Eight Days to Live

Really great movie; Good job CTV for making movies like this. Families need more movies they can watch together. This was perfect to watch with your teenagers...some real emotions were shown. I really didn't expect to watch the whole movie, but it really hooked me; I cried, laughed and was on the edge of my seat. It was very realistic, some great scenery of our West Coast. Loved the actors in it... Ryan McDonell especially, who played the older jerk of a brother, but had an emotional breakthrough in the end played his part so well. Would love to see him in a lead role soon! I would highly recommend this movie to anyone...I would love to see it again as well. I'll keep my eyes open for it.

I found this film very absorbing in its motive and writing. Whether based on facts or not, it was well done. Directed well by Norma Bailey whom I trust had a lot to do with the fine casting. Paced very well by writers, David Fraser, Peter Smith and Greg Spottiswood. Acting was exceptional with Kelly Rowan and Shawn Doyle as the parents of the boy who became missing. Doyle underplayed beautifully in support of Kelly Rowan who played the lead. I loved her acting but hated her hair. What woman on a rescue mission would travel with her too long hair covering her face. Realistically there is much underbrush, bad weather and such in the way and she's running around with these too long tresses for a woman of her age blowing in the wind. Annoyed me very much and took away from watching her. Even the daughter played by Tegan Moss, had the sense to have her hair pulled back out of her face. Both she and Ryan McDonell played the siblings of our young man, Dustin Milligan. They were excellent in the roles, well cast. Katherine Isabelle plays the floozy who misleads our hero. Not a very interesting role and not the greatest acting was needed. Just to look bored through it all, no heart, and she did that. Michael Eklund was her cohort in evil and overplayed a bit. But then, there are really people like that out there. My favorite in this, although they all were good, was Gwynyth Walsh as the helicopter pilot who broke the rules to help find the boy. I had seen her earlier in Her Only Child where she played an overbearing mother possessive of her only daughter. She played such a different role in that which definitely shows this actress's versatility. She was wonderful in a small role in this.

7.5 stars.

Whether they took too many liberties or whatever, I still was semi-thrilled by the suspense and missing person vibe throughout the film. It's really about a family who is not getting along for some reason. It appears to be the father who is somewhat of a deadbeat, he had a major injury while performing manual labor for his job, but it's not totally clear at first. He's been unemployed for a while now and his kids are suffering for it. So he's trying to get a job while his wife and kids are doing their thing. But the film is not about the dad, I only talk of him because he's the reason they are all so sullen and lost. The mom is the main character, she's a great actress, I've always loved her, on the "OC", she was totally the best, but I know the actress herself had some issues back in the day, haven't seen her much, if ever, in the past 17 years. I just looked up shows she was in. Did you know she was in a show called "Perception" about 8 years back? Look at the cast, wow that's a bunch of very familiar actors. I might have to look into it.

Anyways, the boy who gets lost, we have no idea how or why he was lost, but his journey is an intriguing one and as we watch the puzzle pieces coming together, it's an entertaining ride (even if not the intent). I won't spoil it by telling you if he lives or dies.

I probably saw this 15 years ago, just don't remember it, but all the actors are familiar to me. It's a basic story, but for a minimum budget production and some decent search and rescue low-key action, it works.

Nineteen-year-old Dustin Milligan (as Joseph "Joe" Spring) likes fast cars and fast women. He's reckless behind the wheel, but mother Kelly Rowan (as Teresa) thinks Mr. Milligan has become a "good driver" now that he's back on the road, after losing his license for six months. Milligan wants to take the car out to a party for the weekend. While they have some reservations, mother Rowan and father Shawn Doyle (as Tim) disagreeably give him permission to make the trip. However, he loses his cell-phone during a pre-trip sex date and doesn't call home as promised. Rowan calls the police, but they can't declare Milligan a missing person right away. Beginning the investigation on their own, the family soon discovers something has gone terribly wrong...

"Inspired by a true story," according to the introduction, this starts out as a very believable drama. Milligan is convincing as a good looking young man interested in sex and cars. Rowan is fine as his increasingly frantic mother. For a supposedly true story, there are some notable problems, however. Matthew Matheson (as Powell River) plays a young boy who stands in the middle of an oncoming car – this suicide attempt (?) and his later solo (?) trip to the police station are not credible. Younger (?) siblings Tegan Moss (as Becca) and Ryan McDonell (as Will) seem older. Perhaps most puzzling is a crash victim's exposed body not attracting wild life. Still, director Norma Bailey and the crew manage to keep the story engaging – and the music is terrific.

****** Eight Days to Live (4/2/06) Norma Bailey ~ Kelly Rowan, Dustin Milligan, Shawn Doyle, Tegan Moss

I enjoyed this movie even though it is very predictable from scene one. Kelly Rowan, who is beautiful, is excellent (really perfect) as the terrified, but determined mother. The other performances by the other family members were fine, but none really stood out in my mind. The story is well-paced and the Canadian scenery is superb as is usual in Lifetime movies (which I believe are generally underrated). One embarrassingly bad (almost comedic) role was turned in by Michael Eklund as Weaver, the bad dude in the movie. I thought his role, and his "acting," were totally unbelievable, way overacted. He looked like a poorly drawn comic book villain. Whoever cast him should get their hands slapped. Despite that, it was an entertaining movie and worth seeing. Based on an intriguing true story.