Ron Domingo Movies
Writer-director Michael Kang makes his feature debut with the coming-of-age comedy, The Motel. Newcomer Jeffrey Chyau stars as Ernest Chin, a chubby 13 year-old Chinese-American boy whose mother (Jade Wu) runs a sleazy motel in upstate New York. The clientele of The Motel are predominantly prostitutes and their johns, which spurs Ernest's budding sexual curiosity. When he's not cleaning rooms, eavesdropping on guests, avoiding the local bully, or tormenting his little sister Katie (Alexis Chin), Ernest harbors a crush on Christine (Samantha Futerman), who works at a nearby Chinese restaurant. Ernest has entered a writing contest at school with a story about his unhappy life at The Motel, and won an honorable mention. His scornful mother thinks his writing is a waste of time, and Ernest doesn't want her to see the story for fear that it will anger her. He's a social misfit, so he's intrigued when Sam Kim (Sung Kang of Better Luck Tomorrow), a Korean-American guest who frequently brings home prostitutes, befriends him. Sam takes Ernest under his wing, teaching him to drive and offering him his wisdom regarding women. Of course, Sam turns out to have his own serious issues with the opposite sex, and his advice to Ernest about Christine may not be exactly what the boy needs. Kang won the Asian American International Film Festival screenwriting competition with his script for The Motel in 2001, and the completed film was shown at the festival in 2005. The script was workshopped at the Sundance labs, where filmmaker Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl) signed on as a producer. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Chyau, Kang Sung, (more)
- 2004
A trio of unlikely travel companions set their sights on Nashville after being brought together by a spontaneous carjacking in director Steven E. Mallorca's quirky road trip comedy. Convinced that in order to earn his street cred, he must first commit a suitable crime, Filipino-American gangsta-rapping poseur JoJo Enriquez (Ron Domingo) talks his best friend Devaun (D.K. Bowser) into carjacking Vance (Whitney Melton) -- a laid-back cowboy whose claims of being a traveling perfume salesman grow increasingly unbelievable with every tick of the odometer. As the mile markers pass by and Devaun desperately tries to ensure that everyone maintains a level head in their travels, the discovery of their wheelman's true occupation leads JoJo and Devaun to stick along for the ride to Nashville where they will each discover a little something about themselves while simultaneously learning the truth about the dark underbelly of the country music capital of the world. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ron Domingo, Whitney Melton, (more)
Greg Pak directs Robot Stories, a feature film made up of four separate vignettes set in the near future. In "My Robot Baby," Maria (Tamlyn Tomita) and Roy (James Saito) must take care of a robot baby before they can adopt a real one. In "The Robot Fixer," a car accident puts Wilson in a coma. His mother, Bernice Chin (Wai Ching Ho), tries to connect with him by repairing his old collection of toy robots. Her obsessive quest to find missing robot parts is observed by her daughter Grace (Cindy Cheung). In "Machine Love," a Sprout G9 iPerson (Greg Pak) is introduced to an office environment. In "Clay," sculptor John Lee (Sab Shimono) refuses to get scanned, which would merge his memory with a collective consciousness. He struggles to maintain his humanity against the judgement of his son Tommy (Ron Domingo) and wife Helen (Eisa Davis). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tamlyn Tomita, James Saito, (more)
- 2002
The young man who was stabbed to death outside a pizza parlor is revealed to be N.Y.U. student Andrew Hatcher. Among the clues is the fact that Hatcher's parents were called up on his cell phone -- after his death. The principal suspect would seem to be drug dealer Jimmy Gaines (Gregory Russell Cook), who claims that he found the victim's cell phone in a garbage can. Investigating this alibi, the detectives come across evidence of an attempt to cover up a case of meat contamination. Without revealing more, it can be said that this episode truly lives up to its title. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2001
The detectives launch an investigation when the body of a Hispanic male is found. The victim turns out to have been an illegal immigrant, one of several involved in a racket wherein automobile accidents are staged. Though many people are implicated in the accident scam -- a chiropractor, an insurance adjuster, a corrupt lawyer -- the DA's office must determine who will be held solely responsible for the murder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
