Lenny Manzo Movies
A callous young priest charged with closing down a small-town parish finds his mission unexpectedly interrupted by compassion and human kindness in writer/director/star David Wall's introspective religious drama. Father Jonathan Keene (Wall) is a kind of holy hitman, a priest who travels the country closing down parishes that aren't considered economically viable by the archdioceses. When Father Keene first arrives in a remote village on a mission to shut down the Sacred Heart Chapel, he's simply concerned with getting the job done and moving along; human connections only serve to complicate matters. But before long, something unusual begins to happen -- not only does Father Keene begin to take interest in the town's beautiful librarian, but he enters into a series of weighty discussions with the priest he was sent to displace as well. Now, as the domineering Mrs. Worthington prepares to throw her annual holiday party that's always the talk of the town, a powerful but conflicted man of the cloth will finally take the pause needed to reflect on his true role in the church and spiritual commitment to the people. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Patrick Brennan, Jean Bates, (more)
- 1998
Tom Keenan made his directorial debut with this low-budget comedic look at college seniors who suddenly find their lives in turmoil and confusion as they graduate and accelerate into a head-on collision with the real world. Cameron (David Wheir) plans to ditch girlfriend Val (Alanna Ubach of Clockwatchers and Denise Calls Up), ignore a lurking job recruiter (Paul Wagner), and set out instead on a motorcycle tour through Mexico, continuing on into Central and South America. Val, however, has a different schedule -- one that involves him signing on with an investment firm on Wall Street. Director Keenan, who also scripted, can be seen in the small role of Cameron's mechanic. This film was promoted as an "anti-romantic comedy" when it opened, minus a distributor, at the Waltham, Massachusetts, Landmark Theaters multiplex in May 1998. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alanna Ubach, David Wheir, (more)
- 1997
Two friends unwittingly reflect the divided nature of a changing community in this independent drama. Mac McCain (Mark Hartmann) and Freddie Fabucci (Matthew Del Negro) are two old buddies who share an apartment in Boston's Italian-American North End community, which is divided between yuppies trying to gentrify the neighborhood and tough townies who resent their intrusion. Mac is a soft-spoken independent filmmaker who wants to make a documentary about the neighborhood and its people. He's told that he'll need the permission of Dom Di Bella (Frank Vincent), a local hard man who has made a few bucks playing gangster roles in movies. Freddie, on the other hand, is involved with Dani (Lina Sivio), whom he treats with a dismissive and brutal machismo. Dani often finds herself wondering why she's going with Freddie and not his better-behaved friend, Mac. The North End marked the directorial debut of filmmaker Frank Ciota, himself a long-time North End resident. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Vincent, Tony Darrow, (more)
A real-life inner city Boston youth shelter yielded the plot, characters, actors, and director of this urban drama about three ghetto youths trying to make something better of their lives while surviving on the streets. Tyson (Tyrone Burton), Hector (Eddie Cutanda), and Bao (Phuong Duong) are a trio of 14-year-old friends attempting to figure out which direction they'll go in life. As they work at a legitimate job sweeping up at a gas station and attending a youth center with the facility's adult leader J.J. (Geoffrey Rhue), they also run drugs for the local gangsters that mock and taunt their efforts at self-improvement. When one of the boys' mother kills herself, the ensuing crisis leads the three friends to choose different paths. Director Robert Patton-Spruill, a drama teacher at Boston's Dorchester Youth Collaborative, cast the three star pupils from his workshop in Squeeze (1996) and based the film on their real-life stories, bringing a palpable sense of realism to the proceedings. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Burton, Eddie Cutanda, (more)
Joe and his pal Joe are two simpletons who manage to eke out a modest living mowing lawns in their tiny Cape Cod village. This gentle comedy, marking the feature debut of director David Wall, chronicles their adventures when they meet a ghostly young woman in the town cemetery and she begins telling them all about the big treasure buried under their garage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Patrick Brennan, David Wysocki, (more)
- 1994
The generation gap is alive and well in this drama which focuses on the relationships within a family. The film examines the four days prior to the graduation of the youngest daughter Dani Rosen, the class valedictorian. The other Rosen family members include Linda, the widowed mother, Ted, Linda's comfortably dull partner, and daughter Tasha, who in her early twenties, still lives at home with her boyfriend Victor, whi is a budding artist. Victor and Tasha are trying to figure out what to do with their lives and talk everything out in great detail. Much of the film focuses on the conversations of the whole family as they gather 'round the dinner table. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Arenas, Michael Medico, (more)
