Donal Logue Movies
Combining low-key, average-Joe charisma with a bottomless capacity for shrewd comic timing, Donal Logue earned a reputation in the late '90s as one of the decade's most compelling -- and prolific -- character actors. First winning notice and a dedicated cult following for his portrayal of Jimmy McBride, a cab driver featured in a series of MTV promos, Logue went on to work in a string of films good, bad, and ugly before finally landing his first major starring role in Jenniphr Goodman's 2000 Sundance favorite The Tao of Steve.The son of Irish immigrants, Logue was born in Ottawa, Canada, on February 27, 1966. Raised largely in the Southwestern United States, he went on to attend Harvard, where he studied history and began to nurture an interest in theater. Although Logue had long aspired to be a writer, a stint at the British-American Drama Academy in London strengthened his dedication to acting, and after graduating from college, he began performing on the stage.
Logue got his first break in the early '90s, when he began doing the notorious Jimmy the cab driver segments for MTV and won a small role in Robert Redford's Sneakers (1992). Supporting work in films ranging from Little Women (1994) to 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995) to the American remake of Diabolique (1996) followed, as did work on several TV series. In 1999, film audiences were finally given a greater opportunity to see what Logue was capable of when he turned in a scene-stealing performance as a slobby L.A. limo driver with half-baked acting ambitions in The Big Tease, Kevin Allen's light-hearted hairdressing mockumentary. Full-blown appreciation finally came the actor's way the following year, when he starred as the title character of Goodman's The Tao of Steve. A wry comedy about a late-twentysomething slacker whose savvy dating philosophy allows him to win over the ladies despite a gut whose bounty is matched only by the amount of pot he consumes, the film was a great success at the 2000 Sundance Festival, where Logue was awarded a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance.
The growing appreciation that surrounded Logue's work was reflected in the number of projects the actor was involved with that same year. Appearing in no less than six movies, including the summer blockbuster The Patriot, Logue was soon being touted as one of the industry's more promising -- to say nothing of hard-working -- talents. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
Waiting for Dr. MacGuffin director David Ondaatje takes his love for the "Master of Suspense" to the next logical step with this updating of the 1926 Alfred Hitchcock classic which shifts the action from turn-of-the-century London to contemporary Los Angeles. Adapted from the same Marie Belloc Lowndes novel that inspired the early Hitchcock effort, Ondaatje's thriller follows a mysterious lodger suspected of being a vicious copycat killer. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, (more)
Rockstar Games' double-gunned action franchise comes to the big screen thanks to director John Moore (The Omen) and Mark Wahlberg, who embodies the title character of Max Payne, a widowed cop hell-bent on delivering justice no matter what the cost as he investigates a string of killings in his city. Mila Kunis and Chris O'Donnell head up the supporting cast, with Beau Thorne adapting the screenplay for the 20th Century Fox production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, (more)
First-time helmer Steve Berra writes and directs the finely felt coming-of-age story The Good Life, a film à clef loosely based on Berra's experiences growing up in a Nebraskan small town during the '70s and '80s. Mark Webber stars as the director's alter ego, a more or less well-adjusted adolescent who nevertheless cuts against the grain of his football-obsessed friends and neighbors. Zooey Deschanel plays a young woman in the town who befriends Webber and encourages him to celebrate his uniqueness and individuality; Harry Dean Stanton portrays a local cinema owner who gives Webber a job running the theater. The picture co-stars Chris Klein as an abusive ex-high school football star, Bruce McGill as a worshipped football coach, and Bill Paxton (who also co-produced) as an admirer of Judy Garland. Though set in Nebraska, Berra and co. filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The film reunites Paxton and Stanton, who also co-star in the HBO series Big Love. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Webber, Zooey Deschanel, (more)
When a motorcycle-riding stuntman offers his soul to Mephistopheles in order to save the life of the one he loves most, he is forced to play host to a powerful supernatural entity whose flaming skull visage strikes fear into the heart of his enemies in this feature-film version of the long-running comic series. By day, Johnny Blaze (actor and comic-book devotee Nicolas Cage) is one of the world's best-known stuntmen, but when the sun goes down and he is in the presence of evil, the death-defying daredevil bursts into flames to become the indestructible, motorcycle-riding antihero known to the world as the Ghost Rider. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, (more)
Donal Logue (Grounded for Life) stars as a hard-drinking, has-been TV director who gets a second shot at success when he's assigned to run a fishing show in Scotland. Though he has to work with a miniscule budget, a challenging partner (who just happens to be his ex-wife), and a total lack of booze, his time in the highlands may be just the thing he needs to be happy. ~ Carly Wray, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donal Logue, Joely Collins, (more)
An unhappy woman finds new love with her old boyfriend in this romantic comedy-drama from writer and director Edward Burns. Patti Selma Blair) is a woman in her early thirties living in New York City. For years, Patti chased after her dream of becoming a successful novelist, but recently she's had to put writing on hold and is unhappily working in real estate. Patti's ennui isn't helped by the fact her marriage has fallen into a rut and neither she nor her husband are interested in one another anymore. When she was in college, Patti was in love with Brian (Patrick Wilson), and while Brian is fortunate enough to support himself writing crime fiction, he's smarting from the uncharitable reviews given to his latest and most personal work. One night, Patti is having dinner with her best friend Kate (Debra Messing) when she bumps into Brian, who is out with his friend Murph (Edward Burns), who in turn used to be involved with Kate. As the former lovers talk about their past and where life has taken them, Patti finds herself falling for Brian all over again, but both she and Brian are still dealing with the differences and insecurities that drove them apart years before. Purple Violets received its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Selma Blair, Patrick Wilson, (more)
The true story behind the murders that many crime scholars believe to be the most perplexing series of unsolved crimes in modern history comes to the screen in chilling detail as Fight Club and Seven director David Fincher steps behind the camera to tell the mysterious tale of the infamous Zodiac killer. A relentless serial killer is stalking the streets of the San Francisco Bay Area, leaving citizens locked into a constant state of panic, and baffled authorities scrambling for clues. Though the killer sadistically mocks the detectives by leaving a series of perplexing ciphers and menacing letters at the crime scenes, the investigation quickly flatlines when none of the evidence yields any solid leads. As two detectives remain steadfast in their devotion to bringing the elusive killer to justice, they soon find that the madman has control not only over their careers, but their very lives as well. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal, (more)
- 2007
Following a chance meeting with a woman whom he's certain he has met before, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is unable to sleep. After several slumberless hours, Monk decides to go for a nocturnal walk...only to see the same woman again. Shortly thereafter, Monk witnesses a murder during a botched drug deal, but when he is unable to prove that anything actually went down, it is assumed that he is imagining things because of sleep deprivation. Things get curiouser and curiouser when the so-called murder victim turns up alive. Thus, Monk finds himself in mental overload as he not only tries to solve a murder that may have not been a murder, but also figure out the identity (and significance) of that ubiquitous "mystery woman". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Five longtime friends enjoy a few days of celebratory carousing as they try to forget their adult responsibilities in this slice-of-life comedy drama from director/writer/actor Edward Burns. Paulie (Burns) is a working-class guy from Long Island who has learned that his longtime girlfriend (Brittany Murphy) is pregnant, and he decides he should do the right thing and marry her. Paulie has asked several of his best friends to stand with him at the wedding, and shortly before the big day, they get together at a local watering hole to give Paulie a proper send-off. Over the course of a weekend, the guys knock back a lot of beer, play a little softball, swat some golf balls, head out fishing and share their thoughts, with each man having some unresolved baggage to deal with. While Paulie is excited about his upcoming marriage, he's scared of how parenthood will change his life. His older brother, Jimbo (Donal Logue), has been arguing with his wife and spending his time in topless bars, but inside he's worried about the fact his wife hasn't been able to get pregnant, and he's convinced it's his fault. Des (Matthew Lillard) is a seemingly happy husband and father, but he seems to be more interested in getting his old rock band back together than spending time with his family. Mike (Jay Mohr) wants to settle down and have kids, but he can't imagine doing so with any woman other than the girl who dumped him some time ago. And while T.C. (John Leguizamo) goes out of his way to like one of the guys, he doesn't have the nerve to tell his best friends that he's gay. The Groomsmen received its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Burns, Brittany Murphy, (more)
- 2006
