Eddie Spears Movies
A teenager at a personal crossroads finds himself questioning the things that have given his life meaning in this independent coming-of-age drama. Roy Chutney (Ryan Gosling) is a high school senior in a small Montana town. Roy doesn't have an especially close relationship with his mother Evangelline (Kelly Lynch), and he hasn't seen his father in years. That doesn't prevent Roy from feeling emotionally devastated when he learns that his father has killed himself, and Roy's self-esteem takes a beating when he's cut from the high school football team shortly afterward. Roy wiles away his time swilling beer with his best friend, Tracy Two Dogs (Eddie Spears), and falling into a romance with Skyla (Clea Duvall), a barmaid at a local tavern, but it seems Roy's short time on the high school gridiron impressed Gideon Ferguson (David Morse), a local character who coaches a semi-pro six-man football team when he isn't delivering newspapers or trying to score a gig singing country songs at nearby honky-tonks. Gid thinks Roy has potential, and asks him to join his team; encouraged by Gid's belief in him, Roy agrees, and he persuades Tracy to tag along. While playing hardscrabble six-man football helps restore Roy's self-confidence, he finds it doesn't answer his questions about his future or his relationship with Skyla, and when Gid's overwhelming interest in Roy begins to lend credence to the rumors that Gid is gay, Roy starts to wonder just why he was asked to join the team. Jay Farrar, founder of the acclaimed alternative country bands Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, composed the film's musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, David Morse, (more)
Native American filmmaker Chris Eyre directs the made-for-TV sports drama Edge of America, based on a true story and shot entirely in Salt Lake City, UT. James McDaniel plays Mr. Kenny Williams, a black man from Texas who moves out to Utah to accept a position as an English teacher at the Three Nations Reservation. He has a difficult time fitting in with the tight-knit Native American community, especially when he's asked to coach the high school girls' basketball team. He has to struggle with getting the hapless team back in shape to play against the nearby all-white high school. Also starring Irene Bedard, Tim Daly, and Wes Studi. Edge of America premiered in the U.S. at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James McDaniel, Irene Bedard, (more)
The Hallmark Hall of Fame production Dreamkeeper is a four-hour television miniseries. Teenager Shane Chasing Horse (Eddie Spears) is a member of the Dog Soldiers gang on the Pine Ridge Reservation. His mom (Sheila Tousey) asks him to take his grandpa Old Pete Chasing Horse (August Schellenberg) to the All Nations Storytelling Powwow in Santa Fe, NM. Shane owes money to some gangsters, so he agrees in order to get out of town. As they drive across South Dakota in a beat-up old Ford, Grandpa tells stories about magical Lakota legends. The stories are re-enacted with the help of computer-generated images. Dreamkeeper was broadcast on ABC in 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Spears, August Schellenberg, (more)
Actor Rick Schroder makes his directorial debut with this inspiring drama set in the American Southwest. Black Cloud (Eddie Spears) is a young Native American who grew up in a violent household and is still struggling to come to terms with his family and his heritage. Black Cloud's life has forced him to be quick with his fists, and Bud (Russell Means), a longtime friend and mentor, has been coaching Black Cloud in boxing with the young man showing great promise in a Navajo Golden Gloves competition. Norm (Peter Greene), a scout for the United States Olympic boxing team, sees Black Cloud in the ring and is certain he has the potential to be a champion, but Black Cloud isn't certain if he wants to fight for anything besides his people. Meanwhile, Black Cloud has fallen in love with Sammi (Julia Jones), a pretty young Native American woman, but she has a child from a previous relationship with Eddie Young (Rick Schroder), a hot-tempered rodeo rider. When an argument between Eddie and Black Cloud escalates into a fistfight, Black Cloud viciously beats him, and soon Sheriff Powers (Tim McGraw) is on the lookout for the young man. Black Cloud also features Wayne Knight, Tim Sampson, and "Pooch" Marion Hall. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Spears, Julia Jones, (more)
