Esai Morales Movies

Set fifty years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, Capricia follows the rivalry between two feuding families competing and thriving in the 12 Colonies. Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) both sit at the head of powerful tables. Their world is at the peak of its power, yet as science and technology both continue to grow, so too does the potential for disaster. As artificial intelligence and technology paves the way towards the future - and the dreaded Cylons - corporate conspiracy and sexual politics put the Graystones and the Adamas on a tragic collision course. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

His drug lord father killed in a police shootout, ambitious young criminal Taz sells his soul to the devil in exchange for total power, and quickly rises to the top of the food chain. But later, as his competitors all begin to topple like dominos, Taz realizes that the gift bestowed upon him was not a blessing, but a horrible curse that cannot be broken. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A naïve teenager finds out just how complicated adult relationships can be in this comedy drama from veteran television director Jeffrey Fine. Aaron (Kyle Gallner) is a bright but socially awkward college freshman studying to become an engineer, like most of the men in his family. Aaron has been accepted into a special advanced program at an Ivy League university, but he's also a gifted cartoonist and would rather study art. Aaron tries to work some drawing classes into his schedule, and through one he meets Linda (Laura Allen), a beautiful 34-year-old single mother who has returned to college. Upbeat and outspoken, Linda befriends Aaron; he's flattered by the attention and becomes deeply infatuated with her. However, when Linda invites Aaron home for dinner, he's introduced to Beth (Britt Robertson), her sharp-tongued and precocious 14-year-old daughter. Beth immediately develops a passionate crush on Aaron, and he finds himself in an uncomfortable position -- the woman he wants is only going to be his friend, while he's not so interested in the girl who wants him (and he could go to jail if he responds to her advances). Cherry received its world premiere at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director James Cotten recruits an all-star roster for this crime thriller set along the Mexican-American border. Mexican drug lord Pelon has managed to escape the ire of the American government, but his decision to switch from cocaine from Colombia to heroin from Afghanistan attracts their attention. Numerous assassins come for the man's blood, but Pelon evades them all. Hitman Mark Shields sets himself apart from the pack with 20 years of killing experience, but he becomes distracted by the presence of a woman and her daughter. This character-driven action film stars Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta, Armand Assante, and Esai Morales. ~ Kimber Myers, Rovi

Inspired by author Eric Schlosser's New York Times best-seller of the same name, director Richard Linklater's ensemble drama examines the health issues and social consequences of America's love affair with fast food and features an all-star cast that includes Greg Kinnear, Ethan Hawke, Kris Kristofferson, Patricia Arquette, and Luis Guzman. Mickey's is the most popular fast-food chain in America, and The Big One is the top-selling burger that put them on the map. When the higher-ups at Mickey's corporate offices learn that the frozen meat patties used to make the wildly popular burger have somehow been tainted with contaminated meat, they send marketing executive Don Henderson (Kinnear) on an urgent mission to ensure quality control and find out precisely how their product became compromised. It's a long way from the Southern California boardroom to the immigrant slaughterhouses, though, and the further Henderson works his way through the bustling feedlots and toward the ubiquitous restaurant sites that have become a staple of modern culture, the more he begins to realize just how dangerous convenience can become when it leads to blissfully ignorant complacency. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A woman stuck in middle age may yet find love if her mother can stay out of the way in this comedy from first-time director Frank Lin. Yvonne (Sylvia Chang) is a divorcee who is about to turn fifty and feels as if life is passing her by. Yvonne works for a throw-away newspaper where ad sales is more important than content, and her life is dominated by her overbearing mother (Lan Yeung), and to a lesser extent her slacker son, Joshua (Randall Park). When Yvonne meets Jose (Esai Morales), a handsome dentist, while working on a piece for the paper, the two hit it off and begin dating. However, Jose is Hispanic, and Mother is horrified at the prospect of her daughter marrying a Mexican-American, and with Mother about to undergo major back surgery, her stranglehold over the family is stronger than ever. Can Yvonne choose between her own happiness and that of her mother? American Fusion also stars Pat Morita, Collin Chou and James Hong. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Paid in Full marks the feature debut of director Charles Stone III, who rose to fame after creating Budweiser's "Wassup" commercials. The urban gangster drama is loosely based on the true story of 1980s Harlem drug kingpins AZ, Rich Porter, and Alpo. (This story was also the basis for a documentary, Game Over (Part 1).) Ace (Wood Harris) works at a laundromat, struggling to get by, while his friend Mitch (Mekhi Phifer) lives the high life selling heroin. His sister's boyfriend, Calvin (Kevin Carroll) also sells drugs, and looks down on Ace for struggling to earn a living. Out delivering laundry one day, Ace meets Lulu (Esai Morales), a big time coke dealer, who lives better than anyone Ace has ever known. When Lulu leaves some coke in the pocket of a coat he's having cleaned, Ace returns it to him, and Lulu rewards him for his honesty by letting him keep the drugs. When Calvin gets busted, Ace hesitantly takes his place in the neighborhood, and starts working for Lulu. As the crack business takes off, Ace finds himself making more money than he knows what to do with. Mitch goes to jail for a short time, where another inmate, Rico (rapper Cam'ron in his acting debut), defends him in a fight. By the time Mitch gets out of prison, Ace is running the neighborhood. Ace makes Mitch his right-hand man, and when Rico gets out of jail, he joins the crew. The drugs and money flow, and Ace tries to keep everyone happy, but there are some who want what's his, and will stop at nothing to get it. Paid in Full was shown at the 2002 Urbanworld Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

After being raised by a normal sized family, tiny Tom Thumb (voiced by Elijah Wood) sets out to find others of his diminutive stature. He happens upon Thumbelina (Jennifer Love Hewitt), a former circus performer, who is not only his size and age, but is also looking for others like her. But just as they meet Thumbelina is taken prisoner by the comically sinister Mole King (Peter Gallagher), who wants to make her his bride. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi

Season eight of NYPD Blue began minus the services of longtime executive producer David Milch, who left to develop a project of his own. Steven Bochco, who'd co-created the series with Milch, took full charge of the series. This was far from the only eighth-season personnel change. Andrea Thompson (Det. Jill Kirkendall) had already quit the series in order to launch a new career as a TV news anchor. Kim Delaney, who played Kirkendall's partner, Det. Diane Russell, remained on the scene, the better to develop a new plot strand involving a steamy romance between Russell and her troubled colleague Det. Danny Sorenson (Rick Schroder). But by the end of the season, Delaney was gone -- as was Schroder. One of the series' mainstays since its 1993 debut, James McDaniel, announced his intention of leaving his role as 15th precinct skipper Lt. Fancy after the first 13 episodes of the season. Fancy's initial replacement, hypersensitive feminist Lt. Susan Falto (Denise Crosby), had such a negative effect on the 15th that she herself was quickly supplanted by Lt. Tony Rodriguez (Esai Morales), a by-the-book type who (surprise, surprise) almost immediately clashed with gonzo "I make my own rules" detective Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). Andy's private life was no less turbulent than his professional one; the moment the bone-marrow tests of his son Theo (Austin Majors) came back positive -- thereby resolving one of the unresolved subplots set up by the previous season's cliffhanger finale -- Andy began considering a reconciliation with ex-wife Kate (Debra Monk), but instead became sidetracked with a blossomed May-December relationship with Cynthia Bunin (Juliana Donald), the niece of Andy's old cop pal Gibson (John F. O'Donohue).

Along with Esai Morales and Juliana Donald, Charlotte Ross, and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon joined the series, respectively cast as Det. Connie McDowell and new Assistant DA Valerie Haywood. Initially shunned as a possible "spy" from Internal Affairs, McDowell quickly proved her mettle and earned the right to remain at the 15th -- and in the process set the foundation for future plot complications by revealing that, 15 years earlier, she had had a daughter out of wedlock whom she had given up for adoption. As for Haywood, she almost immediately got off on the wrong foot with the extremely touchy Det. Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons), in the tradition of the first-season flareups between Andy Sipowicz and the late ADA Sylvia Costas. But also like Andy and Sylvia, Baldwin Jones and Valerie Haywood quickly found themselves extremely attracted to one another.

The opening episodes of season eight resolved a dilemma left hanging during season seven, that of the 15th precinct's possible complicity in the drug-smuggling operations of Don Kirkendall, ex-husband of the beleagured Jill Kirkendall. The closing episodes established a brand-new crisis, concerning a botched undercover operation which may or may not have cost the life of the missing-in-action Danny Sorenson (Rick Schroder). Viewers would have to sweat it out until the beginning of season nine before Danny's ultimate fate would be revealed. For the second year in a row, NYPD Blue's season opener was not seen until January, due to backstage hagglings between the ABC network and the producer. Also, only 20 new episodes were produced, rather than the standard 22, reportedly an economical rather than artistic decision. The late start and diminished output did not affect the series' popularity, nor prevent it from garnering another Emmy Award nomination for series star Dennis Franz. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this made-for-TV thriller, a train hauling a cargo of radioactive waste is passing through Colorado when its brakes fail in the Rocky Mountains. The train begins rolling out of control and is headed for Denver with no way to stop it. John Seger (Rob Lowe), an agent with the National Transportation Safety Board, has to find a way to bring the train safely to a halt, and he soon learns that the stakes are even greater than he imagined -- a faulty Russian atomic bomb is also on board, which could blow the city sky high in the event of a wreck. Atomic Train also stars Kristen Davis, Esai Morales, and Mena Suvari, the latter shortly before she bolted to stardom with roles in American Pie and American Beauty. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A young man becomes the reluctant heir of the family business, only to discover how dangerous and corrupt it can be in this drama. Philip is an aspiring musician whose father runs a Chilean mining concern. When his dad dies, Philip returns to Chile from the United States and soon finds himself battling with his father's former business partner for control of the mines. Philip quickly learns that his new adversary isn't about to give up without a fight -- and that he has more than a few secrets about the company that he needs to keep quiet at all costs. Southern Cross stars Michael Ironside, Esai Morales, and Malcolm McDowell. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Fantasist Ray Bradbury wrote the screenplay for this adaptation of his 1957 Saturday Evening Post short story, "The Magic White Suit," previously adapted as a TV drama, a stage musical, and a play. Middle-aged Gomez (Joe Mantegna) hopes to own the beautiful white suit he spots in a store window. Since he can't afford it, he locates four same-size men to each contribute $20. On a Friday evening, the five in turn don the shining suit for an hour, and when they wear the iridescent garment, their wishes come true. Director Stuart Gordon had success 30 years ago with his production of the stage play. The opening titles are in sand animation. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi