Peter Onorati Movies

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, All Movie Guide

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

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, All Movie Guide

Nicolas Cage stars in the below-par action film Firebirds -- a dying ember from Reagan-era nationalistic jingoism. In this Top Gun retread, Cage plays Jake Preston, a hotshot Army helicopter pilot who is being trained to use the U.S. Army's Apache aircraft to destroy the drug fields of a South American drug cartel. It up to his taskmaster instructor Brad Little (Tommy Lee Jones) to teach Jake humble lessons before he can be trusted to launch into the skies against the drug dealers. While Jake is trying to tame his egoism, he engages in a torrid love affair with flying ace Billie Lee Guthrie (Sean Young). The film was originally titled Wings of the Apache for the U.S. Army Apache assault helicopters that are prominently displayed in the film. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters, running errands and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino), who takes him in as a surrogate son. As he reaches his teens, Hill (Ray Liotta) is inducted into the world of petty crime, where he distinguishes himself as a "stand-up guy" by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his psychotic partner Tommy (Joe Pesci), he rises through the ranks to become Paulie's lieutenant; however, he quickly learns that, like his mentor Jimmy (Robert DeNiro), his ethnicity prevents him from ever becoming a "made guy," an actual member of the crime family. Soon he finds himself the target of both the feds and the mobsters, who feel that he has become a threat to their security with his reckless dealings. Goodfellas was rewarded with six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; Pesci would walk away with Best Supporting Actor for his work. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

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. ~ All Movie Guide

While on a stakeout of the Penguin's headquarters with Batman, Wonder Woman is suddenly and inexplicably turned into a pig by the enchantress Circe. The remainder of the episode finds Batman and the beauteous magician Zatanna combining forces to return "Wonder Pig" to her normal self. Mayhem blends with mythology and even music (don't miss Batman's soulful rendition of the old standard "Am I Blue?") in this wild and crazy tale. ~ All Movie Guide

Apparently suffering from a mid-life crisis that causes moments of bizarre whimsy, billionaire computer executive Sidney Teal (J.C. McKenzie) pulls a gun and attempts to rob a couple outside a restaurant--and is killed in the process. Though beset with financial problems, and facing the possible loss of his trusted nurse Sharona (Bitty Schram), Monk (Tony Shalhoub)agrees to investigate Teal's death, and the reasons behind it. Perhaps the answer can be gleaned from the two people whom the dead man mugged...or perhaps the solution is in the hands of Officer Moretta (Jonathan Rannells) the cop at the crime scene who inexplicably ran away before back-up arrived--and hasn't been seen since. (Note: the scene in which Monk discusses clues pertaining to the earlier death of his wife with writer Kelly Street [Mary Black] was actually filmed for, but removed from, Monk's two-hour pilot episode). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

Bored Anita (Joanna Pacula) wants to escape small-town life but finds herself stuck in the middle of nowhere until her scientist husband finishes his research in a local swamp. Thus, Anita is understandably thrilled when brother and sister John and Janet Jones move to town and make life interesting; although John is a bit of a nutter, his sister is fun and lively, and she and Anita become fast friends. Unfortunately, things get weird and bodies start piling up, and Anita begins to suspect that maybe her new pal isn't who she claims to be. Paul Bartel and Annabelle Gurwitch co-star. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

A writer struggling with his muse finally creates a character so vivid she walks off the page and into the real world in this darkly comic fantasy. Marty (Jeffrey Stubblefield) is a struggling screenwriter living in Los Angeles, where he's gotten used to not having a car and is now having to adjust to not having a girlfriend after his significant other decided it was time to call it quits. Marty has been working on a script for sleazy producer/director Barry Barani (Krikor Satamian) called Hot Pants Returns, but he's suffering from a severe case of writer's block, much to the annoyance of Barry and his partner Andy (Jerry Corley). With the encouragement of his friend Joe (Joe Seely), Marty has been able to start work on a personal project, a screenplay about a poet working as a parking lot monitor who falls in love with a beautiful car thief named Lauren. Marty is a bit surprised when one day a flesh-and-blood Lauren (Melissa Marie Lewis) appears before him, and begins using her feminine wiles to lure Marty into a life of crime. Pedestrian was written and directed by Jason Kartalian; it was his first feature. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV suspense story, Maggie (Victoria Principal) is a divorced mother of two who is invited on a rafting trip by the new man in her life. She is nervous that something could happen along the way, and her intuition proves to be right on the money when one of the members of the rafting party turns out to be a psychopathic killer. Maggie finds herself battling the elements as she tries to escape from the killer, while her former stepson races to find her when he hears about foul play along the river. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide