Lana Parrilla Movies
After a short string of small roles in even smaller films, actress Lana Parrilla got her first big break in 2000 when she was hired as a regular on the ABC sitcom Spin City. While the gig only lasted one season, it was just the beginning of Parrilla's small-screen career, with a main-cast role on the short-lived cop drama Boomtown following in 2002. In 2005, Parrilla joined the cast of Fox's 24 for a supporting arc as a counter-terrorism agent that lasted for half of the fourth season. The following year, she starred opposite Luke Perry on NBC's Windfall, but the show was cut short after less than a season. In 2007, she was again cast as a series lead, this time on the CBS ensemble drama Swingtown. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Inspired by the many real-life stories of "instant millionaires" created by various state lotteries, the weekly, 60-minute Windfall dramatized the trials and tribulations of 20 friends who had pooled their resources to win a 386-million-dollar lottery jackpot. The series focused on nine main characters, and how their sudden wealth changed their lives, both for good and ill, with emphasis on the legal, ethical, and moral problems arising from overnight affluence. Luke Perry and Lana Parrilla headed the cast as married couple Peter and Nina, who had entered the lottery with their lifelong friends Cameron (Jason Gedrick) and Beth (Sarah Wynter), also married; the enormous financial windfall caused Nina and Cameron, who'd once been sweethearts, to seriously reconsider resuming their premarital romance. Others in the cast included D.J. Cotrona as Sean Mathers, who tried to shun the spotlight after winning his share of the lottery so as not to expose an unsavory secret in his past; Jon Foster as teenager Damien, who, in order to claim the money and cut the cord binding him to his parents, impulsively married a Russian woman to gain legal status as an adult; Alice Greczyn as another teenager named Frankie, caught in the crossfire when her separated parents declared open warfare after her father claimed he was entitled to half of her mother's winnings; Malinda Williams as Kimberly George, a single mom with big ambitions; and Jaclyn DeSantis as nurse Maggie Hernandez, whose efforts to be generous with her money often proved disastrous. Originally set to air on Fox in the fall of 2005, Windfall was purchased by NBC, which unveiled the series on June 8, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luke Perry, Lana Parrilla, (more)
Season four of the wildly successful "real-time" adventure series 24 begins some 18 months at the end of season three. John Keeler (Geoff Pierson) has succeeded David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) as president of the United States, and the new secretary of defense is James Heller (William Devane) -- who is also the new boss of crack CTU agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). One of Heller's first moves is to reunite Jack with his old nemesis Erin Driscoll (Alberta Watson), now the head of the CTU. Unbeknownst to most of the principal characters, Jack is in love with Heller's daughter (and policy assistant), Audrey Raines (Kim Raver), this despite the fact that Audrey is still legally married to estranged husband, Paul (James Frain). Outside of Jack Bauer and President Keeler, the only series character from season three to return as a regular in season four is CTU tech analyst Chloe O'Brien (Mary Lynn Rajskub); the rest of the cast is virtually brand-new. The "day" that comprises the fourth season begins, typically, with a nail-biting crisis, when James Heller and his daughter Audrey are captured by a terrorist group headed by Habib Marwan (Arnold Vosloo), who has already set a fiendish master plan in motion with a train bombing in the U.S. It soon develops that the abduction of Heller and Audrey is but a subterfuge to allow an enemy stealth bomber to blow up Air Force One and eliminate the president -- and ultimately to gain control of a nuclear warhead that will destroy a major U.S. city. Making matters worse, there is a turncoat in the ranks of the CTU -- and without giving the game away, it can be noted that CTU agent Sarah Gavin (Lana Parrilla) tumbles to the mole's identity before Jack Bauer does. As the tension mounts, Paul Raines is seriously wounded saving Jack during a covert mission, which "ices" Jack's relationship with Audrey; a shattering personal tragedy forces Erin Driscoll to resign from her post in mid-season; there is dissension in the terrorist ranks during a concerted effort to trigger nuclear meltdowns in six different cities; the seldom-used 25th Amendment is invoked to change presidents in midstream; and an old enemy of Jack's from the series' first two seasons appears virtually out of nowhere to make a terrible situation far worse than could ever be imagined. Clearly, the fourth season of 24 drew inspiration from the headlines of the day, notably the controversial treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. The series also was attacked by certain special-interest groups for making several of the villains Arabs, or of Arab descent. And of course, there were those who carped that the series' notion of "real time" (each episode consisted of a single uninterrupted hour in the same day) resulted in some rather ludicrous lapses of logic. But 24 was as big a hit in the ratings throughout its fourth season as it had been all along. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kiefer Sutherland, William Devane, (more)
- 2005
Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) is forced to conduct a brutal interrogation of Paul (James Frain), with Audrey (Kim Raver) looking on. Paul pleads ignorance, explaining that he owns so much property and is involved with so many buildings that he can't keep it all straight. He eventually remembers that a man named "Harris Barnes" bought out the company that owned the building in question, and Jack soon learns that Barnes is the alias of one Habib Marwan (Arnold Vosloo). He heads to Marwan's office. Curtis (Roger R. Cross) has been captured, and is interrogated by a man named Forbes (Richard Marcus), who foolishly leaves his henchman to finish Curtis off. Marwan has taken control of the override himself, and is operating it from an office full of co-workers who have no idea what he's up to. When Jack finds out that Curtis, who took Marianne to the same building, isn't answering his phone, he knows to expect trouble. Tony interrogates Dina (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who eventually admits that all the terror cells reported to Marwan, but never had contact with each other. She also reveals that Marwan is controlling the override himself from the office building. While Driscoll (Alberta Watson) continues to deal with her unruly daughter, Maya (Angela Goethals), CTU teams converge on the office building to find Marwan and the override and stop the meltdowns. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) calls into CTU, and lets Driscoll (Alberta Watson) know that Ronnie's been killed, and that he's currently trailing Kalil (Anil Kumar), the terrorist who kidnapped Andrew (Lukas Haas). Driscoll asks Jack for his location, because she wants to pick Kalil up immediately, but Jack thinks the terrorist will lead him right to the compound where Heller (William Devane) and Audrey (Kim Raver) are being held. He refuses to tell Driscoll where he is, so she decides that capturing Jack is now CTU's top priority. Office politics are charged at the CTU office, and things only get more paranoid when Driscoll brings in Marianne Taylor (Aisha Tyler), over the objections of her second-in-command, Curtis (Roger R. Cross). Curtis has had (intimate) dealings with the ambitious Marianne in the past, and doesn't trust her. She immediately begins questioning Edgar (Louis Lombardi) about the day's events. Jack convinces Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) to surreptitiously help him track Andrew's kidnapper. While Jack follows the suspicious terrorist, Chloe works on stealing satellite imagery of the area so he can follow from a safer distance. As Jack watches, Kalil pulls off the road and meets up with two thugs, who proceed to beat the helpless Andrew, demanding to know who he told about what he found on the Internet. Kalil drives off, leaving Andrew to be killed. Jack wants to follow him, but decides he can't leave Andrew to die. After saving Andrew's life, he rushes to catch up with Kalil. Kalil goes into a convenience store, giving Chloe a few more minutes to get Jack the satellite coverage, but she needs more time, and Jack is forced to take desperate action. Meanwhile, at the Araz home, Behrooz (Jonathan Ahdout) is horrified to learn that Dina (Shohreh Aghdashloo) has invited Debbie (Leighton Meester) over "to talk." ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2005
The sixth hour of Day 4 begins with an explosive action sequence, and Jack (Kiefer Sutherland), disobeying Driscoll's (Alberta Watson) orders, stages a one-man invasion of the terrorist compound, in a desperate last-ditch effort to rescue Heller (William Devane) and Audrey (Kim Raver). He manages to get Heller out of the compound, but they are soon pinned down and out of ammunition, and then Omar (Tony Plana) tries to escape, using Audrey as his personal human shield. Tariq (Rene Millan) shows up at the Araz home, ostensibly to help Behrooz (Jonathan Ahdout) dispose of Debbie's body, but after they leave the house, Dina (Shohreh Aghdashloo) realizes that Tariq is going to kill Behrooz, and angrily confronts Navi (Nestor Serrano). "Living here has changed him," Navi explains. "He is no longer our son." Back at CTU, Heller learns that his son, Richard (Logan Marshall-Green), has been subject to "noninvasive" torture while in CTU custody. At first, he's outraged, but when he learns that Richard was actually withholding information that might help the investigation, he tells Curtis (Roger R. Cross) to do whatever's necessary to get Richard to talk. As the hour closes, the CTU team learns what was in that mysterious briefcase, and discovers that the kidnapping of Heller and the Internet broadcast were a cover, laying the groundwork for a far more deadly terrorist plot. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Dina (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and Behrooz (Jonathan Ahdout) successfully convince Navi (Nestor Serrano) that the teen has murdered his American girlfriend. But then the girl's mother (Phyllis Lyons) comes looking for her. Back at CTU, Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) has been busted by Driscoll (Alberta Watson) for secretly helping Jack (Kiefer Sutherland). Driscoll decides not to press charges, but demands Chloe's resignation. On her way out, she tells Edgar (Louis Lombardi), "Good luck today. You're gonna need it." She's right, of course. Marianne (Aisha Tyler) knows that Edgar was secretly helping Chloe, and threatens to tell Driscoll unless Edgar bumps up her security clearance. Driscoll agrees to let Jack run the ground operation, and asks the local cops to back off of Kalil (Anil Kumar), but a couple of patrolmen get the message late, arousing Kalil's suspicion that he's being followed. Once CTU determines the location of the compound where Heller (William Devane) and Audrey (Kim Raver) are being held, President Keeler (Geoff Pierson) authorizes a preemptive laser-guided missile strike to destroy the facility before the terrorists can broadcast Heller's show trial. The marines are on their way, but they won't get to the compound in time, leaving Jack as the only hope for rescuing the two captives. Heller, meanwhile, comes up with his own drastic plan to keep his show trial and execution from going forward. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2005
As the fourth season of 24 begins, terrorists blow up a train, and steal a mysterious briefcase from a passenger onboard. At CTU, Erin Driscoll (Alberta Watson) is running things, and she has fired Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) over his heroin addiction. Jack is now working for Secretary of Defense James Heller (William Devane) and is romantically involved with Heller's daughter and aide, Audrey (Kim Raver). Jack wants to tell Heller about their relationship, but Audrey is hesitant because she is still legally married to her estranged husband. Word reaches CTU of the train bombing, and Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) notices that one Tomas Sherek (Faran Tahir), on their terrorist watch list, was recently spotted in L.A. Andrew Paige (Lukas Haas), a hacker, discovers some nodes indicating that someone is plotting a massive corruption of the Internet. He calls his old classmate, Chloe, who sees a possible connection to the terrorist attack, but Driscoll insists that Chloe focus on the bombing and on finding Sherek, ordering Chloe to pass Andrew's concerns along to the FBI. Andrew returns to his office to find that his discovery has not gone unnoticed, and his life is in danger. Jack arrives at CTU on budgetary business in time to help his replacement in the field, Ronnie Lobell (Shawn Doyle), apprehend Sherek. Jack realizes that a terrorist of Sherek's stature would not risk exposure over the bombing. Meanwhile, Audrey accompanies Heller as he visits his rebellious son, Richard (Logan Marshall-Green), and they argue over Richard's plans to denounce his father at an upcoming protest. A suburban couple, Navi (Nestor Serrano) and Dina Araz (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and their teenage son, Behrooz (Jonathan Ahdout), have a connection to the terrorist plot. Aghdashloo and Ahdout previously played mother and son in the feature film, House of Sand and Fog. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Edgar (Louis Lombardi) has successfully regained control of all but six of the nuclear reactors. The only way to stop those six from melting down is to find the override device. Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) calls Heller (William Devane) to warn him about the mole inside CTU. They come up with a plan to root out the traitor, but Marianne (Aisha Tyler) successfully diverts suspicion away from herself, and the wrong person is accused of being a spy and is tortured, under Driscoll's (Alberta Watson) supervision, for information. Tony (Carlos Bernard), now unemployed and separated from his wife, takes Jack and Audrey (Kim Raver) to his place, where they view the video Jack got from the security firm, and Audrey recognizes the man she saw at the compound. Jack gets help from CTU D.C. in identifying the man as Henry Powell (Robertson Dean), a former employee of McLennan-Forster, the defense contractor that developed the override device. Jack also learns that Powell has booked a helicopter flight out of town. Behrooz (Jonathan Ahdout) brings Dina (Shohreh Aghdashloo) to a hospital, where a doctor (Hector Luis Bustamante) recognizes that she has a gunshot wound, and notifies the police, forcing the mother and son to flee. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2005
CTU has learned that the terrorists have stolen an override device, developed by the defense contractor, McLennan-Forster, which gives them remote control of nuclear power plants throughout the country. CTU's best available computer technician, Edgar (Louis Lombardi), has to overcome his nervousness (a mistake could send all of the plants into meltdown) to try to regain control of the plants. Dina (Shohreh Aghdashloo) is shot by Navi (Nestor Serrano) while trying to help Behrooz (Jonathan Ahdout) escape. The mother and son manage to get away, forcing Navi to go to an angry Marwan (Arnold Vosloo) for help in locating them. Driscoll (Alberta Watson) is distracted again when the doctors at the CTU lab inadvertently give Maya (Angela Goethals) a medication to which she's allergic. Audrey (Kim Raver) and Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) have to go to Felsted Security, so that she can view surveillance video of a Heritage Foundation meeting, where she saw a man whom she later saw at the compound with the terrorists. Paul (James Frain), Audrey's estranged husband, is still at CTU, and talks to both Audrey and Heller (William Devane) about his desire to get back together with her. Marianne (Aisha Tyler) is working with the terrorists, and contacts Henry Powell (Robertson Dean) -- the man Audrey recognized -- to let him know where Jack and Audrey are headed. Powell instructs Marianne to cover her tracks, because CTU will know there's a traitor in the agency after Jack and Audrey are killed. When the Felsted building is attacked, and Jack realizes that CTU has been compromised, he calls "the only person [he] can trust." ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2002
The NBC "ensemble" drama series Boomtown was set in contemporary Los Angeles, where crime and punishment was practically a way of life. Each episode featured a different criminal case which, in Rashomon fashion, was related from virtually everybody's point-of-view: the city detectives, the beat cops, the politicians, the ER staff, the media -- and of course, the criminals. Naturally, not everyone saw things in the same way, and this divergence of opinion (and the scriptwriters' avoidance of taking sides) was the heart of the series. The enormous cast of regulars included Neal McDonough as deputy D.A. David McNorris, Gary Basaraba and Jason Gedrick as uniformed officers Ray Heckler and Tom Turcotte, Donnie Wahlberg and Mykelti Williamson as detectives Joel Sears and "Fearless" Bobby Smith, Nina Garbiras as investigative reporter Andrea Little, and Lana Parrilla as paramedic Theresa Ortiz. Bathed in a hauntingly atmospheric Raymond Chandler-esque ambience, Boomtown made its first TV appearance on September 29, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnie Wahlberg, Mykelti Williamson, (more)
What has eight legs, a big appetite, and brings terror to a desert community in this sci-fi thriller? A group of astronauts are performing scientific experiments with a spider aboard a space shuttle when the craft is struck by a solar flare. This brings about an unexpected reaction in the spider -- the bug begins to grow, and it attacks and kills the crew on board. Marci (Lana Parrilla) is a student journalist with a more-than-academic interest in conspiracy theories and UFOs; she's digging around in the desert looking for evidence of alien aircraft landings when the shuttle crashes to Earth -- and a monstrous spider crawls out. Marci and her friends try to convince the citizens of the nearby town that they're in grave danger, but given Marci's habit of reporting strange stories of dubious credibility, most people are loath to believe her until it's too late. Spiders also stars Josh Greene, and Oliver Macready. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lana Parrilla, Josh Greene, (more)
