Martin Kove Movies
Like many New York actors, Martin Kove was willing to go unbilled to pick up extra paychecks in such East Coast-filmed efforts as Little Murders (1971) and Last House on the Left (1972). By 1984, Kove was pulling down third billing in such films as The Karate Kid, wherein he played Kreese, the "bad" karate expert who trained the film's principal heavy William Zabka for his bout against the simon-pure Ralph Macchio (Kove replaced Chuck Norris, who turned down the role of Kreese because he didn't want karate trainers to be shown in an unsympathetic light). Martin Kove's work on series TV has included the roles of detective Victor Isbecki on Cagney and Lacey and an extraterrestrial named Jesse on Hard Time on Planet Earth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Mummies stars Danny Trejo, Max Perlich, and Billy Worth as members of a group of criminals who set out to find a cache of gold hidden in Mexico. The group soon discovers that mummies are in charge of protecting the valuable commodity. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2000
This educational video has an important message: pornography is an addiction. Its effects on users and their loved ones are just as habit-forming and destructive as heroin, tobacco, or any other addictive agent. The film shows how pornography promotes contempt towards the women and children it exploits. The program features disturbing interviews with pornography addicts, many of whom are convicted sex offenders. They talk frankly about how pornography affects their psyches and systems, coloring all their activities and relationships. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
When an ancient alien life force that has lain dormant for centuries awakens with a hunger for human life, it's up to an elite SWAT team lead by a fierce but beautiful assassin to save humankind from a fate beyond pain and death. For centuries, the extraterrestrial menace has waited for the moment when the evolution of human knowledge would unlock its deadly potential, and when a brilliant scientist finally breaks the genetic code, a horde of mutant creatures begins to spawn the ultimate killing machine. Deep within the confines of a top-secret military installment, a small army of determined soldiers attempts to exterminate the bloodthirsty beast, but with each life it takes, the creature grows ever more powerful. Is it possible that humankind's position on the evolutionary food change has finally been challenged? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1997
When a troupe of sexy gymnasts are kidnapped and taken to the title island by a vengeful drug cartel, it's up to commando leader Mike McBride (Hulk Hogan) to rescue them. The excitement in this fast-paced actioner begins when McBride and the Navy SEALS he commands are assigned to capture a drug lord in his country. During the operation, one of McBride's men betrays him and McBride is nearly killed. Still, he, fellow SEAL Leroy (Carl Weathers) and buxom drug-enforcement officer Ashley (Shannon Tweed) manage to complete their mission. McBride and company then set off for vengeance against the traitor, who in turn retaliates by kidnapping a team of gymnasts and taking them to his impregnable lair on a remote Caribbean island. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hulk Hogan, Carl Weathers, (more)
- 1995
- R
This exciting crime drama recounts the life and times of one of the Prohibition's most famous and feared gangsters as he engages in a territorial battle with his nemesis Al Capone. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- C. Thomas Howell, Lisa Zane, (more)
Straight from Roger Corman's New Concorde film company comes Barbarian, a low-budget remake/pseudo-sequel to the even smaller-budgeted video gem The Deathstalker. This time, it's three-time Mr. Universe Michael O'Hearn as the Barbarian who has to battle the forces of darkness, lead by the vile Lord Munkar (Martin Kove). Faced with retrieving the three powerful artifacts of creation before they fall into the wrong hands, the muscled hero heads out across treacherous land laced with deadly beasts and gorgeous damsels-in-distress. On the way, he'll find love, friendship with an annoying bear-person, Wooby (Yuri Danilchenko), and the crown that is rightfully his. Featuring an international cast of not even a hundred, Barbarian recalls earlier days of straight-to-video cheap schlock and features many full scenes from not only the first Deathstalker, but also a few from the more tongue-in-cheek sequel Deathstalker 2: Duel of the Titans. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael O'Hearn, Martin Kove, (more)
