Joey Travolta Movies
Inasmuch as Joey Travolta enjoyed his fifteen minutes of fame after his brother John ascended to stardom, many jaundiced observers assumed that Joey was the typical "kid brother" coasting on his sibling's celebrity. In fact, Joey was two years older than John. Also, both Joey and his older sister Ellen Travolta had been professional actors in the New York area for several years before kid brother John hit it big with Saturday Night Fever. Largely lacking his brother's charisma, Joey has nonetheless made a comfortable living as a character actor over the past two decades, appearing in projects ranging from the made-for-TV Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982) to the destined-for-oblivion Beach Babes from Beyond (1988). Joey Travolta has also landed a leading role or two, notably as conscience-stricken ex-CIA agent Frank DaVinci in 1993's DaVinci's War. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Produced by Joey Travolta, Taylor Cross and Keri Bowers' documentary Normal People Scare Me aims to help the general public better understand autism. At six years old, Cross was diagnosed with autism. Despite being an internationally recognized autism expert, even his mother Bowers faced some serious battles while attempting to understand her son. At age fourteen, Cross got the idea to make a film about autism so that others could understand his struggles. Enter Travolta, who leapt at the opportunity to mentor the filmmakers so they could get their message to the masses. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Graham Nash
Directed by Joey Travolta, the thriller Final Move concerns a detective with extrasensory perception who is pulled out of his retirement in order to solve an unsolved murder. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Schulze, Lochlyn Munro, (more)
- 2002
Lee Majors, Alison Eastwood, and Derek Hamilton star in writer/director Joey Travolta's supernatural story of a murdered father who returns from the afterlife in order to save his son from meeting a similarly grim demise. Sixty year old family man Bucko Cassidy (Lee Majors) has just been murdered for refusing to sell his homestead, and now it's looking as if his son Junior (Hamilton) is next on the list to die. Upon returning to Earth in spirit form to help his son, Bucko discovers that not only has Junior incurred the wrath of soma particularly dangerous men, but that his marriage to Ellie Rachel Wilson) is in dire straits as well. Should the marriage collapse, Junior will be forced to sell both his house and the family junkyard in order to satisfy the divorce settlement. It's only been six months since Junior buried Bucko, and lately the weight of the loss combined with the stress of his failing marriage is taking a heavy toll on him. Thankfully, despite the fact that there's some serious paperwork to be filled out before Bucko can truly return to Earth, he's been granted permission to temporarily come back in spirit form. But Junior is the only person who can see or hear Bucko, and now his friends and family are convinced that he's finally lost his marbles. Perhaps if Bucko can draw out the unique abilities that Junior possessed in his previous incarnations, his besieged son can finally summon the courage to confront his many problems with the confidence needed to truly solve them once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Majors, Derek Hamilton, (more)
Young marrieds Lori (A.J. Cook) and Tom (Matthew Harrison III) relocate from Chicago to the country where they end up living next to Carl (James Russo), a right-wing radical who beats his wife, Helen (Theresa Russell). When Tom goes away for a few days, Lori, with the help of best friend, Monica (Sean Young), investigates the disappearance of Helen. Of course, this isn't the best idea, since it involves sneaking into gun-nut Carl's house in the middle of the night. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
David Snedeker directs this nutty indie flick about a couple of wacky neurotic 20-something New Yorkers. After Gen-X loser Parker Concord (Jonathan Schaech) accidentally burns down his own apartment, he crashes at the pad of his womanizing buddy Jack, who lives by the credo that "New York is a dessert tray of beautiful women." Not unlike Jack Tripper in Three's Company, Parker is forced to hide his heterosexuality in order to get a really cool apartment with comely young female Sam (Alison Eastwood), who only rents to gay men. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnathon Schaech, Gabrielle Anwar, (more)
How does a man convince the woman he loves that attempting to make him the toast of Broadway could be a really bad idea? Paul Halpern (David Paymer) is a cynical, middle-aged comedy writer who primarily works in television. Paul once had dreams of becoming a successful playwright, but after a passionate, short-lived relationship with a beautiful woman, he wrote a stage drama that became a notorious flop when it was presented for the first (and only) time by a Los Angeles theater company. Paul has come to believe that his play is cursed, and he has spent years trying to distance himself from the ill-fated project. Paul is more single than he'd like to be these days, and he's encouraged when he's approached by Carla (Rosalind Chao), an attractive, intelligent woman who seems quite fond of him. However, while Carla is attracted to Paul personally, she also has a professional interest in him. Carla is a director who wants to stage Paul's play in New York, and while he'd like to make her happy, he thinks it would be inviting disaster to put his drama back on the boards. Enemies of Laugher also features Judge Reinhold as a filmmaker directing a documentary about Paul, Peter Falk and Bea Arthur as Paul's parents, and cameos from Marilu Henner and Kathy Griffin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Paymer, Judge Reinhold, (more)
A white-collar criminal meets a blue-collar small-time crook who thinks he's stumbled into a major score in this crime comedy. Bob (David Paymer) is a slightly geeky computer programmer who decides to turn on his boss and make a big killing. He steals a highly valuable set of computer codes from his workplace and offers to sell them to their competitors. Bob's plan seems to be working out fine, until he makes the mistake of discussing his plan on a bus within earshot of a drifter (Casper Van Dien) who overhears that Bob expects a seven-figure payday for the data. The drifter lifts the briefcase with Bob's stolen goods, and Bob discovers he now has a partner in crime. Bob has little choice but to play along, though his lack of enthusiasm becomes acute when the drifter's former girlfriend, a pair of Japanese agents, a detective, and several other hangers-on are all hot on their trail. Partners also features Vanessa Angel, Seiko Matsuda, Jennifer Lewis, and Donna Pescow. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Casper Van Dien, Vanessa Angel, (more)
- 1999
Joey Travolta directed this comedy-drama for the family. Two children from the city spend the summer at their grandfather's ranch where they make a new friend -- Mel, grandpa's giant turtle who can do tricks and loves pancakes. But while Grandfather and the kids are all very attached to Mel, one of his neighbors is opening a theme park and wants Mel as their official mascot ; he's willing even to steal him if Grandfather won't turn him over willingly. Julia Hagerty, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Scalia, and Greg Evigan star. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Hagerty, Greg Evigan, (more)
The third entry in the popular Beverly Hills Cop series finds Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returning yet again to Southern California, this time on the trail of two car thieves turned murderers. As he teams up again with L.A. cop Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), Foley's investigation leads him to Wonder World, a theme park that is also the front for a major counterfeiting ring. More action and less wit are the trademarks of this film, which features Murphy dishing out his usual wisecracks, but with less flair and freshness than in the original film. Alan Young plays the old man who runs the amusement park, an interesting setting that still adds little to the tired premise. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, (more)
In this action drama, Frank DaVinci is out to avenge the murder of his sister. To follow through with his vendetta he enlists the aide of a hired killer and a group of Vietnam Vets. Violence and explosions ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Three buxom bimbos from outer space go for an intergalactic joyride in a sporty little ship only to run out of fuel and make a forced landing on a small blue planet--Earth. They land upon a California beach and get involved with a few handsome beach bums. When the galaxy gals learn that beatnik Bud, an uncle of one the surfer dudes, is about to lose his beat-up beach pad because he can't afford to repair it, they decide to enter a bikini contest. They certainly have what it takes with their uniquely designed suits, but can they outwit an over-ambitious swimwear designer who will do anything to stop them? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A ruthless drug lord must be stopped, pronto. Three able-bodied cops go undercover to bring the drug dealer to justice -- or, preferably, to kill him. Once in a while, the bad guys call a halt to the film's bloodshed to allow a sex scene to play itself out. Otherwise, this is essentially cable-TV stuff, blown up (sometimes literally) for the Big Screen. A good cast, headed by Michael Nouri and John Saxon, is the film's most tangible asset. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
This violent crime drama is based on a well-known rape that happened in New York City's Central Park. The story is set in LA and concerns the disgusting practice of "wilding' in which a group of frenzied, affluent suburban youths go on terrifying crime sprees raping, murdering and pillaging anyone they come upon. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A teenager takes his penchant for old-school mobster movies too far in this debut film from director Joseph Merhi. The youngster has nothing but revenge on his mind when his father turns up dead, the victim of foul play. Mimicking his beloved gangster films, he takes the law into his own hands and sets out to even the score. American Born stars Joey Travolta and Andy Zeller. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
During the late '80s, a terrible fad, wilding, came into vogue among troubled inner-city youth. Wilding involved nights of insane revelry, violence, and destruction of anything and anyone in the path of a youth gang. This made-for-TV drama is loosely adapted from the tale of a female victim who was beaten-up and gang raped in Central Park during a night of wilding. Afterward three suspects are arrested and a notorious defense attorney is assigned the case. Unfortunately he isn't sure he wants to handle them as they keep killing anyone who stands in the way of their acquittal including the prosecutor, the attorney's still loved ex-wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
A young naive man is the victim of mob violence, and he sets out for revenge. ~ All Movie Guide
In this film, the violence and despair that runs rampant in their New York City neighborhood forces an Italian family to find a way to survive in their unpleasant surroundings. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
The 1987 portmanteau comedy feature Amazon Women on the Moon lampoons several film genres in general and the 1954 sci-fi cheapie Cat Women of the Moon in particular. Other sketches in Amazon Women include an opening bit with Arsenio Hall; a vignette titled "Son of the Invisible Man" wherein a naked Ed Begley Jr. runs around in full view of the nonplussed supporting cast; the It's Alive parody "Hospital", which offers the spectacle of Michelle Pfeiffer giving birth to Mr. Potato Head; and a Siskel & Ebert takeoff, featuring Arche Hahn as a TV viewer whose entire life is given a "thumbs down." Directed by several hands, including Joe Dante, Carl Gottleib, Peter Horton, John Landis, and Robert K. Weiss, Amazon Women on the Moon also features a satire of the Kroger G. Babb school of "sex hygiene" exploitation cheapies, with syphilis victim Carrie Fisher being counseled by unctuous doctor Paul Bartel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosanna Arquette, Ralph Bellamy, (more)
- 1982
This for Remembrance, the autobiography of popular singer Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002), was the source for this made-for-TV biopic. Played herein by Sondra Locke, the Kentucky-born Clooney begins her career as one-half of a musical act with her sister Betty (Penelope Milford), performing at the election rallies of her politician uncle (John Karlen). Achieving radio popularity in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rosemary goes on to enjoy nationwide fame in the 1950s with such hit recordings as "Come On A' My House", "Tenderly" and "Hey There". Though her success in movies is negligible (White Christmas notwithstanding), she makes a huge impact on television, hosting several of her own weekly series. All the while, however, Rosemary's private life is in turmoil, due in great part to a tempestuous marriage to actor-director Jose Ferrer (played by, of all people, Tony Orlando). After the assassination of her great friend Robert Kennedy in 1968, Rosemary suffers a nervous breakdown, and it is many years before she is able to make a triumphant comeback on the concert trail. Rosemary Clooney herself serves as the singing voice of Sondra Locke, and also dubs in the tunes performed by the actress playing sister Betty. Had Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story aired on CBS a decade or so after its original telecast on December 18, 1982, mention might have been made of the subsequent success of Clooney's actor son Miguel Ferrer and her TV-star nephew George Clooney; there might even have been a re-enactment of Rosemary's third marriage, capriciously staged at a White Castle restaurant in Cincinnati. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
- R
A con artist and his friends join an attempt to steal from the local organized crime syndicate, which they discover turns out to be a set up. The group escapes and they hide out at the thief's newly inherited dairy farm. While reconsidering their chosen profession and deciding to become law-abiding citizens, they still must elude the reach of the still-angry mobsters out for revenge. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
- R
Assistant District Attorney Theresa (Joan Severance) is getting threatening messages -- a mutilated cat in her car, bizarre notes regarding her attempts at getting pregnant -- pressuring her to purposely lose a high-profile case of a suspected serial killer who shot a detective. When her high-strung surgeon husband (Nick Mancuso) is kidnapped, and a finger with his wedding ring is found frying in a pan in Theresa's kitchen, she calls for help from Michael D'Angelo (C. Thomas Howell), a disgraced alcoholic detective who frequents bondage nightclubs and was recently dismissed from the force. The two are former lovers, and the stress of the continued slayings of prostitutes, the kidnapping of her husband, and the icky-sicky messages rekindle their passion for each other. But then Theresa discovers who all the clues to the killings and mysterious goings-on point to. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- C. Thomas Howell, Joan Severance, (more)
In this lurid direct-to-video crime thriller a Las Vegas policeman's superiors send him to hide out at a Navajo reservation after he states his determination to testify against the gangsters who killed his partner. There he gets involved with an Indian lady-police-officer and starts investigating a series of strange ritual murders. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Bauer, Irene Bedard, (more)
Someone is trying to get to West Coast gangster Frank DaVinci in this exploitational actioner. They are doing a good job too. So far, masked murderers have killed his bride and most of his henchmen. One of those gang members killed was the lover of the voluptuous Colette who decides to hide out until things settle down. Three months pass and finally Colette is able to get in touch with Frank in Las Vegas. She tells him that she is a CIA agent and that she and he are being stalked by a renegade agent, her former boss, Jameson. He wants her because he believes that she holds a CD-ROM that contains very incriminating information about his drug-smuggling activities in Vietnam. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Nicole Smith, Joey Travolta, (more)
