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Susan Anspach
- 1990
High in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona, a cache of stolen bank money was hidden back in the 1960s. LA based lawyer Bill Paxton, whose security-guard father (David Michael-Standing) has long been held responsible for the heist-he was the only survivor when his armored car was ambushed-conducts a search for witnesses in order to clear his dad's name. Working from his late father's notes, Paxton and his mentally handicapped brother Todd Field attempt to reconstruct the crime and recover the loot. Expressing inordinate fascination in Paxton's efforts are mysterious hitchiker Apollonia Kotero, as well as local sheriff Luke Askew, whose brother was murdered during the robbery. A great many hidden truths and deep dark secrets come to surface during a final bloody confrontation in the mountains. All evidence indicates that director John Kincade intended Back to Back as a tribute to filmmaker Sam Peckinpah-as evidenced by the presence of Peckinpah regular Ben Johnson in a pivotal role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- R
The tapes referred to in the movie title contain evidence revealing a chemical-weapons industry sanctioned by a Soviet-block country; they are filled with computer statistics of the African natives who have succumbed to the illegally dispensed chemicals. The evidence fall into the unwitting hands of an American journalist and her small son. An American special agent is sent to recover the tapes and rescue the endangered journalist from the intrigue. Meanwhile, ruthless Libyan agents intend to secure the tapes at any cost. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1989
Purchasing an antique bureau at a furniture store rummage sale, Jessica finds an old, undelivered letter in one of the drawers. For reasons made clear in the episode, she turns the letter over to a local volunteer fireman (Jonathan Goldsmith)--who later perishes in a blaze that was deliberately set at the very same furniture store. Want to bet that the letter and the murder are somehow linked, and that Jessica will find that link before episode's end? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Siblings Eric Roberts and Julia Roberts appear in this old-fashioned saga about oppressed Sicilian wine-growers in 19th-century California. Giancarlo Giannini stars as Sebastian Collogero, the robust Italian patriarch who is battling with railroad mogul William Bradford Berrigan (Dennis Hopper) to prevent his land from being taken over by the rail company. Sebastian's spirited son, Marco (Eric Roberts), is in love with Angelica (Lara Harris), the daughter of a rival wine-grower's clan. Marco is not very concerned about the warfare about to erupt between the wine-growers and the railroad until Berrigan's thugs torture and kill Sebastian in front of his daughter Maria (Julia Roberts). Marco then gets his friends together and organizes a revolt against Berrigan and his railroad empire. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Roberts, Giancarlo Giannini, (more)
- 1987
This slick throwback to the giant-mutant-insect movies of the 1950's has built a small reputation solely on its irrelevant title -- the film contains no monkeys, blue or otherwise -- which confused both reviewers and viewers alike. (This dilemma was solved in its second video incarnation, under the more honest title Insect.) The story begins when a gardener becomes infected with a plant-borne insect larva, which he disgorges upon his arrival at the County Memorial Hospital. When the bug-baby ingests a large dose of growth hormone called NAC-5 (hospitals are always leaving that stuff around where bugs can get at it), it immediately bulks up to the size of a bulldozer. The plot quickly shifts into Alien mode, as scientists, police (namely wild-eyed cop Steve Railsback) and hospital personnel creep down the hospital's labyrinthine corridors in search of the insectoid monster, which they hope to destroy with conveniently-provided experimental laser equipment before it can test the capacity of the maternity ward with a few million larvae. Despite the lurid promotional materials (showing pretty nurses SCREAMING IN HORROR!!), the story is played quite straight -- more of an homage to films like Them! than a parody of same -- and benefits from good performances (John Vernon is great as the hospital director), a tight script and a strong emphasis on suspense and action from director William Fruet. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Railsback, Gwynyth Walsh, (more)
A young drifter is caught in the clutches of a pair of femme fatales (Susan Anspach and Olivia D'Abo) in this thriller also known as Legend of Wolf Lodge. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Anspach, Art Hindle, (more)
- 1985
Page Fletcher stars as the title character in this 1983-1988 made-for-cable suspense anthology. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1984
- PG
In Misunderstood, Henry Thomas ("Elliot" in E.T.) co-stars with Gene Hackman as a son-and-father duo who through no fault of their own fail to communicate their mutual affection. Ned (Hackman) is a shipping magnate living with his family in a villa in Tunisia when he suffers through the death of his wife Lilly (Susan Anspach). It is an agony for him to tell his older son Andrew (Thomas) that his mother has died, and from that moment on, he is so overcome by his own grief -- drowning it in work -- that he unwittingly hurts the feelings of the two boys. He was always inept in relating to them, and now it is even more difficult. The two brothers compensate by inventing their own pastimes, though a visiting relative chides Ned for expecting his sons to handle themselves like adults. So just as Ned begins to realize what he has been doing, the sons try harder to keep up a good facade -- and then Andrew has a serious accident, causing all the undercurrents to suddenly emerge on the surface. Loosely based on a 1967 Italian film, Incompreso, this story first emerged as a turn-of-the-20th-century novel by Florence Montgomery and is here told by director Jerry Schatzberg, but the dialogue and plot do not reach the level set by the good interpretations of the lead actors, who transform a predictable story into an emotional experience. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Henry Thomas, (more)
- 1984
The wacky comedy-melodrama Gone are the Dayes was assembled in 1984 as an "original production" for the Disney cable channel. While dining out at a Japanese restaurant, the Day family witnesses a gangland slaying. Federal agent Mitchell (Harvey Korman) persuades the Daye parents (Susan Anspach, Robert Hogan) to serve as witnesses in the upcoming trial of the gang boss who ordered the hit. Mitchell then puts everyone in protective custody, a decision he comes to regret when he's forced to baby-sit the Dayes' unruly teenaged kids. It's all typical Disney nonsense, right down to the obligatory slapstick chase. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Among the first original anthology series to be produced for cable television, The Hitchhiker was a collection of tales of the supernatural and bizarre. The title character, played during the first season by Nicholas Campbell and thereafter by Page Fletcher, was an unnamed drifter who wandered ubiquitously from story to story, sometimes briefly commiserated with the main characters, sometimes acting as a disinterested observer, but always ready with a few pithy and occasional chilling comments of the events which had transpired. Inasmuch as the series carried on pay cable and not "mainstream" commercial TV, the stories contained an abundance of nudity, profanity, and violence. Even so, in most of the half-hour playlets, Evil was severely punished (usually in an ironic "postman always rings twice" fashion) and Virtue more or less triumphed. After 39 episodes on HBO, the series moved to a basic-cable channel, USA, for 46 additional installments. While censorship was somewhat more stringent on USA, The Hitchhiker still managed to serve up rawer and meatier fare than was customary on over-the-air TV of the period. The series was first-run on HBO from November 23, 1983, to May 12, 1987, and on USA from January 4, 1989, to February 22, 1991. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1982
In this exciting aerial actioner, a young woman convinces her ex-boy friend, who used to fly a chopper in Vietnam, to help her out. The airborne special effects are particularly effective. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1982
- R
Aspiring filmmaker and college freshman Charlie spends most of his free time mooning over the impossibility of obtaining his dream girl. To make matters worse, Charlie's professor doesn't seem to think him a very likely candidate to be the world's next great director. His roommate Ron is quite good with the ladies and tries vainly to teach poor Charlie his best tricks. Charlie's life experiences a great turn-around when he volunteers for Professor Randy's psychology experiment. Most of this goofy comedy centers on the results. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, Susan Anspach, (more)
- 1982
After running away with her boyfriend, a teenager is searched for by her mother and an old friend in San Diego. ~ All Movie Guide
The title character, a nasty landlord (Elliott Gould), is killed in a car accident and descends into hell. There he meets the Devil (Bill Cosby), who promises him his life back if he can find three people willing to sell their souls in three months. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elliott Gould, Bill Cosby, (more)
- 1981
- R
When the money-hungry Duke Stuyvesant (Sterling Hayden) orchestrates a phony gas shortage, chaos ensues in a small Midwestern town. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Sutherland, Susan Anspach, (more)
- 1981
- R
Marilyn Jordan (Susan Anspach), an American-born housewife, mother, and socialite living in Sweden, is crumbling under the weight of her own existence. She deeply resents her husband Martin's (Erland Josephson) frequent holiday absences and his indifferent attitude toward their two children ("If they are going to grow up in today's world," he admits, "it's about time they faced the fact that nobody keeps promises anymore"). Moreover, Marilyn's eccentric father (who believes he is Buffalo Bill and fires off guns in the house to prove it) and her children -- who hatch an outrageous plan to set up a dating service for senior citizens -- start to drive her completely around the bend. Marilyn feels herself domestically imprisoned -- encased in a bell jar. Her subsequent behavior grows not simply eccentric, but irrational and then comically outrageous. She cooks wiener schnitzel for the entire family, but eats it all herself; unsuccessfully attempts to poison the family beagle; and -- convinced that insects are attacking her during the night -- showers the plant above her bed with bug repellent, much to Martin's consternation. Finally, irritated by Martin's sexual indifference to her, Marilyn manages to get his attention in a last, desperate move by setting his bed on fire late one night. Deeply concerned, Martin consults psychologist Dr. Pazardjian (Per Oscarsson), who does little to help Marilyn and (indeed) turns out to be even nuttier than any of the members of the Jordan family. Via a comic security mix-up, Marilyn later becomes stranded at the Stockholm airport and hitches a ride with a band of horny Yugoslavian immigrants celebrating the new year; they take her to their ZanziBar nightclub for a couple of days, where she begins to break out of her domestic prison by engaging in a torrid extramarital affair with randy Slavic zookeeper Montenegro and by performing as a one-time chaunteuse on-stage. Eventually, Marilyn's family beckons for her to return -- but her brush with independence has made her a very different woman, indeed. Montenegro marked controversial writer/director Dusan Makavejev's English-language debut, and earned widespread critical raves for Anspach's career-defining performance. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Anspach, Erland Josephson, (more)
- 1980
The made-for-TV Portrait of an Escort stars Susan Anspach as a divorcee in financial straits, has a daughter to support. She takes a job with a professional dating service, charging fifty dollars per customer. Anspach last client of the evening turns out to be a man whose intentions are apparently homicidal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
- PG
Despite the promise of his early career, the life of former world-class runner Michael Andropolis has been a crashing failure. The icing on his life's bitter cake was his divorce from the woman he still loves. Wanting to win back both his wife and his self-respect, Andropolis decides to start running again in hopes of making it to the Olympic marathon team. This sports-melodrama chronicles the 34-year old's heroic struggle. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Susan Anspach, (more)
- 1979
The Last Giraffe was adapted by Sherman Yellin from the book Raising Daisy Rothschild by Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville. Put two and two together, and you'll figure out from the above information that the giraffe of the title and Daisy Rothschild are one in the same. Filmed in Kenya, the fact-based story details the efforts of married-couple Susan Anspach and Simon Ward to save an injured baby Rothschild giraffe and to rescue the animal's herd from nasty poacher Gordon Jackson. It turns out that Jackson is not the only threat to the Rothschilds: the expanding human population of Kenya is unwittingly stripping the land of the precious foliage upon which Daisy and the other giraffes must feed. Thankfully, the film avoids sappy sentiment and Disneyesque preciousness. Made for television, The Last Giraffe premiered June 7, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
- PG
Richard Dreyfuss plays Moses Wine, an ex-Sixties radical who pays the bills as a private eye. Wine is hired to stem a smear campaign against a popular political candidate. Gradually the plot thickens into a murder case, involving a hippie leader whose values, like Wine's, have been severely compromised over the years - and who plans to blow up a major LA freeway as a protest. Susan Anspach provides a great deal of dramatic (and sexual) tension as Wine's boss. Among the minor players are future stars Mandy Patinkin and F. Murray Abraham. The Big Fix was adapted by Roger L. Simon from his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Anspach, (more)
- 1977
When an heiress is falsely accused of the murder of her husband, she is assisted by 2 crafty criminal lawyers. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1976
In this drama, a college president takes a sabbatical so he can work as a ditch-digger and a cafe cook. The story is based on John Chapman's autobiographical book, Blue Collar Journal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
