Sarah Polley Movies
Known as much for her intelligence as for her talent, Canadian actress Sarah Polley has been wowing television and film audiences since she was barely out of diapers. Born January 8, 1979, in the Toronto area, Polley got her first screen role at the age of six, in Disney's One Magic Christmas. From 1987 to 1988, Polley made her name in the title role of the Canadian television series Ramona. Her work on the show led to more screen work, first in the Matt Dillon flop The Big Town (1987) and then in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989).In 1990, Polley got a lead role on the acclaimed TV series The Road to Avonlea, a part that she played for five seasons. In 1994, she had a small but significant role in Atom Egoyan's Exotica and again collaborated with the director in 1997, for his critically lauded The Sweet Hereafter. The film was nominated for a host of awards, including a Best Director Oscar for Egoyan, and won a Special Grand Prize at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. Polley drew her share of praise for her performance as the paralyzed survivor of a catastrophic bus accident and soon Hollywood was courting the waifishly unconventional actress, whom one critic remarked looked like Uma Thurman's wiser younger sister. However, for her next picture, Polley opted for a small Canadian production, The Last Night (1998), directed by Don McKellar.
Hollywood did become part of the picture with Polley's casting in Doug Liman's Go (1999), in which she starred with such other young notables as Katie Holmes, Scott Wolf, Taye Diggs, and Breckin Meyer. Her role in the film, combined with her performance in David Cronenberg's eXistenZ (1999) and a lead role in Guinevere (also 1999), helped to classify her as one of the most talented actresses of her generation, not a bad accomplishment for someone who repeatedly stated that her primary goal in life was to become a writer.
In 2000, Polley returned to Canada to star in Kathryn Bigelow's The Weight of Water, a drama about the efforts of a photojournalist and her husband (Catherine McCormack and Sean Penn) to investigate a 19th century murder. That same year, she also appeared in Michael Winterbottom's The Claim, playing the daughter of a gold miner (Peter Mullan) who sells his family for a bag of gold.
Over the next four years, Polley continued to stick mostly to smaller independent films. She played a journalist opposite a monster in Hal Hartley's 2001 fantasy No Such Thing and won rave reviews and a Vancouver Film Critics Circle award for her performance as a terminally ill young woman in 2003's My Life Without Me.
In 2004, Polley took another stab at Hollywood, heading up the ensemble cast in the remake of George Romero's horror classic Dawn of the Dead. She returned to artier fare with the 2005 film The Secret Life of Words opposite Tim Robbins.
Polley made her direcotiral and screenwriting debuts in 2007 with Away From Her), an adaptation of Alice Munro's story The Bear Came Over the Mountain, a beautifully observed drama about an elderly married couple dealing with the wife alzheimer's disease. The film earned a handful of year-end awards and nominations, garnering Polley a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay from the Academy.
She returned to acting in the award-winning miniseries John Adams, and appeared in the sci-fi film Splice in 2010. Her released her sophomore directorial effort, Take This Waltz the next year. The movie, starring Michelle Williams as a young married woman contemplating cheating on her husband, was a festival favorite and got a release in the United States in the summer of 2012. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
The founding members of a legendary female punk outfit are reunited years after their band imploded, and spend a long night reflecting on both their fractured friendship, as well as their moment in the spotlight in this raucous drama from director Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo, Pontypool). Ever since they were little girls, Victoria "Vic" Sawchyn (Tracy Wright) and Kathryn "Kat" Lake (Molly Parker) were inseparable. Eventually, Victoria and Kathryn started making music together. Dubbed Trigger, their punk-inspired band went through numerous line-up changes before hitting the perfect formula, and storming the charts. Then as quickly as success came, clashing egos and rampant excess brought it crumbling down like a house of cards. Unfortunately, Victoria and Kathryn's friendship appeared to die along with Trigger. A decade later, however, a small record label announces a benefit concert staged to celebrate women who rock. It's clear that the owners of the label expect Victoria and Kathryn to take part in the event, but when the two former friends come together over dinner both end up feeling responsible for the band's demise. Later, after the concert has ended, the two old friends prepare to attend an after-party, and the details of their turbulent relationship slowly come into focus. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Molly Parker, Tracy Wright, (more)
- 2009
A man close to death ponders the many lives he might have led in this fantasy from director and screenwriter Jaco van Dormael. 117-year-old Nemo Nobody (Jared Leto) is ill and facing his last days as he looks back on his past and a particular crucial moment -- at the age of nine, Nemo's parents divorced, and as his mother (Natasha Little) and father (Rhys Ifans) stood on a train platform, he had to choose who he would go with, and whether he would live in the United States or Great Britain. Either choice would bring with it a wide variety of possibilities regarding the sort of life he would lead, and Nemo imagines nearly all of them, including two different wives -- sweet but emotionally blank Jeanne (Linh-Dan Pham) and lovely but troubled Elise (Sarah Polley) -- and another woman, Anna (Diane Kruger), who he loves but can not marry. But as Nemo considers the many different paths his life could have taken, his memory begins to fail him, and he finds it increasingly difficult to be certain which was his real life and which is a product of his imagination. Mr. Nobody also stars Thomas Byrne as nine-year-old Nemo and Toby Regbo as Nemo in his teenage years. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jared Leto, Diane Kruger, (more)
Emmy Award-winning director Tom Hopper takes the helm for this epic, seven-part miniseries produced by Playtone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and presenting American history as seen from the perspective of fiercely independent founding father John Adams (Paul Giamatti). Based on author David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, the film tells the tale of a leader whose remarkable vision helped to guide a burgeoning republic through an especially tumultuous period. Thanks to the tireless support of his loving wife Abigail (Laura Linney), and lifelong friendship with political rivalry Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane), John Adams rose to prominence as the spokesman for the American independence movement before moving on to become America's first ambassador to Holland and England, the first American Vice President, the second American President, and the father of the sixth American President. As with McCullough's best-selling biography, the film draws on a comprehensive collection of letters, diaries, and family papers in order to create the most accurate representation of Adams' life and achievements ever captured on film. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, (more)
Writer-director Isabel Coixet's (My Life Without Me) beautifully wrought chamber drama The Secret Life of Words opens on Hanna (Sarah Polley), a laconic, backward and introverted girl in her early '30s, quietly drowning in her own isolation. Partially deaf from working an untold number of hours in a loud factory, Hanna must wear a hearing aid. When her supervisors -- deeply concerned about the four years that have lapsed in Hanna's life without a break -- force her to go on holiday for a month, she hesitantly takes off for a coastal village in the north of Ireland. Once there, she decides to dine in a local restaurant, and overhears, by chance, a telephone conversation conducted by Victor (Eddie Marsan), regarding an accident on a nearby oil rig that he precipitated, which left a victim, Josef (Tim Robbins) in its wake. Hanna tells Victor that she is a nurse, and is instantly flown to the rig to treat the bedbound Josef -- temporarily blind from extensive cornea damage, and his body blanketed with severe burns. She also encounters the structure's motley and eccentric band of workers -- from ecologist Martin (Daniel Mays), who spends his time studying mutated mussels that collect on the ship's base and the waves that strike the side of the rig, to Josef, to chef Simon (Javier Camára), who prepares "gourmet" food no one else can stand, to Dimitri (Sverre Anker Ousdal), an elderly gentleman who is as much of a loner as Hanna. As Hanna begins to foresee a new place for herself among these individuals, a relationship gradually develops between Hanna and Josef, who holds his new friend rapt with lyrical, evocative, magisterial tales from his past -- unknowingly drawing Hanna, one step at a time, toward inner joy, self-expression, and revelation of her own sad and complex story. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Tim Robbins, (more)
- 2000
Two young people struggling to find happiness in the midst of adversity exist side by side with their alter egos, an older and very unhappy married couple, in this offbeat drama. Beatrice (Sarah Polley) is a supermarket checkout girl fascinated by Henry (Brendan Fletcher), an angry and withdrawn young man whose bitterness stems largely from having been diagnosed with a rare, often fatal form of cancer. Beatrice and Henry fall in love, their passion intensified by the possibility of Henry's imminent death, but Henry's life is saved by surgery and they soon marry. In contrast, Bea (Diane Ladd) and Hank (Sean McCann) are a sixtysomething couple whose love burned out long ago. Bea and Hank have first grown bored, and then bitter, their rancor coming to a head when Hank buys a retirement home without consulting Bea, and she gets back at him by incurring financially ruinous construction and decorating expenses. Living near Bea is her old friend Myra (Shirley Douglas), whose husband Stan (Victor Cowie) is dying of cancer, while Beatrice's best friend Myrah (Kristin Thompson) has fallen deeply in love with Stanley (Rob Stefaniuk), a soldier soon to leave for the Gulf War. The Law of Enclosures was based on the well-regarded novel by Dale Peck and was the first non-gay-themed project from director John Greyson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Brendan Fletcher, (more)
In this made-for-TV drama, Sarah Polley plays Catherine, a college freshmen who is ignored by her family and feels like an outcast among her fellow students. While browsing the Internet, she comes across the website of a white supremacist group and finds herself drawn into their spiral of hatred. She becomes a spokesperson for the organization, only to find herself questioning their views as she becomes more aware of the group's violent nature. The supporting cast includes Lynn Redgrave and Jonathan Scarfe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Tanya Allen, (more)
- 1995
Season six of Road to Avonlea (aka Tales From Avonlea) begins not in the titular Prince Edward Island village but instead in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Felicity King (Gema Zamprogna) has defied the standard gender expectations of early 20th century Canada by enrolling in medical school. While walking to class one day, Felicity is unexpectedly reunited with her hometown boyfriend, Gus Pike (Michael Mahonen) -- who in turn is accosted by a derelict woman who turns out to be his long-lost mother. This sobering discovery obliges Gus to leave Canada and head to the Caribbean with his mom -- but not before popping the question to Felicity for the umpteenth time. Back in Avonlea, Sara Stanley (Sarah Polley), fresh out of finishing school, pays a return visit, only to announce that she intends to leave again immediately to study in Paris -- which fact does not sit well with her aunt Hetty (Jackie Burroughs) nor her old nanny, Louisa (Frances Hyland). In other developments, Felicity King's brother Felix (Zachary Bennett) has fallen in love with Izzy (Heather Brown), daughter of widowed schoolteacher Clive Pettibone (David Fox) -- who in turn has proposed to school superintendent Muriel Stacey (Marilyn Lightstone), much to Izzy's dismay; and orphaned siblings Davey (Kyle Labine) and Dora Keith (Lindsay Murrell) are taken in by Hetty after their guardian, Rachel Lynde (Patricia Hamilton) -- with whom Hetty has never gotten along -- suffers a series of debilitating strokes.
This season marks the introduction of Molly Atkinson in the role of Felicity and Felix's kid sister, Cecily King, a role hitherto played by child actress Harmony Cramp. Having been diagnosed with tuberculosis during the previous season, Cecily is now living in a New York sanitarium, anxiously awaiting the day that she is cured and will be allowed to return to her family. And speaking of new cast members, watch for Faye Dunaway and Maureen Stapleton, both making their one and only Road to Avonlea appearances in a story involving the simultaneous arrival in town of a glamorous European countess and a disheveled old lady who claims to be the mother of the local hotel owner -- and as it turns out, these two ladies have a lot more in common than one might think. As the season draws to a close, Felicity returns to Avonlea to serve her apprenticeship under Dr. Snow, an experience that proves so unnerving that she drops out of medical school. And Cecily has recovered sufficiently to return to her family -- only to dash off again with a disgruntled Felicity in hopes of catching up with Gus Pike, who at last report was still somewhere in the Caribbean. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This season marks the introduction of Molly Atkinson in the role of Felicity and Felix's kid sister, Cecily King, a role hitherto played by child actress Harmony Cramp. Having been diagnosed with tuberculosis during the previous season, Cecily is now living in a New York sanitarium, anxiously awaiting the day that she is cured and will be allowed to return to her family. And speaking of new cast members, watch for Faye Dunaway and Maureen Stapleton, both making their one and only Road to Avonlea appearances in a story involving the simultaneous arrival in town of a glamorous European countess and a disheveled old lady who claims to be the mother of the local hotel owner -- and as it turns out, these two ladies have a lot more in common than one might think. As the season draws to a close, Felicity returns to Avonlea to serve her apprenticeship under Dr. Snow, an experience that proves so unnerving that she drops out of medical school. And Cecily has recovered sufficiently to return to her family -- only to dash off again with a disgruntled Felicity in hopes of catching up with Gus Pike, who at last report was still somewhere in the Caribbean. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Jackie Burroughs, (more)
- 1994
Felix King (Zachary Bennett) finds himself torn between holding on to his job at Avonlea's White Plains Hotel and upholding family tradition by becoming a farmer like his dad, Alec (Cedric Smith), in "Fathers and Sons," the fifth-season opener of the popular Canadian drama series Road to Avonlea. Soon thereafter, the 50th birthday celebration of Alec's sister Hetty King (Jackie Burroughs) is tarnished by the likelihood that she will lose her job -- to say nothing of a sudden appendicitis attack. Later on, Hetty helps arrange for her sister Olivia (Mag Ruffman) and her eccentric, slightly impractical brother-in-law, Jasper (R.H. Thomson), to take charge of the local lobster cannery. And as for Hetty's city-bred niece, Sara (Sarah Polley), she does her bit for the greater good by coming to the aid of a young boy who has managed to coast through school without ever learning to read or write. Also, Alec courts trouble when he hires a mysterious farmhand, played by guest star Bruce Greenwood; and another guest performer, the highly respected Canadian character actor Gordon Pinsent, is cast as a noted politician whom Alec idolizes -- until the truth about the politician's clay feet is revealed. Elsewhere, Alec's daughter Felicity (Gema Zamprogna) receives the first of several marriage proposals from Gus Pike (Michael Mahonen), a former drifter now gainfully employed; however, Felicity has her heart set on attending medical school, an extremely lofty goal for a young girl in early 20th century Canada. Other developments include the arrival of a new minister and his wife, Viola (guest star Stockard Channing), who exhibits some mighty peculiar behavior -- and for a mighty disturbing reason; and the concerted efforts by certain interested parties to play matchmaker for widowed schoolteacher Clive Pettibone (David Fox) and provincial school superintendent Muriel Stacey (Marilyn Lightstone). By far the most crucial development during season five is the revelation that Alec and Janet King's youngest daughter, Cecily (Harmony Cramp), is suffering from tuberculosis -- and must be bundled off to a more healthy climate if she ever hopes to recover. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Jackie Burroughs, (more)
- 1993
Season four of Road to Avonlea (aka Tales From Avonlea) serves to introduce the Pettibone family, specifically widower Clive Pettibone (David Fox), the new schoolteacher hired to replace the semi-retired Hetty King (Jackie Burroughs); Clive's son, Arthur (Zachary Ansley), a talented veterinarian; and Clive's brilliant but oversensitive daughter, Isolde (Heather Brown), better known as "Izzy." The season opener finds an uncharacteristically nervous Hetty lending a helping hand when her pregnant sister, Olivia (Mag Ruffman), who the previous year had wed eccentric would-be inventor Jasper Dale (R.H. Thompson), goes into premature labor. In a subsequent episode, Hetty forms an unexpected bond with her successor, Clive Pettibone, when they discover that they are both writing children's books under assumed names. Later, Meg Tilly guest stars as Evelyn, the wife of an old school chum of Hetty's brother Alec (Cedric Smith), who, when she suddenly becomes a widow during a visit to Avonlea, turns to the married Alec for comfort -- and sets gossipy tongues a-wagging in the process. Also contributing a guest appearance is Treat Williams as traveling showman Zak Morgan, on whom Hetty's city-bred niece, Sara (Sarah Polley), develops a disturbingly serious crush. And the episode "The Disappearance" boasts two guest stars, Robby Benson and Diana Rigg, in the story of a young antiques collector who may or may not be heir to a vast fortune. In other plotlines, earthy but naïve Gus Pike (Michael Mahonen) continues to court the haughty but likable Felicity King (Gema Zamprogna) -- only to find himself in competition with newcomer Arthur Pettibone; Felicity's enterprising brother, Felix (Zachary Bennett), unexpectedly becomes a hero when he takes a job at the local White Sands Hotel; and Hetty and Jasper team up to make a home movie (this in 1906 or thereabouts) to prevent a covetous industrialist from taking over Avonlea. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Jackie Burroughs, (more)
- 1992
The early 20th century Canadian village of Avonlea is a busy place indeed during season three of the popular series Road to Avonlea (aka Tales From Avonlea). The first of the season's 13 episodes is "Ties That Bind," in which the domineering but lovable Hetty King (Jackie Burroughs) oversees the marriage of her younger sister Olivia (Mag Ruffman) and erstwhile inventor Jasper Dale (R.H. Thompson) -- however, her well-meaning interference not only puts a strain on the couple's relationship but also causes dissension in the marriage of her brother Alec (Cedric Smith) and his wife, Janet (Lally Cadeau). Elsewhere, Alec and Janet's insecure son, Felix (Zachary Bennett), has trouble saying goodbye to his beloved horse Blackie; when schoolteacher Hetty resigns, her replacement, Mr. Dimple (Christopher Lloyd), wins over his pupils with his delightfully unorthodox teaching methods -- until he is exposed as a fraud; and in the series' only two-parter, "And When She Was Bad," Hetty's headstrong niece Sara (Sarah Polley) tries to duck out of her family duties by trading places with a lookalike street waif named Jo Pitts (also Sarah Polley) -- leading to a not-so-fine mess when Jo turns out to be an accomplished thief, and Sara and her friend Gus (Michael Mahonen) are kidnapped. Also, Janet drives her husband and kids to distraction when she embraces the Woman's Suffrage movement; Christopher Reeve appears as the hero in a gothic novel in which Sara is hopelessly engrossed in the delightful episode "Dark and Stormy Night"; Ned Beatty plays traveling shoe salesman Wally Higgins, who jauntily begins a-courting the highly resistant Hetty; and in another romantic development, low-born Gus decides to campaign for the heart and hand of Alec and Janet's haughty daughter Felicity (Gema Zamprogna). The season ends on a disturbing note, as the sudden death of Avonlea's unofficial matriarch, Marilla Cuthbert (Colleen Dewhurst), leaves a multitude of fates hanging tenuously in the balance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Jackie Burroughs, (more)
- 1990
Season two of Road to Avonlea (aka Tales From Avonlea) begins as Sara Stanley (Sarah Polley) reluctantly returns to Montreal after spending a happy year living with her relatives, the King family, in the Prince Edward Island village of Avonlea. But upon her arrival home, Sara discovers to her dismay that her wealthy father has been killed in an accident -- and to make matters worse, she is later kidnapped by a pair of greedy fortunehunters. After this ordeal, Sara's strict but loving aunt Hetty (Jackie Burroughs) welcomes Sara back to Avonlea with open arms -- and even manages to persuade the girl's overprotective nanny (Frances Hyland) to let her stay. This season marks the introduction of Gus Pike (Michael Mahonen), a vagabond teenager from a poor (and mysterious) background whom Hetty selects as a test case to prove her schoolteaching skills when her job is placed in jeopardy by the "progressive" new provincial school supervisor, Muriel Stacey (Marilyn Lightstone). In a later episode, Peter Coyote guest stars as Hetty's onetime sweetheart Romney Penhallow, whose reunion with Hetty after all these years is a most bittersweet experience. Joseph Bottoms shows up in a subsequent story as the man who might have married Hetty's younger sister, Olivia (Mag Ruffman), if Hetty hadn't dismissed him as unsuitable; ironically, this fellow's return prompts Olivia to fall in love with an even less "suitable" character, local eccentric Jasper Dale (R.H. Thompson). Eventually, and with (surprisingly) Hetty's blessing, this alliance will become permanent by marriage (but not quite yet). Also, Hetty's brother Alec (Cedric Smith) is racked by guilt by a visit from his crippled brother, Roger (Andrew Gillies); Michael York guests in a brace of episodes as reclusive ex-sea captain Ezekiel Crane, who inadvertently delivers Gus Pike into the hands of Gus' outlaw father, and later makes up for this misstep by involving Gus in a search for hidden gold. And Madeline Kahn tears a passion to tatters as traveling actress Pigeon Plumtree, who nearly lures the impulsive Sara into a life upon the wicked stage. The season closes with the episode "Misfits and Miracles," wherein a desperate Sara has to improvise when her pregnant aunt Janet (Lally Cadeau) suddenly goes into labor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Jackie Burroughs, (more)
Season one of the phenomenally popular Canadian series Road to Avonlea (aka Tales From Avonlea) begins in the early 20th century, as Sara Stanley (Sarah Polley), the pampered and privileged daughter of a wealthy Montreal merchant, is sent to the Prince Edward Island town of Avonlea to avoid public scrutiny while her dad, Blair Stanley, suffers through an embezzlement scandal. Sara is to live with her late mother's relatives, the King family, with whom Blair has not gotten along in years. Since there is no room at the home of Sara's uncle Alec (Cedric Smith) and aunt Janet (Lally Cadeau), Sara must stay with her domineering aunt Hetty (Jackie Burroughs), Alec's sister and the town's schoolteacher. At first, Hetty and Sara clash, mainly over the subject of Sara's overprotective nanny, Louisa (Frances Hyland), whom Hetty dismisses out of hand. Gradually, Sara will win over the sharp-tongued but golden-hearted Hetty, and she will also become close friends with her cousins, Alec and Janet's children, Felicity (Gema Zamprogna), Felix (Zachary Bennett), and Cecily (Harmony Cramp). Cementing Sara's acceptance in the community is her newfound reputation as "The Story Girl," based on her skill at weaving imaginative variations of classic fairy tales. This season, Colleen Dewhurst makes her first appearance as Hetty's equal in stubbornness Marilla Cuthbert, who semi-adopts the orphaned Keith children, much to the dismay of her lifelong friend and companion Rachel (Patricia Hamilton). Zoe Caldwell is the first of the series' "special guest stars," playing the eccentric title character in the episode "Old Lady Lloyd." And Sara will perform the first of many good deeds when she saves a foundling, who will subsequently be adopted by Janet's sister Abigail (Rosemary Dunsmore). In another episode, Hetty takes in a young, trouble-prone handyman named Peter Craig (Miklos Perlus) -- one of the few actual "carryover" characters from the Lucy Maud Montgomery novels on which Road to Avonlea was based -- after the boy is pulled through a serious illness by Avonlea's resident "witch," Peg Bowen (Susan E. Cox). The 13th and final episode of the season finds Sara's dad cleared of all criminal charges, meaning that Sara can now return to Montreal...except that she doesn't want to. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Jackie Burroughs, (more)
- 1990
This Canadian TV movie stars Marion Bennett as a young girl possessed of mysterious powers. No Carrie she, Bennett hopes to harness her unique gifts for good. Her main mission is to reunite her long-estranged mother and father. The film makes excellent atmospheric use of its mist-enshrouded Prince Edward Island locations. Lantern Hill was originally telecast in two parts on PBS' weekend Wonderworks series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1988
This is a live-action episode from the popular children's books written by Beverly Cleary. ~ Rovi
- 1988
These are two live-action episodes from the popular children's books written by Beverly Cleary. ~ Rovi
- 1988
This is a live-action episode from the popular children's books written by Beverly Cleary. ~ Rovi
- 1988
This is a live-action episode from the popular children's books written by Beverly Cleary. ~ Rovi
- 1988
These are two live-action episodes from the popular children's books written by Beverly Cleary. ~ Rovi
- 1988
This live-action episode is from the popular children's books written by Beverly Cleary. ~ Rovi
- 1987
This slick throwback to the giant-mutant-insect movies of the 1950's has built a small reputation solely on its irrelevant title -- the film contains no monkeys, blue or otherwise -- which confused both reviewers and viewers alike. (This dilemma was solved in its second video incarnation, under the more honest title Insect.) The story begins when a gardener becomes infected with a plant-borne insect larva, which he disgorges upon his arrival at the County Memorial Hospital. When the bug-baby ingests a large dose of growth hormone called NAC-5 (hospitals are always leaving that stuff around where bugs can get at it), it immediately bulks up to the size of a bulldozer. The plot quickly shifts into Alien mode, as scientists, police (namely wild-eyed cop Steve Railsback) and hospital personnel creep down the hospital's labyrinthine corridors in search of the insectoid monster, which they hope to destroy with conveniently-provided experimental laser equipment before it can test the capacity of the maternity ward with a few million larvae. Despite the lurid promotional materials (showing pretty nurses SCREAMING IN HORROR!!), the story is played quite straight -- more of an homage to films like Them! than a parody of same -- and benefits from good performances (John Vernon is great as the hospital director), a tight script and a strong emphasis on suspense and action from director William Fruet. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steve Railsback, Gwynyth Walsh, (more)
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