Richard Jutras Movies

Old World values collide with modern-day questions of sexual orientation in this ethnic comedy. Mambo Italiano tells the story of Angelo, a neurotic twentysomething preoccupied with the usual post-adolescent concerns: his job, his creative aspirations as a writer, and his longing to get out of his parents' house. He finally decides to take the plunge on his last goal, a decision that makes parents Gino (Paul Sorvino) and Maria (Ginette Reno) none too happy; they're not about to let one of their offspring leave the house without getting married. What they don't know is that Angelo is gay, a secret he's been keeping from everyone but his understanding older sister Anna (Claudia Ferri). A greater shock yet to the family is that Angelo is moving in with longtime crush Nino (Peter Miller), a local policeman whose sexuality is at odds with his macho profession. As the two lovebirds struggle to make sense of their relationship, both of their families chime in with opinions both helpful and not-so-helpful as they struggle to come to terms with their sons' new lives. Shot and set in Montreal, Mambo Italiano premiered stateside at the 2003 New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

A woman must battle villains she cannot see in this thriller. Carly (Helen Slater) is a woman who has lost her sight in an accident. Still adjusting to her new circumstances, Carly is having a hard time handling things on her own and has come to depend on her boyfriend for help as she re-learns her daily routine. But when her boyfriend is called away, Carly must fend for herself for a few days, and as she struggles to find her way around the house, she finds that she's not alone -- a pair of thugs have broken into her home, and as they hold Carly captive, she must find a way to protect herself and stave off the intruders. Nowhere In Sight also stars Andrew McCarthy, Christopher Heyerdahl, Mark Camacho, and Richard Jutras. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

An ailing criminal and his excitement-starved nurse decide to knock over a bank for fun and profit in this comic suspense story. Legendary bank robber Henry Manning (Paul Newman) pushes his luck too far and ends up in prison, where he suffers a massive stroke. He is transferred to a nursing home, in the care of Carol Ann McKay (Linda Fiorentino), a high school prom queen who married her boyfriend Wayne (Dermot Mulroney), the star of her school's football team, and whose glamour days are well behind her. After a few of her personal effects mysteriously disappear, Carol Ann starts to suspect that Henry isn't as sick as he seems, and she and Wayne are soon working with Henry to plan his last and greatest score. The title comes from the remark attributed to the outlaw Willie Sutton, who when asked why he robbed banks, replied, "Because that's where the money is." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Conner MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) returns in this, the third film in the Highlander series. MacLeod is an "Immortal," a 16th century Scottish soldier who has been both blessed and cursed with the gift of eternal life. After the death of his beloved wife (a common occurrence for him, but one he's never gotten used to), MacLeod travels to Japan during the feudal era where he encounters a fellow immortal, the wizard and swordsman Nakano (Mako). Nakano and MacLeod become friends, and the Scott learns many valuable lessons from the wise magician; however, when Nakamo's arch enemy Kane (Mario Van Peebles) -- an immortal who has pledged himself to evil -- finds the sorcerer's hideaway, he promptly chops off the magician's head. The attack causes Nakamo's cave to collapse with Kane trapped inside, and McLeod narrowly escapes. Moving into the 20th century, MacLeod is in New York City where he's become romantically involved with Alex Johnson (Deborah Unger), an archeologist who is planning a dig in Japan; however, the site she's excavating just so happens to be the cave where Kane remains trapped inside. Once the villain is freed, he sets out to find MacLeod and determine once and for all who is to be the final immortal. Highlander: The Final Dimension was trimmed of two sex scenes for its American theatrical release, though they were restored when the film was brought out on home video. Despite the suggestion of the title "The Final Dimension," a fourth Highlander film was released in 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This is the third in the Scanners series of films, where people have acquired telepathic powers (due to drugs taken by their mothers during pregnancy). This time a brother combats his adopted sister in a telepathic show-down when the sister takes an experimental drug that turns her toward evil. She schemes a plan to take over the world using her psychic powers and must be stopped. ~ All Movie Guide

While on the routines of his job, a Montreal policeman (Michael Ironside) is tormented by flashbacks and hallucinations. He eventually traces the bizarre behavior to the LSD experiments of a CIA scientist (Christopher Plummer). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

This entry in the series of Canadian direct-to-video actioners, follows the further adventures of renegade cop/Vietnam war hero Jack Kelly (Lorenzo Lamas). This time he is placed in an asylum after breaking down and slaughtering four drug lords who were cutting their cocaine with rat poison. More violence ensues after he escapes and continues his crime-fighting spree. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide