Regina Hall Movies
Staking claim on her fame with her role in the comedy-horror spoof Scary Movie, Regina Hall has frequented the big screen in roles that far from betrayed her age. Born in 1971 in Washington, D.C., Hall earned a degree in journalism from N.Y.U. before embarking on a film career. In 1997, she began appearing in commercials at age 26, and then made the giant leap into movies. Her recurring role in Scary Movie and the sequel Scary Movie 2 exhibited the 30-year-old's ability to maintain her youthful appearance, as she portrayed the high-school-aged Brenda Meeks. Hall's first film role had come in 1999 with a small role in Malcolm D. Lee's drama The Best Man. The following year, she made several film appearances, including her starring role in Scary Movie. In addition, she played small parts in two films directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the drama Love and Basketball, and the TV movie Disappearing Acts, featuring Sanaa Lathan and Wesley Snipes. In 2001, Hall's list of credits grew to include her first television role, as Corretta Lipp on the prime-time drama Ally McBeal, which was a recurring role for several episodes. Also that year, Scary Movie 2 was released, in addition to the Mandel Holland comedy The Other Brother, featuring Hall as Vicki. One year later, she starred in the action-drama Paid in Full, directed by Charles Stone III. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
In this drama based on the novel by Terry McMillan, Zora (Sanaa Lathan) is a woman who dreams of becoming a singing star, meanwhile supporting herself as a schoolteacher. Franklin (Wesley Snipes), a father of two whose divorce is about to become final, has lost his job as a construction worker and is trying to scrape up the money to launch his own business. Neither is looking for a relationship, but when Zora moves into Franklin's neighborhood, they find they're attracted to each other and must deal with the ups and downs of being in love. Produced for the premium cable network HBO, Disappearing Acts also stars John Amos and CCH Pounder; Lisa Jones wrote the screenplay from McMillan's novel. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wesley Snipes, Sanaa Lathan, (more)
After parodying the blaxploitation films of the 1970s in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Keenen Ivory Wayans takes aim at slasher films of the 1980s and 1990s in this raunchy satire, which was produced under the clumsy but inarguably appropriate title Scream If You Know What I Did Last Halloween. As you might expect, a group of teenagers -- not-terribly-bright Buffy (Shannon Elizabeth), her best friend Brenda (Regina Hall), stoner Shorty (Marlon Wayans), fey football player Ray (Shawn Wayans), loudmouthed Greg (Lochlyn Munro), sexually overexcited Bobby (Jon Abrahams), and his prim girlfriend Cindy (Anna Faris) -- are on the run from a maniacal killer who is looking for revenge after the kids accidentally kill a man following an auto accident. They also find themselves having to contend with intrusive reporter Gail Hailstorm (Cheri Oteri) and eccentric high school principal Squiggly (David L. Lander). Incidentally, the title Scary Movie is something of an inside joke: it was the working title for Scream, the movie that kick-started the mid-'90s slasher film revival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, (more)
- 2000
Fancy (James McDaniel) and Jones (Henry Simmons) try to help Jones' former boss Lt. Abner (James Pickens Jr.), who is in a deep depression -- but their efforts are too little, too late. When the partner of nightclub owner Dave Lorenz (Peter Jurasik) is murdered, Lorenz points a finger at a jailed mobster who may have ordered the hit, but Mrs. Lorenz (Sherry Hursey) has an entirely different theory. And while investigating a rape charge, Jill (Andrea Thompson) and Diane (Kim Delaney) turn up a suspect who refuses to speak to anyone but a male detective -- leading to an unexpected revelation of subliminal racism. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This sequel to a box-office sleeper hit that spoofed teen slasher flicks takes its cues from haunted house and possession films, particularly The Haunting (1999) and The Exorcist (1973). Although many of the first film's main characters were homicide victims, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Anna Faris return anyway to "re-possess" their roles for this follow-up in which four students are invited by their professor (Tim Curry) to his haunted mansion, Hell House, for a weekend sleep-deprivation study. Providing the sleep deprivation, however, is a series of murderous, supernatural goings-on. Scary Movie 2 co-stars Tori Spelling, Andy Richter, Christopher Masterson, Kathleen Robertson, James Woods, Chris Elliott, and Natasha Lyonne. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, (more)
A nice guy tired of finishing last tries playing on the other side of the fence in this independent comedy. Martin (Mekhi Phifer) and Junnie (Andre B. Blake) are two brothers living in one of Harlem's upscale neighborhoods. In many regards, the two siblings are as different as night and day. Martin is a successful journalist and more than a bit shy, while Junnie mostly gets by on his charm and his bravado. When Martin discovers his fiancée is having an affair with another woman, he immediately calls off the engagement, but he's never been especially good at charming the ladies, and soon turns to his brother Junnie for advice. While Junnie is bad with long-term relationships, he's great at picking up women, and after teaching Martin a few of his tricks, the former nice guy is meeting and disposing of women like a master. When Paula (Tangi Miller), a beautiful and brilliant art historian, moves into Martin's building, he tries Junnie's best lines on her, only to discover she wants someone more refined. So can Martin go back to being his nice-guy self and still have any chance of getting to first base with Paula? The Other Brother was the first feature film from writer and director Mandel Holland. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mekhi Phifer, Andre B. Blake, (more)
After having received mediocre ratings for some time, this was the last season of Ally McBeal. Featuring actor and singer Jon Bon Jovi as Victor, Ally's newest boyfriend, this season gave Ally something she had always longed for -- a family. When Maddie Harrington (Hayden Panettiere) came to Ally's doorstep and informed Ally that she was a mother, the famously neurotic lawyer finally found something to focus on besides her own life. Though Ally had never gotten over Larry (Robert Downey Jr.), she was able to find some semblance of emotional gratification with her daughter. In the end, Ally decided to move to New York for Maddie's sake and leave the past five years of her life in Boston. Though some of the shows staple characters departed -- Ling (Lucy Liu) and John (Peter MacNicol) were the only regular cast members for part of the season -- everyone grew and, in general, became more mature versions of their former selves. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Calista Flockhart, Greg Germann, (more)
Paid in Full marks the feature debut of director Charles Stone III, who rose to fame after creating Budweiser's "Wassup" commercials. The urban gangster drama is loosely based on the true story of 1980s Harlem drug kingpins AZ, Rich Porter, and Alpo. (This story was also the basis for a documentary, Game Over (Part 1).) Ace (Wood Harris) works at a laundromat, struggling to get by, while his friend Mitch (Mekhi Phifer) lives the high life selling heroin. His sister's boyfriend, Calvin (Kevin Carroll) also sells drugs, and looks down on Ace for struggling to earn a living. Out delivering laundry one day, Ace meets Lulu (Esai Morales), a big time coke dealer, who lives better than anyone Ace has ever known. When Lulu leaves some coke in the pocket of a coat he's having cleaned, Ace returns it to him, and Lulu rewards him for his honesty by letting him keep the drugs. When Calvin gets busted, Ace hesitantly takes his place in the neighborhood, and starts working for Lulu. As the crack business takes off, Ace finds himself making more money than he knows what to do with. Mitch goes to jail for a short time, where another inmate, Rico (rapper Cam'ron in his acting debut), defends him in a fight. By the time Mitch gets out of prison, Ace is running the neighborhood. Ace makes Mitch his right-hand man, and when Rico gets out of jail, he joins the crew. The drugs and money flow, and Ace tries to keep everyone happy, but there are some who want what's his, and will stop at nothing to get it. Paid in Full was shown at the 2002 Urbanworld Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wood Harris, Mekhi Phifer, (more)
