Maurizio de Angelis Movies

Spaghetti western icon Terrence Hill headlines this sequel to Doc West that finds the quick draw poker player taking on a gang of ruthless card sharks. As a high stakes poker tournament gets underway, scheming bandits attempt to cheat their way to a big win. Little do they suspect they're about to go up against the fastest gun in town, and that any sleight of hand is likely to earn them a swift disqualification at the end of a smoking barrel. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The story of Spain's most infamous family is brought to the screen with surprising subtlety in this historical drama. Near the end of the 15th century, the Borgias are one of the most wealthy families in Europe, with their numbers divided between Spain and Italy, and when Rodrigo Borgia (Lluis Homar) is elected as Pope, his three sons -- Cesar (Sergio Peris-Mencheta), Juan (Sergio Muniz), and Jofre (Eloy Azorin) -- find themselves raised to positions of power as their father arranges politically advantageous marriages for them. Rodrigo's daughter Lucrecia (Maria Valverde) is also used as a bargaining chip when he persuades her to wed Giovanni Sforza, the favored son of a family often in opposition to the Borgias. While Rodrigo benefits from these alliances, his children do not -- Cesar's dreams of serving in the military are dashed when he is made to join his father in the church, Juan's time in the Army is full of unhappy consequences, Jofre's marriage to Sancha of Aragon (Linda Batista) is not fated to be a happy one, and murder stains the lives of most of the family. Originally shot as a mini-series for television, The Borgias (aka Los Borgia) was reedited for theatrical release in Spain, where it became a success at the box office. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Remember all those 1940s collegiate musicals, where the finale came down to "Swing vs. the Classics"? Replace "Swing" with "Modern Jazz and Rock", and you've got Body Beat. A tradition-bound ballet academy is invaded by a bunch of free-form dancers. Rather than form a united front against these interlopers, the teachers begin taking sides! Outside of this little twist, nothing much new here. Originally titled Dance Academy, this Italian/American film features Julie Newmar in an extended cameo appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A combination Bible story and sci-fi fantasy, this drama features Andrea Goldman as Eve and Massimo Spattini as Adam. In the beginning, an adult Adam knocks about after he emerges from the sac which envelopes him and sculpts an image of Eve out of sand. Then the sand image takes on human form during a tempest, and the new, young couple romp about in the sea and surf. Among the available fruit are apples, so the stage is set for the couple to be banished from their idyll. When they are driven from the garden, they run through a tunnel and out into a world peopled by tribes and filled with temptations. As a consequence, Adam and Eve not only have several adventures, but their marriage hits a few bumps in the road as well. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

With shoddy production values and a plot that seems to be more of an excuse for violence than anything else, this underpar drama focuses on vigilante justice. While trying to cross the border into France, a Spanish truck driver's vehicle is burned by two angry French farmers, killing the driver's wife. Unable to win his case against the men in court, the angry driver vows to avenge the death of his wife by killing the farmers and their sleazy lawyer. It may have helped to know that European farmers were irate at this time about the dumping of their produce. But then, education was not an objective here. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Neither the idiotic title Detective School Dropouts nor the film's alternate cognomen Dumb Dicks are worthy of this easy-to-take crime comedy. David Landsberg stars as a likeable schlemiel who is addicted to detective stories. He links up with down-and-out gumshoe Lorin Dreyfuss (brother of Richard--and also, with David Landsberg, the co-writer of this film), hoping that some of Dreyfuss' so-called expertise will rub off on him. This far-from-dynamic duo soon find themselves embroiled in an Italian family feud, a kidnapping, and a murder charge. One of the few Golan/Globus films to lose money, Detective School Dropouts has happily found an enthusiastic audience thanks to multiple cable-TV showings. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Set at the end of the 1930s, this tale about three college students and their brush with a degenerate lifestyle is low on action and budget, but the dialogue and interactions of the protagonists keep interest piqued. One evening while college buddies Rino, Pieretto, and Oreste (Alessandro Fontana, Roberto Accornero, and Matteo Corvino) are traveling around the Turin hills on their usual excursions into philosophizing and just hanging out, they come across Poli (Urbano Barberini) an obviously wealthy young man, passed out behind the wheel of his top-of-the-line sports car. It turns out that Poli was once a friend of Oreste's, and from that moment onward, the three strike up an acquaintance with him. One thing leads to another, and when they spend a summer on his estate, they soon become uncomfortably acquainted with his dissolute lifestyle as well.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This undistinguished comedy in two acts features Lino Banfi as Altomare, the owner of an appliance store, who is obsessed with superstition, spells, and amulets to fight the "evil eye" that bedevils him, and Gaspare (Johnny Dorelli) a charlatan magician who through serendipity, encounters a real witch and is the happy recipient of her magic powers. Gaspare can retain those powers only on the condition that he bring her a pistachio ice cream when she asks for it. But even magic cannot do much for Altomare or Gaspare as long as they do not pay attention to the very practical, mundane matters in their lives. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This horror-thriller from director Lamberto Bava stars Andrea Occhipinti as Bruno, a composer who becomes involved in a frightening series of murders while staying at an isolated villa. The story turns on a scene in the horror film Bruno is scoring: a young child, taunted by cruel bullies, descends into a dark cellar after a bouncing tennis ball. The kids hear a scream and the ball bounces up to them, leaving bloody tracks on the wall. Pretty Sandra, Bruno's director, explains that her inspiration was the childhood of Linda, the villa's previous tenant, but there is something far more sinister going on. Anyone who has seen Psycho probably has a good idea what that "something" is, but the plot is really incidental. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi