Aidan Devine Movies
When an extraterrestrial spaceship comes crashing down to Earth during the reign of the Vikings, the Scandinavian plunderers get set to do battle with a most unusual enemy in director Howard McCain's earthbound science fiction thriller. Jim Caviezel, Jack Huston, and Sophia Myles star in a film scripted by director McCain in collaboration with screenwriter Dirk Blackman. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caviezel, Sophia Myles, (more)
A woman's mistakes come back to haunt her in a terrifying and very literal manner in this thriller. Dr. Samantha Goodman (Kate Greenhouse) is a clinical psychiatrist who works with patients at an institution for the criminal insane in Canada. Things have not been rosy for Sam lately -- she's been violently attacked by one of her patients, her marriage to husband Dave (Gordon Currie) is in bad shape, and she has an inoperable brain tumor that's growing at an alarming rate. Sam needs a weekend away from the city, but what Dave has set up isn't especially relaxing for her -- a short holiday at a cabin in the woods, where Dave will be working on editing his latest book with the help of Melody (Iris Graham), Sam's younger and more attractive sister. As Sam watches sparks begin to fly between her sister and her husband, Harlan Pyne (Aidan Devine) and his friend Adrian (Dov Tiefenbach) break into the cabin and announce their presence by shooting Sam's pet dog. Harlan is a convicted sex offender and murderer who was placed under Sam's care in the institution and wasn't happy with the experimental treatment he received; having escaped, he and Adrian have tracked her down and decide to take revenge by forcing Sam, Melody, and Dave to participate in a series of strange and humiliating games -- at gun point. The Dark Hours was the first feature-length film from director Paul Fox, who previously distinguished himself working on a number of successful Canadian television series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Greenhouse, Aidan Devine, (more)
Based on the book by Newsweek senior editor David France, the made-for-cable Our Fathers dramatizes the pedophilia scandal that literally tore apart the Catholic Diocese of Boston. The story is set in motion when the Boston Globe gets wind of a determined effort by lawyer Mitchell Garabedian (Ted Danson) to get belated justice for his client Angelo DeFranco (Daniel Baldwin), who as a youngster was repeatedly abused sexually by Father John Geoghan (Steve Shaw). Several of Angelo's contemporaries had previously come forth with stories of Father Geoghan's misdeeds, and the similar outrages of other priests, but they had made the error of complaining to the head of the Boston Diocese, the arrogant Cardinal Bernard Law (Christopher Plummer), who turned a deaf ear to the claims and in some cases went so far as to tell the complainants that they, and not the priests, were somehow to blame. All the while, Law and his colleagues covered up the scandal through a series of covert transfers of the offending priests, allowing the perpetrators to continue their sexual activities with shocking impunity. The film also details a number of related subplots, including the plight of Mary Ryan (Ellen Burstyn), all of whose seven sons suffered from the priests' abuse, and Father Spagnolia (Brian Dennehy), who dared to attack Law's handling of the scandal from his pulpit -- only to have the sexual skeletons in his own closet revealed. Our Fathers made its Showtime cable debut on May 21, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After being pulled from CBS amid a flurry of controversy, The Reagans was finally aired on Showtime and went on to earn Golden Globe nominations for its stars, James Brolin and Judy Davis. Directed by Robert Allan Ackerman (Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows) and based on a book by Carl Sferrazza Anthony, the film offers an intimate and some may say scathing look at the family behind one of the 20th century's most hotly debated presidencies. Also starring John Stamos and Zeljko Ivanek, the made-for-television biography is unrated. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Davis, James Brolin, (more)
- 2003
It is during the final months of 1999 that 46-year-old physician Jerri Nielsen (Susan Sarandon) finds herself stranded at the Amundsen-South Pole Research Station along with a tiny staff of researchers and technicians. Although, at first, there is little love lost between the somewhat aloof Nielsen and her more down-to-earth colleagues, a strong bond develops among them as the extreme Antarctic winter progresses. Nielsen, in particular, grows quite close to two of the "Polies": Big John Penny (Aidan Devine) and Claire Furinski (Cynthia Mace). It is Big John to whom Nielsen confides that she has discovered a lump in her breast, which, with the e-mailed assistance of her fellow physicians back in the States, she diagnoses as a cancerous growth. After a self-administered biopsy, Nielsen and her new friends construct a crude chemotherapy unit to treat her ever-growing cancer. Supplies are periodically air-dropped by the Air Force and both Big John and Claire are given a crash course in the treatment of Nielsen's affliction; but will she be able to survive her ordeal until the rescue party arrives? Inspired by a true story, as written by Nielsen herself in a best-selling autobiography, Ice Bound: A Woman's Survival at the South Pole was filmed on location near Ontario's frozen Lake Simone. This made-for-TV production originally aired April 20, 2003, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Sarandon, Aidan Devine, (more)
Based in part on the autobiography of Gale Sayers, an Football Hall of Fame inductee and one of the finest halfbacks in the history of the game, this made-for-TV drama recounts the true story of Sayers (Mekhi Phifer) and his friendship with fellow Chicago Bears player Brian Piccolo (Sean Maher). In the mid-'60s, when Sayers joined the Bears, he was not welcomed by all members of the team, but soon developed a friendly rivalry with Piccolo, a running back who was gunning for the same place on the team as Sayers. Sensing a tension between the two men that might be used to make better players, coach George Halas (Ben Gazarra) decided to make Sayers and Piccolo roommates at training camp and on the road -- a decision that quickly became controversial, since Sayers was African-American and Piccolo was white. However, rivalry grew into respect, and when Sayers suffered a serious knee injury, Piccolo became the man who helped guide him through the difficult process of rehabilitation. Sayers not only returned to the team, he become a star player, but in time it became Sayers' turn to help Piccolo when Brian learned that a lingering illness was actually cancer. A remake of one of the most acclaimed made-for-TV movies ever (with James Caan and Billy Dee Williams as Piccolo and Sayers), Brian's Song also features Elise Neal as Linda Sayers and Janessa Crimi as Lori Piccolo, the players' wives. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aidan Devine, Dean McDermott, (more)
- 1999
In this Canadian comedy, Richard (Gil Bellows) departs his office, driving north for a Christmas holiday at the country home of his fiancé Sarah (Kristin Leeman), the daughter of his boss George Billings (Leon Powhall). When his car collapses en route, he arrives instead at a house inhabited by a kooky family. He is subjected to various humiliations and indignities, but amid the madness and general goofiness, he soon finds himself attracted to the clan's sleepwalking Celia (Parker Posey), "the world's greatest hair stylist," causing him to question his planned marriage. Shown at the 1997 Mill Valley and Hollywood film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gil Bellows, Parker Posey, (more)
- 1999
A real-life murder story that commanded headlines for several months in 1990 served as the basis for the tense but unsatisfying cable-TV movie Judgment Day: Ellie Nesler Story. Christine Lahti stars as Ellie Nesler, who cannot help but notice that her seven-year-old son Brandon (Andrew Ducote) has been sullen and withdrawn since returning from summer camp. Eventually it is revealed that Brandon had been sexually molested by camp counselor Daniel Driver (Robert Bockstael)--and that Driver has had a history of such repellant behavior, but has managed to remain out of prison thanks to the loopholes of the legal system. Driven over the edge when Driver beats the rap once more, Ellie confronts the man outside a courtroom and shoots him dead! The rest of the film recounts Ellie's murder trial, and the spectacular outpouring of public reaction--both pro and con--in its wake. Though it is uncompromising in detailing the long-range consequences of the actions by both Ellie Nesler and Daniel Driver, the film refuses to take a definite stance of its own in the controversy, and thus its dramatic impact is muted. Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story made its USA cable network debut on June 23, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Photographer Gage Sullivan (Doherty) is first seen driving down a dark road in a car and stopping to bury some bloody clothes. At a motel, tow FBI agents capture her and question her about the clothes. She tells her story in flashback. Gage works for a tabloid called "Celebrity Scandal" and finds herself the target of a camera-wielding stalker. On the advice of her assistant, Casey (Tamara Gorski), Gage hires a "guardian angel" Nick Angel (Joseph Griffin), of Angel Security. Of course, Nick is devastatingly handsome, and very good at his job. Nick sets Gage up with a new identity as "Julie Summerfield," but their every move is being watched by the stalker, who wears a bad wig and chews bubblegum. While Nick and Gage are out getting acquainted, Casey lets in the wrong pizza boy, who kidnaps her and sends Gage photos of the beaten assistant floating in a bathtub, apparently dead. Now Gage is mad, and hires a psycho hit man named Murray the Badger (Aidan Devine) to kill the stalker. Nick doesn't trust the Badger, with good reason -- he wears a bad wig and blows bubblegum. Badger waylays Nick but lets Gage get away, and the film comes back to the motel where it started. The flashback is over, but there's another 40 minutes of movie to go, as Gage makes some shocking revelations and learns that she's at the center of a very clever plot, then sets out to turn the tables on the bad guys. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Retired from rock 'n roll, ex-musician Joe is busy preparing for his upcoming wedding to the conservative daughter of a wealthy demolitions expert, in the full expectation of being trained in the family business. His dreams are shattered when he is kidnapped by a leather-clad performance artist who is upset that the boy's soon-to-be father-in-law is evicting her from her groovy loft apartment. She chains him to a huge metal ball, claiming that it is a mine, and holds him hostage. Since she is a "performance artist," it's difficult at first to determine whether she is serious or not. In time, it becomes clear that, demented or not, she is a more suitable spouse for the hapless musician than his fiancee. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- D.W. Moffett, Kate Vernon, (more)
The fourth entry in the Iron Eagle series follows the return of General Charles "Chappy" Sinclair (Louis Gosset Jr., who deserves better) as he trains a Dirty Dozen-style team of juvenile delinquents to improve their quality of life by flying planes and combatting evil. This time the Air Force itself is the enemy, as the intrepid teens uncover a conspiracy involving biological weaponry. When Chappy contacts his old friend, General Kettle (Al Waxman), he learns the General is in on the action. Along the way, the group manages to combat some ill-prepared drug dealers as well. This installment is better than the second or third, but that's not the highest of praise; Iron Eagle IV is a dumb-dumb fantasy for fourteen-year-old boys who don't yet have their learner's permits, much less their pilot's licenses. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Gossett, Jr., Jason Cadieux, (more)
This inspirational sports drama tells how Detroit Red Wings star Ted Lindsay stood up to the National Hockey League to prevent them from further exploiting the players. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aidan Devine, Al Waxman, (more)
- 1995
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
- Starring:
- Paul Gross, David Marciano, (more)
- 1993
- R
Based upon a play by screenwriter Brad Fraser, Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, Denys Arcand's dark-humored drama Love and Human Remains follows the lives of a group of young Canadians, with a particular focus on their romantic and sexual experiences. The central characters are two roommates, David and Candy. The cynical, witty David is a former television actor turned waiter, the lonely, dissatisfied Candy a book critic; the two were formerly lovers, before David proclaimed his homosexuality. Candy is also questioning her sexuality, having begun a lesbian affair after wondering if her failures with men indicates she might be happier with a woman; meanwhile, David is becoming acquainted with Kane, a handsome, young busboy of uncertain sexuality who idolizes the older David. The other members of the ensemble are also somehow connected to the roommates, through friendship or romance, including Benita, a young dominatrix and part-time psychic, and Bernie, a boastful but insecure young businessman. The couplings and shifting relationships of these characters are intercut with the rather more severe story of a serial murderer who has been terrorizing the city's women, allowing Arcand to place the film's melodramatic elements in an edgier context. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Gibson, Ruth Marshall, (more)
- 1993
Originally broadcast in Canada, this war drama tells the true story of how over 900 Canadian soldiers bravely sacrificed their lives in an attempt and take the French coastal town of Dieppe back from the Nazis. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Garber, Gary Reineke, (more)
- 1990
Falling Over Backwards was filmed in Quebec through the good graces of the National Film Board of Canada. Saul Rubinek plays a high school teacher, currently in the doldrums over his divorce. Ignoring advice of Thomas Wolfe, Rubinek decides to "go home again" to forget his troubles. With his aged, infirm father in tow, the teacher rents a room in his old neighborhood. Romance blossoms between Rubinek and his landlady Julie St-Pierre. This low-key, rambling, intensely personal effort is virtually as textbook example of a "Canadian Indie". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Saul Rubinek, Paul Soles, (more)
Originally made for cable television, this suspenseful thriller centers on a private investigation launched by a Romanian-American woman's fiancé after he begins suspecting that her father is a Nazi-war criminal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- PG
The gloom-laden Canadian/French Double Identity stars Nick Mancuso as a sedate college professor residing in the small university town of New Hope. Not given to talking about himself much, Mancuso's past is a mystery to his friends, colleagues, and new lady friend Leah Pinsent. The film's noir-ish title is the tip-off that once Mancuso's previous life comes to the forefront, it will be no picnic. In fact, it's a killer. Filmed in 1989, Double Identity was released in 1991; director Yves Boisset remains on target while dealing with the film's "present", less so when he indulges in confusing flashbacks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Nicole (Zabou) is a female attorney who is frustrated with the male-dominated world of provincial law. She embezzles money from a law firm and travels to Paris where she disguises herself as a man in hopes it will make a difference in her life and career. Nicole has two lesbian affairs and becomes a pimp for one of the women. She also has an affair with a man who indicates that he doesn't want a serious relationship. Nicole's loneliness leads her to the affairs as she continues the downward spiral into schizophrenia in this depressing psychological drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zabou, Anna Galiena, (more)
To fully appreciate Boy in Blue, it's helpful to know a little bit about the sport of "sculling"-or competitive rowing. Nicolas Cage stars as the real-life Ned Hanlan, who at the turn of the century was Canada's foremost sculling champ. A wild, uncontrollable youth, Hanlan is "adopted" by a gambler named Bill (David Naughton), who promotes the boy on the sculling circuit for his own monetary gain. Ruthlessly businessman Knox (Christopher Plummer) assumes control of Hanlan's career, but when Ned discovers just how ruthless Knox can be, he casts his lot with the first honest man he's met, inventor-speculator Walter (Sean Sullivan). Hanlan's professional success is capped by his marriage to Margaret (Cynthia Dale), Knox's previously unattainable niece. The by-the-numbers Boy in Blue was given an R rating due to a few disposable sex scenes, thereby cutting its potential audience (hero-worshipping youths) in half. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Cynthia Dale, (more)
