Richard Jamison Movies

This largely character-driven thriller-drama is the feature-film debut of British documentary filmmaker Isaac Julien, and provides viewers with an insider's look at the diverse lifestyles of hip, young black immigrants who lived upon the fringes of 1977 London society. The film begins in a colorful park setting where, in the late-night hours, gay men cruise. A stabbing occurs and unbeknownst to the killer, a passerby has recorded it on cassette. The story then jumps to two young aspiring DJs, the heterosexual and flamboyant Chris and his best friend, the gay and rather reserved Caz, as they defiantly broadcast soul music from their ragtag, rolling pirate radio station. With their "Soul Patrol," the two symbolically thumb their noses at the conservative BBC that dominates the airwaves. The murder victim is a friend of Caz, and he becomes a prime suspect in the case. Unbeknownst to him, someone has dropped by the cassette tape with the evidence that will save him. At the same time, his friendship with Chris becomes strained when it becomes obvious that both young men are on the cusp of heading in dramatically different life directions. Caz has been getting increasingly involved with the politics and wildness of the fledgling punk-rock movement, while normally wild Chris has been offered a lucrative contract to work as a DJ at a major, mainstream radio station by his new girlfriend Tracy, a production assistant there. Still, the two try to somehow prepare to co-host a concert protesting the upcoming Queen's Silver Jubilee celebration. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A devoted nun endeavors to create a halfway house for female convicts on parole in this drama. To achieve her goal, she must face a daunting series of obstacles. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Melissa Gilbert acquits herself well in this old-fashioned family drama about a gritty Texas orphan named Charlie (Gilbert), a substitute parent for her brothers, determined to succeed in life by converting an unmanageable rodeo horse into an equestrian champion. The transformation from equine dross to championship dressage is not an easy road, and helping Charlie is the often tipsy but tough Foster (Richard Farnsworth), as well as Matt, the man who captures her heart (Michael Schoeffling). After they succeed in training the actually talented horse, they head for the blue grass and bluer blood of Kentucky, where the equestrian and racing elite hold court over all, including newcomers from Texas. Now they have to coax the horse to make it through the formal dressage, cross-country, and jumping competitions -- and to do that in top form. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

More paranoid than usual after his safe is stolen, Mel (Vic Tayback) rents a pair of ferocious guard dogs. The huge hounds know their job, and they do it well--the result being that Mel, Alice (Linda Lavin) and the rest of the staff is trapped in the diner by the snarling "sentinels." Warren Berlinger, cast as an amorous IRS agent in the first-season episode "The Pain of No Return", appears herein as dog owner Stanley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The protagonists of Over the Edge are the teen-aged offspring of the residents of a planned suburban community. This bland little town has been designed with conformity in mind, and with no thought of making the kids' lives worth living. Even worse, there is very little opportunity for any of the teens to grow "out" of the community and live elsewhere. Consequently, the kids rebel by drinking themselves sick, dealing in drugs, and indulging in deadly violence. Inasmuch as the local cops are predisposed to beat the teens into submission, the kids retaliate by directing their frustrations at the Law; the results are tragic, to be sure, but in no way predictable. Over the Edge struck as sensitive a nerve with young 1970s moviegoers as Rebel Without a Cause did with their 1950s forebears. Matt Dillon made his screen debut in Over the Edge, distinguishing himself in an ensemble cast that also includes Vincent Spano, Andy Romano and Ellen Geer. The screenplay was written by Charles Haas and Tim Hunter; the soundtrack songs feature the Ramones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Clint Eastwood's first comedy feature proved to be one of his most profitable vehicles. Eastwood plays Philo Beddoe, a bare-knuckle boxer who travels from fight to fight in a beat-up truck, accompanied by his "pal" Clyde, a orangutan with a mean right hook, and his human buddy Orville (Geoffrey Lewis). During a stopover, Philo meets and falls in love with would-be country & western singer Lynn Halsey-Taylor (Sondra Locke). After a while, she wants to break off the relationship, but he doesn't -- a shaky plot peg upon which to hang several reels' worth of zany car chases and confrontations with such opponents as a gang of bikers and a battalion of hostile lawmen. Adding to the fun is Ruth Gordon as Eastwood's don't-mess-with-me octogenarian mother, and Beverly D'Angelo as an ace sharpshooter. The enormous box-office success of Every Which Way But Loose yielded an equally wacky -- and equally lucrative -- sequel, Any Which Way You Can. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Melvin Frank's burlesque amalgam of McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Wagonmaster teams George Segal and Goldie Hawn as Charlie Malloy, a happy-go-lucky card shark, and Amanda Quaid, an ingratiating dance hall hooker, who want to go to Salt Lake City. Pursued by a gang of outlaws, Charlie and Amanda join up with a wagon train of Mormons who are also heading to Salt Lake City. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide