Russell Banks Articles

THE SWEET HEREAFTER Review: Part I Another side story focuses — of course — on the lone man in town, Billy Ansell, who, out of principle, refuses to be part of Stevens’ suit. Played by the always engaging Bruce Greenwood, Billy is a widower involved in an adulterous affair with the owner of the local motel, Risa Walker (Alberta Watson, who has an utterly pointless [...]

THE SWEET HEREAFTER (1997) Direction: Atom Egoyan Cast: Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Bruce Greenwood, Tom McCamus, Gabrielle Rose, Alberta Watson, Caerthan Banks, Maury Chaykin Screenplay: Atom Egoyan; from Russell Banks' novel Oscar Movies Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, The Sweet Hereafter By Dan Schneider of Cosmoetica: Some films are well crafted but lifeless. Others err by believing they can too readily make an audience care for [...]

AFFLICTION (1998) Direction: Paul Schrader Cast: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, Willem Dafoe, Mary Beth Hurt, Jim True, Marian Seldes Screenplay: Paul Schrader; from Russell Banks' novel Oscar Movies Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Willem Dafoe, Sissy Spacek, Affliction Set in a snowy New England town, Affliction could have been an excellent depiction of a dysfunctional family's cycle of violence and how that is affected [...]