Rod Arrants Movies
This film adaptation of the Broadway musical based loosely on Puccini's opera La Bohème features many members of the original cast. It follows a year in the lives of seven friends living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York's East Village. AIDS and both its physical and emotional complications pervade the lives of Roger (Adam Pascal), Mimi (Rosario Dawson), Tom (Jesse L. Martin), and Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia); Maureen (Idina Menzel) deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne (Tracie Thoms), wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble; Benjamin (Taye Diggs) has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends; and Mark (Anthony Rapp), an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general, always behind the camera recording the events but never playing a part. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, (more)
- 1989
After several weeks of reruns, Next Generation offered a first-run episode on July 1, 1989. In Manhunt, the Enterprise is assigned to transport a group of delegates to an important Federation conference. One of the delegates is Troi's mother Lwaxana, played by former Star Trek regular Majel Barrett. Ostensibly on a diplomatic mission, Lwaxana is actually in search of a new husband, and she decides that Captain Picard fits the bill. "Manhunt" was written by Terry Devereaux. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
A terrorist group takes credit for the murder of a middle Eastern ambassador. Though Hunter (Fred Dryer) acknowledges that the group is smart enough to take another diplomat hostage (which they have), he isn't convinced that they have the technical savvy to assemble the time bomb that killed the ambassador. Assembling the clues at hand, Hunter finally deduces that the "brains" behind the murder was an exotic beauty (Persis Khambatta) with an extremely personal agenda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
- PG
This rather dull thriller has the look of contemporary film noir but none of its depth. As the story begins, desperate-for-cash saxophonist Harry Baranski (Patrick Duffy) decides to rob a house. There he meet its owner, Diane (Catherine Hyland) and begins a rather unusual ménage-à-trois. The story is contrived, and the mediocre direction by Frederick Keller and lackluster performances by the entire cast, makes Vamping a not-very-thrilling thriller. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Duffy, Catherine Hyland, (more)
Based on the best-selling Vincent Bugliosi book of the same name, Helter Skelter is a made-for-TV account of the investigation and prosecution of Charles Manson (Steve Railsback), who was convicted of leading a group of followers (known as "The Family") to murder seven people in California, including actress Sharon Tate. The film takes a Law & Order-like approach, starting with the discovery of the murders, which leads to the police gathering snippets of evidence that they eventually connect to the bigger picture. The second half of the movie concentrates on how District Attorney Bugliosi (George DiCenzo) attains a conviction despite the enormous amount of press coverage the case received. Nancy Wolfe, Christina Hart, and Cathey Paine portray the three loyal Manson Family members who were the co-defendants at his trial. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George DiCenzo, Steve Railsback, (more)
This laughable Korean rip-off of King Kong was released the same year as Dino De Laurentis's trumpeted remake to sponge up some free hype from that film's massive publicity machine (in some areas it was retitled The New King Kong). Despite the fact that the poorly-handled big-studio film was considered by many to be a pointless exercise, this movie makes De Laurentis' fiasco seem positively inspired by comparison (although the producers of this film might merit some slack -- they didn't have $20 million to blow). The vaguely familiar story involves a captured 36-foot ape who escapes his offshore prison to rampage through the streets of Seoul, where he falls in love with an American actress (Joanna Kerns) who is shooting a movie there. Jam-packed with laughs, both intentional (the big brute gives Korean defense forces the finger) and unintentional (look for the "Tonka" logo on the trucks he hurls through the air), this might have found a home among fans of truly awful cinema thanks to an effective use of 3-D, but TV and video versions are missing this clunker's sole bonus. Released under several alternate titles, the most appropriate being Attack of the Giant Horny Gorilla! ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Arrants, Joanna Kerns, (more)
- 1973
Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) make a memorable foray into the San Francisco artists' colony after a painter falls from his studio window to his death. Determining that the victim was murdered, the detectives zero in on the most likely suspect: urban poet and notorious jailbird Yale Courtland Darcy (Roscoe Lee Browne). Convinced that his daughter Jenna (Brenda Sykes) is the guilty party, Darcy takes the rap for the girl--who is equally convinced that her dad did it, and equally determined to cover up his "crime"! Without giving away the ending, it can be noted that the title of this episode is a quote from Henry David Thoreau, referring to the unreliability of "The Obvious". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- PG
In this drama, a romance is sparked when two people, dissatisfied with their lives, move to San Francisco in hope of a fresh start. Ex-horror star Matthew South (Jason Robards, Jr.) encounters unhappily-married Anais Appleton (Katharine Ross) and the two fall in love. Their newfound happiness is threatened, however, when Anais' jealous husband David (Scott Appleton) sets out to find her. Songs by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition are featured in this film. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Robards, Jr., Katharine Ross, (more)
