Lorena David Movies

Documentary specialist Kerri O'Kane details the rise of promising Seattle-based punk outfit The Gits while simultaneously exploring the brutal murder of the band's charismatic front-woman Mia Zapata. In the early-1990s, Seattle music fans longing to distance themselves from the exploding "grunge" movement found themselves drawn to the soulful street punk of an emerging band that distinguished themselves not only by their non-traditional sound, but by their ability to obliterate the barrier between the performer and the audience as well. Their 1992 debut Frenching the Bully gaining the band a sizable following in their hometown, Portland, San Francisco, and all across the Pacific Northwest, it appeared as if The Gits were about to break big. It was the summer of 1993, as The Gits took to the studio to begin recording their sophomore follow-up Enter: The Conquering Chicken, that the reprehensible actions of a deranged madman would tragically derail the career of a band who by all accounts were poised for greatness. As the sun rose over Seattle on the morning of July 7, 1993, The Gits learned to their horror that singer Zapata had been raped and murdered by an unknown assailant the previous night. Stricken with ovarian cancer and determined to document her struggle against the sickness in a documentary entitled Walking Wounded, rising filmmaker O'Kane discovered a non-profit Seattle collective called "Home Alive" while conducting research for her film. An organization founded in the wake of Zapata's death, "Home Alive" raises public awareness about violence by providing self-defense classes to women free-of-charge as a community service. Deeply moved by Zapata's tragic story and inspired by the action the community took to ensure that other women didn't meet a similarly grim fate, O'Kane set about researching the history of the band and bringing their story to the screen for the benefit of Gits fans and anti-violence activists alike. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The cult-favorite television series which offered a fun-house version of '70s "after-school specials" returns in this big-screen prequel to the show Strangers With Candy. Middle-aged ex-prostitute, former drug addict and all-around lowlife Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris) emerges from prison at the age of 46 ready to start her life over again. Jerri arrives at her parents' home to discover that her father Guy (Dan Hedaya) divorced Jerri's mom and remarried before slipping into a coma. Jerri's stepmom Sara (Deborah Rush) decides to let her stay with the family in the hope her presence might bring Guy around, though she doesn't seem very fond of her new "daughter." Jerri decides to complete the education she abandoned years ago by enrolling at Flatpoint High School, where Principal Blackman (Greg Hollimon) has bigger fish to fry than a middle-aged sex offender as a student. It seems Flatpoint's science scores have been dreadful, and only a first-place entry in the county science fair will maintain the school's accreditation. Science fair guru Roger Beekman (Matthew Broderick) is brought in with hopes of creating a winning project, but science teacher Mr. Noblet (Stephen Colbert) objects to using outside talent and starts a separate team of his own, bringing in Jerri to give her something to do. As it happens, Noblet's team comes up with a potential prize-winner with their Soup Can Superconductor, while Beekman foolishly accepts the help of art teacher Mr. Jellineck (Paul Dinello) and ends up with a dance routine instead of a science presentation. Determined to win out over Noblet's team, Beekman tries to get his hand on the plans for Noblet's project by convincing handsome Brason (Chris Pratt) to charm them away from weak-willed Jerri. Strangers With Candy also features cameo appearances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Allison Janney, Ian Holm, and Kristen Johnston. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Released from prison on his 21st birthday, Antonio (Saved by the Bell's Mario Lopez) pays a visit to his older brother, Horatio (Mark Espinoza), an uptight attorney embarrassed by his Latino heritage. The brothers are connected by their work for crime boss Armando De La Rosa (Efrain Figueroa), for whom Horatio provides "consulting" services and Antonio collects debts. When De la Rosa enlists Antonio to bully the proprietor of a youth shelter off his property to make way for a casino, the young man changes his priorities, thanks in no small part to his friendship with the proprietor (Richard Lynch) and his burgeoning relationship with the old man's granddaughter (Elizabeth Bogush). Together, Antonio and Horatio try to bring an end to De La Rosa's megalomaniacal reign over the neighborhood. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Writer-actor-producer Carlos Gallardo wrote and directed this fast-paced, ultra-low-budget ($11,000) action flick about a nameless Mexican intelligence agent (Gallardo) who arrives incognito in a small town, where his attacks on the resident tough guys upset local crime boss Camaro (Oscar Casteneda). Investigating Camaro's link to the assassination of a presidential candidate, the agent gets to know rival crime boss Manco (Miguel Gurza). In truth, Manco is the dead candidate's brother and is secretly conducting his own investigation. Shown at the 1998 Festival Cine Latino. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi