Richard Gabai Movies

A wife struggling with mental illness fights to free herself from an imaginary childhood friend whose reappearance threatens to end her marriage. ~ Tim Holland, Rovi

A couple struggling with the aftermath of a horrific crime must deal with their own troubles as well as the grief of others in this independent drama. Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate (Maria Bello) are a married couple who are tightly wound and devoted to their work -- Bill is a businessman, Kate proofreads books. Bill and Kate's marriage has taken a turn for the worse, and they're on the verge of breaking up when they receive shocking news -- their 18-year-old son, Sam (Kyle Gallner), a college freshman, went on a shooting spree that claimed the lives of several people before he turned his gun on himself. As the news media descends on the couple, Bill and Kate are unable to understand why Sam would do such a thing, and as they struggle to find answers, they turn to family -- Kate's brother, Eric (Alan Tudyk), and his wife, Trish (Moon Bloodgood) -- without being able to resolve the issues that were driving them apart before tragedy struck. Beautiful Boy was the first feature film from director Shawn Ku; it was an official selection at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A hot-shot college card player and a retired poker legend team up to take Sin City for all its worth, only to find themselves going toe to toe in the ultra-high-stakes World Poker Tour. Alex Stillman (Bret Harrison) is a Yale senior with a knack for Texas Hold 'Em. But while Alex dreams of the day he'll be able to dominate the tables out in Las Vegas, he hasn't mastered the art of the cards just yet. Alex's luck begins to change, however, after a chance encounter with legendary poker player Tommy Vinson (Burt Reynolds). Tommy gave up gambling 20 years ago in hopes that he could save his family. He recognizes the potential in Alex, and he's beginning to regain his confidence after two decades of maintaining a low profile. Alex agrees to become Tommy's protégé, and together the pair wins every tournament they enter. But Alex's attraction to beautiful Las Vegas call girl Michelle (Shannon Elizabeth) has caused his attention shift away from the tables, and that distraction has opened up a deep chasm between the emerging talent and the undisputed master. Later, after Alex and Tommy call off their partnership, they find themselves on opposite sides of the table at the prestigious World Poker Tour. Who will take the top prize? Will it be the old pro who promised he would never gamble again or the newcomer who learned all of his tricks from the true master of the trade? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A fledgling American idol discovers that even superstars need to do their math in this family comedy starring platinum recording artist Aaron Carter. While working the crowd is a snap for natural-born star J.D. (Carter), working the textbooks is another story. Sent by to public high school by his concerned parents who have threatened to cancel his upcoming summer tour, the young singing sensation causes an immediate stir among his admiring peers. With a daunting math test looming close on the horizon and no time to learn, J.D. schemes to cheat off of his nerdy classmate Jane Brighton (Alana Austin). As the two study buddies become close and J.D. begins to develop feelings for the misfit math wiz, the prom plans of the school's reigning diva and the rumor-fueled tabloids threaten to derail both their relationship and J.D.'s entire career. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A young boy forced to spend his summer in an unfamiliar town seeks solace in the company of his loyal dog Jupiter until a pair of bungling dog-nappers spirit the pooch away in director Richard Gabai kid-friendly tale of adventure and friendship. There's nothing that Ryan wants more than to spend the summer with his dad. Upon learning that his father has accepted a summer teaching position in a town where Ryan has no friends, however, the boy's sun-soaked plans quickly take a turn for the worse. Now left only his canine companion, Jupiter, to pass away the days as his dad teaches class, Ryan is heartbroken when Jupiter goes missing without a trace. Just as all hope of ever finding Jupiter begins to fade, Ryan befriends a sympathetic trio of youngsters who are ready and willing to reunite the summer visitor with his mysteriously vanished dog. Though their skilled detective work soon leads them to an unscrupulous research scientist who has enlisted the aid of what appears to be the least competent dog-nappers ever, a notable lack of evidence leaves the children's parents doubting the outlandish tale and forces the kids the kids to cook up a plan of their own to get Jupiter back home safely. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Grey's Anatomy star Chyler Leigh headlines this martial arts thriller focusing on the bitter feud between two Miami Beach kickboxing dojos. Danny (Christopher Khayman Lee - Chyler's real-life brother) is a former kickboxer whose old martial arts academy is gearing up for a bout against a rival school. The stakes are high for this particular match, because this is a fight for ownership -- the winner will become the owner of their rival's school. Danny isn't about to let his friends lose their dojo, but he's still recovering from the trauma of accidentally killing a competitor in the ring, and fighting doesn't come easy for him these days. As the fight draws ever closer, Danny wonders if he'll be able to summon the courage needed to step in the ring again. Danny's grim outlook on life begins to shift, however, when he meets and falls for the beautiful Cindy (Leigh), who accepts the damaged fighter, fears and all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

