George Pravda Movies

In this made-for-TV thriller, a sportscaster engineers a daring escape from a Soviet prison camp after being snared by a KGB scheme. Mickey Almon (David Keith), a sports star-turned-journalist, arrives in Moscow to cover an international tournament. Soon, though, he's tempted to play the hero once again, this time not as an athlete, but as a smuggler of repressed scientific research. Against the advice of his wife (Nancy Paul), Mickey agrees to help the Russians who've approached him, but the entire intrigue turns out to be a set-up. Physically neglected and emotionally tortured in a stinking hole for several weeks, Mickey agrees to sign a confession after being told that it will guarantee his release. Instead, he receives a ten-year sentence and soon finds himself on a train bound for Siberia. Sewing rough-hewn gloves with the other foreign prisoners and living for the day each month when his care package arrives, Mickey soon resolves to escape or die trying. To that end, he enlists a cynical British spy (Malcolm McDowell) and a group of Soviet prisoners in a plan to escape via a supply train that can get them within reach of the West -- if only they can find a way to get onto it undetected. Gulag was directed by Roger Young, who previously helmed such lauded TV movies as Bitter Harvest and would go on to direct the original televised version of Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Producer/director/star Clint Eastwood takes his sweet time getting Firefox started. Eastwood plays Mitchell Gant, a past-his-prime U.S. pilot, smuggled into the Soviet Union to steal a new Russian supersonic fighting plane. Fortunately the KGB men are as burnt out as Gant, enabling him to abscond with the plane with the greatest of ease. The rest of the film is a protracted chase, pitting Gant against scores of impersonal MIG pilots. Based on a novel by Craig Thomas. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this WWII romance, Harrison Ford (face-to-face with superstardom from his involvement in Star Wars) is cast as David Halloran, an American bomber pilot stationed in London. During an air raid, Halloran meets and falls in love with beautiful Briton Margaret Sellinger (Lesley-Anne Down). Naturally, Margaret is married, and just as naturally David hopes that this won't make too much difference in their relationship. But this is not to be: Halloran is assigned behind enemy lines on a dangerous assignment, and his partner in this endeavor is Margaret's husband, Paul (Christopher Plummer). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of the four-part story "The Deadly Assassin," the Doctor (Tom Baker) has successfully proven that the Master (Peter Pratt) was behind the assassination of the President of Gallifrey. Alas, the Master has it within his power to destroy all the Time Lords -- one of whom has secretly been helping the villain throughout this adventure. Written by Robert Holmes, "The Deadly Assassin, Episode 3" first aired on November 20, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the second episode of the four-part story "The Deadly Assassin," the Doctor (Tom Baker) is on trial for his life, accused of murdering the President of his home world Gallifrey. Actually, the Doctor has been framed for the killing by his old nemesis, the Master (Peter Pratt). Complicating matters is the ancient Time Lord edict that all political prisoners be set free upon the inauguration of a new President -- and the efforts by the Master to prolong his own existence with the aid of Gallifrey's sacred Eye of Harmony. Written by Robert Holmes, "The Deadly Assassin, Episode 2" first aired on November 6, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Audiences loved him as a Berber sheik in the historical saga The Wind and the Lion, so who better to play a Saudi Arabian minister of state who wants to make peace with Israel during the Arab oil embargo of 1976 than Sean Connery? Connery plays Khalil Abdull-Muhsen, a peace-mongering diplomat who wants to sign a mutual assistance pact with Israel and sell Saudi oil to needy nations at cost. The object of his pipe-dream plan is to free those needy nations from the East-West conflict. Unfortunately, the world is not ready for such starry-eyed idealism, and before you can say "Tiger in your tank," Khalil finds himself the victim of choice for a network of Arab terrorist groups. The terrorists clearly have the pick of the litter at the casting office, for Khalil finds himself pursued by the frisky and beautiful Bryn Mawr graduate and cool-as-a-cucumber terrorist Nicole Scott (Cornelia Sharpe). ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In 1974, flanked by such filmic monuments to paranoia and corruption as Chinatown and The Parallax View, Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland tried to re-create the screwball nonchalance of their earlier M*A*S*H performances in this lightweight spy spoof, directed by Irvin Kershner. Gould and Sutherland play two CIA agents -- Griff and Bruland -- who are marked for death by their own agency after botching the defection of a Russian ballet dancer (Michael Petrovich). As they repeatedly mess up their assignments and wriggle out of tight corners, they not only find themselves pursued by the CIA, but also by the KGB, the Chinese Communists, and a terrorist group that wants to destroy the CIA. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In the third episode of the six-part story "The Mutants," the efforts by the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) to help the Solonians to begin their evolutionary process are resisted by the despotic Marshal (Paul Whitsun-Jones) of the orbiting Earth Skybase. Equally intent upon crushing a resistance movement, the Marshal pins a murder on rebel leader Ky (Garrick Hagan). Now a fugitive, Ky takes the Doctor's companion, Jo (Katy Manning), hostage and returns to Solos, where the poisonous atmosphere prevents the human crew members of the Skybase from effecting a rescue. But, remember, the Doctor isn't human. Written by Bob Baker and David Martin, "The Mutants, Episode 3" first aired on April 22, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the fifth episode of the six-part story "The Mutants," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Jo (Katy Manning) have handed over the package of bio-readings that will enable the primitive inhabitants of the planet Solos to begin their evolutionary process. In so doing, the Doctor incurs the wrath of the Marshal (Paul Whitsun-Jones) of the orbiting Earth skybase. Determined to prevent the Solonions from declaring their independence, the Marshal forces the Doctor to work on a machine that will destroy Solos' poisonous atmosphere, thereby enabling the Skybase to launch an all-out invasion of the planet. Written by Bob Baker and David Martin, "The Mutants, Episode 5" first aired on May 6, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the second episode of the six-part story "The Mutants," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Jo (Katy Manning) arrive on the planet Solos, there to help the primitive inhabitants begin their crucial evolutionary process. This assignment is complicated by the dictatorial Marshal (Paul Whitsun-Jones) of the orbiting Earth Skybase, who fears that once the Solonians evolve, they will demand full independence. An obvious but entertaining jab at Western colonialism, "The Mutants, Episode 2" was written by Bob Baker and David Martin; the episode first aired on April 15, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A special group of navy divers is created when a disabled Nazi warship is discovered in a fjord in Norway. Commander Bolton (James Caan) is the Canadian expert designated to train the new unit. Their mission is to plant a bomb on the warship as it undergoes repairs. The hard-driving Bolton encounters resentment from the British soldiers he trains, but he ultimately earns their respect as a leader. Their intense training operation is interrupted by an attack of Nazi paratroopers just before the unit leaves for Norway. Spectacular underwater photography is seen in this World War II adventure story based on an actual mission. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The key image of this film occurs early on, as a hideous monster removes its face, only to reveal itself as Baron Frankenstein in a mask. Hammer's fifth installment in the series sees the transformation of doctor into monster complete. Peter Cushing's portrayal of the Baron here is all insanity and hatred, rather than the misunderstood (if unethical) genius of previous entries. Frankenstein transplants the brain of an insane doctor into Freddie Jones' body, creating a pathetic, misshapen beast, while using blackmail and rape to control the people around him. This was director Terence Fisher's favorite film, and his pacing and composition have rarely been better. Jones (the nasty showman in The Elephant Man) is great at communicating the disorientation and helpless agony of his condition, and while Cushing's character is more one-dimensional than usual, he does his normal excellent job as the Baron. Hammer's next installment was the silly Horror of Frankenstein before Fisher returned to end the series with Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

The famously inept but accidentally brilliant Inspector Clouseau returns to help foil a group of daring robbers in this comedy, the only film in the long-running series not to feature Peter Sellers as the bumbling inspector. Instead, the talented Alan Arkin assumes the role, blundering his way through the expected series of absurd, slapstick situations. The plot centers on a series of Swiss bank robberies under investigation by an uptight Scotland Yard inspector (Patrick Cargill), who naturally becomes infuriated by Clouseau's unwelcome intervention. Meanwhile, the robbers decide to confuse matters by wearing Clouseau masks, offering further opportunities for farcical mistaken identities. Due to the absence of both Sellers and director Blake Edwards, Inspector Clouseau has largely been forgotten in comparison to the other Pink Panther films, though it maintains some interest as a curious aberration in the popular comic series. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi