Ron Gans Movies
- 1988
While piloting the Enterprise's shuttlecraft, Deanna Troi crash lands on Vagra 2. She is promptly taken captive by Armus (Mark McChesney), a sadistic creature capable of altering its shape at will. Taking great delight in tormenting the rescue team, Armus causes the death of Lt. Tasha Yar. The anger and outrage engendered by this tragedy ends up hoisting Armus on his own petard. A truly pivotal episode, "Skin of Evil" was written by old Outer Limits hand Joseph Stefano and Hannah Louise Shearer and was first telecast on April 30, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Answering a call to a burglary in progress, rookie cop James Wells (Mark Wells) shoots an kills an intruder. Performing an autopsy on the dead man, Quincy (Jack Klugman) discovers that the evidence doesn't match the young cop's story, but he refuses to issue an official statement--leading a muckraking TV journalist (David Spielberg) to conclude that there's a coverup going on to hide a possible case of police brutality. Actually, Quincy is merely playing for time to find out why the rookie is lying, and to determine what really happened. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- R
The cheerleading team at Aloha High are popular with their fellow students (except for a couple of stuck-up rich girls), but they're a major cause of the school's lecherous reputation for underage sex and drug abuse. The fun-loving gals spike the lunchroom spaghetti sauce with a concoction of pot, pills, and powders, hold wild orgies in the boys' locker room, and never bother to attend their classes. The school board considers a merger with Aloha's biggest rivals, the vocational school Lincoln High, but the cheerleaders refuse to mix with the low-class juvenile delinquents that go there. A new principal, ex-Marine Hall Walker (Norman Thomas Marshall), might whip the school into shape, but it'll mean forcing the cheerleaders out of the squad and back into the classroom. Though the girls prove their importance to Aloha spirit at the crucial moment of a big basketball game, it turns out that more sinister forces are at work when the school is blown up and the principal is kidnapped. It's up to the cheerleaders to save the day and unravel a conspiracy to steal Aloha High's land for a shopping mall. Carl Ballantine, David Hasselhoff, and genre vet Rainbeaux Smith appear in this energetic sex comedy. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeril Woods, Cheryl Smith, (more)
- 1970
- R
The first in producer Roger Corman's quintet of "Nurse" movies, this exploitation outing, despite its meager $120,000 budget, is surprisingly good as it chronicles the romantic and professional travails of a group of nurses. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elaine Giftos, Karen Carlson, (more)
- 1969
- R
This futuristic fantasy is set in the year 2117. Times have really changed. Sex for it's own sake is now the social norm. It is illegal to do it or even think about doing it with love. Trouble ensues when people begin watching a film about three students who stand against loveless lovemaking. Anyone caught viewing the film is arrested. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Two young men pretend to be gay when they are asked to pay a visit to the local draft board. Danny (Kevin Coughlin) and his pal Elliot (Larry Casey) camp it up in front of Army recruiter Dixon (Jack Starrett). When the two return to their apartment to celebrate with their girlfriends, they are shadowed by the suspicious officer. Danny and Elliot move into an apartment complex that caters to homosexuals. Comedy ensues when the two must pretend to be gay and confusion reigns among family and friends. The two end up losing their girlfriends but have a secret admirer in the macho military man this ribald comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Coughlin, Brooke Bundy, (more)
- 1968
Jo-Jo (Fabian) is a racecar driver recruited to drive for a wealthy racing promoter. When he's not on the fast track, he moves in on female interests with equal speed. His main love interest is played by Mimsy Farmer in this dull feature plagued by a general feeling of boredom from the cast and crew. The film relies heavily on stock footage of races to pad the thin plot. Talia Shire, the sister of the second-unit director Francis Ford Coppola plays a small roll. Both would leave features like this in the dust to make memorable films at later dates. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fabian, Mimsy Farmer, (more)
- 1967
- Add The St. Valentine's Day Massacre to QueueAdd The St. Valentine's Day Massacre to top of Queue
Schlockmeister Roger Corman produced this graphically violent chronicle of the Chicago gangster wars of the 1920s and the events that lead to the bloody title showdown between rival mobsters Al Capone (Jason Robards) and Bugs Moran (Ralph Meeker) that marked a brutal end to a terrifying era. Fred Steiner's film score is effectively mixed with popular songs from the 1920s, and the re-creation of gangster-era Chicago is a credit to the set designers. Historic and insightful narration is dramatically provided by Paul Frees, giving the film the flavor of a docudrama. Jean Hale plays Moran's gun moll, who is mercilessly kneed in the stomach while arguing over a fur coat. Though The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was heralded by critics at the time of its initial release, their opinion of the film has changed with each decade as they waver on the cinematic value of all of Corman's work. Audiences continue to relish the film, which is often shown on the anniversary of the bloody executions. Watch for Jack Nicholson as one of the unfortunate victims. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Robards, Jr., George Segal, (more)
