Talia Shire Movies
Talia Shire (born Talia Coppola) attended the Yale School of Drama and landed roles in several Roger Corman films. The sister of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, she benefited from her family connection when she was cast in The Godfather (1972), launching her screen career in earnest. After receiving a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance in The Godfather Part II (1974), Shire was cast by Sylvester Stallone to play his girlfriend in the hit Rocky (1976), for which she won the New York Film Critics Award and received a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Although Shire went on to appear in a number of films throughout the 1980s and '90s, her career primarily revolved around the eight films emerging from the original Godfather and Rocky movies. Divorced from composer David Shire, she later married producer Jack Schwartzman; the two of them developed movie projects together, forming the TaliaFilm production company. The mother of actors Jason Schwartzman and Robert Schwartzman, Shire directed the film One Night Stand in 1994. ~ All Movie Guide
Death brings a contentious family together (though that doesn't mean they get along) in this comedy-drama from director Anna Chi. When elderly Mrs. Xiao (Lisa Lu) dies in her sleep at home, her housekeeper and close friend Viola (Talia Shire) contacts her four adult children in hopes they'll come home to help with the funeral. Unfortunately, Mrs. Xiao didn't have many friends besides Viola, her children all have issues with her, and given her zeal to assimilate into American culture, the siblings are more than puzzled that she insisted upon a traditional Chinese funeral lasting a full seven days. Alexander (Russell Wong), a successful doctor, is still coming to terms with his overly strict mother and philandering father, and is unexpectedly reunited with his ex-wife (Kelly Hu), who he lost through his own infidelity. Elizabeth (Julia Nickson), a writer, also crosses paths with her former spouse (Adrian Hough) while she mourns both her mother and her young son. Victoria (Francoise Yip) has never been able to forgive her mom after she rejected her for marrying an African-American. And MeiMei (Steph Song), an actress, is a lesbian who wants to have children with her significant other Deedee (Bai Ling); they've been having trouble finding a suitable sperm donor, though they think one of the monks at the funeral may be just what they're looking for. Dim Sum Funeral received its world premiere at the 2008 AFI Fest. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steph Song, Kelly Hu, (more)
- 2007
Detroit Rock City's Adam Rifkin writes, directs, and stars in National Lampoon's Homo Erectus, a prehistoric comedy surrounding a caveman and his plight to find love while leading his clan. Ali Larter plays the love interest, with David Carradine and Talia Shire portraying Rifkin's parents. Cameos are supplied by Tom Arnold and Gary Busey. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Rifkin, Ali Larter, (more)
New England native Vanessa Parise makes her directorial debut with the Italian-American wedding movie Kiss the Bride. Danni Sposato (Amanda Detmer) embarks on her wedding plans aided by her mother, Irena (Talia Shire), and grandmother Julia (Frances Bay). Danni's three sisters return home to Rhode Island for the wedding: oldest Niki (Brooke Langton) is the Hollywood star of a TV show, who brings along her rude boyfriend/manager Marty (Johnny Whitworth); icy Chrissy (played by director Parise) is a wealthy New York City businesswoman with no romantic prospects; and youngest Toni (Monet Mazur) drives a motorcycle and brings along her girlfriend Amy (Alyssa Milano). Also starring Burt Young and Sean Patrick Flanery. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Detmer, Sean Patrick Flanery, (more)
Documentary filmmaker George Zaloom takes his first stab at fiction with this comedy about a family dominated both literally and figuratively by explosive personalities. Pop Bazinni (Giancarlo Gianini) is an Italian expatriate who runs his family's fireworks business in New Jersey. After his son dies in a explosion in a storage shed, Pop needs a new second in command, and his cousin, Giovanni (Stanley Tucci), is sent from Italy to help with the business, though Giovanni was chosen less for his business acumen than because he needed a change of scenery after a messy breakup with his girlfriend, Maria (Jo Champa), has left him horribly depressed. As Giovanni learns the ropes of both the fireworks business and life in America, Val (Bridget Fonda), the young widow of Pop's late son, finds herself the focus of the loutish romantic advances of Joey Zito (Anthony DeSando), whose mother (Anna Maria Alberghetti) runs a rival fireworks company eager to find out the secret formulas behind the Bazinni's products. Talia Shire and Alexander Milani head up the film's supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stanley Tucci, Bridget Fonda, (more)
A cast of distinguished veterans and promising newcomers headline this stark prison drama from first-time writer-director Jordan Walker-Pearlman. Hill Harper stars as embittered inmate Alex, sentenced to serve time for a rape he claims that he didn't commit. His link to the outside world is his upper-middle class bother Tony (Obba Babatunde), the only family member who's come to visit him in the half-decade he's been in jail. On his latest visit, Alex pleads with Tony to have the rest of the family visit him, admitting that he's in the final stages of his battle with AIDS. Through flashbacks, dream sequences, and real-time encounters, Alex interacts with the people who have shaped his life -- his parents (Marla Gibbs and Billy Dee Williams), his old friend (Rae Dawn Chong), and his therapist (Phylicia Rashad) -- and attempts to overcome the seething anger and resentment that have punctuated his time in prison. The Visit was greeted with much acclaim when it premiered at the 2000 Method Fest Independent Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hill Harper, Obba Babatunde, (more)
Outwardly a deeply religious, highly principled woman, Melanie Leroy (Talia Shire) will stop at nothing to have the perfect husband and family. This horror outing recounts the grisly lengths to which she goes to achieve this. As the story begins, she is happily married until she discovers that her husband has been having an affair. Something snaps inside, and she murders him. Soon after, she inherits an apartment building from a recently deceased aunt and becomes the landlady. Unfortunately, she has a low tolerance for tenants who break the rules, and those who disobey are murdered in devious and ingenious ways. Matters reach their deadly climax when she becomes obsessed with the tenant whom she believes will fulfill all her dreams. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Talia Shire
- 1997
14-year-old Holly Nolan (Gina Philips) lives unhappily with her hyperjudgmental mother Donna (Talia Shire) and her brother Ted (Eddie Mills). To escape the pressures of her home life and make herself feel important, Holly begins hanging out with an older crowd, and in the course of events falls in love with 19-year-old Chris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) an Army reservist who has been disowned by his family. When Donna violently objects to Holly's romance with Chris, the couple elope and head off to Calfornia, certain that all they need to survive in the "outside" world is their love for each other. But it isn't enough: Repeatedly battered down by disillusionment and deprivation, Holly and Chris can't even return to her home town, where Chris faces charges for being AWOL--and, thanks to Holly's vengeful mother, for statutory rape. With apparently no other alternative, Chris resorts to the "easiest" way to stay alive, becoming a male prostitute on the mean streets of LA. Innovative direction and a driving musical score featuring such artists as Van Halen, Peter Himmelman, Lisa Cerbone and Sarah McLaughlin) helps sustain the viewers' interest and fascination in this sordid (but not sordidly told) made-for-TV movie. Born Into Exile made its NBC network debut on March 17, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Richard Chamberlain plays a dying man trying to tie together the loose ends of his past in this melodrama. Thaddeus (Chamberlain) is in the last stages of AIDS, and he's determined to live out his final days in the company of old friends. First on the list is Allen (Michael Imperioli), an artist in Los Angeles who, much to Thaddeus' surprise, is now living with Eva (Ute Lemper). Thaddeus' arrival has forced the couple to come clean about Allen's past as a hustler; meanwhile, Thaddeus enlists Allen to help him track down Jamie (James Duval), a former trick who needs to be aware of Thaddeus' condition -- for his own sake. River Made to Drown In features Talia Shire in a cameo. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Michael Imperioli, (more)
- 1994
Throughout the 20th century, women have met the challenges and struggles of balancing work and family. Narrated by Jane Fonda, A Century of Women: Work & Family weaves fictional and factual stories to illustrate the history of women in the workforce, as well as their roles as wives and mothers. Performances and testimonies from a stellar group of women including Meryl Streep, Gloria Steinem, Twyla Tharp, and Maya Angelou facilitate the film's innovative method of storytelling. Archival film, photographs, and interviews retrace historical events -- from the founding of the PTA to early unions -- that changed our social landscape. Diaries, letters, and personal memories honor women of the past and make it clear that the balancing of labor and family was a matter of life and death. ~ Brooke Hodess, All Movie Guide
- 1993
A group of seven women reunite three times a year to share their experiences with each other in this made-for-cable drama. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1992
A mysterious stranger has a surprising effect on three generations of women in this romantic comedy-drama. Ruth (Colleen Dewhurst) is a widow who runs a bed and breakfast in a small New England tourist community. Ruth shares her home with Claire (Talia Shire), who recently lost her husband, a well-known 1960s political activist, and Claire's daughter Cassie (Nina Siemaszko). Claire has to deal with the humiliation of a recent biography of her late husband that reveals the impressive degree of his infidelity, while Cassie is expected to follow in her father's political footsteps, even though she'd rather pursue a career in music. One day, the three women discover a gentleman who calls himself Adam (Roger Moore) has washed up on the shore. Adam is a con artist who was literally thrown off the yacht of someone he was trying to cheat, and now he fakes amnesia while he tries to get back on his feet and hide from his most recent victims. He does some odd jobs around the B&B to earn his keep and begins courting Claire, while he urges Ruth to take a chance with the lobster fisherman who has been after her for a date and encourages Cassie to follow her dream of making music. Bed and Breakfast was directed by Robert Ellis Miller, best known for his TV work and the feature Reuben, Reuben; the film was shot in 1989 but didn't receive its limited release until three years later. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Moore, Talia Shire, (more)
- 1991
This made-for-cable Disney effort stars Jason Robards as the writer Mark Twain who, in the twilight of his life, met and befriended an 11-year-old girl named Dorothy Quick. Their relationship served as the basis for Quick's autobiographical book Enchantment: A Little Girl's Friendship with Mark Twain, on which Cynthia Whitcomb's screenplay is based. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
In this 1988 film, a young deaf woman realizes that the hamburger sold by a local meat market contains something other than beef. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1987
A blushing bride (Melissa Gilbert) doesn't catch on that something's fishy when her new husband (Joe Penny), last name "Moran", introduces her to his distinctly Italian family, who kiss each other's hands a lot. In fact, she doesn't tumble to the fact that her "perfect" spouse is a Mafiosa until it's Too Late. Before she knows what's happening, the wide-eyed (and soft-headed) girl is swept up in drug trafficking. To keep the Italian anti-defamation league at arm's length, the producers of this film contrive to have Tony Franciosa portray an Italian-American FBI agent who comes to the heroine's rescue. Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife was originally telecast January 18, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
This Faerie Tale Theatre (Shelley Duvall) episode is about the man who fell asleep for twenty years, only to awaken an old man. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1978
Famed for their supporting performances in Sylvester Stallone's Rocky, Burt Young and Talia Shire struck while the iron was hot to star in the made-for-TV Daddy, I Don't Like It Like This. Young also wrote the screenplay for this middling domestic drama. He and Shire play an endlessly bickering middle-class couple; the husband, an ex-boxer, is frustrated by his inability to fulfill his dreams, while the wife is hampered by emotional and intellectual immaturity. Both Young and Shire take out their hostilities on their son (Doug McKeon), who reacts to the ongoing strife by retreating into his own imagination. Daddy, I Don't Like It Like This was the first directorial assignment for Adell Aldrich, daughter of "cult" director Robert Aldrich. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
The story of "red light bandit" Caryl Chessman, previously dramatized in the 1955 film Cell 2455, Death Row (based on Chessman's own book), was adapted for television as Kill Me If You Can. In a radical departure from his usual duties as MASH's Hawkeye Pierce, Alan Alda plays Chessman, who in 1948 was found guilty of robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault. Under the laws of the era, Chessman was sentenced to die in the gas chamber. But by studying the law and publishing four books on his plight, the brilliant (albeit still repugnant) Chessman managed to forestall his execution for 12 years. Though no effort is made in the film to make the sociopathic Chessman any better than he was, John Gay's script comes out squarely in opposition of capital punishment. Kill Me If You Can first aired on September 25, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Talia Shire, (more)
- 1977
Originally screened as a mini-series on the NBC television network, this epic-length feature combines the entirety of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II with 15 minutes of outtakes from the two films, recutting the material into chronological order (clarifying the complex structure of The Godfather Part II, which jumped back and forth between events that occurred before and after the narrative of the first film). The Godfather 1902-1959: The Complete Epic tells the tale of the Corleone Family, from the arrival of Vito Corleone in the U.S. as a boy and his rise to criminal power as a young man (played by Robert DeNiro) to the decline of his empire decades later. While some of the original material was censored for television broadcast, when The Godfather 1902-1959: The Complete Epic was later released on home video, the altered footage was restored to its original content. However, this proved not to be the final and complete document of the Corleone saga, as Francis Ford Coppola added another chapter to the story nine years later with the release of The Godfather Part III. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, (more)
- 1976
More ambitious and expensive than ABC's first "novel for television" miniseries QB VII, the eight-episode, 12-hour Rich Man, Poor Man was the one that truly put the genre on the map, its phenomenal success in the ratings making possible the even more spectacular Roots. Adapted from the mammoth novel by Irwin Shaw, the miniseries covers the years from WWII to the 1960s, detailing the vacillating fortunes of the immigrant Jordache brothers. "Rich Man" Rudy Jordache (Peter Strauss) is determined to use his hard-earned education -- and his inherent ruthlessness -- to carve out a business and political empire not unlike that enjoyed by Joseph P. Kennedy and his progeny. "Poor Man" Tom Jordache (Nick Nolte), a quick-fisted hothead, goes an entirely different route, first as a professional boxer, then as a functionary of the evil gangster chieftain Falconetti (William Smith). Naturally, both brothers become entangled in romance along the way, with Julie Prescott (Susan Blakely) ending up as Rudy's benighted spouse. Originally telecast on February 1, 2, 9, 16, 23, and March 1, 8, and 15 in 1976, Rich Man, Poor Man earned 20 Emmy nominations and led to a weekly sequel, Rich Man, Poor Man -- Book 2, in the fall of 1976 (this version necessitated a title change for the original, which was rebroadcast as Rich Man, Poor Man -- Book 1 in the spring of 1977). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Strauss, Nick Nolte, (more)
- 1975
Given the title Foster and Laurie and the added fact that the protagonists are two cops, one might deduce that this TV movie was the pilot for a potential series. Not this time: The two leading characters are killed almost before the opening credits fade! In flashback, the film traces the law-enforcement careers of African American Gregory Foster (Dorian Harewood) and Italian American Rocco Laurie (Perry King). Friends as well as partners, Foster and Laurie endeavor to improve community relations in their crime-ridden Lower East Side precinct--which results in their being murdered by three militant extremists, who hope to intimidate the rest of the force (at the time the film was made, this motivation for the crime was still pure speculation). The killings have the opposite effect, as the rest of department rallies against its enemies, inspired by the memory of their fallen comrades. Foster and Laurie was based on the book by Al Silverman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Doctor's Secrets is a TV "feature film" comprised of episodes from the weekly Doctors Hospital series. George Peppard heads the cast as Dr. Jake Goodwin, chief of neurological services at Los Angeles' Lowell Memorial Hospital. The two 60-minute episodes included herein were originally telecast September 10, 1975 and January 14, 1976-coincidentally the series' first and last installments. In the first episode, Dr. Goodwin introduces four interns to the neurological wing. In the second, Robert Walden and Talia Shire respectively guest-star as an overly compassionate resident doctor and a no-nonsense policewoman suffering from vision impairment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
This French-produced thriller was shot entirely in English. Jean-Louis Tritignant stars as Lucien, a hit man who goes to Los Angeles to end the life of an important local mobster. The mobster's heirs, who hired Lucien, had already hired yet another hit man (Roy Scheider) to kill him. He speaks very little English, and the lifestyles and customs of Los Angelenos puzzle him completely. One of the films highlights is its use of many unusual decayed and shabby sites in the Los Angeles area, such as Venice Beach. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Louis Trintignant, Ann-Margret, (more)
- 1970
They used to say "don't trust anyone over 30," but there's no one over 30 left to distrust in this loosely plotted satirical comedy directed by Roger Corman. During the opening ceremonies for a chemical and biological weapons facility in Alaska, an experimental gas is accidentally released which has an unusual effect -- it rapidly advances the aging process of those over 25, while those under 25 are left untouched. Soon, the world's elders are dead, with the planet left to the youth. Wisecracking hippy Coel (Robert Corff) and his girlfriend, Cilla (Elaine Giftos), discover that rookie cops and conservative frat rats have taken over their hometown of Dallas, TX, so they hit the road in his vintage Ford Edsel in search of a friendly commune in New Mexico. Along the way, they pair up with music-obsessed Marissa and her radical boyfriend, Carlos (Ben Vereen), and as they look for their new home, they encounter Hell's Angels-turned-country club members, a neo-fascist football team, a pack of painfully shy would-be sexual predators, rock star and self-proclaimed "godhead" A.M. Radio (Country Joe McDonald), and Edgar Allen Poe (Bruce Karcher), who roams the highways on his motorcycle. Gas-S-S-S! (aka Gas-s-s-s...or, It May Become Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It) proved to be the last of Roger Corman's many projects for American International Pictures; according to Corman, AIP subjected the film to severe prerelease cutting without his consent, and the interference was one of the factors that inspired him to start his own company, New World Pictures. The film also provided early supporting roles for Bud Cort and Talia Shire, the latter billed as Tally Coppola; psychedelic rock band Country Joe & the Fish appear in a concert sequence and provide the film's musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Corff, Elaine Giftos, (more)
- 1968
Jo-Jo (Fabian) is a racecar driver recruited to drive for a wealthy racing promoter. When he's not on the fast track, he moves in on female interests with equal speed. His main love interest is played by Mimsy Farmer in this dull feature plagued by a general feeling of boredom from the cast and crew. The film relies heavily on stock footage of races to pad the thin plot. Talia Shire, the sister of the second-unit director Francis Ford Coppola plays a small roll. Both would leave features like this in the dust to make memorable films at later dates. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fabian, Mimsy Farmer, (more)
Five years after achieving commercial and critical success with his film Three Kings, director and screenwriter David O. Russell returns to the more idiosyncratic territory of his earlier work with this intelligent and offbeat comedy. Bernard and Vivian Jaffe (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) are a married couple who run an existential detective agency where they sift through the lives of their clients in order to discover the source of their angst. The Jaffes' latest client is Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman), an environmental activist who has a very large rock and a great deal on his mind; their study of Albert's problems lead Bernard and Vivian to Brad Stand (Jude Law), a public relations executive with a chain of successful variety stores, Huckabees. While publicly allying himself with Albert's environmental initiatives, behind the scenes Brad is running roughshod over responsible land management with little care for the consequences. When Brad learns he's being watched by the Jaffes, he hopes to co-opt them by hiring them himself; however, the plan has unexpected consequences when their questioning leads Brad's girlfriend, well-scrubbed model Dawn (Naomi Watts), into reassessing her life and relationships. Meanwhile, Albert finds himself joining forces with Tommy (Mark Wahlberg), a firefighter and fellow environmentalist who has been having second thoughts about Bernard and Vivian's ideas and methods after a long-term investigation and has since fallen under the spell of nihilist poet and philosopher Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Schwartzman, Isabelle Huppert, (more)
