Scott Thompson Movies
Along with attracting fans as a member of Canada's famed sketch comedy troupe the Kids in the Hall and for his stint on HBO's The Larry Sanders Show, Scott Thompson has also made his comic presence felt in the movies. Raised in Brampton, Ontario, Thompson headed to York University to study drama. He was asked to leave after his third year due to his "disruptive presence," so he began to hone his skills on the improv and stand-up comedy circuit instead. After meeting Mark McKinney in 1984, Thompson joined the Kids in the Hall, easily meshing with their outrageous humor. Though he appeared in several movies during his years with the Kids, including the science fiction yarn Millennium (1989) and the horror comedy Popcorn (1990), Thompson and his cohorts became TV stars when their series The Kids in the Hall began broadcasting in 1989. During the show's five-year run, Thompson was famous for such characters as Queen Elizabeth, Danny Husk, and the controversially bitchy gay bar owner/philosopher Buddy Cole. After the show ended in 1994, Thompson appeared in the pseudo-documentary about a porn actor/director, Super 8 1/2 (1994), and joined the other Kids for the troupe's feature debut Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996). Though the drug culture spoof included inspired moments of Kids lunacy, particularly Thompson's spectacular "coming out" musical number, Brain Candy failed at the box office and the Kids disbanded. Thompson, though, had already scored a role on another highly esteemed TV series in 1995, Garry Shandling's mercilessly funny Hollywood satire The Larry Sanders Show. During his three seasons as Hank's Jeffrey Tambor personal assistant. Brian, Thompson also played a horrific assistant to a deplorable producer in the Tinsel Town comedy Hijacking Hollywood (1997) and appeared in the miniseries Armistead Maupin's More Tales of the City (1998). After The Larry Sanders Show went off the air in 1998, Thompson began to work again with his Kids in the Hall colleagues, co-authoring Buddy Babylon: The Autobiography of Buddy Cole with Paul Bellini in 1998, and playing a role in Brain Candy director Kelly Makin's Mob comedy Mickey Blue Eyes (1999). The Kids in the Hall officially reunited for a 2000 tour, but Thompson also continued to pursue non-Kids projects, including his own Internet series Scottland and acting in Amy Heckerling's presciently titled college comedy Loser (2000). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide- 1995
Perhaps in response to the sometimes dark turns taken in season three of The Larry Sanders Show, season four makes things a bit more upbeat by focusing on the foibles of show business rather than the strife of the characters. Despite characters blowing off steam in such episodes as "Arthur After Hours" and a brush with mortality in "I Was a Teenage Lesbian," conflict generally resulted in more humorous outcomes as viewers began to learn more about such peripheral players as Beverly (Penny Johnson) ("Beverly and the Prop Job") and Paula (Janeane Garofalo) (the aforementioned "I Was a Teenage Lesbian"). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garry Shandling, Rip Torn, (more)
- 1994
Lesbian comedian Amanda Bearse (Marcy from TV's Married. . .With Children) hosts Comedy Central's Out There 2: Loud, Proud & Outrageous Comedy. Released by Rhino Home Video, this hour-long program featuring all gay and lesbian comedians was taped at the New York comedy mecca Caroline's, in honor of the 1994 Gay Games. In addition to Bearse, the lineup features comedians Kate Clinton, Mark Davis, Elvira Kurt, Frank Maya, and Scott Silverman performing gay-positive skits, sketches, and standup comedy. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- 1994
This pseudo-documentary profiles Bruce, a fictional gay porn actor/and director. The film features some hard-core sexual activity that may be disturbing to some viewers. The "creator" of the documentary is the artistically affected Googie. Most of her scenes end in blackouts of Bruce, his former lovers, and his lesbian punkette buddies Wednesday & Jane Friday. There are also numerous clips of Bruce's porno films, with titles such as "I Am a Fugitive from a Gang Bang, and "My Hustler, My Self." Also included are clips from Googie's own attempt at experimental filmmaking, "Submit to My Finger." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce LaBruce, Liza Lamonica, (more)
Footage from three separate horror projects was assembled for this semi-anthology, framed by the premise of a mad scientist (Martin Kove) who uses virtual-reality technology to delve into the phobias of three different subjects. The first tale, "Jenny Porter," describes a paranoid woman (Vivian Schilling) trapped in her house by a pack of mad dogs; "The Roommate" features Bill Paxton as a psychotic living companion; and "Mr. Petrified Forest" is the story of a death-obsessed photographer (Sam Clay) who experiences a surreal close call with mortality. There are a few inspired moments -- particularly in the final segment -- but overall the weakly plotted stories will likely fail to maintain viewers' interest. The unrated version contains several minutes of gory footage excised from the R-rated print. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivian Schilling, Martin Kove, (more)
- 1993
Upon taking to the airwaves, the Lorne Michaels-produced series The Kids in the Hall quickly joined the likes of Monty Python's Flying Circus as one of the edgiest and funny sketch comedy shows on television. Featuring five Canadian men in the majority of the roles, the program aired on HBO and CBC from 1989 to 1995. This collection from Columbia/Tristar Video features Mark McKinney, Dave Foley, Scott Thompson, Bruce McCulloch, and Kevin McDonald in two complete episodes, portraying such popular characters as The Chicken Lady, The Head Crusher, and Buddy Cole. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- PG13
Where has director Michael Anderson been since Logan's Run? Earning his keep on such slick TV-style time-fillers as Millennium. Kris Kristofferson plays the head of an official committee investigating the head-on collision of two commercial jets. A thorough analysis reveals the presence of a weapon of unknown origin in the wreckage; it is also pointed out that some of the victims' watches are running backwards. This, coupled with the cryptic warnings by flight attendant Cheryl Ladd to drop the investigation, prompts Kristofferson to burrow further and uncover the truth: Ladd is a sentinel from 1000 years in the future, who has come back to the 20th Century to help repopulate her dying civilization. Plot pegs and obstacles are in the hands of such sideline characters as enigmatic professor Daniel Travanti and amiable android Robert Joy. Millennium was adapted by John Varley from his own story Air Raid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kris Kristofferson, Cheryl Ladd, (more)
- 1989
- Add The Kids in the Hall: The Pilot Episode to QueueAdd The Kids in the Hall: The Pilot Episode to top of Queue
Eagerly-anticipated and long unavailable on video, this pilot episode of the famous Canadian sketch comedy series Kids in the Hall prompted a half-decade run for the SNL and Flying Circus-inspired program. Sketches include: 'Buddy Cole,' Cabbage Head,' 'Brian's Bombshell,' 'Hey You Millionaires!,' 'Guys on a Break,' 'Crying Guy,' and 'Crush Your Head' Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, (more)
- 1987
- R
In this slice-n-dicer, a young woman is delighted to have inherited a drafty old Spanish mansion. She and her boy friend go to check it out and soon discover that the place has been overrun by murderous devil worshipers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
