Marcello Coscia Movies
- 1986
Momo (Radost Bokel) is a ten-year-old orphan girl who tries to save her village from the evil clutches of the Grey Men in this uneven children's story. Led by Chief Grey Man (Armin Muller-Stahl), the Grey Men have managed to make the villagers give up all their leisure time. Momo must get to the rococo palace where the time guardian Hora (John Huston) stands in her way. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Radost Bokel, John Huston, (more)
- 1981
In this farcical comedy of errors, Marcello (Renzo Montagnani), a man devoted to his glorious single life, finds out that he can only receive an inheritance from his mother if he marries - and that is just out of the question. Meanwhile, he must somehow make his father - now a bishop living in Brazil - believe that he plans to soon tie the knot. That is where Amelia (Barbara Bouchet) enters the picture. As Marcello works on his deception, many loopy characters weave in and out of the story: Amelia's brother who loves to wear any great costumes he can find, a gardener obsessed by the subject of bombs, an Arab sheik, and other unlikely figures. Meanwhile, Amelia's real boyfriend Stefano (Gianni Cavina) is always a force that cannot be ignored. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Bouchet, Renzo Montagnani, (more)
When state officials test out a new experimental pest-control device that uses subsonic waves to kill insects, it produces an unwelcome but interesting side-effect: the noise is enough to wake the dead -- literally -- and the corpses of the recently deceased begin to rise from their dirt-naps with ravenous appetites for warm human flesh. Since the predicted zombie jubilee starts off with more than a whimper than a bang (actually it's more of a wheeze, since these are particularly asthmatic undead), viewers are left with a rather mundane police drama as clueless detectives try to pin the mutilation murders on a group of free-wheeling hippies. Despite high production values and some audacious gore effects by Giannetto De Rossi (who would later lend his splattery talents to Lucio Fulci's Zombie and many more Italian zombie films), this Spanish/Italian co-production falters in the middle thanks to sluggish pacing and dull investigation scenes, which are devoid of suspense since the zombies' existence is already made known. Also released under the quaint title Breakfast at the Manchester Morgue, among others. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
In this comic sequel to When Women Had Tails, a group of prehistoric men and women experiment with the recently discovered phenomenon of sex. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- R
This situation sex comedy falls somewhere in between vulgarity and burlesque. Ulli (Giuliano Gemma) and his six cave-dwelling cronies try to learn all the conveniences of their era -- like building fires, using the wheel, and perfecting the use of tools and weapons. A fire engulfs their tiny island and the men are forced to take a raft to the unknown mainland. There Ulli meets Filli (Senta Berger), and he spends his time trying to make her his monogamous girlfriend by discouraging others who desire her for their own. Ennio Morricone provides the music to this feature, which was a surprising box-office hit in Italy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giuliano Gemma, Senta Berger, (more)
- 1970
- R
The classic story of evil by Oscar Wilde is a plodding, campy, trashy production that gives the viewer moments of unintentional laughter. Dorian Gray (Helmut Berger) is the vain young Englishman who sells his soul to the devil to remain eternally youthful in appearance. His portrait is being painted by Basil (Richard Todd), much to the delight of his first true love Sybil (Marie Liljedahl). Lord Henry Wolton (Herbert Lom )is Dorian's partner in collaborating with evil. Gray remains the same but the picture reflects his image to show the ravages of old age and time. The drama, mystery and psychology of the original book is absent from this poorly made remake done 25 years earlier. Herbert Lom goves the only noteworthy performance of the film. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helmut Berger, Richard Todd, (more)
A group of international jewel thieves band together to pull off a huge heist in this suspenseful caper film that was shot in Europe, New York, and Brazil. The adventure begins in Rio where a burned out school teacher (Edward G. Robinson) decides to chuck his unfulfilling career and try to steal some of the diamonds he sees being delivered to the gem company across the street from his classroom. Realizing that the theft must be carefully planned and delicately executed, he heads for New York to gain the assistance of an old friend, a crime boss (Adolfo Celi) who then gathers an outlaw group comprised of an electronics expert, a safecracker, a gigolo, and an ex-mercenary. They make their plans and head back to Rio when the city is engulfed in Carnival celebrations. Unfortunately, they quickly learn that the diamond company has installed a nearly impenetrable new security system called Grand Slam 70. While altering their plans, the company secretary (Janet Leigh) gets suspicious and makes a few plans of her own. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, Janet Leigh, (more)
- 1967
In this drama, a CIA agent must race against time to find a purloined nuclear bomb, "Bloody Mary", which had been taken by a ring of foreign spies. He soon finds himself aboard an Athens-bound freighter where he encounters Russian and Chinese agents. Will he find the weapon in time? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Evil Brockman is chased by the unlikely team of robbers Stella and Jordan and FBI agent Harris in this fun comedy. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1962
In this adventure, a dozen imprisoned women are sent to America to become slaves. The year is 1675, and the women must sail aboard the ill-fated Albatross. A few well-heeled passengers are also aboard the ship, and among them is a political prisoner. Somehow the prisoners escape and commandeer the ship. Exciting mayhem on the high seas ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Purdom, Ivan Desny, (more)
A scientific experiment gone leaves the fate of the world hanging in the balance in this sci-fi thriller. The United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain join forces to launch a manned space mission, but things go terribly wrong and crew leader John MacLaren (Paul Hubschmid) is forced to abandon ship shortly after blast off. MacLaren safely returns to Earth, but the rocket continues to sail through space, eventually reaching the sun and causing it to break apart. The consequences are immediate and disastrous -- asteroids pummel the planet, Earthquakes and extreme weather conditions tear at the world's major cities, and the world's scientific community bands together in a last-ditch effort to stop the disaster before it's too late. Le Danger Vient de l'Escape (released in the United States as The Day The Sky Exploded features top-notch cinematography from European horror legend Mario Bava. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1933
Paul Lukas plays a nightclub headwaiter who rises to fame as a bridge expert. He marries hat check girl Loretta Young, likewise a card fanatic. Lukas and Young find themselves vying for the national bridge championship, which results in the expected frictions. All is forgiven in the climactic scenes, in which silver-tongued radio commentator Roscoe Karns gives a play-by-play of the "big game" while director William Dieterle uses freeze frames and slow motion to beef up the tension. Grand Slam is quite an eye-opener for fans of Loretta Young, who displays an unusually generous amount of thigh in her nightclub outfit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Lukas, Loretta Young, (more)
