Rosanna de Soto Movies
Leading actress Rosana DeSota first appeared onscreen in the late '80s. ~ All Movie Guide
In this comedy, Nydia (Thalia) was born in New York City to a family of Puerto Rican immigrants who run a restaurant. Nydia is on summer vacation after her freshman year at Boston University, and comes home to discover things are not well with the family business; customers have not been coming around, and unless they start coming back, the family will be in serious trouble. Word in the neighborhood has it that Fat Tony (Robert Costanzo), a local Mob boss, is on the outs with his superiors and is expected to be the victim of a Mob hit. Nydia's brother Ricky (Rick Gonzalez) gets an idea -- if Fat Tony gets whacked in their restaurant, the publicity would be invaluable, so he invites Fat Tony to dine there every day on the house. Fat Tony takes Ricky up on the offer, and sure enough, Fat Tony becomes the victim of a Mob hit, with curious crime devotees packing the restaurant from then on. However, since Fat Tony had been hanging out at the restaurant, some of his former associates get the idea that Ricky had a hand in the double dealings that helped get Fat Tony killed, and soon Ricky gets a visit from some very ill-tempered gangsters. Meanwhile, Nydia has convinced her college boyfriend Chris (Richard Hillman), who studies at Harvard, that she's actually the daughter of a wealthy family from Argentina -- which leaves her with a lot of explaining to do when Chris shows up. Mambo Café also stars Paul Rodriguez, Danny Aiello, and Rosana De Soto. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Paul Rodriguez, (more)
- 1999
- R
Writer/director Nancy Savoca, who wrote and directed Household Saints and True Love, handles the same duties in this tale of Grace Santos (Rosie Perez). The producer of a New York City local morning show targeted at women, Grace has an active professional life under the watch of her executive producer, Joan Marshall (Patti LuPone), that already intersects her personal life as she is married to co-host Eddie Diaz (Diego Serrano). When the other co-host, Margo (Karen Duffy), reveals Grace's pregnancy on- air, Joan seizes the opportunity to monitor Grace's development on the show. The ratings grow along with Grace, as the show pursues such topics as "The ABC's of C-Sections" and "You & Your Epidural." While Grace takes comfort in her marriage and her new assistant Madeline (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who has just returned from six years of raising her young children, Grace worries about the needs of her unborn child versus her much-loved career and Eddie's beckoning film career. Her fears realized through her daughter's first year, Grace must determine what it means to be a "24-Hour Woman." ~ Chris Gore, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosie Perez, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, (more)
- 1996
Through the invention of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), a Latin instrumental band fronted by a blind musician cuts a demo record at Manhattan University. Before long, the band is being offered a prestigious contract by a record company--but a mobster makes a count-offer that would be unhealthy to refuse. This, coupled with the murder of a petty crook from the band leader's past, prompts Jessica to take more than an academic interest in the situation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In this fluffy romantic comedy, Miranda Castillo, a Latin American woman, comes to LA as a mail-order bride where she is to marry Raul, an executive for a uniform manufacturer. The trouble begins when Raul's close buddy and colleague, Gib Nash, falls in love with Miranda and she with him. Raul is not at all happy at being jilted, and neither is Gib's fiancee, who is also his employer. Miranda has troubles of her own, especially when the US government tries to deport her. Fortunately, she is assisted by a caring INS agent. It is later revealed that she had been tortured as a political prisoner in her native country. In addition to dealing with his tangled love life, Gib's company must decide whether they will buy products made in other countries by non-unionized companies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
A much-hated slumlord who has long been victimizing the denizens of his racially mixed neighborhood heads to the local church to seek absolution from the priest--who happens to also be the slumlord's son. The sinner subsequent dies, and it is determined that a poison spray was the murder weapon. As luck would have it, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is teaching a course on mystery writing in the selfsame church...and she has just finished discussing the various and sundry uses of poison! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In what is arguably the most shocking third-season episode of Law & Order, NYPD detective Phil Cerreta (Paul Sorvino) goes undercover, posing as an illegal weapons buyer to nab an elusive Colombian hitman (Carlos Sanz). Things go horribly awry, and Cerreta is shot -- twice. Without giving any more of the plot away, it can be noted that this episode represented the final regular series appearance of co-star Paul Sorvino. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
A terrible secret is uncovered in a child's past in this made-for-cable drama. Based on a true story, Ashley Peldon stars as 7-year-old Catherine, the newly adopted child of the Tylers. When Catherine turns increasingly violent towards her new parents and her natural brother, the Tylers try everything in their power to uncover the mysterious root of her anger. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Harris, Dwight Schultz, (more)
- 1991
- R
In this provocative and well-rendered psychological drama a former victim of torture attempts to get revenge on the Middle-Eastern woman who ruined his life many years ago. His ordeal began when he was a CIA agent and got captured by an enemy. He was placed in a tiny cell and subjected to psychological and physical torture. Even though he refused to divulge any information, the experience left him a hollow shell, barely able to function. The CIA releases him and he gets a job over-seeing the security at a factory. He lives alone after his family deserts him, and although now not even his former employers want anything to do with him, he continues to contact them. One day he tells them that he sees one of the women who held him prisoner. The CIA labels him as paranoid and pays no attention. An FBI agent does show up though and warns him to leave the woman alone as a recent treaty insures her protection. Realizing that no justice will be done for him, he decides to get it for himself by kidnapping her and locking her in his basement. There he attempts to make her suffer the same things that he suffered at her hands. But somehow, he is too emotionally scarred to pursue the torments with much conviction or zest. Often he will start something, but never finish. The woman is strong and refuses to be victimized. During her own ordeal, she constantly keeps her mind sharp and probes him for psychological weaknesses to help her escape and to protect her vulnerable young daughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosanna de Soto, George DiCenzo, (more)
- 1991
- PG
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The plot involves a peace conference between the Federation of Planets and the troublesome Klingons. The Klingons are hoping to perform a little damage control after triggering a mining disaster on one of their moons; their spokesman is the seemingly contrite General Chang (Christopher Plummer). All negotiations abruptly cease when a Klingon vessel is attacked, and Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) are accused of the crime. As they stand trial for murder, Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Vulcanian trainee Lt. Valeris (Kim Cattrall) try to locate the real culprits. It turns out that Kirk and McCoy are victims of a conspiracy to foment further hostilities between the Good Guys and the Klingons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
You've probably already guessed that the Family Business in this all-star melodrama is the business of crime. Adapted from a novel by Vincent Patrick, the film stars Sean Connery as Jessie McMullen, the patriarch of a family of career criminals, including his son Vito (Dustin Hoffman) and grandson Adam (Matthew Broderick). Vito has gone legit, but college-educated Adam remains loyal to his grandfather. Reluctantly, Vito joins his father and son on a big-time heist involving millions of dollars' worth of test-tube specimens. There's many a slip-up and betrayal before the three generations can find a common ground. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, (more)
- 1988
This week we're off to Canada, where Jill Morton (Kristy McNichol), the niece of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), has joined the rodeo circuit. While visting Jill, Jessica is disturbed by the presence of the girl's somewhat disreputable rodeo-performer boyfriend. More disturbing still is the trailer fire that takes the lives of a nasty rodeo doctor and his patient--a torching for which Jill is among those under suspicion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Edward James Olmos portrays the real-life Jaime Escalante, a no-nonsense mathematic teacher in a tough East LA high school. Handed a classroom full of "losers" and "unteachables," Escalante is determined to turn his young charges' lives around. Drawing from his own cultural heritage, Escalante forms a bond with his largely Hispanic student body, evoking the names of famous Spaniards and Latin Americans whose great accomplishments were predicated on their ability to learn. The students gradually come to realize that the only way they'll escape their own poverty-stricken barrio is to improve themselves intellectually. As a result, the class' academic achievements soar dramatically -- too dramatically for the Educational Testing Service, which is convinced that the class' high test scores are the results of cheating. The triumphant exoneration of Escalante's students provides Stand and Deliver with its rousingly upbeat conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, (more)
Lou Diamond Phillips plays legendary 1950s rocker Ritchie Valens (born Ricardo Valenzuela), in this musical biography. Before scoring radio and concert success with hits like "La Bamba", "C'mon Let's Go", and "Donna", Valens was a 15-year-old migrant worker who worked with his mother Connie (Rosana De Soto). Valens' half-brother Bob Morales (Esai Morales) is a vitriolic ex-con who roars into the migrant camp on his Harley after his release from jail. Valens' musical talents are encouraged by his family -- though later various members of his family react to his fame with varying degrees of pride and envy -- and he soon earns an audition with legendary record producer and former Artie Shaw clarinet player Bob Keane (Joe Pantoliano). Valens soon appears in an Alan Freed rock n' roll teen exploitation film, lip-synching his blistering recorded version of "Ooh, My Head". When a romance with Donna Ludwig (Danielle von Zerneck) is forbidden by her conservative father, Valens pens the famous ballad that bears her name. Tours follow his chart success until the fatal plane crash that claimed the lives of Valens, The Big Bopper (aka J.P. Richardson), and Buddy Holly on February 3rd, 1959. The supporting cast is excellent with power-pop icon Marshall Crenshaw playing Buddy Holly singing "Crying, Waiting, Hoping". Brian Setzer accurately portrays rocker Eddie Cochran, and Howard Hunstberry plays Jackie Wilson and sings "Lonely Teardrops". Additional music is provided by Los Lobos, a band who traces their musical roots directly to Valens and other Mexican influences. Also making cameo appearances are the real-life Mrs. Connie Valenzuela and Bob Morales. Although not 100% historically accurate, La Bamba is much more accurate than 1978s The Buddy Holly Story. The feature turned a new generation on to the influential Tex-Mex rock that was an inspiration to such later rockers as The Bobby Fuller Four as well as Los Lobos. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, (more)
David Mamet's play Sexual Perversity in Chicago was adapted for the big screen by fellow Chicago citizen Tim Kazurinsky and became About Last Night... The film stars Rob Lowe as Danny and Demi Moore as Debbie. The pair meet and engage in a torrid sexual relationship, but then slowly negotiate if there is anything more between them. Lowe seeks advice from his loudmouthed friend Bernie (Chicago native James Belushi), whose offers little more than outrageous tales of his randy exploits. Debbie confides in her best friend Joan (Elizabeth Perkins), a bitter, single kindergarten teacher who has lost any hope of finding the right person on the dating scene. Although Danny and Debbie talk, they have trouble communicating. The film ends on a coda that suggests the pair are still unsure as to where their relationship may be headed. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, (more)
- 1986
While visiting his former partner in an Arizona border town, LA cop Jack Lucarelli witnesses a murder. The killer is white slaver Gerald McRaney-who turns out to be one of local sheriff Wilford Brimley's most trusted deputies. Nobody believes Lucarelli's eyewitness account, not even his ex-partner Jameson Parker, another of Brimley's deputies. Eventually, it dawns on Parker that his department is seething with corruption. He and Lucarelli work secretly to put an end to McRaney's activities, leading inexorably to the film's climactic bloodbath. The otherwise eminently forgettable American Justice is interesting for its reteaming of onetime Simon and Simon costars Jameson Parker and Gerald McRaney, this time on opposite sides of the law. Parker coproduced the film with costar Lucarelli, while one of the film's supporting actors, Dennis A. Pratt, wrote the script . ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lucarelli, Gerald McRaney, (more)
- 1983
In this drama, a crack corps of female prison guards are assigned to watch over the men in the most dangerous cell-block. Mayhem ensues as the physical and emotional pressures the women face begin to take their toll. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1983
- PG
There was a genuine ballad behind The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, based on a real-life character. Cortez, a San Antonio cowpoke, was arrested in 1901 because he resembled the actual criminal. Unable to speak English, Cortez fights off the authorities, inadvertently killing a sheriff in the process. His subsequent life and death as a fugitive from the Texas Rangers forms the core of this independently produced project. Adapted from a novel by Americo Paredes, Ballad of Gregorio Cortez stars Edward James Olmos (who wrote some of the film's incidental music) in the title role. Originally produced for PBS' American Playhouse, the film was released to theatres in 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward James Olmos, Tom Bower, (more)
This highly anecdotal film centers upon Doc (Nick Nolte), a self-employed marine biologist who lives by the ocean and interacts with the neighborhood denizens, trying to conceal a troubled past. Across from Doc's digs stands the local bordello, the Bear Flag Restaurant. Across the entrance ambles Suzy (Debra Winger), a drifter who tries to become one of the girls and fails miserably. However, she does set her sights on Doc and acts accordingly. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Debra Winger, (more)
- 1980
In this drama, a policeman tries to get God to heal his brain-damaged daughter by promising to run the 320 miles between San Antonio and the Shrine of San Juan de los Lagos. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Orlando, Peter Graves, (more)
Dentist Sheldon Kornpett (Alan Arkin) is a respectable man. He has a daughter who is about to marry the son of a very suspicious character, Vince Ricardo (Peter Falk). They are practically relatives already, the wedding is so near. Certainly, Sheldon already despises Vince as if he were already a well-known relative. Nontheless, Vince calls on Sheldon and convinces him to go with him on a series of wild and hilarious adventures, claiming all the while that he is a CIA agent, and that what he is doing is in the national interest. Sheldon follows Vince to a South American country ruled by a very odd man, General Garcia (Richard Libertini), who talks to his hand (which talks back). It seems that the dictator is involved in a scheme to counterfeit and undermine U.S. currency. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, (more)
