John Richardson Movies
British lead actor, onscreen from 1958. ~ All Movie Guide
- 2006
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Documentary filmmaker Ric Burns explores the life and legacy of pop art's most beloved icon with this film that seeks to illuminate the public persona and creative complexity of painter, photographer, and filmmaker Andy Warhol. Host Laurie Anderson narrates as an erudite collection of curators, critics, and biographers dispel Warhol's own self-created image as a haute couture heavyweight to offer a more intellectually minded portrait of the man who forever changed the way the world views Campbell's Soup cans. From Warhol's boyhood experiences in a Czechoslovakian community in Pittsburgh to a disheartening stint at art school and initial work as a commercial illustrator in New York, Burns' film explores every aspect of Warhol's life to offer a detailed look at the artist whose short-circuited class-jumping gave him a most unique view on contemporary culture. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Warhol
Otherworldly villains are on the loose again, and it's up to Earth's interstellar police force to bring them to justice in this sequel to the sci-fi comedy blockbuster Men in Black. Agent Jay (Will Smith) has become a high-ranking member of the Men in Black, the secret government task force designed to deal with unruly visitors from other worlds, while his former cohort, Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), had his memory wiped clean and now lives a simple but contented life as a mailman. However, an especially nasty alien threat has reared its not-so-ugly head; Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) is a shape-shifting Kylothian alien who is in pursuit of another escaped visitor who holds the key to powers that would allow her to destroy the world. Making Serleena all the more dangerous is the fact she's taken on the appearance of a lingerie model, making her irresistible to most men. When the rampaging Serleena takes control of the MIB offices, Jay is forced to turn to the only man who can help him save the world -- the former Agent Kay. After restoring Kay's memory, the two remaining Men in Black set out to conquer Serleena with a motley band of friendly aliens, including a handful of worm creatures and a talking dog named Frank (voice of Tim Blaney). Jay, meanwhile, has his head turned by Laura (Rosario Dawson), an attractive waitress who was an unwitting witness to an alien attack. Men in Black 2 also features Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub, David Cross, Patrick Warburton, and Johnny Knoxville. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, (more)
This is the biopic of basketball star Pistol Pete Maravich, here played by Adam Guier. The film is for the most part an exercise in joie de vivre, until it ends as it tragically must, with the sudden and untimely death of Maravich. Writer Darrel Campbell and director Frank Schroeder perform miracles with their tiny budget. Though Pistol is comparatively little known, odds are it won't remain that way much longer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Millie Perkins, Nick Benedict, (more)
Originally intended as the third chapter in producer Dario Argento's Demons trilogy, La Chiesa stands alone as an effective horror film centering on a haunted cathedral with a violent past. The church's history begins in Medieval Italy, when the Knights Templar massacred an entire village of suspected Satanists and built the structure upon the site of the slain peasants' mass grave. Designed by an architect/alchemist (who was buried alive within his creation), the church is filled with elaborate machinery designed to seal off all entrances if ever the spirits of the entombed villagers were to rise again... which, of course, takes place in the present when the crypt's seal is removed. As demonic forces have their way with the church's occupants, it becomes the task of the parish priest (Hugh Quarshie) and a young girl (Asia Argento, daughter of Dario) to discover the builder's last line of defense before the evil is unleashed upon the outside world. Directed by Michele Soavi (who later gained critical acclaim with the inventive Dellamorte Dellamore), this is an imaginative Gothic horror film with startling imagery straight out of a Hieronymous Bosch painting and its own well-conceived mythology. Shots of the church's elaborate Medieval machines grinding to life are particularly memorable. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1980
With enough aliases to fill a hotel ledger, this downbeat horror film by Riccardo Fredo focuses on the past and present of Michael Stanford (Stefano Patrizi), a successful actor. His father was knifed to death years ago and now Michael and his girlfriend Deborah (Silvia Dionisio) are going to spend a week-end with Michael's mother. Joining them are the director and crew of a motion picture in the works. Oliver the housekeeper (John Richardson) does not extend a warm welcome to the guests, but that might just be his personality. After everyone is settled in, a deranged killer begins a series of murders. Is the occult at the heart of these killings? Or are Michael's fears about the past starting to come true? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stefano Patrizi, Martine Brochard, (more)
- 1977
- PG
While lost in space, a ship's crew battles its enemies. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Battle of the Stars is not a celebrity sports event. Your second guess was correct: this is a low-budget science fiction opus, with adequate special effects and variable acting. The Earthling heroes take on a rampaging horde of alien invaders. At stake: nothing less than total control of the Solar System. Topping the cast in Battle of the Stars are John Richardson and Jason Palance (Jack's son). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
- R
Although mostly known for his bloody jungle-set cannibal films (Cannibal Ferox; Mangiati Vivi) and the splattery zombie-adventure Incubo sulla Citta Contaminata, Italian filmmaker Umberto Lenzi also made a number of interesting thrillers, including this engagingly incoherent giallo about an eyeball-stealing killer. The slayer's handiwork is first revealed when a female member of an American tour group is stabbed to death in Barcelona, and a teenager on an amusement park ride is murdered in a similar fashion the following day. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), a businessman named Mark Burton (John Richardson) finds out that his wife, Alma (Marta May), is in town, and remembers finding her unconscious once back in America with a human eyeball lying next to her. More murders follow, with a peasant girl, a lesbian named Lisa (Mirta Miller), and her lover (Ines Pellegrini) all attacked by the raincoat-clad killer. After yet another attack, Mark falls under suspicion, and must discover the killer's identity in order to clear his name. Bloodier than most of its contemporaries, the film presages the subgenre's spin into logic-free sensory assault with the following year's Dario Argento classic Profondo Rosso and features a star-studded cast including Martine Brochard, Jorge Rigaud, and Raf Baldassarre, as well as Argento regulars Tom Felleghy and Fulvio Mingozzi. Some video versions cut about four minutes of graphic violence. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Richardson, Martine Brochard, (more)
- 1975
The English-language title for the Italian L'Anatra All'arancia was Duck in Orange Sauce. Though Ugo (Ugo Tognazzi) is comfortably married to Lisa (Monica Vitti), he nonetheless takes up with pretty (and fetchingly underdressed) American Patty (Barbara Bouchet). In retalitaiton, Lisa begins an affair with French count Jean Claude (John Richardson), arousing Ugo's jealousy. At his request, the four members of this romantic quadrangle repair to a summer house to come to a "civilized understanding"--which erupts into something out of the Keystone Kops. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monica Vitti, Ugo Tognazzi, (more)
A beautiful salesgirl falls victim to a brutal gangster, and after being forced into a life of depravity, her escape is only the beginning of her terror in director Giuliano Carnimeo's gritty Eurocult classic. Anna (Edwige Fenech) was a naïve shop girl working in a small boutique when she fell prey to the deceptive charms of serpentine gangster Guido (Corrado Pani). After being forced into prostitution and suffering endless abuse at the hands of the brutish Guido, Anna resolves to escape with her son and start life anew with kindly doctor Lorenzo (John Richardson). Soon tracked down by the ruthless and vengeful gangster, Anna is forced to face her fears and fight for her life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A group of extremely glamourous college coeds (Suzy Kendall among them) are being stalked by a hooded sex-killer whose weapon of choice is a hacksaw. Despite this perverse premise and an equally sick title (which translates as "The Bodies Show Signs of Carnal Violence"), this remains a rather dull exercise, representing the lower end of the Italian giallo thriller spectrum and lacking much of the violence common to films of the same genre, thus failing to keep its flimsy plot in motion. What gore was present in the Italian cut has been all but wiped out by the film's U.S. distributor. Released on video as Torso. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
This Italian production stars Gordon Mitchell as the modern-day monster-maker, who appropriately dubs his bald, lumbering patchwork creation "Mosaico." After the creature's escape from the lab, the plot seldom deviates from scene after scene of the scar-faced behemoth disemboweling women and bashing in people's heads with a leg-bone. Despite the participation of makeup effects master Carlo Rambaldi (who would bring E.T. to life ten years later), production values are virtually nonexistent. Essentially an exploitive slasher scenario with a man-made killer, this sleazy mess has about as much to do with Mary Shelley's legendary tale as a box of Frankenberry cereal. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- PG
Sister Maria (Rosanna Schiaffino) is the Belgian nun who is raped while doing missionary work in the Congo. Pierre (John Richardson) is the doctor who treats her and harbors a secret love for the nun. She is one of only five who survive the vicious native attack on the mission. Maria returns home where she must choose between leaving the order and raising her child, or remaining and giving the baby up for adoption. She confides in her sister Lisa (Mara Cruz), who risks losing the support of their family when she stands up for Maria in this poignant historical drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosanna Schiaffino, John Richardson, (more)
- 1970
- G
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Vincente Minnelli directed, and Alan Jay Lerner adapted the stage musical he had written with Burton Lane, for this this feature film version. Barbra Streisand stars as Daisy Gamble, a chain smoker who, at the urging of her uptight fiance Warren (Larry Blyden), seeks help in kicking the habit from a psychiatrist, Dr. Marc Chabot (Yves Montand). While undergoing hypnosis, however, Daisy and Dr. Chabot discover that she is clairvoyant and can remember a past life as a 19th century heiress named Melinda. As their sessions continue, Dr. Chabot falls in love not with Daisy, but Melinda, while Daisy begins to fall for Chabot and decides she's had enough of Warren. Excised from the final cut of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) was a musical number performed by Jack Nicholson, who costars as Daisy's stepbrother. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbra Streisand, Yves Montand, (more)
Killikrates (John Richardson) is the ruler of the city of Kuma, an idyllic civilization seemingly frozen in another time. In a religious ceremony, he waits for his Queen Ayesha (Olinka Berova) to return and be immortalized by a fiery ritual. The High Priest has other ideas and plants a look-alike from provincial France to take her place. The new girl has a boyfriend, a dedicated physician who must rescue his damsel in distress. The doctor battles against the evil machinations of the High Priest to save his true love and help the benevolent ruler keep his crown. Things get out of hand when the fire spreads out of control and Kuma is in danger of being completely engulfed in flames. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Richardson, Olinka Berova, (more)
- 1968
This romantic and sometimes ribald historical farce finds nobleman Guerrando (Tony Curtis) knighted in the days before the Crusades. He inherits a castle, tax-collecting rights, first choice of all the fair young maidens of the region, and a draft notice from the King. Boccadoro (Monica Vitti) is the liberal-minded forest woman who catches the eye of the young nobleman. Courtship, love and marriage follows, but the wedding night is interrupted by a call to arms. Guerrando and Boccadoro are unable to consummate the marriage, and a chastity belt is used to insure her virginal status. The young bride follows her husband's troop at a distance hoping to get her hand on the coveted key to the lock. Comedy ensues as the key changes hands several times before Guerrando ultimately regains possession and is able to unlock the passions of his love-starved wife. This overlong film can best described as a punchline in search of a joke. One gets the feeling that the producers had wanted to title the film A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Crusades. As it stood, On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... was too unwieldy for most theater marquees, necessitating the film's title-change to The Chastity Belt. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Monica Vitti, (more)
This film was advertised with the slogan "See Raquel Welch In Mankind's First Bikini!" While archeologists tell us humans did not live at the same time as dinosaurs, and our prehistoric ancestors probably didn't look much like Ms. Welch and her co-stars, One Million Years B.C. is a good bit more fun than more scientifically accurate portrait of the era might have been. Tumak (John Richardson) of the Rock People is exiled from his tribe after a fight with his father, and after days of endless wandering is in sad shape before he's taken in by the more peaceable Shell People. He attracts the attention of well-proportioned cave woman Loana (Raquel Welch), but once again finds himself a man without a country after his violent nature alienates the Shell People. Along with Raquel (whose character is remarkably well-groomed given the time period), this movie's greatest selling point are the special effects; legendary stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen created a dazzling collection of prehistoric creatures for this film that still look impressive, even in the more sophisticated era of computer generated imaging technology. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raquel Welch, John Richardson, (more)
- 1965
Hammer Films co-produced this lavishly mounted adventure, the fourth adaptation of the novel by H. Rider Haggard. In Jerusalem, Leo Vincey (John Richardson) meets with a slave girl, Ustane (Rosenda Monteros), who has been charged with bringing him to an immortal queen, Ayesha (Ursula Andress). Ayesha, who desires Leo because of his resemblance to her long-dead lover, offers riches if he will travel to her lost city in the mountains, where a magical flame will also give him eternal life. Accompanied by his adventurous friend Major Horace Holly (Peter Cushing), Leo sets out for the fabled city across the desert, but along the way Ustane causes trouble when she decides she wants Leo for her own. She (1965) was followed by a sequel, The Vengeance of She (1968), although the follow-up did not star Andress. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ursula Andress, Peter Cushing, (more)
- 1961
David O. Selznick had intended to film an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night as a vehicle for his wife Jennifer Jones. But financial difficulties compelled Selznick to sell the property (including Ms. Jones' services) to 20th Century-Fox. Jones stars as a wealthy but disturbed woman of the 1920s who marries her psychiatrist (Jason Robards Jr.). They live together at her Riviera estate, where the doctor's analytical skills atrophy. As Jones grows stronger, the doctor becomes totally dependent upon her emotionally and financially. The film's supporting characters are equally self-destructive, notably an alcoholic composer (Tom Ewell) and Jones' avaricious sister (Joan Fontaine). Perhaps if Selznick had produced Tender is the Night, the film wouldn't have wallowed in misery for its own sake; on the other hand, we still would have been stuck with Jennifer Jones, who is woefully miscast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Jones, Jason Robards, Jr., (more)
In this high-seas adventure set in the 1600s, a British sea captain must go undercover, join a pirate band, and capture the notorious Captain Henry Morgan. But Morgan is on to the ruse and is well prepared when the sea captain makes his move. As the two engage in mortal combat, they are knocked unconscious and dragged to the governor of Tortuga who prepares to hang them both as pirates. Fortunately, a stowaway aboard the pirate vessel steps forward and reveals the hero's true identity and saves him. Morgan is not so lucky. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Scott, Leticia Roman, (more)
Generally considered to be the foremost example of Italian Gothic horror, this darkly atmospheric black-and-white chiller put director Mario Bava on the international map and made the bewitching Barbara Steele a star. Steele plays Princess Asa, a high priestess of Satan who is gruesomely executed in 1600s Moldavia by having a spiked mask hammered into her face. Before she dies, Asa vows revenge on the family who killed her and returns from the grave two centuries later to keep her promise. In a striking resurrection scene replete with bats, scorpions and fog, Asa rises from the tomb to claim her bloody vengeance. With vampires, bubbling flesh, dank crypts, undead servants and torch-bearing mobs, the plot is a little ripe, but the visuals are Bava's primary consideration. The atmosphere is so heavy and the imagery so dense that the film becomes nearly too rich in texture, but the sheer, ghastly beauty of it all is entrancing. Although this was only the second of Bava's twenty-six films as director, it is undoubtedly his best and the one upon which most of his considerable reputation rests. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Steele, John Richardson, (more)
