Dick Latessa Movies
- 2007
Domonic Chianese and Dick Latessa star as a pair of aging, lifelong New Yorkers who realize they're a dying species as the city they love is slowly taken over by a more modern metropolis. The places that Lenny and Ruben frequent give them refuge from the changes swirling all around, but when their last holdouts start closing down, the two pals realize they're relics of a bygone era. When one of the friends realizes that his best days are behind him, he decides to take a shot at true love. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dominic Chianese, Dick Latessa, (more)
This remake of Lewis Gilbert's 1966 film of the same name features Jude Law filling the shoes Michael Caine once wore in the title role of Alfie. As with the original, Law occasionally speaks directly to the camera while his character talks of the opposite sex. Under the direction of Charles Shyer, Alfie follows a charming, if morally lacking, womanizer from one bed to the next. While his actions arise more from nonchalance than malice, Alfie nonetheless faces a moral dilemma when considering that he's impregnated one of his latest girlfriends. Alfie also includes performances from Marisa Tomei, Susan Sarandon, and Nia Long. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jude Law, Marisa Tomei, (more)
- 2003
A drug dealer is murdered, and it appears that the killer is the father of a teenager who died from an overdose. But both the detectives and lawyers are stopped in their prosecutorial tracks by the accused man's parish priest Father Hogan (Denis O'Hare), who insists that he, himself, is the guilty party. The question: Should this confession be accepted at face value, or should the investigation proceed until all the facts are on the table? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Canadian filmmaker Thom Fitzgerald directs the sentimental ensemble drama The Event. Nick (Parker Posey) is a district attorney investigating several deaths in the gay community of New York City's Chelsea District. It seems that many AIDS sufferers have died under similar mysterious circumstances. Each case suggest the use of assisted suicide, which is illegal in New York. HIV-infected cellist Matt (Don McKellar) has died of a drug overdose following a large party in Manhattan given by his family and friends. Nick first questions his lover Brian (Brent Carver), who runs an HIV support clinic. Still looking for answers, she interviews Matt's closest family members, including his mother Lila (Olympia Dukakis), his younger sister Dana (Sarah Polley), and his older sister Gaby (Joanna P. Adler). Meanwhile, Nick battles with her own past secrets involving her family back in New Jersey. The Event premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Parker Posey, Olympia Dukakis, (more)
- 2002
Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) investigate the murder of a cleric. Once the suspect is in custody, the D.A.'s office tries to persuade Father Evans (John Dossett) to reveal that he heard the perpetrator confess the crime. But even though the admission was made outside the church, the priest insists upon honoring the edicts of the Confessional, and refuses to provide the necessary information. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Stigmata is a supernatural suspense story about good, evil, and faith. Frankie Paige (Patricia Arquette) is a hair stylist in her mid-20s who has no strong religious convictions until odd things start happening to her after she's given a rosary by her mother: she begins speaking with another person's voice; unknown and unseen forces start to attack her; and she develops stigmata, bleeding wounds that spontaneously appear on her wrists, feet, and side, as Christ was wounded at Calvary. Some people believe that a holy miracle has been visited on Frankie, though no one can say why. A Cardinal from the Vatican (Jonathan Pryce) sends a priest, Father Andrew Kiernan (Gabriel Byrne), to investigate Frankie and her condition; after getting a first-hand look, Father Andrew finds himself less concerned with whether Frankie's wounds are a legitimate miracle and more concerned with saving her life. Billy Corgan, leader of the rock group The Smashing Pumpkins, composed the score for Stigmata in collaboration with keyboardist Mike Garson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, (more)
- 1997
In this opening episode of Law & Order's first (and thus far only) three-part story, a female Hollywood studio executive is found murdered -- and decapitated -- in New York City. Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) head to Tinseltown to check out the suspects, among them the dead woman's abusive ex-husband, Eddie Newman (Scott Cohen), and shady personal trainer Evan Grant (Jeffrey D. Sams). Meanwhile, assistant D.A.'s McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Ross (Carey Lowell) work overtime to make sure that Briscoe and Curtis are not overstepping their jurisdictional bounds. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1993
Logan (Chris Noth) and Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) run up against a "wall of brass" when they investigate the death of a female Navy officer, who was last seen alive at a wild party. The detectives' only witness is Ensign Evan Walters (Michael Dolan), who claims that he can remember nothing of the events leading up to the woman's death. Resistance to the successful prosecution of the case reaches to the highest levels of Navy bureaucracy -- but assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) is determined to break through the official coverup. Future E.R. regular Julianna Margulies is seen as Lt. Ruth Mendoza. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1990
When a councilman is mugged, detectives Greevey (George Dzundza) and Logan (Chris Noth) follow a trail of evidence leading to Anthony Scalisi (Paul Guilfoyle), a prominent mobster. Typically, this is not the end of the case -- not when the D.A.'s office decides to use Scalisi as bait to trap some supposedly "respectable" city officials. The fact that assistant D.A.'s Logan (Michael Moriarty) and Robinette (Richard Brooks) are shown meeting for the first time, not to mention the conspicuous absence of series regular Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff, is proof enough that "Everybody's Favorite Bagman" was the pilot episode for Law & Order -- though it was not the first episode to be telecast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1988
This docudrama reenacts the famous 1987 trial of New York vigilante Bernhard Goetz who was tried for shooting four young African-American men on a subway train. Though the trial is enacted by actors, the dialogue was taken verbatim from the actual court transcripts. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Pudd'nhead Wilson, Mark Twain's attack on racial prejudice in the guise of a mystery tale, was adapted for television in 1984 by Philip Reisman Jr. Ken Howard plays lawyer "Pudd'nhead" Wilson, so named because of his silly behavior and foolish appearance. Wilson, however, has a lot more on the ball than anyone suspects. He proves as much by unraveling a murder case that begins taking shape when mulatto slave Roxane (Lisa Hilboldt) switches her baby with one belonging to a prominent white family. Filmed on location at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, Pudd'nhead Wilson premiered January 24, 1984, on PBS television's American Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Honeymooners stars Jackie Gleason and Art Carney re-team for this tea-teetotaling comedy about a pair of down-on-their-luck vaudeville actors who go to work as prohibition agents. The time is the Roaring Twenties, and the advent of the motion picture has made vaudeville old news. When the stage lights dim, actors Isadore Einstein and Morris Smith are forced to consider another line of work. Now, in order to keep food on the table and help halt crime, Isadore and Morris begin using their unique penchant for disguise to bust the local speakeasies and stop the mob from ruling the streets. Unfortunately for Isadore and Morris, the mob isn't willing to loosen their grip on the lucrative alcohol trade quite so easily, and the duo soon finds themselves targeted by some of the meanest criminals that the underworld has to offer. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1969
General Zek (Titos Vandis) conspires with munitions manufacturer Ismir Najiid (Sandor Szabo) to kill Middle Eastern potentate King Said (Joe E. Tata) with a truckload of nitroglycerin. The conspirators then plan to place the blame for the assassination on a neighboring country, thereby sparking a war that will enable Zek to assume command of both nations. To preserve the balance of power, the IMF must steal the highly volatile nitro, save the King, and discredit Zek. Mark Lenard, best known as Spock's father on Star Trek, makes his second Mission: Impossible appearance as Aristo Skora. Originally telecast on March 23, 1969, "Nitro" was written by Laurence Heath. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1969
At large in the Bay Area is an elusive maniac who has assaulted several different women--all blondes, all single and living alone, all approximately 25 years old. There was one other thing that the victims had in common: all of them had met their assailant through a computer dating service. In order to bring the criminal out in the open, Eve (Barbara Anderson) signs up for the service and sets herself up as bait. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
