Stacy Title Movies
Hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg takes horror fans on a ride through the scary underside of life in the 'hood in this horror anthology. The self-described "gatekeeper of the after-party" (Snoop Dogg) introduces three stories of life in a ghetto neighborhood in which the unscrupulous get what's coming to them. Posie (Daniella Alonso) is a nice girl who turns mean when a gang of thugs murder her mother. Posie swears revenge against the gangsters, but isn't sure what to do until she encounters a member of the undead (Danny Trejo) who gives her some lessons in bloodthirsty behavior. Next, Tex Woods Jr. (Anson Mount) is a ugly-spirited Southerner who claims ownership of a house belonging to his father after the old man dies at Tex's hands. Tex and his wife, Tiffany (Brande Roderick), waste no time in evicting a handful of impoverished war veterans who were friendly with Tex's dad, but he pushes them too far and Roscoe (Ernie Hudson) leads the former soldiers in a shocking act of revenge. And finally, a rapper who has betrayed most of his friends on the way up gets his just deserts on the way down. Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror also features Billy Dee Williams, Method Man, Jason Alexander, Lin Shaye, and Aries Spears. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Snoop Dogg, Ernie Hudson, (more)
- 2003
To those who have grown up with the radio and TV versions of the old Lone Ranger series, this retro TV-movie adaptation will appear as if it has just landed from another planet. Gone are such familiar trappings as "The William Tell Overture," the bushwhacking Butch Cavendish Gang, the title character's backstory as a genuine Texas Ranger, and faithful Indian companion Tonto's Pidgin English. Instead, the viewer is offered a wall-to-wall rock score; a twentysomething hunk of a Boston law student named Luke Hartman (Sebastian Spence) who morphs into the Lone Ranger; an equally youthful and remarkably articulate Tonto (Nathaniel Arcand) who dabbles in mysticism and has a hottie sister named Alope (Anita Brown); authentic 19th century dialogue such as "I love you guys!"; and even a skinny-dipping sequence. Yes, the Lone Ranger still rides a white stallion named Silver and fills his guns with silver bullets; yes, he still sports a mask; and yes, he dedicates his life to being a "champion of justice" after the brutal murder of his Ranger brother. Otherwise, it's "Hi Yo, Dude!" in this radical rethinking of The Lone Ranger, which debuted February 26, 2003, on the WB network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chad Michael Murray, Nathaniel Arcand, (more)
- 1999
Director and screenwriter Stacy Title (best known for the independent feature The Last Supper) obviously knows a good story when she sees one, and proves it with Let The Devil Wear Black, which takes the framework of Shakespeare's Hamlet and recasts it with present-day characters and dialogue. Jack (Jonathan Penner), a professional student, is convinced something is rotten in the state of his family after the recent death of his father -- especially when Uncle Sammy (Jack Sheridan) decides to marry Jack's mother (Jacqueline Bisset) with what Jack thinks is inappropriate speed. Jack becomes convinced his father's death was at the hands of some shadowy conspiracy, while his girlfriend, Julia (Mary-Louise Parker) starts to unravel in the face of her own tensions and Jack's obsessions. The supporting cast includes Philip Baker Hall, Jonathan Banks, Maury Chaykin and Chris Sarandon; Let The Devil Wear Black was shown as part of the 1999 Slandance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Penner, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
If you met Adolph Hitler when he was just a struggling cartoonist, wouldn't you have done the world a big favor by murdering him? That philosophical question provides the linchpin of this black comedy. Jude (Cameron Diaz), Pete (Ron Eldard), Paulie (Annabeth Gish), Marc (Jonathan Penner), and Luke (Courtney B. Vance) are five graduate students who are confirmed members of the political left, participate in small-scale activism, and share a house together. One night, Pete is stuck in the middle of nowhere, and Zack (Bill Paxton), a truck driver, gives him a lift home. The housemates are just about to sit down to dinner, so to show his gratitude, Pete asks Zack to join them. However, it soon becomes obvious that Zack doesn't share the group's political views, and when he states that he thinks Hitler had the right idea, the argument turns into a fight, with Zack brandishing a knife. The trucker is accidentally killed in the scuffle, and rather than report the death to the police, his body is buried in the backyard vegetable garden. However, the event prompts much discussion among the housemates -- if Zack was a hateful bigot, isn't the world better off without him? And wouldn't killing other ignorant hatemongers improve society all the more? Before long, the group is having a weekly dinner party in which they invite a special guest -- including an anti-environmental activist (Jason Alexander), a right-wing religious leader (Charles Durning), a sexist who doesn't believe there's such a thing as rape (Mark Harmon), and a teenager campaigning against sex education in schools (Erin Bryn) -- and serve them some wine, which happens to be laced with arsenic. While the group's attempt at community improvement does wonders for their tomato plants, the recent disappearances eventually attract the attention of the local sheriff (Nora Dunn). The Last Supper was the first feature for director Stacy Title, who won an Academy Award for her short subject Down on the Waterfront; screenwriter Dan Rosen appears in a supporting role as a police deputy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cameron Diaz, Ron Eldard, (more)
