Don Carrara Movies
Developed by Tina Sinatra and approved by Frank himself, Sinatra is a made-for-television mini-series following the life and times of Frank Sinatra, one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century. Opening with his childhood in Hoboken, New Jersey, the film follows Sinatra's (Philip Casnoff) rise to the top in the '40s, through the dark days of the early '50s and his triumphant re-emergence in the mid-'50s, to his status as pop culture icon in the '60s, '70s and '80s. In between, the film hits all of the main events, including his three marriages, his connections with the Mafia and his notorious friendship with the Rat Pack. Even with the presence of Tina Sinatra as executive producer, Sinatra doesn't gloss over the more unsavory portions of Frank's life, which makes it all the more impressive. With the exception of a couple of early songs, all the music in the movie is taken from the original Sinatra recordings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Bugsy is a character study of mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel wrapped up in a gangster movie. Siegel (Warren Beatty in a flashy performance) arrives in California in the Forties, assigned to oversee the L.A. rackets. He is quickly seduced by both the glamour of Hollywood and actress Virginia Hill (Annette Bening), whom he romances despite being unable to leave his wife and children. Siegel soon has a vision to transform a barren stretch of Nevada desert into an oasis of gambling and entertainment -- the seeds from which Las Vegas was sown. Funded by his gangster bosses, including Meyer Lansky (Ben Kingsley), the flamboyant Siegel sees his budget soar past its original $6 million, a problem compounded by the fact that Virginia has embezzled $2 million of it. In trouble with his superiors, Siegel flies back to L.A. to face the music, telling Virginia to keep the money. He would not live to see his dream of Las Vegas come true. The film is fast-paced and well-directed by Barry Levinson, with an intelligent script by James Toback and excellent support from Kingsley and Harvey Keitel as gangster Mickey Cohen. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, (more)
Director Jonathan Demme made one of his more conventional movies with Swing Shift, an examination of life on the American home front during WWII. Goldie Hawn, who also served as the film's producer, stars as Kay, a woman who takes a job on the line at a plant producing war planes after her husband goes off to fight in Europe. One of her coworkers is her best friend Hazel, played by Christine Lahti, whose performance earned an Oscar nomination and a New York Film Critics award. Kay falls in love with another coworker, Lucky (Kurt Russell), who couldn't enlist because of a weak heart. Kay's husband Jack (Ed Harris) comes home on leave and finds out that his wife has betrayed him. Lucky then decides to pursue Hazel, driving a wedge between the two best friends. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, (more)
- 1975
- PG
Sheila (Jeannie Berlin) is not one of life's golden people: she's not especially good-looking, charming, charismatic, or smart. As a result, she has to struggle constantly. For some reason, she decides to move from the suburbs to New York City. Now she has a roommate (Rebecca Dianna Smith), a job with a record company, and a self-imposed obligation to try to meet some men. One night she goes out to a singles bar and meets Sam (Roy Scheider), a nice-looking doctor. They have what is for him a one-night stand, but Sheila is smitten. She hasn't had all that much luck with men, and this one she would like to keep. Embarrassed, Sam tries as gently as he can to ignore her. This becomes much more difficult when he starts dating Sheila's personable roommate. The screenplay for this gentle comedy was adapted by Gail Parent from her best-selling book of the same name. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeannie Berlin, Roy Scheider, (more)
- 1975
Margot Kidder guest stars as Terry Lake, the erstwhile girlfriend of small-time hood Danell (Nicholas Colasanto). A murder has been committed, and Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) is convinced that Danell is the guilty party. Protesting his innocence, the hoodlum is confident that Terry will supply him with an alibi -- but both he, and Baretta, are in for several surprises. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Dana Elcar, (more)
- 1974
Escaped convict Frankie Geller (Michael Tolan) wants to make up for the many years that he neglected his daughter Valerie (Suzanne Arnold). Geller hopes to win back the girl's affections by raising some quick money in the only way he knows how--by selling Mob information to the highest bidder. As a result, Geller finds himself on the lam not only from the FBI but also from his vengeful former associates. Featured in a supporting role is Robert Quarry of Count Yorga, Vampire fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A young medical student named Mark (Marland Proctor) inherits a decrepit ranch/tourist attraction from his late uncle, and must turn a profit with the enterprise within six months in order to possess it fully. He invites his fiancee, Brenda (Claudia Ream) and a gaggle of their freaky hippie friends to start living on the property and brainstorm some ways to make "Callahan's Old West" a success. However, the ranch's caretaker, Solomon (B. G. Fisher) warns the kids that an eerie spectral presence haunts the area, a headless horseman who rides through the night seeking revenge for a deadly shootout that occurred at the ranch in 1928. Sure enough, the mysterious horseman begins appearing, splashing blood from a disembodied head over the frightened hippies and driving some to accidental deaths. When gold is discovered in the land the ranch occupies, suspicions arise that perhaps the headless rider isn't a ghostly presence at all. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marland Proctor, Claudia Ream, (more)
