Cliff Robertson Movies

Your friendly neighborhood web-slinger is back, only this time his sunny outlook has become partially overcast in the third chapter of director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man saga. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco return to reprise their roles from the previous two installments, with Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, and Bryce Dallas Howard making their first appearances in the series as Flint Marko (aka Sandman), Eddie Brock (aka Venom), and Gwen Stacy, respectively. Peter Parker (Maguire) has finally leaned to walk the middle ground between being the superhero that his city needs and the man that Mary Jane (Dunst) loves. All is well in New York City until one night, as Peter and M.J. sit gazing at the stars, a falling comet streams across the sky and crashes into the ground close by. But this isn't any ordinary shooting star, and upon impact the mysterious space rock is split open to reveal a shape-shifting symbiote with the power to overtake anything that it comes into contact with. Later, as Harry Osborn (James Franco) acquires his late father's flying board, engineers a powerful new Goblin outfit, and takes to the sky to avenge dad's death, the mysterious space sludge infects both Peter's Spider-Man suit and ambitious street photographer Eddie Brock (Grace). Peter's strange new suit gives him a newfound sense of power as it gradually overpowers his personality, and he discovers that escaped convict Flint Marko was in fact the man responsible for the death of Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson). Unfortunately for Peter, Marko has recently acquired the power to morph at will and quickly completes his transformation into the dreaded Sandman. As the Sandman gives in to his darkest criminal instincts and the slithering space symbiote transforms Eddie Brock into the nightmarish fanged villain known as Venom, the citizens of New York City must once again call on Spider-Man to fend off destructive forces that are far too powerful for the likes of mortal man. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A young man who has flirted with death is forced to come to terms with mortality in this tale of terror based on a story by Stephen King. Alan Parker (Jonathan Jackson) is a college student studying art at the University of Maine in 1969. Cursed with an over-active imagination, Alan constantly obsesses over the worst outcome of any situation, and when he begins to suspect his girlfriend, Jessica (Erika Christensen), is thinking of leaving him, it drives him to the brink of suicide. Shortly after this brush with death, Alan receives word that his mother, Jean (Barbara Hershey), has suffered a severe stroke and may not pull through. Alan grabs his jacket and hits the road, hoping to hitchhike the one hundred miles to the hospital. As it happens, Alan is trying to catch a ride on Halloween night, and after he's picked up by one George Staub (David Arquette), he realizes that he's riding the highway with a creature not of this Earth. Riding the Bullet was directed by Mick Garris, marking the fourth time the filmmaker has brought one of King's stories to the cinema or television screen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Narrated by Anjelica Huston, this cable-TV documentary offered an up-close and personal look at the life and career of quintessential movie queen Joan Crawford. From her humble beginnings as MGM contract starlet Lucille LaSeuer, Crawford climbed to the top with a heady combination of talent, tenacity, glamour, hard work -- and obsessive, manipulative ruthlessness, both onscreen and off. Written off as "box-office poison" in the early '40s, Crawford confounded her detractors by changing studios and staging a spectacular comeback, winning the Academy Award for her performance in Warner Bros.' Mildred Pierce. She managed to hold on to her stardom well into the 1970s, plunging headlong into the horror genre with such masterworks as What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? -- not to mention such dogs as Berserk! and Trog. In private life, Crawford married several times (her union with Pepsi Cola executive Alfred Steele briefly but memorably transformed her into a high-pressure businesswoman) and enjoyed the favors of dozens of men along the way. She also "enjoyed" a reputation as a domestic tyrant, allegedly insisting upon an immaculately clean home and holding her children in the grip of horrified fascination. In addition to excerpts from Crawford's classic (and not-so-classic) films, the documentary includes interviews with such interested parties as the actress' first husband, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., her directors (George Cukor and Vincent Sherman), her costars (Anita Page and Cliff Robertson), her biographer Bob Thomas -- and, inevitably, her stepdaughter, Christina Crawford, whose warts-and-all biography Mommie Dearest yielded one of the most campily outrageous biopics in movie history. Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star debuted August 1, 2002 over the Turner Classic Movies cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, Henry Musser (Robert Forster) fights an uphill battle to keep open a small-town factory that supports his family and his community. Family Tree also stars Cliff Robertson, Krystal Benn, Genevieve Butler, and Naomi Judd, best known as half of the Judds and mother of Ashley Judd. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

One of America's bravest military men finds himself pushing the limits of his abilities in this action-thriller. Senator Stuart Davis (David Hedison), a U.S. Congressman running for president, is travelling to the Balkins, hoping to speak with political leaders there to stop a civil war that threatens to become a major conflict. While on board, Davis decides to check out a computer disc which was handed to him shortly before his flight took off, and to his surprise, he discovers it contains damning evidence which proves Vice President Pike (Cliff Robertson), who is facing off against Davis in the upcoming election, is the leader of a secret plan to encourage the war in the Balkans so that American arms dealers will be able to sell weapons to both sides. It isn't long before Pike learns that Davis knows his secret and he's willing to use his power and his agents to bring down Davis' flight (and the innocent civilians on board) to cover his tracks. One of Davis' passengers is Capt. Jack Tyree (Brian Bosworth), an Air Force anti-terrorism expert, and it becomes obvious it's up to him to fight off Pike's goons and bring the jetliner safely to the ground. However, there's a catch -- despite his daring, skill, and military training, Tyree has never learned how to fly a plane. Mach 2 also stars Shannon Whirry, Michael Dorn, and Bruce Weitz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Tom Musca directed this social satire on the United States electoral system. The comedy-drama explores how class and race divisions impact on the process when a Chicano housepainter in East Los Angeles decides to run for the city council. Pressured by his wife (Annette Murphy), Gustavo Alvarez (Paul Rodriguez) competes for the council seat left vacant when veteran Jack Durman (Cliff Robertson) retires, but he faces stiff competition from his opponent, the forceful black Lucinda Davis (C.C.H. Pounder). After the two split the Latino and black votes, the campaign begins to get lowdown and dirty as both candidates take aim with cheap shots and corrosive accusations. Stan Ridgway (formerly with Wall of Voodoo) provided the film's Latin-rock music score. Shown at the 1998 Seattle film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

This first episode of the series The Story of the Gun: The Complete History of Firearms probes the earliest history of the weapon with a lively discussion of who actually invented gunpowder and an examination of the earliest cannon and handheld weapons. Narrated by actor Cliff Robertson, this program explores the mysteries of the earliest days of humanity's love affair with firearms and lays the groundwork for issues raised by later episodes in the series. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

This episode of the series The Story of the Gun: The Complete History of Firearms examines the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the manufacture of firearms. Particular attention is paid to the innovations of American gunsmiths, which led to the mass adoption of firearms as the weapon of everyday people, not just as the intricate and expensive toys of the landed elite. Actor Cliff Robertson hosts and narrates this episode. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

Based on a popular novel by Judith Krantz, this sudsy romantic drama features a prominent photographer who heads to Gay Paree, unaware that greedy family members are plotting to bilk her father out of his valuable ranch land. Love blossoms in the City of Light when she encounters a fellow picture taker. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In the 1860s, many Irish Catholics struggled at the bottom of the American economic heap. One hundred years later, a descendant of Irish immigrants fought his way to the top of the political heap. Yet even as John F. Kennedy was winning his race for the presidency, there were those who claimed that if elected, his loyalty to the Pope in Rome would outweigh his loyalty to the United States. Narrated by award-winning actor Cliff Robertson, who himself has played the role of JFK, this Document Associates release profiles the competitive Kennedy clan and discusses how its ambitious and ruthless patriarch, businessman Joseph P. Kennedy drove his family to achieve prominence on the national stage. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide

Norway's young Sonja Henie didn't give up after suffering several early defeats in her childhood ice skating career. She managed to prevail and eventually won the Olympic Gold Medal at the age of 16. Henie won a total of ten world championships before making a successful transition into an acting career. As this program reveals, she starred opposite such leading men as Tyrone Power, Richard Greene, and John Payne. Actor Cliff Robertson narrates the documentary. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide

Cliff Robertson hosts this excellent look at the lives of ten of the most influential of the Founding Fathers whose hard work and debate created a document still powerfully influential after more than 200 years. The American Constitution: The Ghosts of '87 provides a thorough exploration of the brilliance and idiosyncrasies of these men whose foresight in creating the Constitution has allowed America to develop into the most powerful country in the world. ~ Sean Hurley, All Movie Guide