Sam Schacht Movies
- 2000
The detectives investigate when the co-owner of a clothing store is murdered. The chief suspect heads to Israel; to avoid extradition, he invokes the "Law of Return," which decrees that every Jew on earth is automatically a citizen of Israel. To crack this case, the DA's office must enter into a tense series of conferences with an impartial group of New York rabbis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
A college student is murdered at a biker bar. At first, detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) believe that the solution to the case hinges upon interrogating the hard-case bar patrons. Ultimately, however, the answer lies somewhere within the mysterious world of the Internet, a world in which the younger Curtis is far more "at home" than his veteran partner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
An artist specializing in S&M paintings is found murdered, dressed in full leather fetish regalia. During their investigation, detectives Greevey (George Dzundza) and Logan (Chris Noth) follow the trail of clues to city arts commissioner Henry Rothman (Larry Keith). As an alibi, Rothman insists that he was with prominent socialite Elizabeth Hendrick (Frances Conroy) at the time of the murder -- but it turns out that Hendrick has more than a few leather-clad skeletons in her own closet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Shock to the System is a black comedy about a middle-aged advertising executive (Michael Caine) who loses his long-awaited promotion to a younger man (Peter Reigret). In frustration, Caine accidentally pushes a panhandler in front of a subway train--and he gets away with the death. Realizing that committing murder might be a little easier than he previously had thought, he begins plotting the murder of several of his corporate enemies. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern, (more)
- 1989
- R
Heart of Midnight is a involving, well-above-average erotic, psychological thriller directed by Matthew Chapman. Carol (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is recovering from a nervous breakdown. She inherits a nightclub from her uncle and moves in. There she discovers strange and frightening secrets about her uncle and begins to remember details of their past relationship. She battles for her sanity as her surroundings begin to seem menacing and she cannot be sure what is real and what is a hallucination. This above-average film features good performances by Peter Coyote and Jennifer Jason Leigh who have an unusual, intriguing sexual chemistry. Viewers should note a small supporting role by Steve Buscemi. Heart of Midnight, offbeat and interesting, is highly recommended. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, Peter Coyote, (more)
- 1988
Lensed in New York, the independently produced Secret Space has the look of a theatrical workshop project that was expanded into a feature film. Utilizing a coming of age theme, the story concerns the events leading up to a young Jewish boy's Bar Mitzvah. Raised by secular parents, the boy would like to get in touch with his heritage. He befriends several older folks who are likewise seeking out the true meaning of Judaism. Several well-known stage and TV personalities make cameo appearances in the course of the film's 80 minutes, among them Robert Klein, Phyllis Newman and Virginia Graham; also present is Sam Schacht, veteran of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre. Curiously, Secret Space is not mentioned in the "official" credits of any of the above-mentioned performers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Originally aired on American public television, True West is a filmed performance of the Steppenwolf Theater Company's production of Sam Shepard's sibling rivalry play. John Malkovich plays a drifter who comes back home to patch up differences--as well instigate new ones--with his brother, a Hollywood screenwriter played by Gary Sinise. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Calisthenic breakdancing and big, bold graffiti art were in top form and popularity in the U.S. in the early and mid-'80s, and this documentary extols the spirit and the talents of a variety of New York youngsters who were expert in either one or both of these challenging pastimes. Public reactions are wildly varied. On the one hand, the youth brave a police crackdown on graffiti and face barbed-wire fences and guard dogs in the railroad yards where they spray paint subway cars with oversized lettering. On the other hand, their art is shown in a municipal gallery and analyzed with the same seriousness as a Rembrandt or a Renoir. Whether viewers judge the graffiti an "eyesore" or a bit of post-modern expressionism, it is true that both the art and the dancing are incisively presented in this hour-long exploration. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- R
Bruce Dern stars in this disturbing shocker about a mentally unbalanced tattoo artist named Karl Kinski, who is hired to put a series of fake tattoos on fashion model Maddy (Maud Adams) as part of an advertising campaign. But Kinski becomes obsessed with Maddy and decides to kidnap her. Keeping her a captive, he uses her body as a living canvas for his tattoo designs. During its initial release, the film raised the ire of feminist groups because of the ad campaign that featured a naked woman bound at the ankles. The film was scripted by Joyce Bunuel, (Luis Bunuel's daughter-in-law). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Dern, Maud Adams, (more)
- 1977
Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) faces an inter-departmental crisis when his fellow detective Bobby Crocker (Kevin Dobson) accidentally shoots and disables fashion model Polly Ames (Carol Lynley), who was caught in the crossfire during a fur robbery. With Crocker's future on the Force in serious jeopardy, Kojak searches desperately for a means of clearing his friend and colleague. The supporting cast features a young--and impressively threatening--Christopher Walken. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- R
The debut of writer and director Jerry Schatzberg, this cinema verite drama won accolades for the Golden Globe-nominated performance of lead actress Faye Dunaway. Dunaway stars as Lou Andreas Sand, a former fashion model who has retreated to her seaside cottage and is being interviewed by Aaron Reinhardt (Barry Primus), a photographer and filmmaker who helped make her famous and with whom she was once involved. Aaron wants to make a movie about Lou's rise from rags to riches but as Lou recalls it, her seemingly glamorous existence was anything but a Horatio Alger tale. In an addled fog, Lou struggles to recite a shocking litany of casual sex and rape, drug and alcohol abuse, and the anger of her lesbian mentor Paula Galba (Viveca Lindfors) when her romance with wealthy boyfriend Mark (Roy Scheider) nearly led to marriage. Her career deteriorating, Lou even attempted suicide. A former fashion photographer himself, Schatzberg was an apt choice for director of this melodramatic portrait of the industry's ugly underbelly. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Faye Dunaway, Barry Primus, (more)
