Josh Kesselman Movies

He's hip, he's fly, and he never mixes meat with dairy -- he's the world's first Jewish private eye, and he's out to save the world in this satiric comedy. Mordechai Jefferson Carver (Adam Goldberg) is a super-cool Jewish detective who takes no mess and is always ready to do the right thing for his Torah-reading brothers. But Carver is a lone wolf, and he isn't so sure he's interested in taking an assignment from Chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote) of the Jewish Justice League -- or at least not until he meets the chief's gorgeous daughter, Esther (Judy Greer). It seems a mysterious stranger named Damien (Andy Dick) has made it his business to persuade Jewish children to abandon their faith in favor of celebrating Christmas, and it's Carver's job to put an end to Damien's campaign while urging kids to be proud of their Semitic heritage. The Hebrew Hammer also features Nora Dunn as Carver's kvetching mother, and a cameo appearance by Melvin Van Peebles as outlaw blaxploitation icon Sweetback. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This nutty British comedy observes with jet-black humor the myriad outrageous calamities that befall an eccentric English clan with more than a few skeletons in its closets when its patriarch dies an unexpected death. Soon, every complication imaginable -- including the wrong corpse in the coffin, the accidental consumption of hallucinogenic drugs, and the disclosure of the deceased's closeted homosexuality -- befall the grief-stricken mourners. The funeral commences at the family estate, with the arrival of younger son Daniel (Matthew MacFadyen), who has long felt uncomfortable around his cocky, licentious novelist brother, Robert (Rupert Graves) -- and thus dreads seeing him. Meanwhile, Daniel is also struggling to adhere to promises he's made to his wife (Keeley Hawes). Also arriving at the house are cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) and her intended, Simon (Alan Tudyk), who embarrasses just about everybody, including himself, by accidentally consuming a strange drug that inflicts him with wild delusions and gives him an uncontrollable penchant for exhibitionism. But the event that truly turns the family members onto their ears is the arrival of a dwarf (Peter Dinklage) who speaks openly of the patriarch's secret passions, which included dressing up in a kinky gladiator outfit and watching young men skinny-dip. Frank Oz (In & Out, Bowfinger) helmed the film, while Dean Craig authored the script. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

John Carpenter directs this episodic horror film focusing on a former priest's mission to fight L.A.'s supernatural underbelly in order to protect his teen daughter in this Principal Entertainment production. Scribes Jim Agnew and Sean Keller provide the script for the feature. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Two former college rivals team up to start a lucrative business while sharing a New York apartment in this comedy from director Jamie Travis. Back in school, Lauren (Lauren Anne Miller) and Katie (Ari Graynor) had a love/hate relationship. Years later, Lauren is recovering from a messy break-up, and Katie is living in her late grandmother's apartment when the rent control runs out. In order to avoid losing the apartment, Katie invites Lauren to move in and help out with the payments. Fate intervenes, however, when Katie becomes fed up with Lauren's boisterous bedroom antics, and learns that her new roommate has a naughty side that could earn them both some quick cash. With Lauren in charge of the business and Katie catering to the clients, the mismatched pair launch a phone-sex line that quickly proves a smashing success. Justin Long, Mark Webber, and Nia Vardalos co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi