Maggie Huculak Movies
Charlie Kate Birch (Gena Rowlands) is a peculiarly powerful Southern matriarch, an anachronism in the early 20th century. She's a self-educated woman who makes a good living as a midwife and holistic healer. One day, she saves a black man who's been lynched, and he thanks her by giving her a rabbit's foot, which supposedly "brings an easy life" to the person who carries it. Charlie's husband leaves her soon thereafter, but she had begun to think he was an idiot anyway. Charlie's only character flaw seems to be her attraction to unworthy men, and she passes that trait on to her daughter, Sophia (Mimi Rogers). Sophia's husband is an unfaithful lout, and he dies an early death, leaving Charlie, Sophia, and her daughter, Margaret (Susan May Pratt of 10 Things I Hate About You) to fend for themselves, which they do admirably. Soon, Sophia has another suitor, a divorced lawyer named Richard Baines (Geordie Johnson). Unlike her mother, Sophia has remained a romantic soul, and she loves Richard, and waits patiently for him to propose to her. Charlie, meanwhile, has an ongoing feud with the alcoholic town doctor, and tries to be a more cerebral influence on Margaret. But when, during World War II, Margaret falls in love with Tom Hawkings (Ken Mitchell), a wounded soldier, Charlie realizes that they're a perfect match. Charms for the Easy Life was adapted by screenwriter Angela Shelton (Tumbleweeds) from a novel by Kaye Gibbons. The film was directed by Joan Micklin Silver (Crossing Delancey) and premiered on Showtime on August 18, 2002. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gena Rowlands, Mimi Rogers, (more)
- 2001
Based on fact, the made-for-TV drama Jewel begins in 1945, a time when children afflicted with Down Syndrome were casually and cruelly dismissed as "Mongoloid Idiots." Already a mother with four healthy, normal children, 40-year-old Mississippi woman Jewel Hilburn (Farrah Fawcett) gives birth to daughter Brenda Kay, a Down's baby who will forever be challenged both mentally and physically. Urged by the local authorities to surrender Brenda Kay to an institution, Jewel defies the "experts" and packs herself and her family off to Los Angeles, where she hopes that her daughter will have a better chance at a normal life. But in her zeal to shower affection and attention on her "different little girl", Jewel sorely strains her relationships with her husband Leston (Patrick Bergin) and her other four kids. Cicely Tyson makes what the CBS publicity flacks labeled a "special appearance" in the role of a loving caregiver named Cathedral. Based on the novel by Bret Lott, Jewel originally aired February 7, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
A joint project of the CBC TV network and the Raido-Canada service, this ambitious documentary series traced the History of Canada literally from the beginning--15,000 BC, to be exact. The subsquent episodes were nothing if not ambitious, covering the progress of the Dominion right up to 1850 AD. The seventeenth and final episode, covering the years 1976 to 1990, was open-ended enough to bear the title "In An Uncertain World". Three years in the making, the series utilized interviews, rare photographs, precious paintings and etchings, and vividly dramatic re-enactments. Telecast in English and French versions, Canada: A People's History ran from October 22, 2000 to November 18, 2001, yielding such ancillary projects as a two-volume book, a website, and a bestselling CD. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maggie Huculak, Rene-Daniel Dubois, (more)
- 1996
Carey, a dim-bulbed and lonesome cobbler and his bookkeeper-pal Paul run the broken-down Mr. Happy Shoe Repair. Paul is well aware of Carey's mental deficit and so quietly acts as his guardian. One day Carey meets a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, he is unable to find her again, and he grows despondent until he decides to take out a personal ad in hopes of finding her. The ploy works and Carey goes on a romantic date with Anna that starts off well but ends disastrously when Carey's pent-up longings get the best of him. It takes time, but eventually Anna returns to the shop for some repairs and shortly afterward a romance ensues. The trouble begins when the equally lonely Paul gets jealous of his simpleton friend's newfound happiness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Victoria Principal stars as a woman twice-victimized in this made-for-TV drama. Principal stars as Anna Forbes, a married woman who is raped by her father-in-law. Traumatized, Anna keeps this secret to herself until she summons the courage to reveal the truth to her family. Instead of sympathy or understanding, she encounters vehement denial from her husband and family who refuse to believe the accusation. Her troubles only worsen when her husband decides to commit her to a psychiatric ward for treatment, where she not only must fight for justice, but also for her freedom. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victoria Principal, Nicholas Campbell, (more)
- 1988
And Then You Die is a 115-minute Canadian melodrama starring Ken Welsh as an above-the-border drug czar. Having amassed a fortune on the miseries of others, Welsh intends to retire. But the Mafia, notorious for its poor retirement plan, wants a piece of Welsh's riches. So does a vicious motorcycle gang. And so too do certain double-dealing members of the police squad pursuing Welsh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Welsh, R.H. Thomson, (more)
