Elizabeth Regen Movies
An unemployed, alcoholic thirtysomething who still lives with his mother and can't seem to muster the motivation to turn his life around finds that all's fair in love and softball when his team is threatened with ejection from the league in a raunchy sports comedy starring Howard Stern Show regular Artie Lange. For the sluggers from Ed's Bar and Swill, the weekly trip to the local diamond is more about drinking and roughhousing than it is about such technicalities as hitting home runs and striking out the opposing team. When their favorite pastime is threatened by the ultra-competitive athleticism of the league's villainous perennial champions -- led by local gym owner and current mayoral candidate Manganelli (Anthony de Sando) -- this motley group of hard-drinking sportsmen must make one final push for the pennant and end their unprecedented losing streak if they hold out any hope of making it to another season. Ralph Macchio, Seymour Cassel, and Laurie Metcalf co-star, and longtime Saturday Night Live contributor Frank Sebastiano makes his directorial debut. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Artie Lange, Ralph Macchio, (more)
- 2001
The strangled body of a woman is found in the Bronx. The victim had an abundant supply of Ecstasy in her handbag, a clue which leads the detectives to a drug dealer named Paz (Peter Greene). As the investigation proceeds, a past murder case is reopened -- whereupon the D.A.'s office comes to the disturbing conclusion that an innocent man may have been convicted. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two guys with different sets of problems find themselves bonding through unexpected circumstances in this independent comedy drama from writer and director Edward Burns. Jack Stanton (Edward Burns) is a former New York City cop who has been trying to establish a new career as a private detective, though his level of success is best indicated by the fact his landlord is about to evict him for not paying the rent. Jack finally lands a paying client when he's referred to Abe Fiannico (David Krumholtz), a high-school baseball coach whose wife, Kitty, has disappeared. The only clue Abe has to her whereabouts is a recent newspaper photo that shows a washed-up rock star hanging out with several women, one of whom is a dead ringer for Kitty. Jack sets out to scour the Big Apple in search of Kitty, and Abe tags along; a friendship grows between the two men, and Jack begins to wonder why regular-guy Abe ever got mixed up with a woman who doesn't seem to have much use for him. Also featuring Rachel Dratch and Chris Parnell, Looking for Kitty premiered at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Burns, David Krumholtz, (more)
- 2007
An infatuation that's simmered for decades suddenly goes on the boil under very unusual circumstances in this independent comedy-drama. Vince (Joe Narciso), Nick (Nicholas Giordano) and Eddie (Kevin Kash) are three guys who have been close friends since childhood and still hang out together despite the demands of work, wives and kids. All three of the guys had a crush on Laura (Elizabeth Regen), a girl from the neighborhood, but she seemed too beautiful to be available, and they all ended up becoming close friends with her instead of getting involved romantically. When the four find themselves together at a friend's wedding, Laura makes a startling announcement to the guys -- she's been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and before she dies, she wants to sleep with each of them. Vince, Nick and Eddie are all shocked and surprised by the news, and are torn between their desire to fulfill old fantasies, jealousies over having to share Laura with their friends, and the realities that they're all married men who ought to remain faithful to their wives. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Regen, Joe Narciso, (more)
As visually stylish as it is graphically violent, this thriller directed by Luc Besson concerns Mathilda (Natalie Portman), a 12-year-old girl living in New York City who has been exposed to the sordid side of life from an early age: her family lives in a slum and her abusive father works for drug dealers, cutting and storing dope. Mathilda doesn't much care for her parents, but she has a close bond with her four-year-old brother. One day, she returns from running an errand to discover that most of her family, including her brother, have been killed in a raid by corrupt DEA agents, led by the psychotic Stansfield (Gary Oldman). Mathilda takes refuge in the apartment of her secretive neighbor, Leon (Jean Reno), who takes her in with a certain reluctance. She discovers that Leon is a professional assassin, working for Tony (Danny Aiello), a mob kingpin based in Little Italy. Wanting to avenge the death of her brother, Mathilda makes a deal with Leon to become his protégée in exchange for work as a domestic servant, hoping to learn the hitman's trade and take out the men who took her brother's life. However, an affection develops between Leon and Mathilda that changes his outlook on his life and career. Besson's first American film boasted a strong performance from Jean Reno, a striking debut by Natalie Portman, and a love-it-or-hate-it, over-the-top turn by Gary Oldman. Léon was originally released in the U.S. in 1994 as The Professional, with 26 minutes cut in response to audience preview tests. Those 26 minutes were restored in the director's preferred cut, released in 1996 in France as Léon: Version Intégrale and in the U.S. on DVD as Léon: The Professional in 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, (more)
- 2003
Assembled by the same production team responsible for Roseanne, this NBC sitcom starred Whoopi Goldberg as hard-drinking, chain-smoking Mavis Rae, a former pop star with but one hit song to her name. With her 15 minutes of fame a distant memory, Mavis was reduced to running a second-class hotel, which she hoped to "class up" by opening a lounge. This premise was merely an excuse for Mavis to fire free-association, non-PC insults at anyone and everyone. Her favorite targets included her stuffy lawyer brother, Courtney (Wren T. Brown), a black man trying to be white; Courtney's girlfriend, Rita (Elizabeth Regen), a white girl trying to be black; and Mavis' Iranian handyman-concierge Nasim (Omid Djalili), who had to endure endless jibes about terrorists and illegal aliens (he was of course neither). Whoopi scored an immediate hit when it first aired on September 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Wren T. Brown, (more)
