Tony Todd Movies
- 1986
- R
Mysterious and suspenseful, with a touch of the supernatural thrown in, this first feature by director Sara Driver follows Nicole (Suzanne Fletcher), a woman who works at a computer all day, through an odd and menacing series of events. Nicole has been translating an old Chinese manuscript, and the more she translates the stranger her life becomes. Surreal events seem to interrupt reality on a regular basis. A Japanese woman who worked on the manuscript has been killed, Nicole's roommate Isabelle (Ann Magnuson) develops some inexplicable problems, and now Nicole's son is missing after he fell asleep in Isabelle's car, which was then stolen. A desperate Nicole goes out looking for her son in a reality that seems less and less "real" all the time. This film was in competition at the 1987 U.S. Film Festival. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzanne Fletcher, Ann Magnuson, (more)
- 1986
In this comedy thriller, the words of the title Bang! You're Dead! are what anyone with a computer and foolish enough to let the mad scientist in this film gain access to it is likely to see, before something ingeniously awful happens to him. The scientist met an American schoolteacher at the Frankfurt airport as she was arriving to participate in a convention for teachers of German. Almost immediately, she gets embroiled in a series of adventures, beginning with the scientist having a heart attack, being taken in hand by emergency services, and then recovering sufficiently to give them (and her) the slip. She then encounters the doctor's assistant, who knows he is up to no good, and plans to find him and thwart his plan to wreak mayhem via computer. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingolf Lück, Rebecca Pauly, (more)
Helene Hanff's book 84 Charing Cross Road had previously been a TV program and a stage play before it was converted into this 1986 film. The scene is New York, 1949: Anne Bancroft plays a struggling writer and passionate bibliophile, who answers an advertisement from a rare-volumes bookshop at 84 Charing Cross Road in London. Thus begins a two-decade romance by correspondence between Bancroft and Briton Anthony Hopkins, the man in charge of the overseas department of Marks and Company. Though several meetings are arranged, Bancroft and Hopkins never come face to face thanks to mitigating circumstances. But Anne finally makes it to London, and finds that much has changed. 84 Charing Cross Road was produced by Mel Brooks, the husband of star Anne Bancroft. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, (more)
Oliver Stone's breakthrough as a director, Platoon is a brutally realistic look at a young soldier's tour of duty in Vietnam. Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a college student who quits school to volunteer for the Army in the late '60s. He's shipped off to Vietnam, where he serves with a culturally diverse group of fellow soldiers under two men who lead the platoon: Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger), whose facial scars are a mirror of the violence and corruption of his soul, and Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe), who maintains a Zen-like calm in the jungle and fights with both personal and moral courage even though he no longer believes in the war. After a few weeks "in country," Taylor begins to see the naïveté of his views of the war, especially after a quick search for enemy troops devolves into a round of murder and rape. Unlike Hollywood's first wave of Vietnam movies (including The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, and Coming Home), Platoon is a grunts-eye view of the war, touching on moral issues but focusing on the men who fought the battles and suffered the wounds. In this sense, it resembles older war movies more than its Vietnam peers, as it mixes familiar elements of onscreen battle with small realistic details: bugs, jungle rot, exhaustion, C-rations, marijuana, and counting the days before you go home. This mix of traditional war movie elements with a contemporary sensibility won Platoon four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, and a reputation as one of the definitive modern war films. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, (more)
- 1987
- R
In this violent crime drama, the residents of a New York City housing project live in fear of The Vampires, the brutal gang that continually terrorizes them. Things change after an insurance agent and a telephone repairman end up trapped there. Perhaps things would not be so desperate had the fellow not accidentally offended one of the gang members. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Frank, Ray Parker, Jr., (more)
Colors stars Robert Duvall and Sean Penn as partners on the LAPD's gang crime division. Duvall had hoped to spend more time with his family, but he's pulled back into active service because of a step-up in gang activity. He makes no secret of his contempt for his novice partner Penn, but eventually comes to rely on the younger man as a valuable street contact. The central crisis is the battle for supremacy between the "Crips" and the "Bloods", with every effort to call a truce stymied by the gang members themselves and by undue police intervention. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, (more)
Forest Whitaker stars as the brilliant jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker in this elegiac biopic. Director Clint Eastwood pays full homage to Parker's musical genius, but also devotes ample time to the musician's twin demons--drugs and alcohol-which accelerated his death at the age of 34. In his struggles to gain widespread acceptance for his music, "Bird" is forever stymied by his own self-destructiveness, and forever bailed out by the love of his life, Chan Richardson Parker (Diane Venora). The film bemoans the decline of the brand of jazz fathered by Parker, which came to be replaced by more conventional material -- as illustrated by the "descent" into the mainstream of Parker's mentor Buster Franklin. Also starring in Bird is Samuel E. Wright as Dizzy Gillespie. That's the real Charlie "Bird" Parker on the film's soundtrack, though most of the background music has been re-orchestrated. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, (more)
- 1989
Harry's daffy dad Buddy (John Astin) begins dating Amanda Caldwell (Karen Morrow), a fun-loving millionaire's widow. As Buddy and Amanda dance several nights away, Harry (Harry Anderson) wonders if he should inform the widow about his father's history as a mental patient--if she doesn't know already, that is! Meanwhile, Dan (John Larroquette) has lost his money, his home and his Mercedes, and is reduced to living in his increasingly gamy-looking office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After earning rave notices for powerful supporting turns as a pimp in Street Smart (1987) and an alcohol abuse counselor in Clean and Sober (1988), actor Morgan Freeman began his ascent to stardom with this, his first lead role in a major motion picture. Freeman is real-life high school principal Joe Clark, a tough, harsh educator and administrator who in 1987 is given a nearly impossible task by his old friend, school superintendent Dr. Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume). Clark is asked to reform inner city Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ, a hotbed of delinquent kids and drug dealers. Considered the worst school in New Jersey, the state is threatening to take control of Eastside away from the local school board. If Clark can straighten out Eastside in time to get the school's basic-skills test scores up, he can have the job permanently. Although Clark's tyrannical approach and hard-line policies alienate many members of the staff and the community, his uncompromising campaign gets results and even makes him famous, much to the chagrin of his powerful enemies. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Robert Guillaume, (more)
- 1990
- R
Most of this provocative made-for-cable television drama, takes place in the courtroom where a young white, female attorney tries to prosecute an African American ex-con for the assault of a prostitute. He is not only the prime suspect, he is also the only witness. Unfortunately, he may not get a fair trial, for the prosecutor may be using the case to settle a personal score. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Grey, (more)
- 1990
In this drama a bride, widowed on her wedding day when her husband was shot, investigates her late groom's past. She soon discovers why he was killed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Lucci, David Soul, (more)
- 1990
- R
Adapted from Night of the Living Dead scripter John Russo's pulp horror novel, this is a more old-fashioned living-dead romp in the mode of White Zombie. The story is set in the Deep South, where a diabolical, machete-wielding voodoo priest (Candyman's Tony Todd) is busily turning migrant farm workers into flesh-eating, living-dead slaves. His plans are disrupted by the arrival of two college students searching for a missing colleague -- who turns out to have been one of the priest's earlier zombie experiments. Good performances (especially from the menacing Todd) and creepy atmosphere are diluted by slack pacing, but the gory finale packs a horrific punch. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In this adventure, an alcoholic author and a research scientist join forces in the African bush as they endeavor to stop elephant poachers involved in selling black market ivory. On video, the film is known as Ivory Hunters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Lt. Worf is in for a jolt when he meets Kurn (Tony Todd), the younger brother he never knew he had. Complication piles upon complication as Worf is apprised by Kurn of several unsavory family secrets. The climax finds Worf and Kurn joining forces to defend their family's honor (and Worf's life) before the unsympathetic Klingon High Council. Scripted by Ronald D. Moore and W. Reed Morgan from a story by Drew Deighan, "Sins of the Father" first aired March 24, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Makeup wizard Tom Savini's color remake of George A. Romero's 1968 classic follows the original almost shot-for-shot, so quality comparisons are somewhat pointless. The film was clearly made for younger viewers who refuse to watch black-and-white films, no matter how good they may be. The result is passable, but the very fact that the original was made 22 years before makes this version seem almost dated in its restraint. By the time of its release, Romero had already geometrically raised the gore quotient with Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985), so Savini's starting back at square one further lessened the impact of this pointless retread. If this version has anything to offer, it is Patricia Tallman's engaging lead performance as a gun-toting independent woman, one of this film's few elements not lifted wholesale from Romero. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Todd, Patricia Tallman, (more)
- 1991
Love and Curses...And All That Jazz is a made-for-TV effort starring Gerald McRaney (who also directed) and his wife Delta Burke. The stars portray married MDs, who head to New Orleans to renew their vows (true Southerners both, they don't feel that their Northern wedding ceremony "took"). Upon arriving in Mardi Gras land, the couple becomes involved in a murder case tied in with a voodoo curse. If the film resembles the Thin Man movies of old, that was McRaney and Burke's avowed intention. Elizabeth Ashley also stars in this amiable vanity production. Filmed on location, Love and Curses...And All That Jazz premiered on September 21, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Originally broadcast June 22, 1991, this was not only Next Generation's 100th episode, but also the second of the series' season-ending cliffhangers. The crisis at hand is a power struggle within the higher circles of the Klingon empire, the outcome of which may allow Lt. Worf to restore his family's tattered honor. As civil war threatens to break out among the Klingons, Worf's own loyalties are torn between his people and the crew of the Enterprise. A former Next Generation regular makes a surprise appearance in this episode, which was written by Ronald D. Moore. Part one of "Redemption" ends on a freeze-frame and the superimposed title "To Be Continued," which back in 1991 meant that loyal fans would have to wait until September for the outcome. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Star Trek: The Next Generation inaugurated its fifth season with the conclusion of the fourth-season cliffhanger. The situation remains the same as in part one, with the Klingon Empire on the brink of a civil war. The source of the unrest is the Duras family, who Captain Picard suspects is in cahoots with the dreaded Romulans. Risking an apocalyptic war and sorely testing his friendship with his former Klingon officer Worf, Picard orders a Federation blockade on the Klingon/Romulan border. The former Next Generation regular who appeared in part one is again on hand, this time with full screen credit. Written by Ronald D. Moore, part two of "Redemption" first aired September 28, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
A vigilante (Anthony LaPaglia) who is systematically killing the crime lords in control of the Chicago mob crosses paths with a veteran detective (Louis Gossett Jr.) in this made-for-cable thriller. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Gossett, Jr., Anthony LaPaglia, (more)
- 1992
- R
In this exciting and violent crime drama, a drug dealer turned photojournalist returns to his old stomping grounds in L.A. and ends up entangled in a new drug scheme by his former pal. After stealing a fortune in drugs from a ruthless crime lord, the photographer must flee for his life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Bernard Rose followed his moody fantasy-thriller Paperhouse (1988) with this modern horror tale, based on Clive Barker's short story "The Forbidden". Compiling a thesis on urban legends, University of Illinois in Chicago graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) becomes aware of the prevalent superstition surrounding the legend of "Candyman" (Tony Todd)--a hook-wielding phantom who will appear if his name is recited five times into a mirror--among the tenants of Chicago's Cabrini Green project. A senior professor, hearing of Helen's research, explains the historical basis for the legend, detailing how Candyman is believed to be the vengeful spirit of a former slave who, though initially respected in academia, was set upon and mutilated by an angry mob when accused of taking a white mistress. When the clinically-detached Helen flaunts her intellectual confidence by reciting Candyman's name five times, she sets in motion an inevitable series of supernatural events -- culminating in a series of grisly killings, after which Helen is invariably found holding the bloody murder weapon. Though she is captured by the police, it becomes evident to Helen that Candyman is guiding her fate every step of the way. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, (more)
Martial arts hero Thomas Ian Griffith wrote, produced, and starred in this action thriller. Terry McCain (Griffith) is a Chicago police officer who is bent on revenge after his partners are killed by Mafia gunmen. McCain knows that he won't be able to get the justice he demands within the system, so he persuades his boss, Devlin (Lance Henriksen), to keep him off the list of suspects after he kills mob kingpin Sal DiMarco (Burt Young). McCain changes his mind about killing the crime boss, but someone else with a grudge guns down DiMarco instead; however, when he tries to meet with Devlin to explain what's happened, he's met by a squad of killers. McCain learns that his partner Frankie (Tony Todd) is actually still alive and was in cahoots with Devlin to steal $3 million in drug money away from DiMarco, a deal scotched by McCain's desire for revenge. The supporting cast includes James Earl Jones and Charlotte Lewis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Ian Griffith, Lance Henriksen, (more)
In this made-for-TV Western, the third and last in the Black Fox series, America is gripped by racial tension following the end of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, with Texas as no exception. A man goes on a warpath in search of the men who murdered his wife, while a former slave tries to find a safe haven from racist violence with the help of a childhood friend, whose parents owned the plantation where he and his family once worked. Good Men and Bad (also shown as Black Fox: Good Men and Bad) stars Christopher Reeve, Tony Todd, and Kim Coates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Reeve, Tony Todd, (more)
Christopher Reeve stars in this made-for-TV western drama in which a former slave looks to make peace between the Indians and homesteaders in the wild west. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Reeve, Tony Todd, (more)
In this made-for-television Western-drama, Alan Johnson (Christopher Reeve) and Britt Johnson (Tony Todd) are two ranchers living in Texas in the 1860s who are forced to take sides in an ugly domestic situation. Delores Holtz (Cyndy Preston) is the wife of Ralph Holtz (Chris Wiggins), a crude and violent man who mistreats his wife. One day she runs away to take up with Running Dog (Raoul Trujillo), chief of a local Indian tribe. Ralph wants to stage a raid to kill Running Dog and take back his wife, but will Alan and Britt join in or try to stop him? Black Fox: The Price of Peace was a sequel to the earlier TV movie Black Fox, and was later followed by a third film, Black Fox: Good Men and Bad.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Reeve, Tony Todd, (more)
