Sarah Strange Movies
A brave actress with a memorable name, Sarah Strange grew up in Canada, the child of two screenwriters, and began her professional acting career as soon as she left high school. She became well known for playing the role of Helen on the Canadian drama Da Vinci's Inquest, before becoming more acquainted with American audiences when she joined the cast of the one-hour dramedy Men in Trees, playing the wife of bartender/millionaire Ben Tomasson (Abraham Benrubi). ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
The irrepressible Stargate team faces their biggest challenge yet as they set out in search of the ancient artifact with the power to defeat the villainous Ori before they launch a devastating attack on planet Earth. The Ori are determined to exterminate all traces of mankind, but not if Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), Teals (Christopher Judge), Vala (Claudia Black), Sam (Amanda Tapping), and Cam (Ben Browder) have anything to say about it. With a scheming I.O. operative aboard the Odyssey, the final fight for humanity begins to unfold in the deepest reaches of outer space. Beau Bridges co-stars. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Shanks, Claudia Black, (more)
- 2005
Originally telecast on CBC during the 2004-2005 season, the six episodes comprising The Newsroom's third season were technically filmed for the satirical series' fourth season, inasmuch as Season One (first broadcast in 1996 and 1997) was actually made up of two mini-seasons. You got all that? Good. Let's proceed. Series creator-writer Ken Finkleman continues to wear a third creative hat in the starring role of sharkish Canadian TV news director George Findlay, a man who would probably sell his grandmother to get higher ratings if he'd had a grandmother (there is some argument as to whether George ever had a mother). Newcomers to the cast this season include newsroom intern Nora (Kristin Booth), segment producer Jason (Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall), and the latest in a long line of ineffectual bosses for George Findley, Susan Murdoch (Sarah Strange). Whereas the series' previous seasons were deliciously dark in tone, this season exhibits a jauntier, more surreal touch, beginning with an opening episode which skewers media coverage of the war in Iraq. Later on, George and his staff anxiously seek out the "one dumb idea" that will enable them to strike it rich with a TV sitcom; George delivers a college lecture and acquires an underaged groupie; the possibility arises that someone in the staff is gay (not that there's anything wrong etc. etc.); and George's day is ruined by a gristly steak. The season ends with a remarkable essay on the End of the World, with the series regulars rendered in animated form! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Finkleman, Peter Keleghan, (more)
Divorced architect Jonathan Rivers (Michael Keaton) seems to lead a pretty good life with partial custody of his young son and a happy second marriage to Anna (Chandra West), a best-selling author. Things take an ugly turn when Anna disappears during a thunderstorm, apparently the victim of a freak accident. Eventually, her body is found, and Jonathan sinks into despair. Then he meets Raymond (Ian McNeice), who claims that Anna has contacted him through EVP, or electronic voice phenomena. Raymond explains that the dead can communicate from beyond via static on common electronic equipment like radios and televisions. Jonathan is skeptical until he starts getting phone calls from Anna's inactive cell phone. He visits Raymond, whose home is filled with audio and video monitors and high-tech recording equipment. There he meets Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger), who has recently received a farewell message from her late fiancé. Jonathan eventually receives what appears to be a communication from Anna, but soon afterward, Raymond turns up dead. Obsessed with maintaining contact with his late wife, Jonathan visits a psychic (Connor Tracy) who warns him that he's going down a dangerous path, "meddling" in the affairs of the dead. Undaunted, Jonathan continues to study EVP and eventually finds that he's getting messages from people who haven't died...yet. White Noise was directed by Geoffrey Sax from an original script by Niall Johnson. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Keaton, Chandra West, (more)
- 2004
