Maureen Byrnes Movies
A would-be filmmaker comes up with an exciting new way to finance his first feature film -- kidnapping -- in The Party Crashers, an independent black comedy. The writer (Phil Leirness, who wrote and directed this film) keeps getting rejection slips for his latest screenplay, but rather than compromise his creative vision, he and two of his friends -- his bisexual lover, who is an aspiring actor (Burt Bulos), and a mutual friend (Josh Randall) -- hatch a scheme to crash a party being thrown by some upscale Hollywood types and stage a robbery. By the time the three get to the bash, the plan has gotten more ambitious; they grab Carolyn (Shawnee Smith), knowing her parents are wealthy, and tell them they're holding her hostage, demanding $5 million for her safe return. However, most of the guests at the party hardly pay any attention to the uninvited guests, the ones that do are too ineffectual to do much about them, and Carolyn seems more amused than upset at the prospect of being kidnapped -- not to mention that she doesn't get along well with her family, so they're in no hurry to pay up. The supporting cast includes B-movie stalwart (and one-time U.S. Ambassador to Mexico) John Saxon as Carolyn's father. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Saxon, Max Parrish, (more)
Sentenced to hang in a backwater western town, horse thief Henry Moon (Jack Nicholson) is saved when frontierswoman Julia Tate (Mary Steenburgen) agrees to marry him. Taking advantage of the town law that prohibits the execution of married men, Moon follows Tate back to her ranch, planning all the while to escape at the first possible opportunity. But Tate insists that he honor his end of the bargain at work on the ranch. She has no intention of consummating the union, a fact that drives the hot-to-trot Moon up a wall. She puts him to work on the gold mine that she has on her property, while his old gang prepares to relieve the couple of their gold once it's on the surface. Jack Nicholson personally selected movie newcomer Mary Steenburgen for Goin' South. The film also features John Belushi in the role of a dyspeptic deputy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Nicholson, Mary Steenburgen, (more)
A twisted sexual power-trip game goes too far, and adult film director Max Vavell (George Shannon) causes the violent death of his leading lady, Alta Lee (Lynn Lowry). The motion picture community is convinced that she took her own life, though Max's casting agent Camilla (Mary Woronov) knows better. Camilla and Alta had been lovers in the past, so she secretly plots an elaborate revenge. After auditioning dozens of would-be actresses, Camilla discovers a perfect lookalike for Alta in the naive, inexperienced Julie (also played by Lynn Lowry). She takes the fledgling starlet under her wing, buying her clothes, giving her acting tips, and eventually seducing her. Julie falls in love and is completely dominated by the strong-willed Camilla, who dresses her in Alta's clothes and turns Max's dark fantasies against him in a deadly freak scene. Sugar Cookies was an early production credit for both Oscar-winner Oliver Stone and Troma Entertainment honcho Lloyd Kaufman, and features supporting roles from cult figures Monique van Vooren, Ondineand Jennifer Welles. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
A Brooklyn bachelor's (John Lefkowitz) thirtieth birthday forces him to come to terms with his lack of success--in business, in love and in general. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
