Herbert F. Solow Movies
- 1983
- R
Director Allan Arkush knew whereof he spoke in Get Crazy. A longtime employee of Fillmore East, a popular rock-concert locale of the 1960s and 1970s, Arkush brought a great deal of insider's savvy to this comedy about the concert circuit and its denizens. Malcolm McDowell stars as a Mick Jagger-type rocker who is one of several acts lined up for a big New Years' Eve show. If villains Ed Begley Jr., Bobby Sherman and Fabian have their way, however, the show will never get off the ground. The supporting cast is dotted with such cult-flick icons as Dick Miller, Jackie Joseph and Mary Woronov. The musical portion of the program is handled by the likes of Malcolm McDowell, Lou Reed (as a Bob Dylan type) and Bill Henderson (as a Muddy Waters takeoff). In case it hasn't been made clear already, the main "joke" of Get Crazy is the presence in the cast of actors as musicians and musicians as actors; it is to the film's credit that this one joke never wears out its welcome. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malcolm McDowell, Daniel Stern, (more)
The arrival of a mysterious stranger disrupts the lives of the members of a British family in this dark, psychological thriller. The stranger is one Martin Taylor (Sting), a dangerous charmer who ingratiates himself with the Bateses, a dignified, older couple (Denholm Elliott and Joan Plowright). The couple becomes especially fond of Martin after he demonstrates a strong, caring rapport with their daughter, a disabled invalid. It is only when he has become a part of the household, unofficially serving as the daughter's caretaker, that Martin's true, potentially demonic nature begins to show itself. Based on a script by Dennis Potter, the creator of the brilliant British television miniseries Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective, the film layers its already charged situation with hints of the supernatural, aspiring to be both disturbing family drama and provocatively ambiguous morality play. Some moments of MTV-like stylization threaten to diminish the mood of slow suspense and unhealthy obsession, but Potter's distinctly warped sensibility and the solid performances generally carry the film over its rough patches. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sting, Denholm Elliott, (more)
- 1977
In this TV pilot that spawned a brief series on NBC during 1977-78, Patrick Duffy plays the title character--an amphibian/human, equipped with gills--who washes up on shore and is taken to the hospital to recover. When the American government finds out his identity, it recruits him to help in the recovery of a secret submarine. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1974
This inventive and genuinely creepy TV movie is scripted by acclaimed science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon. The plot involves a group of construction workers building an airstrip on a South Pacific island during World War II, who disrupt an ancient native temple and uncover a strange meteorite sealed within its walls. When they attempt to move the massive rock with one of their bulldozers, the noncorporeal entity contained within it enters the machine itself, which later grinds to malevolent life and attacks the team members. Boasting high production values and excellent special effects for a TV production, Killdozer is propelled by a unique premise that no doubt inspired Stephen King's short story Trucks -- which itself spawned two substandard film versions that proved far less interesting. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Ben Murphy and Bonnie Bedelia star in the made-for-TV suspenser Heat Wave. Murphy plays a young clerk, and Bedelia portrays his young and pregnant wife. During a record-breaking hot spell, the power in their mountain community goes out, and the water supply is dirty and stagnant. The balance of the film concerns the couple's attempt to escape the heat by descending the surrounding hills. Heat Wave would probably have melted in the ratings had it been scheduled in the summer; thus, it was sagaciously slated for a mid-January debut in 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
The made-for-TV Climb an Angry Mountain revives the reliable "country cop vs city cop" concept, with Fess Parker and Barry Nelson on either side of the argument. New York City officer Nelson wants to use state-of-art methods to track down a fugitive Indian criminal (played by former football star Joe Kapp) who is hiding out on California's Mount Shasta. Local rancher/sheriff Parker wants to handle the case on his own, since his son (Clay O'Brien) is the fugitive's hostage. The rival authority figures eventually come to the "united we stand" understanding in trailing their quarry. Climb an Angry Mountain benefits mightily from extensive location shooting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
