Sheila Kennedy Movies
- 1993
Set in a ghetto neighborhood, the film follows the lives -- and deaths -- of a self-destructive street gang. At times, it looks as though an Important Message will emerge from all the wanton bloodshed. But the principal purpose of the film was to make a swift box-office turnover, not to educate. This direct-to-cable endeavor is unrated, but not recommended for impressionable children. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David John, Ruth Collins, (more)
- 1990
In this documentary, director and screenwriter James Toback asks a wildly divergent group of people to ponder some basic philosophical questions for his camera -- How did the world begin? How did we get here? What's the purpose of life? What do we love, what do we fear, and how would we spend the rest of our lives if we could choose the circumstances ourselves? Toback's interview subjects range from a pair of ten-year-olds, a nun, a medical school student, and a holocaust survivor to basketball star Darryl Dawkins, movie producer Don Simpson, boxer and author Jose Torres, and classical violinist Eugene Fodor. Some of the responses are funny, some are moving, and most say a great deal about the people who give them, but ultimately most of Toback's subjects come to a similar conclusion -- we all have ideas, but no one really knows for sure. The Big Bang also includes, as a framing device, footage of Toback attempting to secure financing from a producer who sounds a bit dubious about the commercial prospects of a film in which a bunch of people discuss philosophy for 80 minutes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Toback, Don Simpson, (more)
- 1985
- PG13
- Add National Lampoon's European Vacation to QueueAdd National Lampoon's European Vacation to top of Queue
Despite the many adventures they suffered in National Lampoon's Vacation, the Griswold family decides to take another crack at having fun. This time, the doltish clan heads across the Atlantic for a whirlwind vacation after winning a game show. Will the monuments of Europe survive? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, (more)
- 1984
In this goofy comedy, a widow marries a wealthy geezer to provide for her sons. Her husband is a cripple and so it is easy for her to engineer his gruesome death and rank him with the rest of her accident-prone late husbands. Unfortunately, the black widow does not count on the intelligence of her vengeful stepdaughter, who starts her own little killing spree. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sheila Kennedy, Shelley Winters, (more)
Sand, surf, sun, and sex alternate in this bikini-clad movie about student lemmings heading to the sea at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the moment the last test is taken (and sometimes before). This time, Nelson (David Knell) and his three friends get into various types of innocent trouble while Nelson tries to evade his overbearing stepfather. Wet T-shirt contests vie for attention with bikini and He-shirt contests and a Playboy centerfold, but other than a fairly standard venting of pent-up energy, there is not much else to remember about this Spring Break. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Knell, Steve Bassett, (more)
In this standard story of sex at summer camp, four campers are trapped for awhile in a cave and begin to fabricate supposedly true tales of their past sexual exploits -- giving rise to several flashbacks as their imaginary adventures unfold one by one. Even the nature-studies counselor who is trapped with them gets in on the act and relates a bizarre story when it is her turn to contribute. As time goes by and no help seems to be on the way, the group -- virginal to the core -- begins to wonder if their lives will end in that unwanted state. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Georgia Harrell, Michael Sanville, (more)
