Sergio Di Zio Movies
A former high-school hockey star handicapped in a tragic car accident becomes an unlikely ally to a crack team of determined bank robbers in this thriller starring Jeff Daniels and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. When his promising career on the ice is suddenly cut short, former athlete Chris Pratt (Gordon-Levitt) goes to work as a janitor in a local bank. Cleaning floors soon gives way to criminal enterprise when the onetime puck-slinger is recruited to help clean out the very bank that employs him. Screenwriter Scott Frank (Out of Sight and Minority Report) makes his directorial debut, working from his own original screenplay. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, (more)
- 2004
After a blissful year of living together, Kelly (Maggie Lawson) and Michael (Joey Lawrence) decide to get married. All they want is a small, simple, old-fashioned ceremony, without the "bells and whistles" attending most contemporary weddings. Alas, Kelly's control-freak mother Carol (Marilu Henner) had other ideas--and if that isn't bad enough, the couple's friends have come up with a plethora of discouraging words about matrimony, otherwise known as "The Rules of Engagement" (which was the working title for this film). A broad but generally credible made-for-cable comedy in the tradition of Father of the Bride and Betsy's Wedding, Love Rules! made its ABC Family Channel bow on June 6, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maggie Lawson, Joey Lawrence, (more)
Created by author/entertainer Kay Thompson in 1955, precocious six-year-old Eloise, who lived in the Plaza Hotel with her long-suffering nanny, her dog Weenie, and her turtle Skipperdee, was the heroine of several delightful children's books written by Thompson and whimsically illustrated by Hilary Knight. The charm of the "Eloise" books has proven elusive whenever the property is adapted for another media, as witness a disastrous musical version which aired live on Playhouse 90 in 1956. On this occasion, Eloise came off as a spoiled obstreperous brat, which was as much the fault of the child actress cast in the role (Evelyn Rudie) as the adapters. Disney decided to give little Eloise another chance 47 years later with the location-filmed Eloise at the Plaza, a two-hour movie presentation of ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney anthology. This time around, Sofia Vassilieva played the title role, with Julie Andrews as Eloise's nanny (something of a full-circle for Andrews, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of a rather different nanny in the 1964 Disney theatrical feature Mary Poppins). The plot finds Eloise insisting upon attending a debutante ball at the Plaza and further conniving to have a runaway foreign prince (Denis Akiyama) -- who isn't much older than she is -- as her escort. Our heroine also mends fences between a reluctant teenage deb and the girl's pushy mother. Jeffrey Tambor is typecast as the Plaza's supercilious concierge Mr. Salomone, whose dithering efforts to keep Eloise from nosing into other people's business avail him not one bit. Hilary Knight appears in a cameo role as himself. Eloise at the Plaza first aired April 27, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Andrews, Christine Baranski, (more)
Lots of people have misgiving about their in-laws, but in this offbeat comedy, a man discovers that his new son-in-law's father is significantly stranger than he's able to deal with. Jerry Peyser (Albert Brooks) is a well-meaning but slightly anal-retentive podiatrist who doesn't much care for surprises in his life. When his daughter Melissa (Lindsay Sloane) announces she's going to marry her boyfriend, Mark Tobias (Ryan Reynolds), Jerry figures that helping his wife plan the wedding and getting through the ceremony is as much excitement as he needs or wants. However, when Jerry and his wife, Katherine (Maria Ricossa), meet Mark's father for the first time, Steve Tobias (Michael Douglas) ends up taking Jerry on the ride of his life. Both Mark and Steve's ex-wife, Judy (Candice Bergen), seem to have a decidedly ambivalent attitude about Steve, and Jerry finds out why -- Steve is actually an undercover agent for the CIA. In the guise of doing Steve a favor, Jerry gets dragged into a strange and dangerous episode involving international arms dealers, French super-villains, heavily armed men's room attendants, and a stolen private jet belonging to Barbra Streisand, as well as several less-than-pleasant encounters with Angela (Robin Tunney), Steve's colleague in espionage who doesn't trust Jerry. The In-Laws was adapted from the memorable 1979 comedy of the same name, in which Alan Arkin and Peter Falk played the mismatched fathers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Albert Brooks, (more)
The first biographical film produced by the FX cable channel, RFK covers the last five years in the life of Robert F. Kennedy, here played by British actor Linus Roache. The narrative begins in 1963, with the assassination of Bobby's brother, president John F. Kennedy (Martin Donovan). His appointment as Attorney General already a source of outrage for resentful new President Lyndon Johnson (James Cromwell), Bobby now finds himself in the position of proving his worth all over again -- not only to his brother's successor and the world, but also himself. With the spirit of his brother acting as counsel, Bobby succeeds beyond his wildest dreams, especially in the field of social and racial reform. By 1968, he is a viable candidate for the presidency himself, and there seems to be no stopping him -- but fate, as it often will, again takes a hand in matters. Unlike previous cinematic recaps of the early 1960s, RFK is careful not to identify its characters as heroes or heels, but instead as human beings with all the strengths and shortcomings indigenous to the species. Filmed in Ontario, RFK originally aired on August 25, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linus Roache, James Cromwell, (more)
- 2002
A mockumentary based on the concept that love has an expiration date, 19 Months follows a fictional documentary crew as they trace the relationship of Rob (Benjamin Ratner) and Melanie (Angela Vint), a couple who have agreed to break off their relationship after the eponymous period has passed. Drawn together by the theory that if the relationship is ended before jealousy and boredom set in then the relationship has been a success, Rob and Melanie plan to express all of their passion and emotion for one another in a brief but precious period of time. As the final week of their relationship draws to its mutually agreed upon conclusion and the couple's planned separation draws nearer, this situation gradually becomes more complex than either may have initially anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Ratner, Angela Vint, (more)
