George Caldwell Movies
- 1987
- R
A suicidal artist tries to end his miserable life on Halloween night and fails after jumping off the roof of a ramshackle LA boarding house. After the fall, his soul has somehow become possessed by the spirit of a murderous criminal. This horror movie explains how and why. Now the poor bum finds himself haunted by terrible dreams of places he's never been and atrocities he could never think of committing. The dreams take an even darker edge when he begins reading about of a series of murders. Each victim was killed in exactly the same way he dreamed they were; he also learns that each was involved in the killing of the crook. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dennis Lipscomb, Leslie Wing, (more)
Great special effects do not always make for a great film, but Dreamscape comes awfully close. Dr. Paul Novotny (Max Von Sydow) and Dr. Jane Devries (Kate Capshaw) run a clinic for the study of dreams. Hoping to alleviate the pain of those plagued with recurring nightmares, Novotny hires a team of psychics to "inhabit" the subconsciouses of the patients. Alex Gardner (Dennis Quaid), a small-time hustler who uses his ESP gifts for financial gains, is hired to work at the clinic. He helps to disperse the fears of a young nightmare-plagued boy, then reverts to type by "raping" the thoughts of the lovely Dr. Devries. Things come to a head when one of the patients, the American president (Eddie Albert), decides to purge himself of his apocalyptic dreams by making a lasting peace with the Soviets. Bob Blair (Christopher Plummer), the political reactionary who finances the clinic, decides to assassinate the president by acting upon Dr. Novotny's pet theory: if a person dies in his or her dream, he/she will die in real life. The finale pits Gardner against psychic assassin Tommy Ray Glatman (David Patrick Kelly). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, Max von Sydow, (more)
- 1983
- PG
Mel Brooks and his real-life wife Anne Bancroft play Frederick and Anna Bronski, musical comedy stars in 1939 Poland. The highlight of the Bronskis' act is Frederick's imitation of Adolf Hitler, but he is forced to eliminate this turn for fear of offending the Nazis. Meanwhile, Anna enters into a harmless flirtation with Polish bomber pilot Andre Sobinski (Tim Matheson). The pilot's nightly signal to visit Anna in her dressing room is "To Be or Not to Be," spoken by Bronski during the Shakespearean portion of his act. When the Germans march into Warsaw, the Bronskis and the rest of their troupe are forced into hiding (notably the homosexual Lupinski, played by Lewis J. Stadlen, who is forced to endure the humiliation of wearing a pink star). Flying for the Polish resistance in England, Sobinski asks kindly Professor Seletzky (Jose Ferrer) to deliver his "To Be or Not to Be" message to Anna. When Seletzky doesn't seem to recognize the name of Anne Bronski, Warsaw's biggest star, Sobinski suspects that something is amiss. Sure enough, Seletzky is a Nazi spy, heading to Warsaw to help Col. "Concentration Camp" Ehrhardt (Oscar-nominated Charles Durning) destroy the underground movement. Parachuting into Poland, Sobinski enlists the aid of the Bronski troupe to foil the Nazis. What follows is an uproarious series of disguises and deceptions, capped by Bronski's impersonation of Der Fuhrer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft, (more)
Lonnie Lord (Vin Saxon) is a rock & roll star who sells millions and loves to sing, anywhere and anytime. When a trio of psychotic hoodlums kidnaps his girlfriend, Cee Bee Beaumont (Carolyn Brandt), Lonnie and his faithful gardener sidekick, Titus Twimbly (Titus Moede), know it's time for action. They step into a closet and emerge as Rat Pfink and Boo-Boo, two costumed crime fighters who bear more than a passing resemblance to Batman and Robin: "Together they blaze a four-fisted campaign against the enemies of truth, justice and the American way of right!" They track down the evil doers and rescue the distressed damsel, but an escaped circus gorilla is on the loose and soon Cee Bee is in danger again. This bizarre low-budget mixture of crime drama and superhero spoof features great rockabilly non-hits like "Big Boss A-Go-Go-Party" and "Running Wild." ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carolyn Brandt, Vin Saxon, (more)
