Terence Winter Movies
- 2009
Seabiscuit's Gary Ross brings audiences a driver's seat view of NASCAR action-packed drama as never seen before with this Universal Pictures production. Sopranos screenwriter Terence Winter pens the story, which follows a young driver's rise in the circuit under the mentorship of a former idol. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2007
When the authorities beging looking into an old hit, Tony and Paulie head to Florida. Back in Jersey, Junior attempts to keep his criminal life alive in the nursing home with the help of a troubled protege. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Christopher's movie premieres, but it leads to misgivings on Tony's part. Meanwhile, Johnny Sack befriends a doctor while deteriorating in a prison hospital. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Christopher grow more disillusioned with his life in the family and falls off the wagon. Meanwhile, AJ doesn't take his breakup with Blanca well, much to Tony's chagrin. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Tony seeks an amicable agreement with Phil Leotardo with fruitless results. Meanwhile, AJ slips deeper into depression and Meadow has a disturbing run-in. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Christopher begins using heroin again, after he begins a secret affair with one of Tony's old flames. Meanwhile, much to her husband's chagrin, Carmela's suspicions about the disappearance of Adriana grow. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2006
After Vito's secret life as a homosexual becomes public knowledge, he takes off to hide out in New Hampshire. Back in Jersey, Tony grapples with how to handle the situation. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Having recovered enough to get back on his feet, Tony returns to work and attends the wedding of Johnny Sack's daughter. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2006
HBO split the sixth and final season of its serial mafia drama The Sopranos into two halves, spaced 10 months apart: the first half (episodes 1-12) aired from mid-March through early June of 2006; a hiatus followed between episodes 12 and 13, before the series picked up again for its final nine episodes on April 8, 2007, purportedly thanks to overwhelming audience demand for an extension. As the season begins, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is plagued by problem after problem at home: though he has made peace with wife Carmela (Edie Falco), and daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) is relatively well-adjusted and happy, attending college and living with fiancée Finn De Trolio (Will Janowitz), Tony's son, A.J. (Robert Iler) is a complete slacker and layabout who has just failed out of college and seems hesitant to accomplish anything of merit. Meanwhile, Tony finds himself saddled with a new captain, Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) who expresses more hesitation over "working" him than his incarcerated predecessor, Johnny Sacks (Vince Curatola). Complicating matters are two employees: Tony's soldier Eugene Pontecorvo (Robert Funaro), who attempts to buy his way out of the syndicate via an inheritance, and the homosexual captain Vito Spatafore (Joe Gannascoli) who comes out of the closet and ends up being spotted in a leather bar - then is knocked off by a member of the family, which leads to the death of a Lieutenant and sparks a tidal wave of mob violence. In another subplot, aspiring screenwriter Christopher (Michael Imperioli), Tony's cousin, devises an idea for a gangster picture which he describes as "The Godfather meets Saw," and heads off to Hollywood to pitch it to Ben Kingsley. The season cliffhanger, however, involves Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese), an elderly man suffering from extreme senility who mistakenly draws a gun and plugs Tony in the stomach, sending him into a coma - leaving consigliere Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt of The E Street Band) to tend to family business. This, in turn, yields several sequences where Tony wanders around in a dream state, and contemplates his own mortality. The second half of the season has Christopher continuing his strenuous efforts to have his epic (which he entitled Cleaver) produced, the absence of Johnny Sack leaving an ongoing void of power in the syndicate, and Tony again coming to terms with aging and mortality, while he struggles (as ever) to balance personal and professional demands. Guest stars in the 2007 episodes include: Sydney Pollack, Tim Daly, Daniel Baldwin and Geraldo Rivera. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, (more)
Director Michael Corrente's coming-of-age comedy drama Brooklyn Rules unfurls in 1985, coincident with the early rise of John Gotti. Three young Brooklyn men of Italian-American heritage -- Michael Turner (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Carmine Mancuso (Scott Caan), and Bobby Canzoneri (Jerry Ferrara) -- make the pivotal, potentially irreversible choices that will determine their directions in life. The boys' periodic run-ins with a sadistic mobster type who rules the neighborhood, Caesar Manganaro (Alec Baldwin), suggest the ever-present option of drifting into a career of crime. On the surface, Michael courageously and doggedly bucks this choice, opting instead for the pre-law program at Columbia and a straight-laced romance with blonde-haired, blue-eyed coed Ellen (Mena Suvari), yet this path is not as antiseptic as it may seem, for he actually scammed his way into the law program. Meanwhile, Carmine idolizes Caesar, and his desire to emulate this thug not only compromises his own moral integrity, but threatens to jeopardize the stability of Michael's life as well by drawing him into a sticky web of criminal activity. While the first two men navigate these treacherous paths, the third friend, Bobby, stakes out safer ground with a low-key job at the post office and married life with his intended. Over the course of it all, the boys' bonds of friendship become stressed and strained given the divergence of their paths. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Baldwin, Freddie Prinze, Jr., (more)
- 2006
Christopher learns he's to be a father and decides he and Kelli should get married. Meanwhile, a carnival ride malfunction leads to a rift between Paulie and Bobby, and Carmela has a run-in with Adriana's distraught mother. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2006
The sixth season premiere finds Johnny Sack in custody and Phil Leotardo assuming the role of boss in his stead. Meanwhile, one of Tony's men requests an early retirement and Uncle Junior's dimensia worsens. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Hip-hop star 50 Cent makes his movie debut in this hard-edged urban drama inspired by the rapper's own life. Marcus (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, aka 50 Cent) grew up in a tough New York neighborhood and was left to fend for himself after the death of his mother when he was a kid. Marcus fell in with a powerful crime boss (Bill Duke) who gave him an opportunity to make a good living -- by selling drugs. While Marcus has misgivings about his life of crime and has an interest in expressing himself as a rap artist, his success as a dealer makes it hard for him to get away from the life. However, when a heist goes wrong and Marcus is shot several times, he has a change of heart and decides to leave his old life behind. He begins pursuing his dream of making it in music, and with the support of his girlfriend (Joy Bryant) he begins recording a demo tape. Marcus' new songs are inspired by the gritty realities of his old life on the street, but just as it looks like he might be able to land a record deal, he discovers that some of his old business associates aren't too happy about Marcus telling folks about their actions. Get Rich or Die Tryin' was directed by Jim Sheridan, best known for his tough but atmospheric stories of life in Ireland (In The Name of the Father, My Left Foot). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
Noted hip-hop producer DJ Pooh, who co-wrote the urban comedy Friday, makes his directorial debut with this comedy-drama. A young African-American man is enjoying his freedom after his second stretch in prison. Under the "three strikes and you're out" law, another brush with the police could mean life behind bars, so he's determined to stay out of trouble. He quickly learns, however, that trouble has a way of finding him, no matter where he goes. DJ Pooh also stars in 3 Strikes, alongside N'Bushe Wright and Brian Hooks. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Hooks, N'Bushe Wright, (more)
- 1999
If it is truly possible to make a bunch of criminals, thieves, and cold-blooded murderers amusing and appealing, then the much-praised HBO serio-comedy The Sopranos did the trick. The title refers not to a gaggle of singers, but to a powerful New Jersey mob family who goes about it's business behind a disarming veneer of suburban respectability. Most of the stories concentrate on middle-aged mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), whose illicit and homicidal activities are treated as par for the course by his wife Carmela (Edie Falco), his college-age daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), and his listless teenage son Anthony Jr. (Robert Iler). Plagued with the usual problems attending his profession, Tony is also weighed down by the travails of his immediate family, not to mention such irritants as his thoroughly venal mother, Livia Soprano (Nancy Marchand), and the overly ambitious Soprano patriarch Corrado "Uncle Junior" Soprano (Dominic Chianese), with whom Tony is locked in an eternal power struggle. At his wit's end, Tony begins consulting a psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), who is understandably queasy over being privy to the most intimate details of mob activity. The large and ever-changing supporting cast includes Tony Sirico as obsequious mob torpedo Paulie Walnuts, John Heard as "bought" detective Vin Makazian, Michael Rispoli as capo Jackie Aprile, David Proval as Jackie's testy ex-con brother Richie Aprile, Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti, Steve Van Zandt as Silvio Dante, Aida Turturro as Tony's sister Janice, Drea de Matteo as Adrianna, Vincent Pastore as Pussy Bompensiero, Joseph Badalucco Jr. as Jimmy Altieri, Michele DeCesare as Hunter, Anthony de Sando as Brendan Filone, Jerry Adler as Hesh Rabkin, and Kathrine Narducci as Charmaine Bucco.
The series was created by David Chase, who previously served as a writer/producer for such "mainstream" shows as Northern Exposure and I'll Fly Away, and who, born David DeCesare, claimed that a goodly portion of the series is autobiographical (in terms of family interrelationships, if not "the family business"). The Sopranos was almost picked up by Fox, but Chase took a pass when the network insisted upon having casting approval (apparently Fox preferred the best-looking actors to the best actors). The HBO link-up allowed Chase greater freedom in terms of the series' profanity and violence quotient, which provides a realistic backdrop for the oftimes surreal comings and goings of the Sopranos and their various relatives, friends, foes, and business associates. Debuting January 10, 1999, The Sopranos immediately became a popular and critical favorite with the New York Times gushing that the series is "the greatest work of American pop culture of the past quarter century." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The series was created by David Chase, who previously served as a writer/producer for such "mainstream" shows as Northern Exposure and I'll Fly Away, and who, born David DeCesare, claimed that a goodly portion of the series is autobiographical (in terms of family interrelationships, if not "the family business"). The Sopranos was almost picked up by Fox, but Chase took a pass when the network insisted upon having casting approval (apparently Fox preferred the best-looking actors to the best actors). The HBO link-up allowed Chase greater freedom in terms of the series' profanity and violence quotient, which provides a realistic backdrop for the oftimes surreal comings and goings of the Sopranos and their various relatives, friends, foes, and business associates. Debuting January 10, 1999, The Sopranos immediately became a popular and critical favorite with the New York Times gushing that the series is "the greatest work of American pop culture of the past quarter century." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Urban paranoia gets played for laughs in the black comedy The Basement and the Kitchen. Writer and director David Frickas also stars as Lloyd, a young man who is thoroughly convinced that everyone is out to get him; as a result, he almost never comes out of his basement. But when Lloyd finally works up the courage to find his way into the kitchen, he finds out that a group of government agents is posing as his family and that he hasn't been paranoid after all. The Basement and the Kitchen was screened as part of the 1999 Seattle Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Fickas, Pam Cook, (more)
- 1998
A 20-foot "peace" statue, erected to maintain a truce between two warring villages, has been stolen. Everyone thinks that Autolycus (Bruce Campbell) is the culprit, but this time he's innocent. After recovering the statue and returning it to its rightful owners, Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) must re-steal the monument so that Autolycus will not lose his standing as King of Thieves -- and then everybody involved has to re-re-steal the darn thing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1996
Xena (Lucy Lawless) is reunited with her old mercenary friend Goliath (Todd Rippon). When asked what he has been up to lately, Goliath explains that he has been hired by the Philistines to decimate the upstart Israelites. Initially on Goliath's side, Xena ultimately has reason to switch loyalties, thereby placing herself in the unenviable position of having to kill Goliath -- unless a certain young shepherd boy, recently befriended by Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), takes a hand in matters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1995
Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) rescue an abandoned baby who has been left to drown in a river. The infant is being hunted by the cruel King Gregor (Edward Newborn), out of fear of prophecies that the child will ultimately topple him from his throne. As if doing battle with Gregor isn't hard enough, Xena and Gabrielle must also help the granddaughter (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn) of the infamous Pandora, who must retrieve the equally infamous Pandora's Box, lest it be allowed to unleash havoc upon the world all over again. This is the first Xena episode to close with one of series' trademarked tongue-in-cheek "disclaimers." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1993
Suffering from a back injury, Al (Ed O'Neill) enters the hospital for a "circular incision." Unfortunately, the doctors don't read so well, and Al ends up with a circumcision. Ordered to remain--er--sedate for a week, Al had trouble keeping himself under control...especially with all those nudie magazines in the household. Highlights in this episode include Marcy's (Amanda Bearse) mean-spirited "Circumcision Card." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
