Reviews (15)

Fady Ghaly's reviews
(. . .)Coming-of-age sagas are frequently burdened with threat, especially because the genre has been so overworked and even pulverized into cliché. Yet young filmmaker, John Fawcett, pulls off a coup with this hip and arresting drama that's full of spit and attitude, and is relentlessly in your face, whether you like it or not. The Genie-nominated, first-time Toronto director, working from Genie-nominated writer, Peter Wellington's edgy, intellectual script, re-invigorates the genre with panache.

He does so by balancing climactic suspenseful elements with authentic human insights. He does it with a first-rate cast, led by Chris Penn as a psychotic cop killer badly affected by a grim childhood who, when he had reached his breaking point, I guess you could say in a sense, had me on the edge of my seat till I was fully assured that he was conquered-such riveting performance was that compelling. A performance so compelling, it earned him a nomination as Best Actor at the 1996 Genie Awards. Here, Penn really delivers his finest since co-starring in Abel Ferrara's elegiac gangster film, The Funeral. (Even the title itself screams of great mourning for that which is irrecoverably past.)

The three youths played by our rising young stars are at loose ends during a teachers' strike that has closed down their small Ontario town's high school. The three friends, who dispute because their social and intellectual instincts tug in three dramatically different directions, find themselves in a quandary one afternoon as they head toward their secluded shack deep into the wilderness where the pressures of growing up do not have to be faced; however, that severely wounded and yet armed stranger in whom they discover hiding out inside may just be their ticket to real adventure. Overriding common sense, they decide to help the stranger, who we find out is named Luke, rather than report the incident to the police.

"If you want something, you just take it, and then it's yours," Luke says, and they do, and they love it. They get themselves into trouble and the thought of getting themselves in insubordinate acts excites them. They're loving it. They feel alive. (Luke even builds courage in one of the boys who was dealing with girl trouble, named Kyle, but ultimately had girl trouble no more, for he got that girl, impressed her by filling her in with his knowledge in air crafting as Luke wisely told him to, and his dream was finally fulfilled as he got to show how great his "affection" was upon her as they had sexual intercourse together.)

Over the ensuing days, the adventure escalates gradually into a full-blown moral, ethical and physical crisis. What is so clever with regards to this piece is that, even when, through the audiences' eyes, we want to wail out the words: Wake up, stupid! when one of our teen heroes is about to make a mistake in judgment, the Fawcett-Wellington team make those mistakes understandable. We sympathize. We comprehend. We're involved.

The ambivalence and complexity of the struggle are why The Boys Club has accurately been called a cross between Stand By Me and River's Edge, two landmark films that explored teen anguish with a piercing intelligence, never pandering to the youths or condescending them.

Fawcett walks the same wobbly tightrope, even if The Boys Club remains as a modest film, at least, in scale, that will not gain the notoriety of either Stand By Me or River's Edge.

On the other hand, Penn is a towering force, a raging bull-of-a-catalyst in our teen protagonists' lives. Dominic Zomprogna-being the one to play the part of Kyle-perfectly essays the confused youth torn between intellect and impulse; Stuart Stone, who plays the part of Brad, is a terrific counterbalance as the practical one, while the charismatic Devon Sawa-a dead ringer for Leonardo DiCaprio-is pure feral instinct. (According to Sawa, his character in the film, whose name is Eric, is so unlike himself that it really puts his acting skills to the test. The Boys Club has generally been his most challenging film yet, and yet he passes with flying colors.) Nicholas Campbell provides a compellingly sad-sophisticated portrayal of Kyle's father.

Their personalities mix, the deeming of both their feud and friendship bond and the palpable danger of the narrative ups the emotional stakes. Even Eric, the tough-talking, badly-behaved kid who pushed others such as Brad around and talked about how ineffectual and cowardly they were, becomes nothing more but an ineffectual and cowardly kid himself, while Brad, one who was perpetually antagonized by him, became the brave one who was willing to risk his own life in order to prevent Kyle from losing his, and, most vitally, Kyle's bother's, who was shot earlier on in the dorsum and left to bleed to death inside their shack.
"Kyle, he's getting beaten around. We have to do something. We have to do something," Brad urgently pleads.
"What? No wait...you know what, we'll just call the cops, huh?" the apprehensive Eric says.
"No, it's too late-"
"We'll call the cops-"
"It's too late," Brad continues, and they ultimately find a way to enter their shack without Luke indicating any signs of their existence, a time when even greater heat was summoned.
The Boys Club is not at all just kids' play. It is an inexorable and deeply powerful film that tests friendships and human insight, and yet it doesn't ever overdraw upon a single factor that would diminish it from being the masterpiece that is, because that's precisely what it is despite of the fact that it was shot as a Canadian film on a skin-and-bones budget, will not be released in most countries-which is a shame-and was shown at only a few theaters in Canada. (Mind you, it, however, is available on VHS and DVD in, aside from Canada, Australia and the U.S. as well.)

The Boys Club, although the affect it has upon me isn't quite as great as it once was-for I have now watched it so many times, that it has reached an extent where the amount can no longer be counted anymore-it, nonetheless, is a film that will forever be special to me. Not only because the tension that was generated by these kids in danger influenced me to become a writer, an interest that has drastically altered me as a person, for I now I'm capable of expressing my feelings in a way I never thought possible; but, in addition, because, after having stepped inside a video store one glorious day, it instantaneously drew me to purchase a copy of it on DVD despite of the fact that I merely had a VCR-a machine that was left setting alone no longer, for I the following day ended up purchasing the player itself, a highly sophisticated machine in technology that has forever altered both my experience and outlook upon movie-viewing.

Fady Ghaly's reviews
Coming-of-age sagas are frequently burdened with threat, especially because the genre has been so overworked and even pulverized into cliché. Yet young filmmaker, John Fawcett, pulls off a coup with this hip and arresting drama that's full of spit and attitude, and is relentlessly in your face, whether you like it or not. The Genie-nominated, first-time Toronto director, working from Genie-nominated writer, Peter Wellington's edgy, intellectual script, re-invigorates the genre with panache. He does so by balancing climactic suspenseful elements with authentic human insights. He does it with a first-rate cast, led by Chris Penn as a psychotic cop killer badly affected by a dreadful childhood, who, when he had reached his breaking point, I guess you could say in a sense, had me on the edge of my seat till I was fully assured that he was conquered, such riveting performance was that compelling. A performance so compelling, it earned him a nomination as Best Actor. Here, Penn really delivers his finest since co-starring in Abel Ferrara's elegiac gangster film, The Funeral.
The three youths played by our rising young stars are at loose ends during a teachers' strike that has closed down their small Ontario town's high school. The three friends, who dispute because their social and intellectual instincts tug in three dramatically different directions, find themselves in a quandary; however, that severely wounded and yet armed stranger in whom they discovered hiding out in their shack deep into the wilderness might just be their ticket to real adventure. Overriding common sense, they of course decide to help him rather than report the incident to the police.
Over the ensuing days, the adventure escalates gradually into a full-blown moral, ethical and physical crisis. What is so clever with regards to this piece is that, even when, through the audiences' eyes, we want to wail out the words: Wake up, stupid! when one of our teen heroes is about to make a mistake in judgement, the Fawcett-Wellington team make those mistakes understandable. We sympathize. We comprehend. We're involved.
The ambivalence and complexity of the struggle are why The Boys Club has accurately been called a cross between Stand By Me and River's Edge, two landmark films that explored teen anguish with a piercing intelligence, never pandering to the youths or condescending them.
Fawcett walks the same wobbly tightrope, even if The Boys Club remains as a modest film, at least in scale, that will not gain the notoriety of either Stand By Be or River's Edge.
On the other hand, Penn is a towering force, a raging bull-of-a-catalyst in our teen protagonists' lives. Dominic Zamprogna perfectly essays the confused youth torn between intellect and impulse; Stuart Stone is a terrific counterbalance as the practical one, while the charismatic Devon Sawa-a dead ringer for Leonardo DiCaprio-is pure feral instinct. Nicholas Campbell provides a compellingly sad-sophisticated portrayal of Kyle 's (Zamprogna) father.
Their personalities mix, the deeming of both their feud and friendship bond and the palpable danger of the synopsis ups the emotional stakes. The Boys Club is not at all just kids' play. It is a stern and powerful film that tests friendships and yet doesn't ever overdraw upon a single factor that would diminish it from being the masterpiece that it is.

The Boys Club, though the affect it has upon me isn't quite as great as it once was, it, nonetheless, is a film that will forever be special to me. Not only because the tension that was generated by these kids in danger influenced me to become a writer, an interest that has drastically altered me as a person, for I now I'm capable of expressing my feelings in a way I never thought possible; in addition, because it, after having stepped inside a video store one glorious day, drew me to purchase a copy of it on DVD despite of the fact that I only had a VCR, a machine that was left setting alone no longer, for I the following day ended up purchasing the player itself, a highly sophisticated machine in technology that has forever altered my outlook upon movie-viewing.

Fady Ghaly's reviews

My remarks toward this picture
Coming-of-age sagas are frequently burdened with threat, especially because the genre has been so overworked and even pulverized into cliché. Yet young filmmaker, John Fawcett, pulls off a coup with this hip and arresting drama that's full of spit and attitude, and is relentlessly in your face, whether you like it or not. The Genie-nominated, first-time Toronto director, working from Genie-nominated writer, Peter Wellington's edgy, intellectual script, re-invigorates the genre with panache.

He does so by balancing climactic suspenseful elements with authentic human insights. He does it with a first-rate cast, led by Chris Penn as a psychotic cop killer badly affected by a grim childhood who, when he had reached his breaking point, I guess you could say in a sense, had me on the edge of my seat till I was fully assured that he was conquered-such riveting performance was that compelling. A performance so compelling, it earned him a nomination as Best Actor at the 1996 Genie Awards. Here, Penn really delivers his finest since co-starring in Abel Ferrara's elegiac gangster film, The Funeral. (Even the title itself screams of great mourning for that which is irrecoverably past.)

The three youths played by our rising young stars are at loose ends during a teachers' strike that has closed down their small Ontario town's high school. The three friends, who dispute because their social and intellectual instincts tug in three dramatically different directions, find themselves in a quandary one afternoon as they head toward their secluded shack deep into the wilderness where the pressures of growing up do not have to be faced; however, that severely wounded and yet armed stranger in whom they discover hiding out inside may just be their ticket to real adventure. Overriding common sense, they decide to help the stranger, who we find out is named Luke, rather than report the incident to the police.

"If you want something, you just take it, and then it's yours," Luke says, and they do, and they love it. They get themselves into trouble and the thought of getting themselves in insubordinate acts excites them. (spoiler) What is so clever with regards to this piece is that, even when, through the audiences' eyes, we want to wail out the words: Wake up, stupid! when one of our teen heroes is about to make a mistake in judgment, the Fawcett-Wellington team make those mistakes understandable. We sympathize. We comprehend. We're involved.

The ambivalence and complexity of the struggle are why The Boys Club has accurately been called a cross between Stand By Me and River's Edge, two landmark films that explored teen anguish with a piercing intelligence, never pandering to the youths or condescending them.

Fawcett walks the same wobbly tightrope, even if The Boys Club remains as a modest film, at least, in scale, that will not gain the notoriety of either Stand By Me or River's Edge.

On the other hand, Penn is a towering force, a raging bull-of-a-catalyst in our teen protagonists' lives. Dominic Zomprogna-being the one to play the part of Kyle-perfectly essays the confused youth torn between intellect and impulse; Stuart Stone, who plays the part of Brad, is a terrific counterbalance as the practical one, while the charismatic Devon Sawa-a dead ringer for Leonardo DiCaprio-is pure feral instinct. (According to Sawa, his character in the film, whose name is Eric, is so unlike himself that it really puts his acting skills to the test. The Boys Club has generally been his most challenging film yet, and yet he passes with flying colors.) Nicholas Campbell provides a compellingly sad-sophisticated portrayal of Kyle's father.

Their personalities mix, the deeming of both their feud and friendship bond and the palpable danger of the narrative ups the emotional stakes. (spoiler)
The Boys Club is not at all just kids' play. It is an inexorable and deeply powerful film that tests friendships and human insight, and yet it doesn't ever overdraw upon a single factor that would diminish it from being the masterpiece that is, because that's precisely what it is despite of the fact that it was shot as a Canadian film on a skin-and-bones budget, will not be released in most countries-which is a shame-and was shown at only a few theaters in Canada. (Mind you, it, however, is available on VHS and DVD in, aside from Canada, Australia and the U.S. as well.)

The Boys Club, although the affect it has upon me isn't quite as great as it once was-for I have now watched it so many times, that it has reached an extent where the amount can no longer be counted anymore-it, nonetheless, is a film that will forever be special to me. Not only because the tension that was generated by these kids in danger influenced me to become a writer, an interest that has drastically altered me as a person, for I now I'm capable of expressing my feelings in a way I never thought possible; but, in addition, because, after having stepped inside a video store one glorious day, it instantaneously drew me to purchase a copy of it on DVD despite of the fact that I merely had a VCR-a machine that was left setting alone no longer, for I the following day ended up purchasing the player itself, a highly sophisticated machine in technology that has forever altered both my experience and outlook upon movie-viewing.

A great thriller, a hot guy, what more could you ask for?
This movie was excellent and skillfully done. I don't only love it because one of the main stars, Dominic Zamprogna, is SOO hot, but just because it's a great movie. It is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that you will have to watch from beginning to end.

Cool Movie ,Hot Chick
This Movie is cool it sounds like me and my friends and something that would happen to usand Amy Stwerwart who plays megan ohh-ahh man she so so incredibly hot man shes got me dreamin but the movie is cool watch it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

nothing's black or white when you're fighting for your life
This film directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal is only interesting in that it presents two female protagonists, pre-empting his later preference for female actors, eg Barbara Hershey. There is enough rough housing - beatings, rape, fire, flood, rats, drugs, chase, guns - for action fans and the dramatic plot doesn't slow things down too much. However given that the main characters are female, screenwriter Michael Jacobs unfortunately subjects them both to extended humiliations.
The incident which sets Irene Cara and Tatum O'Neal on the lam is poorly if campily staged, a courtroom gunbattle where the police are exposed as clods, and the idea that they have no reason to run since they are not responsible for the gunfire is soon dubiously rationalised by the death of a pursuing policeman.
Jacobs idea of social commentary is having Moses Gunn as Cara's doctor father pontificating "I can go into an operating room, take out the bad part, and it's healed. How do you cut this off?". There is also a laugh line in response to his tale of Cara retreating to her room upon her mother's death with "You probably didn't realise how serious it was". Plus having two women trying to survive in the sleazy underworld, it's no surprise how many times they are referred to as "witch".
The inverted casting of O'Neal as a streetkid and Cara as a middle class student is unexpected, though O'Neal is hardly convincing, given her face and pedigree. Her slumming only extends to having dyed her hair red to go with her name Scarlett, and swearing. Cara is the stronger performer though has little material to shine with - the best she can do is sing the title song over the credits, which she co-wrote. Peter Fonda has one scene with O'Neal, where he calls her a "spoilt little girl", and which ends in disfigurement.
We aren't told about O'Neal's past, how long she has been on the street, and this then makes us question the glamour photo of her that appears in the newspaper. However Gyllenhaal creates an atmospheric candle-lit drug palace, even if we are told it's a place where guns are prohibited, and where someone who has molested one of the heroines and tried to kill the other is suddenly shown concern for a hot predicament.

Irene and Tatum pair well as first adversaries then friends.
The first film that Irene did after "Fame", being a fan of both stars, you will enjoy this film. Despite holes in the plot, the two stars give good performances. Irene as rich daddy's girl looking for attention and Tatum as poor girl looking to survive they make you believe in both of their struggles. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

B-Movie Masterpiece!
This movie is Dice's best since Ford Fairlane and Crime Story! He turns out a fantastic performance as a bad guy. Shannon Tweed, in her best role yet, plays the kick boxing heroine who, stunt double or no, really kicks the tar out of the bad guys. Other B-Movie greats are here, including Robert "Showgirls" Davi, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and a few other familiar faces. Piper gets the stuffing beat out of him with a bag of ice in one of the film's best scenes. Don't miss this one, watch it late at night, but be sure to watch it!

Been wanting this movie for YEARS!...
I have been wanting this movie for a long, long time. Originally it was ONLY available on VHS, but thanks to miracle that is DVD, this "cult" CLASSIC may now be enjoyed for many years to come! Andrew Dice Clay ROCKS!...

The Woman "Die Hard" turns into Typical Bad B-Movie Fare
Originally a HBO movie, it's amazing a lot of work went to put together what would obviously be a "shoot-em up" movie, slated only for the late hours of the night. Trying to be a woman's "Die Hard," this picture tries to bring life with granted, an interesting selection of villains, and to have a woman be in the "Die Hard" role. However, by the time this movie was made the "Die Hard" had been done so many times it was cliche, and this movie tries to aim for a lot of plot twists and a lot of violence to try to breathe life. It's only life may really be due to B-rated humor. No, it's not because of the premise of Shannon Tweed saving the day as former Beauty Queen now action star, Sharon Bell, doing Karate kicks. It would've probably worked well with a different actress (and no, she does not have to be "butch"). But the bad, obvious scenes of her "stunt Double," do make this movie worth the commentary of Mystery Science Theatre.

The story in short-- a Miss Universe (or Galaxy as they called it) pageant is taken over by "terrorists" and the leader, Andrew "Dice" Clay (yes, that's right, Andrew Clay) is asking for 5 million dollars in diamonds or all of the hostages will die. Shannon Tweed, the hostess of the pageant, escapes and takes the Bruce Willis role as she sneaks around and sweats and offs baddies. Your typical "Die Hard" plot. Like in "Die Hard," the hotel is taken over ridiculously easy, even by pre-9/11 standards. In fact, when within fifteen minutes after the takeover one of them says "the hotel is completely empty" (by two or three of the five terrorist), it's completely laughable, new hotel or not, inept hotel manager or not (the hotel manager character badly acted).

The only interesting aspect of this movie is it actually tries to appeal the woman audience watcher (this was the time when action movies were often praised for being for both "The girl" and "the guy"). Yes, it tries to do this with Andrew "Dice" Clay. Women do take aggressive roles in the movie (including a police woman) and the women hostages, themselves, do at times manage to overtake the male chauvenist "terrorists." In fact, one of the reasons why the villains seem so villainous is their blatant, negative attitude towards women (except maybe for the computer geek).

But the main reason why we see the villains are evil is that we get to see them kill eleven characters in the beginning of the movie with blood and gore highlighted. Of the blockbusters of this type, I don't recall either "Die Hard" or "Speed" going for the jugular so soon. Once the mostly "Silencer" deaths are dealt with, we later get to see violence against women, villains killing cops as if they are playing a video game, a character being blown up, a character's eyebrow taken off, someone attacked repeatedly by a bag of ice, and a machine gun death that's trying to outdo a scene from "The Godfather." Then there's the gratuitous line from Andrew Clay, "The tiger doesn't do it for the meat. It does it for the blood. Now, that's not sick. That's purpose." The sad thing is, a lot of it seems unnecessary and minimizes the terror. The only interesting aspect of the terrorists, was the whole "fail safe" plot, which may be a difficult to buy, but deals with a bunch of bombs placed against the foundation of a building and the only thing keeping it off is a villain's living pulse within range. Oh, that and they kill the winner of "Miss Galaxy" and make the runner-up the new winner to show a TV audience they mean business.

As for the plot-- why the villains would do what they do, considering the international coverage of an international beauty contest only reveals how dumb the villains are and one wonders why they hadn't died a long time ago from their other acts of third-world terrorism (which they refer to). Because the reason for their terrorism is so ridiculously trivial and unlike "Die Hard" really had no reason for them to take over a hotel, this movie end up truly becoming one of those turkey "B" movies. If it wasn't for the humor (some of it unintentional) this movie would only then be rated V for violence, a lot of which is gratuitous.

