Hrant Alianak Movies
Bruce McDonald, critically acclaimed director of The Tracey Fragments, teams with author Tony Burgess to adapt Burgess' own novel about a small town in the grip of a mysterious frenzy. It may be Valentine's Day, but for caustic radio personality Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) that's just another reason to be miserable. Mazzy used to be a certified radio superstar, but working in Pontypool is a far shot from working in the big city. Today, however, as Mazzy prepares for his regular routine of reading the weather, updating school closings, and pleading his case for a little on-air controversy to producer Sydney Bryer (Lisa Houle), the appearance of an unexpected figure signals the beginning of a disturbing phenomenon in the small town of Pontypool. Heading to work, Mazzy is nearly run over by a distraught woman who seems to have lost her grip on reality. Later, reports of a shoot-out between provincial police and a group of local ice fishers are made even more bizarre by the revelation that they were all screaming gibberish, running around nude, and missing body parts. By the time a riot breaks out in Dr. Mendez's (Hrant Alianak) office, it's obvious to Mazzy that the residents of Pontypool are suffering from a strange form of contagious dementia, but what has caused this bizarre outbreak and, more importantly, how can it be stopped? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, (more)
- 2002
A ride on a Ferris wheel proves fatal to police informant John Gitomer (Rob Stefaniuk)--and may also destroy the career of Adam Kirk (Stephen McHattie), a "loose cannon" police detective who is the prime suspect in Gitomer's murder. Kirk's former partner Lt. Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) asks Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to investigate the situation, a job that Monk takes on despite his intense dislike of Kirk and his deadly fear of heights. The trail of clues leads to a dance club, a secret phone number, and a campaign of terror conducted from a prison cell. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2002
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) suspects that 800-pound tycoon Dale "The Whale" Biederbeck (Adam Arkin) is the murderer of one Judge Lavinio. But how can this be? Dale the Whale is so obese that he can't even get out of his bed, much less leave his room. Also, it looks as though Monk is acting on a personal vendetta against Biederbeck, stemming from a devastating lawsuit a few years before. Even so, Monk is obsessed (surprise, surprise!) with proving Biederbeck's guilt, and his nurse-assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) offers her services to prove Monk right--even if it kills her. With this episode, Max Morrow joins the cast as Sharona's son Benjy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2000
Bored with her dead-end existence in a small Iowa town, neurotic Janet Flanders (Jordan Ladd) retreats into the rarefied world of romance novels. Her dreams of being swept off her feet by a handsome young prince seem to come true when Chicago businessman Brett Becker (Vincent Spano) enters her life. Alas, Brett already has a bride -- but this won't stop the unhinged Janet from dreaming, or from taking violent action to fulfill those dreams. What starts out as something fine and beautiful degenerates into a sordid murder trial, with attorney Evelyn MacInnis (Holland Taylor of The Practice fame) taking a pivotal hand in the matter. Made for cable, The Deadly Look of Love originally aired July 10, 2000 on the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jordan Ladd, Vincent Spano, (more)
- 2000
Nero Wolfe (Maury Chaykin) is the world's greatest detective, and like any genius, he has his share of idiosyncrasies -- he loves orchids with an unnatural passion, he weighs a seventh of a ton, and--oh yeah--he never leaves his New York brownstone. Instead, he is aided by an army of foot soldiers headed by Archie Goodwin (Timothy Hutton). The film opens when Pete, a young windshield washer, is begged by a woman to call the police. She is then ushered into a car and whisked away. Thinking that she has been kidnapped, Pete gives Nero the scoop in exchange for half the reward money. When Pete later turns up dead, Nero kicks his investigation into high gear. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Timothy Hutton, Maury Chaykin, (more)
- 1999
Bartender Terry Cuff (Yasmine Bleeth) marries a good-looking but slightly disreputable military man named Bobby Woodkin (Richard Grieco). It isn't that Terry is madly in love with Bobby: It is just that she is desperate to have a house and children of her. Bobby, however, is in love with Terry--and quite madly. Having already installed the incredibly naïve and trusting Terry in a "dream home" that doesn't really belong to him, the increasingly unhinged Bobby sets about to secure an adopted baby for Terry. . .even if he has to commit murder! Made for cable, Ultimate Deception first aired January 19, 1999 on the USA network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1997
When an old war buddy suddenly (after a 20-year absence) reappears with a suitcase full of money, bottles of absinthe and a desire to kill himself, eccentric Algernon finds himself caught up in an increasingly ridiculous situation. Before Norbie Hess (Charles Durning) showed up, and just prior to meeting the beautiful, enigmatic Madge Clerisy (Carrie-Anne Moss) at his favorite antique store, Algernon (John Cullum) led a quiet life in the splendiferous home of his great grandfather, a world renowned Egyptologist. His only companion is Eulalia, a porcelain statue of a cat, with whom he converses. With no job, Algernon supports himself by selling off some of his grandfather's valuable finds at the antique store. Madge tells Algernon that she is an Egyptologist and interested in his great granddad's collection, but she is actually a treasure hunter who has heard that the old man may have taken his really valuable finds to the grave. Eulalia knows this and tries to warn him, but Madge is beautiful, Algernon is lonely and will not listen. The night that Norbie shows up, the two old buddies stay up reminiscing and sipping absinthe until Norbie grabs Algernon's war pistol and shoots himself. Afraid that he will be accused of murder, the poor Algernon buries Norbie beside his great grandfather in the backyard. Things become more hectic when the determined Madge shows up to dig up Algernon's ancestor. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Cullum, Carrie-Anne Moss, (more)
Master of infantilism Adam Sandler stars as the title character, an overgrown rich kid who wiles away his days poolside, swilling kegs of beer and appreciating fine nudie magazines such as "Drunk Chicks" -- that is, until his father (Darren McGavin) decides to test his mettle as future head of the family business by posing a challenge: retake and pass grades K-12 in 24 weeks or watch control of the business pass to the requisite conniving underling (Bradley Whitford). Forced into action, Billy vows to change his drunken ways. He enrolls in kindergarten, makes new friends, pelts pint-sized kids with playground balls and develops a love interest in a pretty teacher (Bridgitte Wilson). The action culminates in an academic showdown between Billy and the purportedly Harvard-educated underling for the future of the family enterprise -- no small feat for a man fresh out of the first grade. There's gross, moronic, off-color low humor galore in Billy Madison, particularly in one subplot involving a romantically forward elementary school principal (Josh Mostel, son of theater great Zero Mostel) and his secret former life as a professional wrestler; another scene includes the hypertense school bus driver (Chris Farley, in a typical over-the-top cameo) lying in the meadow with a hallucinatory penguin. As one might suspect, Billy Madison is not for every taste; Sandler fans will laugh from start to finish; others beware. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Darren McGavin, (more)
James Lapine, whose Broadway credits as a writer/director includes work with Stephen Sondheim, made his Hollywood debut with this comedy. Michael J. Fox plays Michael Chapman, who once upon a time was a wise-cracking child star on a situation comedy called "Life With Mikey." Now in his thirties and on the skids, Michael makes personal appearances at grand openings of hamburger stands, and runs an unsuccessful talent agency (specializing in kids) with his brother Ed (Nathan Lane). The agency's only successful client is Barry Corman (David Krumholtz), a fourteen-year-old with an attitude who is known as "the cereal king" for his appearances on television commercials. Ed is trying to talk Michael into closing the agency and Barry is threatening to go elsewhere when a sprightly 10-year-old reprobate named Angie (Christina Vidal) tries to pick his pocket. When Angie delivers a heart-rendering tale of questionable honesty about being an orphan from Queens, Michael realizes that Angie would be perfect for a Sunburst Cookie commercial. She clicks in the commercial, and both her career and the agency's soar. In the meantime, Angie movies in with Michael, and as they bond, Michael realizes how to act like an adult and Angie realizes how to act like a child. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, Christina Vidal, (more)
- 1987
- NR
Ignore the title: Family Viewing makes for fascinating viewing, though it is not designed as entertainment for the whole family. This Canadian film stars David Hemblen as Stan, a profoundly disturbed young man. Upon the disappearance of his mother, Stan feverishly tries to piece together existing clues. He's not sure he likes the outcome, but given the extent to which his family has disintegrated, he's not surprised, either. Family Viewing was expertly filmed on a wafer-thin budget by independent Canadian director Atom Egoyan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Hemblen, Aidan Tierney, (more)
In the made-for-cable thriller Sword of Gideon, a team of anti-terrorist commandos, led by Steven Bauer, sets out to avenge the deaths of Israeli athletes killed during the Munich Olympics of 1972. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steven Bauer, Michael York, (more)
With a script that is too anemic for the red-blooded actors featured here, this anorexic comedy moves slowly up and down the corporate ladder with the fortunes and misfortunes of several company men. Jack Issel (Judge Reinhold) gets a VIP position at INC in the PR department (business-speak). Suddenly the corporation's shady activities come to the fore -- especially when a U.S. plant is set to close for a move south of the border where labor is almost free. Enmeshed in these tangles, Jack is hardly prepared to fall in love with the leading activist against the plant closing -- but he does. Meanwhile, a lot of other subplots quickly dispose of potentially budding villains like Stedman (Danny DeVito) the inside trader -- too bad. DeVito and Don King (appearing as himself) would have made a great team. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Judge Reinhold, Eddie Albert, (more)
This three-hour TV movie stars Sophia Loren as New Yorker Marianna Miraldo. Hurt and angered by her son's cocaine addiction, Marianna discovers that a close friend also has ties with the drug scene. After several of her imprisoned friend's associates try to contact him through her, the DEA persuades Marianna to aid them in an undercover operation headed by cop Bobby Jay (Billy Dee Williams). Despite the "don't get involved" admonitions of her husband (Hector Elizondo), Marianna agrees to cooperate with the DEA, if only for the sake of her son. This fact-based film, which first aired September 24, 1986, concludes with the feds closing in on a $3.5 billion cocaine ring. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Billy Dee Williams, (more)
- 1985
- R
This sex comedy centers on a group of college coeds who've hatched a scheme to seduce their favorite hockey team (yes, the whole team). One of the women gets the use of an aunt's house for the team's annual fun and games party, normally thrown by a local gangster. Since the coeds do not number enough to cover the whole team, they recruit a few prostitutes to help out; they also give helpful advice on planning the evening's entertainment. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lenore Zann, Helene Udy, (more)
- 1983
John Heard and Levon Helm play a couple of frizzy-haired leftovers from the sixties. Living by their wits in Spain, Heard and Helm get mixed up in an multimillion-dollar Moroccan drug deal. Their intentions are more honorable than they seem: at stake is the life of a kidnap victim. But as the story develops, the boys discover that they've been set up as fall guys by a smarmy gangster. Eluding the Law, Heard and Helm lay the groundwork for retribution. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1983
- PG
- Add Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone to Queue Add Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone to top of Queue
In this weakly scripted, dull sci-fi adventure, three women have been shipwrecked somewhere in the galaxy on planet Terra Eleven and now Wolff (Peter Strauss), the pilot of a salvage ship, his friend Washington (Ernie Hudson), and the orphaned Niki (Molly Ringwald) are out to rescue them. Along the way, the trio face several life-threatening situations, and as they escape each danger intact, their final encounter with the evil Overdog McNabb (Michael Ironside) draws ever closer. With a wobbly storyline, one-note theme (people versus machines), and unintentionally funny dialogue, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone has a few things going for it: quick-paced action scenes, unusual sets, a 3-D format, a good musical score, and creative sound effects. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Strauss, Molly Ringwald, (more)
- 1981
After the seizing of the American Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979, six Americans manage to escape. They contact Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor (Gordon Pinsent), who keeps them hidden from the Iranian anti-US activists. For three grueling months, Taylor and his "guests" plan a daring escape. A Montreal journalist (Robert Lalonde) finds out, posing a threat to the plan by intimating that he won't keep Taylor's secret. The dramatic reenactments in Escape From Iran: The Canadian Caper are cleverly integrated with news footage of the actual events. Filmed in Toronto, with several stalwart Canadian actors in cast, including Chris Wiggins, Robert Joy, Les Carlson, Escape From Iran premiered on American television on May 17, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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