Tony Nardi Movies

Director Atom Egoyan explores the concept of cyberspace as a place for redemption in this drama about an adolescent boy named Simon (Devon Bostick) who reinvents his life on the Internet. Before long, Simon's deeply personal journey provokes strong reactions from around the globe. Rachel Blanchard and Scott Speedman co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Djordje (Timothy Webber) is a Serbian soccer star turned Vancouver cabbie who refuses to believe the Serbian atrocities he hears on TV. Everything changes when he hits recent Bosnian Muslim refugee Ahmed (Tony Nardi). Whereas Djordje and his family have had a relatively easy time adjusting to their new culture, Ahmed and his clan have had to struggle. He has a hard time with the language and his wife Sayma (Asja Pavlovic) is still traumatized by repeated rapes and abuse at the hands of Serb troops. Djordje's attempts at making amends are inevitably interpreted as acts of aggression, and soon the two families are forced to either be drawn into an ugly cycle of hatred or to learn from one another. This film was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV drama is based on the autobiography of one of the most notorious figures in American organized crime, Joseph Bonanno. Bonanno (played by Bruce Ramsay) left Sicily as a young man, eager to escape the tyranny of Benito Mussolini, but when he arrived in America, fate led him to a career on the wrong side of the law with the Castellamarese crime family. After his mentor was killed in a bloody feud with cadres of the Gambino family, Bonanno became the youngest man to lead a major crime syndicate in America. Bonanno's battles with Lucky Luciano (Vince Corazza) and his secret dealings with Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Matt Norklun) helped cement Bonanno's reputation as one of the most powerful criminals in the world. It didn't take long, however, for the gangster kingpin to discover that power breeds treachery, and as the years passed, Bonanno (now played by Tony Nardi) learned that both the FBI and some of his most loyal allies were working to put him out of business. Martin Landau plays the elderly Bonanno, who tells much of his life story in flashback as he visits his hometown in Sicily for the first time in many years. The supporting cast includes Robert Loggia, Costas Mandylor, Patti LuPone, and Edward James Olmos. Bonanno: A Godfather's Story was originally produced as a two-part miniseries for the Showtime premium cable network, but was later edited down to 139 minutes for release on home video. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Burned-out, boozing crime novelist Bruce Simon Barker (John Ritter) emerges from his doldrums long enough to involve himself in a bizarre missing-persons case. At the urging of his police inspector sister (Samantha Eggar), Bruce investigates the disappearance of a baby. There have been no ransom demands, the baby's parents are (to put it mildly) dysfunctional, and the father of the child is cheating on his wife with her sister. At first, Barker figures that these sordid real-life intrigues might serve as inspiration for another of his crime novels, but the deeper he becomes enmeshed in the situation, the more he realizes that there is much, much more to the case than meets the eye. Meanwhuile, Barker must wrestle with the disintegration of his own marriage and the alienation of his daughter. Daphne Zuniga, Michelle Scarabelli and Roddy McDowell deliver standout performances as the sister-in-law, the baby's mother, and the family's shady attorney. Produced for Canadian TV under the title Loss of Faith, this film has since been shown on America's Lifetime network as The Truth About Lying. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Many of the world's greatest musical compositions would never have been written if their composers had given up after numerous failures and criticisms. Rossini's Ghost is the magical story of Reliana, a little girl who is transported back in time to meet Gioacchino Antonio Rossini, one of the most successful opera composers of the 19th century. Rossini is at the point of giving up his music after the failure of his latest opera, "The Barber of Seville." Invisible to everyone except Rossini, Reliana helps three rivals in the opera become friends and gives Rossini the strength to keep trying. The sixth, and final, installment of HBO's composer series, this video is well produced, entertaining, and an asset to educational facilities. Recommended for ages nine to 12. ~ Heather M. Fierst, All Movie Guide

Commitment versus desire is the focus of this soapy French-Canadian drama that follows two couples on the cusp of middle-age. Lea, a theater costume designer, is devastated when her long-time lover David, a novelist, suddenly leaves her for a younger woman. When he returns to Lea, she must cope with a series of doubts and fears. Lea's best friend Mariane is also having trouble. An acupuncturist/masseuse, she has given up on romance and men. When she meets the dashing Italian Nino, her opinion begins to change. Nino pursues her ardently and at first she questions his sincerity. But in time she comes to see that he is indeed sincere. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, The Adjuster is an examination of the sexual quirks of a married couple. Starring such Egoyan regulars as Elias Koteas, Arsinée Khanjian, Maury Chaykin, and Don McKellar, the film focuses on Noah Render (Koteas), an insurance adjuster who enjoys sleeping with his clients, and his wife, Hera (Khanjian), a film censor who finds excitement in making copies of the most explicit parts of the movies she's assigned to review. When they invite Bubba (Chaykin) into their house to make a movie, the Renders find their lives becoming even more complex. McKellar plays a young film censor who works with Hera. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Good Night, Michelangelo is not, as one might expect, the story of the love life of the famed renaissance genius. The "Michelangelo" of the title is an 8-year-old boy, the youngest member of an early 20th century Italian immigrant family. Through his eyes, we see the assimilation of the rest of his family-and three other broods--into a strange and sometimes hostile environment. Top billing is bestowed upon British actress Kim Cattrall, the film's one "name" performer. Financed in Italy, the amiable, somewhat off-kilter Good Night, Michelangelo was filmed on location in the US. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this watered-down fantasy, Cotnoir (Remy Girard) is a middle-aged male virgin who falls in love with the picture of a female author on the back of her novel. He sets out by boat for the island where author Helena Montana (Marie Tifo) presently resides, but when the boat breaks down, he has fantasies that she is a mermaid. Soon the line between fantasy and reality is blurred as Cotnoir returns to Montreal with Montana and is able to convince his friends as well that she is a mermaid. The title refers to a fictional book written by Montana. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Set in 1964, a group of four Toronto teens enter a battle of the bands to win an opening spot at a Beatles show. Led by an Italian teenager (Joseph Dimambro), the band just might be successful. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

When the money-hungry Duke Stuyvesant (Sterling Hayden) orchestrates a phony gas shortage, chaos ensues in a small Midwestern town. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide