Marcel Van Heerden Movies
Devoted groom-to-be Elvis (Kenneth Nkosi) sets out on a 1,800-kilometer South African road trip in order to give his fiancée, Ayanda (Zandile Msutwana), a European-style dream wedding, but finds that getting there won't be easy thanks to his best friend, Tumi (Rapulana Seiphemo), and a wandering English doctor named Rose (Jodie Whittaker). Meanwhile, as Ayanda begins to question Elvis' commitment, her opinionated mother weights in with her own thoughts about choosing European tradition over African tradition, and a handsome old boyfriend shows up with a suspicious agenda. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kenneth Nkosi, Rapulana Seiphemo, (more)
- 1997
This comedy, a British/South African co-production, takes place in Johannesburg in the post-apartheid era, and it follows six characters once culturally separated under the old regime, but now struggling to deal with each other under the new and more enlightened government. All working class, each of the six South Africans have their own issues to deal with as the once-divided nation learns to live with freedom and equality. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1990
- R
In this thriller a Chicago policeman grows suspicious after his daughter does not return from a modeling assignment on a Caribbean island. He flies out to find her and finds himself in some rather strange situations. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kris Kristofferson, Jeffrey Meek, (more)
- 1989
Mapantsula was financed and filmed in South Africa, where it gained its widest distribution. Thomas Mogotlane stars as a black small-time thief. He spends the greater part of his life in jail, where he refuses to knuckle under to the race-motivated sadism of his white captors. The film doesn't solve much, but is good audience material, practically guaranteed to arouse anyone who's been beaten down by "the system." Mapantsula was lensed in a saturated European process known as Agfacolor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Thomas Mogotlane, Marcel Van Heerden, (more)
This futuristic drama offers the classic story of Shane seved up with a few Mad Max moments and some interesting twists. The tale is set in the smouldering, decimated post-World War III town of Meridian, where locals scrabble to keep their meager farms watered in the midst of a desert wasteland. Bad-guys - a powerful landowner and his cronies - try to monopolize the precious local water supplies by bullying, kidnapping and even murdering citizens. To this beleaguered place comes the enigmatic swordsman/ warrior Nomad who has come in search of his mentor's killer. The town takes him on as their "Peacemaker" and he is able to end their problems and get his revenge to boot. The story was filmed on location in the deserts of South Africa. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Swayze, Lisa Niemi, (more)
- 1987
Tim Shaw (Kevin McCarthy) is a retired army officer enjoying the life of a farmer on a ranch in South Africa. When a plane bound for Nairobi is hijacked by Arab terrorists, he calls on military veterans to intervene on behalf of the airborne hostages. Karen Black and Wings Hauser co-star in this routine action thriller. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Wings Hauser, Karen Black, (more)
- 1980
A honeymooning couple take a vacation in a remote country bungalow. Before long, they're visited by two moronic intruders. Terror, assault, and rape are inevitable. As indicated by the title, there are sinister forces beyond human comprehension at work here. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
