Gus Rethwisch Movies
- 1988
Jason Bateman's troubles begins when he gets his girl friend pregnant. Thrown out of high school, he falls in with traditional bad crowd, and soon he's up to his eyelids in mob activity. When his family is threatened, Bateman must turn stoolie...if he can avoid sleeping with the fish before the film is over. Most trade mags barely acknowledged this TV movie's existence, chalking it up as a ratings-hype assignment for young star of The Hogan Family. Crossing the Mob was originally telecast October 14, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
When his old Naval Academy colleague Dorsey Bramlett (David Wilson), now a pro quarterback with the New Jersey Blazers football team, is targeted for murder, Magnum (Tom Selleck) rushes to the rescue. To avoid tipping off Dorsey's would-be killers, Magnum goes undercover as a football player at the Blazers' training camp--and in order to keep up the façade, he knocks himself silly trying to survive the grueling training regimen! Most of this episode was filmed on location at Pearl Harbor's Aloha Stadium, better known as the home of the annual NFL Pro Bowl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- R
George Rivero stars in Fist Fighter as C.J. Thunderbird, a participant in the dangerous, illegal world of bare-knuckle boxing. Working the bare-knuckle circuit in Mexico, Thunderbird forms a business partnership with old buddy Harry "Punchy" Moses (Edward Albert). This angers avaricious promoter Billy Vance (Mike Connors), who'd like to have complete control over Thunderbird. Vance pulls all sorts of dirty tricks to undermine Thunderbird's effectiveness--including having Our Hero thrown into prison on a trumped-up charge, and kidnapping leading lady Ellen (Brenda Bakke)--but the champ gets even during a climactic set-to with goonish Moreno (Simon Andreu). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jorge Rivero, Edward Albert, (more)
Directed by former Starsky and Hutch TV star Paul Michael Glaser, this post-apocalyptic science fiction yarn satirized American entertainment, mocking pro wrestling, game shows, and law-and-order reality programming. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Ben Richards, a cop in the totalitarian America of 2019, framed for massacring rioting civilians during a famine. After escaping from jail, Richards tries to prove his innocence, but his efforts are thwarted at every turn by a regime in need of a scapegoat. Richards is captured along with an innocent civilian, Amber Mendez (Maria Conchita Alonso), and they are forced to participate in a violent game show called "The Running Man," hosted by the unctuous Damon Killian (Richard Dawson). The object of the game for Richards and Mendez: obtain freedom by staying alive against a gauntlet of skillful assassins like "Subzero" (Prof. Toru Tanaka) and "Captain Freedom" (Jesse Ventura), each armed with unique weapons like razor-sharp hockey sticks and chainsaws. With the help of some fellow "contestants," Richards is able to tap into government computers and prove his innocence. The Running Man was very loosely based on a short story by Stephen King, who wrote it under the name Richard Bachman. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, (more)
This mundane sequel to New World Pictures' surprise horror hit bears little connection with its predecessor apart from the participation of writer Ethan Wiley, who also assumed directorial duties. This time around, the title abode is an old mansion inherited by the great-great-grandson of its original owner, a legendary frontier outlaw. The new owner, Jesse (Arye Gross), whose parents were murdered in the mansion 20 years ago, unwisely searches the premises for a cache of gems believed to be hidden there. With the aid of girlfriend Kate (Lar Park Lincoln) and buddy Charlie (Jonathan Stark), Jesse stumbles upon the original owner himself (Royal Dano), who is remarkably still alive (albeit in particularly decrepit condition) and cantankerous as all get-out. Great-great-grandpa has been preserved by the supernatural powers of an Aztec crystal skull, which is also capable of reanimating the dead and opening portals into other dimensions. Its true powers are tested readily when the skull falls into the wrong hands, leading our heroes on a wacky supernatural chase. The horror-comedy formula that kept the original film's shaky premise afloat is far less functional here, filling the story with silly contrivances that include a collection of pet monsters and a time-travel romantic subplot. Still, the film has some clever moments, mainly from Dano, who makes the most of his difficult character by adding a cartoonish flair, and from Cheers alum John Ratzenberger's amusing cameo turn as a plumber strangely accustomed to cross-dimensional travel. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arye Gross, Jonathan Stark, (more)
- 1989
- PG
When a group of evil, power-hungry people take over a trio of kingdoms, it is up to a young magician to free his lands from their rule. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Bobby Jacoby, (more)
The central "gimmick" of the comedy-adventure Twins is established early on. Unbeknownst to one another, king-sized Arnold Schwarzenegger and gnomeish Danny De Vito are twin brothers. Even better: Schwarzenegger is a mild-mannered, bookish type, while De Vito is a vitriolic troublemaker. The film takes satiric jabs at the notion of "perfect" genetics, and makes several pointed comments concerning the dangers of youthful pre-conditioning by insensitive parents. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, (more)
