Ellen Dubin Movies
- 2008
- NR
A hapless man trying to hold on to his job is plunged into a dangerous world where no one is what they appear to be in this dark comedy-drama. Charlie (Craig Lauzon) is a stockbroker working for a large financial services firm in Toronto. Charlie knows he's not doing well at work, and his boss Jay Valentine (Simon Reynolds) has told him so to his face. However, Jay has also offered Charlie a chance to prove he can be useful, and Charlie jumps at the opportunity even though it's clearly on the shady side of the law. Before long, Charlie finds himself caught up in a web of money, sex, deceit and murder as he begins traveling in a circle of dangerous and powerful characters, none more menacing than the wealthy and short-tempered Roland Gow (Maury Chaykin). Also starring Lindsey Deluce, Ellen Dubin and Lori Hallier, Bull was the first theatrical feature from writer and director Kent Tessman; the film was an official selection at the 2008 Montreal Word Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig Lauzon, Lindsey Deluce, (more)
An angry swarm of genetically enhanced wasps challenges humankind's comfortable status on the food chain in a director Paul Ziller's tense tale of bugs gone bad. Having escaped from the laboratory where skilled scientists had been attempting to concoct a powerful pesticide specifically designed to kill wasps, a vicious swarm of experiment subjects quickly begins reproducing and soon descends on a small Midwestern town. When fly swatters, bug zappers, and even the most powerful industrial-strength pesticides fail to rid the terrified town of the deadly flying menace, it's up to scientist Kent (Michael Shanks) to come up with a more effective means of beating nature's wrath. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Shanks, Carol Alt, (more)
When a recently divorced woman moves into a new house and becomes obsessed with solving a murder that once occurred there, she is troubled to discover that their may be a link between the violent crime and the neighbor who has attracted her affections in a tense thriller starring Lisa Zane, Barbara Niven, and Gary Hudson. As the clues begin to pile up and the psychological tension gradually bubbles to a boil, the realization that the man whom she has grown to adore may in fact be a cold-blooded killer prompts her to begin a dangerous investigation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Niven, Daniel J. Travanti, (more)
The directorial debut of filmmaker Jared Hess, who also co-wrote the screenplay, Napoleon Dynamite is a quirky, offbeat comedy set in the small Idaho town of Preston. Jon Heder stars in the titular role, a carrot-topped oddball with a decidedly eccentric family that includes his llama-loving, dune-buggy enthusiast grandmother. The story centers on the local high school's race for class president. Using some nontraditional means, Napoleon is determined to help his pal Pedro (Efrem Ramirez) run a winning campaign and defeat popular girl Summer (Haylie Duff). Also starring The Drew Carey Show's Diedrich Bader, Napoleon Dynamite premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Five years ago, the husband of Jean Brooks (Mädchen Amick) purportedly committed suicide. Thus, Jean is startled when ex-cop-turned-private eye Eddie Fate (Andrew Walker) shows up with the news that her husband has been alive all these years -- and has only recently been murdered. A trip to Chicago opens Jean's eyes to her husband's motives for his deception (which didn't start out as sinister, but sure ended up that way) -- and places her own life in peril, courtesy of an insane sister-in-law and some slimy-looking drug dealers. Filmed in 2004 under the title Jean's Fate, Lies and Deception was first seen on Canadian TV a few weeks before its April 25, 2005, American cable debut on the Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mädchen Amick, Andrew Walker, (more)
A pair of misfit siblings travel across time and space to save their father from enslavement in this made-for-TV adaptation of the classic children's novel by Madeleine L'Engle. Meg Murry (Katie Stuart), a tomboy who fits in with neither the kids nor the teachers at her New England middle school, feels bereft when her scientist father vanishes, leading to unsavory speculation from small-town gossips. But thanks to Charles Wallace (David Dorfman), her gifted but idiosyncratic younger brother, Meg befriends Mrs. Who (Alison Elliott), Mrs. Whatsit (Alfre Woodard), and Mrs. Which (Kate Nelligan) -- three cosmic beings who lead Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe (Gregory Smith) on a journey to the sinister planet Camazotz, where Dr. Murry (Chris Potter) has been captured by the coercive power known as IT. Afflicted by hubris and naïveté, young Charles Wallace falls under IT's thrall, forcing Meg, Calvin, and their allies on a dangerous flight across time and space. But thanks to the healing touch of a kindly monster known as Aunt Beast (Ellen Dubin), Meg is able to face her own insecurities and attempt a final rescue of her loved ones. Originally broadcast May 10, 2004, on ABC, A Wrinkle in Time was released as an installment of the long-running Wonderful World of Disney. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katie Stuart
- 2003
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Unprecedented sunspots threaten to bring about the end of the world in this adventure thriller from director Brenton Spencer. Joanna Pacula plays Valery Landis, the only person who's figured out that the activities on the sun are leading to violent and extreme weather on Earth. When no one will listen to her claims, Valery takes matters into her own hands, racing against time to save humankind. Lightning: Bolts of Destruction also stars Nick Mancuso and Ellen Dubin. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joanna Pacula, Nick Mancuso, (more)
- 2002
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Another of the PAX network's feature-length Mary Higgins Clark adaptation, All Around the Town wastes little time getting down to business, as popular college professor Allan Grant (Kevin Jubinville) is murdered. Despite her public display of grief, Allan's widow, travel agent Karen (Nastassja Kinski), is well aware of her late husband's reputation as a womanizer. In fact, the prime suspect is one of Allan's nubile young students, Laurie Kinmount (Kim Shraner) -- who happens to be the sister of DA Sarah Kinmount (Andrea Roth), the person in charge of prosecuting the case. Sarah does not want to send her own kid sister to the slammer, but is unable to get a clear story from Laurie, who claims to have no memory of the killing or even of being in the vicinity of the crime. Thus, Sarah joins forces with investigating detective Brandon Moody (Ron Lea) and psychiatrist Justin Donnelly (Michael Shanks) to unlock Laurie's mind -- with startling results. Filmed in Canada, Mary Higgins Clark's All Around the Town was first broadcast on May 18, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Tracey Gold stars as Nell Swanson, unjustly convicted of murder and serving a long prison sentence. In order to secure a parole, Nell agrees to join a tough forest firefighting unit, having been trained for such dangerous work while "in stir." Among her new colleagues is an abrasive Brooklynite (Ellen Dubin), a stalwart Native American (Nathaniel Arcand), and the ill-tempered "smoke eater" (Alexander Walters) with whom Nell had trained. In a rapidly paced climax, Nell not only must parachute into a raging forest conflagration, but must also rescue her own long-estranged daughter. Filmed on location in British Columbia, Wildfire 7: The Inferno debuted (with an astonishing lack of publicity) on the PAX network on November 1, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Originally aired as a four-part series on Canada's Space cable network, Robocop: Prime Directives picks up after the events of 1993's Robocop 3 and was released straight-to-video in the U.S. as four seperate features. In the role played previously by Robert John Burke and Peter Weller, Page Fletcher dons the Robocop costume this time around. The series is set ten years after the events of the first film and finds an aging Robocop forced to deal with an evil Robocop called RoboCable, played by Maurice Dean Wint, and his own son, who is now grown and an executive at OCP. The episodes are Robocop: Prime Directives - Dark Justice, Robocop: Prime Directives - Meltdown, Robocop: Prime Directives - Resurrection, and Robocop: Prime Directives - Crash and Burn. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Lovely Sandy Kennington (Barbara Niven) would seem to have it all -- a burgeoning career, a loving young son, and a husband who makes more than she does. But hubby Edward (William R. Moses) has emotionally withdrawn from Sandy in the months following a tragic automobile accident in which their daughter was killed. His reticence troubles Sandy, who seems helpless to do anything about it. Then one day Edward comes home a changed man -- romantic, affectionate, and eager to talk about Sandy's possible transfer to New York City. There's only one problem: Edward is chained to a chair in a suburban basement, held hostage by gun-toting tough gal Beth Jenkins (Nia Peeples). So who is that man who looks like Edward making love with Sandy? ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William R. Moses, Barbara Niven, (more)
A cop and a career criminal join forces to battle a terrorist faction in this taut action thriller. An SAS agent (Daniel Baldwin) has been assigned to escort a ruthless jewel thief (Kim Coates) to custody by train when they discover a tunnel along the route has been seized by a gang of terrorists. With the tunnel sealed at both ends and the train trapped inside, the two men have to set aside their differences in order to rescue themselves and the rest of the passengers. Tunnel also stars Janine Theriault, Robin Wilcox, and Mark Camachio; leading man Daniel Baldwin also served as director. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Coates, Daniel Baldwin, (more)
- 2000
E! Entertainment's debut original TV production is an over-the-top depiction of Hollywood decadence and desperation. Five down-and-out women vie for a major award. The five include a drugged-out indie queen; a plumy British actress with a womanizing director for a husband; a porn star looking for a legit turn; an African-American chanteuse whose career is on the skids; and a lipstick lesbian with a wily publicist. The plot twists when a body turns up and all five are suspects. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrew Airlie, Maria Conchita Alonso, (more)
