Wilson Cruz Movies
Baseball lovers have Bull Durham, football lovers have Friday Night Lights, and now volleyball enthusiasts get a chance to see their favorite sport shine on the silver screen with this tale of a fallen sports star who gets his second shot at greatness. Cameron Day (David Charvet) was a college basketball player whose proficiency on the court came at the sacrifice of his sanity. The mental demands of being a professional athlete were just too much for Cameron to handle, and just he was set to break big in the world of professional sports, the once-promising athlete mysteriously vanished for ten long years. Now that Cameron has learned how to effectively harness his inner anger, the time has come for him to have another go at greatness -- only not on the basketball court but on the pro beach volleyball circuit. Upon arriving in Manhattan Beach, CA, from Manhattan, the wayfaring athlete finds inspiration in Mia (Torrey DeVitto), an artistically inclined beach beauty who has never cared too much for jock types like Cameron. Regardless of her reluctance to date an athlete, however, Mia helps to enlighten Cameron by teaching him about the Green Flash: that fleeting moment when the sun falls over the horizon and all of nature become completely brilliant for a fraction of a second. Despite his early success, Cameron feels as is he has not experienced his own personal Green Flash just yet, though now as he makes it his mission to win the Manhattan Beach Open, he senses that true greatness could finally be within reach. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Charvet, Torrey DeVitto, (more)
Taunted by their classmates since grade school and never quite able to escape the culturally suffocating confines of their homogenized Midwestern hometown, a pair of small-town misfits make a break for the big city in this comedy from director Lorene Machado. Celeste (Margaret Cho) is an overweight, Korean, former goth-punk whose best pal since childhood has been queeny African-American Bam Bam (Bruce Daniels). Now in their early thirties and curious to explore the outside world, Celeste and Bam Bam catch wind of a reality television makeover show that's in search of a challenge. Convinced that they are the perfect candidates and encouraged by the show's booking assistant (Alan Cumming) to make the trip, the pair pack up the car and set their sights on New York City. Upon arriving in the Big Apple for their television debut, Celeste and Bam Bam find their moment in the spotlight threatened by a former high school nemesis turned posh salon owner assigned to perform makeover duties on the peculiar pair. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret Cho, Bruce Daniels, (more)
A simple brotherly joke goes hilariously awry in director Stewart Wade's zany tale of mistaken sexual identity. Todd's brother Barry wants to help his single sibling out by setting him up on a blind date. While all signs lead to a perfect match, it soon becomes obvious that Barry is having a little fun at his brother's expense when the Kelly in question turns out not to be a beautiful woman, but a homosexual male. Upon realizing that they have been duped by Todd's mischievous brother, the unlikely couple soon forms a warm friendship while concocting an elaborate scheme to one-up the unrepentant prankster. When Barry sees Todd and Kelly holding hands soon thereafter, he becomes convinced that his brother is, in fact, gay, and phones the pair's mother to break the news. As Todd's mother begins to see his son's disdain for sports and love of film as clear signs of his homosexuality that she has somehow managed to overlook, she determines to show her son that she will love him no matter what his lifestyle. But Todd's mother isn't the only one who is now convinced that her son is gay, and as suspicions begin to abound in his close-knit social circle, the hapless "homosexual" soon begins to wonder if there isn't some truth to the rumors after all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Bray, Wilson Cruz, (more)
- 2006
His characteristic nitpicking over the condition of his shirts leads Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to a young man named Pablo Ortiz (Alejandro Chaban), who has been jailed for the murder of fashion model Clea Vance. Believing Pablo to be innocent, Monk makes a foray into the world of high fashion, where he meets egotistical designer Julian Hodge (Malcolm McDowell). A second murder convinces Monk that Hodge is the guilty party--but before he can close in on the culprit, Monk must overcome his disgust at the sight of superthin supermodels forcing themselves to throw up just before marching down the runway! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the first season of this half-hour gay comedy-cum-soap opera, five men -- four black and one Latino -- navigate the world of West Hollywood's vibrant gay scene. For screenwriter Noah Nicholson (Darryl Stephens), that means trying to get his work seen by producers and agents while falling in love with fellow screenwriter Wade Robinson (Jensen Atwood), who's more established in the Hollywood food chain than in the gay world. For AIDS educator Alex Kirby (Rodney Chester), it means juggling his politically charged career with the ups and downs of a long-term relationship. For college instructor Chance Counter (Doug Spearman), it means learning the ins and outs of cohabitation with not only his romantic partner, but also his partner's school-age daughter. And for club kid Ricky Davis (Christian Vincent), it means juggling his responsibilities as owner of a clothing store with his insatiable taste for hedonism. In addition to the five members of the regular cast, Noah's Arc features appearances by Jonathan Julian as Chance's partner, Eddie; Gregory Keith as Alex's boyfriend, Trey; and Wilson Cruz as Junito, an HIV-positive medical intern who begins a tentative romance with Ricky. The nine-episode first season of Noah's Arc ran on the Logo cable network starting in October 2005. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Darryl Stephens, Rodney Chester, (more)
After profiling Monica Lewinsky, Billy Haynes, and Tammy Faye Bakker, documentarians Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato make their feature debut with this true-life tale of the rapid climb and lurid demise of a flamboyant young club promoter in late-'80s/early-'90s Manhattan. Based on James St. James' nonfiction account Disco Bloodbath as well as on the writer/directors' own 1998 documentary, Party Monster features former child star Macaulay Culkin as Michael Alig, a Midwestern teen determined to forget his past amidst the bright lights and throbbing house music of New York City's nightlife. Introduced to the club scene by St. James (Seth Green), Alig quickly becomes an event promoter himself, dreaming up bizarrely themed dance parties in such unlikely venues as fast-food restaurants and subway cars. But this archetypical "club kid" orchestrates his own downfall when, stoned on designer drugs, he and accomplice Freez (Justin Hagan) brutally murder their small-time dealer friend Angel Menendez (Wilson Cruz). Party Monster had its world premiere in the Dramatic Competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Macaulay Culkin, Seth Green, (more)
- 2002
Mekhi Phifer makes his first series appearance as Gregory Pratt, a remarkably self-confident intern who is supervised by Greene (Anthony Edwards) during the latter's last day with the ER. Pratt's zealous eagerness prompts the terminally ill Greene to rethink how he will spend his final days on earth; and later on, he has a poignant reunion with his ex-wife, Jenn (Christine Harnos). Elsewhere, Abby (Maura Tierney) finally feels safe enough to return to her own home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the early years of the 22nd century, a medical rescue team is traveling the netherworlds of deep space, waiting to answer emergency calls aboard what amounts to an interstellar ambulance. Captain Marley (Robert Forster), pilot Vanzant (James Spader), medical officer Evers (Angela Bassett), medical technician Penalosa (Lou Diamond Phillips), paramedic Lund (Robin Tunney), and computer technician Sotomejor (Wilson Cruz) pick up a distress signal from a group of workers involved in a mining operation on a comet. But as they move in for a rescue, they discover that this isn't the mission of mercy they were expecting. They pick up Larson (Peter Facinelli), a mysterious and menacing man with a strange alien artifact, who draws the ship into the orbit of a huge star that is due to explode into a supernova at any time. Supernova had a production history that can be charitably described as "troubled." Australian filmmaker Geoffrey Wright was replaced by Walter Hill shortly before filming began. Actor Vincent D'Onofrio left the project shortly after Wright, replaced by Cruz. Hill then left the project in post-production and requested that his name be removed from the film. Francis Ford Coppola was hired to supervise a final re-cut, nearly a year after the completion of photography. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Spader, Angela Bassett, (more)
A bored motel clerk and his buddies go for a little joy ride in a woman's car. They don't realize until it is too late that she is a paid assassin and that her latest victim is in the trunk. Thus begins the clerk's descent into a shadowy world of lies and murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobey Maguire, Wilson Cruz, (more)
- 1997
Ally defends a young transvestite (Wilson Cruz) on charges of prostitution, using a modified insanity defense. Meanwhile, Richard fights to have his dead uncle's unusual last request carried out. ~ TV Guide, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Calista Flockhart, Courtney Thorne-Smith, (more)
Two male hustlers with different ideals and goals struggle through a tough night in this gritty drama. It's Christmas Eve on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, and John (David Arquette), a male prostitute who works the streets, is desperate. John's birthday is Dec. 25, and he had hoped to spend the day at a fine hotel, ordering room service and feeling like a big shot for a change. To this end, John had lifted $300 from Jimmy The Warlock (Terrence DaShon Howard), a drug dealer, but the night before, John's lucky sneakers were stolen, with his bankroll inside. Now John is back working the streets in hopes that he can raise enough money for a hotel room and to pay back Jimmy. Also working that night is Donner (Lukas Haas), a young hustler who is infatuated with John. While Donner acknowledges his homosexuality, John stubbornly contends that despite his occupation, he's really straight, and he has a girlfriend Mikki (Alanna Ubach), though they spend most of their time arguing. While John can only look to his immediate needs, Donner thinks that they should leave Los Angeles and head to Branson, Missouri, where he's convinced that they can get jobs as lifeguards at Camelot, a theme park. As the night wears on, John and Donner meet several fellow street people, including Crazy Eli (Christopher Gartin) and Homeless John (Keith David), and scare up a few customers, ranging from a harmless closeted businessman (Elliott Gould) to others looking for violent, dangerous sex. Johns was the first feature film for former TV documentary director Scott Silver. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lukas Haas, David Arquette, (more)
- 1996
Created by William Finkelstein of Civil Wars fame, the made-for-TV feature On Seventh Avenue was intended as the pilot for a weekly series. Wendy Makkena stars as Nadine Jacobs, the owner of a high-profile fashion business established by her father (played by actor-director Gene Saks). In order to keep her business afloat in a sea of cutthroat competitors, Nadine recklessly cuts several deals with a major investment firm--and with the Mob. In typical "pilot" fashion, the film ends with several loose plotlines still dangling and unresolved; guess we'll never know what happened now (sigh!) On Seventh Avenue was telecast by NBC on June 10, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A teenage lesbian comes-of-age in this drama. Claude (Alison Folland) is a raw-boned girl graduating from high school. She spends all the time she can with her beautiful friend Ellen (Tara Subkoff). Ellen has lately gotten a new boyfriend, and has less time for their previous intimacy. Claude has a part-time job at a pizza joint in her multiracial neighborhood in New York City, and makes friends there, and in her neighborhood. Gay newcomer Luke, with whom she shares her dream of becoming a rock musician, is among her most recent acquaintances. Realizing finally that Ellen will not return her affections and that her own affections are lesbian in nature, she slowly develops the courage to act on her feelings, and she hesitantly goes to a lesbian bar, where she meets Lucy (Leisha Hailey), an older woman who can simultaneously offer her sexual guidance and help Claude with her musical aspirations. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alison Folland, Tara Subkoff, (more)
Oliver Stone, the most outspokenly political American filmmaker of the 1980s and '90s, directs this epic-length biography of Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the U.S., who was re-elected by a landslide in 1972, only to resign in disgrace two years later. Taking a non-linear approach, Nixon jumps back and forth between many different periods and events, from Nixon's strict upbringing at the hands of his Quaker mother, through the many peaks and valleys of his political career, to his downfall in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The facts of his life are blended with supposition and speculation to create a portrait that is often critical of the man's policies but displays an unexpected compassion toward his failings as a human being. Anthony Hopkins stars as Nixon, Joan Allen plays his long-suffering wife Pat, Mary Steenburgen portrays his mother Hannah, Bob Hoskins is cast as J. Edgar Hoover, Powers Boothe plays Alexander Haig, Paul Sorvino portrays Henry Kisinger, and Ed Harris plays E. Howard Hunt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, (more)
For the first time ever, all 19 episodes of the critically-acclaimed television show My So-Called Life, starring Claire Danes, are available in one 5 disc DVD box set. Her portrayal of Angela Chase, the angst-ridden, introspective teen earned Clare Danes a Golden Globe. Even today, after being off the air since early 1995, the show has thousands of fans all around the world.
- Starring:
- Claire Danes, Bess Armstrong, (more)
