Fred Ewanuick Movies
- 2006
A small town waitress sees her dreams of becoming a successful musician go up in flames due to a sudden eruption of unforeseeable violence. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonya Salomaa
A hotshot thirtysomething record executive tries to win over the girl who once liked him only "as a friend" in this slapstick comedy. In high school, Chris Brander (Ryan Reynolds) was an overweight, maladroit teen who spent every waking moment with his co-ed pal Jamie Palamino (Amy Smart). On the verge of graduation, Chris is humiliated when his yearbook confession to Jamie -- that he wants to be more than "just friends" -- is read aloud. Jamie is flattered, but rebuffs his advances, and Chris spends the next decade transforming himself into a buff, callous ladies' man. Assigned by his boss to sign his pop star ex-girlfriend Samantha James (Anna Faris), Chris finds himself stranded in New Jersey for the holidays, where he promptly sets out to find Jamie. But winning back the love of his life proves difficult, as Chris not only has to get back in touch with the sensitive teen he once was, but also fend off competition from another former geek, the guitar-playing Dusty (Chris Klein). ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, (more)
Impulsively posting a few photos of herself on the Internet, aspiring teenage model Mia Sampson (Sarah Lind) is thrilled and flattered when she is invited to sign with an on-line modeling agency. The fact that she is asked to pose in a sexually provocative fashion does not dampen Mia's enthusiasm--until she realizes to her horror that her "boss" is a pornographer who specializes in shipping soft-core photos of underage girls to a members-only website. Outraged that the cyberspace laws are loose enough to allow this activity, Mia's mom Abby (Mimi Rogers) takes swift and terrifying action to save her daughter from any further humiliation and exploitation. Filmed in 2004 for Canadian television, Selling Innocence was first broadcast in the US by cable's Lifetime channel on June 1, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mimi Rogers, J.R. Bourne, (more)
The Sunshine State receives a cruel blast of cold when the temperature plunges and the planet Earth enters into another ice age in a frostbitten disaster thriller starring Jeff Fahey and Erika Eleniak. David Koch (Fahey) is a top climatologist at INTER SCI, and his most recent discovery is most disturbing. Soon after discovering that the shift in polarity that triggered the previous ice age happened in only one day, Koch singles out frightening evidence that it's about to happen all over again. Now, as the cold winds begin to blow and the mercury rapidly plummets towards -459.67º F, David and a small band of determined survivors including his one-time love Bryn (Elaniak) must race to a special, temperature-controlled chamber at INTER SCI if they have any hope of ensuring that the human race is still around for the next big thaw. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Susan Seidelman directed this made-for-cable comedy drama about a few days in the lives of a group of "working girls" in Reno, NV. "The Ranch" is a legally operated brothel that operates under the careful watch of state health inspectors (who insist on weekly medical checkups) and the semi-benevolent leadership of Mary (Amy Madigan), the manager. While the women on staff don't have to dodge the law like their comrades elsewhere, that doesn't mean they don't have their problems, as moms juggle parenthood with the world's oldest profession, some of the prostitutes struggle to keep their work a secret from their boyfriends, and others try to escape the mistakes of the past that brought them to Nevada. Originally created as a pilot for a possible cable series, The Ranch was released in R-rated and "uncut" editions; the supporting cast includes Samantha Ferris, Jessica Collins, Paige Moss, and Nicki Micheaux. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Madigan, Nicki Micheaux, (more)
- 2004
One of the most popular comedy series in Canadian TV history, Corner Gas largely took place in a gas-station-convenience store located in the tiny Saskatchewan town of Dog River, halfway between Saskatoon and Regina--or, as the locals put it "40 Km. from Nowhere and Way Beyond Normal." In charge of the station was Brent LeRoy (Brent Butt), a comic-book freak who'd taken over the operation from his slightly cracked father Oscar (Eric Peterson). Brent's assistant was the incongruously well-educated Wanda Dollard (Nancy Robertson), a single mom whose never-seen baby son Tanner was one of the series' multitude of running gags. Managing the station's coffee shop was Lacey Burrows (Gabrielle Miller) a displaced intellectual, while hanging around the place for the express purpose of getting in everyone's way was Brent's best friend, caffeine-addled Hank Yarbo (Fred Ewanuick). The rest of Dog River seemed to be populated exclusively by the sort of wacky, self-absorbed eccentrics that one might find on Northern Exposure and similar cult-favorite series: Brent's (implicitly) heavy-drinking mom Emma (Janet Wright), trouble-prone local constables Davis (Lorne Cardinal) and Karen (Tara Spencer-Nairn), and so on down the line. The deceptively simple-minded dialogue, which always seemed to be improvised right on the spot, was actually quite barbed and sophisticated, yielding all manner of quirky nonsequiturs and oddball pearls of wisdom. A measure of the show's success in its native country was its steady stream of unexpected guest stars, including Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin), whose appearance marked the first time that a man holding this office ever showed up on a scripted TV series (it also proved to be a "last" for Martin, due to a major political scandal which toppled his administration not longer afterward). Equally popular was the series' whimsically inaccurate theme song, "Not a Lot Goin' On", by Craig Northey and Jesse Valenzuela. Although the multi-award-winning Corner Gas was widely distributed throughout the world after its CTV debut on January 22, 2004, it was not seen in the United States until picked up by Chicago's WGN Cable Superstation in the fall of 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An unlikely band of scientists and soldiers join forces to save the world from certain destruction in this action-drama. As the world is struck with a variety of inexplicable phenomena -- attacks by enormous swarms of birds in London, the explosion of the Colosseum in Rome, a potentially deadly malfunction which forces the Space Shuttle into a Los Angeles riverbed, and the simultaneous deaths of 32 people with pacemakers in Boston -- a team of top scientific minds from around the globe is assembled to determine what has thrown the world into such a frenzy. Dr. John Keyes (Aaron Eckhart) makes the startling discovery that the Earth's electromagnetic forces have begun to collapse, thanks to a sudden lack of movement of the molten ore at the center of the Earth. If the planet is to be saved, the core of the Earth needs a jump start, and Keyes assembles a team to burrow to the center of the planet and bomb the insides back into action. Joining Keyes on this dangerous, last-chance mission are the brilliant but arrogant Conrad Zimsky (Stanley Tucci), French arms expert Dr. Serge Levesque (Tchéky Karyo, maverick researcher "Brazz" Brazzleton (Delroy Lindo), geeky computer genius Rat (DJ Qualls), and two no-nonsense military types, Commander Richard Iverson (Bruce Greenwood) and Major Rebecca Childs (Hilary Swank). However, as the crew digs deeper into the Earth, the more they discover what they haven't been told about their mission and what's really been causing the worldwide chaos. The Core was originally scheduled for release in the fall of 2002, but the movie didn't reach theaters until the spring of 2003 as special-effects experts perfected the film's more spectacular scenes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, (more)
- 2003
In the tradition of the previous "backstage" TV movies about such iconic series as Batman, The Partridge Family, Gilligan's Island, and The Brady Bunch, this NBC effort promised to give the lowdown on the long-running (1977-1984) ABC sitcom Three's Company. In truth, there is little in this film that was not already common knowledge when it first aired on May 12, 2003, but it's still fun to see a cast of attractive actors portraying another cast of attractive actors. In case anyone needs reminding, Three's Company was the popular tickle-and-tease comedy series based upon the British Man About the House, in which a virile young heterosexual man was forced to pose as a homosexual so that he could remain the roommate of two sexy young ladies. It was perhaps the quintessential "jiggle" sitcom, thanks primarily to its well-endowed co-star Suzanne Somers (here played by Judy Tylor). Because of its risqué (but basically inoffensive) content, Three's Company was turned down by both NBC and CBS before ambitious ABC CEO Fred Silverman (played by Brian Dennehy) decided to take a chance on the property. The rest, as they say, is history, with Three's Company not only setting ratings records but also establishing a whole new threshold for what was and wasn't acceptable in network prime time. Inevitably, the show collapsed under its own weight, especially after the revolving-door cast changes which followed in the wake of the acrimonious defection of Suzanne Somers, but it was fun while it lasted. For the record, the other Three's Company stars were the multi-talented John Ritter (played by Bret Anthony) and the underrated Joyce DeWitt (Melanie Deane-Moore). The actual Joyce DeWitt also appears as herself in this movie, serving as narrator and sidelines commentator. Though the film often pulls its punches regarding the original series' backstage intrigues and legal entanglements, there is enough authentic detail remaining to satisfy the casual sitcom buff. Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company was filmed under the title Three's Company Revisited. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joyce DeWitt, Brian Dennehy, (more)
- 2002
Season One of Monk begins with this first episode of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour "TV" movie). On psychiatric leave from the San Francisco PD since the unsolved 1997 murder of his wife Trudy, former police detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) returns as a private eye to help the department solve two seemingly unconnected murders. The first victim is a woman named Nicole Vasquez; the second is a professional bodyguard killed during an assassination attempt on mayoral candidate Warren St. Claire (Michael Hogan). Monk determines that the link between the two murders may well by St. Claire's wife Miranda (Gail O'Grady), but his efforts to solve the crimes are impeded every inch of the way by the emotional "tics" he has developed since his wife's death: Namely, an obsessive-compulsive streak to end all obsessive-compulsive streaks, and a veritable laundry list of phobias including fear of the dark, of heights, of crowds, and especially of milk! Although most of the Monk trademarks are established in this opening episode (the lead character's obsessive-compulsiveness, his photographic memory, et.al.), there are a few significant departures from the weekly series proper: For one, the character played by Jason Gray-Stanford