John Toll Movies
Cinematographer John Toll began his career by shooting a pair of low-budget exploitation movies in the early '70s, only to drop out and re-emerge as a camera operator on the film Tom Horn in 1979. He graduated to director of photography in 1989, and began shooting TV movies and episodic television. In 1992, he returned to theatrical films with Wind, a story about the America's Cup sailing competition, and soon developed a reputation for his work on historical epics, set mostly in the great outdoors. In 1994, he won an Academy Award for his work on Legends of the Fall and again the following year for Braveheart. He was nominated in 1998, for The Thin Red Line. ~ All Movie Guide
During her 25th high school class reunion, middle-aged Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) tries to forget her marital problems with husband Charlie (Nicolas Cage) by renewing old friendships. Wondering if she made the right decisions in her life, Peggy Sue gets a chance to try again when, zapped into a time warp, she finds herself a teenager back in 1960. Armed with foreknowledge (the scene in which she tells off her algebra teacher is a particular treat), Peggy Sue gets to retrace the steps leading up to her unhappy marriage to high-school sweetheart Charlie. Will nerdish Richard Norvik (Barry Miller), who always carried a torch for Peggy Sue and whom she knows will become a millionaire computer mogul by 1985, win out over the unreliable Charlie this time? A "small" film from the otherwise profligate Francis Ford Coppola, Peggy Sue Got Married possesses an irresistible charm that makes up for its glaring plot deficiencies. The youthful cast is matched in its appeal by such veterans as Leon Ames, Maureen O'Sullivan and John Carradine. And yes, that is Jim Carrey as Walter Getz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage, (more)
- 1982
- R
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Just recovered from his notorious free-basing accident, Richard Pryor made a notable return in the much-acclaimed Live on the Sunset Strip. His comments on that event, as well as his notorious comments on sex, politics and race, pepper the 82-minute concert film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor
In this spoof, Don Diego Vega (George Hamilton) follows in his father's footsteps as he dons the identity of Zorro in an attempt to defend the weak and innocent from the ravages of the evil. However, when Vega falls victim to a debilitating injury, it is up to his gay twin brother, Bunny Wigglesworth (George Hamilton), to take up the mask and sword. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, (more)
Martin Scorsese's documentary of the 1976 final performance of the legendary Sixties rock group The Band is at once a show featuring some of the greatest rock performers of their generation and a bittersweet look back at an era that was just beginning to fade. As Scorsese guides the group through interview segments discussing their 15 years together, these relatively young men sound like battle-weary survivors. But The Band were in splendid form for this show, and their multiple guest stars pulled out all the stops, especially Muddy Waters, whose "Mannish Boy" is so powerful it nearly burns a hole in the screen; Van Morrison, with a rousing performance of "Caravan;" and Bob Dylan, whose "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" displays the brilliant cockiness of his barnstorming days with this band. The all-star camera crew and superb stereo sound mix create what is considered to be of the best-looking and sounding rock films ever (as the opening credit says, play this movie loud!), and two studio-shot sequences with Emmylou Harris and The Staple Singers stand on their own. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, (more)
- 1972
- PG
In the tradition of Dr. Strangelove, this black comedy follows the adventures of two scuba divers who are on a dive off the southern California coastline when they find a hydrogen bomb that was accidently dropped by a passing B-52 bomber. For a lark, the two decide to blackmail the entire population of Los Angeles into sending one dollar to a Swiss bank account. If they do not, the boys will explode the bomb. Naturally, they are caught and must donate the $2 million they received to control smog. In exchange, the court is lenient upon them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- PG
In this youthful drama, teenagers grow into young adults. The story centers on a young woman who falls in love with one of her teachers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
