Bob Todd Movies
- 1989
- PG
Richard Lester returned to his double-barreled successes of the 1970s, The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers, with Return of the Musketeers, a film that was inexplicably shelved for several years, making its belated premiere on cable television. Based on Alexandre Dumas's novel Twenty Years Later, the film takes place (appropriately enough) two decades after the death of Milady de Winter. Though Milady may have died, her nefarious schemes have been taken up by her daughter Justine (Kim Cattrall), who maneuvers with the conspiring Cardinal Mazarin (Philippe Noiret) to gain control of the crown through Queen Anne (Geraldine Chaplin). D'Artagnan (Michael York) calls for his old compatriots Porthos (Frank Finlay), Athos (Oliver Reed), and Aramis (Richard Chamberlain) to once again go "one for all and all for one." But complications set in when Athos and Aramis take sides with the crown and Athos' adopted son Raoul (C. Thomas Howell) falls in love in Justine. The film is dedicated to character actor Roy Kinnear who plays Planchet, who died in an equestrian accident during the production. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Oliver Reed, (more)
In a major departure from the tone of the preceding two Superman adventure films, this mix of vile deeds and fantasy heroics drops the "S" out of cosmic and goes for comic instead. Right at the starting gate, Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) and a subsequent slapstick sequence upstage (Christopher Reeves again), who later develops an identity crisis. Gorman, newly trained as a computer whiz, starts working for a conglomerate run by the corporate nemesis Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn), intent on world domination. Gorman is sent to Superman's small town of Smallville to wipe out Columbia's coffee crop by fiddling with the computer side of a weather satellite. Clark Kent is in town for his class reunion, leading Superman to clash with Gorman, which in turn, leads Gorman to develop a hybrid red Kryptonite. Unwittingly, since Gorman's wits are always in doubt, the Red Kryptonite causes Superman to split into a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde schizophrenia -- but in two separate bodies. As the evil Superman swaggers around town, megalomaniac Ross Webster has other tricks in mind -- and in one of the more memorable action scenes (interspersed with a video game sequence), Superman is chased through the Grand Canyon by a fast-flying, very determined missile. Lana Lang (Annette O'Toole) is on hand for romantic interest (Margot Kidder only appears briefly -- she was growing tired of Lois Lane). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, (more)
- 1975
In this ribald erotic comedy, brothers team up to promote a rock band. Even though the musicians are remarkably untalented and one of the brothers is an incredible klutz, somehow they manage to succeed. Unfortunately, the band's fall to the bottom is nearly as quick as its rise to the top, for the boys find themselves unable to resist the temptations of several, seductive and large-breasted women. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Askwith, Anthony Booth, (more)
- 1975
Handyman Bob (Barry Stokes) and his wife Margaretta (Penny Meredith) move into a new town, and as Bob sets up shop doing odd jobs and repairs, he discovers that more than a few of his neighbors are a bit on the eccentric side, including a clumsy policeman named Knowles (Chic Murray), a sexually adventurous schoolmarm (Sue Lloyd), and Squire Bullsworthy (Bob Todd), who has more than a passing interest in corporal punishment. Handsome Bob also finds he's a fast favorite with the local housewives, who seem to have more than small repairs on their minds. This saucy British comedy was later re-released under the title Confessions of a Handyman, though it is otherwise unrelated to the popular "Confessions Of ..." comedies starring Robin Askwith. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Stokes
- 1974
No one can be expected to take seriously a film titled Flying Sorcerer. Nor is this kiddie-oriented British fantasy meant to be regarded as anything other than a tongue-in-cheek enterprise. Kim Burfield plays a contemporary lad who is magically hurled back to the Middle Ages. Vanquishing a dragon, Kim brings the now-docile beast back to his friends and family in The Present. Erik Chitty, star of the British All in the Family precursor Til Death Do Us Part, represents the adult contingent in Flying Sorcerer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Bill Fraser and Raymond Huntley star in the raucous British farce That's Your Funeral. Fraser and Huntley play Bullstrode and Holroyd, rival undertakers. The animosity between the two is amplified when drug traffickers attempt to use coffins and hearses to smuggle their wares. David Battley and John Ronane co-star in the sitcomish goings-on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The exploits of the title sheepdog provide the basis of this family-oriented comedy fantasy. Digby started out as an ordinary puppy but then one day got in to a bowl full of Project X, a special formula meant to grow larger vegetables. As he galumphs along in the countryside causing all kinds of trouble, the Army decides to blow the big woofer to kingdom come. Fortunately for Digby, his devoted owner is frantically searching for the serum that will save him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1973
If you've never sampled the off-the-beam humor of British comic-giant Spike Milligan, by all means look up Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall. Milligan stars as a long-in-tooth Army rookie, going through basic training in the early war years. "God smiles on the incompetent" seems to be the message here, as Milligan escapes certain death at several junctures thanks to his ingrained stupidity. Also appearing are Carry On stalwart Jim Dale and Dad's Army regular Arthur Lowe. Based on Milligan's own novel, Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall was released worldwide by United Artists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
On the Buses was an engagingly daffy British TV sitcom set in a bus depot and made in the late sixties. Reg Varney starred as the head of the lost and found department, who spent the better part of his time fielding wisecracks from his fellow bus-company employees. The series proved popular enough to spawn three theatrical features, the second of which was 1972's Mutiny on the Buses. This time around, a labor dispute leads to endless slapstick complications. Reg Varney and Doris Hare repeat their TV series roles. On the Buses was "Americanized" as the 1973 Dom DeLuise sitcom Lotsa Luck. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reg Varney, Bob Grant, (more)
Roger Corman's New World Pictures took a stab at the tale of the nefarious real-life graverobbers -- and filled it with the studio's usual quota of nudity, softcore sex and tacky humor. The result is pretty much as one would expect -- nothing to rival the excellent Flesh and the Fiends, or even Tod Slaughter's campy The Greed of William Hart. Harry Andrews plays the unscrupulous Dr. Knox, who enlists the aid of grave-plundering dirtbags Derren Nesbitt and Glynn Edwards in obtaining fresh cadavers for the medical academy. When the demand increases and local cemeteries begin to run dry, the industrious pair turn to the living to keep the doctor supplied. This time out, Burke and Hare are particularly randy fellows, who spend more time carousing in Edinburgh whorehouses than stalking their prey. Despite the macabre subject matter, the producers opted for sexploitation over gruesome horror, but the end result is decidedly dull. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
One of a handful of Hammer "Dracula" films starring Christopher Lee, The Scars of Dracula begins as Count Dracula (Lee) rises from the grave once again. Buckets of blood and vats of violence will delight fans of horror. A young man and his girlfriend find themselves in Dracula's castle where Dracula sinks his teeth into five victims and tortures a servant in a graphically violent scene. A priest is attacked by a bat and meets his maker much earlier than anticipated. Naturally, the girl is soon coveted by Dracula, and the heroic young man must come to her rescue. There are typical scenes of religious defilement, arson, and the requisite wooden cross that wards off the evil bloodsucker. Dracula meets his fiery demise (yeah, right) when the foreboding castle is torched. No matter how he meets his end, rest assured Dracula will rise once again from any grave he finds himself in at the end of every film. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Lee, Dennis Waterman, (more)
- 1968
This comedy finds a veteran crook turning to modern computer technology to steal money from various companies. Even before he is released from jail Caesar (Peter Ustinov) is planning his high-tech heist. He cons American executive Klemper (Karl Malden) and sets up three bogus companies to receive funds from the corporate office. Klemper's faithful assistant Gnatpole (Bob Newhart) is suspicious and investigates the unusual activities. Smith (Robert Morley) gives Caesar the computer lesson that puts him on the fast track to thievery. Caesar marries Patty (Maggie Smith), who surprises her husband by earning more money than her crooked spouse by honest means. Cesar Romero is the smiling customs official who lets Caesar pass through with a bagful of money from the crime while Klemper's jar of instant coffee falls under suspicion. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith, (more)
- 1966
Sharon (Stacey Walker) is a tease, and the only way she can get her kicks is to play men like suckers. First it's Roy (Michael O'Kelly), who mistakenly goes too far during a hot makeout session in his auto. Sharon screams rape and Roy winds up in prison. Her roommate, Paula (Sharon Carr) can't believe that she's ready to go out with a new man a mere six weeks after being raped, but Sharon sneers, asking "What do you expect me to do, observe a year of mourning?" The new beau is a co-worker, Dick (Tom Hughes), a shy, stuttering mama's boy. Sharon flirts shamelessly with him, even inviting him into the bathroom while she bathes, and when he finally overcomes his nervousness and climbs on top of her, she again erupts with threats and outrage. Dick flees in shame, and is never heard from again. Even Paula is misled by the evil seductress, and her lesbian overtures are cruelly rebuffed ("I may be a bitch, but I'll never be a butch!"). Dick's vacant position is filled by Carter (Neville Coward), who is the next to squire Sharon around town. For a while she is sweet, and Carter accepts the fact that she won't go all the way. Unfortunately, he has been reading pornographic novels as an outlet for his lust, and the intense imagery is causing violent, erotic dreams that obsess him. A crazed outburst of pent-up sexual energy from Carter leads to Sharon meeting the source of her final comeuppance. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In this routine, slapstick, frenetic tale, British comic Spike Milligan stars as Harold Petts, a rural mailman with a sudden promotion that ends up getting him into a lot of trouble. Harold is supposed to be trained behind the scenes at London's busiest post office but even after his first day in the city he is already in difficulties. He soon meets Jean (Barbara Shelley), a mediocre art student with big aspirations for her future. The duo eventually find themselves as top suspects in a mail-theft ring, with the police and the Post Office higher-ups close on their heels. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spike Milligan, Barbara Shelley, (more)
