Matt Clark Movies
Matt Clark is a distinguished character actor, with credits in both film and television for almost 40 years, who played diverse character roles in Westerns, comedies, and dramas.After serving in the Armed Forces, Clark acted in theater in the 1950s and '60s in Washington, D.C., and New York, before heading to Hollywood. The year 1967 saw the beginning of Matt Clark's long film career, with small roles in Will Penny and the Oscar winner for Best Picture of the Year, In the Heat of the Night. Clark's appearance in Will Penny started the actor's trend of character portrayals in the Westerns of distinguished directors, including Sydney Pollack's Jeremiah Johnson; John Huston's The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean; Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid; and Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales, with actors such as John Wayne, Robert Redford, and Paul Newman.
In the mid-'70s, Clark branched out into television movies, such as This Is the West That Was, and the Peabody Award-winning The Execution of Private Slovik, turning in excellent performances throughout the '80s and '90s. He also appeared as a regular in sitcoms, such as Grace Under Fire, or as a guest in shows including Bonanza and Rat Patrol.
Clark continued to maintain a big-screen presence. Two of his more memorable performances were his hilarious portrayal of the Secretary of Defense in the 1984 cult classic The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, and his role as Tom McMullen in the Jessica Lange/Sam Shepard film Country, made that same year.
Clark also directed a film adaptation of Hugh Leonard's play Da. Martin Sheen, Clark's colleague in Private Slovik, played the lead role of an Irish-American seeking his roots in his native land.
Clark continued his work with the 1998 film Claudine's Return, a romantic drama set on Dolphin Island off the Georgia coast. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1991
"Saying 'no' to Melanie could lead to murder--and more." Thus did the CBS Network publicity department lure the viewer into watching the made-for-TV Seduction in Travis County. Based liberally on fact, the film stars Lesley Ann Warren as an accused murderer. Peter Coyote is the dynamic, married young attorney whom Warren twists around her little finger. He wins her acquittal, and also her eternal deadly vigilance. Coyote says "no" to Warren--and we all know where it will lead. With traces of the 1950 Barbara Stanwyck film The File on Thelma Jordon, Seduction in Travis County delivers a few chills but very little believable motivation for the characters' actions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Coyote, (more)
The frequently used title An Eye for an Eye was applied to a Chuck Norris martial-arts festival in 1981. Norris plays Sean Kane, a San Francisco cop whose partner is murdered by an Oriental drug ring. Told to keep his distance by his superiors, Kane quits the force and sets out to exact vengeance. When he's not suffering from traumatic nightmares, our hero is single-handedly decimating every one of villain Morgan Canfield's (Christopher Lee) henchmen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee, (more)
- 1983
The dangers facing teenaged hitchhikers are forcefully brought home in this uncompromising ABC Afterschool Special. Though she has been warned never to hitch a ride, Andrea Cranston (Michele Greene) feels that she has no choice when she and her boyfriend are stranded in the middle of nowhere. Besides, the man offering the ride seems like such a nice, harmless fellow. But he is nothing of the kind, as Andrea learns to her horror when she is raped and abandoned. Unable to discuss her ordeal for several days, Andrea is further traumatized when she finally breaks down and tells her parents: her furious father threatens to kill her assailant, while her mother wants to keep the whole incident quiet. Meanwhile, the serial rapist who attacked Andrea is poised to strike again...and again....The winner of five Emmy awards, this film is based on Gloria D. Miklowitz' novel Did You Hear What Happened to Andrea? (which is also the drama's alternate VHS title). ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Greene, Moosie Drier, (more)
- 1988
Fenian (James Liu) is exiled from his small village for revealing his dreams that the plague will return after two centuries. He sets out to search for the mythical island of Avalon in this 15th-century adventure saga full of breathtaking scenery. Director John J. Anderson, a protégé of Ansel Adams, shows he was greatly influenced by the work of Werner Herzog. Spectacular photography from the British Isles, British Columbia, and Washington and Oregon in the Northwestern United States is the highlight of the film. Anderson's excellence in using natural light shows he has learned well from his mentor. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Liu, Elizabeth Yoffe, (more)
- 1990
The final installment in the Back to the Future trilogy picks up where the second film left off, but it casts off the dizzying time travel of the first two films for mostly routine comedy set in the Old West. Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) receives a 70-year-old letter from his inventor friend, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), who tells Marty that he has retreated a century in time to live out a relatively quiet life in the Old West. Doc Brown reveals that he hid his DeLorean car/time machine in an abandoned mine outside town, and when Marty does some research and discovers that the Doc died shortly after writing the letter, he decides to find the car, travel back in time, and warn the Doc about his demise. Meanwhile, the Doc, who has fallen in love with a local woman (Mary Steenburgen), realizes he can't hide in the past from the problems he has caused to the time flow in the previous two adventures. He reluctantly decides to return to the present with Marty, but first, they have to find a way to get the DeLorean up to time-travel velocity with a broken fuel line and no gasoline. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, (more)
This TV movie recounts the true-life story of a corporate takeover in the greed-driven 1980s. James Garner is F. Ross Johnson, CEO of RJR-Nabisco. Having just been burned by an expensive failure of a smokeless cigarette product, Johnson doesn't wish to incur the wrath of the stockholders. He begins drawing up plans to buy RJR-Nabisco outright so he'll have no one to answer to but himself. Unfortunately for Johnson, his company is also being coveted by sharkish "buyout king" Henry Kravis (Jonathan Pryce), who turns out to have $25 billion at his beck and call. Barbarians at the Gate was adapted by Larry Gelbart from the book by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. Advertised as a "docucomedy", the film premiered March 20, 1993, over the HBO cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
Victoria Principal plays the sightless but extremely independent wife of Stephen Macht, who is murdered by intruders in her presence (a harrowing sequence, even within TV standards). Though she could see nothing, Principal is counting on her sensory and olfactory reminiscences, as well as her own instincts, to help the police track down the murderer. Naturally, this results in the killer stalking the "helpless" Principal, who proves to be nothing of the sort. Victoria Principal not only starred in Blind Witness (working like a demon to make her blindness utterly convincing), but also functioned as the film's co-executive producer. This made-for-TV movie debuted on November 26, 1989, heralded by the requisite TV Guide cover story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Melissa Murphy is cast as Jenny Winters, who claims she can identify the outlaw Logan gang as the men who robbed a stagecoach and murdered the driver. Hoping to protect Jenny from the Logans, Joe Cartwright and Candy offer the girl shelter at the Ponderosa. What neither the good guys nor the bad guys know is that Jenny is a chronic liar, whose "eyewitness" yarn is a total fabrication. Others in the cast include Stefan Gierasch as Orvil Winters, Connie Hines as Hilda, Alan Baxter as Jim, and Bo Hopkins as Stretch. First shown on September 21, 1969, "The Witness" was written by Joel Murcott. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
Fact-based drama starring Robert Redford as Henry Brubaker, the new inmate at a run-down Southern prison that's become notorious for corruption and violence. After he witnesses several instances of gross misconduct and defuses a tense confrontation with a crazed inmate (Morgan Freeman), Brubaker reveals to the guards and administrators that he's not a criminal at all, but the new warden, assigned by the governor to infiltrate the facility undercover. His identity confirmed, Brubaker takes office and sets about shaping up policies and procedures, despite resistance from, incredibly, even some of the more entitled convicts. With the help of the prison's chief trustee (Yaphet Kotto) and a compassionate ally (Jane Alexander), the warden effects some positive change, but powerful business interests line up against him when his ideas threaten their financial bottom line. A reform-minded, socially conscious, and politically liberal picture of the type usually associated with director Norman Jewison, this fact-based prison drama was the result of a troubled production that saw original director Bob Rafelson replaced with Cool Hand Luke (1967) and The Amityville Horror (1979) helmsman Stuart Rosenberg. Despite the backstage turmoil, Brubaker was an acclaimed release and an Oscar-nominated, career-finale triumph for co-screenwriter Arthur A. Ross, creator of Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) and father of successful writer/director Gary Ross. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, (more)
When a young Caucasian military man is thrown into an all African-American barracks for punishment, he slowly earns the respect of his peers while they all are forced to contend with the prejudicial acts of a racist sergeant. Charlie Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Martin Sheen (who also directed) and others appear in this well-intentioned drama. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, (more)
- 1995
- R
- Add Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh to QueueAdd Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh to top of Queue
This sequel to director Bernard Rose's superb, metaphorical Candyman is a more straightforward Gothic horror project, discarding any association with the events of the previous film (which was based on the short story "The Forbidden" by horror surrealist Clive Barker) aside from the title entity, played again by the imposing Tony Todd. A melancholy but extremely deadly ghost, Candyman is revealed -- in a compelling sequence of flashbacks -- as the vengeful spirit of Daniel Robitaille, a black portraitist in post-Civil War Louisiana who was set upon and horribly mutilated by an angry white mob in retaliation for his affair with a plantation owner's daughter. In present-day New Orleans, at the height of Mardi Gras festivities (the film's title refers to the literal translation of the Latin "Carnival"), Candyman walks the realm of the undead, with a hook in place of the hand he lost to the lynch mob, waiting to be summoned by the recitation of his name five times into a mirror. The latest victims of his evisceration skills include members of the Tarrant family, with young schoolteacher Annie (Kelly Rowan) next in line. Her family's connection with the Candyman legend is eventually revealed when Annie visits the family estate to uncover the link between her ancestors and Daniel Robitaille himself. This is a well-executed horror film, with fine performances and good use of the subtle menace underlying the Mardi Gras ambience, but the deft hand of Barker is clearly absent, leaving a standard horror plot without the mythical resonance of the original. The chilling Philip Glass score is a definite plus, though. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan, (more)
- 1982
- R
A young man (David G. Brown) is bogged down by his family, farm and school life, but after the baseball coach convinces him to play, he finds a bit of comfort in the sport--which he also excels in. Although Kevin Costner is prominently featured on cover of the video release (to capitalize on the success of Field of Dreams), he appears only briefly in the film. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David G. Brown
A pair of lawyers must balance their professional principles (such as they are) against family loyalties in this courtroom drama. Jedediah Ward (Gene Hackman) is a leftist lawyer who has based his career on helping people avoid being taken for a ride by the rich and powerful; he's pursued principle at the expense of profit, though he has a bad habit of not following up on his clients after their cases are settled. Jed's daughter, Maggie (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), has had a bad relationship with her father ever since she discovered that he was cheating on her mother, and while she also has made a career in law, she has taken a very different professional route by working for a high-powered corporate law firm and has adopted a conservative political agenda. Jed is hired to help field a lawsuit against a major auto manufacturer whose station wagons have a dangerous propensity to explode on impact, but while his research indicates he has an all but airtight case against them, the case becomes more complicated for him when he discovers that Maggie is representing the firm he's suing. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, (more)
Released in the mid-1980s, this farm drama stars Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard as Jewell and Gil Ivy, who run a small farm in Iowa that has been in Jewell's family for several generations; her father Otis (Wilford Brimley) lives with them, along with their three children. While the work is hard and the earnings are slim, the Ivys have been able to get by, like most of their neighbors, until a one-two punch threatens to devastate the Iowa farming community. First, a tornado devastates the area, then the Farmers Home Administration calls in the loans on most of the farmers in the area, which they are in no position to repay. With thirty days to "voluntarily liquidate" their property, the Ivys, like most of their friends and neighbors, are desperate to find a way to hold on to their property, and when the stress causes Gil to buckle, Jewell must step in to keep the clan going. In addition to starring as Gil, Sam Shepard also contributed (without credit) to William D. Wittliff's screenplay; Wittliff was also slated to direct, but shortly after shooting began he was replaced by Richard Pearce. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard, (more)
In the tradition of such woman-in-jeopardy nail-biters as Extremities and Sleeping With the Enemy comes the ABC made-for-television pic Dead Before Dawn, starring small-screen vets Cheryl Ladd (Charlie's Angels) and Jameson Parker (Simon & Simon). Though to outsiders' eyes all is well in the life of suburban housewife Linda (Ladd), behind closed doors and shutters her socially impeccable husband, Jeff (Parker), turns into a satanic monster, beating the living hell out of his wife and children. In a desperate move, Linda files for divorce, but the vengeance-starved Jeff -- panic-stricken that Linda's in-court testimonies will decimate his career -- will stop at nothing to shut her up...even homicide. Kim Coates and Hope Lange (Death Wish) co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1977
A wiseacre, world-wise gumshoe teams up with a greenhorn policewoman and begin investigating the murder of his partner in this crime drama that was a pilot for a TV series. Their search leads them into the darkest corners of the city's thriving porno industry. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
- PG
Tim Matheson is Dreamer in this Rocky-like inspirational drama. Instead of boxing, the sport in question is bowling. "Dreamer" is a ten-pin whiz in his small town, but can he make it in the Big Time? In his favor, he has the help of irascible manager Jack Warden and faithful girlfriend Susan Blakeley. As if to boldly underline the resemblances between Dreamer and its cinematic role model, the musical score is by Rocky's Bill Conti. If you like bowling, Dreamer should be right up your...right up your.... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Matheson, Susan Blakely, (more)
In this gritty and violent period drama set in the depths of the Great Depression, Lee Marvin stars as "A No. 1", the acknowledged King of the Hoboes. A No. 1 is famous among his fellow tramps for his ability to catch a ride on any train, no matter how risky the hop or dangerous the guards. He acts as a sort of mentor for Cigaret (Keith Carradine), a young hobo who brags that some day he'll surpass A No. 1 in his accomplishments. But neither has had the courage to ride a train guarded by Shack (Ernest Borgnine), an unusually sadistic railroad cop who will brutally beat or even murder any man who tries to catch a ride on his train. A No. 1 is determined that no one, not even Cigaret, is going to deny him his title, so taking his life in his hands, he and Cigaret hop a ride on Shack's train, and they are soon bearing the full brunt of his violent nature. Emperor of the North features superb location photography by Joseph F. Biroc and a fine supporting cast, including Charles Tyner, Simon Oakland, Elisha Cook Jr., and Sid Haig. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, (more)
- 1992
- PG13
A rising young executive is ecstatic to learn that he is to be acting president at the small-town bank his company just purchased until he gets there and realizes that it is a sperm bank. This base little comedy centers on his attempts to make the place profitable and also chronicles the growing love between himself and the uptight but pretty biologist who works there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Long, Corbin Bernsen, (more)
- 1975
- PG
Hearts of the West (British title: Hollywood Cowboy) stars Jeff Bridges as Lewis Tater, a 1930s-era aspiring novelist who harbors dreams of becoming the next Zane Grey or Peter B. Kyne. He arrives in Nevada to seek out the correspondence school that has "graduated" him. After learning that he's been taken to the cleaners by crooks, he stumbles onto a threadbare film-unit grinding out "B" westerns. He is given a job by unit manager Kessler (Alan Arkin), then falls in love with spunky script girl Miss Trout (Blythe Danner). With the help of crusty stunt man Howard Pike (Andy Griffith), Tyler fends off the correspondence-school crooks who want the money that he has accidentally stolen from them. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Bridges, Andy Griffith, (more)
In this comedy thriller, set in northern California, inept but lovable pot farmers Jack Madsen (Billy Bob Thornton) and Carter (Hank Azaria) work for San Francisco entrepreneur Malcolm Stockman (John Lithgow), who arrives for a visit via copter. As soon as Malcolm steps out, the copter pilot shoots him and takes off, leaving the two aghast along with apprentice Harlan (Ryan Phillippe). Minus a boss, the naive trio deduces no paychecks are forthcoming, so they collect cannabis for a big payoff and head to the nearby town where they meet up with go-between Lucy (Kelly Lynch). However, their explanations of Malcolm's whereabouts and their sudden need to sell some of the crop arouse suspicions, while their lazy days on the dope farm have left them unprepared as businessmen seeking buyers for millions in contraband. They soon find themselves in a shadowy new world of greed, paranoia, and duplicity. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Bob Thornton, John Lithgow, (more)
- 1970
- PG
Set in a small Wisconsin town (even though it was actually filmed in Canada), this is the story of a young man living in the 60s. He has his own rock band, of course, and is against the war, of course. Despite some good performances, notably by Alex Nicol, the remainder of the movie is somewhat hackneyed and cliched...standard teenage angst, rebel without a cause...trying to deal with the chaotic social situation of the sixties. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Scardino, Alex Nicol, (more)
Clint Eastwood put his tough-guy image on hold for this personal project, which follows a musician taking one final chance at the big time. Red Stovall (Eastwood) is a would-be country singer who has been bouncing around the margins of the music business for years. With nowhere in particular to go, Red arrives at the failing Oklahoma farm of his sister for an extended visit, where her son Whit (Kyle Eastwood) quickly bonds with his uncle. However, it's obvious that Red is in very poor health, drinking heavily and breathing with difficulty, and when Red is invited to audition for the Grand Old Opry in Nashville, Whit tags along for the road trip to keep an eye on his ailing uncle. En route, Red and Whit are joined by Whit's grandfather (John McIntire) and another hopeful vocalist, Marlene (Alexa Kenin), who like Red is chasing her own dreams of stardom on the Opry. Clint Eastwood performed his own vocals and guitar work for Honkytonk Man, and a number of Nashville legends appear in cameo roles, including Marty Robbins, Porter Wagoner, Ray Price, Merle Travis, and Johnny Gimble. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood, (more)
- 1982
Real-life father and son Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez star in the made-for-TV In the Custody of Strangers. Blue-collar Sheen and his wife Jane Alexander attempt to instill discipline in their three growing children. But their 16-year-old son Estevez chafes at their authoritative attitudes, and runs seriously afoul of the law. Picked up on a drunk-driving charge, Estevez is charged with assault and battery when he fights off the sexual advances of his cellmate. His release continually delayed by judicial red tape, Estevez holds his parents, who are virtually helpless within the strictures of the Law, responsible for the mess he's in. But the real villain of the piece is not a person but an entity: The juvenile justice system, which is overworked, understaffed and swamped with dead-end bureaucracy. Scripted by Jennifer Miller, In the Custody of Strangers debuted on May 26, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
