Jorge Cervera, Jr. Movies
- 1972
Hoss and Joe Cartwright are arrested in a Mexican border town and thrown in jail. Hoss is all for expediting the trial, but Joe is in no hurry: He's being treated like a king, with beautiful Ines (Pilar Seurat) and various other senoritas waiting on him hand and foot. Only when it is almost too late does Joe discover the real reason behind this preferential treatment. Alfonso Arau of The Wild Bunch fame is seen as Simon. Written by Joseph Bonaduce, "Customs of the Country" was originally telecast on February 6, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1974
Made for television, The Mark of Zorro is virtually a scene-for-scene remake of the 1940 Tyrone Power theatrical film--the principal difference being that, where Power's version ran 93 minutes, the TV version blurs along at a mere 78 minutes. Frank Langella plays Don Diego, the supposedly foppish Spanish California nobleman who fights for the people's rights in the guise of Zorro. Ricardo Montalban appears in the Basil Rathbone role as the evil oppressor whom Zorro eventually bests with his sword. Gilbert Roland is cast as Zorro's father, allowed a bit of swashbuckling on his own (the 69 year old Roland is astonishingly athletic). Alfred Newman's pulsating score from the original Mark of Zorro is cleverly redeployed in this remake. What's missing in the 1974 Mark of Zorro is the freshness and virtuosity of the earlier film's director Rouben Mamoulien; and, in all due respect to his considerable talent, Frank Langella is no Tyrone Power. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
- PG
In this adventurous western set in 1836, four misanthropic people band together to find a golden treasure. But as they progress, members of the group, including a scalper, a gunman, an indentured female servant, and an aging sea captain begin double and triple-crossing each other in hopes of getting all the gold for themselves. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
George Pal's final film is a kiddie action saga based on the popular comic strip and action book series by Kenneth Robeson. Ron Ely is all flash and charmless brawn as the blonde-haired superhero Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze. When his father is mysteriously murdered, Savage gathers together five of his cronies -- The Amazing Five -- to head off on an expedition to South America to find some answers. There he battles Captain Seas (Paul Wexler) and "the green death." Along the way, he charms native girl Mona (Pamela Hensley), who immediately falls for the blonde chiselhead. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Ely, Paul Gleason, (more)
- 1977
A young organizer for a California farmhand union dies of carbon monoxide poisoining, and the evidence points to suicide. Quincy (Jack Klugman), however, suspects that the man was murdered--and that one of two rival union leaders, currently embroiled in a bitter power struggle, may have been responsible. Conducting a personal investigation, Quincy exposes a great deal of corruption within the the union system...and also unearths a motive for murder that surprises even him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After a plane crash, killer tarantulas escape from the cargo, threatening orange groves and scaring the crop out of the locals in this arachnorama. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1978
- PG
Richard Dreyfuss plays Moses Wine, an ex-Sixties radical who pays the bills as a private eye. Wine is hired to stem a smear campaign against a popular political candidate. Gradually the plot thickens into a murder case, involving a hippie leader whose values, like Wine's, have been severely compromised over the years - and who plans to blow up a major LA freeway as a protest. Susan Anspach provides a great deal of dramatic (and sexual) tension as Wine's boss. Among the minor players are future stars Mandy Patinkin and F. Murray Abraham. The Big Fix was adapted by Roger L. Simon from his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Anspach, (more)
- 1980
- PG
Danny Travis (Richard Harris) is a kindly Irish inventor and widower whose projects leave his family in a constant state of near poverty. He takes on the system when the city slates his apartment building for demolition. Danny uncovers a plot hatched by the scheming Governor Davis (Biff McGuire) that will line the politician's pockets under the false pretense of an urban renewal project. Danny holds a sheriff hostage as television reporter Paula Herbert (Karen Black) leads to a media frenzy that sparks public sympathy for Danny and his fellow residents. The always dependable Martin Landau plays Captain Garrity. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Harris, Karen Black, (more)
- 1980
The made-for-TV Escape was inspired by the true story of Dwight Worker, an American imprisoned in Mexico for smuggling hashish. Given the country's stringent anti-drug laws, Worker's chances of release are slim to none (a situation similar to the protagonist's plight in Midnight Express). Against all odds, Worker plans a daring getaway from the notoriously impenetrable Lecumberri Prison (for obvious reasons, the film was not shot on location). Timothy Bottoms stars as Worker, with Kay Lenz as Barbara Chilcoate, the woman who became his wife; Colleen Dewhurst co-stars as the sympathetic "Mother Jones" type who helped engineer the escape. Adapted from Dwight and Barbara Worker's autobiography, Escape debuted February 20, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- R
Adapted by John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion from Dunne's novel, True Confessions uses the still-unsolved "Black Dahlia" murder as the foundation for a devastating attack on big-city corruption -- in which it appears that many of the perpetrators wear clerical collars. In, 1948 Los Angeles detective Tom Spellacy (Robert Duvall) is assigned to investigate the death of a priest, who apparently suffered a heart attack while being serviced by a prostitute. Meanwhile, Tom's brother, young Catholic monsignor Des Spellacy (Robert De Niro), is reluctantly currying favor with crooked contractor Jack Amsterdam (Charles Durning), the better to finance an expansion of Des' church. The unifying factor between Tom and Des, beyond their sibling relationship, turns out to be the grisly murder of a hooker. The key words in the labyrinthine proceedings are power, ambition, and hypocrisy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, (more)
In this Spaghetti-western-like martial arts actioner, Texas Ranger J. J. McQuade (Chuck Norris) is up against the weapons-dealer Rawley Wilkes (David Carradine) after Wilkes kidnaps McQuade's partner and daughter and takes them to Mexico. McQuade's personal vendetta is encouraged by the government because Wilkes is hijacking U.S. arms shipments for his illicit weapons deals and the government wants him stopped. After the kidnapping incident, McQuade is assigned Kayo (Robert Beltran) a rookie patrolman, to accompany him in his fight, and he is also joined by FBI-agent Jackson (Leon Isaac Kennedy). Jackson and McQuade track down Wilkes' secret airstrip -- and that is when the fireworks begin. Every weapon known to human technology is brought into the picture as McQuade, also armed with his lethal hands and feet, goes ballistic. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Norris, David Carradine, (more)
In this easily predictable romantic comedy, Gail (Anne Archer) is a no-nonsense geologist from the East Coast and John (Terry Jastrow) is a down-home, intuitive Texan whose expertise lies in guessing where petroleum is located -- Gail, as a geologist, is not in the habit of guessing. As the two meet and work together on a wildcat well in Texas, their romantic and financial fortunes are transparently tied together, and nothing at all comes as a surprise after their first initial meeting and disagreement. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Archer, Terry Jastrow, (more)
This slapstick farce features Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase), Lucky Day (Steve Martin), and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short), as three silent movie cowboy stars who get the axe from their Hollywood studio. Just at that opportune moment, a woman named Carmen (Patrice Martinez) asks them to come to her forgotten little town south of the border and do some work for her, for a tidy sum. The three "stooges" agree, thinking they are going to perform their singing cowboy routine, but instead Carmen wants them to get rid of the nasty El Guapo (Alfonso Arau) who is running roughshod over the good citizens of the town. Not the kind of heroes they appear to be in the movies, they have a difficult time helping out the distressed townsfolk. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, (more)
- 1986
- PG13
With a cast starring such comic veterans as Harvey Korman, Anne Meara, Jack Weston and Tim Conway (who also wrote the script), and executive produced by Mike Nichols, it is normally a safe bet that hiliarity will ensue. Unfortunately, this sure thing does not pay off and is disappointingly dumb as it tells the tale of four luckless gamblers who in desperation borrow a large sum for a local loanshark so they can bet on a particular horse. Unfortunately, they bet on the wrong nag and suddenly the foursome must scramble around for quick cash before the loanshark's thugs show up for some bruising payback. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Conway, Jack Weston, (more)
- 1988
Glenn Close and Keith Carradine are the only non-Latino cast members of the made-for-TV Stones for Ibarra. Close and Carradine portray a San Francisco couple who feel they've lost touch with life's meaning. They journey to a tiny Mexican village, where they find themselves sharing the "companionship of death" with the locals. The film is at its best when emphasizing its mysticism and clashes of custom. Adapted by Ernest Kinoy from a novel by Harriet Doerr, this was originally presented as a Hallmark Hall of Fame special. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Frank McBain (Gary Busey) is a cop who earned the nickname of "bulletproof" from the dozens of shootings he has survived over his career. He is called on to retrieve a tank held by communists across the border of Mexico. The enemies are cardboard caricatures of Arabs, Russians, and Mexicans led by the evil Colonel Kartiff (Henry Silva). Darlanne Fluegel co-stars with Juan Fernandez and Rene Enriquez in this forgettable feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Busey, Darlanne Fluegel, (more)
- 1991
This western chronicles the exploits of former Civil War hero Zach Hollister, who became an outlaw after the war. He eventually became a deputy sheriff. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Bloom, David Carradine, (more)
- 1991
- Add The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw to QueueAdd The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw to top of Queue
The fourth of Kenny Rogers' Gambler TV movies, 1991's The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw is regarded by many Western diehards as the best. This time, gambler Brady Hawkes is en route to a high-stakes poker game in San Francisco. His travelling companions are a trouble-prone frontier Romeo (Rick Rossovich) and a feisty ex-saloon gal (Reba McEntire). Never mind that: The real attraction of Luck of the Draw is its enormous guest-star lineup of famous TV cowboy heroes of yore: Gene "Bat Masterson" Barry, Hugh "Wyatt Earp" O'Brien, Brian "The Westerner" Keith, Chuck "The Rifleman" Connors, Jack "Maverick" Kelly, Clint "Cheyenne" Walker, David "Kung Fu" Carradine, and "Virginian" co-stars James Drury and Doug McClure. The first portion of this two-part movie concentrates on setting up the plot; Part two is the card game itself, preceded by a boxing match refereed by Bat Masterson (Gene Barry). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire, (more)
- 1992
Based on Clifford Irving's novel Trial, this 2-part TV movie is set amongst the Texas elite. Peter Strauss plays Warren Blackburn, a brilliant but discredited trial lawyer. His career seems due for redemption when judge Louise Parker (Jill Clayburgh), formerly Blackburn's bitterest foe, appoints him to defend a homeless man charged with murder. Simultaneously, Blackburn is hired to defend flashy nightclub entertainer Faye Boudreau (Beverly D'Angelo) in a separate murder trial. While investigating his clients' background, Blackburn uncovers several unsavory facts. Should he reveal what he knows and thereby risk everything -- including his life? Part one of Trial: The Price of Passion was first telecast May 3, 1992; part two was shown the following evening. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Relaxing on the holodeck, Worf, Alexander, and Troi embark upon a virtual reality adventure in the Wild West. Unfortunately, a malfunction traps the quartet in their 19th century surroundings. Making things worse, our heroes face a showdown with a gang of seemingly indestructable outlaws, all of whom resemble Lt. Cmdr. Data. Scripted by Robert Hewitt Wolfe and Brannon Braga, "A Fistful of Datas" originally aired November 14, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Stars of country music fill out the cast of this made-for-TV western. Kenny Rogers plays a bounty hunter who sets off with his newlywed partner (Travis Tritt) to track down the kidnappers who ran off with Tritt's wife (Laura Harring). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1993
In the made-for-cable thriller The Wrong Man, an American sailor (Kevin Anderson) is framed for the murder of a Mexican smuggler. The sailor escapes the police by hooking up with a weird couple (John Lithgow and Rosanna Arquette), who drag him into a series of sordid, dangerous affairs. Eventually, the wife falls for the sailor, which leads to even more danger for the fugitive. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosanna Arquette, Kevin Anderson, (more)
A couple returns home from Mexico where they accidentally killed a cop on a highway and proceeded to flee the scene. Before long, however, they are confronted by an intimidating but charismatic man who mysteriously pops up--and who knows all about the incident in Mexico. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rutger Hauer, Rebecca De Mornay, (more)
- 1998
Actor Jorge Cervera made his directorial debut with this Mexican drama, which might be described as Oliver Twist meets Whistle Down the Wind (1962). Casting professional adult actors with non-pro kids, Cervera filmed in Veracruz where the dying mother of eight-year-old Julio (Eduardo Saul Martinez) promises she will locate an angel to protect him. Instead, Julio is relegated to a harsh life at a slave-labor institution where young child workers get decent food and showers once a month -- when government inspectors arrive. To find his "angel," Julio escapes, but Señora Zapata (Carmen del Valle), worried that Julio will inform officials of her illegal operations, sends henchman Pablo (Guillermo Victor Carpinteiro) after the boy. After joining a group of homeless street kids, Julio believes he has found his angel when he's befriended by Angel Lopez (Cervera). The two scavenge the town dump and help a priest build an orphanage, while Pablo continues to track Julio. Shown at the 1998 Mill Valley Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eduardo Saul Martinez, Jorge Cervera, Jr., (more)
A comic fable centered around the lives of contemporary Catholic monks, A Question of Faith (once called Blessed Art Thou) follows Brother Anselm (M.E. Hackett), who suddenly finds himself pregnant. Living in a rural California monastery, Anselm believes the miracle was created out of a visit from Gabriel. The decades-old wisdom and beliefs of the order are tested as reactions to the events are a mix of sympathetic and hostile and the brothers find themselves at odds. The monks, both young and old, find that the line between reason and faith becomes blurred and their ancient traditions begin to crumble as the unexplainable miracle begins to change their perception of reality and themselves. Adapted from a short story by Tim Disney, great-nephew of Walt, the film also features Paul Guilfoyle, Naveen Andrews, and Daniel von Bargen. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Naveen Andrews, Jorge Cervera, Jr., (more)
