Idalis de Leon Movies
A minor crook finds himself in major peril when a "hot" weapon goes missing in this violent crime thriller. Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) is a low-level "mechanic" in the Mafia who hopes to rise through the ranks by doing whatever is needed. One night, a drug deal goes very wrong when police show up and try to close down the operation; shots break out and a battle ensues, with a pair of of cops meeting a particularly violent fate at bad end of a gun barrel. Joey is given the gun that killed the policemen and is told to make it disappear so it can't be used as evidence; however, before he can do that, the weapon is stolen by Oleg (Cameron Bright), a friend of Joey's young son, who takes the pistol and uses it to shoot his abusive stepfather. Now that the gun is implicated in high profile crimes, it's vitally important that Joey find it as soon as possible, but his search for the firearm is complicated by the fact that Oleg's stepdad is affiliated with a rival gang of Russian mobsters, and that Rydell (Chazz Palminteri), a seriously corrupt police detective, is hot on Joey's trail. Joey's search for the gun takes him through the grim criminal netherworld of the city, where he must face off against nearly every sort of crook, con artist, and deviate that has ever walked the earth. Running Scared is from writer-director Wayne Kramer, who made a name for himself with the well-reviewed independent feature The Cooler. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, (more)
Principled gangsters take on a corrupt moneyman in this period Western. Robert Driscol (David Carradine) is a ruthless and power-hungry man who owns a small New Mexico town lock, stock, and barrel, and isn't shy about dealing with anyone who gets in his way. Linc Malone (Gabriel Casseus) and his brother Zane (Antwon Tanner) are a pair of African-American cowboys who've run afoul of Driscol and are looking for revenge. Linc and Zane put together a team of gunmen to rob Driscol's bank, but the heist goes awry when Driscol's men surround the building, and the gunfighters are trapped inside. Brothers in Arms also features Ed Lauter, Kenya Moore, and rapper Kurupt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Gabriel Casseus, (more)
The mysterious death of Lisa Fisher (Lili Taylor) -- revealed in the third-season finale, "I'm Sorry, I'm Lost" -- casts a dark shadow across the entire fourth season of this critically acclaimed HBO drama. As funeral director Nate (Peter Krause) grapples with single parenthood and the aftermath of his wife's apparent drowning, he makes his way back into the arms of ex-girlfriend Brenda (Rachel Griffiths). Their reunion does little to help Brenda's budding romance with a hunky neighbor (Justin Theroux), but it does plenty to upset Lisa's grieving family. Meanwhile, David (Michael C. Hall) finds his newfound domesticity with boyfriend Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) interrupted by a surreal carjacking incident. As David slowly cracks up, Keith goes out on the road to provide security for trashy pop star Celeste (guest star Michelle Trachtenberg), who at one point unexpectedly seduces him. Art-school student Claire (Lauren Ambrose), too, find herself batting for the other team when she takes up with audacious performance artist Edie (guest star Mena Suvari). The relationship doesn't last, but ex-boyfriend Russell (Ben Foster) does help Claire stumble upon the new artistic direction that will lead to her first gallery show. Fisher matriarch Ruth (Frances Conroy) slowly gets to know the real George Sibley (new series regular James Cromwell), whom she impulsively married before learning about his history of mental illness. Meanwhile, family man Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) finds his own marriage disintegrating after he gets caught up in an affair with a needy lap dancer (guest star Idalis DeLeon). With its even darker-than-usual storylines, apocalyptic imagery, and shocking revelations, the fourth season of Six Feet Under alienated some fans and critics. Nevertheless, the show remained a strong ratings performer during this slightly shorter, 12-episode run. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause, (more)
One woman's odyssey through a hellish life of sexual abuse, drug addiction, and crime is resolved in faith in this tough but inspiring drama based on a true story documented by evangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes. Michelle Jordan (Kimberly Elise) was raised by a single mother, Cassie (Loretta Devine), who became involved with a cruel and opportunistic man named Reggie (Clifton Powell). Reggie began displaying an inappropriate interest in Michelle when she was only eight, and at 12 he began violating her on a regular basis. Stung by her mother's denials of Reggie's wrongdoings, Michelle ran away from home and ended up on a dead-end road of drug abuse and prostitution, which led to a stretch in prison for murder. While behind bars, Michelle hears of the teachings of Bishop T.D. Jakes and his work with abused women, and writes the noted preacher in hopes of someday meeting him. To her surprise, Jakes (who plays himself) pays her a visit, and as she shares with him the story of her blighted life, she takes the first steps on the road to emotional and spiritual recovery. Jakes arranges for Michelle to have a three-day furlough from prison so she can attend a revival he's hosting in the area; opting to stay in a half-way house rather than see Cassie and Reggie, Michelle reconnects with many of her old friends during her three days of freedom, including former stripper Nicole (Idalis de Leon), childhood friend and hairdresser Twana (Debbi Morgan), and former boyfriend Todd (Michael Boatman). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kimberly Elise, Loretta Devine, (more)
The brain-child of director and executive producer Straw Weisman, Man of the Year is billed as a reality/surveillance/improv/drama. In fact, the film was shot in one night, with no script and a cast of about 20 being followed around by an equal number of cameras. The story centers on Bill, a successful oil company executive played by John Ritter. At a party in honor of Bill, the audience is introduced to a number of people in Bill's life, including his wife, Carol (Heidi Mark); his bookie, Mickey (Dan Ponce); and his mistress, Vanessa (Khrystyne Haje). As the evening progresses, the mood of the party goes from festive to angry as all of the secrets in Bill's life become exposed, and his life begins to crumble around him. Suddenly, a gunshot is heard, someone is dead, and no one knows who the killer is. Completely improvised based on a loose story outline and a set of predetermined motivations for each character, Man of the Year premiered at the 2002 Method Film Festival in Pasadena, CA. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter
- 2003
With Lisa (Lili Taylor) still missing, mortality hangs heavily in the air as Six Feet Under begins its third-season finale. Simultaneously, however, romantic and sexual liaisons spring -- and cling -- to life. Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) enjoys a chaste, quirky date with a sexy neighbor, while Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) finds solace from his marital problems in the arms of a stripper, David (Michael C. Hall) reluctantly agrees to reconcile with Keith (Mathew St. Patrick), and a defiant Ruth (Frances Conroy) decides to marry George (James Cromwell) after all. Her announcement elicits a variety of negative reactions from her children. A distraught Nate (Peter Krause) drips with contempt, while diplomatic David says the timing is just bad. Pouty Claire (Lauren Ambrose) can't believe her mother would try to replace the late Nathaniel (Richard Jenkins) so suddenly. But as Claire embarks on a fanciful tour of the afterlife, her departed father tells her that her hang-ups about the impending nuptials are her own problem. While wandering around the great beyond, Claire encounters a variety of deceased characters -- including, to her surprise, ex-boyfriend Gabe (Eric Balfour) and her own recently aborted child, who's being cared for by Lisa herself. Whether Claire's wanderings are a dream or a visitation, one thing's for certain: Lisa really is dead. Nate receives a fateful phone call confirming that her nearly unidentifiable body has been discovered. Unaware of the news, his siblings reluctantly attend their mother's wedding while Nate drinks himself into a stupor and instigates a bar brawl. Bloody and broken, he nearly drunk-drives to his own death, but instead he turns to the one person he's been fleeing from all season: Brenda. Originally broadcast June 1, 2003, on HBO, "I'm Sorry, I'm Lost" marked season three, episode 13 of the made-for-cable drama. In addition to the show's typical corpse-of-the-week opening, a second white title card eventually appears to announce the death of "Lisa Kimmel Fisher, 1973-2003." ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 2002
The battle between "real" and holistic medicine was dramatized on a weekly, 60-minute basis in this PAX Network series. Peter Strauss headed the cast as Dr. Isaac Braun, eminent head surgeon at a prestigious Ohio hospital. Braun's rigid, rules-are-rules approach to medicine is spectacularly challenged by a new member of the staff: Dr. Rachel Griffin (Larissa Laskin), who in addition to being a stalwart advocate of "alternative" healing processes was once Braun's most brilliant protégée. Scheduled to run for 13 weeks (with the option for more episodes if the producers were able to stretch their premise past the first season), Body and Soul premiered September 16, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Strauss, Larissa Laskin, (more)
- 2000
A crime caper that gaily spoofs such antecedents as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and nods its head more than a few times to the work of Quentin Tarantino, Very Mean Men opens in a bar, where a bartender (Matthew Modine) finds himself serving drinks to a tough-looking guy (Martin Landau) he pegs as a cheap drinker. In order to keep the miniscule tips coming, the bartender makes up a story about warring mob families in the San Fernando Valley. In one corner there are the Minettis, who are led by Gino (Ben Gazzara), a mobster who's mellowed with age. Gino wants to make amends when Big Paddy Mulroney (Charles Durning) complains that Gino's clan is invading his side of the Valley. Gino's temperamental son Paulie (Scott Baio, sporting peroxided hair and a goatee to match) gives Mulroney money, only to then stiff Mulroney's waitress daughter on a tip after having lunch at the family's diner. Soon ethnic insults are flying like bullets, and everyone is out for revenge. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Martin Landau, (more)
- 2000
A not-so-dirty half-dozen are given the chance to change themselves from crooks to soldiers in this made-for-cable action drama. Col. Finley Deacon (Brett Cullen) is a tough but respected Army officer who's not long from retirement when he's given a final secret mission -- a high-ranking Latin American politician has been arrested for taking part in a plan to smuggle arms to anti-Castro forces in Cuba, and both the U.S. military and the CIA need to be sure the leader's connections to the United States government don't become too well known. Deacon is to lead a rescue mission to free the imprisoned politician, but due to the sensitive nature of the operation, American military troops cannot be used -- and since the leader behind bars is a woman, he'll need to recruit an all-female fighting force. Deacon is assigned, as his soldiers, six women serving life without parole in a federal prison in Georgia. If the mission is a success, the prisoners will be granted their freedom, but chances are slim that they'll make it back alive, and Deacon has the difficult task of turning six angry women into an elite fighting force. The Expendables features Robin Givens, Tempestt Bledsoe, Christi Conway, Jennifer Blanc, Jenica Bergere, and Idalis de Leon as the prisoners-turned-commandos. The film was produced for the USA cable network. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Givens, Tempestt Bledsoe, (more)
In this road comedy, NYC film school grad Leta (Melissa De Sousa) gets a job assisting music-vid director Bleau Kelly (Downtown Julie Brown), and a group of rappers, singers, starlets, and showbiz wannabes sign on for a video to be shot in Florida. The gang gets acquainted on a decaying bus as they travel down the East Coast, encountering barroom fights and other problems en route to the vid gig. Cameo by Snoop Doggy Dogg. Not to be confused with another 1998 release titled The Ride. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malik Yoba, Melissa DeSousa, (more)
In this broad fish-out-of-water comedy, Nisi (Halle Berry) and Mickey (Natalie Desselle) are African-American women with two ambitions -- marry rich men who will give them lots of money, and open the world's first combination hair salon and soul food restaurant. However, eligible bachelors and business opportunities are in short supply in Decatur, Georgia, so when Nisi hears rapper Heavy D is auditioning dancers in Los Angeles for an upcoming video and concert tour, the pair hit the road for California. They fail the audition but are approached by a man named Antonio (Luigi Amodeo) with a business proposition. Antonio is the chauffeur for Mr. Blakemore (Martin Landau), a millionaire in poor health. As a young man, Mr. Blakemore was in love with a black maid who worked in his household; Antonio and Blakemore's nephew Isaac (Jonathan Fried) think Nisi bears a resemblance to the girl Blakemore once loved, so they offer her a hefty payment plus room and board to pose as the granddaughter of Blakemore's lost love. Nisi and Mickey believe that this ruse is intended to make Blakemore feel better, but in fact Isaac wants to get his hands on his uncle's fortune, and he hopes that Nisi's presence will make him easier to manipulate. Meanwhile, Nisi and Mickey look like a hurricane that hit a cut-rate clothing store, so manservant Manley (Ian Richardson) teaches them social graces and gives them advice on how to dress. In time, Manley and Mr. Blakemore become friends with Nisi and Mickey; the men learn to be less stuffy and enjoy life, while the ladies become more respectable. B.A.P.S. stands for "Black American Princesses." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Halle Berry, Martin Landau, (more)
