Alex Rocco Movies
In films from 1965, American actor Alex Rocco specialized in tough-guy roles, sometimes leavening his hard-bitten portrayals with a dash of roguish humor. Rocco's film assignments included such parts as gangster Legs Diamond in St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) and Moe Greene in The Godfather (1974). He has been a regular or semi-regular on a number of television shows, beginning with 1975's Three for the Road, in which he starred as free-lance photographer (and full-time family man) Pete Karras. Alex Rocco has since been seen in such TVers as The Facts of Life as Mr. Polaznek, Sibs as Howie Roscio, The Famous Teddy Z as Al Floss, and The George Carlin Show as Harry Rossetti. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1989
- R
This film, loosely-based on the book by Bob Woodward, follows the career of comedian John Belushi (Michael Chiklis) as his spirit is guided through the past by the Angel Velasquez (Ray Sharkey). ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, Ray Sharkey, (more)
- 1989
"FYI"'s resident airhead Corky (Faith Ford) wins her first Humboldt Award for her special report "The Women's Touch at West Point", leaving Murphy (Candice Bergen) and Frank (Joe Regalbuto) stewing at the starting gate. Hoping to capitalize on all the publicity, Miles (Grant Shaud) assigns Corky to the show's next BIG STORY--adding insult to injury by asking Murphy to help the novice newscaster with her report. Alex Rocco carries over his characterization of oily talent agent Al Floss from the CBS sitcom The Fabulous Teddy Z (seems that Al also represents Corky and Frank!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In 1987-88, a quartet of films with the same basic body-switching premise deluged theaters: Like Father, Like Son (1987), Big (1988), Vice Versa (1988), and 18 Again (1988). One year later, Dream a Little Dream (1989) followed suit. Coleman Ettinger (Jason Robards) is forever scolding the local high school students who use his yard as a shortcut to and from their nearby school. Coleman is not a crotchety old coot, however. He's deeply in love with his wife Gena (Piper Laurie) and is good friends with his next-door neighbor Ike (Harry Dean Stanton). In fact, Coleman is looking for a mystical way to preserve his and Gena's lives forever by transferring their consciousness into the bodies of younger people. One day, student Bobby Keller (Corey Feldman) has a bicycle mishap with Coleman while cutting through the yard, and their minds change places. Now Coleman has the brain of a teenager, while young Bobby uses Coleman's wisdom and life experience to win over the girl of his dreams. Dream a Little Dream was the directorial debut of Marc Rocco, son of actor Alex Rocco, who costars in a supporting role. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corey Feldman, Meredith Salenger, (more)
In this supernatural nostalgia piece, a young boy tracks down a murderer with help from the ghosts of a slain little girl and her mother. In a voice-over, grown-up writer Frankie Scarlatti describes the disturbing events that intruded on his idyllic small-town boyhood. Locked in the school cloakroom by some other boys on Halloween 1962, young Frankie (Lukas Haas) encounters the ghost of Melissa Anne Montgomery (Joelle Jacobi), who re-enacts her own death by strangulation just before an unseen adult enters the school and tries to do away with Frankie himself. While recuperating in the care of his widower father (Alex Rocco), Frankie conducts some detective work and learns that Melissa is one of ten children killed over the past decade. Further encounters with the girl's ghost -- and the mournful specter of her mother, the Lady in White (Karen Powell) -- do little to help the boy solve the mystery of who killed the kids. Meanwhile, an innocent black maintenance man becomes the scapegoat on which the police hang the killings. However, thanks to the damning but enigmatic evidence Frankie has discovered, the boy faces imminent danger from the actual killer, who ends up lurking terrifyingly close to home. The sophomore feature from writer/director Frank LaLoggia, who made his name with the low-budget horror film Fear No Evil, Lady in White starred the young Lukas Haas halfway between his appearances in Witness and Rambling Rose. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lukas Haas, Len Cariou, (more)
- 1988
Dyan Cannon plays the title character, a middle-aged housewife and mother who enjoys singing in local amateur contests. Almost overnight, she becomes a nationally famous rock star, with all the attendant trappings of glamour and adulation. But fame has its price: As Cannon rises to the top of her profession, she neglects her two teenaged children. Heather Locklear guest stars as a rocker who calls herself Darcy X; also in the cast is a pre-stardom Fran Drescher. Rock 'n' Roll Mom was originally telecast on The Disney Sunday Movie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dyan Cannon, Telma Hopkins, (more)
- 1987
- R
In this drama, a lovestruck songwriter is invited to join the band. At first she is thrilled to be near the band's handsome leader. They even embark upon an affair and she is very happy until she figures out that he is stealing her song. During the performances, the actors really play and sing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Stewart, Cameron Dye, (more)
- 1987
- PG13
Paul Le Mat and Molly Ringwald star in this limp-wristed drama about an arm-wrestling contest. P.K. (Ringwald) runs away from home after her mother's boyfriend Lester (Alex Rocco) continues his unwanted advances. She hitches a ride with The Kid (Paul Le Mat), who is on his way to an annual arm-wrestling championship in California. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Le Mat, Molly Ringwald, (more)
- 1987
Hunter (Fred Dryer) finds it curious that burglary victim Carol Benson (Cindy Morgan) is reluctant to assist in his investigation of the theft of her diamond necklace. What Hunter doesn't know is that the necklace was a phony, and that the adulterous Mrs. Benson has resorted to fraud in order to provide financial support to her current lover. The lady's chickens come home to roost in a disastrous manner when she tries to buy back the stolen goods from the bewildered thief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In 1982, Crippen High School was the scene of a gruesome series of dismemberment murders, but the killer was never identified. Five years later, Cosmic Pictures arrives at the long-abandoned campus to make a low-budget horror movie based on the tragedy, and suddenly the terror begins anew. The police department arrives at the school to find the building and grounds covered in gore and human body parts, the remains of the unfortunate film crew. The only survivor of this new massacre is the screenwriter, Arthur (Richard Brestoff), who tries to explain the horrifying events to the authorities. The troubled production's leading lady is angered over the demeaning nature of her role, the producer and director argue over the film's lack of artistic merits, and when cast members start disappearing, everyone else assumes that they're just quitting out of disgust. Who is the culprit? Is it the school's principal, appearing as himself in the film for the sake of realism? The janitor, who hopes to parlay his cameo into a pornography career? Or maybe Steven (Brendan Hughes), who was a student at Crippen during the original murder spree and finds himself reluctantly cast as the hero? This self-referential slasher parody features George Clooney in a small part as the film's first victim, and The Brady Bunch's Maureen McCormick as a policewoman with a lust for blood and hot dogs. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lori Lethin, Brendan Hughes, (more)
- 1986
Few men in the publishing industry have more enemies than Christopher Bundy (Bert Convy), who has converted a once respectable magazine into a lurid tabloid specializing in tell-all exposes and pictures of nude women. Jessica (Angela Lansbury) angrily shows up at Bundy's Connecticut headquarters to protest his plans to reprint her first murder story in his magazine. Inevitably, Bundy is murdered, and Jessica's old friend Chester Harrison (Robert Stack) is accused of the crime--but Harrison is only one of several people whose closeted skeletons had been exposed by the ruthless Mr. Bundy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This TV pilot film stars Carl Weathers as Harry Braker, an ex-Marine who is his city's only African American police lieutenant. Tough but tender, Braker bends the rules to help the helpless. Braker's team of co-workers is the usual cop-show manifest: The gonzo (Randall "Tex" Cobb), the green newcomer (Joseph Bottoms) and the drop-dead gorgeous babe (Ann Schedeen). Their assignment this time out is to find the killer of a prominent producer and director, both of whom were engaged in the manufacture of porno films. Braker was telecast back to back on April 28, 1985 with another busted pilot, Brothers in Law. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Crooked promoter Sonny Monroe (Alex Rocco) is fixing boxing matches and using the prize money for his illegal drug-trafficking racket. When amateur boxer Billy Marquette (Daniel Faraldo) is ordered by Monroe to take a dive, Billy's family seeks out the A-Team for help. In a twinkling, B.A. (Mr. T.) has gone undercover as boxer "Volcano Johnson", with Hannibal (George Peppard) as his manager and Murdock (Dwight Schultz). Featured in the cast are veteran ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Sr. and ill-fated starlet Lana Clarkson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
- R
Burt Reynolds directed and starred in this actioner from an Elmore Leonard novel about an ex-con living dangerously close to the drug traffickers in Miami. When Stick (Reynolds) arrives in Miami just out of prison, an old buddy of his is murdered, sending Stick on a wild and complex journey to track down the killers. Along the way, he meets the attractive Kyle (Candice Bergen), has to deal with Chucky (Charles Durning in a blond wig and loud tourist shirts), a mob go-fer, and the albino Moke (Dar Robinson). In order to better zap his enemies, Stick gets a job as chauffeur to rich Palm Beach underworld figure Barry (George Segal) -- and the plot coils and twists from there until the bad guys get their due. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen, (more)
- 1985
Based on the true story that took place in Harlem during 1971, this made-for-TV crime drama centers on assistant district attorney Robert Tanenbaum's desperate search for a trio of cop killers. Tanenbaum (James Woods) is assisted by an equally determined detective (Yaphet Lau Kotto). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Woods, Yaphet Kotto, (more)
- 1985
Jerry Orbach makes his first series appearance as gruff but golden-hearted Boston private detective Harry McGraw. While researching a 25-year-old murder for her latest book, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) engages the services of McGraw's partner Archie Miles (Maltese Falcon fans take note!) When Miles is murdered, McGraw joins forces with Jessica to find out if his partner's probe of the "old" case was the cause of his death--or could it have been one of the other two cases which Miles was also digging into? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
"Gotcha!" is a puerile but popular campus game at UCLA in which students stalk one another armed with paint-spewing pellet guns. Veterinary student Anthony Edwards may not be any great shakes in the classroom, but he's a whiz at Gotcha. His skills come in handy when Edwards, on vacation in Paris, becomes acquainted with the mysterious Linda Fiorentino. She gets him mixed up in international espionage; fortunately, the well-armed spies aren't quite as adept at "Gotcha" as Edwards is. Most of the film was lensed in Paris and Berlin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
(Burt Reynolds) as J.J. McClure takes off across the country again in this rickety sequel to Cannonball Run. A sheik has offered $1,000,000 to the first driver to reach a destination in Connecticut from Redondo Beach, California, inspiring J.J. and others to go for the gold. With cameos from more name performers than any dozen films together, (Frank Sinatra and the rat pack, Telly Savalas, Susan Anton, Shirley MacLaine, Jackie Chan, Sid Caesar, Marilu Henner, Catherine Bach, etc., etc., etc.), the movie becomes a pastiche and is executed as though no rehearsals were required, or ever happened. A disparate group of people racing to get a lot of money was first successfully exploited in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, a much better film, and with just as many cameos, in fact. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, (more)
Another "true story" of dubious authenticity, The Entity concerns a libidinous invisible presence. This unseen force repeatedly rapes poor Barbara Hershey, who can't get anyone to believe her stories of sexual assault. Frankly, she doesn't believe them herself until she undergoes therapy conducted by experts in both psychology and the supernatural. The entity, a great, hairy blob, is ultimately tricked into materializing, an act of revelation that proves to be its downfall. The Entity was adapted by Frank de Felitta from his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, (more)
In the fourth installment of the "Herbie" series of Volkswagen Bug fantasies, the magical car has lost a lot of its sheen as it is retreaded into a journey through Central America. D.J. (Charles Martin Smith) and Pete (Stephan W. Burns) want to enter their supernatural car in a special, high-stakes race in Brazil. And so they set off driving with that goal in mind. Along the way the car ends up in a bullring playing the role of matador, the best of several incongruous adventures. Most audiences will still favor The Love Bug, the 1969 hit that spawned this third sequel. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cloris Leachman, Charles Martin Smith, (more)
- 1980
- PG
This comedy was filmed in Miami and follows the exploits of three frustrated misanthropes who try to sue the city after their car hits a pothole and ends up totaled. Unfortunately, the city has protected itself with a little loophole. When legal means fail, the three try other methods. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabe Kaplan, Alex Karras, (more)
Adapted from Paul Brodeur's novel, Richard Rush's story of a Machiavellian movie director and his accidental employee takes a darkly comic look at movie reality vs. "real" reality. Running from the law, Vietnam vet Cameron (Steve Railsback) stumbles on a movie shoot just in time to interfere with a staged accident, causing (perhaps) the stunt man's death. Rather than turn Cameron in, director Eli Cross (Oscar nominee Peter O'Toole) makes him an offer he can't refuse: replace the dead stunt man in return for safe harbor. Despite objections about Cameron's inexperience, Eli keeps him on, figuring that a vet will add an extra charge of realism to the World War I opus that he's filming. As leading lady Nina (Barbara Hershey) returns Cameron's affections, and Eli becomes ever more inscrutably mercurial, Cameron begins to wonder how far Eli will go to get the screen effects he wants, and if he would think twice about killing the stunt man. Placing a Vietnam vet in the midst of movie-making chaos, Rush adds a pointedly contemporary spin to Cameron's confusion; the war experience that makes Cameron a good stunt man wreaks havoc on his life. Rush in turn disorients the audience by seamlessly interweaving scenes from Eli's movie with scenes of its being made. Made two years before Rush found a studio to release it, The Stunt Man opened to raves for its wily narrative and O'Toole's messianic director. Its sly commentary on the blurred boundaries between movies and life became all the more striking at the dawn of the Reagan '80s. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback, (more)
- 1979
- PG
Amy Irving plays a deaf woman whose ambition is to become a professional dancer in this drama. Rosemarie Lemon is unhappy with the support she is getting from her family for her dreams. She meets a sensitive truck driver, Drew Rothman (Michael Ontkean), and they become lovers. Rothman's family is full of hatred for the world and ridicules his dream of becoming a singer. Their common ambitions and need for support make their relationship stronger, as each pursues a dream. Director Robert Markowitz uses rock & roll songs to fill in the parts in the movie where Lemon's deafness is emphasized. The soundtrack includes tunes by Burton Cummings, Tom Petty, and Willie Nelson. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Ontkean, Amy Irving, (more)
- 1978
- PG
In this, Joan Rivers' first attempt at film direction, a young virgin male (Billy Crystal) is engaged to be married when he finds out he is pregnant! Using the film as a vehicle for her acerbic humor, director Rivers may as well be on stage, for interspersed throughout this questionable plot is an unending onslaught of sarcastic slams pointed at just about every sector of society. Ms. Rivers even makes a cameo appearance. Other big names in this film are Tom Poston (as a minister), Roddy McDowall (in several roles), and George Gobel as the U.S. President. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Crystal, Joan Prather, (more)
