We Are the World : The Story Behind the Song (1985)

Made for TV, airing January 28th in the US.

Filmed entirely in California.

The story: On the evening of January 28, 1985, in Los Angeles, California at A&M Studios, a very special group of singers, songwriters and performers got together to record the "We Are the World" album.

The song was in an effort for the relief of hunger in Africa, lyrics were written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, and the night arranged by artist/musician Bob Geldorf and Quincey Jones.

On this particular evening, the American Music Awards ceremony had taken place.

Many of the winners and performers from the evening rushed to A&M right after the awards and stayed on till the wee hours of the next day to come together and get the song arranged and recorded.

Stars Jane Fonda, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Quincey Jones, Bob Geldorf, Steve Perry, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Lindsey Buckingham, Paul Simon, Dan Ackroyd, Kenny Rogers, Harry Belafonte, James Ingram, Mario Cipollina, Tina Turner, Johnny Colla, Billy Joel, Sheila E, Diana Ross, Bill Gibson, Dionne Warwick, Chris Hayes, Willie Nelson, Sean Hopper, Al Jarreau, Jackie Jackson, Kenny Loggins, LaToya Jackson, Daryl Hall, Marlon Jackson, Huey Lewis, Randy Jackson, Kim Carnes, Tito Jackson, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, Anita Pointer, June Pointer, Ruth Pointer, Smokey Robinson, Louis Johnson, Greg Phillinganes, John Robinson, Dan Hill,

Directed by Tom Trbovich

Not Rated

DOCUMENTARY/HISTORY/MUSIC

"Check your ego at the door."

THX 1138 (1971)

Released March 11th in the US.

Filmed in California. 

The story: In the future, the human population is controlled and suppressed by the government.

Humans are to follow strict rules, set in place by law which includes allowing their minds to be controlled by drugs and not falling out of the norm.

No one is to have their own identity and everyone is to live in unisex.

The government controls the humans' every movement and sees everything they do.

Male THX 1138 is the roommate of female LUH 3417. They are in love. But this is not allowed.

LUH 3417 advises THX 1138 that they must escape because their behavior will surely cause them more trouble than they want.

When they are caught, they are quickly , without explanation, separated, which is torture.

This causes THX 1138 to make it his ultimate mission to break free.

Stars Maggie McOmie, Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Ian Wolfe, Marshall Efron, Sid Haig, Don Pedro Colley, John Pearce, Irene Cagen Gary Alan Marsh, John Seaton, Eugene I Stillman, Jack Walsh, Mark Lawhead, Robert Feero, Johnny Weissmuller Jr, Claudette Bessing , Susan Stroh

Directed by George Lucas (& story written)

Rated R
SCIFI/MYSTERY

Santa with Muscles (1996)

Released November 8th in the US.

Filmed entirely in California.

The story: Blake Thorne is the richest guy in town.

He is also very spoiled. He does whatever he wants whenever he wants.

While out joyriding with paintball guns, Blake and his crew attempt to outrun the cops.

Blake sees a sign for Santa Claus at the nearby Lakeville Mall and decides that's a good place to hide.

Wandering around, he finds a Santa costume and quickly changes into it.

When he is confronted by the cops looking for him he tricks them into believing he is the mall Santa, but not for long.

Next, he finds himself hiding in a garbage shoot and he almost gets away, until he is hit with some heavy trash and knocked out.

The next thing Blake knows, he is Santa  Claus, and all the kids at the mall just love him.

This gives him the encouragement to help those who are in need of having wishes fulfilled.

Stars Aria Noelle Curzon, Steve Valentine, Ed Begley Jr, Hulk Hogan, Don Stark, Robin Curtis, Garrett Morris, Adam Wylie, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Paz, Clint Howard, William Newman

Directed by John Murlowski

Rated PG
COMEDY/FAMILY/CHRISTMAS

G.I. Joe : A Real American Hero - Cobra Claws Are Coming to Town (1985)

Made for TV, airing November 7th in the US.
Season 1. Episode 39.
The story: Today was a good day as Duke, Cover Girl and Shipwreck collected their most Christmas toys for the children's hospital yet.
On their way back to base they are attacked by a Cobra Rattler, Wild Weasel.
To hide for cover they duck into an area where there are rock piles.
Little do they realize though, them ducking into that area was all in the Cobra Team's plan to plant a trojan rocking horse unsuspectedly into their heap of toys.
Stars (voices by) Jackson Beck, Libby Aubrey, Michael Bell, Arthur Burghardt, Christopher Collins, Pat Fraley, Zack Hoffman, Kene Holiday, Morgan Lofting, Bill Morey, Rob Paulsen Neil Ross, Frank Welker 
Directed by John Gibbs & Terry Lennon
Rated TVY
ANIMATION/FAMILY/SERIES/CHRISTMAS

Very Annie Mary (2001)

Released March 29, 2002, in the US.

Filmed entirely in Wales.

The story: Awkward Annie Mary is a 33-year-old woman living with her father in their bakery.

Annie Mary has the gift of song , which she could have gone to school on a scholarship for when she was 16 , but was unable to due to her mom dying.

Now Annie Mary doesn't sing anymore.

She has a 16-year-old best friend Bethan who is very ill.

Everyone believes it would be great for Bethan to go to Disneyland and the village does everything they can think of to raise money for her trip.

When some people from the village along with Annie Mary enter a talent contest for which the award is one thousand pounds, they win.

But Annie Mary accidentally loses all the money on the Grand National.

Stars Rachel Griffiths, Jonathan Pryce, Joanna Page, Ruth Madoc, Ioan Gruffudd, Matthew Rhys, Kenneth Griffith, Radcliffe Grafton, Jill Richards, Josh Richards, Rhys Michael Thomas

Directed by (& story written) Sara Sugarman

Not Rated

DRAMA/COMEDY

"What do you think about a woman having children after 30?"

"No! Christ! One is enough!"

In the Mirror of Maya Deren AKA Im Spiegel der Maya Deren (2001)

Released January 23, 2003, in the US.

Filmed in New York and Haiti.

The story: Quite the privileged upbringing, Eleonora Derenkowska was born in 1917 Russia to very well educated parents.

By 1922, her family had relocated to New York.

Growing up in Syracuse, Eleonora attended prep school in Switzerland.

She became very active in Social Activism in the late 30s and achieved academic degrees in English from New York University and Smith College.

In 1942 she met her husband "Sasha" Hammid who changed her name to Maya, which had many great meanings that suited her.

The couple worked on many projects together.

Lover of so many things, Maya had many interests that she expressed through the innovative art of poetry, dance, song, photography, writing, music, and film making.

In her later years, Maya became fascinated with Haitian culture.

She learned about it, wrote about it, practiced many of their traditions, and lived by them.

She also made movies about it.

Later still,  Maya met and quickly married a dancer friends' son who was 18 years her junior.

The two were together, creating many projects until complications which caused many stresses for the couple.

By October of 1961, at the age of 44, those stresses seemed to be what caused Maya's ultimate demise from a brain hemorrhage.

Stars Alexander "Sasha" Hammid , Miriam Asham , (voice) Maya Deren , Stan Brakhage , Chao Li Chi , Rita Christiani , Katherine Dunham , Graeme Ferguson , Judith Malina , Jonas Mekas

Directed by (& story written) Martina Kudlacek

Not Rated

BIOGRAPHY/DOCUMENTARY/HISTORY

"In film, I can make the world dance."

Crossing Delancey (1988)

Released September 16th in the US.
Filmed in New York and New Jersey.
The story: Isabelle is a 30-something who lives a quiet life and works at a book store.
Her Bubbie would like to see her meet a nice man, be happy and get married, but Isabelle isn't interested.
Well, at least that's what she tells her Bubbie.
The next thing Isabelle knows Bubbie's friend, the local matchmaker has set up a meeting for Isabelle and a nice Jewish guy her age.
She isn't interested and is very rude to him but later he tries to woo her.
The more Isabelle tries to distance herself from liking the guy, the more she finds she actually does like him.
Stars Amy Irving , Reizi Bozyk , Sylvia Miles , Jeroen Krabbe , Peter Reigert , George Martin , John Bedford Lloyd , Claudia Silver , David Hyde Pierce , Rosemary Harris , Suzzy Roche , Amy Wright , Faye Grant , Deborah Offner , Kathleen Wilhoite
Directed by Joan Micklin Silver
Rated PG
DRAMA/COMEDY