Kevin Kelly Movies
- 1994
- NR
In this taut thriller, a Las Vegas taxi driver must run for his life after stealing a cool million's worth of Mafia money. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Glenn, Andrew McCarthy, (more)
Family ghosts, generational conflict, and the immigrant experience frame this episodic comedy-drama about a Chinese-born Canadian woman's quest for self-definition, which marked the debut of writer/director Mina Shum. Jade Li (Sandra Oh), an aspiring actress in her early twenties, lives at home with her strict father (Stephen Chang), her dutiful mother (Alannah Ong), and her sweet younger sister, Pearl (Frances You). Their older brother, Winston, has been disowned -- a fate Jade is not eager to share, both for her own sake and to spare her family pain. Therefore, although she manages to land a few bit parts on camera, Jade spends most of her time working in the shop owned by a family friend, performing the duties of a respectful daughter and suffering through arranged dates with prosperous young Chinese men. An adept cultural chameleon, though, she also leads a double life, hanging out with best friend Lisa (Claudette Carracedo) and beginning a tentative romance with Caucasian college student Mark (Callum Keith Rennie). When her father's childhood friend arrives for a visit, however, Jade must juggle her competing identities even more carefully than usual, lest her choice of professions -- and boyfriends -- shame her father. After premiering at the 1994 Toronto International Film Festival, Double Happiness won several international awards and made its U.S. bow at Sundance in 1995. Writer/director Shum -- who, like her protagonist, was born in Hong Kong but raised in Canada -- appears briefly on camera as a casting director who doesn't think Jade is Chinese enough. Oh, who is actually of Korean descent, won a best actress Genie Award (the Canadian equivalent of an Oscar) for her portrayal of Jade. The part of Dad Li marked a departure for Chang, a frequent martial arts movie villain and real-life friend of Bruce Lee. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Oh, Stephen Chang, (more)
- 1992
In its centuries-long role as the premiere empire in the world, Britain had a long history of putting political expediency over what most would consider to be the demands of common humanity. In this wartime drama, the Wellington Regiment, composed entirely of empire subjects from New Zealand, is being used in suicide missions (along with other colonial regiments) during World War I in order to spare the lives of British soldiers. The battle this story focuses on takes place on a hill in Turkey named Chunuk Bair. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Powell, Kevin J. Wilson, (more)
Empty Bed is a 60-minute character study of an ageing homosexual. Bill Frayne (John Wylie) sits alone in his room, contemplating his past, present and future. In flashback, the events of the last 24 hours are assessed, as he sifts through the personal contacts--both gay and straight--made during the day. Empty Bed was completed in 1988 and entered into festival competition, winning awards at Houston International Film Festival and Sinking Creek Film Festival. The film was released on a general basis in 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This low-budget detective comedy has its moments of hilarity and will amuse anyone familiar with American television programs and movies. Dave Hawthorne is Sky Ryder, an off-the-wall detective with a wholly inept sidekick named Eppie (Bob Nelson). The two intrepids have been on a case for a year now, trailing the wrong woman, when they happen to save a damsel in distress (Frances Raines) as she's attacked by three nasty bikers who turn out to be FBI agents. Once thrown together by fate, romance develops between Ryder and the woman, though the danger has hardly ended. Sky Ryder stops the action now and again to do some great send-ups of well-known movie stars, indicating just how seriously one should take this film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hawthorne, Bob Nelson, (more)
This appallingly bad sci-fi film about an invisible bank-robber (Douglas Kennedy) was shot back-to-back with Beyond the Time Barrier on the grounds of the Texas State Fair in Dallas. The usual cackling and crime is included, most of which was done better in The Invisible Man. Marguerite Chapman is the film's one bright spot as Kennedy's lowlife girlfriend, but the rest of the characters are annoying and unsympathetic. Unpleasant, downbeat, and badly produced, it is hard to see the appeal of this one, even for genre completists. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
