Steven Oliver Movies

Originally a nine-hour British miniseries, this film on the last four decades in the life of Richard Wagner may have taken its long-winded cue from the lengthy operas of the famous 19th-century German composer and musical theorist -- the Ring des Nibelungen is 14-15 hours in itself, divided into four separate operas. This biographical film begins when Wagner is first recognized for his work, yet in that same year, 1848, he was forced out of his homeland for his radical politics (he supported the unification of separate kingdoms under one Germany) and settled in Zurich for awhile. Focusing on character traits that are well-known and would not endear him to anyone, the film details his bigotry (a confirmed anti-Semitic), his insensitivity, and his obsession with money -- he went after the bottom line even if it meant losing friendships or ruining his marriage. Although Wagner is known for his music theory and the contribution he made to opera during his lifetime, very little attention is given to his actual works in this film. Venerable British thespians (Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Joan Plowright, and Richard Burton as Wagner) light up the cast but not always with the same brightness. In the final analysis, the slow-paced story is simply too long in the telling, and even the visually sumptuous costumes and production design cannot make up for a slow script, uneven acting, and problems in direction. The film version runs 300 minutes. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Jake (Charles Grodin), an insurance investigator, is assigned to probe the killing of a wealthy businessman in Acapulco. To help him, he hires a beautiful New York model, Ellie (Farah Fawcett), to act as his wife, and they pretend to be tourists on vacation. Art Carney plays Marcus, a local detective who befriends Jake but gets him into various scrapes. Joan Collins also appears as the suspicious Nera. Sunburn was a made-for-TV movie which featured a pop-song soundtrack blaring from characters' tape recorders that included tunes by Herbie Hancock. The movie was based on the novel The Bind by Stanley Ellin. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

A teenager tries to win the girl of his dreams with the hottest van in town in this '70s sex comedy. Bobby (Stuart Goetz) has just graduated from high school, but he's too preoccupied with girls to think much about his future. Bobby hasn't had much luck with the ladies, and he's convinced it's because of his lack of cool wheels, so after months of slaving at a car wash owned by Andy (Danny DeVito), he blows the money he'd been saving for college on a down payment on his dream machine: a canary yellow custom Dodge van, a bachelor pad on wheels complete with mirrored ceiling, 8-track stereo, television monitors, and (natch) a waterbed. Bobby turns his attentions to class hottie Sally (Connie Lisa Marie), who happens to be dating ill-tempered bully Dugan (Steve Oliver), while his buddy Jack urges him to date the more available Sue (Marcie Barkin), who's friends with his girlfriend, Tina (Deborah White). Andy uses the car wash as a front for his bookmaking business, and when a few bets don't go his way, he asks Bobby to lend him some money. Bobby gives Andy the cash he'd earmarked for his next payment on the van, but when Andy can't pay him back, Bobby's new van may be soon be in the hands of the repo man. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A gangster becomes enraged when a young man prevents his wife from killing herself and then proceeds to run off with her. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Signe Hasso guest stars as Madame Vasiliev, a self-styled psychic operating out of her own "Chapel of the Mind." Though Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) suspect that Madame Vasiliev is a phony, they cannot deny that most of her prognostications have come true--and thus the two cops are forced to work alongside the Madame in hopes of locating a kidnapped girl. Cast as the victim's mother is Diana Douglas, the real-life mother of series costar Michael Douglas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This is a "hunt & find" film where two girls are kidnapped while on vacation in Los Angeles. An all-out search is conducted, in hopes of locating their crazed abductor ~ All Movie Guide

Aka Machismo, 40 Graves for 40 Guns stars James Lemp, Gary Kent and Gary Graver as the leaders of notorious Harris Gang. Since nearly half the cast is identified as "member of the Harris gang," it's clear this isn't any two-bit operation. Conducting raids on Mexican border towns, the gang indulges in wanton killing, looting and raping. But when they steal a pure gold cross, they've gone too far. Operating on the theory that it takes a rat to catch a rat, the Federales spring a hardened convict (Robert Padilla) from jail and put him in charge of a posse comprised of fellow prisoners. If the posse catches the Harrises, they'll be pardoned. If not... This is sort of film where there are no good guys, just various degrees of bad. The ending is predictably bloody, and unpredictably ironic. Combining elements of The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen and The Wild Bunch, 40 Graves for 40 Guns deserves to be better known. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rita Hayworth's once bright star fell a little closer to Earth after she appeared in this sleazy exploitation crime drama as a seductive matron living in Miami with her wheel-chair bound, wealthy husband. Frustrated, she beds a young author and then becomes his sugar momma. The writer uses her generous funds to hold wild parties where participants freely ingest LSD. Unfortunately the gravy train abruptly derails when the husband finds out. A struggle ensues and the writer kills him. A police investigation deems the death accidental, but Hayworth knows the truth and uses it to blackmailing the writer into sleeping with her. That doesn't last long for he kills her too and then starts having sex with her daughter who gets bloody revenge in the end. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This exploitation film delivers the typically sadistic and fast-paced action expected from cult director Russ Meyer. Alex Rocco stars as veterinarian Corey Maddox, whose wife is raped by a motorcycle gang. The three hoods are led by Brahmin (Stephen Oliver), who was a Section 8 in Vietnam. They kill an old man and terrorize his wife Ruby (Haji) until she gets away and joins up with Maddox. Together, the two of them hunt down the gang. Brahmin shoots one of them himself, Ruby knifes another, and Maddox blows Brahmin to pieces with dynamite during a standoff at an abandoned mine. The rape scenes are brutal, though not explicit, and Meyer (who appears briefly as the local sheriff) leavens the film with enough campy humor to make it inoffensive. It would have been odious in other hands, but Meyer is somehow able to present scenes in the worst possible taste and still leave viewers smiling. He made better films than this one, but it is still superior to most similar efforts of the time. Coleman Francis and George Costello also appear. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide