Joshua Leonard Movies

Filmmaker Aaron Rose celebrates the independent spirit of D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) culture in this documentary detailing how a group of like-minded American artists emerged from the underground in the early 1990s to have an enormous impact on the worlds of fashion, film, art, music, and pop culture in general. With virtually no connection to the mainstream art world, the ten artists featured in Beautiful Losers somehow managed to become the strongest creative voices of their generation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A man who can't walk meets a woman who envies his condition in this offbeat black comedy. Isaac Knott (Nick Stahl) lost the use of his legs when he was eight years old in an auto accident that also claimed the lives of his parents. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Isaac has enjoyed a successful career as the host of a talk show on a New York City public radio outlet. One day, Isaac is told an odd story about a man who arrived at a local hospital and demanded to have his legs amputated; the man was part of a secret subculture of able-bodied folks who wish to be paraplegics, using wheelchairs when they can and attempting to deaden their legs through artificial means. Isaac becomes fascinated with the idea of these wannabes, and begins studying the phenomenon for a piece on his show. Isaac's research leads him to Fiona (Vera Farmiga), a sexy but mysterious blonde who collects and restores Chinese art. Fiona is also the owner of a wheelchair she doesn't really need, and Isaac, who is increasingly attracted to her, wants to know all about her role in the fake-paraplegic underground. However, Fiona isn't about to give away any of her secrets for free, and Isaac discovers that the exchange of information and trust goes deeper the longer they know one another. The first feature film from writer and director Carlos Brooks, Quid Pro Quo received its premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A woman (Azura Skye) becomes pregnant with the first child of the post-nuclear apocalypse era in director Jim Torres' feature adaptation of a 1987 play by Ron Harris. Desperate to provide a better life for her unborn child, the expectant mother joins a band of survivors two decades after the unthinkable became a devastating reality. Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project), Nathan Baesel (Invasion), Reg E. Cathey (The Wire), and Diane Salinger (Carnivale) co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

An unexpected transformation helps a workaholic attorney learn that there's more to life than the courtroom in this remake of the 1959 Disney canine classic of the same name. Deputy District Attorney Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) takes his job in the halls of justice very seriously -- so seriously in fact that his wife and family see considerably less of their frequently-absent husband and father than they would prefer. When a case involving an animal laboratory finds the distracted dad once again taking an extended leave of absence from his frustrated family, Douglas' luck takes a turn for the worst after he is inadvertently infected by a top-secret genetic-mutation serum that transforms the two-legged lawyer into a four-legged sheepdog. Though his current situation has its drawbacks to be sure, the fly-on-the-wall perspective afforded to Douglas in his newfound state alerts the well-intending father and husband that all is not well on the home front. Moved by the unfulfilled needs of his neglected family and determined to become a better father if he can only shed his winter coat, Douglas' unique new vantage point could offer just the motivation needed to bring the nefarious forces behind the serum to justice and win back his wife and kids once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A deadly form of madness has taken over Cunningham Mental Hospital, and it's not just the patients whose sanity is slipping in this dark thriller from director William Butler. Cunningham is infamous for housing some of society's most dangerously psychotic criminals, and when a staff nurse is murdered, newly hired psychiatry intern Clark Stevens (Joshua Leonard) begins to sense that the staff is being held in the grip of a deadly madness. As Clark begins an investigation into the murder, his research begins to yield ominous answers that may be better left unexplored. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A struggling actor decides to quit the business in the most permanent way possible in this dark comedy drama starring Paul Rudd, Donal Logue, and Mackenzie Astin. Dismayed at his lack of success onscreen and depressed by his lackluster personal life, actor Paul Miller (Rudd) announces that in two days time he will take his own life. Hiring a documentary crew to follow him as he says his goodbyes and prepares to take the final plunge, Paul steps to center stage for a starring role in the film that finds him seeking meaning and hope in the brief 48 hours before his scheduled demise. As the clock winds down and the crew nervously prepares for Paul's big send-off, one question remains -- will Paul have the courage to see his final role through to the bitter end? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This gang warfare drama is from director Scott Kalvert, whose previous film was the controversial and violent The Basketball Diaries (1995). In the sweltering summer of 1958, Leon (Stephen Dorff) and Bobby (Brad Renfro) are leaders of the Brooklyn street gang known as the Deuces. When their brother Alley Boy died from an overdose, the two toughs vowed to keep narcotics out of their turf, but now they're being muscled by a new and more powerful gang called the Vipers, fueled by drug money and led by mobster Fritzy Zennetti (Matt Dillon). As a vicious gang war heats up that will determine Brooklyn's future, a romance develops between Bobby and Annie (Fairuza Balk), the leader of a girl gang. Deuces Wild co-stars Frankie Muniz, Balthazar Getty, Max Perlich, Drea de Matteo, Deborah Harry, Vincent Pastore, Joshua Leonard, James Franco, and Johnny Knoxville. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

A handful of disgruntled bank employees decide to stage a robbery, but with no plans of doing it together, in this comedy. Sheila (Alicia Silverstone) is a teller at a small town bank who reaches her breaking point when her boyfriend, Rick Becker (Joshua Leonard), who also happens to be her boss, breaks up with her after three years of stringing her along, both emotionally and professionally. In order to get revenge against Rick, Sheila decides to rob the bank, but come the night of the heist, she discovers she wasn't the only person with similar plans that evening. Stuart (Paulo Costanzo) wants some adventure in his life, and plans to loot the bank vault to finance a gambling vacation in Las Vegas with his brother Max (David Krumholtz). And put-upon teller Jason (Woody Harrelson) wants to clear out the safety deposit box of foul-tempered local tycoon Charles Merchant (John Cleese), not knowing that Shmally (Rachael Leigh Cook), a clerk at a clothing store with a score to settle against Merchant, already has her own plans for dealing with him. Scorched was shot in 2001, but didn't play in American theaters until 2003, though it did enjoy a run in Europe during the interim. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The Blair Witch Project's Joshua Leonard stars in this offbeat independent comedy, the sophomore directorial effort from filmmaker Irving Schwartz. Leonard plays Nick, a mild-mannered guy who finds himself thrust into a madcap cross-country adventure after a case of mistaken identity. Along the way, Nick runs into a menagerie of oddball characters ranging from a serial killer to Death himself. LArceNY costars Andy Dick, Tyra Banks, and rapper-turned-actor Heavy D Myers. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

This military drama is based on the true story of Carl Brashear, who was the first African-American to serve as a diver in the United States Navy. Brashear (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) was born to a poor farming family in the deep South, and joined the Navy in hopes of bettering himself. When Brashear applies for diving school, he first encounters Master Chief Billy Sunday (Robert De Niro), a gruff and tyrannical diving instructor who holds absolute sway over his charges. Sunday does little at first to encourage Brashear's ambitions, and the would-be diver discovers racism in the military is an ugly fact of life when his white comrades refuse to share barracks with him. But Brashear's courage and determination make an impression on Sunday, and the two men become allies as Brashear must fight prejudice, military bureaucracy, and even a crippling injury in order to realize his dreams. Originally announced under the title Navy Diver, Men of Honor also features Hal Holbrook, David Keith, Michael Rapaport, Charlize Theron, and Powers Boothe; Bill Cosby served as an executive producer for the project. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

At a restaurant located somewhere in midtown New York, waiters, waitresses, cooks, a struggling playwright, and one exceptionally nasty restaurant owner serve up lavish helpings of food and mordant comedy. Among the players is a narcissistic would-be screen idol (Michael Buchman Silver), a naive and relentlessly eager young waitress (Ellen Pompeo), and an embittered veteran hash-slinger (Molly Ringwald). On the job, their lives tend to gravitate toward Adam (The Blair Witch Project's Joshua Leonard), a playwright who takes his job very, very seriously. They also find themselves continuously terrorized by Simon (Eric Bogosian), the restaurant's owner, and the psycho head chef, Kurt (Kirk Acevedo). Over the course of one night, a romance blossoms, Adam struggles to break free of his manipulative girlfriend, a diamond ring goes missing, and a creme brulee meets an unfortunate fate. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

Combining Hi-8 video with black-and-white 16 mm film, this film presents a raw look at what can happen when college students forego common sense and enter the world of voodoo and witchcraft. Presented as a straightforward documentary, the film opens with a title card explaining that in 1994, three students went into the Maryland back woods to do a film project on the Blair Witch incidents. These kids were never seen again, and the film you are about to see is from their recovered equipment, found in the woods a year later. The entire movie documents their adventures leading up to their final minutes. The Blair Witch incident, as we initially learn from the local town elders, is an old legend about a group of witches who tortured and killed several children many years ago. Everyone in town knows the story and they're all sketchy on the details. Out in the woods and away from their parked car (and civilization), what starts as a school exercise turns into a nightmare when the three kids lose their map. Forced to spend extra days finding their way out, the kids then start to hear horrific sounds outside their tents in the pitch-black middle of night. They also find strange artifacts from (what can only be) the Blair Witch, still living in the woods. Frightened, they desperately try to find their way out of the woods, with no luck. Slowly these students start to unravel, knowing they have no way of getting out, no food, and it's getting cold. Each night they are confronted with shrieking and sounds so haunting that they are convinced someone is following them, and they quickly begin to fear for their lives. The film premiered in the midnight movie section at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Chris Gore, All Movie Guide