Curtis Burch Movies
Rodney Dangerfield plays it cute in this comedy directed by veteran director Sidney J. Furie. Dangerfield plays Chester Lee, a man so anxious for a promotion that he agrees to coach a girl's soccer team his company is sponsoring. If the team has a winning season, Chester will get his promotion. The only problem is that Chester knows nothing about soccer and the team is incompetent. If Chester doesn't get his raise he won't be able to marry his sweetheart Bess (Illene Graff), so he persuades his son Matthew (Jonathan Brandis), who is an expert soccer player, to don a wig and join the team as one of the girls. With Matthew on the team, they make their way to the championship, but Bess discovers the ruse and forces Chester to chose between her and the job. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rodney Dangerfield, Jackée, (more)
- 1983
- R
In this loud teen movie, a motley crew of youths, ranging from the rainbow-haired King Vidiot (Jonathan Gries), to Eugene the king nerd (Leif Green) and a washed-up video freak descend to the usual level of tricks to keep their video arcade from being shut down by a businessman (Joe Don Baker) who believes the games are a threat to the mental health of today's youth. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Don Baker, Leif Green, (more)
- 1981
- R
Designed as a spoof of slasher movies, this gory comedy is set in a town that more than a decade ago was home to the infamous lawnmower killer. Set just before the big Halloween soiree at the local high school, it follows officer Dick Harbinger as he desperately tries to convince the town that the dreaded mechanical reaper is about to return for more bloodshed and horror. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Don Baker, Stella Stevens, (more)
The bottom-drawer science fiction cheapie was originally released as The Return. In a dusty New Mexico town, two children and an old man witness the arrival (via poor special effects) of an alien spacecraft. The phenomenon has such a profound effect on the lives of the witnesses that they anxiously await the return of the extraterrestrials--whom, it is suggested, have visited here several times before. When the big-name cast (Jan-Michael Vincent, Cybill Shepherd, Martin Landau, Raymond Burr and Neville Brand) failed to sucker customers into seeing The Return, the film was repackaged as The Alien's Return. If we are indeed visited by aliens someday, one hopes they aren't as dull as the creatures in this sorry little film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, Cybill Shepherd, (more)
- 1980
This goofy sci-fi/horror nonsense plays like '50s-style alien-invasion schlock with a dollop of '80s-style blood and gore. The invasion -- such as it is -- is perpetrated on various backwoods hunters and campers by a scarcely-seen alien that looks like a menacing Star Trek guest star in a glam-rock outfit. The alien's rather simple frontal attack employs an arsenal of toothy, pulsating frisbees that glow in the dark and glom onto the necks and backs of various flannel-clad denizens of the woods. That's about it... oh, and there's a few reliable character actors on hand to spout silly dialogue. Jack Palance plays a crusty hunter who fancies the alien stuffed and mounted, not caring that it plans to do the same to him (now there's a trophy); Martin Landau turns in an eye-rolling performance as the local lunatic, whose paranoid ravings presage those of his character in the feature film The X-Files. Also known as It Came Without Warning. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Palance, Martin Landau, (more)
- 1978
- R
Writer-director Larry Cohen followed his ragged but interesting horror hit It's Alive! with this sequel, which surpassed the original in both creativity and technical expertise. The story opens as another expectant couple, Eugene and Jody Scott (Frederic Forrest and Kathleen Lloyd), are paid a surprise visit by a stranger who turns out to be Frank Davies (John P. Ryan), the father of the original monster baby from the previous film. Davies warns the couple that their unborn child may be similarly at risk, and thereby in mortal danger from a nationwide task force dedicated to destroying the monster infants. Despite their initial apprehension, the Scotts eventually place a tenuous trust in the stranger, who explains that the children are not subhuman animals, but may actually represent the next step in human evolution -- a view shared by members of an underground organization devoted to the protection and study of the children. Davies secretes Eugene and Jody in this group's hideout so that they can attend to the birth of the child in safety. Discovering that their newborn is indeed one of the same mutants, the Scotts undergo a traumatic test of familial integrity, much like that of the Davies family in the previous film. Their emotional turmoil is further compounded by an assault on the compound by members of a rival underground dedicated to eradicating the monster babies, which leads to a grim and violent confrontation. This time out, Cohen is far more assured at the helm, stabilizing his vision with a more elaborate script, higher budget, and good performances. On the downside, the monster-baby FX haven't particularly improved since the previous outing, but Cohen has the good sense to keep the little rubber beasties fairly well-hidden. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederic Forrest, Kathleen Lloyd, (more)
