Harry Basil Movies
A historic cult that operates in accordance to ancient rituals involving the dragon-slaying Christian martyr St. George attempts to procure the sacrifice needed to resurrect their ancient leader in this supernatural thriller starring Armand Assante. On the Eve of St. George, the cult believes that they can bring the English patron back to life if they can find the perfect sacrifice - a child with untainted ancestry. Now, as the moment of truth draws near, ancient prophecies come to pass and a dark force prepares to rise from an eternal slumber. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante
A middle-aged loser with a taste for strip club buffet food finds his unusual dining habits leading to an unlikely shot at success in this sexy sports comedy that shows you can never have too much fun in the sun. It's not the beautiful dancers that draw Billy Cole (Burt Reynolds) to the Cloud Nine gentlemen's club, but the delicious food served up daily at the buffet. When Billy gets the bright idea of combining sex-appeal and sports by training the Club Nine dancers to become professional beach volleyball players, the sun-drenched combination of skin and competition drives the crowds wild. But the girls want to be known for something more than just their good looks, and when Billy notices that they have the skills to back up their ambition, he decides to take one last shot at the big time. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds
Leslie Greif directs this adaptation of Ray Cooney's hit British play, a throwback farce about mistaken identity. Chevy Chase plays Henry Perkins, a listless late-middle-aged executive in a wax fruit company; his wife, Carol (Penelope Ann Miller), is similarly bored, a struggling sculptor and housewife in Hoboken, NJ. On his way home from work to a surprise birthday party Carol is throwing, he accidentally switches briefcases with a Russian mobster. He opens the suitcase at a local bar and discovers five million dollars inside. He rushes home and tries to arrange a flight to Barcelona for Carol and him so they can take the money and run. Detective Sergeant Genero (Armand Assante) shows up later; he saw Henry at the bar and is suspicious of his actions. The Perkins, along with their friends Vic and Gina Johnson (Christopher McDonald and Alex Meneses), concoct an elaborate plan to fool the detective, which is only complicated by Carol getting sloppy drunk, the arrival of a homicide detective (Kevin Sussman), a famous gallery owner (Rebecca Wisocky), Henry's boss (Robert Loggia), a frustrated standup comic cabbie (Guy Torry), two more identical briefcases, and the party guests. The comic action reaches a climax in a standoff with Mafia kingpin Mr. Big (Zoltan Butuc). ~ Michael Buening, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chevy Chase, Penelope Ann Miller, (more)
Loosely based on an urban legend centering on haunted train tracks, director Harry Basil's sophomore feature follows a young girl who was recently released from rehab as she moves back in with her parents and sister. When strange things begin happening around town, the recovering addict discovers that some restless spirits have a curious means of making their presence known among the local mortals. It's been fifty years since a speeding train collided with a bus full of school children, and the trauma of that tragic event still looms thick in the air of this tight-knit town. Now, just as a troubled young girl gets out of rehab, a disturbing series of murders that seem strangely tied to that tragedy begin to occur all around town. Brittany Snow and Kristin Cavallari star in a psychological shocker featuring Kou Diamond Phillips, Sally Kirkland, and Josh Henderson. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Directed by Harry Basil, The 4th Tenor stars octogenarian Rodney Dangerfield as Lupo, a restaurant connoisseur who falls for a singing waitress named Gina (Annabelle Gurwitch). After finding out that Gina claims to be unable to love any man who doesn't sing opera, the tone-deaf Lupo vows to learn. Wasting no time, he boards a plane headed for Italy and commences singing lessons with Vincenzo (Richard Libertini), a sketchy voice coach. What he doesn't realize, however, is that Gina can't tolerate him whether he can sing or not, and that this was merely her way of getting rid of him. Luckily, a beautiful young songstress named Rosa (real-life opera star Anita De Simone) takes pity on Lupo, and takes him to her rural, wine-making family. It turns out that their wine can transform even the worst singer into an opera extraordinaire. Initially determined to use his newfound talent in order to snare Gina, Lupo comes to realize that Rosa may be his true love after all. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rodney Dangerfield, Robert Davi, (more)
Rodney Dangerfield co-wrote and stars in this comedy about a businessman who learns that when it comes to marriage, strength is in numbers. Monte Peterson (Dangerfield) is a real estate developer whose business acumen exceeds his success in romance; after finalizing his third divorce, Monte heads to Utah, where he discovers a small town called Redwood Springs. There, Monte finds an estate for sale which would be an ideal location for a ski resort. While closing the deal, Monte discovers that there are a few strings attached -- Brother Wallace, the late owner, was a member of a little-known religious sect, and his will specifies the new owner must join the church. Monte isn't too thrilled when he's told buying the land would mean giving up tobacco, liquor, and gambling, but he cheers up considerably when he learns that the sect embraces polygamy, and that Brother Wallace's three lovely young widows -- Stephanie (Judy Tylor), Virginia (Kate Luyben), and Emily (Angelika Baran) -- would be happy to marry him. Soon Monte picks up another piece of land next door, and two more wives to go with it, Sarah (Emmanuelle Vaugier) and Megan (Anita Brown). But Preston Gates (John Byner), a crooked real estate man, has been buying up most of the town on behalf of gangster Tony Morano (Andrew Dice Clay), and soon Preston and Tony are trying to figure out a way to take Monte's new resort away from him (and his spouses) before Tony's boss Don Giovanni (Jerry Stiller) gets angry. My Five Wives also stars Molly Shannon, John Pinette, and Rob Deleeuw. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rodney Dangerfield, Andrew Dice Clay, (more)
Comic Rodney Dangerfield co-wrote and stars in this outrageous comedy. Wally Sparks (Dangerfield) is the host of a sleazy tabloid-style talk show who makes Jerry Springer seem genteel by comparison. Wally's show has become so foul that he's alienated his not-especially-discriminating viewers, and his ratings are taking a nosedive. Lenny Spencer (Burt Reynolds), head of the network carrying Wally's show, gives the host an ultimatum -- he has a week to clean up the show and boost his ratings, or his show gets cancelled. Wally's producer Sandy Gallo (Debi Mazar) comes up with an idea -- Floyd Preston (David Ogden Stiers) is the governor of Georgia and a staunch conservative known for his attacks on the lowbrow content of Wally's show, so what better way to show people that Wally is trying to change his ways than having Preston on the show as a guest? In order to persuade the Governor to appear, Wally attends a reception at Preston's mansion, where he makes the mistake of getting in a drunken game of strip poker with Preston's wife Emily (Cindy Williams) and somehow involving himself in a plot to blackmail the Governor. Meet Wally Sparks is packed with cameos in which noted show business figures play themselves, ranging from Tim Allen, Jay Leno, and Bob Saget to Michael Bolton, Ron Jeremy, and Jerry Springer himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rodney Dangerfield, Debi Mazar, (more)
- 1990
- PG13
In the film adapted from a book by Frederic Brown, a music composer (Randy Quaid) receives an invitation to score an upcoming science-fiction film. When the piece is accidentally broadcast on the radio, it encourages a rather pedestrian invasion force from Mars. The legion of green men instead cause havoc around the globe just by having fun, and it is the composer's duty to send them packing. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Margaret Colin, (more)
