Will Marchetti Movies
The only True Believer at the beginning of this drama is idealistic young attorney Robert Downey Jr., who apprentices under the guidance of celebrated civil-rights activist James Woods. Alas, in the years since the sixties, Woods has become a disillusioned, dope-smoking ambulance chaser. Goaded by Downey, Woods takes up one last "lost cause:" that of Korean-American prison inmate Yuji Okomoto, who is about to be tried for the self-defense slaying of another prisoner. As Woods investigates, he unearths several iniquities in the trial that sent Okomoto to prison. Despite the fact that the one witness who might clear Okomoto is an unhinged conspiracy theorist, Woods endeavors to re-open Okomoto's case--which plays right into the hands of sharkish, politically ambitious DA Kurtwood Smith. Chock full of plot twists and last-minute shockers, True Believer was popular enough to inspire a spin-off TV series, Eddie Dodd. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Woods, Robert Downey, Jr., (more)
Cocoon 2: The Return, like most sequels, relies a bit too heavily on one's familiarity with the first film. Without dwelling too long on Cocoon #1, we can observe that it ended with a group of senior citizens heading for the distant planet of Antarea, hoping to find a new, rewarding and elongated life. Cocoon 2 picks up the action five years later: The Antareans return to earth to check on the damage caused to their life-regenerating cocoons by earthquakes. Coming along for the ride are the elderly couples whom we met in the first film. Also carried over from the first Cocoon are young ferryboat captain Steve Guttenberg and gorgeous Antarean Tahnee Welch, who resume their interplanetary romance. Oldster Jack Gilford, whose beloved wife died in Cocoon, likewise finds romance in the form of Elaine Stritch. A secondary plot involves an insidious secret government plan to exploit the Antareans, which is foiled by sympathetic researcher Courteney Cox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, (more)
- 1981
Ron Howard plays a young farmer and family man whose dairy herd is being decimated by illness. As if this weren't enough, Howard's young son falls seriously ill. The state's agricultural officials could do something about Howard's plight, but red tape and bureaucracy rules the day. Based on a book by Frederick and Sandra Halbert, this caustic indictment of governmental indifference was nominated for four Emmies. Made for television, Bitter Harvest debuted May 18, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Howard, Art Carney, (more)
A Christmas Without Snow originally premiered December 9, 1980. The title refers to the film's setting: the snowless San Francisco. The story is told from the point of view of newly divorced Michael Learned, who comes to grips with disillusionment with a little help from her friends in the church choir. As the singers prepare for a performance of Handel's "Messiah" under the autocratic leadership of choirmaster John Houseman, we learn a little something about the personal lives of several choir members, including Ramon Bieri, Ruth Nelson and Valerie Curtin--and the lonely Houseman himself. Christmas without Snow was presented by CBS in conjunction with the network's Family Reading Program. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
