Peter Onorati Movies

An autistic ex-con attempting to readjust to life on the outside finds that the past isn't so easy to escape as he becomes caught in the middle of a deadly triple-cross in director Stephen Purvis' labyrinthine thriller. For five long years Manny (Lou Diamond Phillips) has repaid his debt to society by serving time in a prison for the criminally insane. Now the day of his parole has finally arrived, and after returning to Reno Manny takes up residence at a local motel and soon finds employment as a clerk at the Hotel El Cortez. Upon striking up an amiable friendship with crippled prospector Popcorn (Bruce Weitz), Manny is quickly recruited to help his new friend convince wealthy gambler Russo (Peter Onorati) to invest in the struggling gold-hunter's potentially prosperous mine. Complications soon arise, however, when Arnie (James McDaniel), the vengeful cop who had arrested Manny, pressures the mentally handicapped ex-con to keep an eye on local drug dealer Jack (Glenn Plummer) - who is currently staying in the same hotel as Manny. When Jack's scheming girlfriend Theda (Tracy Middendorf) learns about Popcorn's goldmine and subsequently attempts to seduce Manny in hopes of learning more, shifting alliances and deadly secrets thrust all involved into a murderous game of betrayal and death. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In the conclusion of Justice League Unlimited's two-part season-three finale, JL members Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman continue their pursuit of time-traveling thief David Clinton. Chasing their quarry to his own time -- 50 years in the future -- the three Leaguers come face to face with their own furturistic counterparts, Batman II, Static, and War Hawk. The six superheroes pool their resources to do battle against the vicious "Jokerz" gang, only to find a greater menace in the form of David Clinton -- who, hoping to get even with those who have mocked his skills as an inventor, has transformed himself into Lord Chronos, all-powerful (and highly dangerous) Master of Space and Time. ~ Rovi

Inasmuch as the made-for-cable The Last Ride was assembled by the same folks responsible for such action films as The Fast and the Furious and XXX, one shouldn't be surprised that the picture is virtually one long thrill-packed car chase. Released from prison after three decades, modern-day outlaw Ronnie Purnell (Dennis Hopper) is determined to get even with Darryl Kurtz (Fred Ward), the cop who in 1974 put Ronnie away after a violent skirmish in which Ronnie's wife was killed. To this end, Purnell enlists the aid of his hero-worshipping grandson, Matthew (Chris Carmack), who brings along his sexy girlfriend (and ace auto mechanic) JJ Cruz (Nadine Velazquez). Wasting no time, Purnell revs up his beloved 1969 Pontiac GTO, in which he has the key to a safety deposit box containing damning evidence against Kurtz, and embarks on a spectacular crime-and-speed spree. Hoping to stop Purnell dead in his tracks is his own police officer son (and Matthew's father), Aaron Purnell (Will Patton), who had been raised by Kurtz after the arrest of his dad and the death of his mom. Described by one critic as "an 87-minute car commercial," The Last Ride originally aired June 2, 2004, on the USA cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A young man struggles to sort out his feelings and his future as a wave of intolerance sweeps through a college town in this drama. Peter Thompson (Brendan P. Hines) was a student at a seminary studying to be an Episcopalian minister, until a tragic incident involving another student caused him to question his faith and his calling. Peter moves to a college town in Vermont, where he gets a job in a pizza joint run by Mike (Peter Onorati), and reconnects with Father Ed (A. Martinez), a gruff but caring streetwise priest who had been Peter's mentor. Peter also renews his friendship with a buddy from school, Alex (Kris Park), who introduces Peter to his good friend Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). Rachel is quite attracted to Peter, and before long she's deprived him of his virginity. While Peter tries to sort out the new changes in his life, a shocking gay bashing incident soon polarizes the town, and Father Ed steps forward to publicly announce that he's a homosexual -- and Mike is his lover. As tensions between anti-gay extremists and pro-gay activists increase, the murder of a gay man brings matters to a boil, and forces Peter, Rachel, and Alex to come to terms with their identities as well as their pasts. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The victims of a rampaging gunman are brought into the ER. It soon develops that the man responsible for the shootings is Derek Fosson (Ted Marcoux), the father of the boy whom Greene (Anthony Edwards) treated for abuse in the previous episode. Fosson is out to kill anyone connected with the foster-care facility where his son is currently residing -- meaning that Greene and his family may be the next targets. Elsewhere, Abby (Maura Tierney) discusses her future with a disapproving Kovac (Goran Visnjic). And Weaver (Laura Innes) confronts Romano (Paul McCrane) over the firing of her former lover Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell). This final episode of ER's seventh season ends with a cliffhanger involving a grim life-or-death decision in a hospital elevator. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Reggie Rock Bythewood makes his directorial debut with this sharp comedy-drama about love, compromise, and TV. The film opens with the parallel childhoods of Tomasina "Tommy" Crawford (Nicole Ari Parker) and George Washington (Isaiah Washington). Both were utterly shaped by television -- watching Roots was one of the few times that Tommy's parents stopped fighting long enough to sit on the couch together, while George was traumatized by being banned from TV for a month after swiping some church donation cash. As adults, George is a programming executive at the WPX network where fledgling writer Tommy tries to pitch shows. On the strength of both her passion for her craft and her striking good looks, George decides to champion her show called "Just Us," a serio-comedy about a juvenile offender adopted by a judge. They shoot the pilot, the network greenlights the project, and eventually they fall in love. Even though Tommy longs to present her characters in an uncompromised, unvarnished manner, pressure from network execs and advertisers forces her to water down the plot. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

In this sci-fi drama, Dr. Peter Crawford (Dennis Hopper), a gifted astronomer, discovers that a massive comet is heading toward Earth. Convinced that a major disaster is imminent, Crawford attempts to convince the world's scientific minds that drastic steps must be taken. No one appears to agree with him, so he begins constructing an underground city, which he plans to populate with a cross-section of intelligent people who will be able to reconstruct civilization after the comet destroys the cities. Jake Lowe (Peter Onorati), a down on his luck photojournalist, gets wind of Crawford's plan and attempts to join the underground community to get the full story from the inside. Tycus also features Finola Hughes and Chick Vennera. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A wacky screwball sex comedy for the kids and grandpa too? Seinfeld's Jason Alexander makes his directorial debut with this gentle but funny coming-of-age story set in 1955 about Lenny (Ryan Merriman), a 14-year-old from the Bronx who is dedicated to witnessing a copulating couple. His early attempts at spying on his mom and her new corpulent husband Polinsky are thwarted when he is sent to live with his aunt Norma and uncle Phil in Queens for the summer. He soon learns that Norma is pregnant. No sex. All looks lost until he meets Hedy (Gretchen Mol), a fetching though lovelorn night nurse. Lenny also befriends the equally randy John, who informs him that he has started a sex club with a couple of neighborhood gals. Though the club is all talk, they all discuss the mechanics of coital engagement with language that is equal parts gutter and sex-ed. Meanwhile, as Lenny spies on Hedy, he inadvertently befriends her. Together they muse about the complexities of love and wistfully remember their respective dead fathers. Just Looking is a sweet-minded film about the great mystery of the teenaged years. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Ron Cosentino writes and directs this gangland screwball tragedy about a young street smart kid trying to protect his family. Though his mother (Karen Black) is an alcoholic, Duke Romano (Carmine D. Giovinazzo) is primarily concerned with his loser brother Frankie, who makes the monumentally stupid decision to rob a truck full of designer shoes from trigger-happy local mobster Nicky Kaplan. When Nicky puts a hit out on Frankie, Duke does everything in his power to keep the mafia from killing his sibling. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

The detectives of the 15th investigate the baffling murder of five Ecuardorians at a nightclub. Working undercover, Simone (Jimmy Smits) agrees to do a favor for mobster Joey Salvo (Peter Onorati) -- and then another. Diane (Kim Delaney) and Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) explore the possibility that a girl was raped by her own stepfather. And after office hours, Medavoy keeps his most unusual promise to Abby (Paige Turco). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Simone (Jimmy Smits) regrets his covert participation in an FBI sting against Joey Salvo when he is suspended from the force by Internal Affairs. An arrogant journalist who earlier wrote an article smearing the New York Police Department continues rubbing people the wrong way after he is mugged. And the detectives investigate a particularly vicious murder which, suggests the victim's psychiatrist, may have been perpetrated by the dead woman's father. This final episode of NYPD Blue's fourth season comes to a characteristically jarring climax when Simone and Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) are caught in the crossfire of a mob hit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this modestly suspenseful backwoods thriller, a hostage situation turns an ordinary mom into a fearsome huntress, thereby bringing her family together. Set in a heavily forested part of the Oregon coast, the tale of terror begins when a quartet of desperate bank robbers botch their escape and end up taking a young boy (Brendan Fletcher) hostage. His mother (Stephanie Zimbalist) and sister (Sarah Chalke) were saved from capture when the mother drove their car into frozen water. The crooks hightail it to the deep forest where they force the boy, who is experienced in wilderness survival and navigation like his mother, to locate a remote airstrip. Meanwhile, the angry mother grabs her trusty bow and sets out to find her endangered son. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this drama a transplant recipient learns the deeply disturbing truth about his donor. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi