Luis Colina Movies

An ambitious and talented small town reporter struggles to balance morality with career ambition while covering the so-called "Scopes Monkey Trial" that took the theory of evolution into the courtroom in 1925.His father the founder of a respected Tennessee newspaper, journalist Charles Anderson (Nathan West) is constantly on the hunt for the story that will make him famous. When high school science teacher John Scopes is accused of violating the state's Butler Act, which strictly prohibited the teaching of Evolution Theory in public classrooms, staunch anti-Darwinist William Jennings Bryan (Fred Dalton Thompson) and famed Defense Attorney Clarence Darrow (Brian Dennehy) each begin preparations for a complicated - and controversial - trial. But as the case gets under way and the media frenzy begins, Baltimore Sun editor H. L. Mencken (Colm Meaney) convinces Charles that it's sensationalism - not facts - that sells newspapers. With his fiancée Rose (Ashley Johnson) increasingly opposed to his reporting of the "facts," Charles reaches a crucial impasse at which he must weigh his beliefs and personal relationships against his growing appetite for fame and recognition. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

As co-directed by Isabel Vega and Amanda Micheli, the documentary short subject La Corona (AKA The Crown carries the audience into an all-female prison in Bogota, Colombia, where a number of inmates prepare obsessively for an institution-wide beauty pageant. Micheli and Vega etch out biographical profiles of four such women. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

The temptations of Hollywood living test the foundation of a young couple's blossoming relationship in this heartfelt romantic drama from director Matt Cooper. Just two months before graduating from a Midwestern college, law school student Drew (Martin Henderson) falls hopelessly in love with captivating coed Julia (Piper Perabo). Though Julia agrees to follow Drew to Los Angeles following graduation and the couple quickly makes friends with their collection of lovably quirky neighbors, their relationship hits a rocky patch when Julia begins to notice Drew's increasing infatuation with the wild and risqué Hollywood nightlife. As the passion of newfound love begins to give way to the realities and compromises of a long-lasting relationship, Drew and Julia strive to understand one another and use their experiences to build the foundation for a lasting love. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

To those who have grown up with the radio and TV versions of the old Lone Ranger series, this retro TV-movie adaptation will appear as if it has just landed from another planet. Gone are such familiar trappings as "The William Tell Overture," the bushwhacking Butch Cavendish Gang, the title character's backstory as a genuine Texas Ranger, and faithful Indian companion Tonto's Pidgin English. Instead, the viewer is offered a wall-to-wall rock score; a twentysomething hunk of a Boston law student named Luke Hartman (Sebastian Spence) who morphs into the Lone Ranger; an equally youthful and remarkably articulate Tonto (Nathaniel Arcand) who dabbles in mysticism and has a hottie sister named Alope (Anita Brown); authentic 19th century dialogue such as "I love you guys!"; and even a skinny-dipping sequence. Yes, the Lone Ranger still rides a white stallion named Silver and fills his guns with silver bullets; yes, he still sports a mask; and yes, he dedicates his life to being a "champion of justice" after the brutal murder of his Ranger brother. Otherwise, it's "Hi Yo, Dude!" in this radical rethinking of The Lone Ranger, which debuted February 26, 2003, on the WB network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Actress Salma Hayek makes her directorial debut with this heartwarming drama based on the novel by Theodore Taylor. José (Eddy Martin) is a young boy from Mexico who sneaks into the United States in search of his father, a migrant worker. On the run with an injured arm and looking for a place to rest, José sneaks into a church in San Ramos, CA, and hides in a scaffolding above the pulpit. Blood from José's arm drips onto a statue of Christ, and the next morning when Josephina (Soledad St. Hilaire), a devoted member of the congregation, arrives for her daily prayers, she's convinced that the plaster figure is weeping tears of blood. Father Russell (Peter Fonda), the parish priest, isn't sure if this is a genuine miracle or not, though given the town's financial woes and his own waning faith, the timing would be good for one. As Father Russell tries to determine just what has happened, Josephina begins spreading word of the miracle, as and the story spreads, it becomes increasingly embellished. Soon curious believers and intrigued skeptics flood San Ramos, boosting the town's sagging economy, with Maisie (Mare Winningham), proprietor of the local cafe, one of the prime beneficiaries. Maisie, however, has also discovered and taken in José, and when she and her friend Cruz (Ruben Blades) learn the truth about the weeping statue, they're unsure if they should tell the townspeople just what has happened. The Maldonado Miracle was produced for cable television broadcast in a partnership between Hallmark Productions and the Showtime premium cable network. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A small-time loser who dreams of the big time discovers just how far wrong a good deed can take him in this black comedy. Frank Jacobs (Daniel Stern) is a guy with perennial bad luck living in a small town in Kansas, where he runs a gone-to-seed motel and is married to Helen (Patricia Richardson), a shrewish woman with a sharp tongue and little affection for her husband. Frank's great dream is to make a career for himself as a country and western singer, and while scrambling for a spot during an open mike night at a roadhouse, he makes the acquaintance of Julie (Lacey Kohl), a fellow singer who is married to past-prime C&W star Roy Baker (James Caan). After a quarrel, Roy leaves Julie by the side of the road, and Frank offers to give her a place to stay for the night. Helen is certain Julie's a home wrecker, and a serious argument erupts between Helen, Frank, and Julie; a gun goes off, and Helen is dead. Certain there's no easy way to explain Helen's death, Frank and Julie bury her in the backyard, and Frank soon finds himself having a fling with the attractive young singer. But before long, Roy arrives, eager to take Julie back whether she likes the idea or not, and matters are complicated when Helen's twin sister Wanda (also played by Richardson) arrives, determined to find out what's become of her sister. Viva Las Nowhere (also shown as Dead Simple) also stars Sherry Stringfield as another aspiring singer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director and screenwriter Stacy Title (best known for the independent feature The Last Supper) obviously knows a good story when she sees one, and proves it with Let The Devil Wear Black, which takes the framework of Shakespeare's Hamlet and recasts it with present-day characters and dialogue. Jack (Jonathan Penner), a professional student, is convinced something is rotten in the state of his family after the recent death of his father -- especially when Uncle Sammy (Jack Sheridan) decides to marry Jack's mother (Jacqueline Bisset) with what Jack thinks is inappropriate speed. Jack becomes convinced his father's death was at the hands of some shadowy conspiracy, while his girlfriend, Julia (Mary-Louise Parker) starts to unravel in the face of her own tensions and Jack's obsessions. The supporting cast includes Philip Baker Hall, Jonathan Banks, Maury Chaykin and Chris Sarandon; Let The Devil Wear Black was shown as part of the 1999 Slandance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Dan Ireland directed this romantic comedy-drama (adapted by James Still from his own play) about a romantic triangle. Doughnut shop waitress Mary Carmen (Salma Hayek) is the girlfriend of bisexual porn star Valentino (Vincent D'Onofrio), but she's frozen out after Valentino gets a look at Midwestern hunk Gary (Thomas Jane). Rivalries end, and the three become close after Valentino succumbs to the AIDS virus. Shown at the 1998 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

A group of teenagers telling ghost stories while stranded in the middle of nowhere sets the scene for this collection of horror tales. A girl is terrorized by a psycho she "met" on the internet, a biker makes the mistake of visiting a haunted farmhouse, and some folks in an RV finds monsters along the highway. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

If you met Adolph Hitler when he was just a struggling cartoonist, wouldn't you have done the world a big favor by murdering him? That philosophical question provides the linchpin of this black comedy. Jude (Cameron Diaz), Pete (Ron Eldard), Paulie (Annabeth Gish), Marc (Jonathan Penner), and Luke (Courtney B. Vance) are five graduate students who are confirmed members of the political left, participate in small-scale activism, and share a house together. One night, Pete is stuck in the middle of nowhere, and Zack (Bill Paxton), a truck driver, gives him a lift home. The housemates are just about to sit down to dinner, so to show his gratitude, Pete asks Zack to join them. However, it soon becomes obvious that Zack doesn't share the group's political views, and when he states that he thinks Hitler had the right idea, the argument turns into a fight, with Zack brandishing a knife. The trucker is accidentally killed in the scuffle, and rather than report the death to the police, his body is buried in the backyard vegetable garden. However, the event prompts much discussion among the housemates -- if Zack was a hateful bigot, isn't the world better off without him? And wouldn't killing other ignorant hatemongers improve society all the more? Before long, the group is having a weekly dinner party in which they invite a special guest -- including an anti-environmental activist (Jason Alexander), a right-wing religious leader (Charles Durning), a sexist who doesn't believe there's such a thing as rape (Mark Harmon), and a teenager campaigning against sex education in schools (Erin Bryn) -- and serve them some wine, which happens to be laced with arsenic. While the group's attempt at community improvement does wonders for their tomato plants, the recent disappearances eventually attract the attention of the local sheriff (Nora Dunn). The Last Supper was the first feature for director Stacy Title, who won an Academy Award for her short subject Down on the Waterfront; screenwriter Dan Rosen appears in a supporting role as a police deputy. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi