Ed Bogas Movies

A modern, light-hearted version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth (superstitiously known to theater types as "the Scottish play"), this romantic comedy was adapted, produced, and directed by Mackinlay Polhemus, who cast several family members in key roles. Josiah Polhemus plays Mack, a poet who returns to his hometown of Inverness, Scotland, where he encounters his three eccentric maiden aunts, who inform him presciently that he will marry Beth (played by the film's producer, Ann Boehlke). Mack's been secretly in love with Beth for many years, but she is engaged to marry his brother in one week. Mack knows that his brother is only marrying Beth in order to worm his way into the good graces of her wealthy father, a lawyer with a thriving firm. Unable to break up the relationship without destroying his family, Mack returns to his current residence in Inverness, California, resigned to the inevitable confrontation and confession. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

In this gentle comedy drama, a singer and her aimless beau fight to save the home of a group of elderly people. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Charles Schultz' Peanuts gang once more transfer their base of operations from the comic pages to the big screen. Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and the rest are exchange students this time out, taking in the sights of England and France. Charlie Brown's dog Snoopy finds himself competing at the Wimbledon tennis championship, shortly before everyone moves on to the Continent. In France, the gang is ensconced in a lavish chateau thanks to an unseen benefactor. Producers Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez do their usual excellent job in bypassing corniness and sentiment, allowing Charlie Brown et. al. to maintain the integrity established years earlier by the prolific Charlie Schultz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Academy Award-winning documentary focuses upon Robert and Dorothy DeBolt, a California couple with six children of their own-and 13 adoptees and/or legal wards. The DeBolt's extended family includes black, Korean, and Vietnamese children, many of whom are physically challenged. In cinema verite fashion, we are shown the courageous adjustments made by the handicapped children, particularly Karen, who was born without legs or forearms, and J.R., a blind paraplegic. Introduced and narrated by Henry Winkler, this life-affirming feature was cut from its original 72 minutes to 50 when it was first networkcast December 17, 1978. Even in its truncated form, the telecast was honored with an Emmy award for "outstanding individual achievement-informational program." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This feature-length animated cartoon was based on the "Peanuts" characters created by comic-strip artist Charles M. Schultz. The gang is shipped off to summer camp, where Charlie Brown gets a "Go away and leave me alone" bunkmate, and where CB's beagle Snoopy ends up winning most of the athletic trophies. The Snoop also has a running feud with a mean-spirited pussycat. Meanwhile, budding feminist Lucy organizes an anti-boy campaign amongst the girl campers. The bulk of the action transpires when the gang builds a raft to enter a dangerous shoot-the-rapids race, only to be outclassed by the professionally built vessel picked up by their competitors. Happily, pluck and luck wins out over arrogance and mean-spiritedness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this film, also released under the title Crazy Jack and the Boy, a young autistic boy, Eric (Ian Geer Flanders), loses himself in the woods while on a visit to the California wilderness. As his parents organize a search party for him, he is discovered by a hermit known as Crazy Jack, who manages to reach the troubled boy. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

A musician finds his life and his career jumping off the rails in this moody, intelligent drama. Maury Dann (Rip Torn) is a singer and songwriter struggling to hold onto his footing as one of the top names in country & western music. This being 1972, long before the Nashville sound had gone "mainstream," Dann has a new Cadillac and a small entourage to show for his efforts, but most of his shows are one-nighters at beer-soaked honky tonks in the Deep South. Onstage Maury Dann comes off as a soft-hearted good ol' boy, but off the stand, Dann is a mean-spirited hell raiser with a nearly unquenchable appetite for booze, pills, and women. Over the course of a seemingly typical day and a half, Dann steals a fan's girlfriend; ditches his longtime mistress, Mayleen (Anna Capri); picks up a naïve groupie named Rosamond (Elayne Heilveil) and gives her a crash course in life on the road; fires his guitar player (and best friend) and hires a starry-eyed teenager as his replacement; tries to bribe a disc jockey with booze and free records; has a harrowing run-in with his speed-addicted mother (Cara Dunn); discovers he's missed his son's birthday by four months; and, in cahoots with his manager, Clarence (Michael C. Gwynne), fast-talks his loyal driver, cook, and gofer, Chicago (Cliff Emmich), into taking a possible murder rap. While Payday earned excellent reviews (particularly for Rip Torn's superb performance as Maury Dann) and a handful of awards (Daryl Duke's direction won him a citation from the National Association of Film Critics, while Don Carpenter's screenplay received a prize from the Writer's Guild of America) the film's downbeat themes made it a tough sell. However, Payday gained a cult following, and more than one "outlaw" country star of the 1970s has been said to claim the film was based on his own true story. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide