Michael Peña
- 2009
Seth Rogen stars as Ronnie Barnhardt, a mall cop at odds with his local law enforcement in this comedy from The Foot Fist Way's writer/director Jody Hill. Anna Faris co-stars as a mall employee who's the object of Ronnie's desire, with Ray Liotta filling the shoes of a troublemaker cop. Legendary Pictures presents the feature for Warner Bros., with Donald De Line handling producing duties. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, (more)
- 2009
Channing Tatum, Michael Peña, and Woody Harrelson star in director Oliver Stone's war drama concerning the investigation of the 1968 My Lai Massacre. Bruce Willis portrays Army General William R. Peers, the man sent to investigate when U.S. soldiers were accused of slaughtering 500 unarmed My Lai villagers -- including numerous women, children, and senior citizens. Tatum co-stars as helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson, who witnessed the atrocity taking place on the ground below and nobly attempted to end it by hovering between the gunmen and the villagers while rescuing as many survivors as possible. The film's title is taken from the description of My Lai on a Vietnam-era military map of the region. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Channing Tatum, Michael Peña, (more)
- 2008
- R
- AddThe Lucky Onesto Queue
Director Neil Burger's road movie The Lucky Ones stars Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams, and Michael Peña as three Iraq War veterans who take a road trip together. The trio meet on their way home from overseas with Fred Cheaver (Robbins) finishing his service once and for all, while the other two -- Colee Dunn (McAdams) and TK Poole (Peña) -- are about to enjoy 30 days of R and R. A blackout leads to the three renting a car together after their flight is indefinitely delayed, and driving from New York to Cheaver's home in St. Louis. Upon arrival, Cheaver learns that his wife wants a divorce, and his son needs 20,000 dollars in order to attend Stanford. Emotionally shaken, Cheaver tries to drop the other two off at the airport, but they refuse to go until they can help him through his troubles. The two of them, however, are going through their own issues. Poole suffered an injury while on duty that he worries will end his relationship with his girlfriend, and Dunn is trying to deliver a guitar to the parents of her deceased boyfriend, a fellow soldier who died overseas. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins, (more)
Robert Redford directs this dramatic tale of intersecting lives that weaves together the stories of an idealistic professor's attempts to inspire a privileged student, a former student of the teacher who is wounded behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, and a congressman whose interactions with a seasoned journalist reveal much about the man behind the public persona. Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, and Robert Redford star in a film scripted by Matthew Michael Carnahan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, (more)
A top Marine sniper who previously abandoned the military after a routine mission gave way to tragedy is double-crossed by the government after reluctantly being pressured back into service in Training Day director Antoine Fuqua's adaptation of Stephen Hunter's novel Point of Impact. There was a time when Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) was the best trigger-man in the military, but after growing disillusioned with the system, he disappeared without a trace. After being located at his remote mountain retreat by high-profile government officials following an extensive search, Swagger is coerced back into service in order to stop a determined assassin from taking out the President of the United States. In the process of carrying out his mission, however, Swagger suddenly realizes that he has been betrayed when he becomes the subject of a nationwide manhunt. Now wounded and desperate to reveal the culprits behind the conspiracy before it's too late, Swagger sets into motion a revenge plan that will send shockwaves rippling to some of the most powerful and corrupt leaders in the free world. Danny Glover, Rhona Mitra, and Ned Beatty co-star in this conspiracy-driven action thriller that asks what it truly means to serve one's country. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Wahlberg, Michael Peña, (more)
Made for cable, Walkout is the true story of a little-known but profoundly significant moment in the history of the Latino community in East Los Angeles. In 1968, Lincoln High School honor student Paula Crisostomo (Alexa Vega), outraged at the shabby treatment afforded Chicano students in the L.A. school system -- including habitually lowered expectations, poor facilities, a total absence of bilingual courses or textbooks, unfairly administered penalties for slight infractions, demeaning corporal punishment, and out-of-hand refusal to write letters of recommendation to choice colleges -- challenges the authority of her elders for the first time in her life by organizing a mass student walkout at five barrio high schools. Mentored by dedicated young teacher Sal Castro (Michael Pena), Paula and her fellow student activists intend to make their protest a peaceful one, but the L.A. cops typically use brute force to quell the "radicals." Even when it seems that the school board will capitulate to the Chicano students' demands, the kids are betrayed (there's an undercover police officer in their midst) and the leaders of the walkout are threatened with lengthy prison sentences on trumped-up "conspiracy" charges. It will not spoil the ending of the film to reveal that the students are ultimately successful; as directed by actor Edward James Olmos (who also plays one of the school board members), the dramatic thrust of the story is the lasting effect that the protest has on its participants -- especially the idealistic Paula Crisostomo. Executive producer Moctesuma Esparza, who'd been one of the original walkout organizers back in 1968, spent a full two decades getting this story on film; Esparza is played by Bodie Olmos, son of the director, while Esparza's daughter Tonantzin Esparza is seen as Vickie Castro. Also, Paula Crisostomo's daughter Marisol Crisostomo-Romo is seen as Mita -- and in addition, several of the former student activists are interviewed during the closing credits, or appear as extras in the crowd scenes. Produced for HBO, Walkout originally aired on March 18, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexa Vega, Michael Peña, (more)
This collegiate farce directed by Theo Avgerinos had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. After a party thrown by his roommate, Coleman (John Hensley), violates their dorm-room probation, college freshman (at a thinly veiled New York University) Darren (Lou Taylor Pucci) loses his scholarship money and scrambles to raise the funds by selling 50 ecstasy pills given to him as an apology by Coleman over the course of a hectic day. While loading the pills off on fellow college students, friends, family, and Coleman's customers -- including a dominatrix named Petunia (Monica Keena) and an insanely off-kilter stock trader (Eddie Kaye Thomas) -- Darren must also finish a paper on Dante's Inferno, deal with his parents (Jane Lynch and John Kapelos) in New Jersey, who think he's gay, elude the mysterious Soul Man (Ron Yuan), and try to convince his crush, Grace (Kristen Bell), that he's not a sleazy drug dealer. Darren's crazy day comes to a head when some stupid but vengeful thugs led by Eduardo (Michael Pena) track down both Coleman and Darren at their dorm while the stock trader shows up looking for more pills. ~ Michael Buening, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Taylor Pucci, John Kapelos, (more)
The tragic aftermath of human carelessness travels around the world in this multi-narrative drama from filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu. Richard (Brad Pitt) and Susan (Cate Blanchett) are a couple from the United States who have traveled to Morocco in Northern Africa on a vacation after the death of one of their children has sent Susan into a deep depression. Richard and Susan's other two children have been left in the care of Amelia (Adriana Barraza), their housekeeper. Amelia is originally from Mexico, and her oldest son is getting married in Tijuana. Unable to find someone who can watch the kids, or to obtain permission to take the day off, Amelia takes the children with her as she travels across the border for the celebration. Around the same time, in Morocco a poor farmer buys a hunting rifle, and he gives it to his sons to scare off the predatory animals that have been thinning out their goat herd. The boys decide to test the weapon's range by shooting at a bus far away; the shot hits Susan in the shoulder, and soon she's bleeding severely, while police are convinced the attack is the work of terrorists. In Japan, Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) is a teenage deaf-mute whose mother recently committed suicide. This despairing, confused girl experiences such rage and frustration that she causes her volleyball team to lose a match, and later yanks her underwear off and begins exposing herself to boys in a crowded restaurant. Chieko's father then struggles to reach past the emotional distance which separates him and his daughter. Babel earned Alejandro González Iñárritu the prize for Best Director at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, (more)
Director Oliver Stone once again offers a powerful and provocative story based on real-life events in this drama. Sargeant John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) and William J. Jimeno (Michael Pena) were two officers assigned to New York City's Port Authority who were working their beats on a quiet day in early fall when they received an emergency call. The day was September 11, 2001, and McLoughlin and Jimeno were among the policemen who attempted to evacuate the World Trade Center towers after they were struck by airliners piloted by terrorists. Both McLoughlin and Jimeno were inside the fifth building of the World Trade Center when the towers fell, and were two of the last people found alive amidst the wreckage. As McLoughlin and Jimeno struggled to hold on to their lives as rescuers sifted through the rubble, their spouses -- Donna McLoughlin (Maria Bello) and Allison Jimeno (Maggie Gyllenhaal) -- clung to the desperate hope that their husbands would survive and be found. As the McLoughlin and Jimeno families waited for word on the fate of the two men, they watched as a city and a nation came together with strength and compassion in the face of a tragedy. World Trade Center was based on the true story of John McLoughlin and William J. Jimeno, both of whom cooperated with producers in the making of this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, (more)
- 2005
As part of the auto-shop sting operation, Ronnie (David Rees Snell) gets surveillance footage of Russian mobster plotting to torch a building for an insurance scam. Monica (Glenn Close) and Vic (Michael Chiklis) are planning the raid, but Assistant Chief Phillips (Nigel Gibbs) shows up and calls it off, handing the case to the Organized Crime Unit. It turns out that Aceveda (Benito Martinez) has been using all of his political clout to squash Vic and get control of the seizure program, and he's obtained a doctored videotape of the church raid that will embarrass the department when it hits the local media. Monica tries to get his help in squashing the tape, but he refuses to help her unless she pulls Vic off the street. Vic is furious when Monica asks him to take a step back, temporarily. Julien (Michael Jace) continues to come into conflict with both Danny (Catherine Dent) and Monica over his issues with the seizure policy. Shane (Walton Goggins) brings in a Byz Lats informant, Hielo (Giovanni Lopes), who is willing to give up Hernesto (Lombardo Boyar), who's running a contraband cigarette scheme. Meanwhile, the mob leader avoids the OCU's raid, and Vic decides to quietly use his gang contacts to track him down. Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) investigate the case of a foster child who's been sexually assaulted and forced to drink a toxic household cleanser. Monica takes a personal interest in the case, coming into conflict with the social worker responsible for the family. Ronnie shows Vic and Lem (Kenny Johnson) surveillance video of Antwon (Anthony Anderson) coercing Shane into agreeing to commit a murder in exchange for recovering Angie's body. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
The Darwinian plight of a small Arizona town's youthful but aimless population leads to a series of strange confrontations in Lansdown director Tom Zuber's slacker-themed slice of life. While trim-and-tidy outward appearances give Little Athens the illusion of calm tranquility, a look at the life of the post-high school populace struggling to make ends meet betrays first impressions. Over the course of 24 hours, a revealing look at the population of Little Athens reveals a paranoid EMS worker named Heather (Erica Leerhsen), whose suspicions that her boyfriend is cheating drive her to drastic measures; a debt-ridden pizza delivery buy named Jimmy (John Patrick Amedori), who has turned to dealing drugs as a means of restoring his financial stability; an STD-infested teen whose boyfriend is itching for revenge; and a pair of pool-cleaning roommates (DJ Qualls and Jorge Garcia) whose fledgling business doesn't turn enough coin to cover the rent. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Hatosy
- 2005
- PG13
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An aspiring musician looking to break big finds the singer who may finally be able to make his dreams come true in director Renee Chabria's musical drama starring John Leguizamo and Elizabeth Peña. There's nothing that Antonio (Leguizamo) wants more out of life than to be standing on the stage with the spotlight shining down on him. Soon after purchasing a bus ticket to Los Angeles and leaving his Mexican border town behind, Antonio falls for aspiring young doctor Nina (Ana Claudia Talancon). When Antonio discovers that his new neighbor Mirabella is a gifted former singer who has fallen on hard times, he convinces the struggling single mother to put her faith in her abilities and prepare for the upcoming talent contest that may just lead the pair to a future full of prosperity and creative freedom. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Leguizamo, Ana Claudia Talancón, (more)
Issues of race and gender cause a group of strangers in Los Angeles to physically and emotionally collide in this drama from director and screenwriter Paul Haggis. Graham (Don Cheadle) is a police detective whose brother is a street criminal, and it hurts him to know his mother cares more about his ne'er-do-well brother than him. Graham's partner is Ria (Jennifer Esposito), who is also his girlfriend, though she has begun to bristle at his emotional distance, as well as his occasional insensitivity over the fact he's African-American and she's Hispanic. Rick (Brendan Fraser) is an L.A. district attorney whose wife, Jean (Sandra Bullock), makes little secret of her fear and hatred of people unlike herself. Jean's worst imaginings about people of color are confirmed when her SUV is carjacked by two African-American men -- Anthony (Chris Bridges, aka Ludacris), who dislikes white people as much as Jean hates blacks, and Peter (Larenz Tate), who is more open minded. Cameron (Terrence Howard) is a well-to-do African-American television producer with a beautiful wife, Christine (Thandie Newton). While coming home from a party, Cameron and Christine are pulled over by Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon), who subjects them to a humiliating interrogation (and her to an inappropriate search) while his new partner, Officer Hansen (Ryan Phillippe), looks on. Daniel (Michael Pena) is a hard-working locksmith and dedicated father who discovers that his looks don't lead many of his customers to trust him. And Farhad (Shaun Toub) is a Middle Eastern shopkeeper who is so constantly threatened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that he decided he needs a gun to defend his family. Crash was the first directorial project for award-winning television and film writer Haggis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, (more)
Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is a veteran boxing trainer who has devoted his life to the ring and has precious little to show for it; his daughter never answers his letters, and a fighter he's groomed into contender status has paid him back by signing with another manager, leaving Frankie high and dry. His best friend and faithful employee Eddie Dupris is a former fighter who Frankie trained. In his last fight, Eddie suffered a severe injury, a fact that brings Frankie great guilt. One day, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) enters Frankie's life, as well as his gym, and announces she needs a trainer. Frankie regards her as a dubious prospect, and isn't afraid to tell her why: he doesn't think much of women boxing, she's too old at 31, she lacks experience, and has no technique. However, Maggie sees boxing as the one part of her life that gives her meaning and won't give up easily. Finally won over by her determination, Frankie takes on Maggie, and as she slowly grows into a viable fighter, an emotional bond develops between them. When a tragedy befalls one of the three characters, each comes to a decision that shows how the relationships in the film have changed them. Adapted from a short story by F.X. Toole, a former corner man with years of experience in the fight game, Million Dollar Baby also stars Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie, and Mike Colter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, (more)
- 2003
- NR
Robert Parigi writes and directs the low-budget horror movie Love Object. Technical writer Kenneth (Desmond Harrington) is too shy to reveal his attraction to co-worker Lisa (Melissa Sagemiller). He's only able to relax after ordering Nikki, a Lisa-lookalike sex doll with realistic anatomy. The new, sexually fullfilled Kenneth develops the confidence to talk to the real-life Lisa, but Nikki gets jealous. Kenneth starts to confuse reality with fantasy, leading to violence and gore. Rip Torn and Udo Kier appear in a cameo roles. Love Object premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Desmond Harrington, Melissa Sagemiller, (more)
- 2003
This 200th episode of ER (actually the 201st in the syndicated package) occurs during a solar eclipse, with the action alternating between the day and night shifts at County General. Holding down the day shift is a bone-weary Carter (Noah Wyle), who must contend with the victims of a cult mass suicide, among many other trying cases. And during the night shift, Pratt (Mekhi Phifer), ostensibly making his final round as a resident, is "redeemed" as he treats a woman whose unborn child was viciously cut from her womb. In other developments, Corday (Alex Kingston) tries to ease the mind of Romano (Paul McCrane) as he prepares to have his injured hand and forearm amputated; and the ER receives an urgent phone call from Kovac (Goran Visnjic) in Africa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Australian director Gregor Jordan makes his sophomore effort with this tale about crooked U.S. soldiers based in Germany during the waning days of the cold war. Special Fourth Class soldier Elwood (Joaquin Phoenix) guards against the Soviets while on duty, and rips off the U.S. military while off duty. Handsome, calculating, and thoroughly amoral, Elwood runs a profitable black-market business that operates just below the official radar. He and his associates make drugs to sell to his fellow GIs; steal Army supplies, selling them to a German connection; and a host of other dirty deeds. One day, he and his gang uncover some loot that will land them some real money -- high-tech military weaponry. As they try to quietly offload the stuff, the new sergeant, Robert K. Lee (Scott Glenn), catches on to Elwood's nefarious deeds and sets out to put him out of businesses. Elwood, in turn, catches on to the fact that Lee has a very attractive daughter (Anna Paquin) and sets out to bed her. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joaquin Phoenix, Anna Paquin, (more)
In this independent drama, three teenage girls find themselves dealing with that most adult of responsibilities, parenthood, when they unexpectedly become pregnant. Shanika (Tamara LaSeon Bass) was abandoned by her drug-addicted mother and has bounced from one foster home to another ever since. When she meets an older man, she's desperately looking for love, but has to settle for sex, and is unprepared for the consequences. Aracely (Tonatzin Mondragon) is forced out of her family's home when her parents discover she's having a baby. With nowhere else to go, she moves in with her boyfriend; however, he is barely able to provide for himself, let along help support Aracely and the baby. And Tina (Keely Vint) was herself the child of a teenage mother. Tina passes herself from one boyfriend to another; when she discovers she's pregnant, she realizes to her despair she not sure who the father is. Bellyfruit was shown as part of the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tamara LaSeon Bass, Tonatzin Mondragon, (more)
- 1998
This episode of Homicide: Life on the Street, originally telecast as a two-hour special, has since been edited into two hour-long installments for syndication. In part two, the homicide unit has been ordered to concentrate exclusively on the murders of a priest and monsignor. Bayliss (Kyle Secor) poses as a cleric in hopes of flushing out the killers, who may or may not be a pair of missing Guatemalan refugees. And in other developments, the missing Lewis (Clark Johnson) finally resurfaces with an unusual request for Falsone (Jon Seda), Gharty (Peter Gerety) "loses it" while interrogating a suspect, and Kellerman (Reed Diamond) gets involved in a drunken brawl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1998
This episode of Homicide: Life on the Street, originally telecast as two-hour special, has since been edited into two hour-long installments for syndication. In part one, Lewis (Clark Johnson) completely drops out of sight after being suspended for a heated confrontation with litigious drug dealer Georgia Rae Mahoney. The murder of a priest yields a bizarre videotape which may lead Munch (Richard Belzer) and Kellerman (Reed Diamond) to the suspected killers, a pair of young Guatemalan refugees. And Falsone (Jon Seda) continues to battle his ex-wife over custody of their son. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1997
Youthful lawbreaker Jason DeLee (Vicelllous Reon Shannon) is "volunteered" by Monica (Roma Downey) to participate in a program sponsored by Denver Juvenile Services, wherein at-risk teenagers help out with physically disabled youngsters at the Linwood Children's Academy. Despite his initial resistance, Jason manages to form a bond with cerebral palsy victim Kelly (Marisa Velez). Unfortunately, Kelly's mom Anita (a pre-The Practice Camryn Manheim) has a deep and abiding hatred for all "gang-bangers," and she is convinced that Jason is beyond redemption. When originally telecast on April 27, 1997, this episode was introduced by General Colin Powell, who at the time was General Chairman of the President's Summit on America's Future. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Simone (Jimmy Smits) investigate the murder of a Russian mail-order bride who wanted to divorce her husband. After losing his cool while investigating an unusual drive-by shooting, Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) wonders if he should go through with his dinner date with Abby (Paige Turco). And while moonlighting with the U.S. Marshal's office, Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) is assigned to supervise captured drug couriers at airport customs -- a duty otherwise known as "dump detail." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
