Howard Ryshpan Movies

Making a rare visit to Canada, Claude Chabrol cowrote and directed the low-pressure psychological melodrama Blood Relatives (Les Liens de sang). Donald Sutherland and Donald Pleasence head the cast in this story of the aftermath of a brutal murder. The victim, a 17-year-old girl, was apparently raped before she died, leading Carella (Sutherland) to believe that she was killed by a sex maniac. Pedophile Doniac (Pleasence) tops the suspect list, but don't be too sure. The truth is much "closer to home" than anyone realizes at first. Lisa Langlois, who made something of a career of Canadian scare flicks, makes her screen debut in Blood Relatives; also appearing, is Chabrol's wife Stephane Audran. Blood Relatives was based on a novel by Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter), of 87th Precinct fame; the film was released in the US in 1981, three years after its completion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this thriller, a businessman's private habit of calling a phone sex service nearly costs him his life and that of his family when the dream girl at the end of the line turns out to be a psychotic killer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This heavy-duty literary drama is about the burdens faced by one family during the end of the Great Depression in the late 1930s and is based on a novel by Gabrielle Roy. The oldest daughter in the family works in a diner to help make ends meet, giving her paycheck to her mother and keeping her tips for herself. After a few encounters with a fast-talking womanizer at the diner she spends one night with him and ends up pregnant and abandoned. At the same time or in short succession, her father loses his job, they move to a miserable, damp location, and the youngest brother contracts tuberculosis -- numerous tragedies that ultimately stem from poverty. The pregnant daughter connives to get engaged to a decent, shy young man who then goes off to war. But because of their engagement, the daughter now has access to a new and large house, and in spite of everything, the family's fortunes may be improving a little. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

The true story of an upset victory that helped change the sport of golf forever provides the basis for this period drama. Francis Ouimet (played by Shia LaBeouf) was born in 1893 to a working-class family in Massachusetts, and grew up fascinated by golf. However, at that time golf was considered a pastime of the wealthy and privileged, and British and Scottish players dominated the professional game. Ouimet's familial home was near the Brookline, MA, Country Club, and over the stern objections of his father, Francis got a job there as a caddy. Honing his skill in his spare time, Francis displayed a tremendous natural talent for the game and an understanding of its strategies, and 1913 he became the first amateur to play in the U.S. Open, held at the Brookline Country Club. Ouimet's presence was considered little more than a novelty at the time; Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), a British champion with six tournament victories under his belt, was considered a shoo-in to win, with Ted Ray (Stephen Marcus) his only serious competition. However, Vardon, a fellow working-class boy who had overcome tuberculosis to become Britain's premier professional golfer, had more in common with Ouimet than anyone expected, and the tournament unexpectedly became a hard-fought competition between an established star and a promising unknown. Directed by Bill Paxton in his second directorial effort, The Greatest Game Ever Played also stars Elias Koteas as Francis' father, Josh Flitter as the ten-year-old boy who becomes Francis' caddy, and Peyton List as Sarah Wallis, Francis' sweetheart. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi