Natan Zahavi Movies
Discover how seven year college senior Van Wilder earned his puckish reputation in this prequel detailing the freshman year high jinks that made history. When Van Wilder (Jonathan Bennett) enrolled in Coolidge College, he had no idea that following in his wealthy father's footsteps would be such a formidable task; the uptight dean has official banned partying on campus, and the student body is too busy studying to fight back. When Van Wilder discovers that every female student on campus has taken a vow of chastity, he declares that no cheerleader will go untouched, and no keg of brew will be left untapped. But freeing Coolidge College from the oppressive shackles of party persecution and sexual malaise won't be easy, and in order to accomplish his mission Van Wilder will have to put his studies on pause, and unleash some serious mischief. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Bennett, Kristin Cavallari, (more)
- 2006
- R
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The protégé of the most skilled mischief maker in college history sets his sights on England's prestigious Camden University to offer an informative course in advanced-level shenanigans in this sequel to the 2002 Ryan Reynolds hit that finds that film's co-star Kal Penn crossing the pond to realize his true party potential. Van Wilder's former assistant has learned the ways of the master, and now he's prepared to share his newfound knowledge with the stuffy students of the school known more for academia than rowdy mischief. Of course, by now Taj (Penn) knows that where there's a will there's a way, and there are plenty of fun-loving misfits at this esteemed institute of higher learning who are just looking for an excuse to ditch their studies and blow off a little steam by embracing their inner Van Wilder. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kal Penn, Lauren Cohan, (more)
Working from a script by Noa Grinberg, Shahar Rosen's Round Trip stars Anat Waxman as Nurit, a bus driver who becomes so dissatisfied with her dead-end marriage that she takes her two children and moves to Tel Aviv. She soon learns that even though she has gotten away from her husband, her life is no more fulfilling. One day, Nurit hires Nigerian Mushidi (Nthati Moshesh) as a maid. Soon the pair become friends -- and then something more. Their new relationship causes problems between Nurit and her family. Round Trip was screened at the 2003 Israel Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anat Waxman, Nthati Moshesh, (more)
In this action thriller, Steve Mitchell (Peter Weller) is an American agent sent to Bucharest to defuse a bomb located in the U.S. embassy. He's pleasantly surprised to find that Erica Long (Daryl Hannah), his colleague and former girlfriend, will be his assistant for this project, but the fun part of the reunion is cut short when Serbian terrorists attack the embassy and take most of the staff hostage. While Steve and Erica manage to escape, Steve's 14-year-old son is still inside, and he must find a way to get him out before Gen. Buck Swain (Tom Berenger), who was once a schoolmate of the terrorist leader, executes his raid to liberate the embassy, which could prove bloody. Enemy Of My Enemy manages to season its traditional action scenario with moments of dry humor and a dash of romance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Weller, Daryl Hannah, (more)
Featuring plenty of action and erotic romance, this direct-to-video police drama centers on the relationship that develops between a rookie and his new partner (Gina Gershon), a beautiful, experienced maverick cop, as they embark upon a desperate search for the psycho who, dressed as a police officer, has gone on a terrifying killing spree. The duo arrest several suspects, but each one later turns up dead. When the veteran cop is accused of the crimes, it threatens not only her livelihood but also her newly established personal and professional relationship with her partner. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gina Gershon, Alison Eastwood, (more)
This sequel to A Kid in King Arthur's Court follows the adventures of a teenage pizza delivery driver who finds a magic lamp and soon has a genie on his side. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Ian Nicholas, Rhona Mitra, (more)
- 1997
This is the final installment of the comic trilogy about contemporary Israeli life that begins with Life According to Agfa. Balding advertising executive Mr. Baum (Assi Dayan, who also directed) spends more time on a new ad campaign for purple sunglasses than he does with his own family. But suddenly he is forced to reexamine his life after a doctor tells him that he has an "aggressive" brain tumor and will die in 90 minutes (approximating the film's 92-minute running time). Shown at the 1997 Haifa Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Assi Dayan, Rivka Neiman, (more)
- 1996
- R
In this fast-paced action thriller, an American cop is forced to rely on the man he has sworn to destroy when both are chained together and lost in the Central American jungle. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Busey, Victor Rivers, (more)
- 1995
- R
In this "supernatural" comedy, a plain-jane spinster cares for her elderly grandmother, who happens to be a fanatic wrestling fan -- and also extremely rich. When her obnoxious relatives show up for Thanksgiving dinner, the grandmother, who has been given a magic potion by an exorcist, turns into a supernatural killer who takes on different shapes to perform her murders. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 1994
In this unofficial remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice, an ex-con gets a job at a run-down roadside diner owned by a blind former prison guard. He commences an affair with the owner's wife, and they both plan to kill him and find a hidden treasure. Their plan starts to unravel, however, and a deputy sheriff and another ex-con start to cause problems for the couple. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- C. Thomas Howell, Joan Severance, (more)
The sequel to Warlock, this film features the return of the evil warlock (Julian Sands) who is on a quest to search out and obtain a set of six magical runestones needed to summon the Devil to Earth. However, a group of powerful druids have become aware of the sinister plans afoot, and it is up to them to defeat the warlock and prevent Armageddon. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julian Sands, Chris Young, (more)
- 1991
Despite the almost endless parade of films from Israel which deal with excruciating political or social problems in a profoundly intimate, even myopic fashion, escapist comedy is a much-desired commodity there. This ground-breaking comedy received the Wolgin prize from the 1991 Jerusalem Film Festival at least partly as an acknowledgment that it sticks to comedy and avoids preaching of any kind. In the story, Shuroo (Moshe Ivgi) is an inveterate con man who has come up with perhaps his most skillful scheme: a self-fulfillment program for the spiritually impoverished. After getting interviewed on a television talk show, he is able to gather a group of loyal followers who are happy to have their pocketbooks milked of funds. This proceeds smoothly for him, and he meddles in the lives of his latest dupes, with comic results, until word of his unsavory background begins to get out and the tables are turned. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sharon Hacohen
- 1990
- R
C. Thomas Howell stars as the otherwise-nameless title character, a young man whose hippie parents were murdered years ago by a gang of rednecks. Years later, the Kid has returned to the scene of the crime to avenge their deaths, only to find that one of the killers is now the town sheriff. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
An otherwise boring and unpopular Louise is enamored with Brad, the star of the high-school football team, but her feelings are not reciprocated. One week before her birthday, she visits a psychic and is told she has latent, genetically predisposed witch abilities that will blossom on her sixteenth birthday. Soon she finds the information to be true and uses her powers to gain the typical teen goals: popularity, revenge on cruel teachers and other meanies, and high-school football star Brad... ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robyn Lively, Dan Gauthier, (more)
This reject from slasher-movie remedial school -- featuring copious amounts of teen sex and the usual unimaginative gore murders -- involves the return of a problem teen (Donovan Leitch) to high school after his release from an institution. After essentially pinning the "Red Herring" sign on the main character, the filmmakers then pander what passes for suspense as Leitch's classmates head for that big D-hall in the sky. Not even a supporting performance by then-unknown Brad Pitt managed to rescue this lackluster thriller, which arrived far too late in the game to appeal to the teen-horror crowd -- an audience which by then had already migrated from Halloween clones and Friday the 13th sequels to Freddy Krueger territory after Wes Craven's crafty A Nightmare on Elm Street. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donovan Leitch, Jill Schoelen, (more)
- 1987
For all we know, there may be even more unknown and unseen Dom DeLuise films lurking around out there. Until we did the research, we didn't know My African Adventure existed. Based loosely on a comic novel by Tamar Burstein, the film concerns the son of an American ambassador who meets a steady stream of merry mercenaries while heading into the African interior. One of the plot-motivating factors is a talking monkey; other devices aren't quite as subtle. In addition to Mr. DeLuise (who isn't the lead, though he gets top billing), My African Adventure also features Jimmy "Dy-No-Mite" Walker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dom DeLuise, Jimmie "J.J." Walker, (more)
- 1987
- R
A surprisingly slick flick from Emperor of Exploitation Fred Olen Ray, the story (which Ray co-wrote with T.L. Lankford, borrowing heavily from the director's earlier Biohazard) begins when a satellite carrying top-secret bio-engineered mutants plummets to Earth and disgorges its slavering contents in a scrap-yard outside Los Angeles. Hot on the beast's slimy trail are a pair of L.A. cops (Russ Meyer-veteran Charles Napier and the miscast Ann Turkel), who butt heads with their chief (Bo Svenson), the military, and the scientists who bred the monster -- until the inevitable confrontation, which features a no-holds-barred grudge match between the toothy slime-demon and a chainsaw-wielding Napier. Campy, fun performances by the talented leads (especially Julie Newmar as a psychic who assists the investigation) elevate this material far beyond the limitations of its hoary premise and Alien-esque monster. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Napier, Ann Turkel, (more)
