Jorge Moreno Movies

El Norte is a realistic picture of both the Guatemalan government's oppression of the Quiche Indians and the hard life of illegal immigrants in the United States. After the Guatemalan army destroys their village of San Pedro, two teenage Quiche Mayan Indian siblings journey north (hence El Norte) through Mexico to the United States to start a new life. The film opens with the destruction of the village and the peasants' pointless appeals to the authorities for justice. Realizing that the government is seizing their land, Enrique and Rosa make the difficult decision to leave their people behind. As they journey through Mexico, the siblings encounter a number of helpful individuals who direct them towards the U.S./Mexican border. There they find a "coyote" (a professional human smuggler) and make the frightening run across border. Once across, Enrique and Rosa are introduced to the impossible realities of life as an illegal immigrant in Los Angeles. Living in constant fear of deportation, they struggle to survive as they are exploited by a series of employers. Eventually, their luck takes a turn for the better when the manager of their motel offers Enrique a job. ~ Brian Whitener, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV movie relates the true story of the infamous Donner Party, the group of unlucky pioneers who were stranded in the Rockies by a snowstorm and had to eat the bodies of the dead to survive. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Famed producer Dino De Laurentiis tries to steal the thunder from Jaws, then the top-grossing film of all-time, in this big budget remake of King Kong. (De Laurentiis related his tactics to Tom Snyder: "When Jaws dies, nobody cries. When Kong dies, they all cry.") Updated to the 1970s, the original Robert Armstrong character is now Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin), a big-shot oil magnate from Petrox Oil, looking for new petroleum deposits on a recently discovered Pacific island. Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges) is a counter-culture paleontologist, stowing away on Wilson's ship, who warns that they are headed for "Skull Island," where prehistoric monsters still live and roam free. Also along for the ride is Dwan (Jessica Lange, in her film debut), a down-on-her-luck starlet, shipwrecked in the ocean after the sinking of a yacht. She really becomes down-on-her-luck when the group lands on the island and a giant ape, Kong, takes a shine to her. Kong kidnaps her and Dwan takes umbrage when the ape tries to remove her clothes by shouting, "You male chauvinist ape!" But Prescott comes to her aid and rescues her from the gorilla's big mits. Wilson, seeing money to be made on Kong, locks him in the cargo hold of his ship and transports him to New York City. Once there, Kong manages to escape and wreak havoc upon the beleaguered town, before being compelled to climb up the World Trade Center for sanctuary. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Sr. Bertrille tries to save Alice the cow from the butcher shop. To do this, our heroine must figure a way to persuade Alice to start producing milk again. As it happens, Alice will "give out" only when she hears music-as good an excuse as any for Sally Field (Sr. Bertrille) to sing "What a Question". Written by Frank Crow and Leo Rifkin, "The Moo is Blue" made its ABC network bow on February 27, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, a gunslinger runs from the Dawson gang and decides to return home to the wife he abandoned many years before. There he finds that his infant son has grown into a thuggish hellion who has been lead to believe that his mother is dead. He also hates the father who left him. The mother isn't dead. She works as a saloon keeper, but her son doesn't recognize her. The father and son end up staging a showdown, and the father quickly outdraws his son. Later, the Dawsons catch up to the gunfighter. His son plans to do nothing to save him, but then he learns that his father left because his mother had cheated upon him. The son changes his mind and rides out to save his dad. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, several people gather at an inn adjacent to a prison where a man is scheduled to be executed at midnight. Just as the clock is about to strike twelve, a man comes in and confesses the crime. He is arrested. The rest of the guests, who have come to retrieve the original inmate's loot from a safety deposit box, now try to get their hands upon the loot. Treachery and mayhem ensue. Eventually someone calls the police and everything works out for the best. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Clock Strikes Three is the alternate title for the low budgeter When the Clock Strikes. The scene is a deserted lodge where a group of people have gathered to await the execution of a convicted killer at a nearby prison. The group plans to search the lodge for money hidden away by the condemned man. Just as the clock strikes three, a stranger rushes in, confessing to the murder. With the execution called off, the gathered parties must hurry and scurry to find the money before the prisoner is released. Director Edward L. Cahn, a longtime Hollywoodite who spent his waning days in lower-rung B pictures, does what he can to make heads or tails of The Clock Strikes Three. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide