Gerard Tichy Movies

This fantasy-adventure is geared to the younger set. The saga begins when an American military plane is forced to explode an atomic bomb in the ocean, which brings up an ancient sea monster from his deep hibernation. When poor Capt. Barrios (Timothy Bottoms) is taking the watch on his ship, the monster surfaces and scuttles the vessel. A fellow sailor, mad as a hornet, accuses the Captain of being drunk and Barrios is stripped of his rank and threatened with a criminal trial. Anxious to prove he was right about the sea monster, the much-maligned Capt. Barrios sets out to locate a woman who has seen the beast, and to contact an expert who might be able to help. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this children's story about the son of a sea captain who falls in with a group of teenagers up against pirates, one adventure leads quickly into another as the teens fight off carnivorous ants, crocodiles, and last of all, marauding Arab slave dealers. In this last confrontation, the youngsters are saved in the nick of time by the Portuguese army, allowing the adults some say in the action. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

A young Catholic girl takes viewers through a changing Spanish political and social landscape as she develops from her confirmation day to adulthood. Her first experience with the real Spain comes when her Jewish godfathers cannot come to her confirmation. One of the godfathers, using a ring, poses an early challenge to her innocence that puts her in danger. He later returns, indirectly introducing her to a new boyfriend. If he is one of the symbols for Jewish life under Franco, or for a Judeo-Christian interaction, that interaction is complex. The young woman encounters different lovers as she grows into adulthood, but at the same time she is burdened with financially supporting her father and his own rather decadent lifestyle. Again, this difference in generations could be understood as a difference between the "new" and "old" Spain; it is up to the viewers to interpret the story elements as they decide. Darker sides of life and new layers of meaning are explored as the young woman and her boyfriend steal from a priest, and the story of rapist Caryl Chessman's execution in San Quentin, California is woven into the plot line. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Robert Mitchum's son Christopher heads the cast of this Italian melodrama. Despite the horrific title, the film is actually a Mafia yarn. Arthur Kennedy shows up as a WASP-ish Godfather type, while Barbara Bouchet is the love interest. The presence of Hollywood names in the cast was supposed to create a market for Cauldron of Death in the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This French film is one of the many efforts to film Jules Verne's novel, Mysterious Island. Here Captain Nemo is Omar Sharif, a seriously misanthropic man, who hides near a tropical island in his fabulous submarine. Flying in on a balloon are a number of refugees from a military dictatorship. The heroes of the story escape as Nemo battles pirates and an erupting volcano. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Spanish horror hack Paul Naschy (aka Jacinto Molina) plays a goofy supporting role as a deranged gravedigger in this quirky period variation on the zombie motif, set in a small highland village in (presumably) 19th century Scotland, where a stranger's arrival to claim an inheritance is met with apocalyptic visions (including the swinging female corpse of the title) and other evil omens. The town unearths a crypt full of horrors, including a devil-worshipping coven and throngs of the living dead who show up en masse for the standard gory climax. The Hanging Woman is one of Naschy's more interesting efforts, thanks to some lush settings, good photography, and period detail (rather uncommon for the Euro-zombie subgenre), and Naschy's performance is one of the film's highlights. This film is also known as Beyond the Living Dead. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Gino (Jean Servais) breaks out of jail and visits his friend Tony (Gary Lockwood) with a plan to rob an armored car. Although both men are motivated by greed, Tony says no to the risky proposition. When Gino is killed by some trigger-happy cops, Tony decides to avenge his death by going ahead with the robbery. Tony, a Vegas blackjack dealer, takes up with Ann (Elke Sommer), the private secretary of Shorsky (Lee J. Cobb), the owner of the armored-car company. With the help of some inside information from Ann, Tony and his henchmen pull off the heist, and the car seems to disappear in the desert. Treasury agent Douglas (Jack Palance) is called in to solve the mystery of the vanishing truck. As he closes in, the gang gets nervous when they can't open up the truck and everyone pulls out their guns in an unbridled display of greed and paranoia. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this espionage comedy, an American and a Russian agent find themselves double-crossed by a double agent who works for both of them. Also involved are a naive IBM computer operator, and the telephone operator at the hot-line center in Stockholm. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

During the twilight of World War II, American forces battle their German counterparts to find a noted Austrian atomic scientist who is marked for death. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

Set in fourth century Italy, this sword and sandal adventure retells the story of Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai as it follows the exploits of two brothers who gather a gallant group of ex-galley slaves and sail off to the Middle East to enact the downfall of a tyrant. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Ken Wood portrays Italian comic strip wrestler Superargo in this lively sci-fier. The gargantuan grappler is forced into combat with mad scientist Gerard Tichy, who plans to rule the world, or at least Italy. Tichy hopes to go the "Goldfinger" route by crippling the world's economy; his plan involves the manufacture of artificial gold. But with Superargo on the case, Tichy's plans blow up in his face (literally, as it turns out). Nobody is expected to take this imbroglio seriously, so if you go with the flow, you'll have a good time with this Italian live-action cartoon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi