Rupert's Land (film)

Last updated
Rupert's Land
Directed by Jonathan Tammuz
Written by Graeme Manson
Produced byScott Kennedy
Bill Thumm
Starring Samuel West
Ian Tracey
George Wendt
Susan Hogan
Gabrielle Miller
Cinematography Gregory Middleton
Edited byRoger Mattiussi
Music byPhil Marshall
Production
company
Cadence Entertainment
Release date
  • September 13, 1998 (1998-09-13)(TIFF)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Rupert's Land is a Canadian comedy film, directed by Jonathan Tammuz and released in 1998. [1] The film stars Samuel West and Ian Tracey as Rupert and Dale McKay, estranged half-brothers on a road trip from Vancouver to Prince Rupert for their father's funeral. [2] Rupert, who was raised primarily in England after his mother left their father to return home, has become a wealthy lawyer, while Dale, who remained in Canada, is a hard-nosed fisherman and small-time drug dealer, forcing the duo to overcome significant differences as they reconcile. [3]

Contents

The cast also includes Susan Hogan as Dale's mother Trudy, Gabrielle Miller as his girlfriend Shelley, and George Wendt as Bloat, a former friend of Dale and Rupert's father who owns and operates a rural marijuana farm commune. [3]

The film premiered at the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival. [4]

Critical response

The film received mixed reviews from critics. It was reviewed favourably by Glen Schaefer of The Province , who wrote that it was "a funny ride that will ring familiar with anyone who's ever had to be in Pouce Coupe or New Denver by dawn, with not quite enough time or money to get there." [2] Marc Horton of the Edmonton Journal was more critical, writing that "Somehow, though, I never much believed in either their fights or their ultimate acceptance of one another. Perhaps it is because they are not all that easy to care about: Rupert loses a bit of twittiness and Dale softens, but it's too little too late. Still, there are the occasional moments of charm, and an ending that's marginally surprising, although painfully neat and tidy. In the end it's a sitcom, without the com. [3]

Geoff Pevere of the Toronto Star was more mixed, calling it bumpy but fitfully engaging. He praised West, Tracey and Wendt for their performances, but concluded that "the shame is, the good parts tend to pass by like the moments of interest in an otherwise dull road trip: arresting at the time, but too few and fleeting to make the whole thing worthwhile." [5]

Awards and nominations

The film received five Genie Award nominations at the 19th Genie Awards in 1999, for Best Motion Picture, Best Director (Tammuz), Best Actor (West), Best Supporting Actor (Wendt) and Best Sound Editing (Jacqueline Cristianini, James Fonnyadt, Adam Gejdos, James Genn, Kirby Jinnah and Cam Wagner). [6]

The film won six Leo Awards in 1999, for Best Feature Length Drama, Best Direction in a Feature Length Drama (Tammuz), Best Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama (Tracey), Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Drama (Gregory Middleton), Best Editing in a Feature Length Drama (Roger Matiussi) and Best Production Design in a Feature Length Drama (Brian Davie). [7] It was also nominated, but did not win, for Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama (2; Miller, Hogan), Best Screenwriting in a Feature Length Drama (Graeme Manson), and Best Overall Sound in a Feature Length Drama. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce McDonald (director)</span> Canadian film director, film producer and film editor

Bruce McDonald is a Canadian film and television director, writer, and producer. Born in Kingston, Ontario, he rose to prominence in the 1980s as part of the loosely-affiliated Toronto New Wave.

Ian Tracey is a Canadian actor. Over the years, Tracey has participated in more than 70 films and television series. Tracey has starred in series such as Da Vinci's Inquest and Intelligence. He is also known for his role as the title character in 1979's Huckleberry Finn and His Friends.

Peter Lynch is a Canadian filmmaker, most noted as the director and writer of the documentary films Project Grizzly, The Herd and Cyberman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Shebib</span> Canadian film director (1938–2023)

Donald Everett Shebib was a Canadian film and television director. Shebib was a central figure in the development of English Canadian cinema who made several short documentaries for the National Film Board of Canada and CBC Television in the 1960s before turning to feature films, beginning with the influential Goin' Down the Road (1970) and what many call his masterpiece, Between Friends (1973). He soon became frustrated by the bureaucratic process of film funding in Canada and chronic problems with distribution as well as a string of box office disappointments. After Heartaches (1981), he made fewer films for theatrical release and worked more in television.

Bruce Sweeney is a Canadian film director. He has spent his career based primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia.

