Adrienne Barbeau Movies
American actress Adrienne Barbeau was encouraged by her mother to take dancing and singing lessons. Adrienne was active in theatre both in high school and at Foothills Junior College; by age 19 she was touring Pacific military bases as a member of the San Jose Light Opera. After an unprepossessing job with a termite-control company, Adrienne set out for New York, paying the bills with a variety of jobs including go-go dancing in New Jersey nightclubs. In 1968 she was cast as Hodel in the long-running Broadway production Fiddler on the Roof, and three years later was featured in Grease, winning a Tony nomination through her rendition of "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee." From here, Adrienne was hired by Norman Lear to replace first-choice actress Marcia Rodd in the role of the divorced daughter on the controversial TV sitcom Maude. She played the role from 1972 through the series' cancellation in 1978, after which she began a whole new career as a successful horror-film star and sexy pin-up model. Adrienne married film director John Carpenter in 1979; most of her subsequent screen appearances were in such Carpenter-directed terrors as The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981) and Creepshow (1982). Perhaps Adrienne Barbeau's most enjoyable performance was as the Marlon Brando counterpart (!) in an uproarious distaff parody of Apocalypse Now, sublimely titled Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1998
One of several made-for-TV movies originally seen as part of NBC's off-and-on "Moment of Truth" series, this film is adapted from Lurlene McDaniel's novel Don't Die My Love. Katie Harrod and Scott Vickaryous head the cast as Julie and Luke, brilliant students and high-school sweethearts (Luke is the school star athlete in the bargain). When Luke is diagnosed with terminal cancer, the trickle-down effect of the tragedy brings out the best and worst in the couple's friends and family members. Originally titled Champion's Fight for its January 7, 1998 TV debut, the film has been renamed Shattered Hearts for cable-TV rerun play. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beth Broderick, Katie Harrod, (more)
Anthony (Vincent Pagano) is a white fledging actor who is in a happy relationship with Alissa (Victoria Rowell), who is beautiful, gainfully employed, and black. In spite of being sharply reminded that it has been 30 years since Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Anthony is reluctant to introduce her to his large traditional-minded family. Yet when Alissa does accompany Anthony home when his grandfather dies, he learns that race is only one of many issues this eccentric family contends with; two of Anthony's cousins are under the mistaken belief that they are wanted by the mob, his uncle talks endlessly about his testicles, and his aunt takes Alissa aside and tells her that the only way to survive in this wacky family is to drink. A Wake in Providence was screened at the 1999 Boston Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Pagano, Victoria Rowell, (more)
- 1994
Business executive Taro Isogi (James Shigeta) meets with Mars Conglomerate representative Amanda Carter (Adrienne Barbeau), in hopes establishing the Mars colony as an independent entity. But before negotiations can begin, Isogi is murdered. Witnessing the tragedy, Talia suddenly experiences a telepathic mindflash which may or may not reveal a widespread conspiracy. Orginally titled "A Trick of the Mind," "Spider in the Web" was written by Lawrence G. DiTillio; the episode first aired on December 7, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
Self-made wealthy guy Rodney Dangerfield decides he needs a better education--and also to spend some time away from his cheating new wife. Dangerfield joins his son Keith Gordon at college. Dad hopes to gain his son's respect (isn't that always Dangerfield's motivation?), while son tries to fit in with his snobbish and brutish fellow students. English professor Sally Kellerman forms a strong bond with Dangerfield, encouraging both father and son to stick out their first year despite all odds. The finale involves some slapstick at the swimming pool diving board, and the obligatory commencement address delivered by Dangerfield, who proves that he can crack jokes without tugging at his tie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, (more)
- 1991
This made-for-TV western stars Rick Schroder as a hotheaded cowboy who guns down the man responsible for the death of his parents. On the run from his victim's powerful father, Schroder is sheltered by old codger Wilford Brimley. Brimley seems to be operating out of friendship, but his reason for keeping Schroder alive is deliberately obscured until close to the end. Blood River was written by John Carpenter, a name usually associated with science fiction and horror. Though set in the Wild West, the film was lensed in Alberta and British Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rick Schroder, Wilford Brimley, (more)
- 1995
This softcore exploitation effort from the Roger Corman stable is a peculiar attempt to reinvent Bram Stoker's story as a T&A film featuring marauding babes in rat-pelt bikinis. The story posits an Amazonian group of Victorian-era lesbians who have formed a colony under Queen Adrienne Barbeau. Barbeau is sort of a Pied Piper to a group of vicious rats used in the women's murderous raids on men who have wronged them. In one such attack, the women capture writer Bram Stoker (Kevin Alber), who is recruited to chronicle the women's activities. But the plot is really secondary here. The main point of this film is to show scantily-clad women running around in bikinis, having swordfights and performing topless veil-dances. Barbeau is particularly over-the-top, saying things like "I am the Queen of the vermin!" and sporting hairdos which get progressively bigger and sillier as the film goes on. An amusing second-rate attempt at a Hammer-style historical horror film, this is a fun, trashy timekiller for genre fans. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1985
The story of Jack The Ripper may be the cause of a small town's crime spree in this strange made-for-television thriller. David Hasselhoff stars as Don Gregory, a cop in an Arizona town whose claim to fame is being the home of the newly transplanted pieces of the original London Bridge. When the bridge is fully assembled and a murder spree begins, Gregory suspects that the bridge's historical link to Jack The Ripper and the Thames River, may have something to do with the killings. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- R
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Buxom Playboy foldout Shannon Tweed plays a sexy college professor assigned to investigate a sudden, disastrous avocado shortage; her predecessor, a Dr. Kurtz (Adrienne Barbeau) has never returned from the dreaded California Avocado Jungle. Accompanied by air-headed assistant Karen Mistal and macho guide Bill Maher (of Politically Incorrect fame), Tweed ventures into the deepest jungle, where the Piranha Women rule. Proof that this civilization is a matriarchy is the presence of a tribe of wimpy, domesticated men called the Donnahews, who chant names like Alan Alda and Fritz Mondale as their mantra. Fortunately, Tweed is armed with her N.O.W. membership card, so she is allowed safe passage. She finally catches up with Kurtz, who reveals that the avocado shortage is phony, designed by the government as an excuse to capture the Piranha women and transform them into Malibu housewives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shannon Tweed, Adrienne Barbeau, (more)
1934. The Dustbowl. The last great age of magic. In a time of titanic sandstorms, vile plagues, drought and pistilence - signs of God's fury and harbingers of the Apocalypse - the final conflict between good and evil is about to begin. The battle will take place in the Heartland of an empire called America. And when it is over, man will forever trade away wonder for reason. See the conflict of good vs. evil played out against a pair of vivid and unusual backdrops: a traveling carnival working the American Dustbowl circuit, and an evangelical ministry in California.
- Starring:
- Nick Stahl, Clancy Brown, (more)
As the final war between Good and Evil looms two powerful avatars divided by fate share one mission. For Ben Hawkins and Brother Justin, the race is on to find the elusive Henry Scudder--and the fate of the world depends on who finds him first.
- Starring:
- Nick Stahl, Clancy Brown, (more)
- 1982
In this carefree children's adventure, a grandfather and his grandson fulfill the former's life-long dream and embark upon a cross-country ballon flight. Back on the distant ground, the flyers are pursued by the boy's mother, the cops, the Feds, and others. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A ne'er do well father and ex-husband who always raced his way through the holidays is forced to relive Christmas Day time and again until he gets it right in this family oriented fantasy comedy starring Jay Mohr. It's Christmas time once again, and as usual Kevin (Moore) is scrambling to get his son Ben a last minute gift before stopping by his ex-wife Jill's house for a quick swig of eggnog. Ben can't stand Jill's impossibly perfect new boyfriend, and the prospect of spending the entire evening with his former inlaws is nearly too painful to ponder. But this Christmas things are going to be different, because this Christmas might just last forever. At first Kevin resists the curious development by simply reverting to his childish ways, though he is about to find out that sometimes in order to build a better future one must finally make amends with the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Mohr, Daphne Zuniga, (more)
Two of the most venerable names in the horror field, author Stephen King and director George A. Romero, present this anthology of original twisted tales inspired by the E.C. horror comics of the 50's and 60's (themselves a more direct basis for the popular Tales from the Crypt TV series). The five stories are framed within the pages of a comic book which a boy's insensitive father has thrown in the garbage. The first tale, "Father's Day," features a zombie patriarch returning to claim his Father's Day cake; "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" stars King himself as a slack-jawed yokel whose discovery of a radioactive meteorite turns him into a walking weed; "Something to Tide You Over" presents a deadly-serious Leslie Nielsen as a cuckolded husband who plans an elaborate seaside revenge; "The Crate" unleashes its ferocious man-eating contents on the enemies of a meek college professor; and "They're Creeping Up On You" pits obsessively-clean billionaire E.G. Marshall against a swarm of cockroaches in his sterile penthouse. The chapters are uniformly creative, filmed in garish comic-book colors, and Tom Savini's makeup effects are quite memorable (particularly the monster from "The Crate"), though the campy treatment does become exhausting after two hours' runtime. The final segment is the most impressive, thanks to Marshall's over-the-top performance, though the planned scope of the cockroach invasion was drastically reduced (no doubt due to budget constraints). ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, (more)
- 1991
Based on the true-life adventures of the late Drug Enforcement Agency spy Barry Seal, this exciting espionage adventure chronicles the events that lead up to his death in 1984. Before coming to work for the DEA, smooth-talking Seal (Dennis Hopper) had been a drug smuggler for the notorious Medellin Cartel in Colombia. The DEA captures him and he agrees to become their informant. Unfortunately, though he is a master con artist, he is no match for the con men running the U.S. government agency. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Hopper
The year is 1997. Manhattan Island is now a heavily guarded maximum-security prison, where the scum of the earth have converged. When Air Force One crash-lands in Manhattan, the president (Donald Pleasence) is held hostage by its denizens. One-eyed mercenary Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is strong-armed into rescuing the chief executive. He is aided, not always willingly, by a tough gal (Adrienne Barbeau) and a manic cab driver (Ernest Borgnine). Escape from New York was followed by a sequel of sorts in 1996, Escape From L.A., again starring Kurt Russell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, (more)
Deadbeat dads be damned. Patrick Swayze plays a con man who tries to live up to the ideals of "family values" by kidnapping his son and daughter from the evil clutches of a corrupt orphanage and taking them on a cross-country trip in his vintage convertible. To complicate matters, his daughter has been sexually molested by the head of the orphanage, who fears that she may prosecute if given the opportunity. This family drama is also a zany road movie as the re-united father and children flee the police on a quest to restore their family. ~ Laura Abraham, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Swayze, Halle Berry, (more)
Christopher Lloyd, Kelly Ripa, Nicollette Sheridan, and Tim Curry lend their voices to director Ben Stassen's (Haunted Castle and Encounter in the Third Dimension) animatedchildren's fantasy about three preteen flies who hitch a ride into space on the Apollo 11 moon mission. The year is 1969, and Americans all across the country are buzzing about the first manned mission to the moon. Even the insects aren't immune to the excitement, as evidenced by the enthusiasm of adolescent flies Nat (voice of Trevor Gagnon), IQ (voice of Philip Daniel Bolden), and Scooter (voice of David Gore). Over the years, Nat's grandpa (voice of Lloyd) has often recalled the time he hitched a ride on Amelia Earhart's airplane during the famed aviator's cross-Atlantic flight, and now Nat's dreams of recreating that feat on a much larger scale are finally set to come true. But while the three young flies only believe that they'll be gone for a few minutes, the fact is that they'll be drifting through space for almost an entire week. Just as they're about to sneak aboard the ship, the flies are spotted by a keen-eyed NASA ground control official and stored in a test tube for future study. Later in the flight, when the ship's engine malfunctions, the only ones capable of fixing the problem are the three tiny stowaways. But their mission isn't accomplished just yet, because grandpa's old flame Nadia (voice of Sheridan) has just arrived from Russia to warn him that a tiny fly-spy named Yegor (voice of Curry) has been assigned the task of traveling to Cape Canaveral and sabotaging the computer flight plans. Should Nat, IQ, and Scooter fail to act in time, Yegor's mission could spell disaster not only for the three thrill-seeking flies, but the entire U.S. space program. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Lloyd, Kelly Ripa, (more)
A boy grows to manhood with revenge on his mind in this martial arts-influenced Western. When John Slaughter (Michael Worth) was a boy, his family was killed by a gang of bloodthirsty outlaws. Twenty years on, Slaughter has become a sure hand with a gun and has learned the mysteries of Asian martial arts. Slaughter tracks down one of the men who killed his parents but is unable to exact revenge upon them; however, he does discover that one of the outlaws. Jack Pickett (Gary Busey) is now the mayor of the town of Ghost Rock and is using his political power to rob his constituents for all their worth. Determined to seek a greater justice than mere personal revenge, Slaughter joins forces with a small band of do-gooders to end Pickett's stranglehold over the town once and for all. Ghost Rock also features supporting performances from Jeff Fahey, Adrienne Barbeau, and James Hong. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Busey, Michael Worth, (more)
The Devil's Rejects director Rob Zombie resurrects one of the most notorious slashers in screen history with this re-imagining of the 1978 John Carpenter classic that spawned numerous sequels and countless imitators. As a child, young Michael Myers (Daeg Faerch) committed one of the most unspeakable crimes imaginable. Subsequently locked in an asylum and placed under the care of Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), the hollow-eyed boy grew into an emotionless man determined to escape back to his hometown of Haddonfield and complete the murderous mission that he began so many years back. These days, the long-abandoned Myers house sits decrepit and overgrown on a peaceful suburban street, its boarded windows and rotting wood a silent testament to the slaughter that has haunted Haddonfield for decades. Now Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) is back, and as the children of this typical Midwestern town fill the sidewalks for a fun-filled night of tricks and treats, Haddonfield is about to find out that there is no escape from pure evil. Brad Dourif, William Forsythe, Udo Kier, Dee Wallace, Sheri Moon Zombie, Danny Trejo, and Adrienne Barbeau co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie, (more)
- 1976
Originally titled Giving Birth, Having Babies was the first of three pilot films for a TV series that eventually appeared under the title Julie Farr MD. In omnibus fashion, the film focuses in on four couples and their reactions to impending parenthood. Essentially, this is a feature-length "commercial" for the Lamaze method of natural childbirth. Adrienne Barbeau plays Lamaze-class supervisor Allie Duggin, while the mommies-to-be are portrayed by Karen Valentine (as tennis pro Beth Paterno), Jessica Walter (as middle-aged Sally McNamara), Linda Purl (as teenager Laura Gorman) and Vicki Lawrence (as unwed mother Grace Fontrell). Having Babies was originally telecast October 17, 1976. It was followed by Having Babies II in 1977, Having Babies III in 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A 15-year-old cheerleader named Angel (Shannon Doherty) falls for Tony, a dope-smoking, leather-clad punk (Antonio Sabato Jr.). He robs two stores, making her a local pariah. Her family moves to Bakersfield to make a new beginning, and she falls in love with a local jock. But Tony breaks out of jail, kills a cop and comes hunting for her. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 2002
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Filmmaker John Carpenter helped redefine the American horror film in 1978 with Halloween, a low-budget thriller which became a major box office success. Since then, Carpenter has devoted his career to bringing a fresh perspective to genre filmmaking, striving to maintain the freedom of an independent while working within the studio system. (Carpenter not only writes and directs his own projects, but often also serves as producer and composer as well.) John Carpenter: Fear Is Just the Beginning...The Man and His Movies is a documentary about this two-fisted maverick auteur, which offers a look at the making of such favorites as Escape From New York, The Thing, The Fog, and many more. The documentary includes interviews with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kurt Russell, Adrienne Barbeau, Debra Hill, and other friends and colleagues. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Carpenter
- 1985
The scene is the West Barrington Institute for Women, where warden Elizabeth Gates (Vera Miles) invites Jessica (Angela Lansbury) to lecture on creative writing. Of course, wherever Jessica goes, murder follows, and this time the victim is the prison's doctor Irene Matthews (Janet McLachlan). Believing that an innocent woman has been accused of the crime, the inmates stage a riot, taking several hostages--including Jessica--in the process. In order to save Warden Gates from being killed in the mistaken belief that she is the "real" culprit, Jessica races against time to solve the murder herself. This is the only Murder She Wrote episode to boast an all-female cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
In Denver to appear on a TV book-review show, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) witnesses a nasty confrontation on the set of a consumer-advocacy show hosted by the pompous and abrasive Steve Honig (Robert F. Lyons). Soon afterward, Honig is murdered, and the main suspect is one of the targets of the victim's on-the-air wrath. Jessica, however, quickly learns that practically everyone in the studio--if not everyone in Denver--had ample motive to kill Honig, whose "advocacy" could be bought at the right price. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After discovering an alien that just crash landed on Earth, two teenage siblings due the best to keep their extraterrestrial secret under wraps as they help the desperate star man find his way back home. Mel and his brother Mac were simply going about their business when the sky was suddenly set ablaze by a blinding celestial explosion. Later, when the curious teens discover that the flash in the sky was actually a UFO crashing through the atmosphere, they meet a mysterious figure (Geoff Stults) from beyond the stars. Now, as the kids seek the advice of nearby Navajo descendent Evie (Adrienne Barbeau) while attempting to keep the otherworldly visitor a secret from their inquisitive father (Judge Reinhold), a local law enforcer (Richard Moll) and a tenacious government agent (Joanna Pacula) do their best to ferret out the truth and be the first to get undeniable proof of life on other planets. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judge Reinhold, Joanna Pacula, (more)