Created by Christina Jennings, the Canadian sci-fi suspenser ReGenesis tackled the up-to-date subject of bioterrorism--specifically bioterrorism generated by the fantastic scientific advances made during the early 21st century. Peter Outerbridge starred as David Sandstrom, chief scientist and molecular biologist for the North American Biotechnology Advisory Commission. Popularly known as NorBAC, this commissioned had been created to investigate (and in some cases terminate) examples of questionable biotechnology. Though mankind had advanced to the point of being able to create "perfect" food, luxury items and even babies in the lab, not everyone was motivated by altruism,and there were plenty of madmen and terrorists with deep pockets who intended to use high-tech science for evil purposes. Though the series was essentially an action thriller, several hot-button ethical and political questions were raised in the course of events (though few were actually resolved). Other members of the multinational NorBAC team included Conrad Pla) as geneticist-medical doctor Carlos Serrano, Dmitry Chepovetsky as biochemist Bob Melnikov and Mayko Nguyen as bioinformatics researcher Mayko Tran. Sarah Strange was seen during the first season as NorBAC's lead viroligist (and David Sandstrom's erstwhile lover) Jill Langston; she was replaced beginning with the second season by Wendy Crewson as Rachel Woods. Similarly, Maxim Roy was originally cast as NorBAC's executive director Caroline Morrison, only to be killed off and subsequently replaced by Greg Byrk as Weston Field. Appearing occasionally was Geraint Wyn Davies as NobBAC's White House-based science advisor Carleton Riddlemeyer. Boasting the input of Canadian molecular biologist Alec Edwards as the series' chief scientic consultant, ReGenesis debuted simultaneously on Canada's Movie Central and The Movie Network cable services the week of October 24, 2004; it would be distributed to several other nations before finally entering US syndication in the fall of 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Wounded by a stray bullet, Max (Jessica Alba) -- using the alias Linda Eastman -- is whisked off to Harbor Lights Medical Hospital. Knowing full well that knowledge of her unique DNA could be disastrous for herself and her fellow Manticore refugees, Max refuses to allow any testing of her blood. But unless another figure can intervene, her secret will soon be revealed to the world. And what of Max's nemesis White (Martin Cummins), whose behavior vis-à-vis the present situation is strange indeed? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jensen Ackles
A young man must deal with several generations of madness and familial intrigue in this screen adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Timothy Findley. Charlie Kilworth (Christian Campbell) is a young man whose mother, Lily (Stockard Channing), is the daughter of Frederick Wyatt (R.H. Thomson), the owner of a well-known piano manufacturing company. Lily is also a free-spirited and unstable woman, who bore Charlie out of wedlock, has had a number of lovers over the years, and has a unsettling fascination with fire. Lily's mother Ede (Wendy Crewson) has put her daughter in a mental hospital on several occasions, and is considering having Lily lobotomized. Charlie, meanwhile, has had affairs with a number of women but has never settled down with anyone; working as an events coordinator at a resort hotel, Charlie becomes infatuated with Alex Lamont (Sarah Strange), the singer in a dance band Charlie has booked into the ballroom. Lily urges her son to get married and raise a family, but Charlie isn't so sure he's ready for a lifetime commitment, and Alex becomes frustrated by Charlie's inability to take their relationship seriously. Meanwhile, Ede and Frederick have decided that Lily needs to be permanently committed to an institution; Charlie insists that they send her to a comfortable private facility, but then discovers that a mysterious benefactor has been supporting Lily for years, and Ede and Frederick have decided if Lily is to be in a private institution, then the generous stranger must be the one who pays for it. Surprisingly, The Piano Man's Daughter was produced in part by noted comic actress Whoopi Goldberg. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Campbell, Allan Price, (more)
The 12-episode revival of the satirical Canadian series The Newsroom after a seven-year absence was originally heralded by the 2002 special Escape from the Newsroom, in which creator-writer-star Ken Finkleman makes no effort to hide his scorn for those rabid fans who insisted that he resurrect the series despite his (apparent) decision to kill it for good and all back in 1997. Though he seemed to be dead as a doornail at the end of the original series, dimwitted Toronto TV news anchor Jim Walcott (Peter Keleghan) awakens from a two-year coma and makes his way back to his former newsroom, where paranoid, backstabbing, ratings-obsessed news director George Findlay (Finkleman) still rules with an iron fist. When he's not making sarcastic comments about the Canadian TV industry or his viewers, George is running scared over the possibility that his fiefdom will be toppled by a nearby film crew shooting a movie with Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman (and no, those two do NOT appear). Once the series' third season begins in earnest, we're introduced to several new regulars, among them news-segment producers Matt (Matt Watts) and Allen (Doug Bell), the latter suffering from an advanced case of self-loathing (just the sort of person that George Findlay loves to have around). The predominant theme this season is "Death"; George panics when a woman dies of food poisoning at the TV studio; an employee croaks while George wrestles with a labyrinthine job evaluation; an unknown sniper picks off a goodly portion of the Newsroom's viewing audience; and Allen is diagnosed with a tumor, making him more annoying than usual. In other episodes, George's not-so-well-hidden streak of racism rears up and bites him in the butt; Jim Walcott writes a book, astonishing those who thought he couldn't even read; segment producer Karen (Karen Hines "dumbs down" in exchange for a roll in the hay; and George comes to grief in his efforts to avoid jury duty on a controversial animal-rights case. The series' usual offbeat mix of guest stars this season include actor Colm Feore, director Atom Egoyan, Ugandan playwright George Seremba, and former Bush Administration speechwriter David Frum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Finkleman, Peter Keleghan, (more)
- 1997
A young father endures to learn that parenthood can be a rewarding venture despite the weight responsibilities that go hand-in-hand with the job in this heartfelt tale of fatherhood starring Brian Austin Green and featuring music by Mark Mothersbaugh. A typical teenage who divides his free time evenly between his band and chasing girls, Jason Kempler (Green) is shocked when a one night stand with Melanie (Nicholle Tom) suddenly leaves him an expectant father. Despite his desperate attempts to distance himself from both the mother of the child and the newborn baby itself, reality comes crashing down when Melanie leaves the child on his doorstep and disappears without a trace. Subsequently kicked out of his home by his father and stepmother in hopes that he will finally be willing to take responsibility for his actions, Jason soon discovers that he can't imagine a life without his baby. When Melanie re-appears demanding that Jason give up the child he has grown so close to, the prospect of losing his child deals a devastating blow to the now loving father. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
In his first film, The Suburbanators, Canadian director Gary Burns took sharp comic aim at the meaningless, numb lives of a group of Canadian suburban teens. This sophomore effort focus on the same social group, offering a fast and funny take on upper-middle-class gatherings, comparing a teen beer-bash to it's adult counterpart, the dinner party. Because his parents are attending the latter fete, Scott decides to host his own soiree. Unfortunately, his mother is super-uptight about having a pristine home, and so he calls it a kitchen party. Kids from all social groups show up, including Scott's sweet girlfriend Tammy. Meanwhile, his anti-social brother Steve hides out in the basement and listens to loud rock music. The adult party across town goes swimmingly until everyone gets pie-eyed and they become involved in a series of minor accidents outside the local liquor store. Things turn ugly when Scott's father off-handedly suggests that another father's son is a homosexual. Back at Scott's house, things take a similarly downward turn when Tammy goes off with the mysterious Steve. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Speedman, Laura Harris, (more)
- 1995
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The happiness and heartbreaks of first-time parenting are lavishly visualized in this TV adaptation of Danielle Steel's novel Mixed Blessings. The teleplay by Virginia L. Browne and Rebecca Soladay evenly divides its time among three newly married couples, each one seriously contemplating parenthood. Though Brad Coleman (James Naughton) has a touchy relationship with his grown daughter from a previous marriage, his younger bride Pilar (Bess Armstrong) wants to experience motherhood firsthand. The relationship between Andy and Diana Douglas (Bruce Greenwood, Gabrielle Carteris) is imperiled when Diana has trouble conceiving. And while Charlie Winwood (Scott Baio) wants a baby in his life, his spouse Beth (Alexandra Paul) is not so easily persuaded. Add to this mixture a heavy dollop of "outside" emotional baggage and a few picture-book happy endings, and you have a typical (and typically well-received) Danielle Steel soufflé. The film initially aired December 11, 1995, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabrielle Carteris, Scott Baio, (more)
