Storm (1987 film)

Last updated
Storm
Storm cover film 1987.jpg
VHS cover
Directed by David Winning
Written byDavid Winning
Produced byDavid Winning
Starring David Palffy
Stan Kane
Tom Schioler
Harry Freedman
Lawrence Elion
Stacy Christensen
Cinematography Tim Hollings
Edited by Bill Campbell
Music by Amin Bhatia
Production
company
Distributed by Cannon Films
Warner Home Video
Release date
27 November 1987 (Canada)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Storm is a 1987 Canadian drama film and first feature starring David Palffy and Stan Kane directed by David Winning. The film was the debut of director Winning. Two college students on a survival weekend in the wilderness cross paths with three aging criminals looking for treasure buried decades earlier. Made in 24 days on a budget of about $70,000 CDN. The original 81-minute film was filmed near Bragg Creek, west of Calgary, in the summer of 1983, with an initial cast and crew of 10 people. [1] It was released by Warner Home Video on September 1, 1988. Director Winning appears in a small cameo as the younger villain.

Contents

Cast

New version

23 minutes of additional material added in 1987 was requested by The Cannon Group, Inc. to bring the film up to feature-length for theatrical distribution in Canada and the United States. This addition met with mixed reviews as The Globe and Mail author Stephen Godfrey wrote in his “A Storm Warning” article. He said “the scenes are as refreshing as the rest of the film and show Winning’s talent for creating suspense and sympathy. But the structure of the film is now unbalanced; in its original form, Storm was an elaborate tease, a cat-and-mouse game that escalated gradually...” [2] The new segments were filmed in the winter of January 1987 in Bragg Creek and Calgary, Alberta with the original cast.

Distribution and theatrical release

Storm was picked up by Cannon Films Cannon International for worldwide distribution in December 1986. The Canadian theatrical release was handled separately by Thomas Howe Associates of Vancouver, Canada with a premiere in Calgary November 26, 1987 followed by a Canadian theatrical run. [3] Storm also ran theatrically in Los Angeles in December 1989 to qualify for the Academy Awards and was reviewed positively by the LA Times.

Reception

Kevin Thomas, of the Los Angeles Times called the movie taut, ambitious and darkly comic in a 1989 review. He said the film worked very effectively as a comment on the male psyche and how lethal the mix of fear and aggression can be when men have a need to prove their masculinity for reasons imagined or real. [4] The Globe and Mail writer Jay Scott in an August 28, 1985 review called it a remarkable new thriller and a comic combination of Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Deliverance. [5] Peter Goddard of the Toronto Star wrote Winning’s sense of movement within a scene is already masterly. He could make ice melting seem exciting. [6] Fred Haeseker in a November 1987 Calgary Herald review wrote that it’s a tongue-in-cheek pastiche of time-honored shock effects and rite-of-passage clichés, seen with a sense of humor that is usually missing from the pictures that spawned them. [7]

Related Research Articles

Bragg Creek Hamlet in Alberta, Canada

Bragg Creek is a hamlet in southern Alberta under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County in Division No. 6.

CKO was a Canadian radio news network which operated from 1977 to 1989. The CKO call sign was shared by twelve network-owned stations, as listed below.

<i>Calgary Herald</i> Newspaper in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser. It is owned by the Postmedia Network.

David Winning Canadian film maker

David Winning is a Canadian-American film and television director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and occasional actor. Although Winning has worked in numerous film and TV genres, his name is most commonly associated with science fiction, thrillers and drama.

Calgary Cannons Minor League Baseball team

The Calgary Cannons were a minor league baseball team located in Calgary, Alberta, for 18 seasons, from 1985 until 2002. They were a member of the AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL) and played at Foothills Stadium. The Cannons displaced the Calgary Expos, who played in the rookie level Pioneer League from 1977 until 1984. The team was previously known as the Salt Lake City Gulls before being relocated to Calgary. Following the 2002 season, the team moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they became the Isotopes.

Nichola Goddard

Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard, MSM was the first female Canadian combat soldier killed in combat, and the 16th Canadian soldier killed in Canadian operations in Afghanistan.

Nicholas William "Nick" Taylor was a geologist, businessman and politician from Alberta, Canada.

David John Carter is a Canadian politician, clergyman, photographer and author from Alberta. During his 14-year career in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Carter served as the 9th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

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

Michael Eklund Canadian television and film actor

Michael Eklund is a Canadian television and film actor who is known for playing the role of the villain or antihero. His characters are often described as being "creepy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Turner (author)</span> Canadian journalist and author (born 1973)

Chris Turner is a Canadian journalist and author.

<i>Ghostkeeper</i> 1982 Canadian film

Ghostkeeper is a 1981 Canadian supernatural slasher film directed by James Makichuk, and starring Riva Spier, Georgie Collins, and Murray Ord. Its plot centers on a trio of snowmobilers in the Canadian Rockies who become stranded at an abandoned hotel where the elderly female innkeeper is hiding an evil entity within the building. The film is inspired by the Windigo legend of North America.

Shadow Dancing is a 1988 thriller film directed by Lewis Furey and starring Nadine Van der Velde and Christopher Plummer.

<i>Killer Image</i> 1992 film by David Winning

Killer Image is a 1992 independent Canadian suspense film directed by David Winning. It stars Michael Ironside and John Pyper-Ferguson. The story centers on two brothers, one a powerful senator, one a ruthless killer. A photographer captures images of the politician in a compromising position and is murdered. Now his brother has discovered the film and wants vengeance.

Fred Haeseker was the film critic and entertainment writer at the Calgary Herald from 1979 until 1999. During this time he wrote hundreds or reviews on current releases as well as news about the local filmmaking scene in Calgary; including articles on the first efforts of director David Winning. Haeseker's reviews were included in the essay Canada's Best Features: Critical Essays on 15 Canadian Films By Eugene P. Walz.

Melanie Scrofano Canadian actress

Melanie Neige Scrofano is a Canadian actress. She is known for playing Mrs. McMurray on the Crave comedy series Letterkenny, Rebecca on the CBC comedy-drama series Being Erica, October on the Showcase mockumentary series Pure Pwnage, and Tia on the CTV fantasy-drama series The Listener. From 2016 to 2021, Scrofano starred as the title character on the Syfy modern Western drama Wynonna Earp. In 2019, she played Emilie in the comedy horror film Ready or Not.

North Country Cinema

North Country Cinema is a Canadian media arts collective based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Mary Beth Rubens

Mary Elizabeth Rubens is a Canadian film, stage, and television actress, who made her feature film debut in Paul Lynch's slasher film Prom Night (1980). She subsequently appeared in Firebird 2015 AD (1981). She worked throughout the 1980s in television, guest-starring on Night Heat (1985–1987) and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1987–1988). From 1989 to 1993, she had a leading role on the series E.N.G., for which she was nominated for a Gemini Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Haeseker</span> Canadian painter, printmaker and installation artist (born 1945)

Alexandra Haeseker is a Dutch-born Canadian painter, print maker, and installation artist, based in Calgary, Alberta. She is a professor emerita at Alberta University of the Arts. Her works can be found in public collections in Canada and internationally.

A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Nettie Wild and released in 1988. The film is a portrait of the political upheaval in the Philippines in the 1980s, including the People Power Revolution which ended the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos and the country's uneasy transition toward democracy under his successor Corazon Aquino.

References

  1. Boettcher, Shelley (2003-08-30). "A Creative Storm" (PDF). Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  2. Godfrey, Stephen (1987-12-04). "A Storm Warning". Globe & Mail. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  3. "Movie Could be alone on Cannes Trip". Calgary Herald. 1985-04-18. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  4. "LA Times review by Kevin Thomas, December 11, 1989".
  5. Scott, Jay (1985-08-28). "Alberta Storm is All Sunshine". Globe & Mail. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  6. Goddard, Peter (1988-01-29). "Storm a Dreamy Thriller with Comic Twist". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  7. Haeseker, Fred (1987-11-27). "Storm is a Winner on All Fronts". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2010-03-18.