Irena Mayeska Movies
CIA computer technician John Savage seeks revenge for the terrorist killing of his girlfriend. Threatening to make public his insider's information, Savage forces his reluctant bosses to train him in the art of assassination. He then heads into enemy territory (at least, it was enemy territory back in 1982) on a search-and-destroy mission. There is nothing in The Amateur that we haven't seen elsewhere, but Savage and a solid cast of supporting players Christopher Plummer,Marthe Keller, Arthur Hill, Ed Lauter, Nicholas Campbell, Jan Rubes et. al.-- keep the proceedings lively. Robert Littell co-adapted the film's screenplay from his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Savage, Christopher Plummer, (more)
- 1976
A young woman's romantic dalliance with a criminal unexpectedly changes her life for the better in this drama. Heather (Hollis McLaren) is the daughter of John (Denholm Elliott), the owner of a large and successful paper company. Heather falls in love with Paul (Michael Margotta), a low level gangster whose attitudes represent a significant change from the sheltered existence she's led. When a rival firm tries to strong-arm John into selling his company, he refuses, leading them to hire hit man Philip (Lee Broker) to eliminate him. Heather inherits the paper company, and with some help from Paul, she learns how to deal with her new responsibilities and their rivals without being intimidated. Partners was directed by Don Owen, who previously made the ground-breaking Canadian independent films Nobody Waved Goodbye and Ladies & Gentlemen: Mr. Leonard Cohen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denholm Elliott, Hollis McLaren, (more)
- 1963
Set in Canada at the turn of the century, Drylanders stars James Douglas as a veteran of the Boer War. Returning home, Douglas finds city life not to his liking, so he opts for the life of a wheat farmer. At first prosperous, Douglas' farm falls victim to a nationwide drought. He struggles to keep the business afloat, but dies before rain comes; his wife (Frances Hyland) valiantly carries on her husband's work. Originally written for television by M. Charles Cohen, Drylanders was prepared for theatrical release through Columbia Pictures--and thus became the first non-documentary feature ever produced by the Film Board of Canada. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frances Hyland, James Douglas, (more)
- 1963
- G
Filmed in Canada as a joint project involving Walt Disney studios and Calgary Ltd., The Incredible Journey stars a cat named Tao and two dogs named Bodger and Luath. When their family goes on vacation, the animals are left in charge of family friend Emile Genest. Genest goes off to hunt for a couple of days, but fails to inform the animals of this; as a result, Tao, Bodger and Luath embark upon a 250 mile journey to be reunited with their owners. Superbly photographed and cleverly assembled, Incredible Journey strikes a happy medium between its fictional plotline and Disney's "True Life Adventure" approach to the animal scenes. The film would be remade in 1993 as Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emile Genest, John Drainie, (more)
