Michael Conn Movies
Stephen Lennhoff directs this low-budget comedic thriller set in London's seedy gay male escort scene. John (Paul Blackthorne) leads a lonely existence until he is picked up by a Scottish skinhead junkie (Ian Henderson) and introduced to the Boys Galore escort agency, run by the ever-mincing Mitzi (Gary Fairhall) and middle-aged Bethsheba (Sue Tilling). John is promptly hired out by sleazy American millionaire Bad Daddy (Angus McIness), who lives in a palatial estate. Later, in one of the fews scenes in which he's not soaping up in the bathtub, John is threatened by a psychopathic rent boy slasher. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1997
After doing a documentary on Glasgow loan sharks, director Ron Rohrer reworked the subject into a TV drama with a screenplay by Rona Munro, who previously scripted documentary material into drama for Ken Loach's Ladybird, Ladybird (1994). In Glasgow, Lynette (Shirley Henderson) is friends with redhead Terry (Sharon Small) and dates petty criminal Andy (Joe McFadden). Terry's promise to her pal Lynette is that one day they can take the high road -- a vacation trip to Loch Lomond. Despite warnings from Andy, Lynette piles up debts and trouble looms. Lynette and Terry find the bonds of their friendship strained, as Terry has to make her way through the violent loan-shark world to help her friend. Shot in Super-16 with distinctive, hand-held camerawork by Barry Ackroyd (Under the Skin), this film was originally made for BBC Scotland and shown at the 1997 Edinburgh Film Festival's New British Expo. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley Henderson, Sharon Small, (more)
After befriending a kind-hearted prostitute, a 12-year-old boy attempts to set her up with his widowed father in this family comedy. Young Frank Wheeler (Michael Patrick Carter) first meets working girl V (Melanie Griffith) when he and two friends pool their money to buy a glimpse of a naked woman. V does the job and agrees to drive Frank home; along the way, he becomes convinced that this nice call girl would be the perfect new wife for his dad (Ed Harris). V happens to be on the run from a group of evil gangsters, so when he invites her to stay at their house in the suburbs, she readily agrees. Masquerading as a math tutor, she strikes a chord with Mr. Wheeler, but this budding romance is soon threatened by the return of V's past. Despite the potentially off-color premise, Milk Money aims to be innocuous family fare, with juvenile jokes mixing with unthreatening romance. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melanie Griffith, Ed Harris, (more)
- 1989
- R
A Christian family is persecuted by an evil Colonel (Jon Sharp) in this futuristic science fiction saga. Children are used by the state to sway their elders into compliance with the rules of society. It is not clear what the new society stands for, only that they actively persecute those who do not follow the rules. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanette Clift, Ken Letner, (more)
Keenen Ivory Wayans wrote, directed, and starred in this hilarious parody of blaxploitation films in the comedy I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Jack Spade (Wayans) returns home from a hitch in the army to find his brother Junebug has died from an overdose of gold chains, leaving his widow Cheryl (Dawnn Lewis) and mother Ma Bell (Ja'net DuBois) alone to fend for themselves. Ma throws two inept thugs (Damon Wayans and Kadeem Hardison) sent by the evil white guy Mr. Big (John Vernon) down a flight of stairs. Junebug owes $5,000 to Mr. Big for his gold-chain addiction and tries to force Cheryl into prostitution to pay off the debt. Jack recruits his old friend to go after Mr. Big to seek revenge. John Slade (Bernie Casey), Hammer (Isaac Hayes), Slammer (Jim Brown) Kung Fu Joe (Steve James) and the former Pimp Of The Year Flyguy (Antonio Fargas) join up with Jack to avenge his brother' death. Chris Rock makes a brief appearance as the annoying customer who risks his life by irking rib joint owner Hammer. Funny and fast paced, the writing, acting, sight gags and cameos by Robert Townsend, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, Eve Plumb (Jan from The Brady Bunch), Kim Wayans, and Gary Owens makes this a must-see for any comedy fan. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bernie Casey, (more)
This satirical look at the ambivalent relationship between Hollywood power brokers and African-American performers marked the writing, producing, and directing debut of Robert Townsend. The filmmaker also stars as Bobby Taylor, a struggling actor looking for his big break despite his family's and co-workers' reservations about his chosen career path. While working a day job flipping burgers, Bobby heads out to insulting cattle calls where white casting agents pass judgement on whether he seems "black enough." Meanwhile, he imagines himself playing Sam Spade, Rambo, and other movie heroes rather than the stereotypical roles actually available to him. When Bobby actually does win one such pimp-daddy part, however, he is forced to choose between accepting work that opens doors, but ultimately demeans him and returning to obscurity with his principles intact. Hollywood Shuffle's enormous supporting cast includes a wealth of black actors, from then-unknowns such as Damon Wayans to veterans such as 227 star Helen Martin. Self-financed and filmed on scraps of hand-me-down celluloid, the film helped establish actor Townsend as a director of note and also kick-started the career of co-screenwriter and co-star Keenen Ivory Wayans, who would cast Townsend in his own directorial debut the following year. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Townsend, Anne-Marie Johnson, (more)
The still unknown Kevin Costner carries this film that involves five college roommates on a last "fandango" before they separately face the harsh realities of an unpredictable future. It is 1971, and the Vietnam War has not yet ended. Gardner Barnes (Costner) has extended his college years by six semesters in an attempt to stave off the rapidly approaching future, Kenneth (Sam Robards) has just canceled his wedding in a drunken look at reality, Lester (Brian Cesak) loves alcohol and tags along with the group just to have a good time, Dorman (Chuck Bush) is devoted to existentialism and flights of poetic fancy, and Phil (Judd Nelson) is barely a member of the group because he is consorting with the enemy: he is a member of ROTC. This unlikely mismatch cavorts through several classic college pranks, among them taking bets on daredevil acts like skydiving into the middle of nowhere. As their high jinks continue, it becomes apparent that their real desire is not to live a wild life for its own sake, but to postpone the moment when they will have to leave school and its lifestyle behind them. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Costner, Judd Nelson, (more)
- 1982
It's the 4077th MASH unit vs. the 8063rd in a big footrace. To improve their respective odds, both camps have arranged for trained Olympic runners to compete. But when the 4077th's star runner fails to show up, it is up to a home-grown athlete--namely, Father Mulcahy (William Christopher)--to defeat the 8063rd's Earl "Jackrabbit" LeMasters (Mark Anderson). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
