Manny Perez Movies

Director Gavin O'Connor collaborates with Narc director/screenwriter Joe Carnahan on this family-focused police drama concerning an honest homicide detective (Edward Norton) assigned to investigate the precinct run by his potentially crooked older brother (Noah Emmerich). As the investigation begins to reveal some troubling facts about the precinct, it gradually becomes apparent that the policeman who is also the older brother's best friend (Colin Farrell) may be the man orchestrating many of the suspected crimes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A Latino teen with a bright future is forced to battle the sins of the past when the thugs who killed his father return to finish off the rest of the family. College student Wilson De Leon, Kr. (Rick Gonzalez) has an adoring girlfriend and a doting mother, but never once has he been compelled to stand up for what he believes in. When gangsters killed Wilson's father, his mother Wanda (Wanda De Jesus) was forced to flee from her home in order to protect her two sons. From that point on, Wanda determined to give her boys the best life possible. Now that past has returned with a vengeance, but Wanda isn't running anymore. As the murderous gangsters attempt to finish the job that they started by killing Wilson's father, mother and son combine their wits to turn the tables on their tormentors and stand their ground. Empire director Franc Reyes writes and directs a thriller produced by John Singleton. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A man with little positive to say about illegal immigrants finds himself working with one in this comedy drama from director Matthew Bonifacio. Bruno (Carmine Famiglietti) is an Italian-American guy who lives in Queens, NY, and has lost his job. While Bruno has been looking for work, a steady job has been hard to find, and with his unemployment running out, he needs to start making some money. Someone arranges for Bruno to do some temporary work in landscaping and household construction, and he finds himself working alongside some of the Hispanic day laborers who wait every morning on Northern Boulevard looking for work. Bruno is not the most open-minded guy on Earth and initially bristles at the prospect of sharing the workspace with illegal aliens, but after a few days working with Ignacio (Raúl Castillo), the two strike up a rapport, even though Bruno can't speak Spanish and Ignacio knows no English. Bruno develops a genuine respect and admiration for Ignacio and his wife, Gabriela (Jennifer Peña), through their hard work and determination to improve their lives, but their legal status ensures their story will not end well. Amexicano was screened as part of the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A man whose life is about to be changed forever discovers that sometimes it takes losing it all to finally appreciate the things that truly matter in director Alejandro Monteverde's emotional tale of self discovery. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Carlos (Manny Perez) is a talented artist who draws comics for a living. He's desperate to move out of his Washington Heights neighborhood. His girlfriend, Maggie (Andrea Navedo) feels more connected to the neighborhood. She's not so eager to leave. Carlos's best friend, Mickey (Danny Hoch), works as a super in the building his father owns, but he dreams of being a professional bowler. He's scheming to raise three grand to enter an open tournament in Las Vegas. Carlos's father, Eddie (accomplished Cuban-born actor Tomas Milian, who starred in Michelangelo Antonioni's Indentificazione di una donna), owns a neighborhood grocery store, and is well-liked in the neighborhood for his friendly way of doing business. Despite his advanced age, he's also a ladies' man, and was so even before Carlos's mother passed away. His philandering ways account for a lot of the tension between father and son. Carlos wants to draw his own comic book, but his boss, David (David Zayas) tells him that while he's got technical ability, his work is soulless. But Carlos's plans for the future are disrupted when Eddie is shot and critically wounded during a robbery at the store. Carlos resentfully takes care of his ailing father, and runs the store until Eddie can go back to work. Carlos's growing understanding of his community, and his father's importance to it, is reflected in his work, and he has a creative breakthrough. Meanwhile, Mickey's moneymaking schemes get him into trouble with Angel (Bobby Cannavale), Maggie's gangster brother. Washington Heights was directed by Alfredo De Villa, who wrote the script with Nat Moss. Novelist Junot Diaz (Drown) wrote additional dialogue. The film was shown at the 2002 Urbanworld Film Festival, and at the 2002 Tribeca Film Festival, where it received a Special Mention. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Oscar-winning director Sidney Lumet, who began his career during the "golden age" of live television, returned to his TV roots as creator, writer, and director of the gritty, one-hour drama series 100 Centre Street. The title refers to the address of New York's Criminal Court, presided over by such distinguished jurists as Judge Joe Rifkind (Alan Arkin and Judge Atallah Sims (LaTanya Richardson). Though diametrical opposites in terms of philosophy -- Rifkind tends towards lenient liberalism, while the by-the-book Sims is known far and wide as "Atallah the Hun" -- the two judges remain close friends. Many of the episodes deal with the ramifications of the judges' decisions: In the opener, for example, Rifkind had to wrestle with the fact that a defendant he set free immediately went out and committed a savage murder -- and the victim was the daughter of Rifkind's former law partner. Others in the cast are Joseph Lyle Taylor and Paula Devicq as Assistant DAs Bobby Esposito and Cynthia Bennington, Larry Pine as Cynthia's father Frank, Manny Perez as womanizing legal aide Ramon Rodriguez, Val Avery as Sal Gentile, and Armando Williams as Al Thompson. As realistic as possible within the strictures of basic cable, and doggedly refusing to take dramatic easy-outs or provide pat endings, 100 Centre Street is worthy of all the "hype" attending its January 15, 2001, debut on the A&E network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Music may be the food of love, but a group of gangsters are singing a very different tune at a fancy New York dining room in this dark comedy. Louis (Danny Aiello) is the owner of an upscale restaurant in New York's Tribeca district where his son Udo (Edoardo Ballerini) has become the head chef. Udo's exotic recipes have made the restaurant the talk of the town and very profitable as well, though Louis confesses that he can't stand Udo's cooking. Louis has another son, Duncan (Kirk Acevedo), who runs with a bad crowd; Louis finds out just how bad they are one night when they stop by to dine, with Duncan in tow, informing Louis that his son owes them quite a bit of money and they aren't leaving until they're given part ownership of the restaurant -- or else someone will be killed. Dinner Rush was directed by Bob Giraldi, a noted director of commercials and music videos who also enjoyed success as a restaurateur. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A soldier discovers how elusive the truth can be in this first major film about America's role in the Gulf War. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) was the commander of a unit during Operation Desert Storm who mistakenly ordered the destruction of what he believed to be an enemy tank, only to discover that it actually held U.S. soldiers, including a close friend. Since then, Serling has been an emotional wreck, drinking heavily and allowing his marriage to teeter on the brink of collapse. As a means of redeeming himself, Serling is given a new assignment by his superior, Gen. Hershberg (Michael Moriarty). Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) was a helicopter pilot who died in battle during the Iraqi conflict, and the White House has proposed that Walden be posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Serling is asked to investigate Walden's actions on the field of battle, but he quickly discovers that no two stories about her are quite the same; Ilario (Matt Damon) says Walden acted heroically and sacrificed herself to save the others in her company, while Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillps) claims she was a coward who was attempting to surrender to enemy troops. Meanwhile, reporter Tony Gartner (Scott Glenn) is hounding Serling, trying to get the inside story on Walden and on Serling's own difficulties. Matt Damon lost 40 pounds to prepare for his role in Courage Under Fire, which resulted in a potentially life-threatening illness for the young actor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Director/animator Ralph Bakshi turns his attention to 1950s Brooklyn in Hey Good Lookin', which looks at greasers hanging out (and making out) on street corners, hot girls, and gang rumbles, all set in a decaying urban landscape. The main action concerns Vinnie (voice of Richard Romanus), the leader of an Italian gang called The Stompers, who values, in equal measure, the perfection of his hairstyle and scoring with girls. His bosom buddy, Crazy (David Proval), more than lives up to his moniker, and his impulsiveness leads to many conflicts, including fights with other gangs -- a real problem because Vinnie is nowhere near as tough as he pretends to be. Things become even more complicated when he finds himself falling hard for Rozzie (Tina Bowman), whose father keeps her on a pretty short leash. Things come to a head in a deadly shoot-out, which may have serious consequences for the three main characters. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide