Michael Margotta Movies
- 1995
A college student is murdered at a biker bar. At first, detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) believe that the solution to the case hinges upon interrogating the hard-case bar patrons. Ultimately, however, the answer lies somewhere within the mysterious world of the Internet, a world in which the younger Curtis is far more "at home" than his veteran partner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After a man (Michael Emil) and a woman (Karen Black) meet and begin to become romantically involved, his confirmed bachelorhood and her post-divorce trauma start to clash. As their interactions become more complex, and they move from one scenario to the next, they begin to learn more about one another. Director and writer Henry Jaglom used his non-tradtional filmmaking approach on this feature: set up the scene, let the actors improvise, and edit the result. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen Black, Michael Emil, (more)
Two runaway teens face life on the streets in New York City with a devil-may-care attitude and a punk-rock image. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Curry, Trini Alvarado, (more)
- 1976
A young woman's romantic dalliance with a criminal unexpectedly changes her life for the better in this drama. Heather (Hollis McLaren) is the daughter of John (Denholm Elliott), the owner of a large and successful paper company. Heather falls in love with Paul (Michael Margotta), a low level gangster whose attitudes represent a significant change from the sheltered existence she's led. When a rival firm tries to strong-arm John into selling his company, he refuses, leading them to hire hit man Philip (Lee Broker) to eliminate him. Heather inherits the paper company, and with some help from Paul, she learns how to deal with her new responsibilities and their rivals without being intimidated. Partners was directed by Don Owen, who previously made the ground-breaking Canadian independent films Nobody Waved Goodbye and Ladies & Gentlemen: Mr. Leonard Cohen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denholm Elliott, Hollis McLaren, (more)
- 1975
Based on a Joseph Wambaugh story, this police drama centers on tough, aging cop Bumper Morgan's search for the man who killed his partner. His investigation leads him deep into the bowels of the drug world. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1973
No one is more grief-stricken than Kojak (Telly Savalas) when his old friend, a veteran detective, is found murdered with $10,000 in cash on his body. It appears that the victim was on the take, and as such has been slated for what the NYPD calls "burial with dishonor." Kojak has only 48 hours to ferret out the truth and clear his late comrade's name. In an interesting example of "first-generation" casting, this episode boasts appearances by the fathers of actors Stacy Keach and Bruno Kirby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
While off duty, Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) stops a robbery in progress and shoots down a holdup man who turns out to be unarmed. When the man later dies, Pete is suspended pending a departmental investigation--and it's as nerve-wracking a procedure as the shooting itself. This episode marks one of the few on-camera appearances by Shaaron Claridge, normally heard but not seen as Rampart's ubiquitous police dispatcher ("One Adam-12...One Adam-12...") ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
After serving 12 years for a crime actually committed by his brother Dmitri Kampacalas (Scott Marlowe), Jason (played by future Starsky and Hutch costar Paul Michael Glaser), is released from prison. Returning home, Jason is secure in the belief that, per agreement, Dimitri has told the truth to their father Cadmus (Nehemiah Persoff),a Greek restauranteur. But Cadmus is still convinced that Jason is guilty--and is grimly unforgiving towards his "jailbird" son. The tragic consequences stemming from this crisis bring Detectives Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) onto the scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
Jack Nicholson first put his well-documented enthusiasm for basketball to good use in this film, which he wrote and directed between his roles in Five Easy Pieces and Carnal Knowledge. William Tepper plays Hector, a student at a college in Ohio who shares a room with his friend Gabriel (Michael Margotta) and is the star player on the school's basketball team. Hector has been approached to quit college and play pro ball, but Gabriel is urging him to devote more time to radical political causes. Of course, both have plenty of other things on their mind; Hector is having a clandestine affair with the wife of one of his professors (Karen Black), while Gabriel, in a bid to beat the draft and avoid going to Vietnam, is trying to convince the draft board that he's insane. Unfortunately, Gabriel is feigning madness so well that he's not so sure he hasn't actually become crazy. Director Henry Jaglom and screenwriter Robert Towne also have supporting roles, as do future sitcom greats Cindy Williams and David Ogden Stiers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Tepper, Karen Black, (more)
- 1970
- R
This film is based on the James Simon Kunen book about student unrest on the Columbia University campus. Simon (Bruce Davison) joins the campus protest movement to socialize with the various hippie girls. When a violent police assault breaks up the protest, Simon's thoughts quickly turn from female infatuation to more important social causes. He becomes active in protests against the Vietnam War, police brutality, student's rights and the draft. He is branded a Communist and becomes part of the great worldwide social revolution of his times. Music from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Thunderclap Newman, Richard Strauss and John Lennon accurately reflect the turbulent times in which the film was released. Bud Cort, James Coco, and Kim Darby star in this uneven political drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Davison, Kim Darby, (more)
- 1970
- PG
An amoral film student will stop at nothing to gain a movie contract in this pretentious effort. Tony Hall (Robert Forster) insults his cinema professor (Reegis Toomey), degrades his girlfriend Sondra Locke), and alienates his agent. Ken Kerchival and Sam Waterston also appear in this dreary film. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Forster, Sondra Locke, (more)
- 1968
Tony's superior officer General Schaeffer (Vinton Hayworth) despises hippies, especially a shaggy specimen named Harold (Michael Margotta) who has been hanging around Schaeffer's daughter Suzy (Hilarie Thompson). Meanwhile, Suzy, having decked herself out in hippie garb, ducks into Tony's house to avoid her father's wrath. Stumbling upon evidence of Jeannie's (Barbara Eden) magic, Suzy blackmails Tony (Larry Hagman) into helping both her and Harold. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
A rock star decides he'd rather rule the free world than just sell records in this ambitious fusion of political satire and teen exploitation. Teenage rebel Max Flatow (Christopher Jones) has grown tired of life in suburbia with his domineering mother (Shelley Winters) and weak-willed father (Bert Freed), and, having saved up 800 dollars he earned by selling home-brewed LSD to his schoolmates, he blows up the family car with a makeshift bomb and strikes out on his own. A few years later, Max has adopted the name Max Frost, and is one of the world's biggest rock stars, selling millions of records and earning a fortune from concert appearances and music publishing. Max has learned firsthand about the buying power of America's youth, and when Sen. John Fergis (Hal Holbrook) asks Max to appear at a "youth rally" to mobilize younger voters, he realizes the kids could also sway an election if they wanted. At Fergis' rally, Max debuts a new song, "Fourteen or Fight," which demands the voting age be reduced to 14; the youth respond by rising up in support of Max's demands, reducing many American cities to a standstill. As political leaders bow to public pressure, the age of suffrage is reduced to 15, but rather than choosing candidates to support, Max decides it's time he and his inner circle took control. After Max doses Washington, D.C.'s water supply with LSD, congress votes to make any registered voter eligible to hold federal office, and before long Max Frost has become president of the United States. Once in office, Max unveils a bold plan to once and for all do something about people over 30 -- including his parents. Wild in the Streets features an early screen appearance from Richard Pryor as drummer and political activist Stanley X, while media personalities Dick Clark, Walter Winchell, Army Archerd, and Melvin Belli portray themselves. Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil wrote the songs for fictional rockers "Max Frost and the Troopers," including the hit single "The Shape of Things to Come." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Winters, Christopher Jones, (more)
- 1968
This exploitation film about the evils of marijuana finds art teacher Phil Blake (Fabian) discovering some of his students are smoking pot. Although he admits to the students he tried it himself in college, he is dumber than a bag of hammers about student drug use. Phil has eyes for fellow teacher Ellie (Diane McBain) until he discovers she is the main dealer, along with the star of the football team. Included in the cast is actress (Patty McCormick), all grown up since her appearance in Bad Seed, and Terri Garr, who makes a brief appearance as a student. This unintentionally laughable film, a feeble attempt to cash in on the sensationalism of marijuana use, was co-written by Richard Gautier and Peter Marshall of "Hollywood Squares" television fame. This film, along with similarly overblown 1930s anti-marijuana diatribes, cost the "straight" world a great deal of credibility at the time, and it became an instant "camp" classic. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fabian, Diane McBain, (more)
