Chris L. McKenna Movies
Ever since his stage debut as Dopey in a grade-school stage production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Chris L. McKenna knew that his calling in life was to become an actor. Even at the tender age of seven, it was obvious by the amount of work McKenna put into his role that he was determined to live the dream of basking in the spotlights of stage and screen, and when you're driven by that kind of insatiable hunger, it's only a matter of time before others recognize your talent and drive. Despite the fact that the Queens native came from an exceptionally athletic background (McKenna's uncle stormed the Super Bowl with the New York Jets and his father was invited to play for the New York Knick's), it was the well-worn boards of the theater that called to him more powerfully than the finely finished court of Madison Square Garden. In the years following his stage debut, McKenna continued to hone his craft with a three-year stint on the long-running television soap opera One Life to Live , eventually enrolling in Hofstra University as a drama major. Subsequent years found the capable young up-and-comer relegated to such supporting roles as "Locker Room Guy" (In & Out) and "Rookie Highway Cop" (Cement), but McKenna bided his time in front of the camera, assured that if he kept at it long enough, his break would eventually come. In the meantime, television audiences would warn to McKenna thanks to frequent appearances in such popular prime-time shows as That '70s Show, Touched by an Angel, and The Practice. When the screenplay for director Stuart Gordon's violent revenge drama King of the Ants crossed the desk of the somewhat athletic, large-framed actor, McKenna didn't pay much attention to it given that the lead was described as a small, meek guy who didn't stand out in a crowd, but after some prompting from a friend, McKenna was hooked on the script and determined to win the role. Though there was competition for the role, fate was on McKenna's side, and he was soon stepping before the cameras to essay his first leading role -- and a challenging one at that. To make the film work, it was essential to cast an actor who could transform from an unassuming house painter to a blackened killing machine, while still managing to elicit the sympathy of the audience. When the harrowing King of the Ants was unleashed upon audiences in 2003, any doubts as to whether the burgeoning actor could shoulder a film was quenched when critics and audiences singled out McKenna's stunning transformation as a highlight of Gordon's bleak vision. In addition to preparing for his subsequent role in director Terry Zwigoff's Art School Confidential, McKenna would attempt to expand his horizons by working with author Thomas Tessier to pen a screen adaptation of Tessier's labyrinthine horror novel Fog Heart. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Andrew Shea's scabrous and brutal psychological drama Forfeit concerns Frank O'Neal (Billy Burke), a man who once murdered his abusive father as an adolescent, and fled from his home in Los Angeles. Now, after years away from that city, a thirtysomething Frank returns to L.A., accepts a job as an armored car guard, and attempts to re-bond with an old sweetheart, Karen (E.R.'s Sherry Stringfield). But in reality, Frank is a clinical sociopath, scheming and plotting to stage a massive robbery and setting Karen up to take the rap. Frank is also a die-hard religious proselytizer, guided in his pursuits by a domineering, manipulative televangelist who controls everything he says and does. In time, as Frank prepares to execute the robbery, the minister pushes him to the edge of a complete mental breakdown. Gregory Itzin and Wayne Knight (Basic Instinct) co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Billy Burke, Sherry Stringfield, (more)
Filmmaker Terry Zwigoff and comic artist and screenwriter Daniel Clowes, who collaborated for the acclaimed 2001 comedy-drama Ghost World, team up once again for this offbeat satire. Jerome (Max Minghella) is an aspiring artist who arrives at a prestigious East Coast art institute to study. While Jerome enjoys daydreams of becoming the best-respected painter on Earth and winning the hearts of his female classmates, he soon learns the sad truth -- his "cool artist" act is old hat in the big city, and as he's surrounded by every art school cliché on Earth, practically nothing about him stands out. Determined to be recognized whatever the consequences, Jerome maps out a bizarre plan to become famous that has some unexpected consequences. Loosely adapted from a story in Clowes' comic book Eightball, Art School Confidential also stars John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, Anjelica Huston, and Sophia Myles. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, (more)
Touted as something of a return-to-form for Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon, King of the Ants offers the brutal tale of a man discovering his previously untapped potential for violence. Despite the fact that his future seems relatively undefined, young drifter Sean Crawley (Chris McKenna) is an easygoing guy who makes a meager living by painting houses. When electrician Duke Wayne (George Wendt) suggests that the naïve young painter could make more money if he could expand his horizons, an eager Sean takes him up on the offer and Duke introduces Sean to local construction magnate Ray Mathews (Daniel Baldwin). Ray quickly enlists Sean's assistance in trailing a local city accountant whose number crunching is beginning to make the crooked construction heavy uncomfortable, and it's not long before Ray asks Sean to carry out a hit on the overzealous accountant. Although Ray and Duke subsequently attempt to distance themselves from the crime, Sean's attempt to collect on the hit results in a brutal attempt on the amateur hit man's life. Though he is beaten to within inches of death, Sean makes an unexpectedly speedy recovery fueled by an unquenchable thirst for revenge. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Chris L. McKenna, Kari Wuhrer, (more)
