Russell Jones Movies
A man finds himself caught between several worlds -- rough real life and a number of parallel fantasy lands -- in this blend of drama and fantasy. Jorge (Octavio Gómez Berríos) is a painfully shy young man from Ecuador who has immigrated to the United States. Jorge keeps body and soul together by washing dishes at a greasy-spoon diner in a Queens, NY, neighborhood that's dominated by a wide variety of fellow immigrants. Jorge spends most of his days at work being harassed by Rick (Mandy Patinkin), the diner's owner, and loud-mouthed manager Jerry (Aaron Paul). One of the only people at the diner who shows any kindness to Jorge is Amy (Eugenia Yuan), an Asian waitress, and Jorge has become deeply infatuated with her. However, Jerry also has his eyes on Amy, only adding to the tension between him and Jorge. As Jorge struggles to escape his grim circumstances, he passes into a variety of alternate realities, ranging from a pastel-colored wonderland ruled by animated bunnies to a grassy sylvan past a fence. Choking Man was written and directed by Steve Barron, best known for his groundbreaking work in music videos; the film received its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Octavio Gómez Berríos, Kate Buddeke, (more)
- 1998
One of the most infamous hate crimes of the 1990s was the source for this episode. Even jaded New York detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) are shocked by the brutal murder of a black man who was dragged behind a car to his death. Prosecuting the crime proves to be a difficult task, thanks to the reluctance of the only known eyewitness and the evasive behavior of certain NYPD cops. The outcome of the case is as startling as the crime was senselessly vicious. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A real-life inner city Boston youth shelter yielded the plot, characters, actors, and director of this urban drama about three ghetto youths trying to make something better of their lives while surviving on the streets. Tyson (Tyrone Burton), Hector (Eddie Cutanda), and Bao (Phuong Duong) are a trio of 14-year-old friends attempting to figure out which direction they'll go in life. As they work at a legitimate job sweeping up at a gas station and attending a youth center with the facility's adult leader J.J. (Geoffrey Rhue), they also run drugs for the local gangsters that mock and taunt their efforts at self-improvement. When one of the boys' mother kills herself, the ensuing crisis leads the three friends to choose different paths. Director Robert Patton-Spruill, a drama teacher at Boston's Dorchester Youth Collaborative, cast the three star pupils from his workshop in Squeeze (1996) and based the film on their real-life stories, bringing a palpable sense of realism to the proceedings. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Burton, Eddie Cutanda, (more)
There's no point in recounting the many production problems and personal hostilities which plagued the filming of Mermaids: the end result is all that matters. Set in the 1960s, the film details the relationship between an unorthodox, unmarried vagabond mother (Cher), and her two daughters. The 15-year-old (Winona Ryder), continually embarrassed by her flamboyant mother, wants to be the world's greatest Catholic; the nine-year-old (Christina Ricci) would be satisfied with becoming the world's champion swimmer. Moving with her family to New England, the older daughter falls in love from afar with the groundskeeper (Michael Schoeffling) from a nearby convent, while Mom takes up with a lonely salesman (Bob Hoskins). Mermaids is perceptively adapted from the warmly comic novel by Patty Dann. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cher, Bob Hoskins, (more)
