suspended from active duty. He awakens from an alcoholic binge to discover that he is being charged for a murder he has no memory of. Jenny Hudson (Russell) is his court-appointed defense lawyer, a young feminist eager to prove herself in the courtroom. After some initial difficulties, the two cooperate to unravel the tangled circumstances behind the murder. Michael Crichton directed but did not collaborate on the story or screenplay. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Theresa Russell, (more)
- 1988
- PG
After their plane crashes in a remote wilderness area, two Canadian military officers, one French, the other British, must fight for their physical survival and contend with their mutual mistrust and prejudice resulting from the age-old battle between Canada's French and English societies. ~ All Movie Guide
Three Men and a Baby is an Americanized remake of the 1985 French comedy hit Three Men and a Cradle. Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg play three upwardly mobile New York bachelors who share an apartment. Their even-keel lifestyle is thrown out of whack when a young woman leaves a baby on their doorstep, suspecting that film director Danson is the father. The balance of the film is devoted to milking as much humor as possible out of the situation of three urbane young men trying to play nursemaid with nary a clue of what they're doing (at one point, a desperate Selleck offers Guttenberg a thousand dollars if Guttenberg will change a diaper). A subplot involving drug dealers is thrown in to sustain audience interest after our trio of heroes become accustomed to a baby around the apartment. "Urban legend" aficionados please note: That cardboard cutout of Ted Danson briefly glimpsed in one scene of Three Men and a Baby is not the ghost of a little boy who died in the bachelors' apartment before filming started. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, (more)
- 1987
Based on a best-selling book by Joseph Wambaugh, this is the story of the investigation of the murder of a Philadelphia school teacher and the search for her missing children, which eventually leads the police to two rather eccentric colleagues involved in the dead woman's life. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Kiefer Sutherland won the Canadian equivalent of the Academy Award for his performance in Bay Boy. In 1937 Nova Scotia, Donald Campbell (Sutherland) lives with his dirt-poor parents (Liv Ullmann and Peter Donat). His folks hope that Donald will enter the priesthood, but he isn't keen on this. For one thing, he harbors "unnatural" feelings towards a nun; for another, one of the local priests has made sexual advances towards him. Donald prefers to spend his time with pretty sisters Saxon and Dianna (Leah Pinsent and Jane McKinnon) -- but even this becomes untenable when the boy witnesses a homicidal hate crime committed by the girls' father, police constable Tom Coldwell (Alan Scarfe). It is in this intolerable atmosphere that Donald finally comes of age, which is the point to which the film is leading. Weighed down with an unnecessarily complex script, Kiefer Sutherland comes off quite well in Bay Boy; the other performers -- even the estimable Liv Ullmann -- tend to be one-note stereotypes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Kiefer Sutherland, (more)
- 1984
In this comical made-for-TV crime drama, a salty middle-aged policewoman on the cusp of early retirement decides to remain on her beat so she teams up with her son, a brand-new cop. The trouble is, he really would rather have been a stand-up comic and only joined the force to please his mom. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1981
In this Gold Rush adventure, two men race their sleds and dogs across the frozen North in hopes of being the first to reach a parcel of land filled with gold. The tale is based on a Jack London story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Based on the book by Farley Mowat, this made-for-TV movie follows the struggle of a New York ecologist (Peter Strauss) to stop the whale killing taking place off the coast of Newfoundland. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