Indie director Michael Mabbott follows his debut effort, The Life and Times of Guy Terrifico, with a sophomore feature, the quirky underdog comedy-drama Citizen Duane. Douglas Smith plays Duane Balfour, one of the sons in a family known for fighting impossible battles against tremendous odds. When Duane loses his run for student council president, he vows to take on an even loftier mission: "Operation Infinite Justice," carried out against his sworn enemy, Chad Milton. Chad is the grandson of the local town bigwig, whose family extends its influence to every corner of the community. Duane's teacher, Miss Houston (Vivica A. Fox) discourages him, but he refuses to back down, and - in a last-ditch attempt to rid the town of the dark shadow that the Miltons cast over it - decides to run for mayor himself, backed by an eccentric relative, Uncle Bingo - a man notorious for once putting all of his money on a horse called 'Glue Factory.' First timers Jonathan Sobol and Robert Leskie penned the script; the picture co-stars Alberta Watson, Devon Bostick and Jane McGregor. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Smith, Devon Bostick, (more)
- 2006
Originally scheduled to debut on October 17, 2006, but ultimately unveiled on January 3, 2007, the ABC comedy series The Knights of Prosperity was a diverting exploration of that fitfully popular TV subgenre, "the lovable-loser-criminal show." The series was designed as a vehicle for Donal Logue, who topped the cast as Manhattan janitor Eugene Gurkin. A hapless, hopeless dreamer, Gurkin one day decided to make a name for himself as a "new age Robin Hood," assembling a group of fellow blue-collar goof-offs to pull off the robbery of the century (or at least, the robbery of the week). Our hero's band of merry men (plus one woman) included Eugene's fellow janitor, Squatch (Lenny Venito); lawyer-turned-cabbie Gary (Maz Jobrani); nerdy liberal-arts grad and aspiring show-biz intern Louis (Josh Grisetti); sexy waitress Esperanza (Sofía Vergara); and hulking security guard Rockefeller Butts (Kevin Michael Richardson), who was so anxious to be in on Eugene's scheme that he was literally willing to "work for cookies." The gang's target was singer Mick Jagger, who never appeared on-camera but whose lavish lifestyle was mercilessly parodied and exaggerated (indeed, the series' working title was Let's Rob Mick Jagger, which had been decided upon only after "Let's Rob Jeff Goldblum" and "Let's Rob Howard Stern" had proved undoable). Unfortunately, in their efforts to finance their heist of Jagger's valuables, Eugene and his pals were forced to spend almost as much money as they hoped to steal, leading to the formation of innumerable bird-brained moneymaking schemes -- including, at one point, the kidnapping of one of the would-be robbers' uncles! Rife with slapstick and gloriously unsubtle "inside" jokes, The Knights of Prosperity was created by Rob Burnett and Jon Beckerman, whose previous credits included The Late Show with David Letterman (Letterman was among the executive producers) and Ed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donal Logue, Sofía Vergara, (more)
As a shoestring-budget clone of the A-list animated features Finding Nemo and A Shark Tale, the U.S.-Korean co-production The Reef constitutes yet another CG-animated picture about the 'little fish that could.' The piscine in question is the cleverly-named Pi (voice of Freddie Prinze, Jr.), orphaned when his parents are caught by a net off of Boston harbor. Adopted by a family of porpoises, Pi later swims a great distance to a tropical reef to live with his Aunt Pearl (voice of Fran Drescher), a psychic fish. He also falls in love with the supermodel fish Cordelia (voice of Evan Rachel Wood), who is promptly kidnapped by the brutish shark Troy (Donal Logue). She agrees to wed the shark if he resists the urge to kill Pi. We won't be spoiling the fun or ruining any surprises to reveal that Pi soon hatches an elaborate rescue plan. Andy Dick, Rob Schneider and John Rhys-Davies provide additional voices. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Freddie Prinze, Jr., Evan Rachel Wood, (more)
Acclaimed music-video director Jesse Peretz made his third feature with this comedy starring Zach Braff and Jason Bateman. Tom (Braff) is an aspiring chef whose wife Sofia (Amanda Peet) has just quit her high-paying job to stay home with their new baby. When it becomes abundantly clear that they can no longer maintain their New York City lifestyle, the family picks up and moves to Sofia's hometown in Ohio, where Tom is hired to work at her father's ad agency. It is there that Tom meets Chip (Bateman), the agency's wheelchair-bound golden boy, who also happened to have a one-night stand with Sofia while the two were cheerleaders in high school. Suddenly, Tom finds himself sabotaged by Chip at every step as the nefarious paraplegic schemes to steal Sofia from him and destroy any chance he might have of success at the agency. Released briefly in 2006 under the title Fast Track, the film was retitled The Ex before receiving a wide release in the Spring of 2007. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, (more)
A couple who live on different sides of the divide of life and death discover just how many boundaries love can cross in this romantic comic fantasy. Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon) is a hardworking and dedicated medical resident who, after 20 hours on duty, is heading home when she falls asleep at the wheel of her car and is involved in a fatal auto accident. Several weeks later, a man named David (Mark Ruffalo) takes over the lease on Elizabeth's apartment, but he discovers that she hasn't quite vacated the building. Elizabeth's body may be dead, but her spirit is still quite lively, and her ghost is insisting that the apartment is still hers...and that she wants him to move out. David brings in Darryl (Jon Heder), an eccentric man who claims to have psychic powers, to help sweep Elizabeth's spirit out of the apartment, but she refuses to budge, certain that she can't be completely dead, despite all evidence to the contrary. As Elizabeth and David try to share the flat, they discover that their differences aren't as great as they once imagined, and they become attracted to one another. But will Elizabeth's spirit stay in the land of the living long enough for their romance to go somewhere? Just Like Heaven marked Jon Heder's first feature film role after his breakthrough appearance in the independent hit Napoleon Dynamite. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo, (more)
- 2003
A tormented Kovac (Goran Visnjic) precipitates a barroom brawl and later lobbies unsuccessfully to operate on an ailing Croatian child. Demoted from surgery, Romano (Paul McCrane) becomes more irksome than ever before when he is placed in charge of the ER. A mother-to-be must choose between giving birth to her child or undergoing life-saving chemotherapy. Chen's (Ming-Na) birthday is spoiled by Pratt's (Mekhi Phifer) ill-advised gift. And the staffers get their first look at Lewis' (Sherry Stringfield) brand-new husband. ~ Hal Erickson, 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
- Starring:
- Paul Rudd, Donal Logue, (more)
- 2003
Weaver (Laura Innes) treats a six-week-old infant who isn't thriving as it should. Already unnerved by the news about her brother Eric, Abby (Maura Tierney) must also deal with an overmedicated -- and extremely violent -- patient (Johnny Sneed). And Dr. Gordana Horvat (Nina Sablich) a friend of Kovac (Goran Visnjic), and a fellow Croatian, supervises the surgery on a boy with a congenital heart problem. Frances Sternhagen makes her final appearance as Millicent Carter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Abby's (Maura Tierney) bipolar brother, Eric (Tom Everett Scott), raises a ruckus at the funeral of Millicent Carter. To save a dying Croatian boy, Kovac (Goran Visnjic) may destroy his own future -- or completely alter his purpose in life. And both Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) and Romano (Paul McCrane) are faced with two different but equally critical decisions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
James Foley directs the slick crime caper Confidence, written by first-time screenwriter Doug Jung. Told in flashback, smooth-talking con man Jake Vig (Edward Burns) relates an elaborate scheme orchestrated by his gang :Gordo (Paul Giamatti), Miles (Brian Van Holt), and Big Al (Louis Lombardi). The crew pulls off a swindling job stealing money from a guy named Lionel (Leland Orser), who turns out to be a mob accountant for the crazy crime boss known as the King (Dustin Hoffman). After the damage has been done, Jake and his crew attempt to pull off an even bigger scam to make up for their mistake. This time the con involves the King's enemy, the mob-connected banker Morgan Price (Robert Forster). Two corrupt cops (Donal Logue and Luis Guzman) join Jake's team while the King appoints his henchman, Lupus (Frankie G.) to oversee the operation. Rachel Weisz plays Lily, Jake's love interest who is also in on the scam. Eventually, Andy Garcia shows up as FBI Agent Gunther Butan, who has been perpetually chasing after Jake. Confidence premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz, (more)
In a sleepy small town there are two vibrant comic books stores that are rival universes unto themselves. Events spiral absurdly, violently out of control when the owners of the two shops -- nerdy hipster Ray (Donal Logue) and the nebbishy husband and wife team of Norman and Judy (Michael Rapaport and Natasha Lyonne) -- compete for a priceless collection of books left by the dead son of elderly Mrs. Cresswell (Eileen Brennan). Ray's friend, Archie (D.J. Qualls), tries to stop Ray from hiring a sleazy thief (Cary Elwes), but to no avail. Things get very ugly indeed. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
Two siblings with practically nothing in common are brought together by a real estate deal that threatens to leave them even more at odds than they were before in this semi-improvised comedy. Graham (Paul Rudd) and Rex (Romany Malco) are about as different as two brothers can get -- Graham is sloppy, lackadaisical, and in a state of puzzled wonderment about the world around him, while Rex (his real name is Alan, but he thinks Rex sounds better) is a tightly focused aspiring e-commerce tycoon. Graham and Rex also don't look much like brothers; Rex is adopted, which explains why he's black and Graham isn't. Graham and Rex don't see much of each other, but when a distant relative passes on and bequeaths them joint ownership of a home in the South of France, they fly out together to take a look at their new property. Graham and Rex discover that the estate is in dire need of repair and that the house's domestic staff -- butler Jean (Didier Flamand), cook Sabrine (Maria Verdi), caretaker Pierre (Philippe Mahon), and pretty maid Isabelle (Sylvie Testud) -- is still on hand and expecting to be kept on. Graham magnanimously promises the staff that they'll still have their jobs, but Rex discovers that the previous owner was deep in debt, and the only way to pay off the bills is to sell the place. So now they have to find a buyer who is willing to take the employees along with the home, none of which is helped by the fact that both Graham and Rex are vying for the attentions of Isabelle. The Chateau was shot using digital video equipment, then transferred to 35 mm film for its theatrical engagements. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Rudd, Sylvie Testud, (more)
