John C. Champion Movies

This film adaptation of the Broadway musical based loosely on Puccini's opera La Bohème features many members of the original cast. It follows a year in the lives of seven friends living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York's East Village. AIDS and both its physical and emotional complications pervade the lives of Roger (Adam Pascal), Mimi (Rosario Dawson), Tom (Jesse L. Martin), and Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia); Maureen (Idina Menzel) deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne (Tracie Thoms), wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble; Benjamin (Taye Diggs) has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends; and Mark (Anthony Rapp), an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general, always behind the camera recording the events but never playing a part. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

Captain Lee Mitchell (Stuart Whitman) is the American officer who joins the British in an attempt to smuggle scientist Von Heinken (Pinkas Braun) out of Germany. The group also assists refugees trying to escape the wrath of the Nazis. Mitchell must quickly mold an inexperienced unit of British soldiers into an effective unit before the Russian tank squadron invades Munich. SS troops and Allies engage in fierce combat as both sides try to capture the noted scientist in this routine World War II drama. The film was made in 1968 but not released until 1970. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Major James Wilson (Lloyd Bridges) must lead his troops across the English channel in the D-day invasion of Normandy. He trains his regulars for the invasion knowing that many, if not all, may never survive the assault. Wilson is plagued by memories of previous missions that turned out to be suicidal. Captain Franklin (Andrew Keir) is the British officer who opposed the plan and has a personal vendetta against Wilson. The two are thrown together on the same mission when Franklin is slated to command the mine sweepers that transport Wilson's troops to their destination. They face overwhelming odds and a barrage of cannon fire from the Nazi stronghold on the Normandy coast. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This suspenseful air-borne adventure can rightfully lay claim to being the Mother of All subsequent in-flight disaster films of the '70s. The trouble begins when the pilot and crew of a Canadian passenger plane suddenly find themselves doubled over from accidental ptomaine poisoning and unable to continue flying the plane. The only other person on board who can save the terrified crew is a former WW II flying ace who is petrified of flying again. Fortunately, a courageous steel-nerved ground controller is there to offer full-radio support. Later the film became the basis of a TV movie Terror in the Sky and the hilarious parody Airplane (1980). Arthur Hailey, who wrote the teleplay on which this was based, went on to write the novel and the screenplay for 1970's Airport. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Dragonfly Squadron is set in 1950 in the months before the beginning of the Korean War. John Hodiak stars as Major Mathew Brady, assigned to the base at Kongju to train South Korean troops for possible combat. These troops are to be used to protect civilians in the event of an evacuation, thus Brady is obliged to run them ragged in order to transform them into a lean, mean fighting machine. Despite the gravity of his job, Brady manages to find time to romance Donna Cottrell (Barbara Britton), the wife of an American doctor (Bruce Bennett). The Casablanca aspects of this triangle are the only forgettable aspects of this taut and timely adventure yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stampede is a choice example of the Lesley Selander B-plus westerns of the late 1940s/early 1950s. Rod Cameron and Don Castle star as feuding brothers who own separate cattle ranches. The siblings find themselves on opposite sides of a water-rights battle, in which settlers are being deprived water by a gang of clever criminals. The war turns ugly before the film is over, resulting in the destructive stampede promised by the title. Despite poor reviews from big-city critics, this stacks up favorably against the more costly big-studio westerns of the era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide