Karen Russell Movies

A serial killer is out there disemboweling women at an appalling rate and now the only way that world-weary, heroin-addicted and unkempt Detective John Reed can learn who is behind the grisly murders is to talk to recently re-jailed killer John Barnes, who went to prison the first time after he was convicted of literally stealing the heart of his lover Debbi Jones. Whiny, unstable Barnes always swore he was innocent, but thanks to Reed's detection was sent safely away. Unfortunately, the horrendous murders started up soon after his release, and he was thrown right back in the clink. When the killings persist, Reed realizes that he is dealing with a copycat killer, and since Barnes seems to have been contacted by this psycho, Reed has no choice but to visit the prison, try to win the shattered Barnes' confidence, and pump him for everything he knows. Meanwhile women continue to suffer horrible deaths at the killer's cruel hands. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this fictionalized account based on true figures, a foursome of young thugs decides to team up and take control of New York's east side from the aging bosses who control it. Bugsy Siegel (Richard Grieco) and Frank Costello (Costas Mandylor) control the physical elements of the operation, while Lucky Luciano (Christian Slater) and Meyer Lansky (Patrick Dempsey) bring up the business end. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

In this thriller, geek Martin (Stephen Quadros) makes his dream of becoming a famous rock musician come true when he sells his soul to the Devil. As Martin is rocketed to stardom as a performer known as Angel, he is also transformed into a ghoulish undead creature who must kill in order to survive. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

A cynical gambler reluctantly comes to the aid of a mysterious beauty in this interpolation of Casablanca and the real-life Cuban revolution. Big-stakes American gambler Jack Weil (Robert Redford) is comfortable in the anything-goes Havana of 1958. But with Fidel Castro out in the wilderness broadcasting revolutionary messages, it seems the good times may be on the way out. On a boat back to the island nation from the U.S. mainland, Weil agrees to help beautiful Bobby Duran (Lena Olin) smuggle in some contraband by trading vehicles with her on their way through the checkpoint. He's amused to discover not jewelry, but radio transmitters squirreled away in her car. Eventually, he learns that she's the European wife of monied Cuban communist Arturo Duran (Raul Julia), who believes his class and status will protect him from the ruling party. When that assumption turns out to be false, Jack finds himself sucked in by the plight of the suddenly widowed Bobby, who remains committed to her dangerous ideals. Risking his cushy lifestyle to protect Bobby from the coming tumult -- and from herself -- Jack must grapple with the dictates of his newfound conscience. With a supporting cast that includes Alan Arkin and Tomas Milian, Havana reunited director Sydney Pollack with Redford and David Rayfiel, star and co-screenwriter of The Way We Were. Rayfiel has also worked on a number of Pollack pictures, stretching from 1969's Castle Keep to 1995's remake of Sabrina. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Advertised as a parody of cheapo-sleazo biker flicks, Easy Wheels looks so much like the real thing that one wonders whether or not we were originally supposed to take the whole megillah seriously. Biker Bruce (Paul Le Mat) and She Wolf (Eileen Davidson) forget their mutual animosity long enough to plan a mass abduction of female babies. The idea is to create a race of super biker chicks, who will enslave mankind and set up a leather-jacketed matriarchy. Bruce isn't completely sold on this idea and bides his time until he gets a chance to undermine She Wolf. Filmed in glamorous Des Moines and Dubuque, Easy Wheels makes all those American-International flicks of the 1960s look like the collected works of Antonioni. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This tale wavers on the fine line between erotic comedy and soft-core porn with a definite leaning toward the latter as it tells the story of female police cadets training to join the Hollywood vice squad. During training, the toothsome rookies are assigned to infiltrate a kiddy porn operation. Next they must go undercover and join a prostitution ring. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This routine slasher-thriller deviates slightly from the standard formula by way of a fairly intelligent script which explores the murderer's motivation in far more detail than other films of the subgenre. The central character is high-school science teacher Ms. Storm (Maureen Mooney), a mild-mannered woman plagued by barely-repressed psychological traumas, who finally snaps after falling victim to a sadistic prank perpetrated by one of her students. Believed dead, Storm comes after the pranksters with homicidal intent. Though Mooney's well-portrayed transformation from victim to murderer provides an interesting role-reversal against slasher convention, the story still falters in the overall execution, bogged down considerably by some lackluster performances and very little actual suspense. Still, it's considerably better than Demented, an earlier, wholly unsubtle treatment of the same theme. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide