Gary Lucchesi Movies
Over the course of the '80s and '90s, and into the first decade of the millennium, omnipotent Hollywood producer Gary Lucchesi quickly built a name and established a track record for himself as one of Tinseltown's most prolific and eminently successful green-lighters. Lucchesi began where so many Hollywood execs do, as an agent at William Morris in Los Angeles, where he repped multimillion-dollar A-listers in the mid-'80s, such as Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, Michelle Pfeiffer, and John Malkovich. Lucchesi later accepted a position at TriStar, several years after its 1982 establishment, where he worked as VP and Senior VP of Production, and quickly moved to the hallowed halls of Paramount, where he became President of Production -- a title he inherited from Robert Evans and Barry Diller. While there, he supervised the output of blockbusters that totaled two billion dollars in revenue, including Fatal Attraction (1987), The Untouchables (1987), Coming to America (1988), The Naked Gun (1988), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Ghost (1990).Lucchesi's success at Paramount helped him found Gary Lucchesi Productions, Inc. in the early '90s, where his output straddled the line between megaplexes and pay cable; his big-screen ventures under this banner included Jennifer Eight (1992), Virtuosity (1995), and Primal Fear (1996, for which supporting actor Edward Norton received an Academy Award nomination). Lucchesi also oversaw the production of the seriocomic Breast Men (1997) and Vendetta (1999) for HBO and Wild Iris (2001) for Showtime.
Lucchesi subsequently became prexy of Lakeshore Entertainment, where he has executive produced such multimillion-dollar blockbusters as Underworld (2003), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), and Underworld: Evolution (2006). Most noteworthy during this period was Lucchesi's role in executive producing the Clint Eastwood project Million Dollar Baby for Warners and Malpaso -- a motion picture that not only became the sleeper hit of the year (and spun box-office gold) but netted the 2004 Best Picture Oscar. Following Emily Rose, Lucchesi oversaw Crank, a high-testosterone action thriller in the vein of Rudolph Maté's D.O.A. The picture stars Jason Statham as a hitman who is lethally poisoned and carries out a violent rampage through the urban jungle of Los Angeles before his time runs out.
In 2006, Lucchesi signed on to produce two films that would be directed by Robert Benton, with whom Lucchesi previously worked, on The Human Stain [2003]: The Feast of Love, an adaptation of a 2000 Charles Baxter novel about an Oregon romance, and Appointment in Samarra, an adaptation of John O'Hara's novel, with a script by Benton, about a couple in Gibbsville, PA, that slips from most-envied to town embarrassment when the husband spirals into self-destruction. He also produced the Zach Braff dramedy The Last Kiss, a film about the search for meaning in life, costarring Blythe Danner, Tom Wilkinson, and Casey Affleck. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2011
Matthew McConaughey stars as a dime-store lawyer who stumbles onto the defense team for a wealthy bachelor in a high-profile murder case with this Lakeshore Entertainment production. John Romano provides the adaptation for the best-selling novel by Michael Connelly. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew McConaughey
- 2010
A tape of a botched exorcism is leaked from the Vatican Church to horrifying results in this pseudo-documentary film from the Academy Award-winning director of Man on Wire, James Marsh. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
Live Free or Die Hard's Len Wiseman brings his dream project to the big screen with this big budget sci-fi film that tells the story of a detective's investigation into a crime ring dealing in immortality for Lakeshore Entertainment and Columbia Pictures. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
24 co-creator Joel Surnow teams with the series co-executive producer Michael Loceff to pen this spy thriller to be directed by Casino Royale's Martin Campbell for United Artists. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- R
- Add Underworld: Rise of the Lycans to QueueAdd Underworld: Rise of the Lycans to top of Queue
The Underworld series gets the prequel treatment with this third outing that fleshes out the story of the ancient war between the vampiric Death Dealers and their wolfman counterparts, the Lycans. F/X technician Patrick Tatopoulos (Godzilla, Independence Day) steps out of the effects lab and into the director's chair with this entry, which sees stars Bill Nighy returning as Viktor, the King of his vampire clan and father to Sonja (Rhona Mitra), a free-minded heir who tests her parent by heading outside of their castle's borders and doing battle with the ravenous werewolves of the surrounding area. Sonja also harbors a secret love affair with Lucien (Michael Sheen), the first of the Lycans, a race of lycanthropes who were bred by the vampires to be slaves and protectors to the bloodsucking clan. As the news of their love spreads to Viktor, ranks of the vampire elite help Lucien escape, leading to a revolution of the Lycans against their masters and setting up the mythology of the later latexed adventures featured in Len Wiseman's two previous films. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, (more)
- 2009
- PG
- Add Fame to Queue
This remake of the '80s classic focuses on a group of young students attending a high school for the performing arts. Classmates study various aspects of performance, from dance to songwriting to acting, all of them hoping for the chance to one day become stars. Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, and Bebe Neuwirth portray the instructors, with a host of newcomers toplining the production as the students. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristy Flores, Asher Book, (more)
Katherine Heigl stars as a lovelorn television producer who's made to run a gauntlet of romantic exploits by a pig-headed morning-show host (played by Gerard Butler) as a way to prove whose romantic methods are more accurate. Legally Blonde's Robert Luketic directs from a script by Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith, and Nicole Eastman. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, (more)
- 2009
- R
- Add Gamer to Queue
Reality and video games merge in this high-concept sci-fi action thriller from Crank creators Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. In the not too distant future, mind-control technology allows humans to control the actions and movements of other humans, allowing reclusive billionaire Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) to create the ultimate video game. It's called "Slayers," and it's a mass-scale, multiplayer online first-person shooter that's as controversial as it is popular. In the world of gamers, Simon (Logan Lerman) is a rock star; miraculously managing to keep his character alive week after week, he racks up frags like Billy Mitchell jumps barrels. But unlike Mitchell's Mario, Simon's video-game avatar is a living, breathing human being named Kable (Gerard Butler). Defying the odds to keep Kable running and gunning though even the most explosive battles, Simon captures the imagination of a global audience. Torn from his family, thrown into prison, and forced to fight against his will, Kable realizes that his only hope of ever seeing his family again is to somehow escape the game, reclaim his identity, and expose Castle's dehumanizing technology on live television. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerard Butler, Amber Valletta, (more)
The indestructible hopped-up hitman Chev Chelios, played to the hilt once again by Jason Statham, returns in Crank High Voltage, picking up where the first film left off -- except this time, Chelios is chasing a Chinese gangster who hijacked his heart and substituted it with a mechanical one that needs to be jolted with an electric charge to stay pumping. Back for the fun is Chev's girlfriend Eve (my Smart) and his physician Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam), who, as luck has it, turns out to be an ex-heart surgeon. As Chelios delves deeper into the mystery surrounding his stolen heart, he discovers that the answers to his questions lie within the chest of a 100-year old head of the Triad gang, Poon Dong (David Carradine. The maverick directing/writing team of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor returns to inject more caffeinated craziness into Lionsgate's burgeoning action series, with Efren Ramirez, Bai Ling, Clifton Collins Jr., and Corey Haim rounding out the supporting cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Statham, Amy Smart, (more)
- 2009
The Human Stain director Robert Benton focuses his lens on the social circuit in Gibbsville, PA, with this adaptation of John O'Hara's novel concerning a glamorous couple who are the envy of their community until the once-respected husband sets down a harrowing path of self-destruction. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Adapted from author Philip Roth's novel The Dying Animal, director Isabel Coixet's elegant tale of obsession explores the relationship between a highly respected professor (Ben Kingsley) and an impossibly gorgeous grad student (Penélope Cruz). As their relationship deepens, the professor finds his ego challenged by the girl's enchanting beauty. Dennis Hopper and Patricia Clarkson co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, (more)
A photographer propelled to explore his dark side begins tracking a subway serial killer whose brutal butchery makes for the most nightmarish images ever captured on camera in director Ryuhei Kitamura's adaptation of a short story by horror heavyweight Clive Barker. Leon Kaufman (Bradley Cooper) is just another struggling photographer in search of the perfect subject. Encouraged to explore the sinister side of humanity by a prominent art gallery proprietor (Brooke Shields) who is set to display his upcoming debut, Leon goes against the wishes of his girlfriend, Maya (Leslie Bibb), and begins stalking notorious serial killer Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) -- whose sadistic murder spree has been making headlines all across the country. As Leon's fascination with Mahogany gradually grows into obsession, his descent into the killer's putrid world of murder begins to corrupt his soul while simultaneously dragging his concerned girlfriend down a perverse path of darkness from which there is no return. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, (more)
A serial killer with a sickening knack for showmanship and a keen sense of technological know-how sets up a graphic website to taunt the FBI and display his gruesome handiwork in this dark thriller directed by Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear and Frequency) and starring Diane Lane. As a cybercimes investigator on the frontline of the war against virtual criminals, Special Agent Jennifer Marsh (Lane) thought she had seen it all. She realizes just how wrong she is, however, when she learns of a technologically advanced psychopath who has set up the world's first-ever snuff website. Audience participation is key on the ingenious killer's website, because the more hits his page gets the quicker he is to dispatch his victims. But how does one catch a killer who has covered their cyber-tracks with the web-savvy skills of a world-class hacker? Now, as the hunt becomes personal, Marsh vows to use every resource at her disposal in order to catch the killer before he logs on for another round of cyber slaughter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Lane, Billy Burke, (more)
Given a grim diagnosis during a routine doctor's checkup, a man who once had it all finds his attempt to disappear into a working-class suburb and spend his remaining days subsisting on vodka and junk food hopelessly disrupted when he falls for the beautiful divorcée next door and a busybody neighbor notices a miraculous stain on his stucco wall. Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) had a comfortable life and a beautiful fiancée. But just when it seemed that the future couldn't look any brighter for Henry, a visit to the doctor's office casts a dark cloud over his sunny outlook. Shattered, Henry wants nothing more in life than to simply vanish into his surroundings, and what better way to accomplish that feat than to purchase a cookie-cutter house in a working-class suburb and spend his final days awaiting the inevitable in peaceful solitude. Unfortunately for Henry, his new neighbors aren't about to let the handsome neighborhood newcomer spend his days sulking. The first to stop by and welcome Henry to his new home is local yenta Esperanza (Adriana Barraza), who comes knocking on his door with a fresh plate of homemade tamales and laundry list of questions.
Later, after taking notice of sad-eyed divorcée Dawn (Radha Mitchell) and her taciturn eight-year-old daughter, Millie (Morgan Lily), who hasn't spoken a work since her father left, Henry finds his self-imposed exile shattered when Esperanza notices a stain on his stucco wall that seems to possess miraculous powers. Before Henry can say "Hail Mary," Esperanza is leading pilgrimages to the "holy site" in his backyard and inviting Father Salizar (George Lopez) to give his blessings to the sacrosanct blemish. As skeptical as Henry may be about the healing powers of the curious apparition, however, his growing friendship with young Millie not only brings him closer to Dawn, but also proves to him that there's no escaping the power of hope. Cheryl Hines, Richard Benjamin, and Jessica Walter co-star in a wry existential comedy drama penned by first-time feature film screenwriter Albert Torres, and directed by Mark Pellington (Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Later, after taking notice of sad-eyed divorcée Dawn (Radha Mitchell) and her taciturn eight-year-old daughter, Millie (Morgan Lily), who hasn't spoken a work since her father left, Henry finds his self-imposed exile shattered when Esperanza notices a stain on his stucco wall that seems to possess miraculous powers. Before Henry can say "Hail Mary," Esperanza is leading pilgrimages to the "holy site" in his backyard and inviting Father Salizar (George Lopez) to give his blessings to the sacrosanct blemish. As skeptical as Henry may be about the healing powers of the curious apparition, however, his growing friendship with young Millie not only brings him closer to Dawn, but also proves to him that there's no escaping the power of hope. Cheryl Hines, Richard Benjamin, and Jessica Walter co-star in a wry existential comedy drama penned by first-time feature film screenwriter Albert Torres, and directed by Mark Pellington (Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luke Wilson, Radha Mitchell, (more)
Milo Ventimiglia (of the blockbuster TV series Heroes), headlines this dark crime thriller, which marks the sophomore directorial outing of Marc Schoelermann, following the 2006 telemovie Hexxx. Ventimiglia portrays a young intern, newly arrived at the University Hospital in Philadelphia, who stumbles onto a psychopathic group of colleagues playing a vile game. They regularly select one of their members (on a rotational basis) to commit the "perfect murder," while the rest use forensic methods to try to determine exactly how the homicide was executed. Alyssa Milano (of TV's Who's the Boss? and Charmed) co-stars as Ventimiglia's fiancée, while thesps Johnny Whitworth and Lauren Lee Smith are among the perpetrators. Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (of Crank fame) scripted. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Weston, (more)
Iron Jawed Angels director Katja von Garnier and the producers of Underworld team to adapt author Annette Curtis Klause's tale of a teenage werewolf who must choose between love and loyalty to the pack when she falls for a handsome young human. Vivian Gandillon (Agnes Bruckner) is a 19-year-old girl living in modern-day Bucharest. After spending her entire life running from the truth, Vivian is forced to come to terms with her lycanthropic origins when her growing affections for a visiting American artist threaten to reveal her family's dark secret. For centuries, Vivian's family has been involved with an ancient secret society. Now, in order to be with the one she loves, Vivian will be forced to betray an age-old vow that could bring about the downfall of her entire race. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Agnes Bruckner, Olivier Martinez, (more)
A group of friends living in suburban Oregon come into contact with a sensual free spirit named Chloe (Alexa Davalos), who changes their outlook on life in the most unexpected of ways in this ensemble drama adapted from the acclaimed novel by author Charles Baxter. As college professor and writer Harry Stevenson (Morgan Freeman) sits quietly in the coffee shop of his tight-knit Oregon community, the local residents all around him all become swept up in the magical mischief of love. Coffee shop owner Bradley (Greg Kinnear) has a bad habit of looking for love in all the wrong places, and his relationship with wife Kathryn (Selma Blair) is a prime example of that penchant. Meanwhile, frazzled real estate agent Diana (Radha Mitchell) becomes ensnared in a taboo affair with a married man (Billy Burke), lovely newcomer Chloe attempts the formidable task of romancing troubled soul Oscar (Toby Hemingway), and Harry's own wife, Esther (Jane Alexander), affectionately tries to get through to her husband as he wrestles with the pain of losing a loved one. Fred Ward, Alexa Davalos, Stana Katic, Toby Hemingway, and Erika Maroszán star in a whimsical tale of intersecting lives inspired by Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, and directed by Robert Benton (Nobody's Fool, The Human Stain). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, (more)
Karen Moncrieff, the Independent Spirit Award-nominated director of Blue Car, assembles a stellar cast comprised of Toni Collette, James Franco, Giovanni Ribisi, and Mary Beth Hurt to tell the tale of one girl's mysterious death, and how the tragic actions of the people who surround her eventually led to her savage murder. When the brutalized and lifeless body of a once-vital young girl (Brittany Murphy) is discovered, a community is scarred by the unspeakable horror of seeing one of their own so viciously desecrated. But the discovery of the body is just the beginning of the story, and now as a wife uncovers her husband's dark secret, a mother searches frantically for her missing daughter, and a series of other, seemingly unrelated occurrences slowly begin to converge, the heartbreaking truth behind a tragic act of violence will shake the very foundation of a once close-knit community. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Toni Collette, Rose Byrne, (more)
A one-time freelance hitman who was just attempting to turn his life around is forced to keep his heart pumping when his vengeful former employers inject him with a lethal poison that will permanently stop his ticker if his pulse sinks beneath an active rate in a non-stop urban action extravaganza starring Jason Statham and Amy Smart. Chev Chelios (Statham) was one of the most skilled assassins in the West Coast crime syndicate. When he hung up his guns in the middle of a job to run off with his new girlfriend Eve (Smart), however, the man who was once the hunter now becomes the hunted. Awakened from his slumber by a telephone call informing him of his precarious situation, Chelios soon discovers that the only way to save Eve from certain death at the hands of his nemesis is to stay two steps ahead of his killers, keep his heart-rate high enough to stay alive, and blast through the streets of Los Angeles in search of an antidote. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Statham, Amy Smart, (more)
An ancient secret threatens to unleash the powers of darkness on a group of modern prep school students when the sole survivor of a cursed bloodline returns to lay claim to the powers denied to him centuries ago in a supernatural teen thriller from director Renny Harlin and screenwriter J.S. Cardone. The story begins in 1692, when five families from the Ipswich Colony of Massachusetts formed a covenant of silence that would forever protect their remarkable powers. One family went too far, though, and as a result of their transgression they were forever banished from the land. Flash forward to the new millennium and the four Sons of Ipswich are now the student elite at the prestigious Spenser Academy. Bound by their sacred ancestry and sworn to silence, these four teens share a secret so remarkable that it has served to protect their families for hundreds of years. The past has a way of coming back when you least expect it though, and when the fifth Son of Ipswich returns seeking to harness the powers denied him in the past, the battle is on to ensure the safety of The Covenant and lay the one descendent who threatens to reveal their secret to rest once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, (more)
A successful 30-year-old (Zach Braff) with a the perfect girlfriend (Jacinda Barrett) and a lucrative outlook on life struggles with the increasing pressures of adulthood as he weighs the merits of settling down with the woman who loves him against risking it all to be with a comely co-ed (Rachel Bilson) in director Tony Goldwyn's remake of Gabriele Muccino's 2001 comedy drama. Crash and Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis adapts a script originally penned by Italian filmmaker Muccino, and Casey Affleck, Blythe Danner, Eric Christian Olsen, and Tom Wilkinson co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zach Braff, Jacinda Barrett, (more)
A simple case of assumed identity snowballs into a romantic mix-up of epic proportions in director Andy Fickman's contemporary teen take on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) has good reason for wanting to conceal her identity upon arriving at Illyria Prep school, and with her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk) skirting school in an attempt to break into the London music scene, Viola sees her sibling's well-timed absence as the perfect opportunity to assume his identity. When Viola is assigned a shared dorm room with campus cool guy Duke (Channing Tatum), her façade slowly begins to crumble as she begins harboring a deep-rooted crush on her unsuspecting new roommate. The situation begins to take a turn for the worse, however, when Duke reveals his affection towards campus knockout Olivia (Laura Ramsey), who in turn seems increasingly drawn toward the sensitive imposter known as Sebastian. The problem is, the real Sebastian has decided to cut his London trip short, and upon arriving on campus two days earlier than expected, Viola's elaborately executed ruse hits an unexpected hitch that sends the entire situation spiraling into chaos. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, (more)
Tribes of vampires and werewolves battle for supremacy among the undead in this follow-up to the horror hit Underworld. Tracing the bloody history of the ongoing war between the Death Dealers, a gang of upper-crust vampires, and the Lycans, a pack of scruffy werewolves, Underworld: Evolution finds beautiful Death Dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and hunky Lycan Michael (Scott Speedman) exploring their own pasts as well as those of their comrades in hope of uncovering the secrets of this centuries-old conflict. As Selene and Michael deal with their bloody legacy as well as their forbidden romance, the violence between the Death Dealers and the Lycans escalates in what may be the final face-off between them. Directed by Len Wiseman, who also helmed the first film, Underworld: Evolution also stars Shane Brolly, Bill Nighy, Tony Curran, and Derek Jacobi. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, (more)
Based on the animated series by Peter Chung, Aeon Flux imagines a future in which 99 percent of the world's population is killed through industrial disease, and the survivors live in a single city that, despite utopian appearances, is quite totalitarian. Disinclined to embrace any particular ideology outside of a hatred for Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas), the leader of the council that governs the walled city, hyper-sexualized assassin Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) seeks to bring about a revolution. Retaining the title character's trademark jet-black hair and sleek, revealing clothing, this film adaptation fleshes out the story behind the sexual and romantic tension between Aeon and Trevor. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, (more)
Two talented young people head to California looking for fame, but find love along the way in this romantic drama. Luke (Steven Strait) is a struggling rock musician who has decided to leave New York City for the seemingly greener pastures of Los Angeles. A few days before he leaves, he spots a beautiful girl on the subway who gives him a big smile, giving him brief second thoughts. However, Luke heads out to L.A. anyway, and after months of scuffling lands a gig -- and sees the beautiful girl, Brier (Pell James), in the audience. Brier is an aspiring actress who, like Luke, came to L.A. to boost her career; she's taking acting classes at a well-respected workshop, and has landed a less-than-glamorous but lucrative deodorant commercial. Luke and Brier strike up a friendship, though it's obvious he's interested in something deeper; as Luke tries to score a record deal, Brier and her best friend Clea (Ashlee Simpson) try to spruce up his image and create some buzz about his music. But as Luke falls hard for Brier, she develops greater qualms about getting involved with a musician who will spend half his life on the road, and their shared desire for that big break may be the thing that keeps them apart. Undiscovered also stars Carrie Fisher, Kip Pardue, and Fisher Stevens. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pell James, Steven Strait, (more)
