Robin Frates Movies
A reporter (Ally Sheedy) sneaks into a lab to investigate animal cruelty, and emerges from the ordeal with a mastiff named Max in this 1993 thriller. The dog, which has been genetically enhanced, makes her life miserable while they are being chased by the owner of the lab (Lance Henriksen). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ally Sheedy, Lance Henriksen, (more)
- 1992
On July 19, 1989, a DC-10 en route from Denver to Philadelphia lost all its hydraulics and broke apart just outside of the Sioux City, Iowa airport, killing 110 of the 285 passengers and a single crew member, and risking the lives of everyone else on board. At that point, the rescue crew, which had spent months preparing for such an emergency, had its mettle tested above and beyond the call of duty. In this made-for-TV reenactment, Charlton Heston plays the jetliner's pilot (reprising a similar role from Airport 1975). The rescuers include Richard Thomas and James Coburn. Also known as A Thousand Heroes, Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 debuted February 24, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Richard Thomas, (more)
- 1991
This slick-looking but rather dreary science fiction twist on the vampire genre introduces a crash-landed alien who enters the aged, dying body of Max Page (Robert Sampson. Suddenly, Page's health takes an amazing U-turn. Max soon rises from his deathbed and checks out of the hospital with newfound vitality and a nagging thirst for the estrogen-laced blood of ovulating women (an original, if disgusting, twist on vampirism). Fearing for his family's safety, he flees for San Diego, stopping every other day to prey on more women, until he grows youthful enough to be played by another actor (Joseph Culp). Meanwhile, a gruff FBI agent (John Saxon, in a permanent state of gruff after a lifetime of cop roles) investigates. The one-note material is enlivened a bit by some familiar "B"-movie faces -- including the lovable Michael J. Pollard -- but very little is done with the premise of the alien's estrogen requirements, other than to show Max sniffing around in some rather inappropriate places. Adept "B"-movie buffs can spot Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon and his wife, actress Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, in cute cameos. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Neil Simon forgoes his typical urban East Coast kvetchers and replaces them with sunny Californian kvetchers in The Marrying Man, a film which became a beacon of gossip in 1991 due to the alleged shenanigans of stars Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger), who fell in love during production. Simon based his script on a true story concerning the love affair between shoe tycoon Harry Karl and actress Marie (The Body) McDonald during the 1950s. Married to each other four times, McDonald still managed to carry on an affair with mobster Bugsy Siegel. In this Simon-ized version, Baldwin plays Charley Pearl, a sharp and handsome Hollywood millionaire, engaged to Adele Horner (Elisabeth Shue), the daughter of dyspeptic movie studio executive Lew Horner (Robert Loggia). The day before their wedding, Charley heads off to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, and in a sleazy casino on the outskirts of town, he sets his eyes on sexy singer Vicki Anderson (Basinger) and falls for her hard. He wants her immediately and even though she warns him she's the property of Bugsy Siegel (Armand Assante), he crawls into her bedroom window to be with her. Caught with his pants down by Siegel, Bugsy, instead of killing him, forces him to marry Vicki ("I was about to dump her anyway," he says). But after their marriage, Charley and Vicki discover they're more attracted to the danger of their relationship than in each other. Charley's friends -- Phil (Paul Reiser), Sammy (Fisher Stevens), Tony (Peter Dobson), and George (Steve Hytner) -- form a Greek chorus commenting on the crazed love affair and are reportedly inspired by Phil Silvers, Sammy Cahn, Tony Martin, and Leo Durocher. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Basinger, Alec Baldwin, (more)
- 1989
This light comedy is a contemporary--and wacky--version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In this version, a malformed young man hangs out in the bell tower of a California college campus and has to face a number of prejudices when he is brought out into the light. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Katz, Corey Parker, (more)
- 1989
Those who think that you can't make a suspense movie out of a true-life story wherein everybody knows the outcome are referred to the made-for-TV Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure. Jessica, of course, was the 18-month-old Texas girl who fell down an abandoned well in October of 1987. As the world looks on in anguish, the local fire chief (Pat Hingle) and police chief (Beau Bridges) supervise the efforts to rescue Jessica from her 22-foot-deep prison. The film effectively squeezes the 58 hours of the original incident into two, allotting plenty of time for a surface-level subplot involving the efforts of a Victim's Assistance Program volunteer (Patty Duke) to reassure Jessica's parents. In keeping with Hollywood child-labor requirements, little Jessica McClure is played by twin girls, Laura and Jennifer Loesch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- R
In this tense horror outing Toulon, a puppet maker, discovers an ancient Egyptian potion and uses it to bring his creations to life. Unfortunately, he is a rather twisted fellow and his puppets become murderous little demons who escape. Distraught, the master takes his life. Years later, psychics tune into the existence of the monstrous marionettes and set off to stop them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Le Mat, Irene Miracle, (more)