<i>The Perfect Son</i> 2000 Canadian film

The Perfect Son is a 2000 Canadian drama film written and directed by Leonard Farlinger. The film centres on Ryan and Theo Taylor, estranged brothers reunited by their father's death. Growing up, Ryan was the "perfect son" and Theo was the "black sheep" who struggled with drug addiction. When Ryan reveals that he is dying of AIDS, however, the brothers attempt to repair their relationship while Theo simultaneously tries to win back his ex-girlfriend Sarah.

Elizabeth Yake is a Canadian film producer, who is the founder and president of True West Films. She is most noted for the films Everything's Gone Green and It's All Gone Pete Tong, the latter of which won the Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Film in 2004 and was a Genie Award nominee for Canadian Screen Award for Best Motion Picture at the 26th Genie Awards in 2006.

The Canadian Screen Award for Best Animated Short is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian animated short film. Formerly part of the Genie Awards, since 2012 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.

The Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role is an annual Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best leading performance by an actor in a Canadian television series. Previously presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.

The Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role is an annual Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television to the best leading performance by an actress in a Canadian television series. Previously presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.

Jonathan Tammuz is a British-Canadian film director, best known for directing the short film The Childeater and the feature film Rupert's Land. The Childeater was a shortlisted Academy Award nominee for Best Live Action Short Film at the 62nd Academy Awards, and Rupert's Land was a Genie Award nominee for Best Picture at the 19th Genie Awards, with Tammuz also nominated for Best Director.

Kris Elgstrand is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is most noted for his 2014 film Songs She Wrote About People She Knows, which received several Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards in 2016; Elgstrand himself was a nominee in the Best Original Song category for the film's song "Asshole Dave".

The Falling is a Canadian thriller drama film, directed by Raul Sanchez Inglis and released in 1998. The film centres on a love triangle between Lars, Karis and Morgan.

The Last Round: Chuvalo vs. Ali is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Joseph Blasioli and released in 2003. The film centres on the 1966 boxing match at Maple Leaf Gardens between Canadian boxer George Chuvalo and world champion Muhammad Ali.

The Herd is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Peter Lynch and released in 1998. The film documents the history of the Canadian government's failed Reindeer Station project of 1929, when it attempted to transport a herd of reindeer from Alaska to the Mackenzie River delta in the Northwest Territories.

Lonesome Joe is a Canadian short comedy-drama film, directed by Mark Sawers and released in 2002. The film stars Adrien Dorval as Joe, a lonely tow truck driver whose desire for companionship may be fulfilled when he rescues a dog from being stolen by thieves.

Shoes Off! is a Canadian short comedy film, directed by Mark Sawers and released in 1998. The film stars David Lewis as Stuart, a man who becomes entranced with a woman he meets in an elevator wearing a sexy pair of boots, but is too shy to talk to her. Some time later, he sees her again getting out of a taxi at a house party and decides to follow her in so he can finally meet her; however, his efforts are complicated by the hosts' "shoes off" policy, both because he has a hole in his sock and because he had paid more attention to the woman's boots than her face and thus struggles to identify who he's looking for.

Ross Weber is a Canadian film director and editor from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Crimes of Mike Recket is a Canadian crime drama film, written and directed by Bruce Sweeney and released in 2012. The film stars Nicholas Lea as Mike Recket, a real estate developer in Vancouver, British Columbia, whose bad business decisions have left him in deep debt; kicked out of the house by his wife Jasleen, he hits upon a scheme to revive his fortune by defrauding wealthy widow Leslie Klemper, only to become a criminal suspect when Leslie goes missing.

Andrew Rai Berzins is a Canadian film and television writer. He is most noted as cowriter with Andrew Wreggitt of the television film Borealis, for which they won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards in 2014.

References

  1. ↑ "Filmmakers seek hits by hitting B.C. road". Toronto Star , September 29, 1998.
  2. 1 2 Glen Schaefer, "B.C. road movie worth the ride". The Province , October 30, 1998.
  3. 1 2 3 Marc Horton, "Madcap film short on laughs; Rupert's Land has occasional charming moments, but ...". Edmonton Journal , December 18, 1998.
  4. ↑ Cheryl Binning, "Rupert's Land". Playback , September 7, 1998.
  5. ↑ Geoff Pevere, "Road movie not worth ride". Toronto Star , October 30, 1998.
  6. ↑ Glen Schaefer, "B.C. films up for awards". The Province , December 8, 1998.
  7. ↑ Alex Strachan, "Rupert's Land nabs six prizes in the Leo TV and film awards". Vancouver Sun , May 17, 1999.
  8. ↑ Alex Strachan, "Da Vinci's Inquest, Rupert's Land top B.C. TV and film awards list". Vancouver Sun , April 21, 1999.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.