Stanley Frazen Movies
This teen comedy from Disney is based on a popular novel by Meg Cabot and directed by Garry Marshall. Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is a teenage klutz who's openly mocked by the popular Lana Thomas (pop singer Mandy Moore). In fact, Mia's only friend at her exclusive prep school is the socially outcast Lilly (Heather Matarazzo). Mia's life takes a dramatic turn, however, when her mom announces that her late biological father was in actuality the crown prince of a small European nation, Genovia. Now Mia is the sole heir to the throne, and her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Julie Andrews) wants to tutor the awkward teen in royal behavior. It's a daunting task given Mia's lax table manners, poise, and hair care, but the girl perseveres with some makeover help from her grandmother's security chief Hector Elizondo) and a style expert (Larry Miller). In the meantime, Mia's romantic affections are torn between the handsome, popular Josh (Erik Von Detten) and the more appropriate Michael (Robert Schwartzman), who also happens to be Lilly's brother. The Princess Diaries is the second film from Whitney Houston's production shingle after the television version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, (more)
It's advisable to know from the beginning of The Milagro Beanfield War that "milagro" is the Spanish word for "miracle". The scene is a rundown Hispanic community in New Mexico, bordering a posh housing development. In full control of the local water rights, the powers-that-be are secure in the belief that they'll be able to expand their development without resistance from the locals. No one can foresee that impoverished farmer Chick Vennera, during a burst of frustrated rage, will accidentally open a heretofore hidden sluice, thereby providing free water for his beanfield. At first, the locals are against Vennera's "insurrection", reasoning that the new housing development will provide jobs. But with the help of John Heard, a burned-out 60s activist who now runs the community newspaper, Vennera becomes the hero of the hour, the spiritual leader of an ever-growing "no development" movement. The evil land developers send their minions to intimidate or coerce Vennera; each time, however, he is seemingly protected from harm by Divine intervention. When Vennera is forced to shoot a trespasser on his land, it looks as though his luck has run out. Chased into the hills by private detective Christopher Walken, Vennera is once more rescued in the nick of time by what appears to be a miracle. And there are more wonders to behold before fadeout time! Whimsical yes, but thanks to its hand-picked ensemble cast (including Sonia Braga, Ruben Blades, James Gammon, Daniel Stern, Freddy Fender, M. Emmett Walsh and Melanie Griffith) the film remains totally credible throughout. Adapted by John Nichols and David Ward from Nichols' own novel, Milagro Beanfield War may be the most likeable "liberal-tract" film of the 1980s. Robert Redford's appropriately Capraesque direction is matched by Dave Grusin's vibrant Oscar-winning musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rubén Blades, Richard Bradford, (more)
- 1983
- PG
During the peak of the slasher-movie boom of the early '80s, there were numerous attempts at Airplane!-style horror parodies, all of which fell considerably short of their comic targets and vanished into cable-TV obscurity. Hysterical, an abortive vehicle for the questionable comic talents of the Hudson Brothers, is perhaps the weakest of the lot. Bill Hudson plays Fred Lansing, a writer vacationing at a rustic lighthouse in the deceptively idyllic Oregon fishing town of Hellview, where he is tormented by the apparition of Venecia (Julie Newmar), a local woman who killed herself one hundred years ago. The lovelorn Venecia wishes to use Fred's body as the vessel for the spirit of her dead husband, Captain Howdy (Richard Kiel, once again typecast as a great big guy), and isn't particularly interested in Fred's opinion on the matter. When Howdy apparently grumbles to life, several townspeople are subsequently murdered in ghastly ways, leading a pair of bumbling detectives (Mark Hudson and Brett Hudson) to investigate the horrific history of the Hellview lighthouse and generally make nuisances of themselves. Filled with insipid puns, tired sight gags, silly musical numbers, and unfunny cameo appearances from the likes of Bud Cort and Charlie Callas, this inept spoof has perhaps three genuine laughs scattered throughout its ninety-minute runtime, amounting to only one decent joke per half-hour of wasted film. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Hudson, Mark Hudson, (more)
- 1978
Set in the rugged Canadian west, this romantic adventure centers upon a young woman married to a trapper who does not love her. Knowing that he really loves a native girl and desperately not wanting to return to her life in the east, the wife does not fight when a native tribe steals her away and adopts her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andree Pelletier, John Juliani, (more)
A woman looking for adventure finds romance, excitement and danger in her viewfinder in this action-packed comedy-drama. Friday Foster (Pam Grier) is a beautiful and ambitious young photographer who is working as an assistant at Glance Magazine, edited by the hard-boiled Monk Riley (Julius Harris). When Riley can't get in touch with his first-call photographer, he calls Foster with a very important New Year's Eve assignment -- reclusive billionaire Blake Tarr (Thalmus Rasulala), often called "the black Howard Hughes," is expected to be coming to Los Angeles, and Riley wants pictures of Tarr's arrival. But Foster gets more than she bargained for when Tarr is ambushed by a gang of assassins disguised as security guards. The next day, Foster is helping to shoot a fashion show introducing new creations from flamboyant designer Madame Rena (Eartha Kitt) when Clorils Boston (Rosalind Miles), a model who has known Friday since childhood, is stabled to death. Colt Hawkins (Yaphet Kotto), a private detective who is on the scene, offers to help Friday track down Clorils' killer after she notices that the same mysterious man (Carl Weathers) was present at both crimes. Foster and Hawkins discover the two killings are connected by a plot hatched by an underground group called "Black Widow" to kill off powerful and influential African-Americans. But who is behind the conspiracy, and can they be stopped in time? Also starring Godfrey Cambridge, Paul Benjamin, Scatman Crothers and Ted Lange, Friday Foster was based on the comic strip by Jim Lawrence and Jorge Longeron; running from 1970 to 1974, it was the first syndicated strip with an African-American woman as the leading character. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pam Grier, Yaphet Kotto, (more)
- 1971
In this drama, two middle-aged businessmen decide to chuck it all and get back to the land. Unfortunately, they too soon discover that living a "natural" life isn't all it is cracked up to be; they return to the rat race from whence they came. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Cult director Massimo Dallamano made this surprisingly tedious thriller about a murder-for-hire plot. Lisa (Luciana Paluzzi) is the trampy wife of a jealous detective named Franz (John Mills), who has underworld connections from his job on the narcotics squad. Lisa's shady background and promiscuous habits drive Franz to a homicidal rage, so he hires a hitman (Robert Hoffmann) to murder her. As so often is the case in films about hired killers, the hitman falls in love with Lisa and helps her to double-cross Franz. Predictable and dull, this standard genre effort is below Dallamano's usual standards, and it features a dreadful musical score by Giovanni Fusco which only adds to the disappointment. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Mills, Luciana Paluzzi, (more)
- 1961
Edmond O'Brien became the latest actor to try his hand at directing in Man-Trap (he'd previous functioned as codirector on 1957's Shield for Murder). Jeffrey Hunter stars as an impressionable fellow whose old marine buddy (David Janssen) talks him into a questionable business venture. Hunter joins Janssen in a plot to hijack nearly four million dollars from the Mob. The results are far from beneficial, either for Hunter or his alcoholic, promiscuous young wife (Stella Stevens). Man-Trap was adapted from John D. MacDonald's novel Taint of the Tiger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, (more)
- 1953
This drama chronicles the exploits of Peter, a European desperate to enter the United States. Because he can't be granted asylum due to the lack of proper papers, he resorts to jumping ship and sneaking in. In the Big Apple, he is assisted by two people who know about his past. One of them is a jazz musician, a former American pilot shot down in Europe during WWII. Peter helped the man then and hopes that he will now vouch for Peter in his attempts to obtain legal papers by showing that he was instrumental in aiding underground activities during the war to help the Allied cause. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Gloria Grahame, (more)
- 1950
Filmed under the title Highway Patrol, Lippert's Motor Patrol stars Don Castle as Ken, a rookie policeman. When his fiancee's brother is killed by car thieves, Ken volunteers to bring in the murderers. He poses as a big-city racketeer and infiltrates the gang. After the inevitable unmasking, the film ends in a blaze of artillery. The film strives for a documentary "feel" by including long, detailed sequences dramatizing real-life police procedure. This being a Lippert Film, the presence of Sid Melton as comedy relief is inevitable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Nigh, Reed Hadley, (more)
- 1949
Apache Chief was the second film to be lensed with the Garutso Balanced Lens, which gave the illusion of a three-dimensional effect (the first was Deputy Marshal). Alan Curtis plays the title character, a pacifistic Native American named Young Eagle. When his tribesmen begin killing off white settlers, Young Eagle is opposed to the carnage. In order to assure a lasting peace, however, the chief must deal with renegade Apache Black Wolf (Russell Hayden). The white soldier gives Young Eagle six days to bring Black Wolf to justice before they strike back. Produced under the Screen Guild banner, Apache Chief was released by that company's successor, Lippert Films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Curtis, Tom Neal, (more)
- 1949
Often misidentified as The Treasure of Monte Carlo, this low-budget melodrama is tenuously related to the "Monte Cristo" legend as laid down by novelist Alexandre Dumas. Glenn Langan plays Edmund Dantes, a descendant of the original Count of Monte Cristo. Working as an officer on a freighter, Dantes is forced to follow family tradition when he is falsely accused of murder and imprisoned. After escaping, Dantes tracks down the genuine villains to find out why he was set up. Lensed on location in San Francisco, Treasure of Monte Cristo benefits from such reliable supporting players as Adele Jergens (whose duplicity is so transparent that one wonders how the hero could be so stupid), Steve Brodie, and former "East Side Kid" Bobby Jordan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Langan, Adele Jergens, (more)
Omoo-Omoo (The Shark God) is based on a novel by Herman Melville. Within its attenuated budget, the film does a nice job visualizing Melville's concept. A sea captain (Trevor Bardette) courts disaster when he removes a pair of black pearls from a native shrine. According to native legend, bad luck will befall the captain and everyone else who comes in contact with those pearls. By the time the film's 57 minutes have run their course, practically everyone has come to grief except top-billed Ron Randell. Cast as Trevor Bardette's luckless daughter is Devera Burton, of whom little was heard after Omoo-Omoo ended its theatrical run. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Randell, Devera Burton, (more)
