Roberto "Tito" Blasini Movies
Andrew Shea's scabrous and brutal psychological drama Forfeit concerns Frank O'Neal (Billy Burke), a man who once murdered his abusive father as an adolescent, and fled from his home in Los Angeles. Now, after years away from that city, a thirtysomething Frank returns to L.A., accepts a job as an armored car guard, and attempts to re-bond with an old sweetheart, Karen (E.R.'s Sherry Stringfield). But in reality, Frank is a clinical sociopath, scheming and plotting to stage a massive robbery and setting Karen up to take the rap. Frank is also a die-hard religious proselytizer, guided in his pursuits by a domineering, manipulative televangelist who controls everything he says and does. In time, as Frank prepares to execute the robbery, the minister pushes him to the edge of a complete mental breakdown. Gregory Itzin and Wayne Knight (Basic Instinct) co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Burke, Sherry Stringfield, (more)
Kelly LeBrock, William Katt, John Heard, and Beverly D'Angelo star in this comedy about four lifelong gamers - and the obsessive intruder - who attempt to make the most of their dreary lives by breaking the world record of gaming by playing "Demons, Nymphs, and Dragons" for over 74,558 hours. Their jobs may make them miserable, and their families may not understand, but perhaps if these fantasy-loving misfits can make the sacrifices needed to accomplish their shared goal, they'll all go down in the history books as the most dedicated dorks ever to slay an army of Orks. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Sherwood, Kevin Kirkpatrick, (more)
Directed by former Happy Days cast member Don Most, the comedy Moola stars William Mapother and Daniel Baldwin as best friends who are working together at a business that is failing. When a new venture offers them the promise of success, the duo face a series of challenges that tests their loyalty and friendship. Moola screened at the 2007 Newport Beach Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Mapother, Daniel Baldwin, (more)
The directing debut of actor Cameron Watson, Our Very Own chronicles the daily hopes and dreams of high schoolers and their parents in a small Tennessee town, circa 1978. Shelbyville is the real-life birthplace not only of Watson, who wrote the script from his own recollections, but also of actress Sondra Locke -- or as the townspeople know her, "our very own Sondra Locke." The events take place in the days leading up to the town's annual horse show, where it is rumored Locke will return as a special guest. Melora (Autumn Reeser) has dreams of following Locke's path to stardom from meager beginnings, and hopes to meet the actress to pick her brain/get discovered. Her best friend, Clancy (Jason Ritter), has enough real-world problems to worry about, between falling in love with Melora and watching his parents (Keith Carradine and Allison Janney) fight over their impending bankruptcy and his father's drinking problem. Their friends Ray (Derek Carter) and Bobbie (Hilarie Burton) just want to get a car to find something to do in Nashville, while musical theater aficionado Glen (Michael McKee) begins wondering if he is coming of age differently than his friends. As the town starts to buzz with the excitement of the festival, the characters must face the decisions that will affect their futures. Cheryl Hines and Beth Grant also appear in supporting performances. Janney was nominated for a 2005 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allison Janney, Keith Carradine, (more)
In this reteaming of actor Antonio Banderas and director Robert Rodriguez -- their first film together since the 1995 feature Desperado -- Banderas plays Gregorio; he and devoted partner Ingrid (Carla Gugino), comprise the greatest pair of secret agents working. Both are masters of disguise and have the ability to prevent wars, but eventually they want to settle down and begin raising a family. Nine years later, after retiring and giving up the lives of super-spies, Gregorio and Ingrid find themselves at the call of duty again when techno-genius Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming) and his insidious, ruthless sidekick Minion (Tony Shalhoub) have plans for world destruction. The only hope for Gregorio and Ingrid are their children, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara), who are called upon to save their missing parents, eventually learning their former identities. The film also features Cheech Marin, Robert Patrick, and Danny Trejo. In the summer of 2001, five months after Spy Kids had become a major box office success, an expanded edition was released, featuring several minutes of footage not used in the film's original cuts (including special effects sequences that couldn't be completed within the film's original budget). ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, (more)
- 1994
- PG13
Playwright Sam Shepard wrote and directed this bizarre combination of western film revisionism and Greek tragedy. Silent Tongue (Tantoo Cardinal) is a mute Kiowa who is raped by Eamon McCree (Alan Bates), the owner of the Kickapoo Traveling Medicine Show. Eamon attempts to make up for his crime by marrying her, hoping for forgiveness. Instead, Silent Tongue enacts a bitter retribution through her two daughters, Awbonnie (Sheila Tousey) and Velada (Jeri Arredondo). Awbonnie, as the film begins, has already died, but her grieving husband Talbot (River Phoenix) refuses to let her go, dragging around her corpse. To assuage Talbot, his father Prescott (Richard Harris) sets out to purchase Velada from Eamon, thinking that only Awbonnie's sister can replace her in Talbot's eyes. But Velada's half-brother Reeves (Dermot Mulroney) protests the attempted transaction. As a result, Prescott kidnaps Velada and flees, with not only Reeves and Eamon chasing him, but also Awbonnie's ghost. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Bates, Richard Harris, (more)
- 1989
- R
This muddled attempt at creating a new supernatural serial killer franchise (in the mode of Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series) features perennial movie thug Brion James as sadistic mass murderer Max Jenke, who hacked up more than 100 victims with a meat cleaver before his eventual capture by dedicated cop Lucas McCarthy (Lance Henriksen). Unwilling to cease his homicidal spree after his death, Jenke had been conducting bizarre experiments in soul-transference prior to his capture; his execution in the electric chair subsequently transforms his evil essence into electrical current. In this new form, the seemingly unstoppable maniac launches a supernatural siege against McCarthy and his family until the tormented cop finally faces him down on his own nightmare turf. Originally conceived as another House sequel, this film consists of long periods of tedium punctuated by outbursts of graphic gore and surreal effects. This condition is partially the result of footage being shot by two separate directors; it seems as if neither of them knew what the other was doing. James is amusingly sleazy as the cackling madman, but his one-note material is not compelling enough to merit a recurring character. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lance Henriksen, Brion James, (more)
