Jose Lopez Movies
An authority on rare books is drawn into a confrontation with the forces of darkness in this thriller directed by Roman Polanski. Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) is a rare book broker who makes his living tracking down valuable items for rich bibliophiles. Corso is hired by Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), a millionaire New Yorker with a vast collection of occult literature and a keen interest in "The Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows." Legend has it that the book was co-written by Satan in the 17th century, and only three copies are known to exist; the owner of one recently sold the book to Balkan a few days before killing himself. Balkan wants Corso to find the other two copies (one owned by a Mr. Fargas in Portugal and the other by a French collector named Kessler) and examine them to determine if they are forgeries. Corso is told to be thorough and spare no expense. He begins by visiting Liana Telfer (Lena Olin), the widow of the man who once owned Balkan's copy of the book, who has an unusually strong desire to get the book back, and confers with his friend Bernie (James Russo), who soon turns up dead, in a manner much like an illustration from the book. Corso learns that the book contains clues to a puzzle that will allow people to call up the devil, and certain people will stop at nothing to find the missing parts of the formula. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, (more)
This Peter Maris action begins at New Mexico State Penitentiary, where a spew of toxic gas from the crash of a tanker truck leads to the evacuation of the prison by the warden (George Kennedy). In the ensuing confusion, anti-social cons Kuttner (Lee De Broux) and Patch (James Tolkan) kidnap prison psychologist Maria Slayton (Kim Delaney) and hit the road with a bus full of prisoners. The group first heads for Mexico but decides instead to take over the town of Sonora and hold its citizens as hostages. The National Guard sends in a state police lieutenant (Yaphet Kotto) and his tough-as-nails Lieutenant Colonel Johnson (Jan-Michael Vincent) to handle the situation. But the National Guard's ineffectual methods leave the situation more volatile than it was before. It is left to two citizens of Sonora -- sheriff Ike Slayton (Brad Davis) and his army pal Bill (Ken Foree) -- to take matters into their own hands and save the town from the kill-crazy prisoners. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brad Davis, Kim Delaney, (more)
Sky diver Clare (Ellen Barkin) wakes up disheveled and almost naked in Spain. She has left her husband Del (Martin Sheen) in Death Valley in order to find her former lover Augustine (Gabriel Byrne). She may have committed a murder, or it may all be fantasy. This film, directed by Mary Lambert is odd, confusing and sometimes downright laughable, full of preposterous plot twists and ridiculous symbolism. The plot makes little sense, and Lambert, while showing great visual style, has little concern for character or plot. It is never clear whether the mysterious visions that Claire experiences are memories or simply plot devices, and Clare's continued pursuit by a taxi driver with rusty teeth who keeps trying to rape her is ludicrous. Good performances by Barkin and Byrne, and a nice musical score by Miles Davis do nothing to save this pretentious, silly film. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne, (more)
In this crime drama, a nightclub singer discovers that she is being pursued by the police, an insurance agency, and the mob as she endeavors to resume her profession after being released from prison. All of them are after information concerning the whereabouts of her former lover. It is the mob that sends a handsome fellow to win her heart and glean information. Unfortunately for them, he really does fall in love with her and decides to go straight. In the end, the hapless chanteuse is poisoned by the man's former boss. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
This historical adventure recounts the many exploits of the notorious Mexican bandit Pancho Villa as he evolves from a womanizing thief to a passionate leader of the Mexican revolution. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brian Keith, Cesar Romero, (more)
Greer Garson's first non-MGM starring vehicle was the stylish western Strange Lady in Town. That lady is Julia (Garson), who arrives in 1880 New Mexico to set up practice as a doctor. The townsfolk are not only resistant to the notion of a lady sawbones, but they become downright hostile when Julia turns out to be a tireless advocate of the Women's Suffrage movement. Rival doctor O'Brien (Dana Andrews) doesn't feel that there's any room in the medical profession for ladies; his personal feelings for the lovely Julia are another matter. Faced with such roadblocks as prejudice, ignorance and downright stupidity, Julia nonetheless perseveres with O'Brien eventually seeing things her way. When Julia's hotheaded younger brother David (Cameron Mitchell) turns outlaw, the townspeople are prepared to ride her out of town on a rail, but she is rescued by the intervention of the local Mexicans and Indians, who have accepted her presence and her ministrations without reservation. Hmmmm . . . could Strange Lady in Town be the direct ancestor of TV's Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Greer Garson, Dana Andrews, (more)






