Albert Macklin Movies

This warm and breezy romantic comedy from director Jay Jonroy explores an interracial romance between the unlikeliest of partners: a Muslim refugee and a New York Jew. David Fine (David Moscow), the host of a Big Apple man-on-the-street TV show called "Sex and Happiness," never expected to meet and fall in love with a Middle Eastern immigrant - particularly given his marital engagement to a Jewish partner, Abby (Callie Thorne). But his path soon intersects with that of Layla, a young woman orphaned when Saddam Hussein's troops gassed the rest of her family. She now lives with relatives in Manhattan, and (unbeknownst to the kinfolk, who believe she's a nursing student) supports herself by collecting under the table for a slightly suggestive dance act - the warm-up for a local belly dancer. With deportation looming, Layla looks for an out; a customs official suggests a marriage of convenience, but that soon becomes unnecessary when Layla meets David and deep, abiding love blooms. . . to the horror of both families. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Illeana Douglas delivers a superb performance as Denise Waverly, a fictional singer and songwriter whose life bears more than a passing resemblance to that of real-life pop star Carole King. Edna Buxton, the daughter of a Philadelphia steel tycoon, aspires to a career as a singer, and when against her mother's bidding she sings a sultry version of "Hey There (You With the Stars in Your Eyes)" (instead of Mom's choice, "You'll Never Walk Alone") at a talent contest, she wins a recording contact and moves to New York City. She cuts a record and gains a new stage name, Denise Waverly; however, she soon finds that girl singers are a dime a dozen in the Big Apple and her career as a vocalist goes nowhere. But she has a knack for writing songs, and eccentric producer Joel Milner (John Turturro) asks her to pen some songs for his upcoming projects. Teamed with Howard Caszatt (Eric Stoltz), a hipster songwriter who wants to express his political and social ideals through pop tunes, she finds both a successful collaborator and husband. While her work with Howard gains Denise writing credits on a string of hit records and respect within the industry, their marriage falls apart, and she becomes involved with Jay Phillips (Matt Dillon), the gifted but unstable leader of a popular West Coast surf music combo. Students of pop music history will have a ball with the various characters modeled after real-life rock legends, and the 1960s-style song score includes numbers written by Joni Mitchell and J. Mascis (of the band Dinosaur Jr.), as well as one-time King collaborator Gerry Goffin; a collaboration between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, "God Give Me Strength," led to a full album written by the two great tunesmiths. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Tony Bill is a happy single parent, blessed with a violin prodigy daughter (Ari Meyers). Enter Deborah Raffin, Bill's ex, who deserted husband and child 12 years earlier. Now a sophisticated world traveller, Raffin implores Bill to let her see her daughter. Running Out is the sort of TV movie with such "warmhearted" highlights as the 13-year-old daughter stealing a car in order to rush to the airport for a final embrace with her mother. Wallowing in syrup, Running Out was a singularly disappointing GE Theatre presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

According to Law was intended to cast doubts upon the efficiency of the "legitimacy" laws in force in 1916. The film is sympathetic towards children born out of wedlock, children whose mothers die at birth, and children of divorce. Still, the filmmakers never lose sight of the fact that a social tract goes down easier with a sturdy coating of entertainment values. The 5-reel According to Law was produced by the American arm of the French Gaumont studios. It was directed by Richard Garrick, who years later became a prolific character actor, playing the doctor in the final scene of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and appearing prominently in several 20th Century-Fox productions of the early 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide