Larry Maxwell Movies
Actor Larry Maxwell appeared in over 60 films, including When Harry Met Sally (1989), but is perhaps best-known for the larger roles he played in the indie films Poison (1991), where he was a mad '50s-style doctor who distills the AIDS virus, and Public Access (1993), as a member of an idyllic small town turned upside down by a cable access talk show. Both films won awards at the Sundance Festival. Before breaking into film, Maxwell regularly appeared off-Broadway and was part of Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Before making their Oscar-winning film The Usual Suspects, director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie made their first film -- this low-budget independent feature and Grand Jury Prize winner at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. Public Access examines the power and dangers of mass media consumption upon a small-town community. Ron Marquette plays Whiley Pritcher, a stranger in the small community of Brewster, who lands a job as the host of a local public access call-in show. On his program he asks the simple question "What's wrong with Brewster?" and gets all manner of call-in complaints -- from discrimination at the school to political corruption at the town hall. Soon, Whiley becomes a local celebrity and an arbiter of public opinion. As his power grows, he makes a pact with Bob Hodges (Burt Williams), Brewster's mayor, and begins an affair with Rachel (Dina Brooks), the town librarian. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Marquette
- 1991
- NC17
This film has become infamous thanks to the efforts of the Rev. Donald Wildmon, who publicly questioned the fact that NEA dollars were spent on this "filth." While Wildmon's point was certainly overstated, this debut feature from Todd Haynes is quite disturbing. The Poison in question is sex, and its toxic effects are explored in three segments which have been shuffled together like a deck of cards. "Hero" is a pseudo-documentary about a seven-year-old boy who shoots his father and then ascends into the sky. "Horror" is a mad-scientist story filmed like a Roger Corman "B"-movie. The scientist in question has managed to distill the essence of the human sex drive into a test tube. When he inadvertently drinks it, he turns into a leprous monster, terrorizing the city. "Homo" is a gay love story set in a prison. All three segments are based on the writings of Jean Genet. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Maxwell, Edith Meeks, (more)
