Kevin Tierney Movies
- 2009
An unusually intense teenager gets the idea that his name defines his destiny in this offbeat comedy. Leon Bronstein (Jay Baruchel) is a young man who has made the discovery that his birth name is the same as that of Leon Trotsky, the celebrated Russian revolutionary and socialist theorist. This coincidence leads Leon to believe that he is the reincarnation of Trotsky and it is his destiny to follow his path as closely as possible -- which is a bit difficult when you have rich parents and attend an upscale private school in Montreal. Leon's father (Saul Rubinek) gives his son a part-time job in one of his clothing factories, and within a day Leon is leading his fellow workers in a sit-down strike. Father isn't amused and punishes Leon by making him attend public school, but there the world-be revolutionary finds new ways to battle fascism -- which in this case is represented by Principal Berkhoff (Colm Feore) and Mrs. Davis (Domini Blythe), a teacher eager to give her students detention. Leon's pursuit of social justice causes him to fall in with Frank (Michael Murphy), a burned-out activist turned college professor, but Leon also finds himself infatuated with Frank's current girlfriend -- who, like Trotsky's great love, is named Alexandra (Emily Hampshire) and is nine years older than himself. Directed by Jacob Tierney, The Trotsky was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Baruchel, Colm Feore, (more)
- 2008
Clocking in just shy of five hours, this mammoth documentary provides an exhaustive exploration of the life and political tenure of the man who was arguably Canada's most popular prime minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1919-2000). During his two terms - one that stretched from 1968 to 1979 and another that stretched from 1980 to 1984 - Trudeau retained popularity almost equivalent to that of a rock or pop star. But the Montreal native also courted controversy, thanks in no small part to his personal quirks, and a segment of the populace reportedly grew angry and unforgiving when he opposed Quebec's attempts to secede; he also ran headfirst into ugly conflicts that included violent terrorist activity and other catastrophes, but that only doubled his determination to put the country back on the right path. In the end, the country experienced successful unification thanks to Trudeau, but he experienced (hands-down) one of the most colorful political lives of any western leader in memory. With this outing, documentarist Brian McKenna tells Trudeau's story on a broadly-scaled tableaux. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Director Eric Canuel and producer Kevin Tierney collaborate on Canada's first "completely bilingual" film, a buddy cop murder mystery starring Colm Feore and Patrick Huard. When a body is discovered on the border between Ontario and Quebec, a street-savvy Ontario cop and a steely Montreal detective must join forces to solve the crime and catch the killer. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colm Feore, Patrick Huard, (more)
After countless faithful translations to the big screen -- not to mention one timeless, Oscar-winning musical version -- Charles Dickens' tale of downtrodden London youth is given a gritty, contemporary spin in this independent Canadian production. This time told from the point of view of the Artful Dodger, Twist transposes the story of Oliver Twist to modern-day Toronto, where Dodge (Nick Stahl) is a smack-addicted male hustler working the streets when he comes across foster-home runaway Oliver (Joshua Close). The two strike up a fast friendship and Dodge makes the boy his apprentice, introducing him to a world of drugs, prostitution, and squalid, rent-free living, overseen by the formidable pimp Fagin (Gary Farmer). But Oliver finds his loyalties torn between his nascent attraction to Dodge and his son-like affection for Nancy (Michèle-Barbara Pelletier), the girlfriend of and pusher for the powerful drug dealer Bill Sykes. Written and directed by former child actor Jacob Tierney (The Neon Bible), Twist first made its appearance on the festival scene at the 2003 Venice and Toronto fests. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Stahl, Joshua Close, (more)
- 1999
This made-for-TV drama is based on the autobiography of one of the most notorious figures in American organized crime, Joseph Bonanno. Bonanno (played by Bruce Ramsay) left Sicily as a young man, eager to escape the tyranny of Benito Mussolini, but when he arrived in America, fate led him to a career on the wrong side of the law with the Castellamarese crime family. After his mentor was killed in a bloody feud with cadres of the Gambino family, Bonanno became the youngest man to lead a major crime syndicate in America. Bonanno's battles with Lucky Luciano (Vince Corazza) and his secret dealings with Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Matt Norklun) helped cement Bonanno's reputation as one of the most powerful criminals in the world. It didn't take long, however, for the gangster kingpin to discover that power breeds treachery, and as the years passed, Bonanno (now played by Tony Nardi) learned that both the FBI and some of his most loyal allies were working to put him out of business. Martin Landau plays the elderly Bonanno, who tells much of his life story in flashback as he visits his hometown in Sicily for the first time in many years. The supporting cast includes Robert Loggia, Costas Mandylor, Patti LuPone, and Edward James Olmos. Bonanno: A Godfather's Story was originally produced as a two-part miniseries for the Showtime premium cable network, but was later edited down to 139 minutes for release on home video. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Landau, Costas Mandylor, (more)
- 1998
Armistead Maupin calls the three-story wooden house at 28 Barbary Lane in San Francisco "my homestead, my Tara." He began his portrait of Barbary Lane life during the '70s in a daily newspaper serial, expanding the material into a series of six novels. PBS aired the original TV miniseries in 1994, but threats and pressures prompted PBS to drop their plans for a follow-up, leaving an unresolved cliffhanger for four years. Several members of the original PBS cast were reunited for this six-part Showtime sequel (adapted from Maupin's second novel in the series), set in San Francisco of 1977. It picks up the threads of the story six weeks after the point where the PBS miniseries ended. When Mary Ann Singleton (Laura Linney), hoping for romance, and her cynical gay friend Michael (Paul Hopkins) take a Mexican cruise, Mary Ann meets amnesia victim Burke Andrew (Colin Ferguson) and Michael runs into his former lover, Dr. Jon Fielding (William Campbell). Michael's roommate Mona Ramsey (Nina Siemaszko), in a purple haze of pot and angel dust, answers phones at a Reno brothel owned by Mother Mucca (Jackie Burroughs). Mona learns about her lineage and also about Anna Madrigal (Olympia Dukakis), the former Mr. Madrigal. Rich widow Frannie (Diana LeBlanc) finds a cure for her depression at the rural resort Pinus, where society ladies celebrate their 60th birthdays with youthful houseboys. Beauchamp Day (Thomas Gibson) is married to Frannie's pregnant daughter DeDe (Barbara Garrick), but Beauchamp isn't the father. Locations include San Francisco, Montreal (substituting for some areas of San Francisco), and Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Premiered June 7, 1998 on Showtime. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, (more)
- 1997
- G
Lonely for a friend of his own, an 11-year-old boy invokes special plea to an ancient Egyptian goddess and has her turn his pet cat into a friend. Unfortunately, something goes a little haywire, for the boy's new pal acts like a 30-year-old man. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brent Carver, Michael Caloz, (more)
- 1997
This Canadian-Czech co-production is a coming-of-age drama shot in the Montreal area. The central figure is 13-year-old Maddie Morrison, who has to deal with the taunts of her older brother while responding to her mother's requests that she care for both her younger brother and her elderly grandmother. As the summer progresses, Maddie leaves childhood behind during a succession of events -- a dance, a wedding, a dance, a near-drowning, and a classmate's funeral. Maddie isn't happy that her older sister is off to college, but then she realizes her departure provides her with a room of her own. That changes when her somewhat unconventional Aunt Ruth (Dorothee Berryman) arrives on the scene unexpectedly, and the two share life experiences. Shown at the 1997 Mill Valley Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nathalie Vansier, Michael Yarmush, (more)
- 1994
This Canadian fantasy, aimed at children, is the sequel to 1987's Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller. This imaginative story has Tommy, his sister and friends gathered together to try to liberate Charles Merriweather who has been stuck for 60 years on a Canadian stamp depicting the famous Bluenose sailing ship. They begin to work their magic. Tommy is hoping that the newly returned Charles will become his partner in a stamp collecting business. The other two just want to help him. The magic works and Charles returns. But surprise! It isn't Charles at all, but Molly Merriweather, Charles' pretty little sister. Unfortunately Molly begins aging rapidly and can only regain her youth after the youngsters cover her with Bluenose stamps. To get them they had to go to the Cook Islands. They succeed, Tommy falls in love, Charles returns, and all is well. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Stevens, Joshawa Mathers, (more)
- 1992
When a group of children around the age of twelve decide they want some extra money for the summer holidays, they get together under the leadership Charles, who is used to getting his way, and start a house-cleaning company. At the same time another classmate has set up a video advertising company and is making an ad for the cleaners. Despite their hard work and good intentions, it takes more to run a business than a desire to make money and a good idea, as these youngsters learn as each participant's willfulness leads the enterprise astray in some fashion. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
