Pamela Gordon Movies

In 1971, filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles released his third film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which he wrote, directed, and scored. Despite boasting an all-black cast, an X rating, a low budget, and a decidedly non-Hollywood approach to moviemaking, the ground-breaking independent film went on to gross over ten million dollars while inspiring countless other films of the genre that would come to be called blaxploitation. Mario Van Peebles, the director's son, was 13 at the time and got his first taste of show business with a small role in the film. Over three decades later, the younger Van Peebles directed and co-wrote this film, in which he stars as his father. BAADASSSSS! chronicles the director's struggles to get the film made by highlighting the social roadblocks and production pitfalls Van Peebles faced, as well as the personal sacrifices he was forced to make. Also starring T.K. Carter, Ossie Davis, and Nia Long, BAADASSSSS! premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Written and directed by Jacques Thelemaque, The Dogwalker follows the lives of two very different women who find themselves in equally dire positions. When Ellie (Diane Gaidry) finally leaves her violent boyfriend, she takes the first flight out of her home in Buffalo, New York, and ends up in Los Angeles, where she's promptly robbed of all her possessions and reduced to living on the streets. After a failed attempt at prostitution, Ellie wakes up in a public park and meets Betsy (Pamela Gordon), an older, professional dogwalker with a rather abrupt personality. Eventually, Ellie learns that Betsy is dying of cancer, and ends up helping the older woman's failing business in exchange for temporary shelter. Fragile Ellie and gruff Betsy turn out to have one thing in common--both have left abusive relationships. Betsy's final days unfortunately mark the return of Ellie's former boyfriend, and Ellie is forced to use the disciplinary strength she has had to learn as a dogwalker and newly independent woman.



~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Marc Forster directs this chilling psychological drama about a young mother trying to come to terms with the loss of her first born. Angie (Radha Mitchell) and her husband Russ (Justin Louis) live a quiet suburban life. At the film's opening, Angie, along with her best friends Judith (Catherine Lloyd Burns) and Barbie (Megan Mullally), who also happen to be pregnant, gleefully discuss morning sickness and baby showers. After her textbook delivery to a healthy boy, the doctor pulls Russ aside and whispers something in his ear. Angie's worst fears are confirmed when she learns that her child suddenly died, a victim of sudden infant death syndrome. In spite of loving support from her husband and friends, Angie quickly spirals into a deep depression and begins developing morbid obsessions, such as going to morgue to examine her baby, visiting the place where her child's toys are buried, and watching children at play in the park. Shot on digital video, the film features an intense emotionally immediacy. This film was screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

The Alien Nation series continues with this made-for-television science-fiction thriller. In keeping with the original premise, the film is set in the near future on a planet Earth that is integrated with aliens. Alien detective Francisco and his human partner Sikes return, this time to investigate a mysterious child and her keeper. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

A family on a road trip through the Arizona desert is terrorized by a teenage gang led by a deranged killer. They kidnap the family's teenage daughter, and the father must track down the gang and rescue his daughter. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

Rosemary Clooney (aunt of series regular George Clooney) returns as a mysterious mental patient wandering the halls of the ER singing Christmas songs. Likewise invested with the Yuletide spirit is Benton (Eriq La Salle), who upon finding an organ-donor card among the effects of a brain-dead patient, begins informing potential recipients. Unfortunately, Benton has spread the "good news" too soon; the donor's wife (Amanda Rogers) refuses to okay anything until she gets a second opinion about her estranged husband's chances for survival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Charles Band's Full Moon Productions followed up their vampire hit Subspecies by returning to Romania for two sequels. This second entry begins with the revival of master vampire Radu (Anders Hove) by his legions of homunculi (the "subspecies" of the title, neat stop-motion beasties who only appear in the opening scenes this time). The tiny slaves reunite Radu with his lopped-off head, enabling him to destroy his brother and rival Stefan. His first human victim, Michelle (Denise Duff), manages to escape -- but not before stealing the "bloodstone," a relic which holds the key to Radu's power. Michelle is also infected by Radu's bite, and he pursues her throughout Romania in an effort to enslave her and recapture the relic. Michelle's American sister Rebecca (Melanie Shatner) comes to her aid in Bucharest, accompanied by a historian (Michael Denish) who reveals the secret of the bloodstone. This sequel retains the menacing Gothic atmosphere of its predecessor, and Duff plays an attractive and interesting anti-heroine, but the overall mood is diminished by a weak script which leaves Radu with little to do until the climax, in which he is joined by a few surprise guests to complicate things for the imperiled ladies. Shot back-to-back with the third installment, Bloodlust: Subspecies III. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

First there was Subspecies (1991) a vampire flick actually filmed on location in Transylvania. This one concerned an attack by, and eventual subduing of, high-tech bloodsuckers. In Bloodstone: Subspecies 2 (1993) surviving vampire Radu (Anders Hove), in concert with his repulsive mother, decimates the Rumanian countryside. The story is further elaborated upon in Bloodlust 3: Subspecies (aka Bloodlust: Subspecies 3). This time, Radu goes after Michelle (Denice Duff), who's successfully thwarted him in the past. Michelle learns that Radu's plans go far beyond Transylvania-he must be stopped for good! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John McNaughton's flawed but interesting follow-up to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer languished in distribution limbo for years before its brief theatrical run and subsequent video release. It presents a completely different breed of killer: an alien criminal who is exiled to life on Earth in human form. As if that weren't punishment enough, the creature's human guise is susceptible to frequent head-eruptions, creating the constant need for replacement heads. This leads to a grim and violent series of episodes in which the creature pops the tops of various citizens, ranging from a kindly, homeless eccentric (Antonio Fargas) to a lascivious doctor (Tony Amendola)... at one point, he even "borrows" the head of a dog! Following the trail of discarded heads are two cops (Rae Dawn Chong and Don Gordon), who eventually begin to suspect they're not dealing with the M.O. of the average serial killer. A few creative plot twists (particularly at the conclusion), grim atmosphere and generally good performances enliven this one-note material, which nevertheless fails to measure up to the harrowing, character-driven horror of McNaughton's acclaimed debut feature. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

One of the more effectively spooky and financially successful horror films of the '80s got an inevitable sequel with this effects-heavy installment. The Freeling family is trying to grapple with the devastation wrought by the ghosts and ghouls that destroyed their lives. The insurance company doesn't believe their story about what happened to their house, so Steve (Craig T. Nelson), Diane (JoBeth Williams), and their kids, Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) and Robbie (Oliver Robins), have been reduced to living in the home of Diane's mother, Jess (Geraldine Fitzgerald). Unfortunately for the Freelings, however, their new residence, just like their last, is situated on a haunted patch of unholy ground. A century before, the mad cult leader Kane (Julian Beck) slaughtered his followers nearby, and his evil spirit has returned in an effort to kidnap Carol Anne. When the Freelings realize what's happening, they call upon the psychic medium Tangina Barrons (Zelda Rubinstein) to help them again, and they also receive aid from a kindly Native American spiritualist, Taylor (Will Sampson). Noticeably absent from the sequel was older daughter Dana, who had been played by actress Dominique Dunne; Dunne was killed in 1982 by her obsessed boyfriend. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide