Serge Houde Movies

One couple's dream turns into the worst nightmare imaginable when their unborn child is declared dead in utero, and the devastated mother insists on carrying the stillborn baby to term. Madeline Matheson (Jordan Ladd) is eight months pregnant. She's determined to have a healthy child, and as such, she's adapted a pure-body lifestyle and decided to have a natural childbirth. Though her outspoken mother-in-law is adamant that Madeline receive standard hospital care during the delivery, the expectant mother has instead opted for the caring companionship of an experienced midwife. When the unborn baby is fatally injured during a sudden and tragic accident, Madeline remains determined to carry her stillborn daughter to term. Later, when the child is delivered, Madeline miraculously wills the tiny corpse to life. In the aftermath of the devastating experience, Madeline grows increasingly isolated from her family and friends, gradually realizing that something is terribly wrong with little baby Grace. Now, if Madeline hopes to keep Grace alive, she will be forced to make a series of dreadful sacrifices. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A severely beaten teenager, trapped in a walking purgatory between life and death, must help authorities to the location of his broken body before it's too late in this remake of the 2002 Swedish thriller Den Osynlige. Graduating senior Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin) has plans to attend a prestigious writing workshop in London, despite the protests of his widowed mother (Marcia Gay Harden). In the days before his departure, he gets into a cafeteria brawl with a delinquent classmate, Annie Newton (Margarita Levieva), while defending his friend from her extortion attempts. Annie and her crew track Nick down on the night he's planning to leave, mistakenly thinking he ratted her out to the police regarding a smash-and-grab burglary committed the night before. When the subsequent beating goes too far, the assailants dump the body in the woods in a panicked attempt to dispose of it. Only, Nick isn't dead -- he's walking invisible among his classmates, friends, and family, desperately trying to alert them that he's still alive. Robbed of the traditional forms of communication, Nick must figure out supernatural methods of manipulating his environment -- and he soon realizes the very girl who attacked him may be the only one who has the power to save him. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

Honor student Ian Randall (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) has the ability to clone himself into any human shape. Ian hopes to use this gift to date both Chloe (Allison Mack) and Lana (Kristin Kreuk) without either girl suspecting that they're sharing the same boyfriend. And on a more sinister note, Ian changes his outer shape in order to kill a teacher who threatens to give him a failing grade. Rest assured that the chameleon-like Ian will have a run-in with Clark Kent (Tom Welling) before the episode's conclusion. Emmanuelle Vaugier makes her first series appearance as Dr. Helen Bryce, anger-management consultant for the hotheaded Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eddie Murphy gets way, way out in this futuristic sci-fi comedy. In the year 2087, the Earth's natural resources have been largely depleted, and an increasingly large number of people have taken up residence on the moon, where the pioneering attitude of the new residents has created a culture not unlike the old west. Pluto Nash (Eddie Murphy) is one such lunar exile who formerly made his living outside the law, but has since gone straight and now runs the hippest nightclub in the moon colony known as "Little America." Pluto is approached by Mogan (Joe Pantoliano), a gangster who wants to buy the nightclub; Pluto has no interest in selling, but it seems Mogan isn't about to take no for an answer. Pluto also discovers Mogan is in cahoots with Max Crater, a crime boss whose goal is to take over the entire moon. The Adventures Of Pluto Nash also features Randy Quaid as Pluto's robot bodyguard, Rosario Dawson as a naive singer who has just arrived on the moon, Peter Boyle as Rowland the pool hustler, Jay Mohr as old-school lounge singer Tony Francis, Illeana Douglas as a cloning technician, and Pam Grier as Pluto's mother. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A quaint small town that hasn't paid taxes since World War II draws the attention of an ambitious tax inspector in this comedy starring Billy Zane and Patrick Bergin. Putterton possesses all the charm of your typical small town without any of the irritations of modern city living: The crime rate is low, the cost of living is minimal, and everyone knows their neighbors by name. Everyone in Putterton is proud that their little corner of the world has retained its old world ambiance, but when beautiful tax inspector Caroline Deville comes to town the atmosphere quickly turns tense. No one in Putterton has paid a penny in taxes since 1945, and despite his best efforts there's nothing that George Putter (Zane) can do to bury this dirty little secret. Just as Deville begins auditing at will and the town teeters on the verge of bankruptcy, however, help arrives in the form of Consumer City President Vernon Fry (Bergion). Consumer City is a giant discount chain with stores all across the country, and Fry is willing to rescue Putterton from financial ruin if the residents will just allow him to open a store in their quiet little burg. The only problem with this solution is that the presence of a garish Consumer City store in town would most certainly detract from the old fashioned atmosphere that that has come to define Putterton. While George and Caroline may have their fair share of differences, the one thing they can both agree on is that Putterton shouldn't bow to Fry and his corporate Goliath. Perhaps if they could just find a way to work together, these two unlikely allies can ensure that Putterton doesn't become yet another indistinctive stretch of strip malls and fast food joints. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This Canadian-Czech co-production is a coming-of-age drama shot in the Montreal area. The central figure is 13-year-old Maddie Morrison, who has to deal with the taunts of her older brother while responding to her mother's requests that she care for both her younger brother and her elderly grandmother. As the summer progresses, Maddie leaves childhood behind during a succession of events -- a dance, a wedding, a dance, a near-drowning, and a classmate's funeral. Maddie isn't happy that her older sister is off to college, but then she realizes her departure provides her with a room of her own. That changes when her somewhat unconventional Aunt Ruth (Dorothee Berryman) arrives on the scene unexpectedly, and the two share life experiences. Shown at the 1997 Mill Valley Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

The illicit love-lives of high-ranking judicial figures and the government who will do anything to uphold their stalwart images provide the basis of this French Canadian thriller. The trouble begins when high-priced hooker Gabrielle Angers is raided by the police while she and an appellate court judge are engaging in a little S&M. Both are arrested and one of the judge's colleagues is assigned to try the case. He is the ultra straight-arrow magistrate Jacques Savard. Savard is not pleased with the assignment, and when Angers hands him a damning blacklist containing the names of other prominent clients, he becomes even more upset. Those upon the list begin pressuring him to keep it under wraps. Angers and her lawyer also have a few mighty interesting video tapes of she and her powerful clientele engaging in explicit carnal encounters. She and the lawyer were planning to use the tapes to extort them. Unfortunately things go horribly awry and the lawyer is found brutally murdered. Obviously one of those upon the list is responsible for trying to undermine the case and is slowly murdering all those involved, but which man is it? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This weird and funny Canadian film has all the makings of a cult classic as it takes sharp stabs at C&W music, fundamentalist Christians, tabloid television, and our culture of victims. The queen victim in this film is Wynona-Sue Turnpike, an aspiring country singer. She finds obstacles for success in her cruelly abusive mother, and from a steady stream of cheatin' men whom she periodically shoots on live TV. Her interracial child was also recently kidnapped by the KKK. Small wonder that Wynona is always whining. At least her experiences provide her with a wealth of country song ideas. She is not any happier after she marries her dream-boat, Crawfish, a talk show host. Her only real friends are her "beautiful little cigarettes." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This direct-to-video item puts an interesting sci-fi/horror spin on the "erotic thriller" genre. Richard Grieco plays Tom, a man suffering from a rare DNA disorder, who becomes the subject of a bizarre experiment by repressed geneticist Jacki ($Maryam D'Abo). Injected with a serum containing the genetic traits of a cat, Tom is restored to health and transformed into a sinewy hunk with superhuman agility and a decidedly feline demeanor -- complete with a savage, murderous sex drive. Though this added trait makes him doubly attractive to his doctor, it also compels him to destroy every woman with whom he mates. Though the majority of the film's tension is of the sexual kind (and quite steamy at that), the more horrific plot elements are well-driven by Grieco's manic intensity -- until the disappointing climax, which shows the earmarks of a writer in over his head. Also known as Dangerous Desires. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In a post-apocalyptic world prone to a dangerous virus, roving motorcycle gangs replenish their draining blood supplies by abducting helpless females. A would-be victim (Melanie Kilgour) decides to fight back with her friend (William Smith) and two hippie-rebels (Andrew MacGregor and Joe Maffei). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV apocalyptic horror saga, the deceptively adorable daughter of late devil-boy Damian is adopted by a kindly couple who have no idea who she is. The husband is a politician and the daughter decides that the best way for her to spread evil around is to boost his career at every opportunity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide