Lin Shaye Movies

When a skittish crack-head disappears with a ten pack of Kush, the naïve drug dealers who fronted him the buds must scramble to raise $30,000 before word spreads to the higher ups. While their plan to kidnap the thieves' teenage brother at first seems like a stroke of genius, the scheme is complicated when the frightened adolescent unexpectedly dies. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A man scarred by the horrors of war encounters a new low in human brutality in this extreme horror story. Trevor Lloyd (Jason Connery) is a veteran of the Iraq war who has had a falling out with his wife and has decided to head west to start his life over again. While hitch-hiking through Texas, Trevor gets a ride from Parker Hilton (Randy Spelling), who makes him an offer -- if Trevor wants to make some traveling money, he's welcome to work a few days at Hilton's ranch. Trevor eagerly accepts, but when he and a handful of other hitchers arrive at the Hoboken Hollow Ranch, they discovers they've made a horrible mistake. Weldon Broderick (Mark Holton) and his family of bloodthirsty psychopaths run the ranch with Hilton, and rather than pay laborers, they simply kidnap men unlikely to be found missing anytime soon, and work them as hard as they can for as long as they can. When the abuse and torture become too much to bear, Broderick and his cohorts kill the drifters and make jerky from their flesh. As Trevor searches for a way to escape from this living hell, eccentric local businessman J.T. Goldman (Michael Madsen) is trying to persuade Broderick to sell him his land, but unwittingly discovers the horrible secret of his success in ranching. Hoboken Hollow also stars Dennis Hopper, Robert Carradine, C. Thomas Howell and Jonathan Fraser. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Obsessed with death after losing his rock star older brother, a troubled sixteen year old is sent to a youth boot camp and haunted by the spirit of a former inmate who perished under mysterious circumstances in this atmospheric horror film from director Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs). David Forrester (Rocky Ullman) never thought that he would lose his brother at such a young age, but now the worst has happened. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the burden of guilt becomes too heavy for David to bear and his mind continually drifts to thoughts of death. Not knowing how to move beyond their own grief so that they can emotionally support their surviving child, David's misguided parents send him to an "Attitude Adjustment Camp for Troubled Youths" called Driftwood presided over by the cruel Captain Doug Kennedy (Diamond Dallas Page) and his sadistic young protégé Yates (Talan Torriero). Now confined to the same darkened hallways where a former inmate named Jonathan (Connor Ross) met his grisly demise some years back, David quickly realizes that his only hope for survival is to solve the mystery of Jonathan's death so that the tortured teen's soul can finally rest in peace. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Track the rise and fall of fictional action superstar Frank Sledge in this rapid-fire mockumentary featuring special appearances by Angelina Jolie, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving, Richard Lewis, Sean Young, Ernie Hudson, Kelly Hu, and more. Laugh along as filmmakers parody some of the most popular action films ever, and Hollywood's brightest stars reflect on the career of the ass-kicking icon who, despite all his power and influence, couldn't prevent his own career from going up in flames. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The perfect kidnapping scheme take a hilarious turn for the worse when a hapless repo man and his septuagenarian partner find a major league baseball player tied up in the trunk of their most recent acquisition in first-time feature filmmaker Eric Fleming's high-speed comedy of errors. Rick (Fleming) and the Colonel (Robert Culp) never intended to become kidnappers, but upon repossessing the car of two mob heavies and discovering prized pitcher James Maxwell (James Edson) in the trunk, it seems that they have earned the title whether they like it or not. Upon learning that Maxwell had racked up some serious gambling debts that didn't stand well in the eyes of the Mafia, Rick and the Colonel soon become convinced that now they too have incurred the wrath of the feared organized crime ring. With the World Series just days away and Maxwell poised to pitch in the all-important upcoming game, Rick and the Colonel, and Rick's young son, Buddy, make a deal with Maxwell to ransom the team and split the money so that everyone will get a cut and Maxwell will make it to the pitcher's mount before a replacement is named. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Screenwriter Larry Golin made his directorial debut with this coming-of-age story set in New York. Four friends move in together in a ramshackle apartment in the Bronx as they try to figure out their next move while they finish up their senior year in high school. Schiek (Nashawn Kearse), star of the baseball team, wants everyone to think he's had a successful tryout with a major-league ball club, when the truth is he's washed out of his best shot with the minors. Vivo (Jerry Ferrara), who comes from a family of bush-league gangsters, wants to join the mob, but has a hard time becoming the tough guy he thinks he's supposed to be. Ike (Max Greenfield), who has talent as a wrestler, needs to get his own demons in check if he's to make anything of himself. And Rob-O (Badge Dale) wants to be an artist; he thinks he's found both a business manager and a girlfriend in the attractive woman who lives upstairs, Elizabeth Keener, but he isn't sure how to tell her that he's a good bit younger than she thinks. Cross Bronx was screened as part of the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A real-life series of killings that held Los Angeles, CA, in the grip of fear during the late '70s provides the inspiration for this tense crime drama. Kenneth Bianchi (C. Thomas Howell) is a nebbishy security guard who lives with his mother in Rochester, NY, and dreams of becoming a police officer. After Bianchi's application to join the Rochester police is turned town, he takes his mother's advice and moves out to Glendale, CA, where she arranges for him to stay with his cousin, Angelo Buono (Nicholas Turturro), who works in auto repair. When he's unable to get a position with the Glendale Police Department, Bianchi steps outside the law and, claiming to have a degree in psychology and a license to practice, sets up shop as a counselor. While Bianchi never had much luck with women in Rochester, Buono gives him some advice and sets him up on a few dates; soon Bianchi has a string of girlfriends, though things become complicated when one of his steady girls, Claire Shelton (Allison Lange), becomes pregnant and moves in with him. As Bianchi becomes increasingly obsessed with sex, he and his cousin join forces to set up a prostitution ring, which quickly earns them the enmity of a group of career criminals. When Bianchi and Buono discover that they have been double crossed by one of the hookers in their stable, the two men rape and murder the woman in the back of a car; Bianchi discovers he enjoys the thrill of killing, and soon he and Buono begin committing a string of sexually tinged murders throughout the Los Angeles area, with the press soon dubbing the culprit "The Hillside Strangler." The Hillside Strangler was one of two identically titled films based on the same true story that were released in 2004; the other was directed by Chris Fisher and starred Clifton Collins Jr. and Tomas Arana as Bianchi and Buono. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Two guys looking for a respite from their bumpy romantic lives find themselves in the midst of a very confusing situation in this broad comedy. Jerry (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is a guy who thinks he's found the love of his life in Felicia (Vivica A. Fox), his beautiful longtime girlfriend. Jerry decides to propose to Felicia, and arranges for a hot-air balloon ride in order to create the ideal setting to pop the question. However, Felicia not only turns him down, she announces that she's leaving him for another man. Jerry sinks into a deep depression, until his best friend Nick (Horatio Sanz), who has been having his own romantic problems, suggests they take a vacation cruise on an ocean liner, forgetting their troubles while they make time with bikini-clad babes. Jerry is game, but after an angry misunderstanding with a travel agent, Nick and Jerry discover they've been booked on a tour specifically for gay men. Jerry and Nick are forced to pose as lovers to ward off the indefatigable advances of aging playboy Lloyd (Roger Moore), which cramps their style when the ship's captain rescues a boatload of buxom Swedish swimsuit models. Jerry's spirits rise when he meets Gabriella (Roselyn Sanchez), a beautiful dancer who is part of the ship's entertainment staff. Jerry, however, now has to walk a fine line between maintaining his cover and convincing Gabriella that despite outward appearances, he's not gay. Boat Trip was the first feature film from director Mort Nathan, best known for his work as a writer for television. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The brain-child of director and executive producer Straw Weisman, Man of the Year is billed as a reality/surveillance/improv/drama. In fact, the film was shot in one night, with no script and a cast of about 20 being followed around by an equal number of cameras. The story centers on Bill, a successful oil company executive played by John Ritter. At a party in honor of Bill, the audience is introduced to a number of people in Bill's life, including his wife, Carol (Heidi Mark); his bookie, Mickey (Dan Ponce); and his mistress, Vanessa (Khrystyne Haje). As the evening progresses, the mood of the party goes from festive to angry as all of the secrets in Bill's life become exposed, and his life begins to crumble around him. Suddenly, a gunshot is heard, someone is dead, and no one knows who the killer is. Completely improvised based on a loose story outline and a set of predetermined motivations for each character, Man of the Year premiered at the 2002 Method Film Festival in Pasadena, CA. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Known as The Last Breath on cable TV and Epidemic abroad, this contemporary technothriller was filmed in 2001 under the title Contagion. When the President of the United States (Bruce Boxleitner) is struck by a poisoned dart, a shadowy terrorist claims that the Chief Executive has been infected with a lethal virus, for which the terrorist has the only antidote. As frenzied negotations proceed between the Government and the assailant, virologist Dr. Diane Landis (Megan Gallagher) races against time to save the President's life and avoid a worldwide crisis, with or without the aid of the typically uncooperative Secret Service. Even though the basic situation is fraught with thrills and terror, somehow or other the film climaxes with an out-of-left field cliffhanger involving a child in jeaopardy. Withheld from release in the wake of the Anthrax scares attending the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, Contagion was finally seen by American viewers courtesy of the Lifetime network on October 7, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Farrelly Brothers set this romantic comedy in their home state of Rhode Island. In 1985, when teen-nerd Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) challenges a high-schooler who's bullying retarded Warren Jenson (W. Earl Brown), his concern prompts Warren's sister, the dazzling and desirable Mary Jenson (Cameron Diaz) to choose Ted as her senior prom date, a fact Ted's pals find hard to believe. However, on prom night, Ted gets his penis caught in his zipper, so the much-desired date never happens. Living in Providence and waxing nostalgic 13 years later, Ted hires Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) to locate Mary, and the creepy private investigator finds her in Miami, where she lives with her tan-shriveled roommate Magda (Lin Shaye). After Pat develops a stalker-style fixation on the lovely, unattached Mary, he lies to Ted, telling him that she's now an overweight mother confined to a wheelchair. Employing professional eavesdropping equipment, Pat gathers a dossier on Mary's life and future plans, information that forms the basis for more lies when Pat begins dating her. Sure enough, Mary falls for Pat, although her friend Tucker (Lee Evans) is very suspicious of Pat's claim to be a Harvard-educated architect. Meanwhile, Ted learns the truth but continues to encounter offbeat obstacles as he accelerates to Miami in hopes of finding happiness with his true love. Former Modern Lovers singer Jonathan Richman vocalizes a narrative ballad of onscreen commentary in the Cat Ballou (1965) tradition. Most of the cast sings and frolics to Build Me Up, Buttercup by The Foundations during the closing credits. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide