Robert Dalva Movies
- 2007
- Add Fog City Mavericks: The Filmmakers of San Francisco to QueueAdd Fog City Mavericks: The Filmmakers of San Francisco to top of Queue
While Los Angeles has been the capital of major studio filmmaking in America since the early ears of the 20th Century, in the northern part of California, San Francisco has become home to a different breed of filmmaker -- artists who treasure their independence and carefully guard their creative vision, even while working in the highest echelons of the commercial movie business. Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas are just two of the best-known directors to emerge from the San Francisco film community, and Fog City Mavericks is a documentary which pays homage to a number of important filmmakers from the City by the Bay. In addition to Coppola and Lucas, Fog City Mavericks profiles directors Clint Eastwood, Carroll Ballard, Philip Kaufman and Chris Columbus, pioneering independent auteur John Korty, experimental filmmaker Bruce Conner, producer Saul Zaentz, editor and sound designer Walter Murch, cinematographer and director Caleb Deschanel, digital animation moguls Brad Bird, Pete Docter, John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, and actor Robin Williams, and many more. While examining these individuals, the film also embraces the whole of the San Francisco film scene, and explains why these artists remain so loyal to their hometown. Fittingly, Fog City Mavericks received its world premiere at the 2007 San Francisco International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Oscar nominees Ed Harris and Robert Forster star in self-taught identical twin filmmakers Logan and Noah Miller's autobiographical family drama about a pair of twin brothers who return to their small town after failing to find success as major league baseball players. Their dreams of becoming professional athletes dashed, the brothers attempt to rethink their lives while reconciling their love for their homeless father (Harris). Deeply shamed by their derelict dad's chronic shameful behavior, the brothers find themselves in a personal crisis after going to work at the local rock quarry and having to contend with their ne'er do well friends. Foster co-stars as the sympathetic town sheriff in a film also featuring Brad Dourif and Lee Meriwether. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Logan Miller, Noah Miller, (more)
- 2005
- PG13
- Add The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio to QueueAdd The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio to top of Queue
The true story of one woman's effort to keep her family afloat under difficult circumstances comes to the screen in this bittersweet comedy drama. Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore) was a woman of intelligence, talent, and pluck living in the small town of Defiance, OH, in the 1950s. Evelyn was married to Kelly Ryan (Woody Harrelson), a man who gave her ten children but not much else; Kelly had a severe drinking problem, struggled to hold on to a job, and tended to spend his money as soon as he earned it. It was seemingly up to Evelyn to support the family, but with ten kids to look after, taking a job outside the home hardly seemed practical. But the resourceful Evelyn discovered a way to bring some extra money into the household -- at a time when a number of companies held contests to find new advertising jingles for their products, Evelyn had a genius for coming up with slogans and winning contests, and for the better part of a decade Evelyn kept food on the table and a roof over her head by dreaming up jingles, tag lines, and ad headlines and winning contests with her handiwork, often selling the merchandise she won to pay the bills. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio was based on the best-selling memoir by Terry Ryan, who was the sixth of Evelyn Ryan's ten kids. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, (more)
Actor Viggo Mortensen made his first starring appearance in a film after his breakthrough performance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy with this period adventure. Frank T. Hopkins (Mortensen) is a U.S. Cavalry officer who earned a reputation as one of the fastest and most daring riders in the West; however, after taking part in the bloody massacre at Wounded Knee, Hopkins becomes disenchanted with the Cavalry, and once his hitch is up, he takes a job as a rider with a seedy touring Wild West show. During an engagement in New York, Hopkins meets Aziz (Adam Alexi-Malle), an associate of wealthy Bedouin Sheikh Riyadh (Omar Sharif), who knows of Hopkins' talents and wants him to take part in "The Ocean of Fire," an annual 3,000-mile desert horse race running from Arabia to Iraq. Hopkins accepts the invitation and sails to the Middle East with his trusty mustang Hidalgo without knowing just what he's getting himself into. Once he arrives, Hopkins learns that the punishing race course claims the lives of nearly half its contestants, and that most of his competitors ride pure-bred Arabian stallions and do not regard Hidalgo and his master as worthy adversaries. Temporarily exiled to a land where freedom eludes the multitudes and class and wealth define one's fate, Hopkins finds himself riding for both honor and principle, with the support of Riyadh and his beautiful, headstrong daughter, Jazira (Zuleikha Robinson), though the Sheikh's nephew Katib (Silas Carson) is equally determined to see Hopkins go down in defeat. Hidalgo was directed by Joe Johnston, who previously worked with animals on the run in Jumanji and Jurassic Park III. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Viggo Mortensen, Omar Sharif, (more)
Director Joe Johnston takes over the creative reins from Steven Spielberg for this third installment in the thriller franchise. Sam Neill returns as Dr. Alan Grant, a scientist who's tricked by wealthy couple Paul and Amanda Kirby (William H. Macy and Tea Leoni) into a fly-over of Isla Sorna. The object of their sightseeing tour is one of the Costa Rican islands populated by ferocious, genetically bred dinosaurs and the "site B" setting of Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World (1997). After their plane crash-lands, it's revealed that the Kirbys are actually seeking their teenage son, lost on the island after a paragliding accident. Trapped on Isla Sorna, Grant and his companions discover some painful truths the hard way. Among their discoveries: some of the scaly monsters possess more advanced communicative abilities than previously believed, the dreaded Tyrannosaurus Rex has a larger and more lethal competitor, and flying Pteranodons pose an even graver threat than some of their land-locked brethren. Jurassic Park III is the first in the series not to be based upon a novel by original author Michael Crichton. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, William H. Macy, (more)
NASA engineer Homer H. Hickam, Jr.'s autobiography provided the basis for this drama about a teenager coming of age at the dawn of the space race. In 1957, Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a high school student in Coalwood, West Virginia when the Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. While most of his friends and neighbors react with fear or distrust, Homer is instantly fascinated and begins studying everything he can find on jet and rocket design. While many of Homer's friends are puzzled by his new obsession, several new friends share his enthusiasm, and with the encouragement of his teacher (Laura Dern), Homer and his fellow "Rocket Boys" begin designing and launching their own homemade missiles. However, Homer's father (Chris Cooper) takes a dim view of his son's interest in rockets and is convinced Homer's future should be the same as his own, working in the local coal mines. October Sky mixes the drama of traditional family conflicts with a nostalgic glimpse of life in the mid-50's and a look at the earliest days of our journey into space. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, (more)
- 1997
In 1980 the U.S. Department of Defense named the Ada programming language in honor of Lord Byron's daughter, the mathematician Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852), credited as the "first computer programmer" because of her plan for calculating Bernoulli numbers. Lady Ada was 18 when she met Charles Babbage and learned about his Analytical Engine. She expanded his concepts into an 1843 article on the subject, and she also predicted the sound and graphics possibilities of computers. This science-fiction film features Ada Byron King as the central figure. Directed by video artist Lynn Hershman Leeson, the co-director of Shooting Script: A Transatlantic Love Story (1992), it also includes a few cast members known for cyber-communications, such as Timothy Leary (filmed nine days before his death) and John Perry Barlow (Grateful Dead lyricist and Electronic Frontier Foundation co-founder), plus "electronic Victorian" music by The Residents (who moved from pure sonic explorations to CD-ROM virtual experiences).
Artificial intelligence researcher Amy Coer (Francesca Faridany) uses cybertechnology tactics to probe the past in hopes of locating Ada Byron King (Tilda Swinton), her spiritual mentor. Receiving input, time-tracking tips, and guidance from cyber-guru Sims (Timothy Leary), Amy is successful, and the two women communicate over the centuries, although Ada is initially puzzled. Comparing notes, they find gender is a setback, since Charles Babbage (John O'Keefe) receives recognition while Ada's ideas are forgotten. Amy's research encounters roadblocks set up by her boyfriend Nicholas Clayton (J.D. Wolfe). Amy is pregnant and plans to name her child Ada, hoping that she can overcome the long-standing gender barriers. Shown at 1997 film festivals (Sundance, Toronto). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Artificial intelligence researcher Amy Coer (Francesca Faridany) uses cybertechnology tactics to probe the past in hopes of locating Ada Byron King (Tilda Swinton), her spiritual mentor. Receiving input, time-tracking tips, and guidance from cyber-guru Sims (Timothy Leary), Amy is successful, and the two women communicate over the centuries, although Ada is initially puzzled. Comparing notes, they find gender is a setback, since Charles Babbage (John O'Keefe) receives recognition while Ada's ideas are forgotten. Amy's research encounters roadblocks set up by her boyfriend Nicholas Clayton (J.D. Wolfe). Amy is pregnant and plans to name her child Ada, hoping that she can overcome the long-standing gender barriers. Shown at 1997 film festivals (Sundance, Toronto). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tilda Swinton, Francesca Faridany, (more)
Jumanji is a visually elaborate fantasy about an enchanted board game that opens a magical portal to a jungle universe. Two young children, Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce), discover the game in an abandoned home and suddenly are greeted by Alan (Robin Williams), an adult who has spent his life trapped inside the game since playing it at age 12. Alan's only hope for freedom involves finishing the game, but this proves rather dangerous, as Judy, Peter, and Alan find themselves running for their lives from huge rhinoceroses, evil monkeys, vicious lions, and other terrifying jungle beasts. Director Joe Johnston, whose special-effects background previously came to good use in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, used groundbreaking computer imagery to simulate the thrills. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, (more)
A complicated thriller, directed with great visual style by Brian De Palma, Raising Cain is the story of twin brothers, Carter and Josh (John Lithgow), one good and one evil, who will stop at nothing to find children to further their father's psychological experiments. John Lithgow is outstanding in the role of the brothers. Lolita Davidovich, is also good as his wife Jenny, who he may or may not have murdered. To even identify the other characters would give away too much of the complicated plot, which twists and turns, leaving the audience constantly guessing who is really who. The film is darkly comic and De Palma and his unusual plot devices play homage to Alfred Hitchcock, along with Orson Welles and Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lithgow, Lolita Davidovich, (more)
- 1985
The fighting between the Sandinista government in Nicaragua and the Contra rebels backed by U.S. money and expertise is the focus of this pro-Sandinista film by Haskell Wexler. The appropriately named Eddie Guerrero (translation Eddie "Warrior") is a Vietnam War veteran sent to help out the U.S. Special Forces as they train and abet the Contras in their forays across the border from Honduras into Nicaragua. Eddie becomes romantically involved with Marlena (Annette Cardona), and at first they see eye-to-eye on politics and the need to overthrow the Sandinistas. Then the excesses of the Contras in their raids across the border are brought home to Eddie, while Marlena sees that the new Nicaraguan society is not what Contra propaganda claims. For some viewers, the couple's eventual conversion to supporting the Nicaraguan government may seem like one more cog in an anti-Contra diatribe, which is regrettable since Wexler could have given this film enough nuances to present the subtleties of the conflict and still prove his point. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Beltran, Annette Cardona, (more)
Only Kelly Reno and Teri Garr from the cast of the original Black Stallion make appearances in The Black Stallion Returns. In the first film, young Reno rescued his beloved stallion from its cruel Arab owner. This time around, the stallion is abducted by Moroccan henchmen and bundled back to Africa. This paves the way for a repeat of all the salient action from the first Black Stallion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly Reno, Vincent Spano, (more)
This beautifully mounted adaptation of Walter Farley's story for children tells the tale of Alec (Kelly Reno), a young boy touring the world with his adventurous salesman father (Hoyt Axton). While travelling back to the United States by ship, Alec discovers a wild, beautiful Arabian stallion being brought along in the cargo hold. When disaster strikes at sea, the ship sinks, and Alec and the stallion are the only survivors. Alone together on a nearby island, the boy and the horse develop a relationship; wary of each other at first, they learn to trust each other, and they become close friends. When a rescue party finally finds Alec, he refuses to leave the island without the stallion, and the horse goes with Alec to the small town that is his home. Alec's mother (Teri Garr) is at a loss about what to do with this remarkable but difficult animal. Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney), an elderly horse trainer who lives in the neighborhood, senses a special connection between the boy and his horse; he's soon convinced that with the right training, and the boy as his jockey, the horse could be a champion on the race course. First-time director Carroll Ballard captures the mysterious relationship between humans and animals, treating the stallion with the same intelligence and respect as the rest of his cast; he also draws fine, understated performances from Kelly Reno and Mickey Rooney, and Caleb Deschanel's photography makes this a feast for the eyes. The Black Stallion is that rare contemporary family film that will fascinate adults as much as their kids, if not more so. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney, (more)
- 1978
According to the network press release, the made-for-TV Forever was concerned with the "joys and anguish" of teenage romance. The teenage romancers herein are played by Stephanie Zimbalist and Dean Butler. It is the first serious relationship for both, and so far as they are concerned, it will be the only such entanglement in their lives. The script, based on Judy Blume's novel, details in bittersweet fashion how "forever" is a relative term when one is very young and impressionable. The film was originally telecast January 6, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
George Lucas' mythological popcorn movie is a two-hour roller-coaster ride that has passed into movie legend. The story, for the tiny number of people not familiar with it, concerns a farm boy named Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) who discovers that the used robot recently purchased by his family plays back a message from one Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), begging for help from Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke asks his father's friend Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness) about this, and he discovers that Ben and Obi-Wan are one and the same. Kenobi tells Luke of the battle of the rebels against the ruling Empire and the spiritual energy called "The Force." Soon Luke, Kenobi, and a mercenary named Han Solo (Harrison Ford) join forces to rescue Princess Leia from the Empire's mammoth warship, the Death Star, controlled by evil genius Darth Vader (David Prowse, with the voice of James Earl Jones). George Lucas has frequently cited the influence of several films on Star Wars, particularly Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress and Yojimbo and John Ford's The Searchers, as well as the original Flash Gordon serials. After Star Wars became a success, Lucas announced his intention to turn the film into a series, originally totalling nine films (later pared back to six). Consequently, most reissue prints now feature the title Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope, with The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) serving as Episodes Five and Six in the serial, and Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace (1999) going back to the myth's beginnings. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, (more)
- 1969
Agnes Varda directed this drama which combines formal dramatic structures with the openness of improvisational cinema verite. Independent filmmaker Shirley Clarke plays an avant-garde film director attempting to work with a major studio to finance her next project, in which she hopes to collaborate with James Rado and Jerome Ragni, creators of the musical Hair (who play themselves). She also wants to use Andy Warhol superstar Viva (who also appears as herself) as her leading lady. However, after much give and take between herself and the moneymen, the director learns that the plug has been pulled on her project, pushing her to the brink of suicide. Incorporating newsreel footage and excerpts from the work of poet and playwright Michael McClure into its narrative, Lions Love also features appearances by European screen tough guy Eddie Constantine and noted film writers Carlos Clarens and Peter Bogdanovich, the latter a year after he made his (credited) directorial debut with Targets and two years before his breakthrough with The Last Picture Show. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Viva, Jerome Ragni, (more)
