Diana Barton Movies
- 1994
We'd rather not rehash the sordied Menendez murder case in this space; besides, it isn't necessary, inasmuch as no fewer than two TV movies were produced on the subject in 1994. The first was Fox's Honor Thy Father and Mother; the second, telecast less than a month later, was Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills. Two hours longer than the first film, Menendez spends half of its running time recounting the events leading up to the Menendez brothers' murder of the parents, while the second half devotes itself to their overpublicized trial. Lyle and Eric Menendez are played, respectively, by Damian Chapa and Travis Fine. Edward James Olmos and Beverly D'Angelo costar as the ill-fated parents, while Margaret Whitton is cast as attorney Leslie Abramson. Once past the most lurid aspects of the case-notably the Menendez boys' insistence that their crime was motivated by extreme parental abuse-this 4-hour wallow gets pretty tiresome. Menendez was originally telecast in two parts, on May 22 and 23, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edward James Olmos, Beverly D'Angelo, (more)
- 1993
- R
An attractive businesswoman is ignored by her abusive, uncaring husband. She has an affair with a male stripper and another affair with a young black woman. When pictures of her and her black female lover turn up, blackmail and murder result. Her ex-boyfriend -- a cop -- believes that she has been framed and sets out to find the real killer. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi
A ruthless drug lord must be stopped, pronto. Three able-bodied cops go undercover to bring the drug dealer to justice -- or, preferably, to kill him. Once in a while, the bad guys call a halt to the film's bloodshed to allow a sex scene to play itself out. Otherwise, this is essentially cable-TV stuff, blown up (sometimes literally) for the Big Screen. A good cast, headed by Michael Nouri and John Saxon, is the film's most tangible asset. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1993
Softcore porn auteur Gregory Hippolyte directed this thriller featuring plenty of female nudity and starring Nick Cassavetes, son of famed indie director John Cassavetes. Beverly Hills shrink Dr. Jonathan Brooks (Cassavetes) seemingly has everything to lose: wealth, a successful practice, and a beautiful lawyer fiancée, Jennifer (Diana Barton). There's a serial killer on the loose in L.A., so Brooks is helping his cop friend Harry Reams (Richard Roundtree) compile a psychological profile of the murderer. Brooks is also treating an interesting new patient, Laura (Shannon Whirry), a shy hooker who transforms under hypnosis into a completely different woman, the seductive Lana. Brooks has a torrid affair with the irresistible Lana, but he's getting more than he bargained for. Lana steals the videotapes of her "sessions" with the good doctor and blackmails him with the damning evidence, destroying Brooks' life in the process. In the meantime, Harry closes in on a biker (Don Swayze) who might be the killer -- and the suspect has a connection to Lana. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- 1989
- PG
When a group of evil, power-hungry people take over a trio of kingdoms, it is up to a young magician to free his lands from their rule. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Bobby Jacoby, (more)
Blake Edwards, mining the same territory as in his 10, Micki and Maude, The Man Who Loved Women, and That's Life, (not to mention Blind Date), once again deals with male mid-life menopausal angst. Zach (John Ritter) is a novelist suffering from writer's block, spiraling downward in a sea of women and booze. To illustrate the depths to which Zach's life has sunk, the film begins when his mistress catches him in bed with another woman. Then his wife walks in. As a result, his wife leaves him. Things keep getting worse --his agent is dying, his house burns down, and he gets picked up for drunk driving. But in spite of his despair, he can't help chasing women, engaging in a series of bedroom misadventures with a collection of women --including a female body builder; a woman who likes to set pianos on fire; and the girlfriend of a rock star who suggests that he wear one of her boyfriend's glow-in-the-dark condoms. Helping Zach regain control of his life is Barney the lawyer (Vincent Gardenia) and Dr. Westford (Michael Kidd), a helpful psychiatrist. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Vincent Gardenia, (more)
