John Dunsworth Movies
The television again proves to be too small to contain the big-time antics of Canadian cult favorites in this sequel to Trailer Park Boys: The Movie. That comedy left Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles facing two years of jail time, but they’re now free to roam as they please -- as long as the parole board approves. Prison didn't reform their desire to make money using less-than-legal methods, but the trailer park supervisor, Jim Lahey, is determined to keep the boys honest despite their best efforts. ~ Kimber Myers, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Paul Tremblay, Mike Smith, (more)
Booted from the hoosegow just days before the eagerly anticipated guards-versus-inmates ball hockey championship, Ricky (Rob Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay), and Bubbles (Mike Smith) hatch a plan to pull off the biggest heist of their criminal careers as Sunnyvale Trailer Park's most incompetent criminals make their way to the big screen. Christened "The Big Dirty," the trio's ambitious plan to steal large quantities of untraceable change soon hits a hitch when sidetracked Ricky prepares to make the ultimate commitment to longtime girlfriend Lucy and Julian crosses her new boss with disastrous results. It seems that in addition to having her bust size upgraded while the trio was incarcerated, Lucy also landed a job working at the nearby gentleman's club. When Julian goes to the club and falls for shapely dancer Wanda, temperamental proprietor Sonny quickly loses his cool. With the day of the Big Dirty fast approaching, the boys do their best to train hair-brained criminal assistants Cory and Trevor in the fine art of the heist. Of course, anyone who knows the Trailer Park Boys knows well that even their most foolproof plans have a way of springing a leak, and somewhere between the helicopter chase, the shoot-out, and the booze-soaked game of Sunnyvale Chicken waged against trailer park supervisor Mr. Lahey and his cheeseburger-chomping assistant, Randy, everything seems to just fall apart. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay, (more)
- 2004
- R
- Add The Riverman to Queue
Some observers have described the made-for-cable The Riverman as a real-life Silence of the Lambs. Based on the book cowritten by Robert Keppel, formerly chief criminal investigator for the attorney general of Washington state, the film recounts Keppel's efforts to track down serial killer Gary Ridgeway, aka the Green River Killer. With 10 unsolved murders weighing on his mind, Keppel (played by Bruce Greenwood) agrees to a plan whereby an imprisoned mass murderer with a similar M.O. will be brought into the investigation in hopes of second-guessing the killer at large. Thus, Keppel travels to Florida, there to inaugurate a series of chilling interviews with the infamous Ted Bundy (Cary Elwes). Inasmuch as Bundy hopes that by helping track down the Green River Killer he himself will be able to escape the death penalty, Keppel finds himself between the proverbial rock and hard place: How can he secure Bundy's cooperation without making promises he cannot possibly keep? The Riverman was first telecast by the A&E network on September 6, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Greenwood
This sentimental made-for-TV drama was based on the bestselling novel by Donna VanLiere, which in turn was inspired by the popular song of the same name. Rob Lowe stars as Robert Layton, a workaholic attorney who sorely neglects his family, even during the Christmas season. Clearly, Layton is overdue for a "humanizing" treatment, which comes in the form of a little boy named Nathan Andrews (Max Morrow). Learning that his mother, Maggie (Kimberly Williams), is dying from congenital heart failure, and unable to financially rely upon his underemployed father, Jack (Hugh Thompson), Nathan goes about collecting tin cans and other throwaways so that he can afford an expensive pair of red shoes for his ailing mom. Nathan's plight not only touches Layton, but also has a heartwarming trickle-down effect on the lawyer's estranged family. The Christmas Shoes debuted December 1, 2002, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams, (more)
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by E. Annie Proulx becomes this drama from director Lasse Hallström. Kevin Spacey stars as Quoyle, a struggling, emotionally drained newspaper reporter suffering through a wretched marriage with the abusive Petal (Cate Blanchett), a promiscuous wild woman who tries to sell their daughter, Bunny, into adoption before she's killed in a car wreck. Retrieving his daughter, Quoyle sets out for Newfoundland, his ancestral home, with his long-lost Aunt Agnis (Judi Dench). Although he initially finds life on the island to be as forbidding and severe as Agnis herself, Quoyle gets work as a shipping columnist for the local newspaper "The Gammy Bird," owned by eccentric fisherman Jack Buggit (Scott Glenn). Quoyle's work soon finds an appreciative audience and he begins to rebuild his life, dating local single mother Wavey (Julianne Moore), learning some sea craft, discovering his family's dark history, and finally earning some self-respect. Agnis, in the meantime, starts her own successful business and faces a traumatic incident from her childhood involving Quoyle's late father. The Shipping News (2001) co-stars Rhys Ifans and Pete Postlethwaite. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, (more)