It's Greek versus Geek once again in this sequel to the broad comedy Assault of the Party Nerds. Evil but slow-witted frat boy Bud (Christopher Dempsey) hasn't changed much in the five years since he graduated from college -- he somehow convinced his well-meaning former girlfriend, Muffin (Michelle Bauer), to marry him even though he's doing more than his share of fooling around on the side and her father, Randolph (Burt Ward), has given Bud a job in the family business. However, Bud and Randolph's duplicitous secretary, Heady (Tane McClure), have hatched a plan to take Randolph's business away from him. Randolph is certain Bud is up to something, so he calls in a private detective to follow him; the detective turns out to be none other than Richie Spencer (Richard Gabai), Bud's "Party Nerd" nemesis from his college days. While Richie digs up the dirt on Bud, he also signs on to help another client, Norm Witherspoon (Arte Johnson), who has a hunch his wife, Tina (Rhonda Shear), is being unfaithful to him. Assault of the Party Nerds 2: The Heavy Petting Detective also features Linnea Quigley and Robert Dorfmann. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Prolific B-movie auteur Fred Olen Ray's sequel to Inner Sanctum is little more than softcore porn masquerading as an arty erotic thriller. Full of hallucination scenes, erotic nightmares, and other gimmicky devices (sometimes nested three deep), the film tells the story of nurse Jennifer Reed (Tracy Brooks Swope), who -- when she was still played by Tanya Roberts in the first movie -- killed her murderous husband after he attempted to do the same to her. Jennifer's brother-in-law Bill (Michael Nouri from Flashdance) and his wife (Sandahl Bergman) come to stay with her. When a series of hook-murders begins, the traumatized woman and her guests must determine who is drugging her and setting up the killings. None of it really matters, however, as the mystery is secondary to all of the sex and violence. There are numerous softcore couplings, as well as some pretty silly hallucinations (sex with a decaying corpse, Jennifer's graveyard dance with an undead Kato Kaelin), and even a catfight to keep the punters happy. Ray casts the film with the usual semi-names (Robert Quarry, Margaux Hemingway, David Warner, Joe Estevez) but can't muster enough MTV-style gloss on his budget to make it really work as an erotic thriller, nor enough true silliness to make it work as camp. It just sits there, as disposable as a paper plate and about as stimulating. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Upon inheriting a run-down drive-in theater from her late grandfather, sexy coed Kim (Ashley Rhey) recruits her fun-loving sorority sisters to help whip the business back into shape, and prevent a greedy real-estate developer from turning it into a shopping mall. Featuring Michelle Bauer, David F. Friedman, Conrad Brooks, and Forrest J. Ackermann. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Jerry is totally besotted by the beautiful Monica and is so desperate to have her that he resorts to hypnosis to win her over. This zany comedy chronicles the consequences. Unfortunately, while he has her entranced, something goes wrong and after she awakens, she decides to take a vow of celibacy and join a convent. Jerry is still obsessed and decides to dress up as a priest and follow her there. He then dresses up as a nun to get even closer. More trouble ensues when a gangster sneaks into the convent to look for a cache of stolen diamonds. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This slick, fast-paced but vacuous production has a plot that horror buffs will find all too familiar: it serves up a group of idiotic young people as standard zombie-fodder -- including the nominal protagonist (Eric Larson) who is paying a visit to a remote mountain cabin to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his grandparents. Since this cabin was apparently built in Evil Dead country, the poor saps are beset by the title breeze -- the horrific result of some mystical mumbo-jumbo concocted by Grandpa -- which proceeds to possess the living and bring the dead back to life in a whirlwind of unconvincing make-up effects. This derivative film borrows elements from dozens of horror hits but does nothing interesting with any of them -- though the filmmakers deserve some credit for attempting some ambitious and surreal dream sequences, considering the limited budget. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi