Layne Coleman Movies
- 1992
- R
This sequel to the dreadful but creative 1987 horror thriller The Gate, centers on troubled-teen Terry who tires of being teased for being a nerd, not having dates, and dealing with his unemployed, alcoholic father. After learning about the portal to the gates of hell said to be in his town, Terry decides to cast a spell and see if he can make his life a little better. Using his computer and a book of ancient incantations, the determined young man begins his ritual. Unfortunately before he is finished, the two town bullies and their girl friend intervene and find themselves hopelessly involved when the gates open and out pops a diminutive demon who is more than happy to do their bidding. At first the kids are delighted to finally have their hearts desire, but it is only a matter of time before the demon's true nature manifests itself and all their dreams turn to nightmares. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Louis Tripp, Simon Reynolds, (more)
- 1990
- PG13
- Add Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe to QueueAdd Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe to top of Queue
This average Canadian sci-fi actioner concerns the exploits of an intergalactic policeman named Abraxas (Jesse "The Body" Ventura). The space cop comes to Earth to track a rogue alien, Secundus (Sven-Ole Thorsen), who is looking for a woman to bear his child -- a "Comator" with the power to destroy the universe. The sole point of interest may be the method of impregnation -- a single touch. The supporting players include Marjorie Bransfield and James Belushi, cast once again as a school principal. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marjorie Bransfeld, Sven Ole Thorsen, (more)
- 1989
A women's softball team prepares for the Labor day championship tournament in this uneven feature. While the women work to ready themselves for the big game, their boyfriends are boozing and carousing. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eric Keenleyside, Tracy Cunningham, (more)
The Big Town is Chicago, circa 1957. Matt Dillon stars as a small-town crapshooter who heads to the Windy City to seek his fortune. There he becomes the pawn of two high-rolling professional gamblers, played by Lee Grant and Bruce Dern. He later gets mixed up in a revenge scheme cooked up by Diane Lane, the embittered wife of strip-joint owner Tommy Lee Jones. Before he knows what's happened, Dillon is embroiled in two torrid romances, one with Lane and the other with "nice" girl Suzy Amis; he also nearly loses his life by ending up in the middle of a deadly feud between Dern and Jones. Based on The Arm, a novel by Clark Howard, Big Town tends towards uneveness, a result perhaps of the defection of its first director, Harold Becker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, (more)
- 1986
Marriage Bed began life as a Canadian made-for-TV movie. Described as "a comedy/drama about the perils of marriage", the film stars Linda Griffiths as a young bride. Griffiths' hubby Layne Coleman picks the worst possible time to walk out: the night before Christmas. R. H. Thompson costars in this formulaic concoctions. Marriage Bed made its US debut over the Lifetime Cable service in November of 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Linda Griffiths, Layne Coleman, (more)
- 1986
- R
In this mystery-thriller based on a novel by Ruth Rendell, Eunice (Rita Tushingham, wife of director Ousama Rawi) is a housekeeper who gets a job working for an older doctor and his wife in the U.S. Eunice is super-sensitive, rather homely, and illiterate. But she makes friends with a religious fanatic (Jackie Burroughs) who is quite willing to go along with whatever she has in mind. When a murder occurs, could Eunice and her good buddy be a bit more disturbed than first assumed? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rita Tushingham, Ross Petty, (more)
- 1986
In this grim holiday movie, a mother suffers depression and has difficulty making a happy Christmas for her two children after she is deserted by her husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1984
A Matter of Sex is the calculatedly misleading title of a based-on-fact TV movie, which originally bore the more suitable title Women of Willmar. In 1976, the women working in a bank in Willmar, Minnesota become incensed because less-qualified men are being promoted over them. Head teller Jean Stapleton, with the help of attorney Peter Dvorsky and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, organizes an employee's union. When the chauvinistic bank officers cause negotiations to break down, Stapleton and seven other female employees go on strike--a job action which lasts for two years, despite political and social pressure from the community. Director Lee Grant, whose daughter Dinah Manoff is cast as one of the strikers, had previously helmed a documentary based on the same incident, The Willmar Eight--which was telecast on PBS the night before the January 1984 network premiere of A Matter of Sex. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This plodding horror bore from Prom Night director (and one-time softcore porn-maker) Paul Lynch slogs through Friday the 13th territory with a tale of standard teen slasher-fodder falling victim to a shambling subhuman killer. This particular crop of annoying kids has stolen Daddy's boat for a sex-and-drug-filled orgy on a remote island. Sadly for them, the island is inhabited by packs of wild dogs and a shaggy Mongoloid. The Bigfoot-like behemoth is apparently the spawn of a savage coupling between a slavering rapist and a former female resident of the island. It lopes about, chopping and bludgeoning the teens (who are particularly obnoxious, even for a film of this sort). Whatever interest this deathly dull flick may have mustered is completely obscured by some of the murkiest cinematography on record; the fact that nearly every scene is shrouded in complete darkness may prove a blessing in disguise. The film's ad campaign sported the slogan "God help us," which could easily have been a plea from the film's financial investors. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Janet Julian, David Wallace, (more)
- 1979
War Brides was originally produced for Canadian television. Drawing from the life, the film details the tribulations of European women who impulsively married Canadian servicemen during WW II. Some of these ladies were genuinely in love, others merely wanted free passage to North America. Whatever the case, most of the brides were subjected to persecution and discrimination once they reached Canadian shores. Layne Coleman and Sharry Flett star in War Brides, which premiered in America via cable TV. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