It will come as quite a shock to discover the venerable James Earl Jones and José Ferrer slumming in this Greek-lensed ultra-cheapie about a legendary sea creature aroused from centuries of sleep off the shores of a Greek island by an opportunistic American archaeologist (Jones). It seems the beastie's legacy is well known by some of the island's old-timers (namely Ferrer), including the part about appeasing the monster with a virgin sacrifice -- namely the alluring Deborah Shelton. The exotic locations and the presence of the gruff Jones (who apparently saw this as a paid vacation) lend a great deal of production value, but apparently Jones' salary came out of the filmmakers' special-effects budget -- because the feared creature of ancient legend looks like a sock puppet! This film is also known as Red Tide and Demon Lake. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Earl Jones, José Ferrer, (more)
In 1994 -- six years after the final episode of the groundbreaking 1980s television crime drama Cagney & Lacey -- Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly reprised their iconic roles for the first of four TV-movie sequels. Cagney & Lacey: The Return finds the now-retired Lacey reuniting with the now-married Cagney for a case involving weapons smuggling, all while dealing with women's issues such as career, marriage, parenthood -- and, this time around, menopause -- in the trademark style that made the parent show such a cultural touchstone. ~ Sandra Bencic, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless, (more)
- 1975
- R
Ben Gazzara stars in this low-level depiction of legendary gangster Al Capone, who rose to command the mob underworld in 1920's Chicago. Born in Brooklyn, Capone joins his first gang at the age of 11. From there, he graduates to the infamous "Five Points Gang" run by Johnny Torrio (Harry Guardino). After moving to Chicago a few years later and wiping out Torrio's crimeboss uncle, Capone becomes Torrio's right hand man. Capone becomes head of the area's prostitution and racketeering business, but, as his mind deteriorates from syphillis, so does his empire. There's not much to recommend here, aside from a surprisingly good appearance by Sylvester Stallone as fellow gangster Frank Nitti. Gazzara is frankly awful in the title role and producer Roger Corman uses stock shootout footage from other gangster films, including footage of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre from his own, earlier movie on the subject. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Susan Blakely, (more)
- 1976
One of four dramatic miniseries carried by NBC under the blanket title Best Sellers, Captains and the Kings was adapted from a novel by Taylor Caldwell. Covering a time span from 1857 to 1912, this was the saga of the Irish-immigrant Armagh clan, with emphasis on the rags-to-riches career of Joseph Armagh (Richard Jordan). Achieving fame and prominence (if not full-fledged social acceptance) through a Byzantine series of investments in the oil industry, the elder Armagh was obsessed with the notion of having one of his sons become the first Irish-Catholic President of the United States (does this story sound vaguely familiar?). Along the way, Joseph and his offspring indulged in innumerable romantic liaisons, extramarital and otherwise. Featured in the all-star cast is Patty Duke Astin, who won an Emmy award for her portrayal of Bernadette Hennessey Armagh. Captains and the Kings was broadcast from September 30 to November 18, 1976 in seven installments, two of which ran 120 minutes, and the other six lasting 60 minutes -- a total of nine hours' air time in all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Man-of-action John Woodrow (Tommy Lee Thomas) makes a deal to get his father out of prison. He reluctantly agrees to be disguised as a prisoner and sent into a violent California prison to investigate the slaying of a senator's grandson. Woodrow finds the place is ruled by Officer Hopkins (Eric Roberts), a corrupt guard with a penchant for torture. Woodrow's future grows dim once Hopkins learns his real identity. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Roberts, Martin Kove, (more)
- 1982
In this mystery a psychiatrist and his wife are surprised to find that the quiet seaside town they just moved to is plagued by strange deaths that occur during mysterious storms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Cult hero Paul Bartel directed this low-budget satire in which America's passion for cars, violence, and sporting events are finally brought together in one convenient package. In the not-so-distant future, the United States has become a totalitarian regime overseen by the charming but sinister Mr. President (Sandy McCallum), who, in order to satisfy the masses' need for entertainment (and to quench their thirst for violence), has created a new national sport -- the Death Race, a nationwide road rally in which the winner is not determined by who finishes first, but by who scores the most points along the way by running over hapless pedestrians. Aspiring champions Machine Gun Joe Viterbo (Sylvester Stallone), Calamity Jane (Mary Woronov), Nero the Hero (Martin Kove), and Matilda the Hun (Roberta Collins) are all looking to take the top honors away from Frankenstein (David Carradine), a half-man/half-machine who has been built to be the best racer on Earth and can outrun and outkill anyone on the circuit. However, not everyone likes the Death Race, and revolutionary leader Thomasina Paine (Harriet Medin) wants to sabotage the event in the name of restoring democracy; her plan is to foil Frankenstein's expected victory by smuggling her daughter Annie (Simone Griffeth) into Frankenstein's race car as his navigator. Featuring David Carradine at the height of his Kung Fu fame (and Sylvester Stallone a year before Rocky), Death Race 2000 was a major drive-in hit in 1975; Bartel and Carradine teamed up for another road race movie, Cannonball, a year later, and a semi-sequel, Death Sport, appeared in 1978. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Simone Griffeth, (more)
- 1994
- R
Endangered coats its standard melodramatic plotline with a thick coat of political correctness. The heroes and heroines are members of a pro-ecological group. The villains are evil land developers, evil forest despoilers, and just-plain-evil layabouts. Writer/director Nick Kellis seems just as interested in putting on a good show as he does making his sociological points. The cast is largely comprised of "celebrity relatives," including Renee Estevez, Rick Aiello and Kent MacLachlan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A grim discovery in the basement of a crumbling prison reformatory reveals a demonic secret that cuts to the very base of mankind's struggle against sin in this supernatural thriller starring Michael Berryman, Bill Moseley, Michael Dorn, Adrianne Curry, and Kevin McCarthy. Far beneath the west cellblock of a turn of the century prison lies a malevolent secret that has lain dormant for one hundred years - a sub-basement structure with only one entrance and one exit. When the skeletal remains of seven brutalized children are discovered inside, a special CSI team is quickly brought in to conduct a more thorough investigation. What they find may change the entire way mankind views the wages of sin, for there dwell seven fallen angels; each responsible for one of the deadly sins and each determined to show mankind just how many ways there are to pass from this mortal realm into the next. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Disgraced ex-cop Joey Randall (Richard Grieco) is framed for the murder of Sharon Moreno (Priscilla Barnes), who happens to be the unfaithful wife of the police chief, George (John Saxon). Randall had the opportunity to kill her, and perhaps a motive as well since he was having a hot affair with her before her death. Moreno dispatches corrupt police captain James (Martin Kove) to avenge her death -- that is, to kill Randall -- but Randall is innocent. The hot-headed Randall has to focus himself to find a way to prove his innocence, confirm the guilty parties, and avenge Sharon's death. This isn't going to be easy with the entire police force looking to bring him back dead or alive. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- 1992
- R
In this actioner, a band of American soldiers are on a helicopter flight over Vietnam to find a downed plane when they suddenly crash land in enemy territory. The vegetation is dense and filled with Viet Cong and the usual jungle dangers, but that is the least of their worries, because it soon becomes apparent that one of their own engineered the crash. Unfortunately, the saboteur is the only one who knows the way back to safety. This does not stop their dangerously temperamental leader, Stewart, from executing him, causing the rest of the men to question his sanity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Footage from three separate horror projects was assembled for this semi-anthology, framed by the premise of a mad scientist (Martin Kove) who uses virtual-reality technology to delve into the phobias of three different subjects. The first tale, "Jenny Porter," describes a paranoid woman (Vivian Schilling) trapped in her house by a pack of mad dogs; "The Roommate" features Bill Paxton as a psychotic living companion; and "Mr. Petrified Forest" is the story of a death-obsessed photographer (Sam Clay) who experiences a surreal close call with mortality. There are a few inspired moments -- particularly in the final segment -- but overall the weakly plotted stories will likely fail to maintain viewers' interest. The unrated version contains several minutes of gory footage excised from the R-rated print. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivian Schilling, Martin Kove, (more)
After a near-fatal 1995 motorcycle collision, Dan Haggerty (The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams) made his comeback with this time-travel tale. A Portland, Oregon, family on a camping trip arrives at a mountain where young Dylan (Dylan Haggerty) and his sister Nicole (Nicole Lund) explore a cave, get zapped 127 years into the past, and meet mountain man Jeremiah (Dan Haggerty), who offers to help locate their parents. However, developer Boss Man Burt plans to dynamite the mountain to bring the railroad to a nearby town. Jeremiah, the kids, animals, and local Indians all join forces to outwit Burt's villainous henchmen. Filmed at Crater Lake and Oregon mountains. The character named Jeremiah is a reference to Vardis Fisher's historical novel Mountain Man (1965), filmed by Sydney Pollack as Jeremiah Johnson (1972). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Haggerty, Dylan Haggerty, (more)
Unjustly arrested and sentenced to a 99-year-term, grizzled half-breed bounty hunter John McKay (Burt Reynolds) is serving hard time in Yuma Territorial Prison when he is swept up in a prison break engineered by sadistic vigilante leader Billy Bucklin (David Figlioli). Once on the outside, Bucklin and his brigands cut a swath of terror and murder throughout the Arizona Territory, then head to Mexico, there to link up with a despotic revolutionary leader. Given an opportunity to redeem himself by helping track down and capture Bucklin, McKay reluctant teams with ageing Sheriff Nate Hutchinson (Bruce Dern) -- the very man who sent McKay up in the first place. Among McKay and Hutchinson's tiny posses are feisty Liz Kennedy (Amy Jo Johnson), who after her family is murdered by Bucklin has a personal score to settle (if she can ever get accustomed to riding a horse or wielding a rifle, that is), and Hutchinson's deputy Joshua (Seth Peterson), McKay's own son. The made-for-cable Western Hard Ground premiered July 12, 2003, on the Hallmark Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
The title character in this episode is Echidna (Bridget Hoffman), who swears vengeance against Hercules (Kevin Sorbo), the man responsible for slaying many of her progeny. Echidna hatches an evil scheme to destroy both Hercules and his mortal mother, Alcmene (Liddy Holloway), using Alcmene's present suitor Demetrius (Martin Kove) as her agent of destruction. The climax finds Hercules deep inside the cave of Echidna, battling several malevolent forces to save both Alcmene and himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, (more)
In this thriller set against the majestic backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness, the late John Denver stars as a retired FBI agent seeking to clear the name of a close friend. Disillusioned with his job as a G-man, Jim Clayton retires from the FBI and goes into the airfreight business with his best friend. When Clayton's pal is murdered and branded a bootlegger, the former agent embarks on his most treacherous mission to date - clearing the name of an innocent man. Martin Kove, John Rhys-Davies, and Richard Masur co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Denver, Martin Kove, (more)
A successful Las Vegas singer who lost everything when her casino mogul husband dropped dead of a heart attack gets a second shot at happiness after leaving town in the middle of the night and encountering a spiritual guide who shows her just what she's been missing all these years. Patricia Paradise (Dee Wallace Stone) may be a star on the Las Vegas stage, though she still can't help but feeling unfulfilled with the way her life has turned out. Over the years Patricia made plenty of sacrifices, both for her own career and her husband's as well, though her greatest desire has always been to start a family. When her husband does and Patricia realizes that their business is bankrupt, she sneaks out of town under the cover of darkness and sets out towards an uncertain future. But Patricia isn't alone, because her spiritual guide (Mickey Rooney) appears in her dreams to gently help her through this troubling time. Before long, Patricia becomes pregnant by a mysterious stranger who seems to be the reincarnation of her late husband. Upon giving birth Patricia realizes that no matter what measure of fame or fortune she could have accomplished, it all pales in comparison to the blessing bestowed upon her by her spiritual guide. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dee Wallace Stone, Mickey Rooney, (more)
Low-life criminal Joseph Meeker (David Keith) is in the midst of a convenience store robbery when his plans are foiled by Michael Silvano (Martin Kove), a former cop. A shootout ensues, and Joseph's wife is killed, along with several innocent bystanders. Sentenced to death for his crimes, Joseph swears revenge, and after he's executed, the criminal rises from the grave to torture Michael in a Satanic court of justice and makes plans to kill his wife Grace (Laura Johnson). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Keith, Martin Kove, (more)
