Ronnie Yeskel Movies

Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker, and Jessica Biel topline this ensemble drama regarding intersecting lives on Christmas Eve from writer/director Timothy Linh Bui (Green Dragon). Liotta plays an ex-convict who tracks down his estranged daughter (Biel) after serving a 25-year jail sentence. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

A man fascinated with the process of ending one's own life meets some rather disturbing kindred spirits in this dark comedy. Erik (Andreas Wilson) is a commercial photographer and would-be screenwriter who has left his native Sweden to come to Hollywood in hopes of selling his latest script. Erik quickly discovers there isn't much of a market for stories about suicide in Tinseltown, and he's looking for new inspiration when he meets Lola (Lolita Davidovich), a beautiful but wildly unpredictable woman who lures him into joining her on a road trip to Las Vegas. As it happens, Lola is drawn to Vegas by the presence of Dr. Bangley (John Larroquette), a psychologist and television chat-show host who is publicizing his latest book in Sin City -- "Stay Alive," a guide for those contemplating suicide. As part of the book launch, Bangley is arranging for a number of his more colorful patients to meet him in Las Vegas, where they'll take part in a television reality show hosted by the doctor. The clients include Katherine (Julie Benz), who has been suffering from depression since losing custody of her son; Geert (Alexander Skarsgård), a troubled cross-dresser; and Ella Toscana (Terry Moore), an elderly former movie star with remarkable mood swings. Bangley also has to deal with his teenage daughter, Sunshine (Skye McCole Bartusiak), who is willing to do anything to get her busy dad's attention. As Erik crosses paths with Bangley's entourage, he's confronted with people who are even more obsessed with killing themselves than the average Swede, and feels as if he fits in until gangster and part-time limo driver Omar (Fares Fares) reveals his sinister side. Kill Your Darlings received its North American premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The drama Shackles stars D.L. Hughley as a teacher who, desperate for employment, takes the one job he is offered. The job involves teaching inside a prison, a place that is not hospitable to him or to the idea of bettering oneself through education. The teacher stands up to a variety of forces that are against him. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

An old-fashioned Jewish father vows to bring his stubborn family together after being slipped a dose of ecstasy during the annual Passover celebration in director Salvador Litvak's psychedelic Seder comedy. Family patriarch Ira Stuckman (Michael Lerner) has taken a few tips from his hard-nosed father, Arthur (Jack Klugman), when it comes to matters of the family. A strict disciplinarian with little tolerance for tomfoolery, stubborn Ira is insistent that the whole family come together for the Seder feast despite their lingering disagreements. When Ira's son, Zeke (Ben Feldman), drops a hit of ecstasy into his father's meal in hopes of opening the old man's eyes up to a "new perspective," the once curmudgeonly father turns suddenly touchy-feely before insisting upon on ushering in a new era of forgiveness among the notoriously disagreeable clan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In this Six Million Dollar Man for the computer-wonk generation, Christopher Gorham starred as Jake Foley, a nerdish Georgetown graduate who yearned to be a spy. Presenting his credentials to the CIA-ish National Security Agency, Jake was immediately hired -- as a lower-level computer repairman. It was while working in this capacity that our hero was exposed to fragments of an experimental biotech formula, which instantly transformed him into a half-human, half-computerized cyborg. Though poor Jake didn't quite know how to best use his new, awesome powers (heck, he couldn't even use them to score with chicks), the NSA opted to make the hapless fellow the central figure in a special-ops force designed to foil villains throughout the world. Other characters include Jake's NSA boss, Kyle Duarte (Philip Anthony-Rodriguez); fellow agent Louise Beckett (Judith Scott); congressional staffer Sarah Heywood (Marina Black); research doctor Diane Hughes (Keegan Connor Tracy); and our hero's comic-relief roommate, Darin Metcalf (Matt Czuchry). Created by Silvio Horta, the weekly, 60-minute Jake 2.0 made its UPN debut on September 10, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Zigzag is the directorial debut of screenwriter David S. Goyer (Blade, Blade 2). Based on the well-received debut novel by Landon J. Napoleon, the film tells the story of an autistic teenager, Louis "Zigzag" Fletcher (Sam Jones III). Zigzag is a sensitive and thoughtful boy who retreats into his own mind to escape the harshness of his inner-city life, particularly the abuse of his father (Wesley Snipes). His only friend is Singer (John Leguizamo), his compassionate Big Brother, who gives Louis his nickname, and tells the boy he's imbued with special powers. He's trying to get Zigzag removed from his father's home, and also to teach him to survive. Singer has testicular cancer, and is concerned that he won't always be around when the boy needs him. Zigzag works as a dishwasher in a restaurant owned by the Toad (Oliver Platt), an amusingly caustic Southerner. After Zigzag's father demands 200 dollars for rent, the boy sees Toad opening his office safe, and commits the combination to memory. Later, he takes 9,000 dollars from the safe. When he attempts to give his father the rent, his father takes all the money. When Singer finds out what Zigzag has done, he goes to desperate lengths to get the money back, so he can return it to Toad before Zigzag gets into trouble. As Singer's plan goes awry, this brings the pair into contact with a sleazy loan shark (Luke Goss, who was also in Blade 2) and a kindhearted prostitute (Natasha Lyonne). The film's soundtrack was composed by Grant Lee Phillips. Zigzag was shown at the 2002 SXSW Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Founder of the Slamdance Film Festival Paul Rachman makes his feature-length debut with this tale of dishonor among thieves, solidly in the vein of 1994's Shallow Grave. When four friends (Olivia Williams, Balthazar Getty, Daniel London, and Stacy Edwards) travel to Buenos Aires to crash a wedding reception, they have more on their mind than just a lively evening of free drinks and the Chicken Dance. With the aid of ace thief Felix (Tim Curry), they steal a precious Degas statuette from the mansion owner hosting the shindig and abscond to L.A. Unfortunately, the objet d'art is nowhere to be found, and the covert dealer (Forest Whitaker) who's expecting it is none too pleased. He demands that they come up with the piece or $1,000,000 immediately. To solve their problem, the four compadres take out life insurance policies on each another and plot out which friend is going to die in order to proffer the heist money. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Jennifer Leitzes made her directorial debut with this gangster comedy. Claire (Kyra Sedgwick) and terminally ill Nick (Stanley Tucci) kidnap an Asian man, put him in the trunk, and drive away. Realizing they've got the wrong person, they pull off a second kidnapping and then dump their first victim. At headquarters, the Boss (Robbie Coltrane) rules over an eccentric group. When the Boss' mistress Kitty (Robin Tunney) checks out, Claire and Nick are dispatched to find her. A few double-crosses later, Kitty, Claire, and Nick are all on the run from the Boss' hitmen. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

David Veloz made his directorial debut with this drama adapted from the autobiography of comedy writer Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller), whose $6000-a-week heroin habit had him taking his infant daughter along on his drug runs and doing smack during TV script conferences. Departing detox, Stahl explores memories with survivor Kitty (Maria Bello), who listens patiently to Stahl's flashback. Other women in Stahl's life are his British wife Sandra (Elizabeth Hurley) and his agent Vola (Lourdes Benedicto). For the TV series "Mr. Chompers" (inspired by ALF), Stahl meets with sitcom exec Craig Ziffer (Fred Willard) and puppeteer Allen (Charles Fleischer). For freaky freebasing, Stahl hangs with mumbler Nicky (Owen Wilson) and druggie Gus (Peter Greene). Stahl himself can be seen in a cameo as the methadone clinic doctor. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

This film is the product of an unlikely pairing between novelist Elmore Leonard and maverick screenwriter-director Paul Schrader. Leonard usually writes Detroit-based crime novels; this time, Schrader transports one of Leonard's quirkier, non-crime books to an L.A. scene. Christopher Walken plays slick ex-preacher and musical promoter Bill Hill, who is trying to rescue his former church organist Virginia Worrell (Conchata Ferrell) from an abusive husband. He enlists a former Franciscan priest, a Brazilian named Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich) who now works as an alcohol rehabilitation counselor. Juvenal not only calms down Virginia's husband, he cures her blindness. Later, he also cures a young boy of leukemia. His laying on of his hands causes his palms to bleed with the stigmata of Jesus Christ. As work of his miraculous powers spreads, Juvenal becomes the prey of several people who want to exploit him, including Hill, who's out for money, and a militant traditionalist Catholic, August Murray (Tom Arnold), who wants Juvenal to help his crusade to restore the old-fashioned Latin Mass. Juvenal is also pursued by a television reporter, Kathy Worthington (Janeane Garofalo) and a tabloid TV show host, Debra Lusanne (Gina Gershon), who wants to televise his miracles live. Hill's scheme is to use an assistant record producer, Lynn Faulkner (Bridget Fonda), to pretend to be an alcoholic, get admitted to the center where Juvenal works, and find out more about Juvenal. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

This crime film, in the tradition of Bonnie and Clyde, is the directorial debut of writer John Ridley, scripter of Oliver Stone's U Turn. The neo-noir tale begins as Jude (Kelly Lynch) and Ned (David Caruso) attempt a getaway with $250,000 worth of stolen diamonds, leaving three dead back at the jewelry store. Ned is captured, makes an escape, and is in the process of tracking Jude when he makes the mistake of picking up hitchhiker Bec (Stacey Dash). Bec talks on about the sexual abuse she received from her alcoholic father and then pulls a gun on Ned, who manages to disarm her. Other characters, including a grifter known as T (Chris Noth) and a fence named Cokebottles (Pruitt Taylor Vince of Heavy), surface before different double-crosses lead to the final road rendezvous. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Comic actor Rowan Atkinson brought his bumbling character Mr. Bean from television to the big screen with this British comedy. Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) is a well-meaning but not especially bright fellow with a gift for making the worst of any situation. Bean is about to be fired from his job as a guard at the Royal Nation Art Gallery for sleeping on the job, but the Chairman (John Mills) intervenes at the last moment. To insure that his incompetence will manifest itself so completely that there will be no choice but to get rid of him, Bean's superiors come up with a plan -- they'll send him to America to speak at a posh private gallery owned by George Grierson (Harris Yulin), where General Newton (Burt Reynolds) will display the most recent addition to his art collection, "Whistler's Mother." It's even money whether or not the museum will still be standing before Bean is done; as if this weren't enough, while in L.A. Bean is mistaken for a surgeon and forced to operate on an injured police officer. Richard Curtis, one of the film's producers, said after viewing the final product, "It's an unpleasant family movie. I'm very pleased." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide