Tony Johnston Movies
Candian filmmaker Peter O'Brian directs the comedy Hollywood North, set in Toronto during the late '70s. Matthew Modine stars as Bobby Mayers, a stressed-out Canadian producer trying to make an action film called "Flight to Bogota." The production is inevitably troubled by numerous problems with the cast, crew, and finances. Alan Bates stars as crazed Hollywood actor Michael Baytes, the leading man who takes over the set. Jennifer Tilly plays Gillian Stevens, the nymphomaniac leading lady who seduces her younger co-star Frankie Candido (Fabrizio Filippo). Meanwhile, filmmaker Sandy Ryan (Deborah Kara Unger) is trying to capture the whole thing for a making-of documentary. Hollywood North premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Alan Bates, (more)
John Bradshaw's crime comedy Triggermen begins when a pair of professional killers (Michael Rapaport and Donnie Wahlberg) are hired to execute one of the major figures in organized crime (Pete Postlethwaite). Soon the pair are mistaken with a pair of British conmen (Neil Morrissey and Adrian Dunbar). When the money they were promised for completing the task turns up missing, the duo has a remarkably difficult time tracking it down. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Morrissey, Donnie Wahlberg, (more)
Two brothers try to sort out their differences in the wake of their father's death in this drama. Theo (David Cubitt) has long been the black sheep of his family; at the age of 30, he's made no real headway in starting a career, despite periodic stabs at becoming a writer, and his problems with substance abuse have sent him through one rehab clinic after another. Theo doesn't get along with Ryan (Colm Feore), his older brother, who has become a successful lawyer and seems to have his life firmly in control. Neither Theo nor Ryan had an especially cordial relationship with their father, whose death opens old wounds between them. However, Theo soon discovers that Ryan, long the "respectable" member of the family, has also been keeping a secret; he is gay and has been less than cautious in pursuing sexual partners in the past. Ryan's promiscuity comes back to haunt him when he becomes HIV-positive, and he is eventually forced to turn to Theo for help. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colm Feore, David Cubitt, (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)
Airborne is a science-fiction fantasy film about the tribulations of a clandestine operation team recruited by the government to steal a deadly virus from a band of terrorists. Led by Commander Bill McNeil, the team confronts the thieves in a daring act of piracy and, after a standoff in mid-air, retrieves the deadly bottle. When two members of the team are subsequently murdered, McNeil suspects that the government might be behind the gruesome act. The team steals the virus back and becomes the subject of a deadly hunt by mysterious mercenaries. Airborne plays like a cross between Mission Impossible and The Rock; Steve Guttenberg, the star of Police Academy and Cocoon, might seem a strange choice as an action hero, but the film in general has entertainment value. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Guttenberg, Kim Coates, (more)
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)
- 1994
In this futuristic science fiction drama, two firms are both on the working overtime to see who can be first to perfect a new and groundbreaking invention -- a technology that can perfectly recreate human tissue, allowing people to be replicated at will. One of the companies is a small, cutting-edge concern, while the other is a major multinational conglomerate, and in a world where such companies control the legal and judicial system (hey, are you sure this is science fiction?), beating them to the punch can have deadly consequences. The larger firm sends a team of thugs to destroy the smaller company's offices, just as inventor Ludo (Michael St. Gerard) is using himself as a guinea pig for his final tests on the replication system; things go haywire during the assault, and soon Ludo finds himself chasing his own manmade evil twin. Replikator also stars Ned Beatty, Brigitte Bako, and Ilona Staller, the latter better known as Cicciolina, the Italian adult film star who was elected to that nation's Parliament. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael St. Gerard, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1989
- R
Based on the true story, this film follows the struggle of a group of brave marines as they attempt to defend Firebase Gloria during the Tet Offensive, even though they are greatly outnumbered. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wings Hauser, R. Lee Ermey, (more)
