Eric Peterson Movies
- 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
The time: June 1998. The place: The sleepy town of Jasper, TX. Three young, self-styled white supremists overpower a 49-year-old black man named James Byrd Jr., chain him to the back of their pickup, and literally drag him to death. What follows is a media firestorm, exacerbated by scores of network and cable-TV news services, the grim pronouncements of so-called pundits, and the intrusion upon Jasper of several extremist activists, ranging from members of the Ku Klux Klan to the newly formed Black Panthers. As the frenzy continues, the heretofore peaceful, if somewhat tenuous, relationship between the white and black residents of Jasper is severely strained, with echoes of past racism resounding throughout the area. In the center of the controversy are two decent, hard-working public servants: R.C. Horn, the first black mayor of Jasper, and Billy Rowles, the town's white sheriff. Also profoundly affected by the appalling murder of Byrd are the respective parents of the victim and the killers. Happily, when the dust clears, justice is done (two of the murderers are condemned to death, the third sentenced to life imprisonment), and, instead of being wrenched apart, the black and white communities of Jasper draw closer together than they have ever been. Made for cable TV, this feature-length reenactment stars Louis Gossett Jr. as Horn and Jon Voight as Rowles. Although certain liberties are taken (the actor playing Byrd is clearly much younger than his real-life counterpart and the Black Panthers and KKK are incorrectly shown descending upon Jasper the same day), the film is, by and large, accurate. Better still, there is a minimum of preaching and proselytizing. Previewed at the Philadelphia Film Festival, Jasper, Texas was given its official Showtime network cable premiere on June 8, 2003 -- almost five years to the day after Byrd's death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Voight, Louis Gossett, Jr., (more)
- 2002
Gemini awards went to star Wendy Crewson, director Jerry Ciccoretti, writer Karen Walton and film editor George Roulston for their contributions to the fact-based Canadian TV movie The Many Trials of One Jane Doe. Crewson plays the title character, the fifth victim of the High Park Rapist, who has been systematically preying on women in Scarborough, Toronto, and Niagara Falls. After her ordeal, "Jane Doe" discovers that the police knew full well that the rapist was operating in the vicinity, but did nothing to prevent her attack; in fact, the authorities were all but using women like "Jane" as bait to flush out the perpetrator! Hiring Sean Dewart (Steven Mackintosh) as her attorney, "Jane" files suit against the police, only to be caricatured by a hostile press as a hysterical "man-hater" and irresponsible zealot--and thanks to the ruthlessness of the defense team, she is treated in court as though she were the criminal instead of the victim! First telecast by the CBC in 2002, The Many Trials of One Jane Doe subsequently received American airplay on cable's Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Based on a true story, the Canadian TV movie The Stork Derby begins with the death of wealthy Toronto lawyer and lifelong bachelor Charles Vance Miller (Frank Fontaine). Going through Miller's effects, his lawyers discover that he intended to divide his fortune among the Canadian women who would deliver the most babies within a decade after his birth. Fueled by the circulation-hungry Toronto Daily Star, "The Great Toronto Stork Derby" held the Dominion in thrall throughout the Depression years, with hundreds and thousands of women hoping to escape the ravages of the Depression via mass procreation. The contest boils down to three front runners: French-Canadian Vivanne Kennelly (Pascale Montpetit), whose anxiousness to win at all costs leads to tragedy; Colleen Brant (Janine Thierault), who has multiple babies by multiple fathers; and Gina Bonaggio (Ellen David), an impoverished Italian immigrant. Dutifully chronicling each twist and turn of the contest is Canada's only female journalist Kate Harrington (Megan Follows), who at first regards the whole affair as demeaning to women, but ultimately becomes an ardent crusader for fair play when, during the 1938 court trial that will determine the winner, it becomes painfully obvious that the Canadian government will succumb to traditional colonial bigotry and see to it that no "inferior" women--that is, non-white non-Protestants--will benefit from Miller's legacy. Adapted from a book by Elizabeth Wilton, The Story Derby made its CBC debut on January 8, 2002, and shortly thereafter was shown in the U.S. courtesy of the Lifetime cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
This fact-based four-hour miniseries is set in the 1950s, an era when the CIA was actively researching the possibilities of brainwashing and other forms of mind-control. The chilling tale takes place in a Montreal mental facility and centers on a ruthless CIA-funded experiment in which 150 patients were brainwashed without their consent. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Pownall, Eric Peterson, (more)
Deepa Mehta directed this Indian-Canadian romantic drama, the second part of a trilogy. Based on Bapsi Sidhwa's autobiography, Cracking India, the story is set in 1947 in Lahore, where Hindu, Sikh, Parsee, and Muslim share a peaceful co-existence. Events are seen from the point of view of eight-year-old Lenny (Maia Sethna), a girl from an affluent Parsee family. Lenny's nanny, Shantya (Nandita Das), is involved with the Muslim Masseur (Rahul Khanna). When a train of Muslims arrives at the local depot and all the passengers are found murdered, the various sects turn against each other, and the city is soon aflame. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aamir Khan, Nandita Das, (more)
- 1997
Introduced in the earlier episode "Friend," international peace broker Mijovich (David Calderisi) has become head of a European nation that is recovering from a recent and very bitter civil war. Assigned to protect Mijovich at his inaugural ball, Nikita (Peta Wilson) and Michael (Roy Dupuis) are among those taken hostage by a band of rebels led by Zoran Brunen (Eric Peterson). Presiding over an ersatz trial in which Mijovich is charged with "crimes against humanity," Brunen has no intention of rendering a fair verdict -- and it falls to Brunen's daughter Maria (Kate Greenhouse) to determine the fate of the hostages. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The recent death of his wife is just one of several blows endured by big-city surgeon Michael (Robert Hays), who has lost confidence in his skills and his been going through the motions only for the sake of his daughter Jilly (Ashley Gorrell). Summoned by his crusty dad Bob (Jack Palance) to come back to his home town for the first time in 20 years, Michael finds out that he is expected to take over the local hospital. None too keen on the prospect, Michael changes his mind when he is reunited with his childhood sweetheart, local veterinarian Sarah (Ann Jillian), who in the absence of anyone else is the hospital's only full time physician. As Michael weighs his future options--can he really go home again, or has he become too jaded by life in the city?--foxy Bob conspires with Jilly to bring Michael and Sarah back together again. First telecast on the CBS network, the made-for-TV I'll Be Home for Christmas originally aired December 23, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Devoted parents search for their daughter in this strange, fact-based made-for-television movie. Set in the 1850s, Louis Gossett Jr. stars as James Mink, a wealthy Canadian businessman who is married to a white woman (Kate Nelligan). When their daughter is duped into marrying a slave trader, the Minks set out for the American South to track down their missing daughter and bring her back home. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1996
In 1988, Marlene Moore, the first woman to be designated a "dangerous offender" by Canada's legal system -- even though she had never committed a serious crime -- killed herself in a Kingston, Ontario federal woman's prison. The Canadian TV movie seeks to explain the circumstances that brought the unfortunate Moore to this tragic turn of events. As played by Brooke Johnson, Marlene is shown to be an awkward, withdrawn young girl, cruelly maligned and sexually abused by family and peers alike, and never afforded the moral support or mental-health treatment she deserved. Under these circumstances, Marlene's subsequent self-destructive, sociopathic behavior seems almost predestined, and her many years behind bars for various minor crimes a logical extension of her miserable upbringing. The climactic efforts by her dedicated lawyer to prevent Marlene from being entombed in prison for an indefinite term are heartrending, and Moore manages to evoke audience sympathy almost in spite of herself by the final fade-out. The film earned two Gemini Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Emmies) for both Brooke Johnsonand supporting actress Jayne Eastwood (as Marlene's mother). Originally telecast by the CBC, Dangerous Offender was first seen in America via the Lifetime network on November 7, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brooke Johnson, Sara Botsford, (more)
- 1996
- PG13
Former football player Brian Bosworth headlines this ecologically conscious direct-to-video actioner. He plays a member of the presidential security staff who with his lovely lady partner has been dispatched to Yellowstone Park to save the planet from deadly biological weapons that were accidentally spilled during a trucking accident. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Bosworth, Leah King Pinsent, (more)
The deep bond formed between a troubled nephew and his simple uncle, whose character is reminiscent of Lenny from Of Mice and Men, is the focus of this Canadian melodrama set during the Depression in rural Ontario. Nine-year old Verlin will not talk, or cannot talk. His concerned and overprotective mother takes him to a doctor. She is angry at her husband Ferris whom she believes is indifferent to her boy's plight. When Ferris's child-like brother Henry comes to visit, the boy's life begins to change. Henry spends time with boy and teaches him about life. The two befriend Mabel, a retired, town prostitute with physical disabilities. The three outcasts become very close as they encounter obstacles to their friendship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Farmer, Keegan Macintosh, (more)
- 1986
This low-key Canadian drama stars August Schellenberg as Albert, a young farm boy growing up in 1930s Manitoba. Schellenberg's solitude is interrupted when hobo Gustave (Ed McNamara) shows up, asking for a bit more than a handout. Gustave claims that he's a long-lost relative of Albert's family, a notion the boy takes with a grain of salt--at least until Gustave begins pulling off all manner of miracles. Told from a child's-eye view, Tramp at the Door is for the most part successful in conveying the world as seen from an innocent, uncorrupted perspective. Director Allan Kroeker adapted his screenplay from a story by Gabrielle Roy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed McNamara, August Schellenberg, (more)
- 1985
A Nova Scotia singing group has a reunion concert 20 years after their successful start. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1985
In this taut action drama, an unbalanced Vietnam vet goes off the beam and takes over Central Park in this made for cable outing that was filmed entirely in Toronto. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1983
This biographical semi-documentary casts a slight shadow of human vulnerability and a little doubt over the legendary Canadian national hero and World War I pilot William (Billy) Bishop. Director and writer Paul Cowan started out by wanting to turn the musical "Billy Bishop Goes to War" into a screenplay -- and then after a little research, changed his mind and produced this documentary instead. Interviews with people who knew Bishop are mixed with segments from the stage play about him and a summary of his life. Actor Eric Peterson plays Bishop's mechanic, giving his own impressions of the man. Taken all together, director Cowan raises some questions without toppling the legends. Canadians are more likely to sustain an interest in these proceedings rather than foreigners unfamiliar with Bishop. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Peterson
- 1973
In this off-beat romance, a grad student rents a house for three weeks to do her research. Soon after arriving, she discovers the house is haunted by a handsome and interesting ghost. Eventually the spirit and the student fall in love. During their affair, they teach each other much about their different backgrounds. In time the woman finds herself confused by the bizarre affair. To save her sanity, she escapes from the house. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
