Rainbow Sun Francks Movies
Visual effects specialists Greg and Colin Strause both make their feature directorial debut with this no-holds-barred monster mash that attempts to set itself apart from the 2004 Paul W.S. Anderson original by serving as a straight-up sci-fi horror scarefest. The aliens (and a predator) have landed on planet Earth, and small-town America is about to become the scene of an epic interstellar showdown. As these two breeds of cosmic killers clash in the small-town streets Gunnison, CO, the locals are sent running for their lives. From the murky sewers to the rain-soaked streets, Gunnison has become a total bloodbath. Nowhere is safe, especially from the unstoppable new hybrid known as the "predalien." Now, as the once-quiet community of Gunnison is overrun by Aliens, the only hope for humankind is a fierce hunter from the deepest reaches of space. But this predator is far from a benevolent savior of the human race, because he'll kill any man, woman, or child who gets in the way of his mission to destroy every last alien under these stormy Colorado skies. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, (more)
In this Canadian film, overweight piano prodigy Junior Brown (Martin Villafana) searches for a piano because his goofy mother (Lynn Whitfield) severed the strings on the family piano. Since paranoid Miss Peebs (Margot Kidder), his piano teacher, won't let him finger her keyboard, he has to run scales on her dining room table. Fortunately, Junior has a friend -- troubled Buddy Clark (Rainbow Sun Francks) who lost his family in a fire when he was a young child. Buddy goes out with a teen runaway (Sarah Polley), and he helps eccentric school janitor Mr. Pool (Clark Johnson) construct a model of the solar system in the school basement. Junior's frustrations mount as his quest continues. Music includes Chopin's "Prelude No. 4". Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Villafana, Lynn Whitfield, (more)
An aspiring comic, Neville (Larenz Tate) is burdened by drug abuse and memories of childhood traumas. He and his older half brother Matthew (Martin Cummins), a boxer, are unable to escape from the painful repercussions of their past, which includes their mother serving a prison sentence for killing Neville's father. Things seem to look up for Neville when he becomes involved with a gifted singer (real-life R&B chanteuse Deborah Cox), but still he must struggle to surmount a family legacy that has resulted in so much anger and emotional ruin. Screened at the 2000 Vancouver International Film Festival, Love Come Down features renowned Canadian actress Sarah Polley in a role as an unconventional nun. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larenz Tate, Deborah Cox, (more)
In the two-part opener of Stargate Atlantis' first season, scientist Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) organizes a new Stargate team to journey through a newly discovered "time portal" and explore the lost city of Atlantis -- not on Earth, but somewhere in the Pegasus Gallery. Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and his cohorts Lt. Aiden Ford (Rainbow Sun Francks) and Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlitt) have volunteered for the mission despite the foreknowledge that they will not be able to return to Earth unless they locate the advanced technology left behind by the ancient alien race who built Atlantis in the far-distant past. As it turns out, the wondrous city is populated by a variety of beings who'd been lost in space, including a few Earthlings. And what happened to the original Atlantans? This question is answered during the Stargate team's stopover at a primitive planet populated by a vicious and voracious race known at the Wraith, who have gobbled down a number of space dwellers and undoubtedly intend to add the people of Earth on their list. Early attempts to experiment with the alien technology come a cropper, the Stargate ship is imperiled by a variety of unforeseen circumstances, and the crew persons are constantly under attack by strange and deadly alien life forms. On the plus side, they have picked up a valuable new crew member, a fiercely independent native of the Pegasus Galaxy named Teyla (Rachel Luttrell). As the season progresses, the Stargate team comes across a planet populated by a lemming-like race whose members commit suicide upon turning 25; an alien drug which may repel the Wraith has unexpected side effects; General George Hammond (Don S. Davis) from the original Stargate SG-1 makes a guest appearance in the story of a strange fog with stranger powers; investigating a crippled Wraith ship, the crew members meet their enemy face to face with surprising results; a visit to a world without technology may provide a safe harbor from the Wraith, but of negligible value if the means to return to Earth are never discovered; and upon recovering a woman held in suspended animation, the team is shocked to find that she is none other than their mission leader, Dr. Weir! The season's finale is the two-part cliffhanger "The Siege," wherein a military force from Earth arrives in Atlantis to help the team fend off a full-frontal assault by the Wraith -- but even these reinforcements may prove useless unless Dr. McKay can activate an orbital-weapons platform after thousands of centuries of disrepair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Flanigan, Torri Higginson, (more)
Season five of the science fiction series Stargate Atlantis kicks off with a boom as an off-world explosion leaves countless innocents in harm's way, and Carter spearheads a rescue mission to save the survivors. The season also includes such twists as awakened clones, scientists developing "digital" ascension, and debilitating illness with the ability to destroy the minds of the most powerful men. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Flanigan, David Hewlett, (more)
