Arliss Howard Movies

In this thriller, based on a true story, a psycho killer cons his three adolescent sons into helping him and his equally crazed pal from the joint. They do so and then find themselves in a killing spree. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A light, light, light comedy with no depth below the surface, this TV-oriented story is about a smooth-talking salesman who ostensibly peddles vacuum cleaners but is really a con man out to get money. The con artist/salesman Larry (Ron Leibman) meets Leon (Arliss Howard), an honest salesman who is making no money at all, and teaches him how to swindle his way to riches. The two team up, taking in everyone from car dealers to a poor widow, whose niece Katherine (Jane Kaczmarek) has sparked the interest of Leon. But since Larry himself is being blackmailed by a detective for the vacuum-cleaner company, his ultimate concern is getting rid of this drain on his hardly-earned money. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Before entering this story of a battle between the ostensible forces of good over evil, viewers should know that a lightship is a floating lighthouse, anchored in dangerous waters to warn other ships away. The German-American Captain Miller (Klaus Maria Brandauer) is in charge of one such lightship and is haunted by the memory of leaving some Americans to die at sea in World War II while he chose to go after a German U-boat. Miller was free of all wrong-doing technically, but he cannot forget the results of his decision. One night, with his son illegally on board, Miller takes on the sailors of another boat before a severe storm hits -- a mistake. The rescued men are modern-day pirates, gang members out to meet another ship and pick up some illicit cargo. From the moment they are taken on board, the thugs and their leader Caspary (Robert Duvall) are at war with the crew and Captain Miller for control of the lightship. This story was adapted from a novella by Siegfried Lenz, and both Brandauer and Duvall give stellar performances in their dueling roles. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Stanley Kubrick's return to filmmaking after a seven-year hiatus, this film crystallizes the experience of the Vietnam War by concentrating on a group of raw Marine volunteers. Based on Gustav Hasford's novel The Short Timers, the film's first half details the volunteers' harrowing boot-camp training under the profane, power-saw guidance of drill instructor Sgt. Hartman (R. Lee Ermey, a real-life drill instructor whose performance is one of the most terrifyingly realistic on record). Part two takes place in Nam, as seen through the eyes of the now thoroughly indoctrinated marines. Ironically, Full Metal Jacket was filmed almost entirely in England. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

For his first directorial project in six years, Robert Towne selected a timeworn romantic-triangle yarn, injecting the material with subtlety and conviction. Tequila Sunrise stars Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell as two lifelong friends who, in true James Cagney-Pat O'Brien fashion, grow up on the opposite sides of the law. One is a retired drug dealer (at least he says he is), the other a "celebrity" cop. Both fall in love with gorgeous restaurateur Michelle Pfeiffer. Veteran movie buffs will enjoy spotting director Budd Boetticher as a judge, and will welcome the presence in the production credits of cinematographer Conrad Hall, who earned an Oscar nomination for his richly textured color camerawork. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, the two-part TV movie I Know My First Name Is Steven tells the tragic story of Steven Stayner. At age seven, Steven was kidnapped by two men who held him captive in a tiny shed for seven years. One of the men, a habitual child abuser named Kenneth Parnell, sexually assaulted Steven on an almost daily basis during the boy's ordeal. At age 14, Steven finally was able to escape and return to his family. But we are shown that Steven's safe return was far from the happy ending it appeared to be. He's forced to adjust to a family he'd never really known, to convince himself that his parents had never forgotten him, and to put his seven-year hell behind him. While I Know My First Name Is Steven ends on an upbeat note, the real Stayner died in a motorcycle accident only a few months after this film was first telecast in May 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This tension-filled made-for-television drama is set a few hours before the Viet Cong took over Saigon in 1975 and chronicles the struggle of Americans and Vietnamese to be on board the last commercial flight out of the city. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Bette Midler stars as a Martha Raye-type entertainer during the World War II era in this big-budget nostalgia piece. Midler plays big-band singer Dixie Leonard, who is chosen to perform at an overseas USO Christmas show by her uncle Art Silver (George Segal), a comedy writer for famed comedian Eddie Sparks (James Caan). Dixie is shuttled to London, where she is thrown on-stage with Eddie, who takes an immediate dislike to her. But her performance is a sensation, and the audience can't stop howling at Dixie's smart one-liner comebacks to Eddie. Dixie is catapulted to stardom, and the repartee between Eddie and Dixie becomes the stuff of legend. The two spar together through World War II, the McCarthy era, and Vietnam. But Dixie stops speaking to Eddie when he fires a writer for being a communist sympathizer and, later, she doesn't speak to him again after he arranges for a reunion between her and her son on the battlefields of Vietnam. Finally, Dixie, now an old woman, is cajoled to appear on a television awards show to reunite with a now decrepit Eddie, age 91. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Originally shown as a two-part special on TV, this is an effective drama set during the 1979 Iranian revolution and what has come to be known as the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Written by a political scientist, it gives an overview of the political crisis, which quite probably cost Jimmy Carter his presidency. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV drama, adapted from a book by Vincent Bugliosi, is based on a true story about an ex-cop who deceives and murders a number of women for their life insurance benefits. The video release includes scenes not shown in the original. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a wife is so angered that her husband has been untrue to her that she decides to return to prostitution. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

After a childhood spat drove brothers Wilder (Arliss Howard) and Wallace (Dennis Quaid) apart, they went their separate ways, until a chance meeting brought them back together again. Gifted with a psychic ability to spark fires, Wilder supresses his gift, marries the lovely Vida (Debra Winger), and attempts to lead a normal life. However, he runs into his brother, who is using his powers to work as a carnival attraction, and their reunion leads to disaster when the brothers begin to compete for Vida's attention. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

A frenetic, bloody look at mass murder and the mass media, director Oliver Stone's extremely controversial film divided critics and audiences with its mixture of over-the-top violence and bitter cultural satire. At the center of the film, written by Stone and Quentin Tarantino, among others, are Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis), a young couple united by their desire for each other and their common love of violence. Together, they embark on a record-breaking, exceptionally gory killing spree that captivates the sensation-hungry tabloid media. Their fame is ensured by one newsman, Wayne Gale (Robert Downey, Jr.), who reports on Mickey and Mallory for his show, American Maniacs. Even the duo's eventual capture by the police only increases their notoriety, as Gale develops a plan for a Super Bowl Sunday interview that Mickey and Mallory twist to their own advantage. Visually overwhelming, Robert Richardson's hyperkinetic cinematography switches between documentary-style black-and-white, surveillance video, garishly colored psychedelia, and even animation in a rapid-fire fashion that mirrors the psychosis of the killers and the media-saturated culture that makes them popular heroes. The film's extreme violence -- numerous edits were required to win an R rating -- became a subject of debate, as some critics asserted that the film irresponsibly glorified its murderers and blamed the filmmakers for potentially inciting copy-cat killings. Defenders argued that the film attacks media obsession with violence and satirizes a sensationalistic, celebrity-obsessed society. Certain to provoke discussion, Natural Born Killers will thoroughly alienate many viewers with its shock tactics, chaotic approach, and disturbing subject matter, while others will value the combination of technical virtuosity and dark commentary on the modern American landscape. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide