Stephen McHattie Movies
Educated at Arcadia University and prepped for an acting career at AADA, Canadian-born Stephen McHattie billed himself as Stephen Smith during his earliest New York years. McHattie made his Broadway debut in 1968's The American Dream; two years later, he was seen in his first television production, The People Next Door. Though he has shown up in quite a few theatrical features (Belizaire the Cajun, Beverly Hills Cop), McHattie has most often been seen on TV, usually in such oddball roles as the grown-up protagonist in Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976). He was a regular on the weekly series Highcliffe Manor (1979, as Reverend Glenville), Beauty and the Beast (1989, as the unspeakable Gabriel) and the "repertory company" Canadian anthology Scene of the Crime (1991); he also played two significant guest roles on the Fox Network's X Files. Stephen McHattie was married to actress Meg Foster. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2002
In the first episode of a two part story, Superman's perennial nemesis Lex Luthor breaks out of prison. The fugitive is pursued by the Justice League, who soon realize that Luthor is dying. As a "last stand" against the Leaguers in general and Superman in particular, Luthor manages to organize his own team of super-villains called The Injustice Gang, among them the Joker, Star Sapphire, the Shade, Copperhead, Cheetah, and Ultra-Humanite! Clancy Brown and Mark Hamill, who were heard as Luthor and the Joker in several previous animated versions of Batman and Superman, repeat their roles here. Both episodes of "Injustice for All" were released on DVD in tandem with another Justice League two-parter, "The Brave and the Bold," in October of 2004. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clancy Brown, Mark Hamill, (more)
- 2002
In the first episode of a two-part story, the League faces a new foe in the form of Aresia, a renegade Amazon from Wonder Woman's home island. Leading a pack of Injustice Gang members, Aresia commits a series of seemingly pointless crimes, humiliating Batman in the process. Wonder Woman dispatches Hawkgirl to Amazon Island to root out the motives behind Aresia's crime wave. Meanwhile, the villainess' gang neutralizes Superman, Green Lantern, and Flash -- making it crystal clear that, for whatever reason, Aresia is conducting a deadly vendetta against the entire male population of Earth. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Bowen, Mark Hamill, (more)
- 2002
A ride on a Ferris wheel proves fatal to police informant John Gitomer (Rob Stefaniuk)--and may also destroy the career of Adam Kirk (Stephen McHattie), a "loose cannon" police detective who is the prime suspect in Gitomer's murder. Kirk's former partner Lt. Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) asks Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to investigate the situation, a job that Monk takes on despite his intense dislike of Kirk and his deadly fear of heights. The trail of clues leads to a dance club, a secret phone number, and a campaign of terror conducted from a prison cell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sadomasochism provides the backdrop for a very unusual employer/employee relationship in this very offbeat romantic drama from filmmaker Steven Shainberg. Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a shy young woman, who, after a brief spell in a mental institution, is released in the care of her overprotective mother (Lesley Ann Warren) and hard-drinking father (Stephen McHattie). Hoping to make good on her own, Lee begins looking for a job, and in her free time indulges in her odd habit of inflicting pain upon herself in various ways. Lee is hired as a secretary by E. Edward Grey (James Spader), a grim and ruthlessly efficient attorney who warns her that her work will be both dull and demanding. Lee takes to the job with genuine enthusiasm, and while she's recently acquired a new boyfriend, Peter (Jeremy Davies), she's far more intrigued by Grey's coldly patrician demeanor. While Grey often criticizes Lee, she seems to thrive on his abuse, but one day he crosses a line when he insists upon spanking her after some minor mistake. Lee quite enjoys the treatment, and wants it to continue, but Grey can no longer take pleasure humiliating Lee when he knows that she likes it; he fires her, despite her pleas to be allowed to stay. Finally discovering the key to her sexual and emotional needs, Lee tries to persuade Peter to be rough with her, but he simply doesn't have the taste or talent for it, and Lee soon maps out a last-ditch effort to win back her position with Grey, whatever the cost. Secretary won a special award for "Originality" at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader, (more)
- 2000
A joint project of the CBC TV network and the Raido-Canada service, this ambitious documentary series traced the History of Canada literally from the beginning--15,000 BC, to be exact. The subsquent episodes were nothing if not ambitious, covering the progress of the Dominion right up to 1850 AD. The seventeenth and final episode, covering the years 1976 to 1990, was open-ended enough to bear the title "In An Uncertain World". Three years in the making, the series utilized interviews, rare photographs, precious paintings and etchings, and vividly dramatic re-enactments. Telecast in English and French versions, Canada: A People's History ran from October 22, 2000 to November 18, 2001, yielding such ancillary projects as a two-volume book, a website, and a bestselling CD. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maggie Huculak, Rene-Daniel Dubois, (more)
A man who lowered himself to work in telephone sales finds himself not only fired from his job, but also set up by his former boss for fraud. His day continues on its downward spiral as his wife leaves him, and his corrupt landlady evicts him - - just before she herself dies. To top it all off, a young woman with two sinister travelling companions appears, claiming to be his daughter. The duo then sets out to find the truth about their relationship. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1999
A pair of grifters are drawn into a big con that may be more than they can handle in this sexy thriller. Maya (Bonnie Phillips) and her boyfriend Tony (Thomas Heinze) are a pair of con artists who've been working the same scam for some time; sexy Maya approaches wealthy-looking men in hotel cocktail lounges and persuades them to come up to her room. Tony lifts the men's wallets while Maya toys with them, and he copies the information from their credit cards; Tony returns the cards before the men are the wiser, and Maya conveniently loses interest before things can go too far with her marks. Maya and Tony are making a good living off their version of credit card fraud when Maya tries to pick up Pierce; as it turns out, Pierce is a con artist himself, but rather than turn the tables on the couple, he makes them an offer. Pierce is working with a woman who wants to divorce her rich husband; they need a woman who can seduce the heretofore faithful husband -- and do it on film. There's a big payday in store for the woman who can do the job, so would Maya be interested? The Hustle also stars Robert Wagner, Steven McHattie, and Benjamin Sadler. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bobbie Phillips, Thomas Heinze, (more)
- 1998
Debuting over the CTV network on January 23, 1998, the hour-long Canadian drama series Cold Squad was a precursor in both style and substance to the American weekly Cold Case. The series involved the concerted efforts of a dedicated Vancouver detective unit to reopen and (hopefully) solve unsolved murder cases, some of them several decades old. Julie Stewart headed the cast as Sgt. Ali McCormick, the unofficial head of the squad. There was a great deal of personnel turnover during the series' seven seasons on the air, with a complete supporting-cast overhaul at the beginning of Season Three (see the huge cast list below). The winner of eight Gemini Awards, the 98-episode Cold Squad ended its Canadian run on June 4, 2005; it was picked up for syndication in the United States on September 15, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
- PG13
Directed by Bob Swaim, The Climb chronicles the efforts of a father and son trying to prove their bravery. Set in the 1950's and shot in New Zealand, 12-year-old Danny (Gregory Smith) is determined to reach the highest point of the town, which, in this case, is a 203-foot radio tower. The tower in question, however, is scheduled to be demolished due to the accidents created by kids who had already attempted the climb. Despite the danger, Danny (Smith) feels that climbing the tower would prove once and for all that his father is not the cowardly war-dodger he's reputed to be, and that Danny himself is not one to be bullied. Though Danny had expected to plan and execute the climb in full, he finds an unlikely ally in Mr. Langer (John Hurt), his ill-tempered, hard-drinking neighbor. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Aimed at older children, this gentle, gender-bending coming-of-age drama set in Ireland centers on the friendship between bookish, outcast Irish lad Chris and the new kid in town, Joe, an all-American boy. Whereas Chris is wimpy and bullied by the village toughs, Joe is strong, clever and the best fighter around. When Joe befriends Chris, it looks as if things will be improving. At it least it does until Chris finds out that Joe is actually Joanne. Orphaned by her parents, former tightrope walkers, she has been living with her cruel, woman-hating Uncle Curt, an embittered ex-acrobat who make her pose as a male. Joe's main female influence comes from Chris' mother a feminist sculptor of Rubenesque goddess statues. Unfortunately, Uncle Curt doesn't want her associating with her. Poor Joe also finds some solace helping Simon, her parents former coach who became a depressive clown after their fatal accident. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
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The Hollywood wife of a noted paleontologist finds herself afflicted with an angry shaman's curse after her husband offends the magical man during a desert exploration in this off-beat comedy. As soon as the curse is sent, poor Pixie Chandler finds herself with an insatiable craving for raw fish, a liking for hanging in trees and a propensity for laying eggs. She is also beginning to change physically and if her husband Dick doesn't do something soon, she is going to become the film's title. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Whoopi Goldberg headlines this youth-oriented comedy fantasy set in a near future where scientists for some reason have genetically resurrect dinosaurs. This time, the revitalized reptiles are intelligent and equipped with humanoid articulatory tracts so they can speak. They also wear shoes. Goldberg plays a leather-clad smart-alecky detective who is assigned the odious task of teaming up with Teddy Rex, a dino-detective. Naturally lizards and leather don't mix and the two constantly bicker their way into buddyhood as they investigate the death another dinosaur, a death that turns out to be linked with a crazed scientist's nefarious, chilling plot. Goldberg (to her credit) attempted to back out of making this film soon after production started. Were it not for the threat of major legal retaliation by the studio, she may have succeeded. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Armin Mueller-Stahl, (more)
- 1995
- PG13
In this chilling drama, a mother experiences a series of terrifying nightmares of UFO abduction that lead her to believe that her adolescent daughter is part alien. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Markie Post, Candace Cameron, (more)
- 1995
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Still recovering from a breakdown caused by the death of her son two years earlier, Menly Nichols (Kelly McGillis) convalesces in the old mansion where her husband Adam (Cotter Smith) grew up. The emotionally fragile Menly is having difficulty enough adjusting to her somewhat dank surrounding when she begins to be haunted by an eerie, faraway voice. Could the sounds be merely a manifestation of her trauma and guilt feelings--or are they caused by the ghost of her son, desperately trying to contact her? Whatever the case, trouble clearly lies ahead for both Menly and her baby daughter Hannah--and that trouble may or may not be linked with a murder case for which Adam has been hired as attorney for the defense. Based on the novel by (who else?) Mary Higgins Clark, this filmed-for-TV gothic melodrama made its CBS network debut on November 19, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly McGillis, Cotter Smith, (more)
- 1995
In this made-for-TV sequel to Deadlock, Jack Claremont (Stephen McHattie) wants Allie Thompson (Nia Peeples) out of prison, and has a plan to help her escape. Jack has Tony Archer (Esai Morales) framed for murder, and then tells Tony he'll reveal the truth and clear his name if he can help Allie escape. Tony agrees, but it isn't long before he learns that breaking out of prison and staying ahead of the law is no easy task. Deadlocked: Escape From Zone 14 also features Jon Cuthbert and Sarah Strange. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Esai Morales, Nia Peeples, (more)
- 1994
In this satirical political thriller, detective Arthur Decowitz (John Dennis Johnston), better known as Art Deco, is a hard-boiled private eye. A dangerous international criminal genius, The Hyena (Stephen McHattie), plans to blow up Los Angeles, and the CIA have gotten wind of his plan. However, they need a fall guy for their plot to foil the Hyena's scheme, and they set up Art Deco as a possible conspirator. Cult figure Brion James appears in the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Dennis Johnston, Stephen McHattie, (more)
The third entry in the popular Beverly Hills Cop series finds Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returning yet again to Southern California, this time on the trail of two car thieves turned murderers. As he teams up again with L.A. cop Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), Foley's investigation leads him to Wonder World, a theme park that is also the front for a major counterfeiting ring. More action and less wit are the trademarks of this film, which features Murphy dishing out his usual wisecracks, but with less flair and freshness than in the original film. Alan Young plays the old man who runs the amusement park, an interesting setting that still adds little to the tired premise. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, (more)
- 1994
This well-crafted Canadian monster movie pits a rag-tag crew of cops, gravediggers, and the requisite scientist against a giant subterranean rodent that tunnels beneath graveyards and lives off the interred bodies. Scientist Dr. Henderson (Stephen McHattie) wants to analyze the beast's body chemistry, which he believes has healing properties, but he continually butts heads with a vengeful, violent cop (Brion James) whose partner was swallowed up by the creature. Henderson enlists the aid of a waitress (Cynthia Belliveau), a pair of gravediggers, and a pretty sheriff's deputy (Neve Campbell) in hunting the mega-rodent, but his plans turn awry thanks to the murderous meddling of the cop, who proves to be far more monstrous than the monster. Director Craig Pryce keeps the monster shrouded in darkness for much of the film, and its climactic appearance is not disappointing. Excellent performances, a tight script, and good use of the claustrophobic sets make this effective chiller worth seeking out. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Walter Hill directs John Milius's script (co-written by Larry Gross) depicting a revisionist perspective on the "Geronimo Campaign" and how Geronimo, with 34 men, managed to elude 5000 U.S. cavalry men between 1885 and 1886 before his surrender at the Canyon of the Skeletons in September 1886. The film centers upon Charles Gatewood (Jason Patric), the U.S. Cavalry lieutenant who is charged with capturing the elusive Apache leader. Gatewood is torn by a grudging respect for Geronimo and his people and his duty to his country. But then all the white men in the film have a respect for Geronimo, even as they are trying to hunt him down and kill him. General Charles Crook (Gene Hackman), charged with overseeing the forced settlement of the Apaches on reservations, has nothing but admiration for Geronimo. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Patric, Gene Hackman, (more)
- 1993
This Nova Scotia-set domestic drama centers on the tragic events that led a common-law wife to murder her mate. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nancy Beatty, Stephen McHattie, (more)
- 1992
Richard Crenna makes his fifth appearances NYPD detective Frank Janek in Terror on Track 9. The villain this time is a serial killer who preys upon women at Grand Central Station. The murderer's modus operandi is to inject his victims with poison. Janek suspects that the perpetrator is a man with a extensive background in chemistry-but he's still whistling in the dark, inasmuch as he has millions of suspects to choose from. Joan Van Ark and Swoosie Kurtz costar. Made for television, Terror on Track 9 debuted September 20, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
