Antony Ponzini Movies
- 1976
Lieutenant Kojak (Telly Savalas) investigates the death of police chemist Harry Sentman (Whit Bissell), seemingly in a hit-and-run accident, and becomes convinced it was murder. He finds a connection between the victim and the case of Joey Fiorello (Anthony Ponzini), a police detective serving a prison term for allegedly stealing the evidence in a drug case; and Aaron Fisk (Tige Andrews), a respectable businessman, and Fisk's son Max (Stephen Macht). The Fisks never crossed paths with the detective in his work, but the lieutenant discovers a very personal reason they have for wanting to destroy the officer. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
One woman's life of love and larceny is recounted in this soapy drama based on the best-selling novel by Sidney Sheldon. In the midst of WWII, innocent French girl Noelle Page (Marie-France Pisier) falls in love with dashing American pilot Larry Douglas (John Beck). When Larry is given new orders taking him back to America, he tells Noelle that he'll come back for her -- when he doesn't, she becomes bitter and pledges to use men for their money and power, not for love. Noelle goes on to become a famous actress and weds Constantin Demeris (Raf Vallone), a Greek multi-millionaire. But she can't shake her passion for Larry, and eventually she hires him to work as her personal pilot. While at first he does not recognize her, soon Larry and Noelle are once again involved in a torrid affair, and when Larry's wife Catherine (Susan Sarandon) refuses to give him a divorce, he and Noelle begin planning a scheme to arrange an "accidental" death for Catherine. The Other Side of Midnight marked the American debut of actress Marie-France Pisier, following her role in the international success Cousin, Cousine. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie-France Pisier, John Beck, (more)
- 1977
Even though he holds down two "civilian" jobs, rookie cop Kenny Murray (Michael Durrell) can't afford to be laid off. Not only are his debts are mounting astronomically with every passing day, but he must also pour more money into psychiatric treatment for his mentally disturbed wife Ann (Jenny O'Hara). In desperation, Kenny goes to work for a notorious loan shark--and what follows proves calamitous not only for the beleagured young cop, but also for detective lieutenant Kojak (Telly Savalas). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When the nuclear submarine he captains is rammed by a freighter while surfacing in Atlantic waters just off the coast of Rhode Island, Navy Captain Paul Blanchard (Charlton Heston) is able to radio for help. However, his sub's condition calls for urgent attention. Downed in extremely deep water near an even deeper ocean trench, the sub is perched precariously in waters too deep for conventional rescue efforts and is in danger of plummeting into the ocean trench. When the sub's escape hatch is blocked by debris from an undersea earthquake, the situation becomes even grimmer. Despite assurances that all will be fine, Captain Bennet (Stacy Keach), who is coordinating the official Navy rescue effort, has already warned Blanchard's wife to expect the worst. However, another Navy captain (David Carradine), who is working on an experimental deep-sea exploratory vessel for the Navy, hears of the incident and volunteers his help. This story is based on the novel Event 1000 by David Lavalle. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, David Carradine, (more)
- 1978
For the benefit of those who weren't around in 1977, this episode was inspired by President Jimmy Carter's real-life habit of visiting "average Americans" at random. George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) calls up 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, hoping that President Carter will accept an invitation to dine at the Jeffersons' apartment. Alas, George loses his temper with a White House operator -- causing the Secret Service to conclude that our hero somehow poses a threat to the Chief Executive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
- 1979
No sooner has Jim (James Garner) arrived in Newark than he is robbed of his watch, wallet, luggage, and return plane ticket. The culprits are a couple of minor-league crooks who hope to break into the Big Time through the auspices of Jim's friend, reformed mobster Beppy Conigliaro (Simon Oakland). Female impersonator Jim Bailey appears as himself in this sequel to the 5th season episode "he Jersey Bounce", with Greg Antonacci and Gene Davis making return appearances as Eugene Conigliaro and Mickey Long. Both this episode and its predecessor were written by David Chase, who later parlayed his fascination with New Jersey mobsters into the groundbreaking cable-TV series The Sopranos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Jonah (Jeffrey Bravin) is a lonely deaf child who has been misdiagnosed as retarded. Jonah's mother (Sally Struthers) and father (James Woods) struggle to establish communication from their withdrawn son. As the specialists shake their heads and cluck their tongues, Jonah's parents finally manage to teach the child sign language, thereby opening up his world both intellectually and emotionally. And Your Name is Jonah is proof enough that Sally Struthers once had potential for greatness, and confirmation that James Woods was on the right artistic track as early as 1979. Despite competition from the network premiere of Taxi Driver, And Your Name is Jonah managed to post excellent ratings upon its original telecast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Filmed on location at Alcatraz Island, this two-part "whole story" actually concentrates on a handful of the denizens behind the cold grey walls of "The Rock". Michael Beck plays the real-life Clarence Carnes, an Oklahoma Choctaw Indian said to be the youngest man ever incarcerated in the notorious maximum security prison. Serving a 99-year sentence for a gas station holdup and murder, Carnes makes periodic attempts to escape, the final attempt being the most violent. Many of the subordinate characters are fictional (as are most of the details concerning Carnes' escape efforts); the one exception is Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz", here portrayed by Art Carney as a gentle, kindly philosopher. Telly Savalas, a costar of the Burt Lancaster vehicle Birdman of Alcatraz, also guest starred in the 1980 film. Originally titled Alcatraz and Clarence Carnes, this made-for-TV movie wavers between gritty realism and "I'm bustin' outta here!" artifice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Beck, Telly Savalas, (more)
Richard Pryor gives a compelling performance in Some Kind of Hero, playing a Vietnam veteran who tries to readjust to civilian life. Pryor plays Eddie Keller, who has just spent five years in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp. Most of the time there, Eddie was able to hold his own against his captors, but he eventually was forced to sign a statement denouncing United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Eddie decided to sign the document in order to insure that his friend Vinnie (Ray Sharkey) would be given proper medical treatment. Because of this denunciation, when Eddie returns home from the war he is denied his back pay. He also discovers that his wife has left him for another man, his business has fallen apart, and his mother has been sent to an asylum. Eddie falls into a deep depression and hits rock bottom. But he meets a friendly prostitute, Toni (Margot Kidder), who helps him straighten out his life. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Margot Kidder, (more)
- 1984
- R
- Add Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter to QueueAdd Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter to top of Queue
Hockey-masked killer Jason Vorhees returns to terrorize a lakeside family and their rowdy teen neighbors in this fourth installment of the long-running slasher series. After the events of Friday the 13th, Part 3, Jason's seemingly lifeless body is brought to the morgue, where horny attendant Axel (Bruce Mahler) is trying to score with foxy Nurse Morgan (Lisa Freeman). The pair quickly meet a grisly end. Meanwhile, at Crystal Lake, estranged wife Mrs. Jarvis (Joan Freeman) and her kids -- young Tommy (Corey Feldman) and teenaged Trish (Kimberly Beck) -- find their quiet invaded by a group of hard-partying kids moving into the rental house next door. The youngsters include curious virgin Sara (Barbara Howard), hot-to-trot Samantha (Judie Aronson), and nebbish Jimmy (Crispin Glover). Tommy, a monster makeup enthusiast, enjoys watching the scantily clad young ladies through his window, while Trish toys with the idea of joining in their revelries. Also lurking around the area is Rob (Erich Anderson), who claims to be hunting bear but actually has mysterious ties to the events of Friday the 13th, Part 2. As the house full of teens begins to pair off -- aided by the addition of local twins Tina (Camilla More) and Terri (Carey More) to the mix -- an unseen killer begins to pick them off one by one. The bloodshed climaxes with a tense showdown in which Tommy disguises himself as a bald, lumpy boyhood version of Jason in hopes of distracting the relentless psychopath who hunts him. Feldman would return for a cameo in Friday the 13th, Part V: A New Beginning, only to be replaced by another actor in a grown-up version of the role. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Crispin Glover, Kimberly Beck, (more)
Director Donna Deitch makes a strong impression in her first feature film, a simple story of a lesbian love affair, based on Jane Rule's 1964 novel Desert of the Heart. Helen Shaver stars as Vivian Bell, an uptight 35-year-old Columbia University professor who travels to Reno to get a divorce. She arrives in Reno on her way to Frances Parker's (Audra Lindley) ranch, where she is staying to establish six weeks of residency in order to obtain the divorce. Once at the ranch, Vivian catches the fancy of Frances's adopted daughter Cay (Patricia Charbonneau), a casino worker ten years younger than herself. Vivien tries to remain unruffled as Cay makes unabashed overtures to her. Cay thinks that all Vivian needs is the love of another woman, and soon enough the two are in each other's arms. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, (more)
- 1985
- R
Goofy medical students have all kinds of rip roaring fun pulling crazy pranks such as scaring first year students by pretending to be cadavers. When the hijinks accelerate, the dean of the school tries to stop them. Filled with vulgarity, sexist and bathroom humor, the film's director Rod Holcomb, not wanting to take responsibility for the film, billed himself as "Allen Smithee," the official pseudonym of the Directors Guild. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Parker Stevenson, Geoffrey Lewis, (more)
- 1991
Among the Metro Division officers providing protection for a drug-dealing murder witness (Anthony Ponzini) is Chris Novak (Lauren Lane). At the same time, the Feds have taken a special interest in this witness, especially veteran FBI agent Tom Reed (Mitchell Ryan). As it happens, Reed is Novak's long-estranged father--and as a result, the outcome of the current situation is largely dictated by the long-simmering hostilities between father and daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
- NR
In this taut thriller, a Las Vegas taxi driver must run for his life after stealing a cool million's worth of Mafia money. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Glenn, Andrew McCarthy, (more)
- 1995
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) journeys to Rome to provide rewrites for a film based on one of her novels. As can be expected, all is not going well on the movie set, especially after a stuntman dies in a highly suspicious "accident." Among the principal players in this mystery is guest star Michael Connors, repeating his role of Boyce Brown previously introduced in the eleventh-season episode "Film Flam". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Shedding his familiar "Pee-wee Herman" persona, Paul Reubens makes his first series appearance as Andrew J. Lansing III, the nephew of network president Stan Lansing (Garry Marshall). On the strength of his family ties, Andrew is hired as Murphy's 76th secretary--and contrary to expectations, he does a great job. Unfortunately, the obnoxious Andrew rubs everyone on the "FYI" staff the wrong way...and there's a strong possibility that he's a few bricks shy of a full load. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
