Gordon Tootoosis Movies
Director Yves Simoneau explores the plight of the American Indian in the later half of the 19th century in this docudrama exploring the effects of westward expansion and based on the book by Dee Brown. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aidan Quinn, Adam Beach, (more)
An experimental, cross-species organ transplant causes a young security dispatcher to begin acting on his animal instincts in this curious take on the werewolf legend starring Cory Monteith and Justine Bateman. When Aaron Scates (Monteith) was blinded in an explosion, he thought he would never see again. When Aaron is placed under the care of Dr. Andrea Hewlitt (Bateman), however, it begins to appear as if there may be hope for his sense of sight after all. Renowned for her extraordinary yet controversial medical breakthroughs, Dr. Hewlitt is currently exploring the prospect of animal-to-human organ transplants. When museum curator Lydia Armstrong (Tinsel Korey) arrives at Dr. Hewlitt's office carrying a critically injured wolf, Dr. Hewlitt senses the perfect opportunity to finally put her theories to practice. But while Dr. Hewlitt does manage to successfully transplant the wolf's eyes to her desperate test subject, Lydia makes no secret of her objection to the operation. In the aftermath of the surgery, Aaron not only regains his vision, but acquires such unique abilities as the power to see on the dark and a heightened sense of hearing as well. But when Aaron begins to crave raw steak and target people as prey, it becomes readily apparent that he's undergoing an unusual transformation. Now the only person capable of understanding Aaron's bizarre plight is Lydia, because she, too, is a cross-breed. With the help of her shaman friend Lydia has learned to harness her feral instincts as a source of strength, but will Aaron be capable of accomplishing the same formidable feat, or will his animal instinct ultimately get the better of him? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justine Bateman, Tinsel Korey, (more)
- 2006
The road movie Hank Williams First Nation concerns an elderly Native American who goes on a bus journey with his seventeen year old nephew in order to see the grave of the legendary country music singer and songwriter before he dies. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Tootoosis, Sheldon Elter, (more)
Robert Budreau's noirish thriller That Beautiful Somewhere stars Roy Dupris as Conk Adams, a police detective still nursing psychological scars from his time in the military. When an unidentified body turns up, he must work with an archeologist (Jane McGregor) who suffers from a physical ailment. Soon the pair bond over work and their health problems, and an Aboriginal mystic offers clues to the identity of the body. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the sprawling six-part, 12-hour TV miniseries Into the West covers 65 years of American history, from the first major migration westward in the mid-1820s to the massacre at Wounded Knee in the early 1890s. The story is largely seen through the eyes of two protagonists (and their families): Jacob Wheeler (Matthew Settle), a wheelwright who leaves his Virginia hometown and his family's business in 1827 to seek his destiny in the company of legendary mountain man Jedediah Smith (Josh Brolin); and Loved by the Buffalo (George Leach), a Lakota Sioux holy man who spends a lifetime seeking the answers to his profound and disturbing images about the future of his country -- and his people. Eschewing the usual "old-age makeup" route often pursued in epic tales of this nature, the main characters are played by progressively older actors in the course of the story: for example, Loved by the Buffalo is portrayed by no fewer than four different performers! In a more traditionalist How the West Was Won vein, the miniseries is festooned with major stars, some cast in very brief roles: among these are Josh Brolin, Keri Russell, Matthew Modine, Beau Bridges, Gary Busey, Tom Berenger, and Judge Reinhold. Nor is How the West Was Won the only inspiration for the multi-plotted storyline: other films echoed and emulated throughout the saga include The Iron Horse, The Big Trail, Westward the Women, The Searchers, and Dances With Wolves. As mentioned, the story is divided into six parts: "Wheel to the Stars," in which the fates of Jacob Wheeler and Loved by the Buffalo become forever intertwined; "Manifest Destiny," chronicling the first major trek to California; "Dreams & Schemes," wherein the Lakota lands are despoiled by Gold Fever and war breaks out between the North and South; "Hell on Wheels," chronicling the postwar chaos and the coming of the railroad; "Casualties of War," wherein the conflict between Native Americans and the white man results in wholesale bloodshed -- and, surprisingly, a "counter-revolution" of compassion and understanding; and "Ghost Dance," the last great stand of the Lakota, which brings the story full circle. Largely filmed in the Canadian Rockies over a six-month period, and utilizing the talents of six directors, Into the West premiered June 10, 2005, on the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Settle, Josh Brolin, (more)
- 2005
The CBC made-for-television biopic Shania: A Life in Eight Albums reconstructs and dramatizes the early life and ascent to stardom of country rocker Shania Twain, one of the most commercially successful recording artists in Canadian history. It tells of Twain's climb from the obscurity of a low-income family during childhood (when she is played by Reva Timbers) to the initial rumblings of musical talent and ambition as a teenager (when she is played by Shenae Grimes). It recreates her thrilling work on The Tommy Hunter Show in Toronto, where she makes her first televised appearance, as well as her pivotal move to Nashville and her tenacious attempts to make it into the country music business, with limited success - until she meets and signs with megaproducer Mutt Lange - the man she will eventually marry. Meredith Henderson portrays the adult Twain; Meagan Follows co-stars as Twain's mother, Sharon, and Eric Schweig plays Jerry, her adoptive father.
~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Comedian Kevin Pollak stars in this crime caper film, the debut feature from Canadian director G.B. Yates. Pollak plays Harlan, a low-rent con man living off the fruits of his small-time scams. When a young student by the name of Fiona (Liane Balaban) enters the picture, Harlan finds his life turned upside down with the prospects of both a big score and true love both up for grabs in a web of deceit and double-crosses. Also starring Jonas Chernick and James Tolkan, Seven Times Lucky screened as part of the World Cinema program at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Pollak, Liane Balaban, (more)
- 2002
Clark Kent (Tom Welling) befriends a Native American girl named Kyla Willowbrook (Tamara Feldman). Exploring a cave near Kyla's home, Clark comes across ancient tribal paintings depicting the prophecy of Naman, who like Clark himself descended from the sky with awesome superpowers. While the almost filial relationship between Clark and Kyla is complicated by the possibility that the girl's grandfather (Gordon Tootoosis) is a werewolf-like "skinwalker," Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) plots to use a strange design appearing in the cave paintings for his own economic advantage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Hank Kirk (Kevin Anderson) is a Caucasian man who objects to his half-Cherokee son Hunter's (James Duval) tendency to believe the stories of his Native American grandfather. Hunter is a hemophiliac, which makes it difficult (and dangerous) for him to take part in the same outdoor activities that dominate his father's life, especially as his mother, Maggie (Jeri Arredondo), worries about her son and tries to keep him away from danger. As Hunter grows older, he feels the need to prove himself to his father despite his medical condition, but his father objects to the Cherokee method of hunting and insists that the boy hunt like a white man, by sitting by the side of the road with a gun and waiting for game to appear. When Hunter goes deer hunting with Hank for the first time, he mistakenly bags a doe instead of a buck -- a tremendous embarrassment for both Hunter and Hank, because the animal has no antlers to show off and thus is not considered a great catch. Humiliated, Hunter seeks the advice of his grandfather, Marvin Fishinghawk (Gordon Tootoosis), and finds love for the first time with a girl his age. The Doe Boy was the first feature film from writer and director Randy Redroad, which was based on his own experiences growing up in a Native American family; the film was shown in competition at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Duval, Kevin Anderson, (more)
Two young people learn an invaluable lesson about what love really means in this romantic drama. Angela (Mia Kirshner) and John (Adam Beach) have been close friends since childhood, and as they've grown into adulthood, John's feelings for Angela have matured into love. John is of Cree Indian heritage, and Ghost Fox (Gordon Tootoosis), a spiritual advisor of the tribe, tells John that it is his destiny to be with Angela. Angela, however much she cares for John, has other plans, and ends up involved with T.J. (Gabriel Olds), a mean-spirited man who shows her little respect. John saves the day for Angela after she's brutally attacked by T.J., but rather than stay by his side, Angela, who has always dreamed of being an actress, decides to move to Hollywood and try her luck, only to learn that her bond with John is deeper and more complex than she imagined. Now and Forever also stars Theresa Russell as Dori, Angela's mother. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Kirshner, Adam Beach, (more)
A slack-jawed yokel discovers the joys of parenthood while trying to avoid the law in this gleefully tasteless comedy. Billy (Skeet Ulrich) and Buford (Gary Oldman) are two dim-witted rednecks who grew up together in an orphanage; as adults, the pair ended up in prison after reading other people's mail for a laugh was interpreted as mail theft by the authorities. Buford, who is marginally more intelligent than Billy, plans a jailbreak, and after escaping prison in a paddy wagon, the pair split up, with plans to reunite later. While en route to Utah, Billy accidentally causes an auto wreck that leaves behind only one survivor -- a baby, whom Billy is able to rescue. But Billy knows next to nothing about caring for a infant, and truck stop waitress Shauna Louise (Radha Mitchell) bravely offers to help show him the ropes, with her neighbor Estelle (Mary Steenburgen) volunteering to nurse, having given her own baby up for adoption a few days earlier. When Buford tracks Billy down, he sees the baby as a potential gold mine, imagining that some relative somewhere would be willing to pay a ransom for his return. However, Billy and Shauna Louise have grown attached to the child and they aren't willing to give him up. While Buford tries to formulate a Plan B, sleazy used-car salesman Norman (Ed O'Neill) arrives on the scene; he knows Billy and Shauna Louise didn't come by the baby honestly and is eager to use this knowledge to his advantage. Nobody's Baby was written and directed by David Seltzer, who previously dealt with troublesome children as the screenwriter for the horror hit The Omen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Skeet Ulrich, Gary Oldman, (more)
- 2000
Eleven-year-old Emily (Kaitlyn Burke) is an environmental activist in training, having saved a bear cub wounded by poachers and nursed it back to health . When Emily's 16-year-old sister Melissa (Kimberley Warnat) -- another would-be environmentalist -- and her high school pal Daniel (Kristian Ayre) go to the woods to document evidence of a shady millionaire's (Alan Thicke) clear-cutting operation, Emily follows her and promptly gets washed away down a fast-flowing woodland river. Soon everyone is looking for the lost girl, including Melissa and Scott (Eric Johnson), a hunky slice of logger beefcake. With only the trusty bear cub -- now grown into a 700-pound adult named Masha -- as her guide, Emily struggles to make it out of the woods alive. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kaitlyn Burke, Michael Ontkean, (more)
Zoe (Vanessa Zima) is a teenage girl growing up in Michigan, where she's grown frustrated with life in the Midwest and is at odds with her mother (Kim Greist), who refuses to break things off with her boyfriend, who often beats her. Zoe wants to find a new direction in her life, and when she learns that one of her ancestors was a Cherokee Indian, she decides to explore her Native American heritage. Two of Zoe's friends, Ally (Victoria Davis) and Sarah (Stephi Lineburg), want to go to California, and since Zoe thinks she can find a spiritual guide in New Mexico, she decides to join them as they steal a car and head west. En route, Zoe makes the acquaintance of Cecelia (Jenny Seagrove), a British woman who is heading out to Navajo territory to scatter the ashes of her late mother, and Zoe believes she's met a mirror-version of herself (albeit a few years older). Zoe was the first feature film from director Deborah Attoinese, who also co-wrote the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Zima, Jenny Seagrove, (more)
- 1998
Arthur Joffe directed this French comic fantasy, in French and English dialogue, about God (voice of Pierre Arditi), invisible and spinning through Heavenly space on an asteroid, along with his sidekick angel Rene (Ticky Holgado). God observes Earthly events on His television set. After hacking out a screenplay on the Hebrew keyboard of a manual typewriter, the Deity needs a director, lands as a burning bush in back of the Hollywood sign, finds Hollywood hostile, jumps to Paris, and travels from one body to another, eventually settling on tekkie Jeanne (Helene de Fougerolles), an employee at Harper Audiovisual. Faxes in Hebrew begin arriving, and Jeanne hears voices. With God's screenplay translated to French, it finally goes up to the 127th floor for an okay by Mr. Harper himself (Tcheky Karyo). But there's a problem -- God is not very happy about Mr. Harper's alterations, as he explains, "I wrote the Bible, the best-selling book of all time! Where do they get off editing my script?" ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hélène de Fougerolles, Tchéky Karyo, (more)
This outdoor adventure is set in the mid-18th century. In the wilderness of Maine a boy struggles to survive and keep a promise when his father does not return from a trip to Massachusetts. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keith Carradine, Annette O'Toole, (more)
After being saved from execution at the hands of a vengeful Native American tribe by Powhatan princess Pocahontas, an explorer in the New World finds his relationship with the beautiful Pocahontas fueling the rage from both sides in this take on the classic tale starring Tony Goldwyn, Miles O'Keeffe, and Sandrine Holt. John Smith (O'Keeffe) was an explorer seeking adventure in a new land, but soon after being captured by the Powhatan Confederacy, the brave adventurer is sentenced to death by his captors. As the moment of Smith's execution draws near, a young Powhatan princess named Pocahontas (Holt) saves his life by adopting him under tribal tradition. Though the act of compassion saves Smith's life, it also draws the wrath of both Pocahontas' tribe and Smith's mortal enemy Sir Edwin Wingfield (Goldwyn) -- who views his old nemesis' alignment with the tribe as an act of treason. As the simmering tension between the settlers and the Native Americans breaks into a boil, blood will be spilled and history will be made. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandrine Holt
- 1994
Hosted by Kevin Costner and narrated by Gregory Harrison, the historical documentary 500 Nations, Vol. 3: Clash of Cultures - The People Who Met Columbus is part of an eight-part series that portrays America's original inhabitants. The film provides an in-depth look at Columbus' arrival in the New World, the conquering of Caribbean nations by the Spaniards, and Hernando de Soto's conquests in Florida and the Mississippi Valley. ~ Kathleen Wildasin, All Movie Guide
- 1993
This version of Jack London's classic adventure was made for television and stars Rick Schroder as the inexperienced young prospector who heads northward for the Klondike gold-rush of 1897. While in the rugged territory he becomes friends with Buck, a courageous German Shepherd being used as a sled-dog. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A teenage Ojibway boy, who has been in foster homes for ten years, is placed back on his family's reservation with his grandfather. While the tribe tries to make his return happy, the boy's resentments and family tragedies get in the way. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Herbie Barnes, Gordon Tootoosis, (more)
- 1992
When two Canadian teenagers discover the tomb of a Nordic warrior, they unleash a spirit bent on revenge and a dangerous archaeologist. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1991
This made-for-TV western stars Rick Schroder as a hotheaded cowboy who guns down the man responsible for the death of his parents. On the run from his victim's powerful father, Schroder is sheltered by old codger Wilford Brimley. Brimley seems to be operating out of friendship, but his reason for keeping Schroder alive is deliberately obscured until close to the end. Blood River was written by John Carpenter, a name usually associated with science fiction and horror. Though set in the Wild West, the film was lensed in Alberta and British Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rick Schroder, Wilford Brimley, (more)
