Richard Kennedy Movies
- 1982
The made-for-television Pray TV was the subject for hot debate long before its February 1, 1982 debut. This even-handed exploration of the televangelism business stars Ned Beatty as the Reverend Freddy Stone, whose religious empire nets $3 million annually. John Ritter co-stars as Rev. Tom McPherson, a newly ordained clergyman who joins the Stone operation. As Ritter begins to question the religious ethics behind Stone's lucrative ministry, a subplot develops involving Reverend Gus Keffer (Richard Kiley), who in contrast to Stone must operate on a shoestring, minus the glittery trappings of TV, radio, and SRO revival meetings. Lane Slate's teleplay takes great pains to offend no one; whether this is good or bad is up to you. Pray TV bears no relation to the earlier theatrical-feature comedy of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Steve McQueen's penultimate film deals with a fascinating western legend, founded on an insightful script by Thomas McGuane and Bud Shrake. Unfortunately, the film was done in by the five directors --Don Siegel, Elliot Silverstein, James Guercio, William Wiard, and McQueen himself-- that were, at one point or another, attached to the project. The film deals with the infamous Texas gunslinger Tom Horn. Horn gained fame for a variety of exploits; he served with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders and was the Pinkerton detective who captured the notorious outlaw Peg Leg Watson. But as Tom Horn begins, something in Horn (Steve McQueen) has snapped. Tom quits the Pinkertons and hires himself out to rancher John Coble (Richard Farnsworth) to assist him in putting an end to his problems with the local homesteaders and rustlers. But Horn performers his job with a chilling intensity, killing so many people with such bloodthirsty rage that it is even too much for Coble and the ranchers to take. When Horn's violence cannot be stopped, Coble has to take the law into his own hands to put a halt to Horn's bloodbath. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve McQueen, Richard Farnsworth, (more)
Robert Aldrich returns to the western-spoof genre he'd previously explored in Four for Texas with The Frisco Kid. Gene Wilder plays Polish rabbi Avram Belinsky, who intends to set up a congregation in San Francisco. Eminently unsuited for life in the Old West, poor Avram is victimized by everyone with whom he comes in contact. Salvation arrives in the unlikely form of taciturn bank robber Tommy (Harrison Ford). Incredibly, Tommy takes a liking to the feckless Avram, and together the two men embark on a series of seriocomic adventures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Wilder, Harrison Ford, (more)
- 1979
Bigfoot has managed to elude capture for nearly 25 years. One small town has made a cottage industry out of Bigfoot sightings and ancillary merchandising. All this may come to an end very soon, however. A local fat-cat businessman hopes to trap Bigfoot once and for all, so that he can get all the publicity gravy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- R
- Add The Witch Who Came From the Sea to QueueAdd The Witch Who Came From the Sea to top of Queue
Two interesting figures in offbeat cinema -- director Matt Cimber (who was married to Jayne Mansfield and directed her final film before going on to a handful of expressive blaxploitation efforts) and screenwriter Robert Thom (who wrote Wild in the Streets and Bloody Mama) -- teamed up for this unusual portrait of one woman's descent into madness. Molly (Millie Perkins) is a woman who is haunted by vivid memories of abuse and molestation at the hands of her father, who was a ship's captain; now middle-aged, Molly is obsessed by the ocean and images associated with pirates and sailing lore, which fill her with both fascination and loathing. Molly dotes on her young nephews (Jean Pierre Camps and Mark Livingston) and often spins tall tales for them in which her father is a noble hero, but her sister, Cathy (Vanessa Brown), is not comfortable with her presence, and soon the boys are old enough to spend their time elsewhere. Single and lonely, Molly longs for a man, and is openly attracted to strong, burly types, but at the same time she bears a deep hatred for them, and sometimes murders and dismembers the men she lures into her home. However, given Molly's penchant for fantasy, how much of her story is real, and how much is the product of her twisted imagination? Shot in 1971 but not released until 1976, The Witch Who Came From the Sea was one of the first feature films for cinematographer Dean Cundey, who later went on to work with Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Millie Perkins, Lonny Chapman, (more)
- 1976
Why is someone using violence to force Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.) to sign away his lease to Parcel 334, a supposedly worthless piece of property in Coulter County? And what does this have to do with the case of a missing oil driller? That's what Jim (James Garner) wants to find out before he ends up behind bars on a phony murder rap which is tied in with both the land and the missing person. Perhaps that old codger (John Anderson) living in a bomb shelter near Rocky's property can come up with the answers--and then again, perhaps not! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
- R
Previously filmed in 1942 as The Falcon Takes Over and in 1944 as Murder, My Sweet, Raymond Chandler's Farewell My Lovely was given its third cinematic go-round under its original title in 1975. Spouting the Chandlerish prose as if it were second nature, Robert Mitchum stars as 1940s private eye Philip Marlowe, hired by the goonish Moose Malloy (Jack O'Halloran) to locate his former girl friend. This involves Marlowe in the theft of a jade necklace, which in turn leads to murder. All roads seemingly lead to adventuress Mrs. Grayle (Charlotte Rampling), wealthily married but far from satisfied. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, (more)
- 1975
- R
A proud old Southern woman struggles to keep her popular diner afloat in this interesting character study. The little cafe is a popular community meeting place and its closing would create a great hole in the town. Though her devoted daughters assist, their help is not enough. Unfortunately, the woman refuses to ask for outside help. In desperation, the woman decides that she needs herself a "sugar daddy," and so heads for Miami. There she meets all kinds of men, ranging from a mental patient to a wealthy but married Texan. Unfortunately, she cannot raise the money she needs. Somehow, the money is raised at the last moment and her restaurant is finally saved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsay Bloom, Jana Bellan, (more)
The most narratively loose of Robert Altman's '70s films, California Split details the haphazard lives of two compulsive gamblers searching for that ever-elusive big score. Newly single and soon-to-be-unemployed Bill (George Segal) joins live-wire pal Charlie (Elliott Gould), as the pair moves from Fruit Loops with Charlie's hooker roommates Sue (Gwen Welles) and Barbara (Ann Prentiss) to bets on horses, backroom card games, boxing, and basketball. They make it to Reno, but Bill comes to realize that even the big score may not be the answer to the meaning (or meaninglessness) of life. For Charlie, however, that's all there is. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Segal, Elliott Gould, (more)
- 1972
- PG
In this biker flick, an L.A. policeman becomes friends with another officer and the tough black leader of a biker gag. Conflict ensues, especially when the biker leader's ambitious and vengeful second in command beats up his girlfriend and abducts the leaders pregnant girl. He takes her on a wild ride that almost kills her and the child. He is pursued by the cop who eventually captures him, but not before the badguy slits his throat. Surprisingly, he does not die. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1972
- PG
This dreadful, but oddly engaging horror film from director Ed Adlum and co-writer Ed Kelleher deals with a cult of modern-day Druids on a farm in upstate New York. In order to keep their catatonic queen alive in her glass coffin, the cultists drain the blood from passersby with the aid of some cheap plastic tubing. The leader of the cult is a flamboyantly effeminate priest whose hilariously silly explanations of his beliefs provide most of the film's minimal entertainment value. Norman Kelley, Bruce Detrick, and Tanna Hunter co-star in this campy cult favorite from the writers of the similarly appalling Shriek of the Mutilated (1974). Adlum also wrote for the 1970s cult music magazine Creem. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Cliff Robertson wrote, produced, directed and acted the lead in this film about a rodeo performer. The rodeo footage in this film was shot at actual rodeo competitions. Rodeo rider J.W. Coop (Robertson) has just spent ten years in jail for passing bad checks. He comes out and discovers that everything except his crazy mother (Geraldine Page) has changed. Riders don't compete in all-around events anymore, but fly all over the country in private planes to compete in the same event in several rodeos a day. Furthermore, the sexual liberation movement has changed the way women relate to men. He is nonplused to discover a hippyish woman (Cristina Ferrare) who wants a no-strings relationship with him. The idea of health food catches him by surprise, too. Coop wants and needs to win a national rodeo championship, despite all the new challenges he faces. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cliff Robertson, Geraldine Page, (more)
