Griffin O'Neal Movies

Though representing a slight step upward in budget from the previous two Ghoulies installments, this is still a rather silly exercise in childish fart jokes and rubbery monster effects. The title critters are mini-demons summoned forth from a demonic chamber pot (seriously!) by the occult-obsessed Dean of Glazier University. However, the ancient vessel is currently being used by the Beta Theta Zeta fraternity for a more (ahem) practical purpose. The ghoulies eventually cut loose on campus, and the surrounding frat-boy bacchanalia seems to have made them even more obnoxious than usual. The creatures' Satanic antics are first thought to be creative Hell Week pranks, but they are eventually discovered and defeated by the nominal hero and heroine. One of Vestron's last productions before the company went belly-up, this languished in distribution limbo for several years. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

With a title like Assault Of The Killer Bimbos, the viewer gets pretty much what he or she would expect: a dumb-but-hip instant cult favorite that knows - and revels in - its limitations. Christina Whitaker and Elizabeth Kaitan are the two lead, er, bimbos, who are working as go-go dancers in a dead-end nightclub when their boss is murdered. When the two girls are accused of the crime, they hit the road for Mexico, picking up yet another bimbo along the way, along with three beach bums, and engaging in various adventures as they attempt to expose the real killers. First-time director Anita Rosenberg delivers a certain amount of wit, getting the most out of her low-rent cast, and the film's self-awareness goes a long way toward making it more palatable than one might expect. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

April Fool's Day just happens to be the birthday of rich college student Buffy (Deborah Foreman), so she invites a group of friends from Vassar over to her family's island getaway to spend the weekend partying. Though some practical-joke shenanigans on the ferry over from the mainland lead to unexpected bloodshed and put a damper on the festivities, Buffy unleashes a flood of more benign pranks on her guests, setting a tone of giddy abandon. With plenty of randy guys and gals on hand and no parental supervision, it isn't long before drunken escapades ensue. As the weekend progresses, however, guests begin to disappear mysteriously, and before long Buffy and friends find themselves huddling in terror in their remote getaway. The next ferry isn't due until Monday, and the partygoers aren't sure whether any of them will make it that long. The mostly Canadian cast of April Fool's Day includes Leah King Pinsent, daughter of actor/director Gordon Pinsent, and Amy Steel, a veteran of the second and fourth Friday the 13th installments. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Hadley Hickman (Griffin O'Neal), a bucolic teenager from the Rural South, moves with his family to Southern California. Enrolled in a snobbish prep school, Hadley is victimized and ostracized by his too-cool classmates. To prove his worth, our hero takes up wrestling, and before long he's the school champ, thanks to the input of coach Ball (William Devane), a washed-up alcoholic who finds redemption through Hadley's example. Yes, it's Rocky Goes to Prep School. Shallow and predictable, the film's sole redeeming factor is the warm rapport between stars Griffin O'Neal and William Devane. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Peter Bogdanovich's early career as a film writer stood him in good stead for this comedy drama about the early days of the motion-picture industry, based in part on his interviews with pioneering directors Raoul Walsh and Allan Dwan. Leo Harrigan (Ryan O'Neal) is a lawyer and Buck Greenway (Burt Reynolds) is a cowboy and gunman. Both are sent to California to shut down a renegade group of silent-movie makers -- financed by blustery H.H. Cobb (Brian Keith) -- who are in violation of the Motion Picture Patents Co. Trust. Harrigan and Greenway somehow find themselves working with the movie crew instead of shutting them down; they join forces with cameraman Franklin Frank (John Ritter), leading lady Kathleen Cooke (Jane Hitchcock), and precocious prop girl Alice Forsyte (Tatum O'Neal). Greenway becomes a star and Harrigan a respected director, but both battle over the affections of Cooke. Incidentally, Cobb's big speech near the end is taken almost verbatim from a quote given to Bogdanovich in an interview with actor James Stewart. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi