Deborah Benson Movies

In this drama, based on a true story, a New York educator has an affair with a manipulative peer and subsequently finds himself implicated in his wife's murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

It was impossible back in September of 1991 to objectively critique the TV movie Us. The film had been intended as the pilot for a new series, to be produced, directed and written by its star Michael Landon. Landon had died of a lingering illness only six months earlier, thus the film was heralded by the publicity people as "His final gift to us all." One publication, which had devoted no fewer than three cover stories in a row to Landon in his final weeks, labelled as "compassionate" this story of a man released from prison after 18 years for a crime he didn't commit, who now needed to touch base with his long-estranged family. Removed from the understandable emotionalism surrounding its premiere, it must be noted that Us was fair to middling at best. Its premise of having Landon and his family stage a reunion while on a cross-country trip was a viable one, but in execution Us was far below Michael Landon's usual standard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Brenda Vaccaro is featured as Sheila Kowalski Finley, a freewheeling society matron who has the cute habit of taking jewelry that doesn't belong to her. When her husband's chauffeur is murdered during a political fundraiser, Sheila is among the suspects, if for no other reason than she was carrying on an affair with the dead man. Inasmuch as she is an old friend of Sheila, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) sets herself to finding out who really "dun it"--and the suspects this time include the chaffeur's OTHER clandestine lover! (Be assured that Sheila's kleptomania will be deftly worked into the plotline). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this slapstick horror comedy, two goofy African-American cops are sent to a rundown, lonely Southern plantation to evict the residents so the mansion can be razed and a freeway erected in its stead. Unfortunately, the "residents" are all ghosts, who have been there since the Civil War, and they are not about to leave. When the film was distributed, director Lee Madden billed himself on the credits as Alan Smithee, the approved pseudonym of the Directors Guild of America that has been used since 1967 by directors not wanting to give their real names on certain films. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

It's December of 1941, and the people of California are in varying states of unease, ranging from a sincere desire to defend the country to virtual blind panic in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Thus begin several story threads that comprise the "plot" of this strange period comedy, a sort of satirical disaster movie, from Steven Spielberg. The stories and story threads involve lusty young men, officers (Tim Matheson) and civilians (Bobby Di Cicco) alike, eager to bed the young ladies of their dreams; Wild Bill Kelso, a nutty fighter pilot (John Belushi) following what he thinks is a squadron of Japanese fighters along the California coast; a well-meaning but clumsy tank crew (including John Candy) led by straight-arrow, by-the-book Sgt. Tree (Dan Aykroyd), who doesn't recognize the thug (Treat Williams) in his command; and homeowner Ward Douglas (Ned Beatty), who is eager to do his part for the nation's defense and, despite the misgivings of his wife (Lorraine Gary), doesn't mind his front yard overlooking the ocean being chosen to house a 40 mm anti-aircraft gun. There is also a pair of grotesquely inept airplane spotters (Murray Hamilton, Eddie Deezen) who are doing their job from atop a ferris wheel at a beachfront amusement park; a paranoid army colonel (Warren Oates) positive that the Japanese are infiltrating from the hills; a big dance being held on behalf of servicemen, being attended by a lusty young woman of size (Wendie Jo Sperber) eager to land a man in uniform; and General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell (Robert Stack), in charge of the defense of the West Coast, who can't seem to get anyone to listen to him when he says to keep calm. And, oh yes, there's also a real Japanese submarine that has gotten all the way to the California coast under the command of its captain (Toshiro Mifune) and a German officer observer (Christopher Lee), only to find itself without a working compass or usable maps. Its captain won't leave until the sub has attacked a militarily significant, honorable target, and the only one that anyone aboard ship knows of in California is Hollywood. By New Year's Eve, all of these characters are going to cross paths, directly or once-removed, in a comedy of errors and destruction strongly reminiscent of the finale to National Lampoon's Animal House (as well as several disaster movies from the same studio), but on a much larger and more impressive scale. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

In this youthful drama, a high-school senior aspires to become a track star while simultaneously dealing with the other travails of youth. One of his best friends is drafted and ends up getting killed in Vietnam. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide