The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess | |
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Directed by | Bruce McDonald |
Written by | Angus Fraser |
Produced by | Debra Beard Rob Bromley John Ritchie |
Starring | Joely Collins Ben Bass Hugh Dillon |
Cinematography | Danny Nowak |
Edited by | Karen Porter |
Music by | Broken Social Scene |
Production companies | |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess is a Canadian drama film, directed by Bruce McDonald and released in 2004. [1] The film is loosely based on the real-life story of Gillian Guess, who was convicted of obstruction of justice in 1998 after she became romantically involved with an accused murderer while serving as a juror at his trial, although McDonald himself freely admitted that the film takes "kooky" diversions into animated and musical sequences rather than attempting to literally depict the true story; [1] in the adaptation, Guess is recounting her version of the story as a guest on a fictional television show hosted by tabloid talk show host Bobby Tomahawk. [2]
The film stars Joely Collins as Guess, Ben Bass as Peter Gill and Hugh Dillon as Bobby Tomahawk. The film's score was composed by Broken Social Scene, including their single "Lover's Spit", although music by Lucinda Williams, Josh Rouse and Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir was also used. [1]
The film premiered at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival, [3] but apart from some follow-up film festival and repertory theatre screenings it was distributed primarily as a television film on Citytv rather than going into general theatrical release. [4]
It was a finalist for Best Motion Picture at the Leo Awards in 2005, [5] and for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries at the 21st Gemini Awards. [6] Collins won the award for Best Actress in a Canadian Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2004. [7]
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the other core members of the band are Justin Peroff (drums), Andrew Whiteman (guitar) and Charles Spearin (guitar).
Hard Core Logo is a 1996 Canadian mockumentary adapted by Noel S. Baker from the novel of the same name by author Michael Turner. The film was directed by Bruce McDonald and illustrates the self-destruction of punk rock. Released in 1996, the film documents a once-popular punk band, Hard Core Logo, comprising lead singer Joe Dick, fame-tempted guitarist Billy Tallent, schizophrenic bass player John Oxenberger, and drummer Pipefitter. Julian Richings plays Bucky Haight, Dick's idol. Several notable punk musicians, including Art Bergmann, Joey Shithead and Joey Ramone, play themselves in cameos. Canadian television personality Terry David Mulligan also has a cameo, playing a fictionalized version of himself.
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.
Mark Achbar is a Canadian filmmaker, best known for The Corporation (2003) and Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1994).
Callum Keith Rennie is a British-born Canadian actor who started his career in Canadian film and television projects, where his portrayal of Stanley Raymond Kowalski on the television series Due South was his first international success. After years acting in over 125 Canadian and international projects, he became widely known for his portrayal of Leoben Conoy on Battlestar Galactica, and following that, his role as record producer Lew Ashby on the Showtime series Californication. Frequently cast as a bad guy in movies, Rennie's regular participation in Canadian productions gives him an opportunity to show a broader range of his acting abilities, which have been recognized by several awards.
Hugh Dillon is a Canadian singer and actor who is the lead vocalist of rock band Headstones. He is also a film and television actor; his notable roles include Mike Sweeney in Durham County, Ed Lane in Flashpoint and Sheriff Donnie Haskell in Yellowstone. He is also the co-creator, executive producer and series regular of the Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown.
Dance Me Outside is a 1994 Canadian drama film, directed by Bruce McDonald. It was based on a book by W.P. Kinsella.
Don McKellar is a Canadian actor, writer, playwright, and filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave.
Molly Parker is a Canadian actress, writer, and director. She garnered critical attention for her portrayal of a necrophiliac medical student in the controversial drama Kissed (1996). She subsequently starred in the television thriller Intensity (1997) before landing her first major American film role in the drama Waking the Dead (2000). She gained further notice for her role as a Las Vegas escort in the drama The Center of the World (2001), for which she was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.
The John Drainie Award was an award given to an individual who has made a significant contribution to broadcasting in Canada. Although meant to be presented annually there have been years where it was not presented.
Nicholas Campbell is a Canadian film, television and voice actor and filmmaker, who won three Gemini Awards for acting. He is known for such films as Naked Lunch, Prozac Nation, New Waterford Girl and the television series Da Vinci's Inquest.
The 5th Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2004, were given on 20 February 2005.
Joely Collins is a British-Canadian actress and producer. She is the daughter of Andrea Bertorelli and of English musician Phil Collins.
Gillian Guess is a Vancouver woman who was convicted in 1998 of obstruction of justice after becoming romantically involved with a murder defendant while she was a juror in his 1995 trial.
Durham County is a Canadian crime drama television series produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films. It starred Hugh Dillon as Mike Sweeney, a homicide detective who finds that moving back home comes with trouble and danger. Dillon appeared in this series at the same time he appeared in an ongoing role in another series, Flashpoint.
Denis McGrath was a dual-citizen Canadian–American screenwriter and producer. Born in New York City, he resided and worked in Toronto.
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.
Hard Core Logo 2 is a 2010 Canadian drama film written and directed by Bruce McDonald. It is a sequel to McDonald's 1996 film, Hard Core Logo. Hard Core Logo 2 assumes the same filmmaking style as McDonald’s latter-mentioned cult classic Hard Core Logo. It is a faux-documentary that follows Bruce the filmmaker as he investigates a claim made by Care Failure of the band Die Mannequin. She claims to be possessed by the spirit of rock star Joe Dick, a principal character in the original movie, who was shown to commit suicide near the close of the film. This sequel follows tensions between the principal characters, and the progression of Bruce the filmmaker's investigation into Care Failure’s channeling of the deceased rocker's spirit.
Ronald Bruce Pittman is a Canadian television and film director best known for directing the 1987 slasher Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II. He also directed the 1989 film Where the Spirit Lives, which won the Gemini Award for Best TV movie and numerous international awards.