Rated Two stars only because it did have its "moments"

Boom Boom Boom Boom
Absolutely Fantastic. This is a must buy if your sat at home on a Friday night and you need a good laugh. Anyone who can defuse a bomb by muttering the words 'boom boom boom' is a god in his own right. There are also some handy tips if your mobile phone ariel breaks and how to pretend your a hostage. Shame there not making a third... bummer.

what happened?
...lets recap this movie: beauty contest, terrorist, barbie turns in to rambo, some people die, bad dialog, and the one thing that could have saved this movie, didnt happen...

this is a Shannon Tweed movie, about a bueaty contest, and there is never any sence at all with anyone wearing less than a bathing suit

at least that would have made this ok to watch "late-night" ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Fady Ghaly's reviews
(. . .)Coming-of-age sagas are frequently burdened with threat, especially because the genre has been so overworked and even pulverized into cliché. Yet young filmmaker, John Fawcett, pulls off a coup with this hip and arresting drama that's full of spit and attitude, and is relentlessly in your face, whether you like it or not. The Genie-nominated, first-time Toronto director, working from Genie-nominated writer, Peter Wellington's edgy, intellectual script, re-invigorates the genre with panache.

He does so by balancing climactic suspenseful elements with authentic human insights. He does it with a first-rate cast, led by Chris Penn as a psychotic cop killer badly affected by a grim childhood who, when he had reached his breaking point, I guess you could say in a sense, had me on the edge of my seat till I was fully assured that he was conquered-such riveting performance was that compelling. A performance so compelling, it earned him a nomination as Best Actor at the 1996 Genie Awards. Here, Penn really delivers his finest since co-starring in Abel Ferrara's elegiac gangster film, The Funeral. (Even the title itself screams of great mourning for that which is irrecoverably past.)

The three youths played by our rising young stars are at loose ends during a teachers' strike that has closed down their small Ontario town's high school. The three friends, who dispute because their social and intellectual instincts tug in three dramatically different directions, find themselves in a quandary one afternoon as they head toward their secluded shack deep into the wilderness where the pressures of growing up do not have to be faced; however, that severely wounded and yet armed stranger in whom they discover hiding out inside may just be their ticket to real adventure. Overriding common sense, they decide to help the stranger, who we find out is named Luke, rather than report the incident to the police.

"If you want something, you just take it, and then it's yours," Luke says, and they do, and they love it. They get themselves into trouble and the thought of getting themselves in insubordinate acts excites them. They're loving it. They feel alive. (Luke even builds courage in one of the boys who was dealing with girl trouble, named Kyle, but ultimately had girl trouble no more, for he got that girl, impressed her by filling her in with his knowledge in air crafting as Luke wisely told him to, and his dream was finally fulfilled as he got to show how great his "affection" was upon her as they had sexual intercourse together.)

Over the ensuing days, the adventure escalates gradually into a full-blown moral, ethical and physical crisis. What is so clever with regards to this piece is that, even when, through the audiences' eyes, we want to wail out the words: Wake up, stupid! when one of our teen heroes is about to make a mistake in judgment, the Fawcett-Wellington team make those mistakes understandable. We sympathize. We comprehend. We're involved.

The ambivalence and complexity of the struggle are why The Boys Club has accurately been called a cross between Stand By Me and River's Edge, two landmark films that explored teen anguish with a piercing intelligence, never pandering to the youths or condescending them.

Fawcett walks the same wobbly tightrope, even if The Boys Club remains as a modest film, at least, in scale, that will not gain the notoriety of either Stand By Me or River's Edge.

On the other hand, Penn is a towering force, a raging bull-of-a-catalyst in our teen protagonists' lives. Dominic Zomprogna-being the one to play the part of Kyle-perfectly essays the confused youth torn between intellect and impulse; Stuart Stone, who plays the part of Brad, is a terrific counterbalance as the practical one, while the charismatic Devon Sawa-a dead ringer for Leonardo DiCaprio-is pure feral instinct. (According to Sawa, his character in the film, whose name is Eric, is so unlike himself that it really puts his acting skills to the test. The Boys Club has generally been his most challenging film yet, and yet he passes with flying colors.) Nicholas Campbell provides a compellingly sad-sophisticated portrayal of Kyle's father.

Their personalities mix, the deeming of both their feud and friendship bond and the palpable danger of the narrative ups the emotional stakes. Even Eric, the tough-talking, badly-behaved kid who pushed others such as Brad around and talked about how ineffectual and cowardly they were, becomes nothing more but an ineffectual and cowardly kid himself, while Brad, one who was perpetually antagonized by him, became the brave one who was willing to risk his own life in order to prevent Kyle from losing his, and, most vitally, Kyle's bother's, who was shot earlier on in the dorsum and left to bleed to death inside their shack.
"Kyle, he's getting beaten around. We have to do something. We have to do something," Brad urgently pleads.
"What? No wait...you know what, we'll just call the cops, huh?" the apprehensive Eric says.
"No, it's too late-"
"We'll call the cops-"
"It's too late," Brad continues, and they ultimately find a way to enter their shack without Luke indicating any signs of their existence, a time when even greater heat was summoned.
The Boys Club is not at all just kids' play. It is an inexorable and deeply powerful film that tests friendships and human insight, and yet it doesn't ever overdraw upon a single factor that would diminish it from being the masterpiece that is, because that's precisely what it is despite of the fact that it was shot as a Canadian film on a skin-and-bones budget, will not be released in most countries-which is a shame-and was shown at only a few theaters in Canada. (Mind you, it, however, is available on VHS and DVD in, aside from Canada, Australia and the U.S. as well.)

The Boys Club, although the affect it has upon me isn't quite as great as it once was-for I have now watched it so many times, that it has reached an extent where the amount can no longer be counted anymore-it, nonetheless, is a film that will forever be special to me. Not only because the tension that was generated by these kids in danger influenced me to become a writer, an interest that has drastically altered me as a person, for I now I'm capable of expressing my feelings in a way I never thought possible; but, in addition, because, after having stepped inside a video store one glorious day, it instantaneously drew me to purchase a copy of it on DVD despite of the fact that I merely had a VCR-a machine that was left setting alone no longer, for I the following day ended up purchasing the player itself, a highly sophisticated machine in technology that has forever altered both my experience and outlook upon movie-viewing.

Fady Ghaly's reviews
Coming-of-age sagas are frequently burdened with threat, especially because the genre has been so overworked and even pulverized into cliché. Yet young filmmaker, John Fawcett, pulls off a coup with this hip and arresting drama that's full of spit and attitude, and is relentlessly in your face, whether you like it or not. The Genie-nominated, first-time Toronto director, working from Genie-nominated writer, Peter Wellington's edgy, intellectual script, re-invigorates the genre with panache. He does so by balancing climactic suspenseful elements with authentic human insights. He does it with a first-rate cast, led by Chris Penn as a psychotic cop killer badly affected by a dreadful childhood, who, when he had reached his breaking point, I guess you could say in a sense, had me on the edge of my seat till I was fully assured that he was conquered, such riveting performance was that compelling. A performance so compelling, it earned him a nomination as Best Actor. Here, Penn really delivers his finest since co-starring in Abel Ferrara's elegiac gangster film, The Funeral.
The three youths played by our rising young stars are at loose ends during a teachers' strike that has closed down their small Ontario town's high school. The three friends, who dispute because their social and intellectual instincts tug in three dramatically different directions, find themselves in a quandary; however, that severely wounded and yet armed stranger in whom they discovered hiding out in their shack deep into the wilderness might just be their ticket to real adventure. Overriding common sense, they of course decide to help him rather than report the incident to the police.
Over the ensuing days, the adventure escalates gradually into a full-blown moral, ethical and physical crisis. What is so clever with regards to this piece is that, even when, through the audiences' eyes, we want to wail out the words: Wake up, stupid! when one of our teen heroes is about to make a mistake in judgement, the Fawcett-Wellington team make those mistakes understandable. We sympathize. We comprehend. We're involved.
The ambivalence and complexity of the struggle are why The Boys Club has accurately been called a cross between Stand By Me and River's Edge, two landmark films that explored teen anguish with a piercing intelligence, never pandering to the youths or condescending them.
Fawcett walks the same wobbly tightrope, even if The Boys Club remains as a modest film, at least in scale, that will not gain the notoriety of either Stand By Be or River's Edge.
On the other hand, Penn is a towering force, a raging bull-of-a-catalyst in our teen protagonists' lives. Dominic Zamprogna perfectly essays the confused youth torn between intellect and impulse; Stuart Stone is a terrific counterbalance as the practical one, while the charismatic Devon Sawa-a dead ringer for Leonardo DiCaprio-is pure feral instinct. Nicholas Campbell provides a compellingly sad-sophisticated portrayal of Kyle 's (Zamprogna) father.
Their personalities mix, the deeming of both their feud and friendship bond and the palpable danger of the synopsis ups the emotional stakes. The Boys Club is not at all just kids' play. It is a stern and powerful film that tests friendships and yet doesn't ever overdraw upon a single factor that would diminish it from being the masterpiece that it is.

The Boys Club, though the affect it has upon me isn't quite as great as it once was, it, nonetheless, is a film that will forever be special to me. Not only because the tension that was generated by these kids in danger influenced me to become a writer, an interest that has drastically altered me as a person, for I now I'm capable of expressing my feelings in a way I never thought possible; in addition, because it, after having stepped inside a video store one glorious day, drew me to purchase a copy of it on DVD despite of the fact that I only had a VCR, a machine that was left setting alone no longer, for I the following day ended up purchasing the player itself, a highly sophisticated machine in technology that has forever altered my outlook upon movie-viewing.

Fady Ghaly's reviews

My remarks toward this picture
Coming-of-age sagas are frequently burdened with threat, especially because the genre has been so overworked and even pulverized into cliché. Yet young filmmaker, John Fawcett, pulls off a coup with this hip and arresting drama that's full of spit and attitude, and is relentlessly in your face, whether you like it or not. The Genie-nominated, first-time Toronto director, working from Genie-nominated writer, Peter Wellington's edgy, intellectual script, re-invigorates the genre with panache.

He does so by balancing climactic suspenseful elements with authentic human insights. He does it with a first-rate cast, led by Chris Penn as a psychotic cop killer badly affected by a grim childhood who, when he had reached his breaking point, I guess you could say in a sense, had me on the edge of my seat till I was fully assured that he was conquered-such riveting performance was that compelling. A performance so compelling, it earned him a nomination as Best Actor at the 1996 Genie Awards. Here, Penn really delivers his finest since co-starring in Abel Ferrara's elegiac gangster film, The Funeral. (Even the title itself screams of great mourning for that which is irrecoverably past.)

The three youths played by our rising young stars are at loose ends during a teachers' strike that has closed down their small Ontario town's high school. The three friends, who dispute because their social and intellectual instincts tug in three dramatically different directions, find themselves in a quandary one afternoon as they head toward their secluded shack deep into the wilderness where the pressures of growing up do not have to be faced; however, that severely wounded and yet armed stranger in whom they discover hiding out inside may just be their ticket to real adventure. Overriding common sense, they decide to help the stranger, who we find out is named Luke, rather than report the incident to the police.

"If you want something, you just take it, and then it's yours," Luke says, and they do, and they love it. They get themselves into trouble and the thought of getting themselves in insubordinate acts excites them. (spoiler) What is so clever with regards to this piece is that, even when, through the audiences' eyes, we want to wail out the words: Wake up, stupid! when one of our teen heroes is about to make a mistake in judgment, the Fawcett-Wellington team make those mistakes understandable. We sympathize. We comprehend. We're involved.

The ambivalence and complexity of the struggle are why The Boys Club has accurately been called a cross between Stand By Me and River's Edge, two landmark films that explored teen anguish with a piercing intelligence, never pandering to the youths or condescending them.

Fawcett walks the same wobbly tightrope, even if The Boys Club remains as a modest film, at least, in scale, that will not gain the notoriety of either Stand By Me or River's Edge.

On the other hand, Penn is a towering force, a raging bull-of-a-catalyst in our teen protagonists' lives. Dominic Zomprogna-being the one to play the part of Kyle-perfectly essays the confused youth torn between intellect and impulse; Stuart Stone, who plays the part of Brad, is a terrific counterbalance as the practical one, while the charismatic Devon Sawa-a dead ringer for Leonardo DiCaprio-is pure feral instinct. (According to Sawa, his character in the film, whose name is Eric, is so unlike himself that it really puts his acting skills to the test. The Boys Club has generally been his most challenging film yet, and yet he passes with flying colors.) Nicholas Campbell provides a compellingly sad-sophisticated portrayal of Kyle's father.

Their personalities mix, the deeming of both their feud and friendship bond and the palpable danger of the narrative ups the emotional stakes. (spoiler)
The Boys Club is not at all just kids' play. It is an inexorable and deeply powerful film that tests friendships and human insight, and yet it doesn't ever overdraw upon a single factor that would diminish it from being the masterpiece that is, because that's precisely what it is despite of the fact that it was shot as a Canadian film on a skin-and-bones budget, will not be released in most countries-which is a shame-and was shown at only a few theaters in Canada. (Mind you, it, however, is available on VHS and DVD in, aside from Canada, Australia and the U.S. as well.)

The Boys Club, although the affect it has upon me isn't quite as great as it once was-for I have now watched it so many times, that it has reached an extent where the amount can no longer be counted anymore-it, nonetheless, is a film that will forever be special to me. Not only because the tension that was generated by these kids in danger influenced me to become a writer, an interest that has drastically altered me as a person, for I now I'm capable of expressing my feelings in a way I never thought possible; but, in addition, because, after having stepped inside a video store one glorious day, it instantaneously drew me to purchase a copy of it on DVD despite of the fact that I merely had a VCR-a machine that was left setting alone no longer, for I the following day ended up purchasing the player itself, a highly sophisticated machine in technology that has forever altered both my experience and outlook upon movie-viewing.

A great thriller, a hot guy, what more could you ask for?
This movie was excellent and skillfully done. I don't only love it because one of the main stars, Dominic Zamprogna, is SOO hot, but just because it's a great movie. It is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that you will have to watch from beginning to end.

Cool Movie ,Hot Chick
This Movie is cool it sounds like me and my friends and something that would happen to usand Amy Stwerwart who plays megan ohh-ahh man she so so incredibly hot man shes got me dreamin but the movie is cool watch it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Filmed on location in damp, windswept Nova Scotia and set in the 1970s, New Waterford Girl centers around the attempts of Moonie (newcomer Liane Balaban) to flee the constraints of small-town life. The lanky lass would like to be an artist and is encouraged by her teacher, Sweeney (Andrew McCarthy), to apply for a scholarship that will take her out of Cape Breton. In the meantime, she befriends Lou (Tara Spencer-Nairn), the tough girl next door, who helps her to devise an alternate plan. As in his previous features, Times Square and Pump Up the Volume, director Allen Moyle is interested in pop culture and teens who don't quite fit in. Despite the presence of better-known actors like Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull) and Mark McKinney (Kids in the Hall), this is Balaban's film and she carries it with an awkward, yet endearing grace. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Trying to Leave
Mooney Pottie is an eccentric, teenage, odd duck in the small Irish-Catholic town of New Waterford on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia---a town where the mere mention of the Blessed Virgin will stop a sinner "in his tracks". Played to perfection by Liane Balaban, Mooney is determined to escape from her small-town life by any means possible (including cleverly trying to get herself a false bad reputation and then planning to tell her parents she is pregnant so they will send her away).

Mooney befriends a new neighbor, Lou (played with brilliant perfection by Tara Spencer-Nairn) after an initial period of wariness at this transplanted New Yorker's enthusiasm for New Waterford.

This comedy reveals its quirky twist in the first scene, a wedding and funeral being held at the same time in the local Catholic church. The pregnant bride shares the altar with her father's casket - showing the inherent thrift of the locals! Of course, sorting out the sympathy and wedding cards becomes a bit of a problem.

The authenticity of the script can be attributed to the fact that it was written by a woman who actually lived in New Waterford in the 70s, the time in which the movie is set.

Despite her desire to get out, we see the beautiful, if rough, vista of Nova Scotia through Mooney's eyes and realize the pull this incredible coastal area has on her.

A delightful film---every actor does a fine job and the coastal settings are spectacular.

Quirky fun
A thoroughly enjoyable comedy, set in Cape Breton, in which the rebelliously strange Moonie Pottie tries to escape her small town life. Hampered on all sides by her family, peers, and everyone else in town, Moonie figures the only way out is to pretend to be pregnant-- so she'll be sent away to have the child.
What follows is an unusual, subtle, and charming story, featuring plenty of great characters: Moonie's best friend Lou from New York, who finds acceptance in New Waterford by punching out the local girls philandering boyfriends; Cecil Sweeney, the local high school teacher, who is completely besotted with Moonie, and lives off the leftover chile she brings him; the priest, who dreads his hours the confessional and dreams of having long hair and a little terrier; the doctor with a perpetually bleeding hand...and so on. The cast are all great, ranging from unknowns Liane Balaban and Tara Spencer-Nairn, to well known Canadian actors Nicholas Campbell and Mary Walsh (hilarious as Moonie's parents).
The type of movie you like to see more than once, to get all the little jokes. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Roddy Piper + an outstanding villain = A great movie
All Detective Jake Cornel (Piper) wants is to ask his artist girlfriend Sami to marry him, but just as he's about to pop the question, duty calls. Jake has to go down to Jungleground, an area so filled with drugs, gangs, and mayhem that the police refuse to patrol there. Jake is captured by the Ragnarockers, a Norse mythology loving gang led by Odin, a techno-punk psychotic with a warped sense of humor. Odin decides to play a game with Jake. If Jake can make it home through Jungleground by dawn, he will be free. To further handicap things, Odin sends a team of "soldiers" after Jake, and dispatches two goons to kill Sami at dawn should Jake fail to return home. JR Bourne stands out as Odin--what a great villain!! Check this movie out. Joe Bob Briggs even chose it as one of his year's best!!

Futuristic Thriller with a Standout Villain!
All Detective Jake Cornel (Roddy Piper) wants is to ask his artist girlfriend Sami to marry him, but just as he's about to pop the question, duty calls. Jake has to go down to Jungleground, an area so filled with drugs, gangs, and mayhem that the police refuse to patrol there. Jake is captured by the Ragnarockers, a Norse mythology loving gang led by Odin, a techno-punk psychotic with a warped sense of humor. Odin decides to play a game with Jake. If Jake can make it home through Jungleground by dawn, he will be free. To further handicap things, Odin sends a team of "soldiers" after Jake, and dispatches two goons to kill Sami at dawn should Jake fail to return home.

This is one of my very favorite Roddy Piper movies, mainly because of the outstanding performance of JR Bourne, who plays the villainous Odin with charisma and style. Check this movie out!

Surprisingly enjoyable
This movie was surprisingly enjoyable. Just let your brain relax and sit back and enjoy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Made for TV and should have stayed there.
Trite made-for-TV movie with Victoria Principal as a woman trying to be a perfect housewife. After her father-in-law tires to rape her, her husband begins to question the mental state of his wife. With the help of his father he finds a doctor willing to medicate her into submission and into a mental hospital. Only after some horrific experiences does he being to realize the truth of what he has done to the woman he loves.

As TV movies go this was below average. The plot was choppy and slow moving. And their contempt for the mental health system is so obvious you have to think the screenwriter was trying to get back as his shrink does. If this really based on a true story then there should have been some epilogue to cover what happened to the snake pit the lead was condemned to. ... Read more