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Nadia Litz
- 2006
A pair of pot-smoking Toronto bohemians whose dealer has just been busted are shaken from their stoned complacency by a mysterious young radical in director Reginald Harkema's contemporary urban comedy. Dan (Don McKellar) and Linda (Tracy Wright) spend their days scavenging the local garbage dumps and garage sales for undervalued curiosities, and the nights smoking weed and gazing at the stars. When their usually-reliable dealer is suddenly, and unwillingly forced out of business by the authorities, the pair's momentary panic is soon placated by the arrival Susan (Nadia Litz), an enigmatic drifter with some especially potent British Columbia bud. It's not long before Susan becomes a familiar fixture around Don and Linda's home, and as the relationship dynamics between the three gradually evolves into something of a parent/child type of bond, the trio soon discovers that there are many secrets to be discovered. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don McKellar, Tracy Wright, (more)
Gail Harvey's Some Things That Stay stars Katie Boland as a teenager whose adolescence is complicated by her bohemian family and their resistance to the cultural mores of Eisenhower-era America. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katie Boland, Stuart Wilson, (more)
Written and directed by Aaron Woodley, Rhinoceros Eyes follows Chep (Michael Pitt), a reclusive prop-factory employee who quite literally lives at his job. Considering that Chep only leaves the funhouse-like factory to watch romantic films at the local movie house and is able to locate even the most obscure of objects from the depths of the prop house, he is regarded among peers as a valuable, if eccentric, asset to the staff. Eventually, Chep develops an infatuation with Fran (Paige Turco), a movie production designer with an uncanny eye for detail and authenticity. As her visits become more frequent, her requests become more bizarre -- including a pair of rhinoceros eyes, an antique Irish wooden prosthetic arm, and a severed index finger -- Chep becomes increasingly determined to procure them for her, and resorts to drastic, oftentimes violent measures. Though the police become involved, Chep's grip on reality continues to deteriorate, and visions of an alter ego constructed of prop-house junk begin to take over his life. The film also features Matt Servitto, Jim Allodi, Victor Ertmanis, and Nadia Litz. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Pitt, Paige Turco, (more)
In the tradition of Arthur Miller's McCarthy-era play The Crucible, this two-part TV dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials was heavily influenced by the present-day political scene. Rev. Parris (Henry Czerny), spiritual leader of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, needs a unifying issue to end the intramural squabbling between the town's Puritans. When the daughters of Ann and Thomas Putnam (Kirstie Alley and Jay O. Sanders) begin behaving in a bizarre, disruptive fashion, Parris knows that he has found something that can be transformed into a target of unilateral hatred for his flock. Before long, the Putnam girls and the family's servant Titubea (Gloria Reuben) have been labeled as witches, and eventually the hysteria spreads throughout the town, with anyone who doesn't agree with the status quo running the risk of public ostracism, and ultimately, execution for witchcraft (the eventual fate of 20 unfortunates). The climax is devoted to the notorious witch trials, staged at the behest of the Massachusetts colony's politically ambitious deputy governor (Peter Ustinov). Shirley MacLaine makes a rare TV appearance as the ill-fated Rebecca Nurse. Salem Witch Trials was presented by CBS on March 2 and 4, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirstie Alley, Shirley MacLaine, (more)
The made-for-cable drama After the Harvest was based on Martha Ostenso's 1927 novel Wild Geese, and was first broadcast in Canada under that title on March 4, 2001. Sam Shepard heads the cast as ill-tempered Canadian farmer Caleb Gare, who tyrannically treats his family like slaves, forcing them to work sunup to sundown and live in dire poverty so he can selfishly fulfill his dream to grab up all the land surrounding his farm. The only person who might have been able to stand up to Caleb was his long-suffering wife Jude (Nadia Litz), who has long since been cowed into quiet desperation lest her children bear the brunt of her husband's cruelty. But the reign of Caleb Gare is soon to end ignominiously -- that is, if Linda Archer (Liane Balaban), the attractive new schoolteacher in town, has anything to say about it. In the U.S., After the Harvest was first seen May 29, 2001, on the Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Shepard, Nadia Litz, (more)
Five characters serve as metaphors for the five senses in this drama about human relationships from Canadian filmmaker Jeremy Podeswa. Ruth (Gabrielle Rose) works as a massage therapist; one day while giving a rubdown to Anna (Molly Parker), Ruth's teenage daughter Rachel (Nadia Litz) takes Anna's toddler daughter for a stroll in the park. However, Rachel loses track of the child and she's soon lost. While searching for her, Rachel meets Rupert (Brendan Fletcher), a voyeur who teaches her about the pleasures of observing others. Meanwhile, Robert (Daniel MacIvor) is a professional house cleaner with an unusually keen sense of smell. Convinced he can smell love, he starts to set up meetings with all of his former lovers to see if he can sniff out any feelings for him -- and, if not, find out why they stopped caring for him. Robert's friend Rona (Mary-Louise Parker) works as a baker but has no sense of taste, a severe occupational hazard. She also has romantic problems, thanks to the arrival of Roberto (Marco Leonardi), a man she met on a recent vacation in Italy. Finally, Richard (Philippe Volter) is an eye doctor who is losing his hearing. While this situation has left him horribly depressed, he meets a woman who helps him feel better about life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary-Louise Parker, Philippe Volter, (more)
