Albert Carrier Movies

Al Pacino stars as Tony Montana, an exiled Cuban criminal who goes to work for Miami drug lord Robert Loggia. Montana rises to the top of Florida's crime chain, appropriating Loggia's cokehead mistress (Michelle Pfeiffer) in the process. Howard Hawks' "X Marks the Spot" motif in depicting the story line's many murders is dispensed with in the 1983 Scarface; instead, we are inundated with blood by the bucketful, especially in the now-infamous buzz saw scene. One carry-over from the original Scarface is Tony Montana's incestuous yearnings for his sister Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). The screenplay for the 1983 Scarface was written by Oliver Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

With George C. Scott and Marlon Brando heading the cast, The Formula should have been far better than it is. Adapted by Steve Shagan from his own best-selling novel, the film is predicated on the concept that a formula for synthetic fuel had been developed by the Nazis during WW II. In the intervening 35 years since the war's end, the formula has disappeared and several people connected with it have died under mysterious circumstances. Also during this period, oil magnate Adam Steiffel (Marlon Brando) had commiserated with one of the decedents. Police officer Barney Caine (George C. Scott), a friend of the dead man, hopes to solve the mystery, and in so doing gets mixed up in a wide-ranging conspiracy to manipulate worldwide fuel prices. Reportedly, The Formula underwent a great deal of editing-room surgery before its release. If so, the editors certainly erred in retaining so many of the film's interminable "steadicam" sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After calling her ex-boyfriend Jim (James Garner) for help, former model Carol is found dead. According the the police, Carol committed suicide, but another model, Alta Hatch (Erin Grey) suspects that the girl was murdered--and that the killer is the same person who bumped off yet another model. In hopes of finding a connection between the two deaths, Jim joins Alta in her investigation of the high-fashion industry, conducted on behalf of flamboyant celebrity designer Masters (Rene Auberjonois), who is acting rather suspiciously himself. In the process of uncovering the truth, Jim is--as usual--subjected to a surfeit of physical abuse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Posing as a magazine writer, Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) dogs the trail of celebrated Parisian ballet dancer Danielle Chabrol (Claudine Longet), whom the Feds suspect of being a Communist spy. At present, Danielle is a guest at the Hawaiian estate of retired US diplomat Eric Reeverson (Michael Rennie). Her plan is to romance Reeverson and extract some top-secret information, which she will then relay to her Hawaiian contact James Kellogg (Russell Johnson)--who, conveniently, is Reeverson's next-door neighbor. But this scheme takes a deadly turn when Reeverson's son Glen (played by a young Harrison Ford) falls for Danielle himself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Boarding the S.S. Star of Suez, the cleverly disguised agents of the IMF attempt to prevent Communist agent Yorgi Petrosian (Michael Strong) from getting his hands on a valuable microfilm. Unbeknownst to himself, gun salesman Victor Tomar (William Smithers) is in possession of the film, which is affixed to a priceless emerald. The recovery of the film is contingent upon a meticulously staged poker game. Written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, "The Emerald" first aired on January 21, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

George Roy Hill directed this original musical set the 1920s that mixes pop standards with new tunes written by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen. Julie Andrews, in a role that recalls her Broadway triumph in The Boy Friend, stars as Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York is search of a secretarial job and an unattached boss. She moves into a hotel for women, run by kindly Mrs. Meers (Beatrice Lillie), and she befriends the pretty, petite orphan Dorothy Brown (Mary Tyler Moore). Millie finds work with the handsome bachelor Trevor Graydon (John Gavin), but Trevor has his eyes on Dorothy. So too does Mrs. Meers, who despite her kindly exterior is actually an unscrupulous white slaver. Paper clip salesman Jimmy Smith (James Fox), on the other hand, pledges his undying love to Millie. One day, after attending a weekend party being given at the opulent Long Island mansion of Muzzy Van Hossmere (Carol Channing), Dorothy disappears. When Jimmy and Millie smell opium in Dorothy's room, they realize the awful truth about Mrs. Meers. Trying to rescue Dorothy and find the location of Mrs. Meers' hideout, Jimmy disguises himself as an orphaned woman and tries to get himself kidnapped. The scheme backfires, however, and Mrs. Meers drugs and kidnaps both Jimmy and Trevor. It is left to Millie to find the white slavers, free her friends from bondage and save the day. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Sam Peckinpah's 1965 feature Major Dundee was recut and rescored for re-release theatrically in 2005, 40 years after its original release. The "Extended Version," as it is known officially, tells essentially the same story as the original but with clearer motivations for the characters (which often seemed vague or obscure in the 1965 edition) and much greater effectiveness. Major Amos Charles Dundee (Charlton Heston) is a West Point graduate who somehow -- it's not clear -- exceeded his orders while serving in the Battle of Gettysburg and, as punishment, has been taken out of combat and put in charge of a Union prison in New Mexico. He then gets word that marauding Apaches under Sierra Charriba (Michael Pate) have raided an American settlement, slaughtering the troops who were pursuing them and kidnapping three young boys, whom they've taken to their lair south of the Rio Grande (and if this sounds a lot like the plot of John Ford's Rio Grande, it's because they used the same story as inspiration). Dundee assumes responsibility for capturing or destroying the raiders and rescuing the captives, but because he has far too few men, he's forced to recruit prisoners, including his one-time friend, Confederate Captain Benjamin Tyreen (Richard Harris), and other "gentlemen of the South," to fill out his ranks. Tyreen and his men despise Dundee, but agree to serve on this mission in exchange for the chance for possible pardon of commutation of sentence (Tyreen and some of his men are facing the rope, for killing a guard in an escape attempt).

The mission takes them deep into Mexico, where they free the children but now find themselves being stalked by the very Apaches that they were hunting, as well as having to fight off the French troops stationed there. And as they quickly see, the French troops, though white and supposedly "civilized" like themselves, treat the native Mexicans in ways that make the Apaches look almost saintly. In the end, this ragtag group of soldiers, malcontents, deserters, traitors, and criminals finds a larger cause in their quest -- bigger even than their own survival -- as they discover something uniquely fine and honorable in being an American, and in American ideals. It takes the sacrifice and deaths of many to get to that point, but the movie -- in this version -- gets us there convincingly, if in decidedly grim and bittersweet fashion. Though based on fiction and shot under incredibly (indeed, legendarily) chaotic conditions, the movie ultimately proves to be a rousingly disturbing examination of what it means to be an American, and the meaning of American ideals. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Ever since he was a kid, Rob (Dick Van Dyke) has been a soft touch for his old neighborhood buddy Neil Schenk (Jack Carter). Neil's modus operandi is to show up unexpectedly, give Rob a gentle tap on the chin, and dole out small favors -- only to subtly suggest that Rob "return" those favors in a huge manner. This time around, the glad-handing Schenk expects Rob to bankroll an expensive project he has in mind. Can it be that, after all these years, Rob is finally going to say no, or is he going to be a patsy yet again? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A man falls for an exotic "bad girl," unaware he's already met the nice girl lurking beneath the surface, in this romantic comedy. Samantha Blake (Joanne Woodward) works for a large department store in New York City as a sort of industrial spy; while ostensively a buyer, Blake's greatest responsibility is to find out what the hot new fashions are going to be, so her store can have cut-price knockoffs on the racks once they hit the boutiques. Samantha is flying to Paris with her co-workers Leena (Thelma Ritter) and Joe (George Tobias) when she meets Steve Sherman (Paul Newman), a no-nonsense reporter who has been assigned to cover the unveiling of the new designer lines. Samantha and Steve don't exactly hit it off, and after arriving in Paris, a depressed Samantha makes her way to a beauty salon after a few cocktails too many. Decked out in a new wig and dressed to the nines, Samantha bumps into Steve, who is convinced she's one of the city of lights' glamorous high-priced call girls. Samantha plays along, and Steve writes a story about her which proves to be a hit with his readers, but as she finds herself falling for Steve, she isn't sure how to tell him that she's really the mousy woman he met on his flight to Paris. A New Kind Of Love also features cameo appearances from Maurice Chevalier and Frank Sinatra, the latter of whom sings the title song. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A reworking of the first-season Twilight Zone episode "Mr. Bevis," "Cavender Is Coming" was, like its predecessor, the pilot for a proposed comedy-fantasy TV series. Carol Burnett stars as klutzy Agnes Grep, whose combination of overeagerness and ineptitude costs her job after job. Enter Agnes' guardian angel Cavender (Jesse White), who, as big a screw-up as the heroine, has been assigned to Agnes to see if he is worthy of earning his wings. Transforming Agnes into a poised, sought-after fashion plate, Cavender discovers that she was happier when she was a "loser" -- meaning that Cavender will be stuck on Earth a long, long time, in search of someone whose life he can really turn around. Written with a heavy hand by Rod Serling, "Cavender Is Coming" benefits from the play between its two stars and from a rich and varied supporting cast including John Fiedler and Donna Douglas; in the final analysis, however, it is defeated by CBS' decision to add a raucous laughtrack, which is at its loudest when absolutely nothing funny is happening. "Cavender Is Coming" was originally telecast May 25, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

David O. Selznick had intended to film an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night as a vehicle for his wife Jennifer Jones. But financial difficulties compelled Selznick to sell the property (including Ms. Jones' services) to 20th Century-Fox. Jones stars as a wealthy but disturbed woman of the 1920s who marries her psychiatrist (Jason Robards Jr.). They live together at her Riviera estate, where the doctor's analytical skills atrophy. As Jones grows stronger, the doctor becomes totally dependent upon her emotionally and financially. The film's supporting characters are equally self-destructive, notably an alcoholic composer (Tom Ewell) and Jones' avaricious sister (Joan Fontaine). Perhaps if Selznick had produced Tender is the Night, the film wouldn't have wallowed in misery for its own sake; on the other hand, we still would have been stuck with Jennifer Jones, who is woefully miscast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Talented special effects and adventure director Michael Anderson (Around the World in 80 Days, 1956) keeps the suspense going in this drama about the wreck of the Mary Deare. John Sands (Charleton Heston) is the captain of a salvage ship that is almost rammed by the apparently abandoned Mary Deare. Sands boards the ship in search of plunder but as it is tossed on the high seas, he discovers a half-crazed captain aboard (Gary Cooper). The captain of the Mary Deare, Gideon Patch, tells Sands his story and in the end, the ship is scuttled and sinks. While Sands believes the story, the court does not believe it and Captain Patch is devastated. Determined to prove his innocence, the two captains dive down to the sunken Mary Deare to dredge up the evidence they need -- building up to a slam-bang climax. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Millicent Bracegirdle (Mildred Natwick), who has lived a sheltered existence in the English town of Easingstoke, shocks her tea-drinking friends with the announcement that she is going to go on her first-ever vacation -- and the destination is the wicked city of Paris. On the first night of her holiday, Millicent stops over at a hotel in Bordeaux, where she enters the wrong room and finds herself face to face with a murderer named Septimus (Gavin Muir). Needless to say, this is far more excitement than Miss Bracegirdle had ever bargained for -- but is she equal to this momentous occasion? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi