Paulo Costanzo Movies
Often described as a dead ringer for Jerry Seinfeld with Kramer hair, Paulo Costanzo made his mark as a movie actor in teen comedies in the early 2000s. Native Canadian Costanzo began performing in high school, starring in his school's production of West Side Story. Further cutting his thespian teeth in Toronto theater, Costanzo subsequently moved to TV roles after high school. Along with such lighter TV movies as The Don's Analyst (1997) and My Date With the President's Daughter (1998), Costanzo played a Jewish teen hiding from the Germans during World War II in Rescuers: Stories of Courage (1997). Adding science fiction to the mix, Costanzo also became a regular on the TV series Animorphs (1998) and Psi Factor (1999).Costanzo got his major movie break when he was cast as a stoner friend who comes along for the titular expedition in the outrageous comedy hit Road Trip (2000). Continuing to act in high-profile youth-oriented movie projects, Costanzo next played the Pussycats' loyal road manager in the screen adaptation of Josie and the Pussycats (2001). Despite its hyped release and attempts to send up itself and teen-consumer culture, however, Josie and the Pussycats failed to catch on with the target audience. Costanzo had relatively better box-office luck with the romantic comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002). As Josh Hartnett's roommate, Costanzo was on hand to provide humorous commentary regarding Hartnett's quest to abstain from sex for the eponymous time span. In 2004 Costanzo joined the cast of the Friends spin-off Joey,playing none other than Joey's nephew Michael, and three years after that show went off the air he returned to prime-time with a featured role in Royal Pains, which told the tale of a talented doctor who divided his time between makign house calls in the Hamptons, and caring for less-fortunate locals without health care. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
The three sons of a reckless, recently-deceased gambler make a shocking discovery that causes them to reassess their lives as they race to make the most of the precious little time they have left. A hard living father of five, Duke White (Harvey Keitel) had a bad habit of gambling away every penny that came his way. Now Duke is dead, and he's got one last surprise for his three oldest sons: years ago, Duke signed up Cal, Jacob, and Nuts for a series of drug tests that drastically reduced their life expectancies. Upon learning that his time on Earth is quickly running out, Cal (Scott Caan) goes after Miranda (Tricia Helfer), the one girl he always regretted letting slip through his fingers. Former boxer Nuts (Jason Jones), meanwhile, decides to step back into the ring to prove that he can still deliver a crowd-pleasing punch. And then there's Jacob (Paulo Costanzo), the son who stopped taking risks after settling into a comfortable career. Now, with his youngest brother Todd (Siam Yu) by his side, Jacob is going to throw caution to the wind, and do all of the things he was too afraid to do before he knew that his days were numbered. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel
CGI effects wizard and versatile cinema Renaissance man Toby Wilkins directed this shocker, which is set in and around a remote gas station, where a vicious, virus-like entity invades the body of human victims and instills in them an unquenchable thirst for human blood. On their way into the wilderness for a romantic weekend alone, a young couple is carjacked by a desperate escaped criminal and his devious girlfriend. Later, as the mismatched couples head ever deeper into the woods, they unknowingly become targeted by a parasitic creature that absorbs the corpses of its human victims. The situation goes from bad to worse when the four travelers seek shelter at an abandoned gas station, and the insatiable creature begins taking them over one by one. With no means of telling who's been infected and who can still be trusted, the prospect of anyone escaping with their lives grows increasingly dim with each passing minute. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shea Whigham, Paulo Costanzo, (more)
A slacker edging into his thirties plots a not quite legal get-rich-quick scheme in this satiric comedy written by celebrated novelist Douglas Coupland. Ryan (Paulo Costanzo) lives and works in Vancouver, which has become overrun by runaway Hollywood film crews and folks looking for an easy buck however they can find it. Ryan's unemployed father grows marijuana in his basement, his brother is involved in a real-estate scam that bilks tycoons from Hong Kong who never see the property they only think they own, and Ryan himself is an office drone at a magazine devoted to chronicling the lives of lottery winners. After his girlfriend leaves him for a wealthy yuppie, Ryan falls for Ming (Steph Song), a beautiful Asian woman he meets in a Mandarin language class. Prompted by Ming's desire for a more luxurious lifestyle, Ryan dreams up a scheme to fix the lottery using what he's learned at his job. Adapted from the first original screenplay from Douglas Coupland, Everything's Gone Green received its world premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paulo Costanzo, Steph Song, (more)
Following memorable roles in the military action-adventures Pearl Harbor (2001) and Black Hawk Down (2001), young actor Josh Hartnett is propelled to romantic leading man status with this semi-autobiographical comedy from screenwriter Rob Perez. Hartnett stars as Matt Sullivan, a young man smarting over the bitter breakup of his most recent relationship. With Lent approaching, Matt decides to observe the 40-day tradition by abstaining from all sexual contact, including self-gratification. Once his odyssey of discipline has begun, he meets the girl of his dreams, while his ex begins campaigning to get him back. Co-starring Shannyn Sossamon, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Vinessa Shaw, 40 Days and 40 Nights inspired another round of controversy between distributor Miramax and the Catholic League, which accused the film of being a "vulgar parody" of Lent. The League previously protested the company's releases of Priest (1994) and Dogma (1999). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, (more)
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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rachael Leigh Cook
What can help one woman overcome the fears, anxieties, and traumas of a lifetime? Perhaps the music of Stevie Nicks? Gypsy (Sara Rue) is a woman in her mid-twenties who is still emotionally stuck in adolescence; her job (at a drive-through photo processing center) is nothing to write home about, and her one consuming interest in life is the music of Fleetwood Mac diva Stevie Nicks. Gypsy has gone beyond collecting Stevie's records, and loves to dress up like her idol, belting out her songs in living tribute. One of Gypsy's only friends is Clive (Kett Turton), a goofy goth kid still in his teens who enjoys hanging out in cemeteries, where he and Gypsy can sing their Fleetwood Mac favorites for preservation on Clive's camcorder. One day, while browsing the Internet, Clive discovers a website advertising a "Night Of 1000 Stevies" at a New York City nightclub, in which any Stevie Nicks imitator is welcome to take the stage in tribute. Clive is convinced this is an event Gypsy cannot miss, but it leaves them with only four days to get their act together and travel from Sandusky, OH, to the Big Apple. In addition, Gypsy has her own issues to deal with in New York, the city her mother ran off to when she abandoned her family many years ago. Gypsy 83, Todd Stephens' first feature after his breakthrough success Edge of Seventeen, premiered at the 2001 L.A. Outfest, a festival devoted to gay- and lesbian-themed films. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sara Rue, Kett Turton, (more)
Based on the animated hit TV show of the 1970s, Josie and the Pussycats is a live-action tale of a group of young girl rockers who desire to make it big. Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook), Val (Rosario Dawson), and Melody (Tara Reid) make up an aspiring garage band that is discovered by shady megalomaniac executive Wyatt Frame (Alan Cumming), the sidekick to MegaRecords boss Fiona (Parker Posey), who runs an industry powerhouse that has been grooming the very successful boy band Du Jour. Unbeknownst to the band, MegaRecords is a company whose real intent is to brainwash young people, with subliminal messages inserted in CDs to assure a healthy sales record. Josie and her crew soon latch on to the real deal behind their new label and are forced to choose between their burgeoning rock-star success and doing what's right for future music lovers. The film also stars Gabriel Mann as Josie's love interest/folk singer Alan M. Its soundtrack features work by Counting Crows' Adam Duritz, the Go-Go's Jane Wiedlin, and Babyface. Rachael Leigh Cook's voice was dubbed by Letters to Cleo's Kay Hanley for the film's musical set pieces. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, (more)
In this raunchy comedy, Josh (Breckin Meyer), a student at a college in Ithaca, NY, videotapes his one-night stand with beautiful sorority girl Beth (Amy Smart). A few days later, Josh discovers that one of his friends accidentally mailed the homemade porn tape to his girlfriend, Tiffany (Rachel Blanchard), who is spending some time with her family in Austin, TX. Josh and his friends Barry (Tom Green), Kyle (D.J. Qualls), E.L. (Seann William Scott), and Rubin (Paulo Costanzo) borrow a car and hit the road in a desperate bid to intercept the tape before Tiffany loads it into her VCR; Beth, however, wants Josh for herself and has her own plans to track down Tiffany. Road Trip is the first fiction feature from director Todd Phillips, noted for such edgy documentaries as Hated: G.G. Allin & the Murder Junkies, Screwed, and Frat House. The cast also includes Fred Ward and Andy Dick. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott, (more)
- 1998
- PG13
Sarah Kernochan wrote and directed this nostalgic coming-of-age comedy-drama with some autobiographical touches. In 1963, budgetary problems at the East Coast boarding school Miss Godard's School for Girls, prompt a merger with a boy's academy. The girls are stunned at the prospect of going co-ed and devise a campaign to sabotage the plan. Screenwriter Kernochan, scripter of Sommersby and 9 1/2 Weeks, won an Oscar when she co-directed the 1972 documentary Marjoe, but this film marks her feature directorial debut creating comedy-drama. The upstate New York seen here is actually Toronto. The title created some confusion, since Kernochan's film received reviews the same month the 1998 New York Film Festival unspooled a new 35mm print of Sergei Eisenstein's silent classic Strike (1924). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, Gaby Hoffmann, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.