Lenny Venito Movies

Originally scheduled to debut on October 17, 2006, but ultimately unveiled on January 3, 2007, the ABC comedy series The Knights of Prosperity was a diverting exploration of that fitfully popular TV subgenre, "the lovable-loser-criminal show." The series was designed as a vehicle for Donal Logue, who topped the cast as Manhattan janitor Eugene Gurkin. A hapless, hopeless dreamer, Gurkin one day decided to make a name for himself as a "new age Robin Hood," assembling a group of fellow blue-collar goof-offs to pull off the robbery of the century (or at least, the robbery of the week). Our hero's band of merry men (plus one woman) included Eugene's fellow janitor, Squatch (Lenny Venito); lawyer-turned-cabbie Gary (Maz Jobrani); nerdy liberal-arts grad and aspiring show-biz intern Louis (Josh Grisetti); sexy waitress Esperanza (Sofía Vergara); and hulking security guard Rockefeller Butts (Kevin Michael Richardson), who was so anxious to be in on Eugene's scheme that he was literally willing to "work for cookies." The gang's target was singer Mick Jagger, who never appeared on-camera but whose lavish lifestyle was mercilessly parodied and exaggerated (indeed, the series' working title was Let's Rob Mick Jagger, which had been decided upon only after "Let's Rob Jeff Goldblum" and "Let's Rob Howard Stern" had proved undoable). Unfortunately, in their efforts to finance their heist of Jagger's valuables, Eugene and his pals were forced to spend almost as much money as they hoped to steal, leading to the formation of innumerable bird-brained moneymaking schemes -- including, at one point, the kidnapping of one of the would-be robbers' uncles! Rife with slapstick and gloriously unsubtle "inside" jokes, The Knights of Prosperity was created by Rob Burnett and Jon Beckerman, whose previous credits included The Late Show with David Letterman (Letterman was among the executive producers) and Ed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An ordinary man has to protect his children against alien invaders in this science fiction thriller, freely adapted from the classic story by H.G. Wells. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a dockworker living in New Jersey, divorced from his first wife Mary Ann (Miranda Otto) and estranged from his two children Rachel and Robbie (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin), of whom he has custody on weekends. On one such visitation, looking after the kids becomes a little more difficult when, after a series of strange lighting storms hit his neighborhood, Ray discovers that a fleet of death-ray robotic spaceships have emerged nearby, part of the first wave of an all-out alien invasion of the Earth. Transporting his children from New York to Boston in an attempt to find safety at Mary Ann's parents' house, Ray must learn to become the protector and provider he never was in marriage. Also starring Tim Robbins, War of the Worlds was directed by Steven Spielberg, who had been planning the project for years, but set it aside until a wave of "alien invasion" films (led by Independence Day) had run its course. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Little Theo Sipowicz (Austin Majors) accidentally sees Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross) without a stitch on. Back at the 15th, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) is saddled with his least-favorite "snitch," Pisano (Lenny Venito), who has apparently been targeted for death by a tough customer known as "The Dentist" (Raymond O'Connor). A witness to a shooting will hand over the videotape of the crime only on the condition that he retains exclusive exhibition rites. And the tormented father (Joe Spano) of Detective John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) commits a desperate act. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Otherworldly villains are on the loose again, and it's up to Earth's interstellar police force to bring them to justice in this sequel to the sci-fi comedy blockbuster Men in Black. Agent Jay (Will Smith) has become a high-ranking member of the Men in Black, the secret government task force designed to deal with unruly visitors from other worlds, while his former cohort, Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), had his memory wiped clean and now lives a simple but contented life as a mailman. However, an especially nasty alien threat has reared its not-so-ugly head; Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) is a shape-shifting Kylothian alien who is in pursuit of another escaped visitor who holds the key to powers that would allow her to destroy the world. Making Serleena all the more dangerous is the fact she's taken on the appearance of a lingerie model, making her irresistible to most men. When the rampaging Serleena takes control of the MIB offices, Jay is forced to turn to the only man who can help him save the world -- the former Agent Kay. After restoring Kay's memory, the two remaining Men in Black set out to conquer Serleena with a motley band of friendly aliens, including a handful of worm creatures and a talking dog named Frank (voice of Tim Blaney). Jay, meanwhile, has his head turned by Laura (Rosario Dawson), an attractive waitress who was an unwitting witness to an alien attack. Men in Black 2 also features Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub, David Cross, Patrick Warburton, and Johnny Knoxville. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Moonlighting as the bodyguard for eccentric Mrs. Hornby (Elmarie Wendel), Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) suspects that the old woman is being ripped off by her business advisor. In other cases, the squad is plagued by the ubiquitous presence of a woman posing as a cop -- a subplot which thickens when the woman's horrible secret is revealed. Pisano (Lenny Venito), the snitch who previously led the 15th to the body of Danny Sorenson, may be the key to solving a robbery-murder at a restaurant. And on a personal level, Andy is not too convincing when he expresses indifference to Connie's (Charlotte Ross) blind date. Also, Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors) continues to suffer from the jealousy of her husband. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Upon learning that his former partner Danny Sorenson is definitely dead, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) nearly falls off the wagon, only to be "rescued" by Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross). After killing the man who shot his new partner, John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Andy is a hero to everyone but Clark's resentful father (Joe Spano). Elsewhere, a multiple-murder investigation seems linked to activities at New York University. This episode originally aired in tandem with the previous installment "Lie Like a Rug" as the two-hour opener of NYPD Blue's ninth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Frank Todaro scripted and made his directorial debut with this low-budget comedy about NYC flower-shop wholesaler Artie (Mike O'Malley) who swaps one-liners with co-workers at a refrigerated warehouse. Artie can't seem to make a commitment to his live-in girlfriend Jane (Jill Tracy), whose ex (Scott Bryce) is a car salesman with mob connections. A floral customer (J.K. Simmons) becomes a captive audience for talkative Artie when the two get locked in the warehouse freezer. This film was the first runner-up for the most popular film award at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Simone (Jimmy Smits) has dinner with Jill (Andrea Thompson). A million dollars' worth of diamonds turns up missing -- along with the sister of a diamond dealer. Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) is galvanized into action when Gina Colon (Lourdes Benedicto) is attacked and slashed, while the rest of the precinct tries to shield Gina from further emotional damage. And after filing her report on the Liery case, recovering alcoholic Diane (Kim Delaney) thinks seriously about crawling back into a bottle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adapted from a true story, dockworker Joey Coyle (John Cusack) finds over $1 million, which fell from an armored car. Instead of returning the money, he embarks on a spending spree unchecked by the wishes of his friend (Michael Rapaport) and hires a crime ring to launder the money. The detective assigned to the case (Michael Madsen) follows his increasingly distinct tracks. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide