Rick Grassi Movies
- 1990
- R
Less an example of the native giallo subgenre than an Italian attempt to imitate the erotic thrillers then popular in America, this film went so far as to use an English-language title and mask its director Enrico Grassi as "Bob J. Ross" even in Italy itself. The frequently nude Loredana Romito stars as Carla, a beautiful woman married to the owner of a luxurious hotel in the country. When her husband is blinded in an accident with a handsome young man on a motorcycle, Carla takes over the daily operations of the hotel and hires the motorcyclist, Alessio, as a handyman. When Carla discovers her blind husband sleeping with his mistress, she takes Alessio to bed and begins to sexually control him, eventually persuading him to push her husband off a cliff to his death. Unfortunately, the hotel maid discovers what has happened and attempts to blackmail Carla, receiving a bullet in the head for her efforts. After disposing of the body, Alessio and Carla engage in the film's central set piece, a blood-smeared sex scene which graphically fuses the lust for flesh and the lust for blood in a way that few American films have dared since the opening scene of Basic Instinct. It's a common enough occurrence in giallo films, however, and shouldn't offend many devotees, particularly coming as it does in the middle of a fairly bloodless endeavor as far as Italian thrillers go. John Armstead co-stars with Ann Margaret Hughes, James Villemaire, and Carmen Manzano. Various prints run 84 and 87 minutes. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- R
In this actioner, a young soldier, an expert in survival and combat, must work with his original trainer after his lover and her father are abducted. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Norris, Deborah Goodrich, (more)
- 1984
Season Three of The A-Team begins as Hannibal (George Peppard), B.A. (Mr. T), Face (Dirk Benedict) and Murdock (Dwight Schultz) head to Miami at the request of two pretty young lasses, Sandy (Kimberly Ross) and Tina Betsy Russell). The girls run a tourist hotel which may be put out of business by gangster Joey Epic (Vincent Baggetta). Taking charge of the hotel for a while, the A-Team finds out that Epic is in league with Prescott (Ben Piazza), a crooked congressman who is pressing for legalized gambling in Miami, the better to take a juicy slice of the proceedings. The climax features the by-now-standard improvised weaponry, including a "machine gun" which shoots nails! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story is a surfacy TV-movie rehash of the same real-life events which inspired the 1980 theatrical feature Star 80. Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Dorothy Stratten, here depicted as an ingenuous, highly vulnerable Canadian girl who aspires to show business stardom. Decked out with a generous toupee, Bruce Weitz co-stars as Paul Snyder, the "fringie" who married Dorothy and managed her career. The girl is discovered by Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner, who features Dorothy in a nude foldout spread. As Dorothy's fame grows, Snyder becomes more obsessive and difficult to control. Dorothy tries to make a clean break from Snyder, which culminates in tragedy. Death of a Centerfold initially aired on November 1, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