is named Lt. Deacon rather than Lt. Disher; and for another, the role of Sharona's son Benjy is played by Kane Ritchotte instead of Max Morrow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A man trying to save his relationship with the woman he loves finds himself sinking into a quicksand of small lies and half-truths in this comedy. Paul (Jason Lee) is a regular guy who is engaged to marry Karen (Selma Blair); while Paul loves Karen, he's more than a bit nervous around her family, even though her father (James Brolin) has already given him a job in the family business. Shortly before the wedding, Paul's friends throw him a bachelor party, complete with a boatload of liquor and a squadron of grass-skirt-clad tiki dancers. Paul strikes up a conversation with one of the dancers, the cheerful if inept Becky (Julia Stiles), and the next morning, he wakes up bleary-eyed with a massive hangover -- and Becky in bed next to him. Paul soon receives a phone call from Karen saying she's stopping by for a visit, and Paul scrambles to get Becky out of his apartment. Paul attempts to explain some incriminating evidence with a few white lies, but a messy situation gets messier when Paul runs into Becky at a pre-wedding family get-together...and discovers she's Karen's cousin. A Guy Thing also features Shawn Hatosy, Lochlyn Munro, and Julie Hagerty. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Stiles, Jason Lee, (more)
- 2002
Leading the transgen resistance, Max (Jessica Alba) finds an unexpected ally in C.J. (Henri Lubatti), who claims to have broken ranks with White's anti-transgen Familiars. Alas, it turns out that C.J. cannot be trusted -- and is far too close to White (Martin Cummins) for anyone's comfort. It might just be that the key to the many confusing plot points raised in this penultimate Dark Angel episode may rest with the curious runic "tattoos" that have begun appearing all over Max's body. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
It is the final stand between the transgens and their enemies in this special 90-minute episode. The connection between anti-transgen White (Martin Cummins) and the "Sandeman" responsible for the creation of such Manticore mutants as Joshua (Kevin Durand) has finally been revealed. As human vigilantes prepare to besiege the transgen refuge in Terminal City, Max (Jessica Alba), who has rather forcefully enlisted her human friends to her side of the battle, welcomes a mass migration of thousands and thousands of her Manticore "siblings" from all over the country. Will those runic symbols breaking out all over Max's body be explained? Is Logan (Michael Weatherly) at last immune to Max's lab-generated virus? And will White succeed in wiping out all traces of Manticore by killing every transgen on Earth? Unless the grass-roots effort to revive the series succeeds, this remains the last-ever episode of Dark Angel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The writing/directing team of Drew Daywalt and David Schneider are responsible for the straight-to-video heist comedy Stark Raving Mad. Seann William Scott plays Ben McGewen, a guy who needs to pay off some major debts. Mostly he needs to pay the crime lord Gregory (Lou Diamond Phillips), the gangster who killed his brother. Ben gets the idea to throw a big rave in a club next to a bank vault. According to plan, the loud music and party atmosphere will disguise the fact that he and his gang (Timm Sharp, Patrick Breen, John B. Crye, and Suzy Nakamura) are breaking through the wall. Once inside the vault, they will steal a valuable statue and Ben will revenge his brother's death. This being a heist comedy, however, things don't go exactly according to plan. Dave Foley and Kavan Smith play a couple of pesky FBI agents. Alan Arkin plays cranky club owner Don Partridge. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seann William Scott, Lou Diamond Phillips, (more)
- 2002
Max (Jessica Alba) is being hunted down by her Manticore-generated clone, a character introduced at the end of Dark Angel's first season. Not surprisingly, this puts an added strain on the already shaky relationship between Max and Logan (Michael Weatherly). Elsewhere, Logan's effort to convince the public that the transgens are not wholly evil results in violence; and the fervently anti-transgen White (Martin Cummins) enters into a dark conspiracy with the "crusading" Senator McKinley (Paul Perri). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Believed to have been killed during Dark Angel's first season, Max's Manticore sibling Zack (William Gregory Lee) turns up alive (albeit minus a face) -- and he's determined to get revenge against Logan (Michael Weatherly), holding the crusading cyberjournalist responsible for the botched assault on Manticore headquarters. While searching for Zack in the nooks and crannies of Seattle, Max (Jessica Alba) confronts the Steelheads, a street gang specializing in stealing and peddling human organs. Another Manticore refugee, Alec (Jensen Ackles), may hold the key to the outcome of this episode, which includes "flashbacks" from the first-season installment "Cold Comfort." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Logan (Michael Weatherly) is disturbed by reports that a huge, vicious canine-like human is attacking and killing sector police. The prime suspect is the Manticore fugitive Joshua (Kevin Durand), but he is innocent -- though he knows all too well the identity of the guilty party. Meanwhile, Max (Jessica Alba) and Alec (Jensen Ackles) continue trying to outfox one another, until Alec indicates that he has bigger fish to fry (and may get "fried" himself in the process) by landing a job at Jam Pony. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
