Joan Weidman Movies
A self-assured Midwestern girl finds her confidence gradually crumbling as a barrage of terrifying visions prompt her to investigate a brutal murder in a supernatural thriller directed by Asif Kapadia and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Joanna Mills (Gellar) is a successful sales representative for a local trucking company, and though her professional life is at an all-time high, her personal life couldn't be any more troubling at the moment. Estranged from her father (Sam Shepard) and menacingly stalked by an obsessive ex-boyfriend (Adam Scott), Joanna feels all alone in the world as her downward spiral rapidly begins to accelerate. When Joanna has a psychic experience in which she literally sees and feels the brutal murder of a female stranger, she soon begins to suspect that she has been targeted as the killer's next victim. Joanna isn't the type to go down without a fight, however, and as her increasingly vivid visions guide her ever closer to the victim's hometown, the secrets that will be revealed leave her wondering if the murder she is investigating may be her own. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Michelle Gellar, Adam Scott, (more)
- 1994
In this political thriller set in Bangkok, a young woman finds herself drawn into a scheme designed to assassinate Henry Kissinger, the former Secretary of State. The film offers wonderful views of the Thai city. The film opens with the death of American Rachel McCarthy, who is murdered in her limo as she travels to the airport to meet her daughter Jessie whom she has not seen in over a decade. Jessie, a bit of an innocent, goes to her mother's estate and discovers that her mother had been part of an international plot. Vietnamese refugees were involved. The point of the conspiracy is to sabotage a treaty between the U.S. and Vietnam. Along the way she encounters many fascinating characters. The most important are U.S state Dept official, Fran Jakes, agent Michael Murphy with the CIA, and Major Somchai, Thai detective. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Purl, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, (more)
An FBI agent stationed in Cleveland is assigned to investigate a case in Utah where a serial killer is molesting and murdering children. The agent discovers ties between the murders and a bearded, crazed religious fanatic who believes himself to be Noah and who is building a huge ark in a cave. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Glenn, Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus, (more)
- 1991
Hearing tales of a legendary giant who lives on Thunder Mountain, some kids go up the mountain to see for themselves. They discover the giant (Richard Kiel, who also co-wrote the film and was executive producer) and persuade him to shave off his beard and come out of hiding. However, a crooked carnival owner soon hears of him and has his own plans for the giant. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Kiel
A drama involving the world of inner-city drug dealing, Crack House concerns two students (Gregg Gomez Thomsen, Cheryl Kay) trying to attend school while living with the pressures of ghetto life. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Brown, Anthony Geary, (more)
- 1988
Remember all those 1940s collegiate musicals, where the finale came down to "Swing vs. the Classics"? Replace "Swing" with "Modern Jazz and Rock", and you've got Body Beat. A tradition-bound ballet academy is invaded by a bunch of free-form dancers. Rather than form a united front against these interlopers, the teachers begin taking sides! Outside of this little twist, nothing much new here. Originally titled Dance Academy, this Italian/American film features Julie Newmar in an extended cameo appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Dean Fields, Galyn Gorg, (more)
- 1987
A cluster of unappealing college students (of the Friday the 13th variety) on a camping trip in the mountains of Utah find themselves stalked by a "berserker" -- a ferocious and legendary man-beast known to ancient Viking lore as a kind of cannibalistic shock-trooper who was kept in a cage, dressed in animal skins and brutalized until he became psychotic enough to strike fear into the heart of an enemy in battle. What exactly this devilish warrior is doing so far from the fjords is never really explained to anyone's satisfaction -- some kind of ancient Nordic curse is mumbled about, but that's it. Not much different than the standard slasher fare, even down to the masked killer who wears a huge bear-snout. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Alan Johnson, Valerie Sheldon, (more)
This lifeless action feature finds mafia hitman Carmine Longo (Mike Lane) seeking vengeance against the Zebra Force led by Cougar (Timmy Brown). Frank Barnes (Jim Mitchum) joins the group when his Zebra Force buddy is killed. Lindsey Crosby (son of Bing) plays a police sergeant, and Frank Sinatra, Jr. appears briefly as the mob lawyer Kozlo. Only those interested in the offspring of aging or dead performers could find anything of interest in this film. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Mitchum, Mike Lane, (more)
- 1984
In this family film, a rare Golden Bear is being held captive in a circus and it is up to a parentless child and a gold prospector to save it. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1975
At the invitation of the mainland Chinese government, Shirley MacLaine took a contingent of seven American women of multiple races, ages and socioeconomic levels to China for a tour. Accompanied by government guides, these personable women toured Beijing, Shanghai, Canton and Hangchow. Among the highlights: a Caesarian childbirth under acupuncture anaesthesia, farms, homes, schools, and day-care centers. Clearly a propaganda piece, various outrageous claims by officials are made for the wholesomeness of Chinese life. Nonetheless, the film is well-photographed and the individuals involved in the tour are personable and charming. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
In 1971, Jane Fonda and a group of fellow activist performers and musicians (including actor Donald Sutherland, musician Holly Near, and writer and comedian Paul Mooney) put together a satirical revue to perform at coffeehouses and parks near U.S. Army bases for the entertainment of G.I.'s who had come to oppose the war in Vietnam. Calling the show F.T.A. (meaning either "Free The Army" or "F-ck The Army" depending on what part of the show one witnessed), the show included protest songs, anti-war humor, appearances by G.I.'s and veterans who spoke out the war, and agit-prop theater designed to increase awareness and spread resistance against the military escalation in Vietnam. After a tour of the United States, the troupe headed to the Pacific, where they performed in Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, and Okinawa. F.T.A. is a documentary of the troupe's Pacific Tour, including highlights from the show, appearances by local performers, behind the scenes footage of the logistical and political problems of keeping the show on the road, and conversations with soldiers as they discuss what they saw in battle, their anger with the military bureaucracy, and their opposition to America's presence in Indochina. American-International Pictures released F.T.A. in the United States in 1972, but it appeared in theaters the same week that Jane Fonda made her infamous trip to Hanoi; AIP soon pulled it from circulation and it has been seen very rarely since. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
