Victor Argo Movies

Character actor Victor Argo made one of his last screen appearances -- and landed one of his few leading roles -- in this independent drama. Hugo (Argo) is a loan shark who spends his days pounding the pavement in New York City, shaking down cheapskates who owe him money. Hugo believes in his job, and subscribes to the philosophy that everyone has to pay in one way or another to get through this life. But Hugo's great passion is New York City, and as he makes his rounds, he philosophizes about the city he loves and what has happened to it in the name of gentrification; he's also a fan of what he calls "real New Yorkers," and loves their open-hearted toughness as much as he loathes the weak-willed yuppies who now dominate the city. As he wanders the city sharing his views with anyone who will listen, Hugo is occasionally visited by the ghost of Archie (Jordan Lage), his onetime running buddy who is no longer among the living. Lustre was screened in competition at the 2004 Avignon Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When is three company, and when is three a crowd? A trio of sexually adventurous New Yorkers find themselves pondering that question in this provocative comedy-drama. Tony (Agustin) is a handsome young man who has come to New York City in hopes of making a name for himself as a poet, an ambition that has not endeared him to his parents, a conservative couple who live in a quiet Long Island community. As Tony's parents try to persuade him to abandon writing verse for something more practical, Tony becomes acquainted with Kelly (Evly Pacheco) and Monica (Angelica Ordonez), an attractive lesbian couple. While Kelly and Monica are firmly committed to one another, they find Tony intelligent and intriguing company, and eventually invite him over for an ménage à trois. At first, all three parties are happy with the arrangement, but despite their shared pledge of openness and non-judgmental understanding, flaws begin to appear in the relationship, especially after Monica starts to suspect that Kelly is more interested in Tony than her, and that they both may be moving out of her life. Shot on high-definition video equipment, Love=Me³ marked the directing and screenwriting debut of leading man Agustin. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

An elderly man falls in love with a woman young enough to be his daughter -- and that's not the least of their differences -- in this offbeat romantic comedy. Horace (Victor Argo) is a retired police officer who now works for a travel agency. Outwardly gruff, Horace is at heart a gentle soul, and as he grows older he finds himself depressed by his single status. Horace's feelings of loneliness only intensify when he learns that a combination of lung cancer and severe diabetes is likely to claim his life within the next six months. Despite his sorry state, love finds Horace, but in a form he never would have anticipated -- Queenie (Valerie Geffner), known to her parents as Bernice Applegate, the daughter of a wealthy family who toys with a career as a social worker and a dominatrix while trying (without much success) to find work as an actress. After Queenie discovers her boyfriend has been having an affair with his secretary, Queenie gives him his walking papers and meets Horace by chance. Queenie and Horace quickly hit it off, but while Horace is grateful for Queenie's interest, it's obvious that they don't have much in common, and he has a hard time adjusting to her oddball sense of humor and free-wheeling sexual appetites. Queenie in Love also stars Louise Lasser, Austin Pendleton, and Mark Margolis. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Art Jones directed this comedy-drama about NYC's Nomad Movement, a trend described in newspaper and magazine articles: New York automobile owners cruise Manhattan at night, driving until dawn as a cool-down from the pressures and stress of their jobs. East Villager El Cid Rivera (Damian Young), age 32 and named after his mom's favorite film, is one such Nomad of the night, cruising under flashing neon in his existential explorations. Intercut with El Cid's quest are the voices of other Nomads, uttering poems expressing their own vehicular visions. Shown at the Dances With Films Festival of the Unknowns (Santa Monica). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Lindsay Wagner stars in this TV movie as Molly McKinley, a former nun now employed (and grossly underfunded!) as a rape counselor. A teenager named Sophia (Holly Marie Combs) seeks out Molly's help after she is raped by the scion of a wealthy family. Refusing to release a confidential file that would reveal Molly's past promiscuity--and thus seriously compromise her case against her assailant--Molly is sent to jail. The problem now becomes two-pronged: If Molly wants to be released, she must hand over information that may allow the rapist to go free; and if Sophia doesn't speak up, Molly's future career will be destroyed. Although the film would seem to be inspired by the 1988 theatrical feature The Accused, it was based on a true story. Sins of Silence originally aired February 20, 1996 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The frozen body of a baby is found, whereupon the child's mother falls under suspicion for causing the infant's death. The woman insists that the real villain is slumlord Iris Colman (Karen Lynn Gorney), who cites the "rent laws" as her excuse to deny proper heating to her tenants. But another resident of the same apartment building offers up an entirely different story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this crime drama set during the 1940s an honest detective and his task force take on the mob in old Chicago. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Dream House is an opposites-attract TV movie which strives mightily for social relevance. John Schneider plays a Georgia-cracker contractor who journeys to New York for a major building project. Out of love for Manhattanite urban planner Marilu Henner, he scraps his big-bucks assignment. Instead, he endeavors to build a "dream" house in the middle of one of New York City's most rundown ghettos. Dream House coasts merrily along on its star power alone; the storyline is acceptable, but nothing to break a date over. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jim (James Garner) wants to know why his dad Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.), currently vacationing in Hawaii, has been receiving huge sums of money in the mail. The Feds would also like the answer to that question--and there are several other interested parties lurking in the shadows. As usual, Angel (played by episode director Stuart Margolin) is no help whatsoever in extricating Jim from the plotline's deadly complications, but Rocky manages to "repay" Angel with a sublimely unique revenge. Future Magnum P.I. costar Roger E. Mosley appears in this final episode of The Rockford Files' third season as a sinister loan shark who has a remarkable way with words. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The made-for-TV Force Five can be described as "The Dirty Dozen Minus Seven." All that's missing is the WW II backdrop and the murderous impulses of the protagonists. Lt. Roy Kessler (Gerald Gordon) heads a police undercover unit, consisting of former convicts with unique lawbreaking skills (one is a swindler, another a burglar, etc.) The audience is never certain whether or not the members of "Force Five" have truly reformed, adding an extra layer of tension. In this pilot for a potential TV series, Kessler's men tackle the case of a basketball star's murder. For the record, the rest of the "five" are played by Nicholas Pryor, James Hampton, Roy Jenson and Bill Lucking. Force Five first aired March 28, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Caught in a heavy rainstorm on Walton's Mountain, a family of Gypsies takes refuge it what seems to be a deserted house. Actually, it's the home of the Baldwin sisters, temporarily out of town. The Gypsies' unwitting "break-in" fuels the bigotry of Matt Beckwith (William Bramley), who tries to turn the other residents of the Mountain against the nomadic family. When the Waltons offer to lend a helping hand, the Gypsies are too proud to accept...even though their baby is gravely ill. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season four of All in the Family commenced with an object lesson about -- what else? -- racial bigotry. Archie is up in arms over the notion of a Latino family moving into the neighborhood. In this, Archie finds himself with an unexpected ally: Henry Jefferson, his black neighbor from across the street, who is likewise averse to allowing "those people" to make their home on Houser Street. This episode served to introduce the Bunkers' new next-door neighbors, Irene and Frank Lorenzo, played by Betty Garrett (replacing Sada Thompson, who reportedly couldn't get along with series star Carroll O'Connor) and Vincent Gardenia. Written by Don Nicholl, "We're Having a Heat Wave" originally aired on September 15, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cult favorite Abel Ferrara directed and co-wrote this story set in New York City in 1993, before Mayor Rudy Giuliani's much-publicized crusade against street crime put a dent in semi-public drug dealing in the city. It's a few days before Christmas, and a Latin American couple living on the city's Upper East Side (Lillo Brancato Jr. and Drea de Matteo) are watching their daughter (Lisa Valens) perform in her school's holiday pageant. Afterward, the couple drop the child off with a babysitter and set out to run some errands. They have two items on their agenda: get their daughter the doll she's been asking for (a nearly impossible task, since the toy has become the must-have item of the season), then head to their work space uptown, where they prepare and package heroin for street distribution. While the wife has her qualms about the ethics of drug dealing, both she and her husband know there's plenty of money to be made in heroin -- more than most Hispanic immigrants could make working legitimate jobs in New York -- and the business has been highly lucrative for them. The couple discovers one of their lower-level dealers may be talking to the police, but they soon have a bigger problem to deal with when the husband is lured to the Bronx by a fence who can get him the toy he's been looking for. The husband finds he's been lured into a trap, and a kidnapper (Ice-T) gives the wife less than a half hour to collect and pay a huge ransom, or her husband will be killed. As in Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant, the audience never learns the names of most of the major characters in 'R Xmas; also like Bad Lieutenant (as well as King of New York and The New Rose Hotel), Ferrara invited pioneering gangster rapper Schooly-D to contribute to the film's score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi