Paul Tinder Movies

Terrence McNally's stage play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune was a two-character piece, which starred Kathy Bates and F. Murray Abraham on Broadway. Garry Marshall's film version of the McNally play streamlines the title to Frankie and Johnny, expands the dramatis personae to include at least a dozen fascinating characters, and "glamorizes" the decidedly unglamorous Frankie and Johnny in the forms of Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino (their first co-starring stint since Scarface). Purists carped at the changes, but overall the film is likeable enough to transcend these carps. While serving an 18-month sentence on a forgery charge, Johnny (Al Pacino) discovers the joys of cooking and classical literature. Upon his release, he is hired by gruff but good-hearted New York diner owner Nick (played by Garry Marshall "regular" Hector Elizondo). Also working for Nick is a waitress named Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer). When Johnny expresses interest in Frankie, she keeps him at arm's length, her mistrust of men stemming from an unmentioned but obviously traumatic experience in her past. Eventually, however, Frankie and Johnny do get together, their curious relationship setting the stage for a dramatic denouement wherein both lovers bare their souls. The bulk of the original McNally play is concentrated in the film's final 20 minutes; the rest of the picture is a kaleidoscope of comic and poignant vignettes and quick-sketch character studies. Of the newly minted characters, the standout is Nathan Lane in the traditional "gay best friend/severest critic" role: he plays the character so effectively that one forgets he's essentially a cliché. As for the stars, Al Pacino is ideally cast as Johnny, but Michelle Pfeiffer, superb though she is, seems a bit ill at ease as the emotionally tattered Frankie; she totally wins the audience's hearts, however, in the film's memorable bowling-alley sequence. Smoothing over the rough spots in Frankie and Johnny is the evocative musical score by Marvin Hamlisch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

First airing on television, this campy romantic fantasy stars Vanna White (best known as the "letter turner" on the long-running TV game show Wheel of Fortune) as Venus, the goddess of love. Normally she lives in Mount Olympus with the other Grecian gods, but when a hairdresser accidentally revives her statue, Venus has no choice but to return to the mortal plane. Once there, she must earn the love of a modern man or else she will be forever banished from Mount Olympus. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Face (Dirk Benedict) is given a trial membership at an exclusive country club, an honor that proves to be a mixed blessing when he finds out that Murdock (Dwight Schultz) is already a guest at the club--and that the A-Team's perennial nemesis Fullbright (Jack Ging) is a fully paid-up member. But that's not the worst of it; another member, crooked bank executive McKeever (Kevin McCarthy), is masterminding an elaborate counterfeiting scheme right on the club grounds. Ingredients vital to the action are a deadly golf game, an escape on a private jet, and a most unusual celebrity "roast." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Not exactly meant for intellectuals or feminists, this juvenile comedy-drama centers around the competition between a decaying, old-fashioned gas station and that of a sleek, modern version across the street. Neither Uncle Joe (Huntz Hall) nor his station are doing well. So niece June (Kirsten Baker) comes to the rescue, enlisting three buxom friends with names like April (Sandy Johnson) and January (Rikki Marin) who help fill out the rest of the calendar year, and occasionally fill up tanks when not disco dancing in the garage. Using the only weapons they have, the young women wear as little as possible to distract the competition, to attract customers, to distract the gangsters sent over to teach them a lesson, and to distract attention away from the script. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide