Leonard Mann

A documentary concerning the violent Italian 'poliziotteschi' cinematic movement of the 1970s which, at first glance, seem to be rip-offs of American crime films like DIRTY HARRY or THE GODFATHER, but which really address Italian issues like the Sicilian Mafia and red terrorism. Perhaps even more interesting than the films themselves were the rushed methods of production (stars performing their own stunts, stealing shots, no live sound) and the bleed-over between real-life crime and movie crime.

Ricky Caldwell, the notorious 'Killer Santa Claus', awakens from a six-year coma after being kept alive on life-support by a slightly crazed doctor experimenting with ESP and other special abilities. Ricky targets a young, clairvoyant blind woman, named Laura, whom is traveling with her brother Chris, and his girlfriend Jerri to their grandmother's house for Christmas Eve, and Ricky decides to go after her, leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake.

After the death of her husband, a mother takes her kids off to live with their grandparents in a huge, decrepit old mansion. However, the kids are kept hidden in a room just below the attic, visited only by their mother who becomes less and less concerned about them and their failing health, and more concerned about herself and the inheritence she plans to win back from her dying father.

A string of sex murders has been plaguing Florence for almost 15 years, in which a serial killer brutally murders couples who are sneaking "a quickie" in public areas. A writer who is doing research for a book about the crimes sets out to uncover the identity of the killer, aided by his beautiful girlfriend. Based on a true story.

A reporter and her cameraman connect a surviving Jonestown leader and a TV exec's missing son to a drug war where jungle installations are being massacred by an army of natives and a skilled white assassin.

A composer—who suspects his wife of cheating—plots to kill her and frame it on her lover, but things don't turn out as planned.

The life and times of silverscreen goddess Rita Hayworth.

A NYPD officer imprisons and tortures an admitted cop-killer, but finds the tables turned when his victim refuses to break and in fact urges more punishment.

A Boston police detective investigates a series of gruesome decapitations of various college coeds, committed by a helmeted, black-leather clad serial killer.

Elizabeth Bayley Seton, America's first native-born saint and founder of the Sisters of Charity, is the subject of this inspiring biopic. After the tragic death of her husband, Seton converts to Catholicism. Once again, she suffers terrible loss when two of her children die, but goes on to found the American Sisters of Charity and the first American Catholic schools. Seton died in 1826 and was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1975.

Sun Valley provides the backdrop to this story of a downhill ski racer who seeks to make a comeback after being branded a loser and the ski bunny who helps him regain his self-respect.

Hoping to overthrow his brother as ruler of the planet Metropolis, the evil Graal enlists the help of the insane Dr. Kraspin, who has invented a chemical capable of turning an ordinary person into a perfect soldier. They test this chemical on the pilot Golob, turning the unsuspecting victim into a mindless but indestructible automaton possessing superhuman strength. The people of Metropolis must somehow outwit Graal before he can create an army of these soldiers, or their planet will be destroyed.

The death of a multinational company’s chairman induces the three candidates for the chairmanship to plot against one another for control of the business.

Since her husband pronounced her frigid on her wedding night, Antonia De Angelis has been an invalid. When he disappears, she believes him dead: she leaves her sickbed and takes over his business, traveling to see clients. She discovers her husband's passions, his political writing, mistresses, and his indifference to the peasants on her family's land. The husband is forced to watch from a distance as his wife blossom socially in his absence; then the plot thickens.

Returning from Switzerland to Rome, the boss prof. Salviati, called 'The Prince', finds his business compromised by Rudy, a small local bandit full of presumption, audacity and men ready to kill. Commissioner Baldi a young and brave employee, will fight against them with the help of an ex-employee Rampelli.

Napoli spara! (internationally released as Weapons of Death and Naples shoots) is a "poliziottesco" film directed by Mario Caiano in 1977. It is an unofficial sequel of Napoli violenta, of which reprises the character of Gennarino (still played by Massimo Deda).

An Italian reporter is travelling on the Instabul-Athens train. A woman is murdered with the reporter's letter-opener so that makes him the main suspect. With the help of his Swedish girlfriend he starts investigating in order to prove his innocence.

The young Rimini native Stefano Santi goes to Rome, with a letter of recommendation for the maestro Melchiorri, artistic director of the Opera House, to take part in a competition for cellists. While trying in vain to be received by Melchiorri, he met an unscrupulous girl, Giorgia Muller, an architectural student temporarily linked to a fellow student. Between one misfortune and another the cello smashes, a homosexual theater manager tries to enmesh him Stefano, who now has a precarious employment in a nightclub, yields to the allurements of Giorgia, ending up in his bed. The girl, however, is unfaithful to him, so that Stefano, disgusted with her, and having now lost all hope of participating in the competition,

western movie

After a couple of 'special squad' cops are gunned down while chasing some kidnappers, the head of the squad takes it really personally! His violent path to find the kidnappers leads him to the upper echelons of the government. Now, the powers-that-be don't want to be found out and decide it's time to kill one more cop...

A glamorous playboy thug's brutal trail of murder, terrorism and sexual blackmail across Las Vegas, Rome, Paris and London quickly wins him a prominent place in the Rome syndicate loosely run by an aging and decrepit Mafia Don. He even wins over the Don's much younger wife.

drama from italy

A beautiful woman who lives on an island with her abusive husband, entices a young man into a murder-for-money plot.

The story is about a young hippy called Salvatore who sparks up a relationship with a high class prostitute, Maddalena. The two fall in love and try to start a new life together but things turn ugly when Maddalena is kidnapped by his old hippy pals and Maddalena's dangerous pimp...

A man and his assistant invent a powerful aphrodisiac they don't hesitate testing out on the beautiful female populace of their village.

After witnessing the brutal murder of his entire family by Native Americans as a child, Jeremiah Bridger becomes a merciless Indian-killer and scalp hunter. After saving the life of a beautiful Native American girl named Tune, however, the lone and silent gunman slowly reconsiders his hatred. He starts to doubt his former persuasion, that it was really Indians, who killed his family, and soon has to find out that a greedy and unscrupulous landowner usually blames Native Americans for his own crimes.

A young man who has lost his memory, escapes from prison with three other convicts. The other men help him find back bits of his past, until they arrive at a village where two warring families recognize him. Apparently he has a reputation for being a fast gun, and he has been paid to kill a man - who says he is his father. His younger brother is jealous of the attention the prodigal son receives, and things come to a dramatic end.

One of the most ambitious spaghetti westerns, The Forgotten Pistolero is a retelling of the Greek legend of Orestes, who avenges the murder of his father with the help of his friend and former mentor Pylades and his sister Electra. In Baldi’s movie, Orestes is called Sebastian, a man living on his own. One day a wounded stranger called Rafael/Pylades takes shelter in his house and tells him that he, Sebastian, is the son of a Mexican general who was murdered by his wife and her lover. Sebastian has no recollection of the massacre, but the tolling of the bells announcing the Ave Maria bring back fragmented memories. Finally Sebastian is re-united with his sister Isabella and together they avenge the murder of their father. The film is a bit confusing from time to time, with a storyline that seems over-complicated for a spaghetti western, but patient and attentive viewers are rewarded. The Forgotten Pistolero is also known for Roberto Pregadio’s awesome score.