Frank Ray Perilli Movies

Director Andrew Davis followed up the action blockbuster The Fugitive (1993) with this Capra-esque box office dud that nevertheless featured engaging dual performances by Andy Garcia. Garcia stars as Ruben and Robby, twin brothers who were raised separately and have become total opposites. Ruben has recently inherited a 40,000-acre Santa Barbara estate from his eccentric guardian, Mona (Holland Taylor). A friend to artisans and migrant workers, Ruben wants to transform the land into a commune, while the cold-hearted Robby wants to steal it from his brother, develop it and make millions. Muddying the waters are Lou (Alan Arkin), a quick-thinking ex-cop and pal of Ruben's who is able to manipulate the law to his own purposes, Eddie (Joe Pantoliano), a shark lawyer who plays both sides against the middle, and Ruben's ex-wife Laura (Rachel Ticotin). When each brother masquerades as the other for a time, however, some insights are gained by both. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

This 1993 box-office smash partly adheres to the 1960s TV series on which it is based and partly goes off on several tangents of its own. Harrison Ford stars as Dr. Richard Kimble, convicted of murdering his wife. While being transferred to prison by bus, Kimble is involved in a spectacular bus-train collision (one of the best of its kind ever filmed). Surviving the disaster, Kimble escapes, vowing to track down the elusive professional criminal whom he holds responsible for the murder. Dogging the fugitive every foot of the way is U.S. marshal Sam Gerard (an Oscar-winning turn by Tommy Lee Jones), who announces his intention to search "every whorehouse, doghouse, and outhouse" to bring Kimble to justice. Unlike his dour TV-series counterpart Barry Morse, Jones plays the role with a sardonic sense of humor: when a cornered Kimble screams, "I didn't kill my wife," Gerard shrugs and famously replies, "I don't care." Once the premise has been established, scripters Jeb Stuart and David Twohy and director Andrew Davis pull off several audacious plot twists, ranging from Kimble's rendezvous with a sympathetic lab technician to a jaw-dropping dive into a huge waterfall. The second half of the film offers one surprise after another (including the true identity of the murderer), brilliantly avoiding the letdown that plagues many movie adaptations of old TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lewis Teague directed this sly horror-comedy from a script by John Sayles, which plays off the old urban legend about the dangers of flushing one's pet alligator down the toilet. One such unlucky reptile is "Ramon," who survives in the subterranean cesspool by feeding on the steroid-saturated carcasses of dogs dumped there by chemical company researchers and eventually bulks up to the size of a Winnebago. When assorted sewage workers start disappearing into Ramon's massive maw, hard-boiled cop David Madison (Robert Forster), who has a history of unlucky partners, reveals a strong personal interest in the case. Deemed a jinx and a nutcase by his superiors, he's kicked off the force and must go underground (literally) to destroy the beast with the help of young reptile-expert Marion (Robin Riker). The witty screenplay is filled with clever references, eccentric characters and in-jokes aplenty (a style reflective of Joe Dante's Piranha and The Howling, both of which Sayles also scripted), which combines with decent effects and a good amount of suspense (particularly in the sewer scenes) to make this an entertaining romp overall. Highlights include Henry Silva's over-the-top performance as a misplaced big-game hunter who recruits urban "native guides" in his back-alley search for the elusive Ramon. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Fine del Mondo nel Nostro Solito Letto in una Notte Piena di Pioggia, literally translated as "The End of the World in Our Usual Bed in a Night Full of Rain," was also released as Night Full of Rain. This film is director Lina Wertmuller's English-language film-debut. The poor critical and box-office reception to this film marked the beginning of a difficult period for director Wertmuller. In the story, Italian newsman Paolo (Giancarlo Giannini) rescues the American photojournalist Lizzy (Candice Bergen) from a brawl while she is in Italy. He also tries, less than successfully, to seduce her. When they meet again in San Francisco, the sparks between them lead to love. He is an old-guard Italian communist who wants his wife to stay at home and tend to the laundry and the cooking. Lizzy is an emerging feminist, and wants to make a contribution to that movement. Though their differences lead to some noisy confrontations, they are able to talk them through. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

When soldiers foolishly remove a stake from a mysterious Transylvanian grave, they release a vampire dog belonging to the Dracula clan. Also freed is Veidt-Smit (Reggie Nalder), an old servant of the Count himself, not quite a vampire, but immortal all the same: he can work in the daylight. Together, the blood-sucking dog and he go to the U.S. in search of Michael Drake (Michael Pataki), who is the last of the Dracula family line and who has no notion that there is anything strange in his family tree. Meanwhile, they are being followed by a Transylvanian vampire-hunter, Inspector Branco (Jose Ferrer) ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The "little cigars" are five midget criminals, masterminded by Billy Curtis. They team up with full-sized Angel Tompkins, a gangster's girlfriend who's on the lam from her homicidal "protector." Tompkins and the five little people form a travelling carnival as a front for their crooked activities. Two of the midgets kill off the mobsters who've been sent to rub out Tompkins; in gratitude, she begins an affair with Curtis. At first planning to desert the other midgets and abscond with their hard-earned stealings, Tompkins and Curtis have a change of heart, return the money to their chums, and ride off together for a most unusual romantic rendezvous. Though Little Cigars has been unfairly maligned by such "authoritive" books as The Golden Turkey Awards, the film is actually quite entertaining, and not nearly as exploitive of Little People as might be expected. Among the other well-known Hollywood midgets and dwarves in the cast are Angelo Rossitto, Felix Silla, and Jerry Maren. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide