Morris Erby Movies
When an underqualified white man is given the job that Johnny Johnson (Billy Dee Williams) is infinitely more qualified for, the young black man becomes involved in a violent, radical movement to rise up against the perpetrators of racism. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Dee Williams, D'Urville Martin, (more)
Based on his award-winning student short, George Lucas's debut feature cerebrally celebrates the possibility for individual freedom against all odds. In a 1984-esque white-washed future underground dystopia where sexuality is banned, all humans sport shaved heads and the same shapeless outfits as they go about their work in a mandated state of sedation, listening to exhortations to "Buy and Be Happy." Black-clad robot cops chant a mantra to their victims that "everything will be all right" and automated confessional booths emit soothing therapeutic bromides. But unbeknownst to THX 1138 (Robert Duvall), his roommate LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie) has been reducing their meds, resulting in their mutual discovery of love and THX's subsequent imprisonment for drug evasion and sexual misconduct. Determined to find the pregnant LUH, THX breaks out of prison with the help of his cellmate SEN 5241 (Donald Pleasence) and an escaped TV hologram (Don Pedro Colley). With fugitive pursuits strictly budgeted, THX only has to evade the robocops until the funds run out, but surveillance is omnipresent and THX's vehicle keeps overheating. Making the only film produced through the first incarnation of Francis Ford Coppola's independent studio American Zoetrope, Lucas and his small crew, including co-writer and sound editor Walter Murch, shot THX 1138 in northern California with no interference from distributor Warner Bros. When Warners saw the austere result, however, they recut the film before its release. Neither the studio's nor Lucas's cut was a popular success, but THX 1138's coolly minimalist style and story-telling gained fans on the college screening circuit, just as Stanley Kubrick's poetic 2001: A Space Odyssey had attracted a large youth audience in 1968. When Lucas returned to sci-fi after American Graffiti, he traded restraint for nostalgic fun in the film that guaranteed his creative freedom in Hollywood: Star Wars. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, (more)
- 1970
Ironside (Raymond Burr) tries to help his friend Loi Tala (Patrick Adiarte), a Samoan-born boxer who wants to retire from the ring, marry his sweetheart and return to his homeland. Alas, Samoan tradition demands that he uphold the honor of his family by continuing his boxing career, even though he hates it. Inevitably, things take a disastrous turn when Loi Tala seriously injures one of his sparring partners. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
James McEachin appears as Mr. Rivers, who claims to be a police detective. A civilian fight promoter has accused Rivers of cheating him out of $350. It is up to Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) to determine Rivers' guilt or innocence--and to establish conclusively whether Rivers is a genuine detective or a clever impostor. Virgina Gregg, a charter member of the "Jack Webb stock company", appears in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
- PG
Jason Higgs (Sidney Poitier) is an angry black man who plans to rob a factory payroll. With the help of his accomplices Dennis (Al Freeman Jr.) and his white girlfriend Cathy (Joanna Shimkus), a racially motivated demonstration diverts attention from the crooks while they rob the safe. Jason is somewhat of a modern-day Robin Hood who wishes to use the money to help the children of incarcerated soul brothers. He only places his hope in the youth who have not been sullied or scalded by the hatred of racial prejudice. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Paul Winfield (Sounder) guest stars as Robert Phillips, a prominent African American militant accused of murder. With racial tensions at an all-time high, Commissioner Randall (Gene Lyons) asks Ironside (Raymond Burr) to quietly conduct an investigation to ascertain Phillips' guilt or innocence. Determined to thwart Ironside's efforts are a number of extremists--both black and white--who intend to use Phillips' arrest as catalyst for a bloody, apocalyptic race riot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
A star-studded cast invigorates this film of a jazz trumpeter (Sammy Davis Jr.) who experiences both the prejudices of the music industry and terrible guilt following the traffic accident that killed his family, a tragedy he feels personally responsible for. Co-stars include several giants of jazz and popular music: Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ossie Davis, and Mel Tormé, as well as Peter Lawford and Cicely Tyson. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammy Davis, Jr., Louis Armstrong, (more)
- 1961
Charles Cromwell (Karl Weber), president-elect of Euclid College, arranges a meeting with Robert Haskell, who is handling a million-dollar college grant provided by wealthy James Vardon (Will Wright). Alas, the deal may be nullified if a woman named Maizie Frietag (Barbara Stuart) reveals Cromwell's unsavory past as "Curly Oliver." But the poor pedant's troubles are just beginning: Haskell is murdered, and Cromwell is charged with the killing. Sounds like Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is going to have to invade the sacred halls of Academia to clear his client. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
