Neith Hunter Movies
Richard "Cheech" Marin, of Cheech & Chong fame, directed and starred in Born in East L.A.. Inspired by Marin's music-video parody of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA", the film casts Cheech as an East Los Angeles repairman. While paying a visit to a sweatshop toy factory, Cheech is caught in the middle when the feds raid the place and cart off all the illegal alien workers. Since he's forgotten to bring his own i.d., Cheech is also shipped off to Mexico-where, having next to no knowledge of the Spanish tongue, he's virtually helpless. Desperate, he takes a job with crooked Tijuana saloon owner Daniel Stern-the first of many "make-do" jobs that he assumes to earn enough money to return home. Along the way, he falls in love with El Salvadorian girl Kamala Lopez, whose English is as fractured as Cheech's Spanish. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez, (more)
This horror-comedy sequel finds the teen protagonist of Fright Night being terrorized by the undead sister of the vampire he killed in the original film. Two years after the death of bloodsucker Jerry Dandridge, young Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) has settled into life as a college student and rejected his former belief in the existence of vampires. Although he's busy pursuing the affections of determined coed Alex (Traci Lind), Charley soon falls under the spell of the mysterious and alluring Regine (Julie Carmen). Although everything about the woman screams vampire, her feminine charms -- and her claims of being nothing but an outlandish performance artist -- lead Charley to become her unwilling servant. Torn between Regine's enchantments and his loyalty to Traci, the youth again looks for help from Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), the washed-up horror-show host who assisted him in the first film. Soon, Charley, Peter, and Traci are facing off against a coven of picturesque bloodsuckers led by Regine, who reveals herself to be the ancient sister of Jerry Dandridge. Directed and co-written by John Carpenter colleague Tommy Lee Wallace, Fright Night Part 2 includes a co-writing credit for Pretty Woman scribe Stephen Metcalfe and cinematography from Mark Irwin, who has worked with everyone from David Cronenberg to the Farrelly brothers. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roddy McDowall, William Ragsdale, (more)
- 1995
Filmed on location in the Lone Star State, the made-for-TV In the Name of Love: A Texas Tragedy could be described as a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, except that its perverse plot twists are more reminiscent of Jacobean than Shakespearean tragedy. After being rendered paraplegic in an accident, wealthy young Luke Constable (Michael Hayden) is deserted by his socialite girlfriend. In an extremely vulnerable state, Luke falls in love with Laurette Wilder (Laura Leighton), the daughter of a working-class family. Determined to prove that she isn't merely a golddigger, Laurette encourages Luke to break away from his family and turn his back on their fortune. Her stubborn pride ultimately shatters their marriage, but the couple remains in love--so much so that the now-impoverished Luke, determined to "make good" for his wife's sake, is willing to commit murder. Produced for the Fox network, the fact-based In the Name of Love: A Texas Tragedy debuted September 12, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Crenna
This drama about affluent Los Angeles teens is taken from the novel by Bret Easton Ellis. Clay (Andrew McCarthy) is a college freshman who returns home during Christmas break. Clay's old flame Blair (Jamie Gertz) is now more interested in her new beau Julian (Robert Downey, Jr.), the fun-loving party boy with a penchant for drugs. While Clay tries to rekindle a thing with Blair, Julian becomes addicted to cocaine and starts freebasing. Julian's friends try halfheartedly to intervene, with no success. Soon he is so far in debt to drug dealer Rip (James Spader) that Julian becomes a male prostitute, whoring for enough money for his next fix. Michael Bowen co-stars with Tony Bill and Nicholas Pryor in this trip into the seamy world of darkness in sunny California. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, (more)
In Kathryn Bigelow's tale of vampires in the American Southwest, the creatures of the night aren't elegant, cloaked aristocrats. They're a gun-toting gang that dresses and acts like a motorcycle gang. Caleb (Adrian Pasdar), a restless young man from a small farm town, meets an alluring drifter named Mae (Jenny Wright). She reveals herself to be a vampire, who "turns" Caleb into one of her kind rather than kill him. But the rest of her "family" is slow to accept the newcomer. The ancient leader, Jesse (Lance Henriksen), and his psychotic henchman Severen (Bill Paxton) lay down the law; Caleb has to carry his own weight or die. However, he can't bring himself to kill. He manages to win the gang's approval when he rescues them from certain death in a daytime gunfight during a spectacular motel shoot-out in which every bullet hole lets in a deadly ray of sunlight. When the vampires threaten Caleb's real family, he's forced to choose between life and death. The film avoids the complex vampire mythology of such films as Interview with the Vampire. Instead, it emphasizes the intense, seductive bond that forms between Caleb and the violent but tightly knit gang. Bigelow would later utilize this powerful dramatic device in her 1991 film Point Break. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, (more)
- 1988
Beautiful young women, all living together in one apartment in various states of undress: Yes, we're in Aaron Spelling country again. Made for TV, Nightingales is set in Los Angeles, and centers upon the lives and loves of eight toothsome student nurses. Just to prove that this isn't real life, each nurse has a "past" straight out of the paperback romances (one young lady is the target of a syndicate hit man!) Professional nursing associations had a field day chipping away at the inaccuracies inherent in Nightingales, but the ratings were such that this pilot film graduated into a series in January of 1989. Sensing that few of the eight leading ladies had star potential (with the possible exception of Kristy Swanson), the series added as "cast insurance" Suzanne Pleshette as the director of student nursing, and Barry Newman as the hospital chief of staff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- R
In this horror film, the murderous Ricky returns under the control of a cult of demon-possessed women, who use the killer for their own evil means. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
In this horror film, malicious toymaker Joe Petto (Mickey Rooney) and his creepy son, Pino (Brian Bremer), terrorize the residents of a small town with the deadly toys they create. After her husband is killed by one of Petto's toys, Sarah (Jane Higginson) and her troubled son Derek (William Thorne) set out to stop the evil toymaker. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
