Peter Gonzales Movies
At the beginning of The End, Wendell Sonny Lawson (Burt Reynolds) is informed by his doctor that he's dying from "the same thing Ali MacGraw had in Love Story." Lawson's first reaction is to cry uncontrollably, much to the discomfort of his fellow elevator passengers. He heads to a nearby church to confess all his sins, only to be distracted by the wide-eyed fecklessness of the novice priest (Robby Benson). Attempting to resolve a few issues with ex-wife Mary Ellen (Sally Field), daughter Julie (Kristy McNichol), and his parents (Myrna Loy and Pat O'Brien), Lawson finds that they're all too absorbed in their own problems to pay him any attention. At the end of his rope, Lawson decides to kill himself -- with the help of a nutty mental patient (Dom DeLuise). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, (more)
- 1977
After several years of marriage, suburban housewife Andrea Fleming (Susan Blakely) realizes that she has never truly been happy. This is particularly galling in that Andrea's repressive mother (Joanne Linville) instilled within her the desire to find the "secret of happiness" before reaching adulthood--but never told her how to go about this. Upon her mother's death, Andrea is possessed by desires she can neither understand nor control, and begins seeking out the aforementioned "secret" by promiscuously embarking upon several casual affairs. Star Susan Blakely also wrote and performed the theme music for Secrets, which was first telecast by ABC on February 20, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
L'Ospite is a psychological melodrama about a family whose self-deception is revealed when a stranger intrudes. A middle-aged woman introduces her lover to her children, who are about the same age. The reaction of the daughter (the main character) turns the potentially comic situation into a real psychodrama. Her awkward behavior arises out of her inability to accept a reality that is different from the one she's always lived in. As if one trauma is not enough, she also discovers her father is a homosexual. The roles are now reversed; it is the parents who transgress and feel shame, and the daughter who has bourgeois mores and is worried about the family's reputation. Alessandro Colizzi uses a cold, detached tone to expose the contradictions and limitations of certain sections of the cultured and well-to-do left-wing Italian middle class. The title of the film is translated into English as "The Guest," but in Italian it indicates the host and the guest, rendering an ambiguity as to who is the guest/host, which seems to suit the purpose of the director. The film is made in the tradition of Pasolini and Visconti, although Colizzi cites Fassbinder as his influence. L'Ospite was screened as part of the International Forum of New Cinema section of the 49th Berlin Film Festival, 1999. -- ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
