Riding the Tornado

Riding the Tornado

1986 · 57 min · ★ 9.0 · Documentary

This documentary focuses on boom-and-bust economic cycles, most notably that of Alberta oil during the '70s and early '80s. When the bust hit after a drop in world oil prices, those business people who knew how to "ride a tornado" cut their losses and moved on, while others were left devastated. When Newfoundland was faced with a possible oil boom of its own in the mid-'80s, it took the lessons of Alberta to heart. Part 3 of the series, Reckoning: The Political Economy of Canada.

Directed by Robert Lower

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James Laxer Host

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Riding the Tornado

Spirit Rider

Both from Robert Lower.

Reckoning: The Political Economy of CanadaSee all →

Shift Change

Shift Change · 1986

MovieDocumentary

This documentary looks at the microchip, an American invention exploited by the Japanese that caused a second industrial revolution. The devastating effect on millions of human lives is related through interviews with some of the newly jobless in Hamilton, Ontario. Using the example of Japan for contrast, host James Laxer demonstrates that the cost of technological advances need not be so high if their effects are foreseen and planned for. Part 2 of the series Reckoning: The Political Economy of Canada.

In Bed with an Elephant

In Bed with an Elephant · 1987

In Bed with an Elephant

MovieDocumentary

This feature documentary provides a gripping retrospective of United States-Canada relationships through a study of successive presidents and prime ministers. Using archival film footage, it demonstrates that Canadian prime ministers, from John A. Macdonald down, all began their tenures by making overtures to their American counterparts. Attitudes and outcomes have varied widely. The almost comic antipathy between Kennedy and Diefenbaker, for instance, is as palpable here as is the folksy camaraderie of Reagan and Mulroney. Part four of Reckoning: The Political Economy of Canada series.

More from Robert LowerSee all →

The McIntyre Block

The McIntyre Block · 1977

The McIntyre Block

MovieDocumentary

A turn of the 20th Century office block at Portage and Main. What was once Winnipeg's most prestigious commercial address has become a catch-all for the marginalized and history's leftovers. A snapshot of a fading era, now gone for good.

Spirit Rider

Spirit Rider · 1993

MovieFamilyAdventure

Jesse Threebears is a troubled Native-American teen who has been tossed from one foster home to the next since his mother died when he was an infant. Finally, he is taken in by his grandfather who, after a ten year stint in prison, is living on the reservation. With the help of his grandfather and several others who live on the reservation, Jesse begins to learn about his heritage and how to come to terms with his troubled life.

7 Times Lucky

7 Times Lucky · 2004

An aging con-man and a beautiful, ambitious student cross paths in a scam that promises to make them both rich.

After the Big One: Nuclear War on the Prairies

After the Big One: Nuclear War on the Prairies · 1982

After the Big One: Nuclear War on the Prairies

MovieDocumentary

This film deals straightforwardly with the consequences of a nuclear attack for the Canadian Prairies due to their proximity to intercontinental ballistic missile sites in North Dakota. Scenes include a visit to a missile base and to an emergency government bunker in Manitoba. A doctor, a farmer and a civil defence coordinator provide different perspectives on nuclear war. Although focused on one region, the film provides a model for people everywhere who would like to know more about their own situation but don't know what questions to ask.

The Christmas Hope

The Christmas Hope · 2009

The Christmas Hope

MovieFamilyDrama

After the recent loss of her son Sean, Patty Addison devotes herself to finding homes for needy children. The loss of their son has strained Patty's relationship with her husband Mark, but they reconnect emotionally when they take in Emily, a 9-year-old orphaned in a car accident similar to the one that killed Sean. At the same time Dr. Nathan Andrews is trying to find the parents of a boy who died in the ER, and Mark is trying to help one of his son's friends.

Painful Secrets

Painful Secrets · 2000

Painful Secrets

MovieDramaTV Movie

Dawn isn't like other kids her age full of typical teenage angst about boys, school and parents. Her pain goes far deeper, and to deal with her emotional overload she physically cuts herself. The problem of adolescent girls committing self-mutilation is very real, and this movie exposes the growing epidemic. It's a film you can't afford to miss.

Lost in the Barrens

Lost in the Barrens · 1990

Lost in the Barrens

MovieDramaFamily

The story of two very different boys in the Canadian wilderness. They must learn to depend on each other in order to survive.

Edge of Madness

Edge of Madness · 2002

Edge of Madness

MovieDramaMystery

1851, Manitoba's Red River Valley. As winter sets in, a young woman on the edge of madness arrives exhausted at the fort, a wilderness station, claiming she murdered her husband. She's placed in a cell; for the next several months, she sews while the local prefect, Henry Mullen, investigates.

The Stalking of Laurie Show

The Stalking of Laurie Show · 2000

The Stalking of Laurie Show

MovieCrimeDrama

A teenage girl becomes entangled in a volatile relationship with a pair of high-school lovers.

Life in a Day

Life in a Day · 1999

MovieDramaScience Fiction

A scientific experiment in rapid-cell growth goes awry when a lab assistant steals the developed serum and injects it into his pregnant girl friend. The result is a child that grows through adulthood and will die within days, if a cure cannot be found.

Paris or Somewhere

Paris or Somewhere · 1994

Paris or Somewhere

MovieComedyDrama

A confessed killer wanders into a small community in the Canadian prairies.

Roswell: The Aliens Attack

Roswell: The Aliens Attack · 1999

Roswell: The Aliens Attack

MovieMysteryScience Fiction

Two aliens escape from 1947 Roswell, New Mexico and set out to sabotage the Earth. The lady alien finds she enjoys sex and likes to seduce soldiers. However, the male eventually falls in love with an Earthling and decides to stop the female from setting off a nuclear weapon the two had developed.

The Clown at Midnight

The Clown at Midnight · 1999

The Clown at Midnight

MovieHorrorThriller

Upon the reopening of the opera house where her mother was murdered, a teen and her friends become the targets of a deranged killer dressed in a clown costume.

A Kind of Family

A Kind of Family · 1992

A Kind of Family

MovieDocumentary

This feature documentary tells the complex and touching story of Winnipeg city councilor Glen Murray and his 17-year-old adopted son Mike, whose struggles with addiction and behavioural problems cyclically repeat. Glen, now an Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament, was one of the first openly gay elected politicians in Canada. He adopted Mike during an era when homophobic stereotypes often prevented gay men and women from adopting children. Glen and Mike's relationship is always tenuous and always turbulent as they struggle to define themselves together and alone.

Die Ozeane - Geheimnisse der Weltmeere

Die Ozeane - Geheimnisse der Weltmeere · 2010

Die Ozeane - Geheimnisse der Weltmeere

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One of Them

One of Them · 2001

Jamie is shocked when she and her best friend become victims of homophobic name-calling, but she must face up to her own reactions as she realizes that her friend is "one of them" and needs her support.

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