Michael Dowse Movies
- 2008
A certified loser sets out to prove that he's "a real somebody" by procuring the three items that his childhood hero claims every winner has in this morbid comedy from writer/director Simon R. Ennis. Hard as he may try, Robert R. Mutt (Joshua Pearce) can never catch an even break; after failing to take his own life, he's kicked out of Riverside Mental Hospital for being too happy. Desperate to live up to his potential and prove that he's not a loser, Robert seeks out the advice of former local baseball superstar Clinton Manitoba (Michael Madsen). According to Clinton, there are three things a man needs to be whole: a woman, a nice wad of cash, and a championship ring. In no time, Robert has gotten mixed up in the drug racket, hooked-up with a roller-skating transvestite, and entered into an air hockey tournament. It may not be the most conventional path to success, but perhaps if Robert can stay true to his goal he can finally prove that he isn't the biggest nitwit in town. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joshua Peace, Michael Madsen, (more)
- 2008
Topher Grace and Anna Faris star in It's All Gone Pete Tong screenwriter/director Michael Dowse's coming of age comedy drama concerning a rowdy group of recent college graduates who venture out for one last night of fun before accepting the responsibilities of adulthood. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Faris, Dan Fogler, (more)
The rise, fall, and rebirth of a turntable master sets the stage for this comedy drama with elements of mockumentary. Frankie Wilde (Paul Kaye) is one of the world's leading dance music DJs; his sets in Ibiza are the stuff of legend, he commands a premium fee to spin in clubs around the world, he's in demand for his remixing skills, and he's launched a promising career as a recording artist. Frankie has a mansion, a beautiful wife, and a stepson, but there are a few other things that he also has -- a dangerous appetite for liquor and drugs, and a hearing problem that's getting worse. When Frankie's hearing begins to interfere with his work, his life and career go into a tailspin -- he becomes a sloppy, chemically imbalanced wreck, and his wife leaves him once the money begins to run out. Frankie is near the bottom of the barrel when he meets Penelope (Beatriz Batarda), a beautiful but hard-shelled woman who can stand up to Frankie's wild side while teaching him how to read lips and start life over again. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Kaye, Beatriz Batarda, (more)
Two young men ponder life, death, cheap beer, and the guitar stylings of Angus Young in this mock-documentary-comedy. Dean (Paul Spence) and Terry (Dave Lawrence) are a pair of Canadian metalheads who have devoted their lives to the manly arts of drinking beer, appreciating the finer points of heavy metal, and breaking stuff. Filmmaker Farrell (Gordon Skilling) has been trailing the pair with a camera crew in order to produce a documentary on their lives, and while initially there isn't much about Dean and Terry's existence that seems at all interesting, it looks like he may have hit pay dirt when Dean discovers he has cancer, and a possible tragic death looms on the horizon. FUBAR was the first feature film from writer and director Michael Dowse; the film was screened in competition at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Dubbed as a Canadian counterpart to American Beauty (1999), this film satirizes suburban banality. Graham Greene plays a white-bread father who slowly descends into an emotional morass when he gets sacked from his job. Meanwhile, a timid health food restaurateur toys with adding meat to the menu and tries to dump her boyfriend. Bad Money was screened at the 1999 Vancouver Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Graham Greene, Karen Sillas, (more)
