Suzanne Savoy Movies
A middle-aged Texas mother slowly buckling under the constant demands of modern life sets out on a strange quest after experiencing vivid visions of a sprawling urban loft in director Kyle Henry's haunting tale of modern malaise. Julia (Cyndi Williams) is a suburban wife and mother who is overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated at home. With Christmas rapidly approaching and her personal happiness at an all-time low, Julia begins to experience an increasingly painful series of migraines that are curiously accompanied by elusive visions of a large loft in a noticeable state of disrepair. When Julia experiences a particularly powerful vision that causes her to careen off of the road in daytime traffic, she is compelled to steal money from work, board a plane for New York City, and follow her visions toward an uncertain future that seems strangely tied to the constant reports of violence which saturate the nightly news. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cyndi Williams, Kenneth Wayne Bradley, (more)
Golf meets baseball in this comedy that tells the story of Anthony (Babe) Lombardo, a has-been professional baseball player who was only moderately famous. During his career, the now middle-aged Babe earned several fortunes but enthusiastically lost them all on bad business enterprises. Now he is deeply indebted to the IRS and in desperate need of quick cash. He has nowhere to turn as his hard-working wife has grown tired of the get-rich-quick schemes and his best friend, Lou, a prominent used car dealer, refuses to loan him another dime. Things look bleak until Babe develops a radical new golf swing. Everyone around encourages him to use the swing in pro golf tourneys where he could win a bundle, but unfortunately, Babe has other ideas, including the making of an instructional video. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Back when he died in 1900, William Marsh Rice was a Texas gazillionaire, having donated the funds to start the Rice Instittute (later known as Rice University) in Houston. In this movie, based on the director's stage play, when a suspicious will turns up on the occasion of Rice's death, the Texas Secretary of State (Sam Bottoms) investigates it. It soon appears evident that the chief beneficiary and the rich man's butler conspired to make up a false will prior to the butler poisoning the old man. In the sensational trial which resulted, expert testimony about handwriting was accepted in court for the first time. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel Bottoms, Karen Black, (more)
Something stinks in tiny Norman, Texas and New York detective Kelly, who has come to attend the funeral of his brother-in-law, is determined to find out what it is. Much of the problem stems from the control a San Antonio gangster has over the town's lawmen. This actioner chronicles Kelly's crusade to clean up the dirty little town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Based on Clifford Irving's novel Trial, this 2-part TV movie is set amongst the Texas elite. Peter Strauss plays Warren Blackburn, a brilliant but discredited trial lawyer. His career seems due for redemption when judge Louise Parker (Jill Clayburgh), formerly Blackburn's bitterest foe, appoints him to defend a homeless man charged with murder. Simultaneously, Blackburn is hired to defend flashy nightclub entertainer Faye Boudreau (Beverly D'Angelo) in a separate murder trial. While investigating his clients' background, Blackburn uncovers several unsavory facts. Should he reveal what he knows and thereby risk everything -- including his life? Part one of Trial: The Price of Passion was first telecast May 3, 1992; part two was shown the following evening. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
William Petersen's High Horse Films produced this romantic comedy that endeavors to recall the glory days of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Petersen stars as Joey Coalter, a roving adventurer who has been married to his wife Chris (Sissy Spacek) for almost thirteen years but has rarely been home. During that time Chris has become fed up with Joey's cavalier ways. But it comes as a complete shock to Joey when, while talking to a group of cowpokes about Tahitian women somewhere on the prairie, he receives a wedding invitation sent by his daughter Beth (Olivia Burnette) that announces the wedding of Chris to dull business man Walter Humphrey (Brian Kerwin). Beth hopes the surprise wedding invitation will prod Joey to try to get back together with Chris. Chris hopes so too, as Joey drops what he is doing and takes off to stop Chris's pending nuptials. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William L. Petersen, Sissy Spacek, (more)
The made-for-TV Jailbirds is a distaff comedy variation on The Defiant Ones. Phylicia Rashad plays an important LA business executive, while Dyan Cannon portrays a trailer-trash babe from Louisiana. Both Rashad and Cannon are thrown into a dank Southern jail for crimes they didn't commit. While manacled together, the ladies escape, driving each other cuckoo as they elude their captors. Apparently, CBS had so little faith in Jailbirds that the network hardly bothered to advertise the film went it premiered May 16, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on a gritty, semi-autobiographical novel by author Kim Wozencraft, this crime thriller was adapted for the screen by noir novelist Pete Dexter and marked the directorial debut of producer Lili Fini Zanuck. Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as Kristen Cates, a rookie police officer recruited to partner with Jim Raynor (Jason Patric), an undercover Texas cop trying to infiltrate the criminal ring of major drug dealer Will Gaines (Gregg Allman) in the 1970s. What Kristen isn't told is that, as part of his deep cover masquerade, Jim must take drugs in order to be convincing and, unsurprisingly, has become an addict. Although this dangerous practice is not acceptable police procedure, Jim and Kristen's zealous superiors Larry Dodd (Sam Elliott) and Donald Nettle (Tony Frank) are obsessed with taking Gaines down because he has corrupted the daughter of a prominent local citizen. Jim and Kristen, who fall in love and move in together, befriend a petty car thief, Walker (Max Perlich), who has ties to Gaines. Since they both become drug addicts, Jim and Kristen's case makes little progress, until they clean up and convince Walker to turn on Gaines. Their investigation becomes tainted, however, when they are pressured from above to manufacture false evidence against their target. The soundtrack for Rushcontained the hit song "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Patric, Jennifer Jason Leigh, (more)
I Come in Peace is a silly, derivative science fiction exploitation thriller which is a triumph of style and skillful direction, despite a plot that steals elements from numerous good films and mixes them with some appallingly bad acting. Jack Caine (Dolph Lundgren) is a not-by-the books police officer investigating the death of several people, including his partner, by a gang called the "White Boys." All the victims seemed to have died of drug overdoses, but Jack thinks that there is something more sinister afoot. His investigation reveals a plot by aliens who use the bodies to extract a chemical that is sold to addicts on their home planet. Originally entitled Dark Angel, I Come in Peace, while silly and confusing, has great production values and some excellent special effects. The main reason to see this film is because of the expert direction by former stunt-man Craig Baxley who manages to keep the action moving at a fast pace and tie up the loose ends of the threadbare story. The cinematography by Mark Irwin is outstanding and shows that imagination and a good visual sense can overcome a limited budget and a bad plot. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolph Lundgren, Betsy Brantley, (more)
This passable monster chiller is actually aimed at a slightly younger audience, featuring a young hero whose family relocates to an old ranch house in the Southwestern desert in which resides an ancient Comanche monster known as a "Quagway" -- which has a sweet tooth for bite-sized human morsels. Of course, the poor kid spends three-fourths of the film trying to convince his addle-brained father that there's something evil lurking about... but dad's too wrapped up in his own problems to notice. The monster is not particularly scary in full view -- and we see it in full view quite a bit -- but the film's lack of overt shocks may be due to the slightly younger age of its target audience. Direction is credited to Kevin S. Tenney, who took over after writer John Woodward withdrew. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
When a couple tries to adopt a child, they run into red tape because the foster child asserts that her natural father molested her. ~ All Movie Guide
Travis (Harley Cross) is a nine-year-old boy who lives in Oklahoma with his federally protected parents. After the mob kills his parents for ratting on them, the gangleader demands that Travis be brought to Houston. Cohen (Roy Scheider) is the veteran hitman who signs on for one last job. Much to Cohen's dismay, he is paired with the psychopath Tate (Adam Baldwin). When Cohen does nothing to hide his dislike for his new partner, young Travis begins to play one thug against the other in a psychological mind game in hopes their confrontation will lead to his freedom. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Scheider, Adam Baldwin, (more)
















