Gordon Pinsent Movies

A young man with big dreams sets out to do the seemingly impossible in this bittersweet comedy drama. Ralph Walker (Adam Butcher) is a 14-year-old boy growing up in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1954. Ralph is convinced he's cut out to do something remarkable some day, but he hasn't quite decided what, and at the moment he has other things to worry about. Ralph's father has recently died, as have his grandparents, and his mother (Shauna MacDonald) is severely ill and in the hospital, leaving the boy to fend for himself at home. Despite Ralph's tragic circumstances and his attendance at a Catholic school led by strict headmaster Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent), the young man maintains a cheeky attitude and often gets on the wrong side of his teachers, and one remarkable display of poor behavior causes Fitzpatrick to sentence Ralph to membership on the school's cross-country team. The team's coach, Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott), discovers Ralph has real talent as a runner, and encourages the boy to train seriously. When doctors inform Ralph that only a miracle can save his mother's life, he strikes upon an idea -- it would be a little short of a miracle for a talented but inexperienced runner like himself to finish first in the Boston Marathon, so Ralph sets his sights on winning the race, certain in his heart that a victory could restore his mother's health. Saint Ralph also features Jennifer Tilly and Tamara Hope. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Two roommates fed up with the outside world find that it's easier to avoid responsibility than they thought when a wish to make it all go away comes true in this mysterious tale from Cube director Vincenzo Natali. David (David Hewlett) and Andrew (Andrew Miller) are best friends with a grudge against the outside world. From bill collectors to obnoxious neighbors to a landlord who seems to have it out for the pair, it seems that lately the weight of the entire world is resting on their shoulders. Everyone wishes that their problems would simply just go away, but when that wish actually comes true and the world around them simply begins to disappear, Andrew and David must get to the bottom of the mystery before they too fade into oblivion. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Shot in the high-definition giant screen IMAX format, this animated feature is adapted from the classic short novel by Ernest Hemingway. An elderly Cuban fisherman, no longer as strong as he once was, takes to the water in hopes of catching a huge marlin and must deal with bad weather, sharks, and other dangers as he does battle with the mighty fish. This film was released in tandem with a ten-minute short subject, Hemingway: A Portrait, which re-enacted several significant events from the great author's life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This animated musical is the newest incarnation of Astrid Lindgren's mischievous, magical Pippi Longstocking, the nine-year-old daughter of a sea captain whose adventures have delighted young readers, moviegoers and television fans for generations. The tale begins as Pippi sails the seas with her father. A storm tosses him overboard, but just before he disappears he promises his daughter that he will return to their home at Villa Villekulla. Pippi returns home to raise herself amongst a menagerie of interesting animals. She supports herself with a cache of gold coins given to her by her father. Pippi's friends include her neighbors Tommy and Annika, who find her a refreshing change from the boredom of their suburban lives. Together the trio get into good-natured trouble with the townsfolk. Real trouble comes in the form of two idiotic thieves who try to steal Pippi's money. Songs include"Pluttifikation" and "A Bowler and a New Gold Tooth." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

While pursuing a gang of diamond thieves and kidnappers, Fraser (Paul Gross) is thrown from a van and rendered unconscious. When he awakens, he realizes that his memory has been erased. As Fraser laboriously picks through his past (courtesy of filmclips from previous Due South episodes), hopes to rescue the crooks' hostage grow dimmer and dimmer. Filmed as the final episode of Due South's second season, this episode was slated to premiere over the American CBS network on May 31, 1996, but was yanked at the last minute. As a result, the episode debuted September 19, 1996 on Canadian television--and was not seen in the US until it was picked up by the TNT cable service on November 4, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Fraser's (Paul Gross) former lover Victoria (Melina Kanakeredes reveals her true colors when she kills her former partner Jolly (Denis Forest) and frames Fraser (Paul Gross) and Ray (David Marciano) on a charge of passing stolen money. But is it truly her scheme to destroy Fraser, or does she have something entirely different in mind. A shocking denoument may spell the end of Fraser and Ray's careers--not to mention their friendship. First broadcast on Canadian television, this episode made its US debut on June 2, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ray (David Marciano) leaves Chicago to accompany Fraser (Paul Gross) to the latter's Canadian home turf, there to rebuild the cabin Fraser inherited from his late father. Unfortunately, the pilot hired to fly them to the Great White North is really a convicted felon, who bails out of the plane in mid-air. After the two lawmen crash-landing in the wilderness, a blinded, crippled Fraser must rely upon city-bred Ray for survival--all the while conducting a search for the missing "pilot", who plans kill his pursuers before they catch up with him. Comedian Red Green shows up as an airport controller. Originally telecast in Canada as the opener of Due South's second season, this episode debuted in the US on January 5, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a witness against Ray's old nemesis Kruger (Aidan Devine) perjures herself in court, Ray (David Marciano) goes ballistic--and ends up being jailed for contempt. Reckoning that there are several incarcerated cons who have scores to settle with Ray, Fraser (Paul Gross) arranges to "protect" his friend by getting himself arrested. While Fraser makes many new friends behind bars as the jail's new library monitor, Ray discovers that the lying witness was only trying to save her imprisoned husband from Kruger's wrath. Lee Purcell becomes a semi-regular in the role of highly suspicious attorney Louise St. Laurent, a character introduced in the first-season episode "Victoria's Secret." Originally broadcast on Canadian television, "Witness" made its US debut on December 15, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Canadian mountie Fraser (Paul Gross) and American cop Ray (Raymond Vecchio) are assigned to protect their respective country's diplomats at a NAFTA convention, Fraser manages to run afoul of his Mexican counterpart, government agent Anita Cortez (Maria Therese Rangel). One mishap leads to another, and before long Fraser is reduced to addressing invitations for the convention under the supervision of several 12-year-olds. Even so, Fraser and Anita manage to forget their differences long enough to go after a suspected assassin. Take a look at the names of the three "Special Agents" in the supporting cast--sound familiar? First broadcast on American television, this episode made its US debut on February 16, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, Fraser (Paul Gross) is unexpectedly reunited with Victoria Metcalf (Melina Kanakaredes), the only woman he has ever truly loved--even though he'd been forced to arrest her the last time they met. Now, Victoria claims that she is being pursued by her former partner in crime Jolly (Denis Forrest), who thinks that the woman has absconded with $500,000 from a recent bank robbery. Protesting her innocence, Victoria turns to Fraser for protection--but could she have another, more sinister agenda in mind? First broadcast on Canadian television, this episode made its US debut on June 2, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide