Anthony Katagas Movies

A professional enforcer investigates the brazen robbery of a high-stakes mob poker game in this crime thriller directed by Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) and adapted from a novel by George V. Higgins. Livid over the fact that three low-level thieves have crashed the entire underworld economy, the mob's top brass hires Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) to see that the bandits pay for their crime. The closer Cogan gets to his target, however, the more he finds his mission complicated by an alcoholic hit man who's well past his prime, incompetent gangsters, and the playboy host of the inauspicious game. James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, Ben Mendelsohn, Richard Jenkins, and Scoot McNairy co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A notorious serial killer uses his dying breath to place a deadly curse on a small town in this shocker from legendary horror director Wes Craven (Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street). It's been 16 years since the maniac who terrorized Riverton met his grim demise. Seven children were born on the night he died, and he vowed that he would return one day to claim them all. Like clockwork, exactly 16 years later, the children born that fateful night begin vanishing without a trace. Could the killer have somehow cheated death the night that everyone thought he was killed, or has he perhaps been reincarnated as one of seven teens he swore to kill? Only one person knows the answer to that burning question. Adam "Bug" Heller (Max Thieriot) never knew how close he came to death the night his father went on that bloody rampage, and despite remaining completely unaware of the atrocities that mar his family bloodline, he's suffered terrifying nightmares from as far back as he can remember. Now, in order to save his friends, Bug will be forced to confront the evil that won't stop until it accomplishes the awful task it set out to complete on the night he was born. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A bickering New York couple on the verge of divorce is placed in the Witness Protection Program and relocated to Wyoming after witnessing a murder. Meryl and Paul Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant) have all the money a couple could want -- it's love they're running short on. Upon witnessing a contract killing and being targeted by the triggerman, the couple find themselves at the mercy of the feds, who hastily send them packing for an extended stay in the Rockies. Could a peaceful life away from the city be just the thing to bring Meryl and Paul back together, or will the deafening silence of nature only serve to amplify the bickering couple's painful peccadillos and drive them further apart than ever before? Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen, and Wilford Brimley co-star in a comedy from writer/director Marc Lawrence (Miss Congeniality, Music and Lyrics). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A depressed young man moves back in with his parents and finds his life turned upside down as he struggles to choose between the beautiful daughter of a close family friend and the scintillating but volatile next-door neighbor whose passion helps to reignite his lust for life. The third screen outing for writer/director James Gray and actor Joaquin Phoenix following We Own the Night and The Yards, Two Lovers co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Isabella Rossellini, and Vinessa Shaw. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The Muppets meet mayhem once again after accidentally intercepting three letters en route to the North Pole. Before long, the Muppet gang has put aside their own holiday vacation plans and set off to find Santa Claus in hopes of putting the letters in the hands they were intended for before it's too late. Among the guest stars are Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Griffiths, Jane Krakowski, Uma Thurman, Nathan Lane, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

A radio talk-show host who specializes in repairing damaged relationships finds her life suddenly turned upside down when a listener who took her advice and later regretted doing so resolves to take revenge on the misguided love doctor. Uma Thurman, Colin Firth, Sam Shepard, and Isabella Rossellini star in a romantic comedy directed by Griffin Dunne. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Writer-director Adam Rapp's gritty urban romance Blackbird unfolds in mid-1990s Manhattan. The picture dramatizes the ill-fated courtship between two melancholic heroin addicts - Gulf War veteran Bayliss (Paul Sparks) and ex-stripper Froggy (Gillian Jacobs) - as they fall in love and battle magnetizing addictions. The possibility of redemption waxes strong from time to time, with hope for some semblance of a "normal life" lingering quietly in the background, but Bayliss and Froggy never quite seem to find the strength and control to pull everything together. And in the end, they join one another on a downward spiral that leads inexorably toward mutual self-destruction. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Two women get a new and unusual perspective on the doctor/patient relationship in this romantic comedy. Rafi Gardet (Uma Thurman) is a woman in her mid-thirties who has recently gone through a messy divorce. Rafi has been seeing an analyst, Lisa Metzger (Meryl Streep), as she struggles to get back on her feet emotionally and look for new love. Rafi meets a man named David Bloomberg (Bryan Greenberg), and the two quickly hit it off, but Rafi isn't sure if she should pursue the relationship, since David is only 23 years old. After discussing the burgeoning romance during one of their weekly sessions, Lisa urges Rafi to take a plunge with David, and not be afraid to seek out the companionship she needs. However, there's something about David that Lisa doesn't know -- he's her son. Rafi doesn't know that Lisa is David's mother, either, and both psychiatrist and patient are thrown for a loop when they learn the truth. Prime was originally intended to star Sandra Bullock as Rafi, but she dropped out of the project shortly before filming began, reportedly due to disagreements with the director over the script, with Thurman taking her place. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Money and emotions lead to a difficult reunion between a father and daughter in this drama. Reese Holden (Zooey Deschanel) is a struggling stage actress in New York City whose life has become an uphill struggle -- her career isn't giving her satisfaction, her relationship with would-be rock star Ray (Dallas Roberts) is stuck in neutral, an affair with her friend Rob (Robert Beitzel) brings no excitement, and her colleague Deirdre (Deirdre O'Connell) simply doesn't understand her problems. Reese is also short on money, which is why she's willing to listen to a proposal from a publisher who wants to release a series of love letters that her mother, a well-known author who died years ago, wrote to her father, Don (Ed Harris), another respected novelist who has fallen out of the limelight but is said to be working on a final major work. Having accepted an advance for the collection, Reese pays a visit to Don in Michigan to get his OK for the project and collect the letters, but discovers two strangers have moved in with Don -- Shelly (Amelia Warner), who studied under Don and has installed herself as his business manager, and Corbit (Will Ferrell), a neighborhood sad sack who helps with the housekeeping and runs errands for the reclusive writer. As Reese vies with Shelly for her father's attention, she struggles to come to terms with issues from her childhood and the dissatisfaction with her life. Winter Passing was written and directed by noted playwright Adam Rapp; it was his first feature film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

James Woods is uncannily convincing as the title character in this all-inclusive cable TV biopic. The script -- which incidentally was concocted by a trio of writers from all parts of the political spectrum -- uses the tragedy of September 11, 2001, as the framework for a series of flashbacks, following Rudy Giuliani (Woods) as he gains prominence in the New York Attorney General's office vis-à-vis his battle against the Mob in 1984. After an abortive bid for the mayor's office in 1989, Giuliani finally gets elected four years later -- but no sooner has he settled into the job than he is beset with controversy involving the alleged racial profiling of New York City's police force. As the years roll on, Giuliani is loved by millions (primarily due to his successful effort to clean up the Big Apple's image) and hated by millions more. Much is made if Hizzoner's domestic travails with second wife Donna Hanover (Penelope Ann Miller), his extramarital affair with Chrystine Lategano (Michelle Nolden), and his bout with prostate cancer. Then come the cataclysmic events of 9/11, from which the beleaguered Giuliani emerges as a larger-than-life heroic figure at a time when his city desperately needs heroes (the film seamlessly blends actual footage of the World Trade Center collapse with re-enactments of the frenzied activity at ground level). Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story was first telecast March 30, 2003, on the USA network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Writer Eric Weber (author of the infamous paperback How to Pick Up Girls) directs his screenplay Second Best. Set in New Jersey, the story concerns a group of fiftysomething men dealing with their feelings of inadequacy. Struggling writer Elliot (Joe Pantoliano) is the most desperate of the bunch, having failed in the publishing business and trying to finish writing a screenplay. The group prepares for a visit from their old childhood friend who is now a big-time Hollywood producer. Elliot hopes this visit will lead to bigger things in his own life. Also starring Boyd Gaines, Jennifer Tilly, and Bronson Pinchot, Second Best was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the American Spectrum competition. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

New York City may be the city that never sleeps, but that means some people have to stay awake all night to look after the folks whose days begin after the sun goes down; this made-for-premium-cable drama looks at a group of cabbies trying to get by while working the night shift. The Lady Luck Cab Company is a taxi service run by Box (Sarita Choudhury), who inherited the failing business from her late father and is struggling to keep it afloat against long economic odds as Lady Luck's drivers work long shifts in some of the Big Apple's less picturesque neighborhoods. Hershey (Danny Glover), one of Lady Luck's drivers, was once a professional boxer, but when his athletic career went south, so did his wife, and now he drives a hack while trying to romance George (Pam Grier), a good-looking waitress who likes Hershey, but is frustrated with his schedule, which rarely allows him a night off. This is bad news for Hershey, since Ralph (Paul Calderon), a regular at the diner where George works, has been making a play for her as well. Another driver, Salgado (Michelle Rodriguez), is a short-fused Latin American woman who is frequently the victim of sexual harassment from her customers, which makes her all the more difficult to be around. Jose (Bobby Cannavale) thinks he's hit the jackpot when he discovers a briefcase full of cash has been left in his cab, though he has reason to believe it's stolen. And Rasha (Sergej Trifunovic), a refugee from Bosnia, is still tormented by the violence that cost his family their lives, and has trouble concentrating on his driving, leading him into more than one auto accident. While the drivers deal with their individual dilemmas, all of them are suddenly wary of their customers, thanks to reports of a serial killer preying on New York's cab drivers. Produced for the Showtime premium cable network, 3 A.M. was screened at the Sundance Film Festival prior to its broadcast debut, where it earned an enthusiastic reception. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This Big Apple-based romantic comedy charts the tumultuous relationship between liberal arts student and budding chef Al (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and his first girlfriend, Imogen (Julia Stiles), a self-possessed freshman who wants to become an artist. After meeting in a bar, the pair jump into a giddy, passionate affair that's grown-up enough to include face time between the young lovers and Al's DJ mom and TV-chef dad (Henry Winkler). After a summer abroad, however, Imogen feels like the relationship is robbing her of her youth, and the couple must struggle with romantic and domestic growing pains. Meanwhile, their wacky friends -- who include porn stars (Selma Blair and Zak Orth), stoners (Rosario Dawson), a mullet-haired lunkhead (Shawn Hatosy), and a Jim Morrison look-alike named Jim Morrison (Ashton Kutcher) -- provide laughs, advice, and sexual temptation. The debut film from writer/director Kris Isacsson, the teen-themed Down to You marked a change of pace for normally grown-up Miramax Films. In addition to a slew of recent rock and pop, the film prominently features music from such downtown New York fixtures of the past decade as Deee-Lite ("Groove is in the Heart") and Cibo Matto ("Moonchild"). ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi