USA

  • Mary Dore & Noel Buckner – The Good Fight: The Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War (1984)

    1981-1990DocumentaryMary DoreNoel BucknerUSA

    The fight for the freedom of Loyalist Spain during the 1936-39 civil war pitted an International Brigade of 35,000 civilian soldiers from more than 50 nations against the well-equipped insurgents of Generalissimo Francisco Franco. Aid to Franco came via Italian fighter planes from Mussolini and from the Nazi Condor Legion of Junker bombers sent by Hitler, who wanted to try out his new weaponry in anticipation of the larger war to come. Spurred by their government s failure to aid Spanish democracy, 2,800 American volunteers fought with distinction in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade within the international volunteer army. Read More »

  • Harmon Jones – Bullwhip (1958)

    1951-1960AdventureHarmon JonesUSAWestern

    Steve Daley is in the Abilene jail waiting to be hanged when Judge Carr brings Cheyenne O’Malley into his cell and says that Daley can go free if he marries the girl without knowing her name. She must have a husband to claim an estate. Daley agrees and gets a letter of pardon from the Judge, who plans to kill him, but Daley, with the help of his friend Podo escapes the jail and the Judge’s hired killer, “Slow” Karp. Daley sets out to find his new bride but is captured and taken to the mansion of John Parnell who tells Daley that Cheyenne is actually a half-breed who runs a fur-trading company and needed a husband because of provisions in her father’s will. Parnell is also a fur-trader but he wants Daley to take over Cheyenne’s business so he and Daley can work together. Daley agrees, trails the wagon train and takes over but not before Cheyenne bull-whips him…Read More »

  • Ted V. Mikels – The Doll Squad [+commentary] (1973)

    1971-1980ActionExploitationTed V. MikelsUSA

    An elite army of female assassins…in a race against time and death to save the world from a hideously diabolical mass destruction at the hands of a madman no one had ever seen! The alternative title makes this B-movie offering from drive-in stalwart Mikels sound a lot more interesting than it is, especially when you consider that the cast includes Tura Satana, the stripper star of Russ Meyers Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! But she is wasted as a member of Yorks team of women agents. Though they are as gobsmackingly naive as Charlies similarly styled Angels, they try to save the world from an impotent villain played by Ansara, Cochise in 50s TV show Broken Arrow. Unfortunately, it is desperately lacking any of the verve Meyer typically injected into his product, though it does boast a surprisingly likeable, laidback score from Nicholas Carras.Read More »

  • Michael Campus – Z.P.G. AKA Zero Population Growth [+ Commentary] (1972)

    1971-1980CultMichael CampusSci-FiUSA

    In the not too distant future, a very smoggy and overpopulated Earth government makes it illegal to have children for a generation. One couple, unsatisfied with their substitute robot baby, breaks the rules and gets in a lot of trouble.Read More »

  • Nicholas Meyer – The Day After (1983)

    Drama1981-1990Nicholas MeyerSci-FiUSA

    ”The Day After,” ABC’s much-discussed vision of nuclear Armageddon, is no longer only a television film, of course; it has become an event, a rally and a controversy, much of it orchestrated. Part of the controversy has to do with whether ”The Day After” makes a political statement, which it does, although the statement is muddy, and part of the controversy has to do with how we confront the nuclear abyss. Champions of the film say it forces us to think intelligently about the arms race; detractors say it preaches appeasement. In fact, both sides have something going for them in their arguments, even if the champions of the film, for the moment, are being heard more clearly than the detractors. ”The Day After” will be seen on ABC at 8 o’clock tonight.Read More »

  • Joyce Chopra – Smooth Talk [+Extras] (1985)

    1981-1990DramaJoyce ChopraRomanceUSA

    Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival 1986

    Fifteen-year-old Connie Wyatt (Laura Dern) may be too young to drive, but she’s already driving the boys crazy. Her suspicious mother (Mary Kay Place) wants to keep her safely at home, but free-spirited Connie would rather while away the languid summer days hanging out with her friends and flirting with boys at the local burger stand. But when she flirts with an older, handsome and predatory stranger (Treat Williams), she isn’t prepared for the frightening and traumatic consequences.Read More »

  • Wes Craven – The Fireworks Woman (1975)

    1971-1980DramaEroticaUSAWes Craven

    Angela (Jennifer Jordan) has a problem, she has a magnetic sexual quality that causes other people to be filled with desire for her. The first victim is her brother Peter (Eric Edwards). Ashamed of their behavior, Peter becomes a priest.
    Angela, confused by her persistent infatuation with her brother, goes to him for counseling. Peter sends her to work for Mrs. Walters (Erica Eaton), a wealthy member of his congregation. Employed as a maid, Angela is abused by Mrs. Walters and her friend Roger. She leaves and tries to sort things out by sailing alone. After three days at sea and tormented by visions of Peter, Angela falls off the boat and is rescued by a couple who immediately engage her in a three way.Read More »

  • Tenny Wright – The Big Stampede (1932)

    1931-1940Tenny WrightUSAWestern

    A number of John Wayne’s early westerns looked alike, but that’s not a criticism because the handful I’ve seen were
    all entertaining.
    That’s one similarity: others included the fact they only were about an hour long, had interesting (albeit strange)
    dialog, had a pretty lead female (here, Mae Madison) and a very talented horse named “Blue.” Of course, the men were
    all tough guys.
    There is a lot of action and interesting scenes packed into this one hour.
    My only complaint was that Luis Alberini’s character made the Mexicans look unnecessarily stupid.
    From IMDBRead More »

  • Tyler Taormina – Ham on Rye (2019)

    2011-2020ComedyDramaTyler TaorminaUSA

    A bizarre rite of passage at the local deli determines the fate of a generation of teenagers, leading some to escape their suburban town and dooming others to remain.Read More »

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