Mary Woronov Movies

A coed struggling to pay her rent ends up taking the wrong part-time job in writer-director Ti West's old-school 1980s-set horror flick, The House of the Devil. Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) is a sweet-natured and retiring young woman, unlike her rambunctious, loud, and self-assured best buddy, Megan (mumblecore stalwart Greta Gerwig). After moving into a new apartment, Samantha is desperate for a way to make a few more bucks. When Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) comes on campus looking for a babysitter, Samantha jumps at the opportunity. Once she convinces Megan to give her a ride to the creepy old Ulman house, Samantha learns that the job is not quite what was advertised. Ulman and his wife (Mary Woronov) don't even have a child. He tells Samantha that she just has to stay in the house with his elderly mother-in-law while he and the missus go out to celebrate the lunar eclipse. When she balks at the change of plans, he offers her more money. As the night goes on, it becomes clear that Samantha is a much bigger part of the Ulmans' plans for the evening than she would ever want to be. West established his genre credentials with low-budget cult favorites The Roost (which also starred Noonan) and Trigger Man. The House of the Devil also stars A.J. Bowen and Dee Wallace. The movie had its world premiere in the Midnight section of the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Marie Menken was an artist and experimental filmmaker who was a contemporary and confidante to many noted auteurs of the '60s, including Kenneth Anger (he helped her shoot her film Arabesque for Kenneth Anger, while she appeared in Scorpio Rising), Stan Brakhage (he was an outspoken supporter of her work) and Andy Warhol (she appears in The Chelsea Girls and supposedly coached him on working with movie equipment). While Menken never received the same acclaim among cineastes as the above-mentioned filmmakers, today she's considered an important and pioneering artist, and filmmaker Martina Kudlacek pays homage to the woman and her work in this documentary. Notes on Marie Menken includes clips from several of Menken's films, as well as interviews with Kenneth Anger, Billy Name, Mary Woronov, Jonas Mekas, and others who knew her; filmmaker Kudlacek also examines how Menken's work has impacted her own creative vision. Notes on Marie Menken received its North American premier at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A young girl searching for her missing sister makes a dark discovery at a remote, Catholic-run halfway house in this genre-jumping entry starring cult queen Mary Woronov (Rock 'n' Roll High School and Eating Raoul). It seems that lately quite a few girls have gone missing at the Mary Magdalen Halfway House for Troubled Girls, and when Larissa Morgan (Janet Tracy Keijser) learns that her sister is one of the unlucky few to disappear, she signs herself into the institution in hopes of uncovering the truth. Quickly discovering that all is not as it seems within the ominous confines of the halfway house, Larissa must overcome a terrifying supernatural force from beyond this dimension in order to escape with her life and ensure that no other young girls meet the same grim fate as her sister. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In a land where cartoon characters and flesh-and-blood people work side by side, one little black duck lands in a big pot of trouble in this comedy, which brings the beloved Looney Tunes characters into the real world. Daffy Duck (voice of Joe Alaskey) has grown tired of his status as Warner Bros.' leading avian second fiddle and demands that if he can't be given equal billing with his rival Bugs Bunny (also voiced by Alaskey), he wants to be released from his contract. Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman), Warners' vice president in charge of comedy, is way ahead of Daffy and orders studio stuntman D.J. Drake (Brendan Fraser) to kick the duck off the studio lot. D.J. soon discovers getting rid of Daffy is no easy task, and the duck is in tow when Drake makes a startling discovery -- his father Damien Drake (Timothy Dalton), a movie star best know for playing ultra-suave secret agents, really is a secret agent, and he's been kidnapped by Mr. Chairman (Steve Martin), the evil leader of the monolithic Acme Corporation. Damien knows the secret hiding place of the priceless Blue Monkey Diamond and Mr. Chairman will stop at nothing to get it, so D.J. and Daffy set out to rescue Damien and save the diamond, one step behind Acme's musclemen and one step ahead of Kate and Bugs, who now realize how important Daffy is to the Looney Tunes franchise. Looney Tunes: Back in Action also stars Heather Locklear as a lounge singer working for Yosemite Sam (voice of Steve Babiar), Joan Cusack, John Cleese, Stan Freberg, and Roger Corman. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

P. David Ebersole's directorial debut is an ambitious melange of sports film, cop thriller, social realist drama, and issue-oriented after-school special. The story revolves around a pro boxer (Brent Smith) who seeks to use his skills out of the ring, waging a vigilante war against child abusers in his neighborhood while pursuing a championship title. Meanwhile, his wife frets as a pair of crackerjack detectives slowly close in on the self-appointed strong arm of the law. Straight Right was first shown at the L.A. Independent Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Drug user Jane (Samantha Mathis) lives on the streets, but Jane's addiction puts her in the hospital after she overdoses. A doctor determines she's HIV-positive and plans tests, but she slips away and returns to the streets. She's followed by sick teen Tony (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who sees her as a substitute mother. The two assist each other and use stolen cash to move into a nice hotel. However, Jane is helpless once Tony begins dying of AIDS. Shown at the AFI/Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

The third incarnation of TV's gloriously ghoulish "Munster" family appears in this made-for-TV movie, originally telecast December 17, 1996 by the Fox network. That lovable pint-sized werewolf Eddie Munster (Bug Hall) feels depressed as the Yuletide holiday approaches, yearning for a "Transylvania Christmas" while being stuck in Southern California. Eddie's Frankensteinish dad Herman Munster (Sam McMurray) tries to cheer the boy up by arranging for a Christmas celebration in the tradition of the Old Country. To top things off, vampirish Grandpa Munster (Sandy Baron) extends the Holiday cheer by giving Santa Claus (Mark Mitchell) a magic potion--which, unfortunately, is swiped by a pair of larcenous elves (Ed Gale, Arturo Gil). In other developments, Lily Munster (Ann Magnuson) enters a house-decorating contest (love those designer cobwebs!), and several other copyrighted Universal Pictures monsters make fleeting cameo appearances. A critical assessment of The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas is virtually impossible: Either one loves the Munsters, or one doesn't--and that's the name of that dirge! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Richard Glatzer's bittersweet comedy concerns the production of a sleazy tabloid television program called "The Love Judge" and the problems that arise when the Divine-esque producer Jo (Kent Fuher) announces that he/she is leaving to become a Hungarian housewife. Mark (Craig Chester), the head writer who is mourning the loss of his lover to AIDS, spends the time he has not mourning worrying about whether he'll get a promotion to producer of the show after his boss leaves. In his way is the smarmy Paula (Lucy Gutteridge), who also is hoping for the promotion. In the meantime, Mark is flirting with male office worker Bill (Alexis Arquette), even though his old college friend Jeremy (Carlton Wilborn) is warning against Mark's flirtation -- for reasons of his own. In the midst of all this, it's no wonder that the office secretary Leslie (Illeana Douglas) has sworn off men altogether. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Shot on inferior video stock (but sporting pretentious "letterbox" screen-masking for some insane reason), this painfully cheap and sleazy affair presents a serial killer on wheels, in the form of wheelchair-bound Eugene (Ron Litman), who seeks revenge against the street punks who killed his mother and rendered him unable to walk. When similar thugs rape and kill his aunt (Mary Woronov), Eugene seems to slip into Taxi Driver mode. When his attempts at preparation are thwarted by his infirmity, he is assisted at first by a like-minded homeless man (G.J. Levinson), but when his accomplice chickens out, Eugene kills him and rises to the challenge on his own, building confidence with each attack. Eventually he hits on the ultimate plan of revenge: by poisoning the water supply with a drug that will destroy the city's wealthy populace, literally turning them into bums! Though he is ostensibly directing his revenge on society as a whole, Eugene seems to favor naked or barely-clad female victims -- which seems more indicative of the director's hang-ups than those of his principal character. A waste of time, despite the presence of the always-interesting Woronov. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

A gentle film critic hooks up with a violent drifter in this HIV-positive road movie, which marked the emergence of writer/director Gregg Araki into the art house mainstream. Jon (Craig Gilmore) has just learned he has the virus that causes AIDS. Still in a state of shock, he stumbles through his usual routine -- until he meets Luke (Mike Dytri), a hunky, gun-toting hitchhiker who has just stolen a car from a pair of homicidal lesbians and shot a trio of would-be gay bashers. Against his better judgment, Jon lets Luke stay at his place and soon finds himself drawn into the nihilistic stranger's world; it doesn't hurt that Luke is also HIV-positive and hot to get inside Jon's pants. Things take a Bonnie and Clyde turn when Luke kills a policeman. The pair go on the lam, first to San Francisco, then all over the western United States. Jon keeps his best friend, Darcy (Darcy Marta), apprised of his situation via a series of ever more infrequent collect calls. But as the road trip continues, Jon becomes increasingly disillusioned with Luke's belief that since they're doomed to die, they should lead consequence-free lives. Like Araki's later movies, The Living End is peppered with pop culture detritus and features a soundtrack heavy on industrial and alternative music -- in this case Psychic TV, Coil, and Fred Gianelli. Marta is a veteran of Araki's earlier Three Bewildered People in the Night, while several other cast members, including Gilmore, would go on to appear in the director's Totally F***ed Up. The Living End's many cameos include performance artist Johanna Went, Eating Raoul director Paul Bartel, Warhol associate Mary Woronov, and Peter Grame, star of the obscure European film Das Gluck Beim Haendewaschen. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

When unsuccessful writer Bruce Simmons (Dylan McDermott) is kicked out of his apartment, he takes up residence in an old abandoned mansion. When he discovers the gruesome history of the house, he is inspired to begin a novel based on the grisly murders that took place there. However, when a strange border moves in, his input on the novel might be a little too informed for Bruce's taste. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

A new principal is imported to Rock 'n' Roll High to put the clamps on the rock-inspired rebelliousness that has the local school board quite concerned. The lady principal is a terse-lipped brute who's up against the predictable shenanigans concocted by school rebels. Will it be rock and roll forever, or will the Muses be forever squelched? ~ Rovi