Muff Winwood Movies
Businessman Larry Burrows (James Belushi) has a wife who ignores him, a screwball friend who won't leave him alone, and a car that continually breaks down. All that and more is enough to give him a mid-life crisis. After his car stalls once more, he enters a bar looking for help and encounters a bartender (Michael Caine) who shows him what his life would have been like, if he hadn't struck out in a baseball game back in high school. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Belushi, Michael Caine, (more)
Though the anti-war sentiments of Hamburger Hill come through loud and clear, the film is squarely on the side of those courageous, much-maligned Americans who fought and died in Vietnam. Based on a true incident, the story takes place in 1969, as the 101st Airborne Division confronts the Vietcong in a bloody battle over Hill 937 (aka "Hamburger Hill") in the A Shau Valley. During the next ten days, both sides incur heavy losses, but the Cong refuse to surrender the hill. The ultimate American "victory" turns out to be a hollow one indeed. Scripted by Vietnam War vet Jim Carabatsos, Hamburger Hill not only underlines the futility of the war but also the pressures brought to bear upon the troops by an insensitive, often hostile media. By utilizing a cast of unknowns, director John Irvin deftly avoids the Hollywoodized slickness of such bigger-budgeted efforts as Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Barrile, Michael Boatman, (more)
British beat outfit The Spencer Davis Group starred in this comic pop-musical in which their manager Algernon Plumley (Nicholas Parsons) is discovered to be the heir of a large estate. Unfortunately, Algernon's family is having money problems, and his new mansion is in a sorry state. The group gets the idea of fixing up the place and charging people to tour the premises, but while that's fine with Algernon, it doesn't go over so well with the ghost who haunts the old house. Playing keyboards and singing with The Spencer Davis Group was Steve Winwood, who would later form the groups Blind Faith and Traffic and go on to a successful solo career. The Ghost Goes Gear also features performances from Acker Bilk, Dave Berry, The Three Bells, and The M6. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
