Bret Roberts Movies
A square-jawed, rough-hewn character actor often typecast as blue-collar toughs or working-class folks (albeit generally good-natured ones) -- such as sailors, cabbies, and bikers -- Bret Roberts specialized almost exclusively in bit parts and supporting roles. Roberts debuted on the big screen under the aegis of Michael Bay as a sailor in that helmer's blockbuster epic Pearl Harbor (2001), then racked up credits including Nightstalker (2002), Chasing Papi (2003), In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2007), and Green Flash (2008). The latter -- a sports drama -- witnessed Roberts graduating from bit player to supporting actor. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
When a skittish crack-head disappears with a ten pack of Kush, the naïve drug dealers who fronted him the buds must scramble to raise $30,000 before word spreads to the higher ups. While their plan to kidnap the thieves' teenage brother at first seems like a stroke of genius, the scheme is complicated when the frightened adolescent unexpectedly dies. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bret Roberts, Mike Erwin, (more)
Baseball lovers have Bull Durham, football lovers have Friday Night Lights, and now volleyball enthusiasts get a chance to see their favorite sport shine on the silver screen with this tale of a fallen sports star who gets his second shot at greatness. Cameron Day (David Charvet) was a college basketball player whose proficiency on the court came at the sacrifice of his sanity. The mental demands of being a professional athlete were just too much for Cameron to handle, and just he was set to break big in the world of professional sports, the once-promising athlete mysteriously vanished for ten long years. Now that Cameron has learned how to effectively harness his inner anger, the time has come for him to have another go at greatness -- only not on the basketball court but on the pro beach volleyball circuit. Upon arriving in Manhattan Beach, CA, from Manhattan, the wayfaring athlete finds inspiration in Mia (Torrey DeVitto), an artistically inclined beach beauty who has never cared too much for jock types like Cameron. Regardless of her reluctance to date an athlete, however, Mia helps to enlighten Cameron by teaching him about the Green Flash: that fleeting moment when the sun falls over the horizon and all of nature become completely brilliant for a fraction of a second. Despite his early success, Cameron feels as is he has not experienced his own personal Green Flash just yet, though now as he makes it his mission to win the Manhattan Beach Open, he senses that true greatness could finally be within reach. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Charvet, Torrey DeVitto, (more)
When a diverse group of lifelong friends comes together to celebrate the marriage of devoted couple Elise (Amy Adams) and Michael (Adam Garcia), the mixed-up relationships of the past pave the road to a weekend no one is likely to soon forget in the feature debut from filmmaker Matthew Cole Weiss. The setting is Los Angeles, CA, and the event is the wedding between a man and a woman who always seemed destined to be together. Unfortunately, all relationships can't be as healthy as Elise and Michael's is, and though best man and maid of honor Rich (Aaron Stanford) and Samantha (Melissa Sagemiller) seem to be preparing to take the plunge, the same certainly cannot be said for neurotic actress Lana (Mena Suvari). A free-spirited soul who has experienced flings with a variety of wedding attendees including the hapless Pockets (Jon Abrahams), alcoholic actor Simon (James Van Der Beek), and manic children's television program host Donovan (Ethan Embry), Lana attempts to sort out her past flings as lovelorn agent Quentin (Colin Hanks) pines for the bride's sister and the estranged father of the groom attempts to reconnect with his long-lost son. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Adams, Adam Garcia, (more)
Following in the footsteps of Ed Gein, Speck, Dahmer and Gacy, travel back to Los Angeles, California, between 1977 and 1979, and reexperience the stomach-turning crimes of one of modern history's most notorious serial killers: Kenneth Bianchi, better known as The Hillside Strangler. This gripping and terrifying thriller - helmed by director Chris Fisher - approaches the events as docudrama, framing the tale with an interview between psychiatrist Samantha Stone (rittany Daniel) and Bianchi (portrayed by Clifton Collins, Jr.), and periodically flashing back to study - in graphic detail - Bianchi's grisly murder spree. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Billy Hayes' drama Cock & Bull Story concerns boxers struggling with their sexual instincts. Set in working-class New Jersey, the film stars Bret Roberts as Travis, a young fighter on the rise. Those close to him, especially his trainer Pascoe (Greg Mullavey), object to Travis hanging around best friend Jacko (Brian Austin Green). Perpetually the subject of rumors concerning his sexual orientation, Travis ends up unwittingly taking part in a gay bashing incident. Jacko begins hiding out from tough guy Dumiak (Darin Heames). Even though he has a girlfriend, Annie (Wendy Fowler), Travis admits that his style of boxing may have something to do with his hidden homosexual yearnings. Cock & Bull Story was screened at the 2003 San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Austin Green, Bret Roberts, (more)
Although he later received notoriety as a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and as half of the duo Flo & Eddie, Howard Kaylan is likely best remembered as the lead singer of the 1960s pop band the Turtles. It is this period of his life that Kaylan illustrates in his autobiographical screenplay for My Dinner With Jimi. Beginning right before the band hit it big with their single "Happy Together," the film follows Kaylan (played here by Justin Henry from Kramer vs. Kramer) as he and his bandmates struggle through gigs at small clubs and spend their free time hanging out in a deli, discussing the draft with Jim Morrison (Bret Roberts), Mama Cass (Lisa Brounstein), and Zappa (Adam Tomei). When their song hits number one on the charts, the Turtles head out to tour England, where they catch up with their old friend Graham Nash (Chris Soldevilla). Nash takes the band to a club where they meet the Beatles and Kaylan has a lengthy chat with John Lennon (Brian Groh). Further cementing his rapid transformation from fan to star, Kaylan is then introduced to Jimi Hendrix (Royale Watkins), leading to the titular dinner. Featuring a supporting cast led by George Wendt, John Corbett, and Curtis Armstrong, My Dinner With Jimi was directed by Bill Fishman, best known for his cult-classic directorial debut, 1988's Tapeheads. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justin Henry, Royale Watkins, (more)
Richard Ramirez was a deeply disturbed Californian who worshiped Satan, believed he was in direct contact with demons, and was fascinated with the darker undercurrents of heavy metal music. Ramirez was also a serial killer; known as "The Night Stalker," Ramirez killed 19 people in Los Angeles and San Francisco between 1984 and 1985, putting both cities in the grip of fear until he was captured by authorities and eventually sentenced to life in prison. Director and screenwriter Chris Fisher made his feature debut with this dramatized account of Ramirez (played by Bret Roberts) and his crimes, as well as the detective who finally brings him to justice. As Ramirez stalks his prey under cover of darkness, Gabriella Martinez (Roselyn Sanchez), a female Los Angeles Police Department officer who has just been promoted to detective, is put on the case, and as she gets closer and closer to uncovering the identity of the killer, she runs a greater risk of becoming his next victim. Nightstalker was produced in part by character actor Danny Trejo, who also appears as Martinez's former partner on the LAPD. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roselyn Sanchez, Bret Roberts, (more)
At the time of its release, this lavish period war drama from hyperkinetic director Michael Bay became the most expensive motion picture ever green-lighted by a studio. Ben Affleck stars as Rafe McCawley, a military pilot stationed under Jimmy Doolittle (Alec Baldwin) in New Jersey, along with his best friend from childhood, Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett). Rafe is chomping at the bit to get involved in World War II, but America has not entered the conflict, so he is forced to fight on loan to the Royal Air Force in Britain, leaving behind his beautiful girlfriend Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale). After Rafe goes overseas, both Danny and Evelyn are transferred to the naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where word arrives that Rafe has been killed in action. A grief-stricken Evelyn and Danny become romantically attached, a situation that becomes a lit powder keg when Rafe suddenly reappears, having survived his ordeal in the European war. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor puts the romantic triangle on hold, as the best friends are ordered to undertake a top-secret and highly dangerous retaliatory mission to bomb Tokyo, once again under the command of Doolittle. Although the trio of leads are entirely fictional, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tom Sizemore, and Jon Voight (as FDR) co-star in the roles of real-life historical figures. Pearl Harbor is based on a script by Randall Wallace, writer of Braveheart (1995) and The Man in the Iron Mask (1998). Taking a page from the production history of James Cameron's Titanic (1997), many of the actors and filmmakers involved with Pearl Harbor deferred their usual salaries until the film "broke even" at the box office. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, (more)
A man learns the hard way that, when it comes to women, three is more than a crowd in this frantic comedy. Tomas Fuentes (Eduardo Verástegui) is a successful advertising man living in Los Angeles who has a way with the ladies. Almost too much of a way, in fact, since he's currently dating three beautiful women in three different cities: Lorena (Roselyn Sanchez), a bright and attractive lawyer living in Chicago; Cici (Sofía Vergara), a cocktail waitress from Miami with a fiery personality; and Patricia (Jaci Velasquez), a New Yorker looking to get out from under the domineering shadow of her mother. As it happens, all three women are fans of noted television astrologer Walter Mercado, and on his advice, they each decide to take a bold step in their relationships and visit Tomas in L.A. Needless to say, the women are enraged to discover Tomas' rather spectacular infidelity, but that turns out to be the least of his problems after a mixture of booze and tranquilizers lands him in the hospital, a pair of crooks (D.L. Hughley and Freddy Rodriguez) kidnap him, and he discovers Cici and Patricia are wanted by the law. Produced under the title Papi Chulo, Chasing Papi was the first feature film from director Linda Mendoza after an extensive resume of credits in television comedy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roselyn Sanchez, Sofía Vergara, (more)
Alex Holdridge's comedy In Search of a Midnight Kiss follows the plight of Wilson (Scoot McNairy), a 29-year-old man who has just suffered through the most miserable year of his life. A new arrival to the City of Angels, Wilson ends up alone and penniless as New Year's Eve rapidly approaches, and vows to lock his doors, pull his blinds, and climb into bed -- until best friend Jacob (Brian Matthew McGuire) talks him into posting a Craig's List personal ad. In seemingly no time at all, the message leads Wilson to Vivian (Sara Simmonds), a freewheeling young woman utterly determined to be with the "right" man at the stroke of midnight. She soon leads Wilson on an eventful and colorful trip through the nighttime streets of L.A. that he will never forget -- and that leads to a heartfelt emotional connection between the two. Anne Walker-McBay (Before Sunrise and Dazed and Confused) executive produced; Holdridge authored the original script. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scoot McNairy, Sara Simmonds, (more)
