Jimmy Palumbo Movies
- 2005
While Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is in bed with the flu, Natalie (Traylor Howard) takes it upon herself to solve the murder of a pizza deliveryman. First off, she finds that the man killed is not man she thought he was. Next, she turns burglar to harvest a few likely clues, only to discover that a sinister figure has been watching her every move. And finally, she is taken hostage by the chief suspect in the case that Monk had been working on before he fell ill. As so often happens on Monk, two seemingly unrelated homicides are inextricably linked--but Natalie may not live long enough to find this out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
In the conclusion of the series' two-part Season Six finale (originally telecast as a single hour-long special), Drew (Drew Carey) apparently goes crazy just before he is to become manager Winfred-Louder's new woman's store, and is institutionalized at the behest of store shrink Hershlag (Harry Groener). The only person who knows where Drew is locked up is Mimi (Kathy Kinney), but she won't tell anyone--and for good reason, since it was Mimi who deliberately drove our hero over the edge. Eventually, Lewis (Ryan Stiles) and Oswald (Diedrich Bader) are able to gain entrance to the sanitarium holding Drew, but they're not able to get out until they deploy their new-found fireworks prowess. The season ends as Drew shows up just in time to open the new store--but what he discovers upon arrival drives him insane all over again! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An unemployed, alcoholic thirtysomething who still lives with his mother and can't seem to muster the motivation to turn his life around finds that all's fair in love and softball when his team is threatened with ejection from the league in a raunchy sports comedy starring Howard Stern Show regular Artie Lange. For the sluggers from Ed's Bar and Swill, the weekly trip to the local diamond is more about drinking and roughhousing than it is about such technicalities as hitting home runs and striking out the opposing team. When their favorite pastime is threatened by the ultra-competitive athleticism of the league's villainous perennial champions -- led by local gym owner and current mayoral candidate Manganelli (Anthony de Sando) -- this motley group of hard-drinking sportsmen must make one final push for the pennant and end their unprecedented losing streak if they hold out any hope of making it to another season. Ralph Macchio, Seymour Cassel, and Laurie Metcalf co-star, and longtime Saturday Night Live contributor Frank Sebastiano makes his directorial debut. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Artie Lange, Ralph Macchio, (more)
A woman searching for the perfect man instead discovers the perfect woman in this romantic comedy. Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a woman with a solid career as a copy editor, but her love life isn't much to write home about; she's been through a long series of disastrous first dates that refuse to evolve into second dates, and the well-intended advice of her best friend Joan (Jackie Hoffman) and former boyfriend Josh (Scott Cohen) isn't helping a bit. One day, Jessica is scanning personal ads in the newspaper with her friends, and she sees one with a quote from her favorite poet. Jessica reads on to discover that she has a lot in common with the person who placed the ad -- too much so, since it turns out the notice is from a woman, Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen), who manages an art gallery. Jessica figures it would at least be nice to hang out with someone who shares her interests, and she gives Helen a call. Jessica and Helen quickly strike up a close friendship that evolves into something more intimate, though neither of them has ever been involved with another woman ... and Helen is a bit more avid about her new romantic horizons than Jessica. As their relationship progresses, Jessica finds herself struggling with her feelings about her new sexual outlook, and she isn't sure how to break the news about her relationship to her mother (Tovah Feldshuh) as she tries to decide if she should bring Helen along to her brother's wedding. Kissing Jessica Stein was based on the off-Broadway play Lipschtick, which was written by Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen, who starred in the original stage production as well as this film adaptation; the film won both the Critics' Special Jury Award and the Audience Award at the 2001 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen, (more)
From the producers of The Rookie and Remember the Titans comes an inspirational sports drama detailing the true story of a down-on-his-luck football fan whose dreams of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the best of the gridiron became a once-in-a-lifetime reality when he took part in an open tryout organized by Philadelphia Eagles coach Dick Vermeil. Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) was a 30-year-old substitute teacher and part-time bartender who had never even played college football. When Coach Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) made the unprecedented announcement that he would be holding open tryouts for the Philadelphia Eagles, Papale would go against incredible odds to live the dream and experience every fan's biggest fantasy. With a position on the Eagles secured and a new life path forged out of little more than determination and persistence, Papale takes to the field to experience the life-altering rush of running yards as a stadium full of cheering fans burst from their seats to support the hometown hero who proved it's never too late to take control of your own destiny. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, (more)
