Per Melita Movies

Writer/director Christopher Zalla authored and helms the contemporary post-noir thriller Blood of My Blood. The film concerns Juan, a ruthless and conniving ex-career criminal who tries to escape his past by hopping a truck transporting illegal immigrants from Mexico to the Big Apple. Over the course of his journey, Juan meets and befriends Pedro, a sweet but illiterate Puebla native -- long-estranged from his father, Diego -- who harbors a strong desire to make contact with his dad and holds a letter of introduction from his mother to help him accomplish his goal. The naïve Pedro falls into the clutches of the sociopathic Juan, who promptly wins his confidence, then rips off all of his belongings during the night and attempts to steal his identity, plotting to fallaciously present himself to Diego as the gentleman's son. The film then cross-cuts between the story of each man (one desperate, the other slick and arrogant) as they each seek out food and shelter and comb the city for the man in whom they see a chance to establish a secure future. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Hip-hop mogul Damon Dash wrote, directed, and stars in this hard-hitting examination of life in the criminal underground of a great city. Three different crime bosses are locked in a battle over the drug trade in Philadelphia. New York transplant Dame (Damon Dash) and his umbrella crew command a powerful network that controls the city's dope traffic, but he has two bitter rivals who both oversee competing gangs from behind bars -- Beans (Beanie Siegel), Philly-born leader of the once-dominant ABM Crime Syndicate, and Loco (Noreaga), a slick street hustler from Miami who has the bankroll to finance a powerful operation. As these three men and their underlings scramble for money and power, another player is quietly consolidating his forces and rising up against them. State Property 2: Philly Streets also features supporting performances from Mariah Carey, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Cam'ron, and a handful of other hip-hop and R&B stars. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Following up on his directorial debut, Joe the King, actor-turned-sometimes director Frank Whaley made this gritty character study of a man consumed by anger. Working as a clerk at a supermarket, Jimmy (Whaley) makes it a practice to steal anything and everything he can get away with, usually cases of beer. At home, he supports his neglected wife (Carla Gugino), his infant daughter, and his foul-tempered invalid grandmother, whom he has been caring for since he was a teen. A compulsive complainer, Jimmy is vitriolically bitter about his lack of a childhood. His latest dream, one in a series of failed schemes to make it big, is to be a standup comedian. Yet Jimmy's idea of a schtick is less one-liners and gags than a prolonged confessional rant about his marriage, the loss of his parents, and his grandmother. As the film progresses, Jimmy's monologues grow darker and ever more sinister. This film was scheduled to be screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Several stalwarts of the New York independent film scene make appearances in this tale of a creatively frustrated photographer and his search through the streets of Manhattan for ten mysterious snapshots which may hold the key to continued success. The film opens as Max (Reg Rogers), a former wunderkind in the city's art scene, awaits his eagerly-anticipated follow-up show. Although it's been a year since his big splash, Max has nothing to show for himself -- the pressure of his success has left him creatively stunted. His luck changes, however, when an enigmatic barfly shares a beer and some conversation with Max at a bowery-area watering hole. On the bar, the man leaves behind an envelope with ten stunning photographs. Hoping to pass them off as his own, Max leaves, elated -- only to have his artistic gift nabbed by muggers. Our hero spends the rest of the evening on a goose chase through the armpits of the city, encountering lovable misfits at every turn. Writer-director Jeremy Stein populates his debut feature with a wide array of notable N.Y.C. character actors, including John Heard, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Tom Noonan. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

A shy musical comedy composer searches in vain for someplace to bed down with a sexy go-go dancer in this sweet-natured romantic comedy set in Manhattan. College student Gabriel (Christian Campbell) wants to compose musical comedies; Katherine (Tori Spelling), his muse and confidante, wants to star in his productions. In the meantime, she's rehearsing an all-female version of Salomé set in a women's prison while he drowns his sorrows about a negative review at a tony strip club. On the way home from the bar, Gabriel notices Mark (Jean Paul Pitoc), one of the dancers from the club, catnapping in the subway. One mumble-mouthed come-on later, the men attempt to consummate their attraction to one another at Gabriel's tiny apartment, only to find themselves frustrated by pets, roommates, and a visit from Katherine. The couple's attempt to find a suitable boudoir leads them from one location to another; along the way, they discover that their attraction might extend beyond a single afternoon's ardor. Trick marked the feature debut of director Jim Fall, a New York University alumnus who had previously lensed such gay-themed shorts as Shanghai, He Touched Me, and Love Is Deaf, Dumb and Blind. Fall and first-time screenwriter Jason Schafer spent more than three years reworking his original script while raising half a million dollars to finance the film, which appeared at the Sundance and Berlin film festivals in 1999. Much of the publicity over the film centered on the heterosexuality of its two male romantic leads; despite such mild controversy, Trick became a modest art-house hit. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide