Mike Beaver Movies
Ham & Cheese director Warren P. Sonoda takes the helm for this caustic conceptual comedy detailing one Christmas in the lives of an outrageously dysfunctional 1980s-era family as seen through the lens of their brand new VHS video camera. Christmas 1985: Gord Cooper (Jason Jones) has decided to go all out this year, purchasing an expensive video camera for his wife Nancy (Samantha Bee) so the couple can document their holiday with the entire family. Nancy is several months pregnant with their latest child, and seems unusually excited by the fact that Gord's sleazy brother Tim (Peter Keleghan) will soon be arriving to take part in the festivities. Uncle Nick (Mike Beaver) might just be the world's worst dinner guest, and the polar opposite of the group's anti-social grandmother (Jayne Eastwood), who lives with the Coopers and requests that they simply slip her portion of the holiday dinner under her bedroom door. The yuletide festivities have never been as gloriously grating as they were at the Cooper's place back in 1985, and thanks to their then- state of the art video camera, they were able to capture every agonizing and humiliating moment for eternal posterity. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jason Jones, Samantha Bee, (more)
When an alcoholic extraterrestrial living in a small Northern Ontario town finds God, his spiritual journey leads him on tour with a local bar in the feature debut of director Rob Stefaniuk. Soon after crash-landing in a remote Ontario town, innocent alien Phil strikes up a warm friendship with an open-minded young boy and a remarkably intelligent beaver. A stranger in a strange land, Phil eventually begins to fit in by drinking plenty of hard liquor and jumping in on jam sessions with the local bar band. Beneath the picturesque natural wonder of Niagara Falls, the General (John Kapelos) at the "Top Secret American UFO Base" plots to bring Phil to his base for a series of grisly medical experiments. Informed by his friend the beaver that there is a ship in Niagara Falls which he could use to get back home, the drunken Phil continues to spiral into alcoholism before attacking a cigarette machine and getting sent to prison. Having found Jesus during his stint behind bars, a rehabilitated Phil sets out on tour with the bar band while attempting to dodge the bullets of the General's feared assassin Madame Madame (Nicole deBoer). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Persistence makes up where talent is lacking as two aspiring actors cling to the elusive dream of stardom despite receiving little encouragement and precious few callbacks. The world of showbiz can be a cruel one, especially when you're an actor with no clue about your lack of talent. Richard and Barry are two such actors, yet despite the fact that there isn't a single ounce of onscreen charisma between them, their persistence is what keeps them going. But how much humiliation can an aspiring actor endure before they finally call it quits? As Richard and Barry endure humiliating auditions, calamitous television shoots, and embarrassing stints as animal mascots, the answer to that pressing question finally may be closer than either had hoped. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mike Beaver, Jason Jones, (more)
Lots of people have misgiving about their in-laws, but in this offbeat comedy, a man discovers that his new son-in-law's father is significantly stranger than he's able to deal with. Jerry Peyser (Albert Brooks) is a well-meaning but slightly anal-retentive podiatrist who doesn't much care for surprises in his life. When his daughter Melissa (Lindsay Sloane) announces she's going to marry her boyfriend, Mark Tobias (Ryan Reynolds), Jerry figures that helping his wife plan the wedding and getting through the ceremony is as much excitement as he needs or wants. However, when Jerry and his wife, Katherine (Maria Ricossa), meet Mark's father for the first time, Steve Tobias (Michael Douglas) ends up taking Jerry on the ride of his life. Both Mark and Steve's ex-wife, Judy (Candice Bergen), seem to have a decidedly ambivalent attitude about Steve, and Jerry finds out why -- Steve is actually an undercover agent for the CIA. In the guise of doing Steve a favor, Jerry gets dragged into a strange and dangerous episode involving international arms dealers, French super-villains, heavily armed men's room attendants, and a stolen private jet belonging to Barbra Streisand, as well as several less-than-pleasant encounters with Angela (Robin Tunney), Steve's colleague in espionage who doesn't trust Jerry. The In-Laws was adapted from the memorable 1979 comedy of the same name, in which Alan Arkin and Peter Falk played the mismatched fathers. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Albert Brooks, (more)
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