Michael Sutton Movies
A race with a 25-million-dollar prize is at the center of this action film starring Antonio Sabato Jr. Tensions are rising as the big event draws near, and with a monster hurricane threatening to strike, the potential for a violent confrontation between man and nature is growing. Produced and directed by Phillip Roth, Hypersonic also stars Adam Baldwin and William Zabka. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Sabato, Jr.
- 2000
Charles Band has been making horror movies in Rumania for several years, so it should come as no surprise to find his local collaborators, associate producer Vlad Paunescu and costume designer Oana Paunescu, among the crew of this ambitious historical epic from The Kushner-Locke Company and director Joe Chappelle (Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers). It's an impressive attempt at rehabilitating the image of Vlad Tepes (Rudolf Martin), the famous Transylvanian prince who inspired Bram Stoker as the model for his vampiric count in the novel Dracula. That's part of the problem with Chappelle's film, because Martin plays Vlad as a sultry, pouting romantic figure in the Frank Langella mode rather than as a man who might have been capable of such astonishing savagery and physical strength on a battlefield. He pouts for money from the King of Hungary (Roger Daltrey being out-pouted for once), romances Jane March, speaks in a petulant growl, and generally looks like he'd be more at home on the dancefloor of a chic discotheque than on a corpse-strewn battlefield. Only the unavoidable feeling that he might be a vampire (he isn't) makes him seem even remotely threatening or dangerous. The rest of the film is better, with authentic-looking locations, some surprising gore, and nicely-handled battle scenes. Peter Weller comes off the best among the cast, playing the creepy Father Stefan with a suitable gravity and authority. It is very difficult to take the historical Dracula away from the vampire legends after over a century of Stoker-inspired over 150 films, but Chappelle and his cast make a game effort, and if they don't exactly succeed in removing the shadow of the vampire from their heroic prince, they have at least produced a rousing entertainment which is far better than anyone had a right to expect. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
This historical adventure takes the actual figure of Vlad Tepes (also known as Vlad the Impaler), long believed to be the originator of the Dracula legend, and places him in a sweeping adventure. Vlad Dracula (Rudolph Martin) and his brother, Radu (Michael Sutton), take different paths in life after their father refuses to kowtow to the Turkish sultan that occupies their beloved Romania. With the help of a Hungarian army and a slave named Bruno, Vlad succeeds in regaining control of Romania. Even the love of the Hungarian king's daughter cannot stop Vlad from becoming a power-hungry despot who warns off enemies by impaling a ghastly number of victims on tall spikes that surround the castle. Soon his dictatorship is under threat from an army led by his brother. This film debuted on the USA cable network. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1999
- R
A petty thief goes on the run after whacking a mob boss, and finds himself taking refuge in a Catholic boys home. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Sutton, Tracey Gold, (more)
- 1995
Openly contemptuous of homeless people, Monica (Roma Downey) is taken down a peg or two when she is forced to pose as a street person--and is stripped of her angelic powers. "The only way to share his pain is to share his pain!" admonishes Tess (Della Reese) as the humbled Monica struggles to provide aid and comfort to a stubborn old derelict named Pete Taylor (Gregory Harrison), as well as two other social outcasts, Sophie (Marion Ross) and Zack (Malcolm-Jamal Warner). Inevitably, the three mortals' lives are changed for the better, but not after a great deal of painful soul-searching for all concerned...especially Monica. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
