Nancy Sivak Movies
Ryan (Matt Fentiman) and Grant (Mark Hildreth) are the perfect gay couple. Completely devoted to each other and ready to make the commitment of a lifetime, all signs point to a long and loving relationship for eager grooms. When the guests begin to arrive for their intimate backyard ceremony, however, everything begins to tear at the seams as the baggage of their family and friends becomes too much to bear. From betrayal to overbearing parents to bitter resentment and a mysterious guest who seems to have an eye for one of the grooms, it will take a lot more than luck for Ryan and Grant's big weekend to go off without a hitch. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Fentiman, Mark Hildreth, (more)
Independent Canadian filmmaker Carl Bessai directs Emile, the final entry in his identity trilogy that started with Johnny and Lola. Ian McKellen plays Emile, a retired university professor who travels from England to his hometown in Canada in order to accept an educational honor. Visiting the family farm in Saskatchewan, he recalls his childhood relationships with brothers Freddy (Tygh Runyan) and Carl (Chris William Martin). He stays with his grown-up niece, Nadia (Deborah Kara Unger), who still hasn't forgiven him for his misdeeds of the past. Trying to make up for abandoning her, Emile develops an emotional bond with her daughter, Maria (Theo Crane). Emile premiered at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian McKellen, Deborah Kara Unger, (more)
- 2001
Max (Jessica Alba) is assigned to act as bodyguard for a federal witness in a government corruption trial. The job becomes doubly difficult when Max learns that the man whose life is in her hands is Bruno Anselmo (Douglas O'Keefe) -- the same man who put Logan (Michael Weatherly) in a wheelchair. Complicating matters is the omnipresence of the Red Series, an elite South African group who need Max's technology to make themselves completely and utterly invulnerable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
- R
Canadian indie auteur Bruce Sweeney spins this wry look at the relationship of three Vancouver couples. After dating for a mere six months, Noah (Benjamin Ratner) and Zipporah (Frida Betrani) shock family and friends by announcing that they are getting married. No one is particularly thrilled about the impending nuptials and soon Noah starts to figure out why. Noah, a waterproofing expert, is maddened first by Zipporah's condo's leaking roof and then by his wife, who has illusions of fame and fortune as a country singer but has precious little talent. Noah's buddies Peter (Tom Scholte) and Shane (Vincent Gale) -- both of whom gave halfhearted congratulations at the wedding -- have romantic issues of their own. Shane grows increasing jealous when his girlfriend and fellow architect (Molly Parker) gets a big career break while he languishes behind. Meanwhile, Peter, a literature professor, cheats on his wife, Leslie (Nancy Sivak), with a shapely student (Marya Delver), who offers him favors while he discusses the work of Margaret Laurence. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Ratner, Frida Betrani, (more)
- 2000
A social worker's struggle with a difficult case provides the centerpiece of this Canadian drama. Jane (Nancy Sivak) is bogged down from her work with a drug-addicted mother (Jillian Fargey), the woman's abusive husband (William MacDonald), and the couple's two children. Neither the woman nor her husband want their children put into foster care, and eventually Jane has to call in the police to handle the situation. Her work with the couple is contrasted with Jane's personal life, glimpsed through a long tête-à-tête with her lover (Hiro Kanagawa). ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nancy Sivak, Jillian Fargey, (more)
- 2000
An ensemble piece that revolves around a group of thirty-something Vancouverites just beginning to confront adulthood, No More Monkeys Jumpin' on the Bed takes its name, appropriately enough, from a children's bedtime story. It's the kind of story that Claire (Nancy Sivak, a children's librarian, reads to her young patrons; when she's not working, Claire deals with the fact that she is growing apart from her live-in boyfriend Lyle (Cam Cronin). As his girlfriend becomes more receptive to the attentions of a male friend, Lyle expresses his frustrations at his unfulfilling job in a copy shop. Meanwhile, alcoholic Susan (Sophie Yendole), another troubled young professional, sells her furniture to pay for booze. Premiering at the 2000 Vancouver International Film Festival, No More Monkeys Jumpin' on the Bed won the festival's Best Western Canadian Director prize for first-time helmer Ross Weber. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Scholte, Nancy Sivak, (more)
- 1998
Much of the action in this Canadian psychological comedy-drama takes place at the Vancouver residence of middle-aged drug dealer Angie (Babz Chula), where near-bankrupt Nancy (Nancy Sivak) lives in the basement, while Angie's son Ethan (Vincent Gale) and her mother Abbie (Abby J. Arnold) look for life beyond their loneliness. Exploring the sexual fixations of various Vancouver residents, director Bruce Sweeney was reportedly influenced by a 1991 master class with British director Mike Leigh (Career Girls). Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Scholte, Babs Chula, (more)
