Gift SubscriptionsRobert Spafford
- 1987
- PG13
This pedantic sequel to Empire Pictures' less-than-original Ghoulies was released directly to video and summarily slipped into oblivion. At the outset of this one, the title creatures -- rubbery puppets originally conceived as cut-rate Gremlins lookalikes -- are shanghaied by a priest who intends to exterminate them, but they manage to escape to a low-rent carnival. There they take up residence in "Satan's Den," a foundering, old-fashioned haunted house attraction run by Royal Dano, who fears he may lose ownership of the show due to sagging attendance. The presence of the ghoulies at first gives business a much-needed boost ... until the slimy little buggers start dining on the patrons. Despite some enhancements in the lackluster monster effects (by John Buechler, who's done better work elsewhere) and clever stop-motion animation by David Allen, this film is just as pointless as its predecessor. There is, however, one memorable scene, which makes good on the promise of the first film's ad campaign -- which featured one of the reptilian critters leaping from a toilet bowl, accompanied by the tagline "They'll get you in the end!" ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damon Martin, Royal Dano, (more)
- 1960
Heaven on Earth is a mismatched teen romance story -- stunning, artistic location shots of the well-known ancient Roman ruins and lesser known treasures of the Vatican provide the backdrop for an inconsequential, silly partnering of an American tourist and her Italian guide. Young Caroline (Barbara Florian) lands in Rome with her father, a G.I. who has memories of Italy from his soldiering past. Since she has a different agenda on their visit, Antonio (Gabriele Tinti), the son of dad's old friend Count Verbano, agrees to show her the city. Among the sites that would entertain anyone in their own right are the Sistine Chapel (before cleaning, of course), St. Peter's, the Catacombs, and it goes without say, those famous remains of the Forum and the Coliseum. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Fawcett, Gabriele Tinti, (more)
- 1983
- NR
Set in an early medieval period, this swashbuckling costume drama pits Christian knights against infidels in an imaginary holy war, and what is more astounding and a tribute to the Italian love of amore, is that the commanders from each side fall in love with "enemy" women and decide to call it a day, pack in their arms, and go off to do better things. Ruggero (Ronn Moss) leads the infidels in some of the best-looking armor this side of Armani, and Rolando (Rick Edwards) is at the forefront of the Christian knights. One of the knights is a misnomer -- he is actually a she, Bradamante (Barbara De Rossi), and when she sees the well-clad Ruggero, she agrees to hand over his sister Isabella (Tanya Roberts) just to get in his good graces. These four protagonists go through a series of adventures and misadventures in a gorgeous setting of Byzantine castles, mountain canyons, and dark forests, all complemented by aesthetic, inventive sets and creative costuming. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rick Edwards, Ronn Moss, (more)
- 1964
This fact-based, but exploitational drama, chronicles the sordid case of Christine Keeler. It opens with an actual interview with the woman who had just been released from prison. The story begins in London where Keeler worked as a model and a hostess. There she meets Barrymore and soon ends up living with him platonically. She falls for a West Indian musician and leaves Barrymore. She is at a crazy pool party when she encounters the British minister of war and the Russian naval attache. She gets involved with both of them and the musician gets mad enough to shoot through her door. Scotland Yard investigates and exposes the great scandal causing the minister to step-down, the Russian to return home, and Barrymore to kill himself. For her part in the trouble, Keeler spent 9 months in jail. The film was made when the whole mess was still in the public eye. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- R
Axel Corti directed this historical drama starring Timothy Dalton as King Vittorio Amadeo, a 17th-century Italian monarch who becomes obsessed with the wife of one of his courtiers (Valeria Golino). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Dalton, Valeria Golino, (more)
Willem Dafoe plays Jesus Christ in this extraordinarily controversial adaptation of Nikos Kazantzaki's novel. The film depicts a sometimes reluctant, self-doubting Jesus, gradually coming to accept His divinity and the inexorability of His ultimate fate. The much-maligned sex scene with Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey) occurs as an hallucination experienced by Jesus as he suffers on the cross. This particular sequence was what infuriated the film's most rabid critics, but in fact it is just one of many iconoclastic musings to be found in the film and its source novel. Equally volatile are the intimations that, as a carpenter, Jesus indifferently shaped the crucifixes for other condemned prisoners long before his own fate was sealed, and that Judas (Harvey Keitel) was literally manipulated into betrayal by a Christ whose preoccuption with his own destiny compelled him to "use" others. None of these departures from the normal interpretation of the scriptures are offered as any more than theory; as such, it was accepted as food for thought by the more open-minded clerics and Biblical scholars who recommended the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, (more)
