Ruth Foster Movies
- 1995
- R
A small man with a big story examines the facts of his life in this drama. As Frank Bois enjoys the success of his first novel, he finds himself looking back on his highly unusual life. Frank's mother Bernadette (Anne Parillaud) was a French woman who, after the death of her parents and several close friends in World War II, smuggled herself aboard an Allied troop ship sailing to Ireland, exchanging sexual favors for silence among the soldiers who discovered her on board. A kind-hearted customs agent, Jack Kelly (Gabriel Byrne), allowed Bernadette to enter Ireland, and they soon became lovers, even though she was already carrying the child of one of the soldiers from the ship. Bernadette soon gave birth to young Frankie (Alan Pentony), who suffered from dwarfism. As he grew older, Frankie fell for Jack's daughter Emma (Georgina Cates), who clearly didn't care for him, while Jack generously shared his knowledge of astronomy with Frankie. Eventually, Bernadette encountered Terry Klout (Matt Dillon), an American soldier from the troop ship, who offered to marry her. Bernadette and Frankie accompanied Terry to his home in Texas, but both mother and son felt like fish out of water in the American West, and they returned to the Irish home they came to love. A sadder but wiser Bernadette eventually committed suicide, and Frank began to draw upon his life experiences as he put pen to paper for his first book. Based on the novel The Dork of Cork by Chet Raymo, Frankie Starlight was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Parillaud, Matt Dillon, (more)
Michael Lindsay-Hogg wrote and directed this cool and sleek comedy about a seemingly perfect combination -- an American couple staying at a chic London hotel whose pride doesn't permit them to recognize that they are broke, and a hotel staff so brimming with proper British reserve that they can't inform the American freeloaders they need to be paid. Jake (John Malkovich) and Tina (Andie MacDowell) are the American couple trapped in splendor at a London hotel after Jake's cocoa deal in a Third World County is stalled by revolutionary upheaval. Their plight is so dire they walk up the stairs to their luxurious suite rather than take the elevator and risk encountering the hotel manager. Hitting rock bottom, they take stock of their assets and find one -- a $50,000 Henry Moore bust. They decide to fabricate a robbery and collect the insurance money, but a deaf maid (Rudi Davies) has fallen in love with the bust and stolen it herself. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Malkovich, Andie MacDowell, (more)
Afraid to spend the Christmas holiday alone, an aging widower decides to hire himself a spouse to spend the vacation with him in his lovely mountain retreat and finds true romance in this heartwarming made-for-cable television drama that is based on a story by Helen Norris. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Based on the play by actor/playwright Harvey Fierstein, this drama is about a man (played by Fierstein) whose companion dies of AIDS. He then confronts his lover's ex-wife (Stockard Channing) and the two end up building a friendship while coping with the emotional aftermath of the death. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1988
This television documentary chronicles the career of Spike Jones, a talented musical satirist who had audiences of the '50s rolling in the aisles as he and his City Slickers committed inventive forms of musical murder on some of America's most beloved songs. Archival footage from performances during the early '50s, coupled with interviews of former band members and Jones' family, round out the show. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Manhattan-based writer David Carradine falls victim to AIDS in As Is. Virtually abandoned by friends and family, Carradine is looked after by his gay lover, photographer Jonathan Hadary. Based on a play by William M. Hoffman, As Is wisely avoids editorial comment on the principals' lifestyle, nor does it wallow in the tragedy of the situation. As directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the film never quite overcomes the staginess of its source material; its principal strength lies in the byplay between its stars. The film was produced for cable television in 1985, and telecast early in 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
With the rest of the family elsewhere, Caroline (Karen Grassle) is left alone on the farm for a day. Scratching her leg on a rusty nail, Caroline at first thinks nothing of this minor injury. But as infection sets in, Caroline grows weaker and weaker -- and it looks as though neither Charles (Michael Landon) nor Dr. Baker (Kevin Hagen) will show up before it is too late. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1968
- Add The Rolling Stones: Rock and Roll Circus to QueueAdd The Rolling Stones: Rock and Roll Circus to top of Queue
Fans of late '60s rock and roll will find this documentary to be a rare and precious jewel, as it contains shining performances from such giants as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and The Who. Originally planned as a television special in 1968, it was shelved shortly after filming because the manager of the Stones, who were acting producers of the show, felt that another of the acts, The Who, upstaged them. The show is set up as a circus with the musicians appearing in elaborate psychedelic costumes. Other performers include Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and the only recently formed Jethro Tull. Also included is a one-of-a-kind performance by The Dirty Mac, a one-night-stand band comprised of Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rolling Stones
- 1966
In this sci-fi spy thriller, a secret agent for Espionage, Inc., is assigned to stop the Dragon, a Chinese communist organization, from detonating a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
