Rick Stevenson Movies
Death lurks in the form of dairy delivery in this independent black comedy. Charlie Silvercloud III (Robert A. Guthrie) is a young man of Native American ancestry who has the sneaking suspicion a certain family tradition will soon catch up with him. It seems Charlie's father and grandfather both died on their 25th birthdays, and both died from the same circumstances, after being struck by runaway milk trucks. Charlie's 25th birthday is only a few weeks away, and he's starting to feel his certain fate is lurking around the corner. Charlie's mother, Lucille (Dee Wallace Stone), has been tracing the routes of the local milk delivery men and discover they all converge in their neighborhood, so Charlie starts putting his affairs in order -- picking out a cemetery plot, planning his funeral, and ending his relationship with his girlfriend. However, with his birthday not long away, Charlie meets Bessie Anderson (Sascha Knopf), an eccentric but beautiful girl who isn't about to let him die. Expiration Date also stars David Keith, Richard Sanders, and Ned Romero. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert A. Guthrie, Sascha Knopf, (more)
- 2000
Two kids discover just how exciting science can be in this drama for the family. Julia (Alison Pill) is a young woman growing up in a farming community in Central Canada, which has been hit with an unseasonable drought. Spirits are low around Julia's household until she and her brother Daniel (Bill Switzer) meet Jack (Simon McCorkindale), a travelling archeologist who is looking for dinosaur bones. Jack's dream is to some day find an entire skeleton intact, and he teaches Julia and Daniel lessons about both the science and the excitement of looking for fossils. Just as Jack and his new friends begin making some important finds, along comes "Hump" Hinton (Christopher Plummer), a fellow dinosaur hunter who has long considered himself Jack's greatest rival and who is determined to steal Jack's bone samples for his own purposes. The Dinosaur Hunter was originally produced for WIC Premium, a Canadian pay-cable service. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alison Pill, Simon MacCorkindale, (more)
- 1999
A small town in a frenzy for justice pins the blame for a horrible crime on the wrong people in this drama. After a teenage girl is found dead, the obvious suspects appear to be a quartet of teenage boys who met up with the girl the night before; they bad been out carousing, and were known to be up to no good. The boys declare that they're innocent, and defense attorney Gail Sterling believes them. But police lieutenant Sterling is convinced that the boys are guilty, and is determined to see them behind bars. Sterling is able to free the boys on a technicality, making her and her clients pariahs in the community until another killing convinces people that the murderer is still at large. Question Of Privilege stars David Keith, Michael Ironside, Wendy Crewson, Jessica Steen, and Nick Mancuso. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Steen, Wendy Crewson, (more)
Set in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, this magical family tale centers on a divorced radio talk show psychiatrist who has been so immersed in his career that he has neglected his two kids, Ashley and Josh. To rectify the situation, he takes them to a beautiful lakeside cabin in Glenorky, BC, the supposed home of a giant mythological reptilian monster. Though he has ostensibly come to spend time with the kids, the lure of working on his book is too strong and soon he is locked away in the cabin amidst papers, a cellular phone and a lap-top, busily clacking away while the children head out to explore. It is Ashley who first sees the mythical monster. She tells her dad, and of course, he initially disbelieves her, but the girl seems so earnest that he begins to wonder. His investigation of the matter leads him down a magical road to reconciliation with his children and the rediscovery that there is a wonderful life outside of his career. He even manages to find a little love along the way. This film is also known as Glenorky. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon, Joshua Jackson, (more)
- 1993
- R
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A plane crash lands an amateur Los Angeles marshal and a dangerous prisoner in the Alaskan wilderness. Their desperate situation forces them to rely on each other. However, the city-boy cop knows nothing about survival in the wilds while his captive is an expert. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rutger Hauer, Dylan Walsh, (more)
Adapted from the Robert Boswell novel, the film focuses on a very troubled family beset from all sides by conflict, arguments and scandal. The father (Peter Coyote) brings his wife (Cindy Pickett) and two sons (Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Berg) to Washington State to begin a new life, but finds that the same problems have followed them. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent D'Onofrio, Jennifer Jason Leigh, (more)
Michael (Patrick Dempsey) is a college student invited to spend Christmas vacation in Quebec City with his sweetheart Gabby (Jennifer Connelly) and her family. The wide-eyed Michael sees the city as a fairytale land with the splendid architecture gently dusted by the falling snow. When Michael arrives, Gabby tells him she is breaking up with him, and separate sleeping arrangements are made, and Gabby's mother (Florinda Bolkan) makes sure the visitor adheres to Gabby's wishes. Gabby's eccentric father (Andre Gregory) is an idealistic scholar who likes to work in the nude. Michael isn't lonely for long, as Gabby's two younger sisters show amorous interest in him. Lila Kedrova gives an excellent performance as the slightly daffy grandmother who believes Michael is her late husband. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Dempsey, Florinda Bolkan, (more)
Three friends face the disappointments of adulthood in this drama. Growing up in Ashville, Utah, a small town where traditional ideals still cling stubbornly to the hearts and minds of youth, Davey Hancock (Jason Gedrick) is the star of the high school's championship basketball team. Pretty cheerleader Mary Daley (Tracy Pollan) is Davey's girlfriend, and bright Danny Rivers (Kiefer Sutherland) is his best friend. Two years after graduating from high school, reality has dimmed their dreams; while Davey won a college scholarship to play ball, he washed out of the team and ended up back in Ashville, where he's now a police officer. While Davey still sees Mary, she wants more out of life than Ashville or her relationship with him can give her. And when Danny, who has spent much of his time since high school drifting in search of an ambition, returns to town to visit Davey and Mary, he brings along a surprise -- Bev (Meg Ryan), a drug-addled floozy with an unstable personality (and a gun) whom he married in Las Vegas three days earlier. Promised Land was also released on home video under the title Young Hearts. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Gedrick, Kiefer Sutherland, (more)
In this Scottish comedy, two young fellows disguise themselves as a clown and a wolf-man and begin robbing tourist buses. Somehow the two end up considered national heroes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Friell, Joe Mullaney, (more)
- 1982
This British drama is thought to be the first student feature film made at Oxford University. It is also notable for marking the film debut of actors Hugh Grant, Imogen Stubbs, and James Wilby. The story is focused on a group of undergraduates, one of whom considers himself a fine actor. During a production of The Duchess of Malfi, he attempts to seduce the leading lady, but she rejects him. To console himself, he begins going after the wife of his well-born friend. When his friend catches the aspiring actor messing with his wife, he challenges him to a duel. Ever the gentleman, the nobleman opts to kill himself during the duel rather than take the life of the actor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
