Josh Pais Movies
A genial performer with a broad array of role types and genres on his resumé, Josh Pais grew up in a Manhattan-area East Village tenement with a single mother, and headed to Hollywood in his early twenties with the dream of making it as an actor. In seemingly no time, Pais realized this goal, first with a series of guest appearances on such series as Murphy Brown, The Cosby Show, and Law & Order (in a recurring part as Assistant Medical Examiner Borak), then with big-screen assignments. He landed the first of these when tapped to play "ninja turtle" Raphael in the action comedy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (1990); the role almost completely obscured Pais' countenance (he appeared in a suit designed by Jim Henson and co.), but a secondary part in the same film (as a taxi passenger) partially redeemed this drawback. After additional acting assignments in features including Music of the Heart (1999) and Scream 3 (2000), Pais branched out into writing and directing with the self-reflexive autobiographical documentary 7th Street (2002) and the instructional video The Spiritual Guide to Weight Loss (2003). He then took on acting roles in such features as The Station Agent (2003), Little Manhattan (2005), Year of the Dog (2007), and Teeth (2007). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Wes Craven's Scream (1996) was a half-parody/half-tribute to the first wave of slasher films of the 1970s and 1980s, and since most of them spawned a large number of sequels, it's only appropriate that Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson produced a third installment of their Scream franchise. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), traumatized by the brutal murders of her friends, has left her hometown of Woodsboro and is working in California as a crisis intervention counselor. Meanwhile, "Stab," the novel by Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox Arquette), is spawning a series of successful horror films, and as Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro is being filmed in Los Angeles, a lunatic has gotten his hands on a copy of the script, and is murdering the characters in the same order that they die in the movie. But predicting who will die next is not as simple as it might seem, since the producers have circulated three different screenplays, with different endings. In addition to Campbell and Cox-Arquette, David Arquette returns from the first two films as less-than-bright "Dewey" Riley; new members of the cast include Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, and Jenny McCarthy. Kevin Williamson wrote the original story, but the screenplay was penned by Ehren Kruger. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Arquette, Neve Campbell, (more)
- 1999
- NR
A big bag of money and fish equals nothing but trouble for an expatriate Indian in Karma Local. Bali (Darshan Bhagat) is a young man who has just arrived in New York from India. His uncle, who sponsored his emigration to the United States, thinks Bali is lazy and gets him a job manning a newsstand in the subway. One day, a regular customer named Charlie (Josh Pais) dashes up the stand while being chased by a group of large and very unfriendly men; Charlie quickly hands Bali a large and foul smelling bag that turns out to be full of fish -- and a large amount of cash. Bali fully intends to hold on to the money for Charlie, but Charlie owes most of the loot to a thug named Balthazar (Don Creech) who doesn't really care who has the money -- or who he has to hurt to get it back. Solid performances and a streetwise flavor are the strong points of this drama, the first feature from director and star Darshan Bhagat, which was screened at the 1999 San Francisco Asian-American Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dharshan Ghagat, Josh Pais, (more)
- 1999
The detectives and the lawyers tackle the mystery of a female patient found beaten to death in a hospital lounge. Ingredients vital to the solution are a glib "gentleman" specializing in wooing wealthy women and the effects of Alzheimer's disease on the sufferer's family. The supporting cast of this episode features such reliable veteran players as Glynnis O'Connor and Kathryn Hays. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After devoting his career to such horror films as Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Last House on the Left, director Wes Craven makes a dramatic change of pace with this inspiring drama about a teacher who helps change the lives of her students. Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras (Meryl Streep) teaches at an elementary school in Harlem, where discipline is a higher priority than the lively arts. But Roberta believes that studying music will give the children a sense of purpose invaluable in later life. Despite indifference from the school administration and budget cuts that force her to seek outside funding (and even threaten her job), Roberta struggles to teach the violin to her students, instilling a love of classical music in kids who might otherwise never have heard Bach or Mozart, and leading to a student recital at Carnegie Hall. Angela Bassett, Cloris Leachman, and Aidan Quinn highlight the supporting cast, and virtuoso violinists Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, and Mark O'Connor appear as themselves. The Music of the Heart is based on a true story; the real Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras and her students can be seen in the documentary Small Wonders. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn, (more)
- 1998
Honored at a testimonial by her fellow medical examiners, Julianna Cox (Laura Ballard) relates the curious tale of Mr. and Mrs. Cochran (Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows), who, during one of their violent arguments, may very well have spared their son the trouble of committing suicide -- by killing him themselves. Back at the homicide unit, Georgia Rae Mahoney (Hazelle Goodman), sister of the late, unlamented drug kingpin Luther Mahoney, slaps a 60-million-dollar wrongful-death lawsuit against the detectives who were present when Luther was killed. And outside their usual jurisdiction, Ballard (Callie Thorne) and Gharty (Peter Gerety) pursue a pair of murderers into the backwoods of Western Maryland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1998
As suggested by its title, this Deep Space Nine episode invokes memories of the Akira Kurosawa classic The Seven Samurai (or at least its American remake, The Magnificent Seven). The plot is set in motion when Quark's mother Ishka (Cecily Adams) is captured by the Dominion. Organizing a motley band of Ferengi warriors, Quark sets out to rescue his mom, fully intending to honor his species' traditions by bargaining rather than battling his way into the enemy camp. Iggy Pop guest stars as Ishka's Vortan captor Yelgrun. First telecast on January 1, 1998, "The Magnificent Ferengi" was written by Ira Steven Behr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Bloodstains reveal that a model was murdered by one of her closest relatives. The detectives nail a suspect, the model's illegitimate daughter -- who promptly reveals that the chief witness to the crime is her own lawyer. This opens a legal can of worms when the lawyer argues that any communication between himself and the suspect is privileged, and cannot be used in court. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Quark's unquenchable thirst for profits has potentially deadly consquences this time around, as Quark's cousin Gaila (John Pais) gets tied up with ruthless arms dealer Hagath (Steven Berkoff), who is selling weapons that could very well bring about the Apocalypse. Never one to turn down a dishonest ducat, Quark nonetheless balks at getting involved with Hagarth, but as it happens, he may have no choice. Craggy film noir icon Lawrence Tierney guest stars as The Regent, while series regular Alexander Siddig (using his given name Siddig El Fadil directed. Originally telecast April 7, 1997, "Business as Usual" was written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
A suicide investigation is turned over to homicide when it is revealed that the white victim may have been killed because she adopted a black baby. While trying to determine the baby's paternity, the detectives and the lawyers unearth some unpleasant secrets in the past of one of the suspects. But do these secrets have any bearing on the killing -- and even if they do, will they ever be heard by a jury? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The victim of a probable mugging dies, whereupon the detectives launch a homicide investigation. The trail of clues leads to the planned circumcision of Alison Martin (Emmy Rossun), the daughter of an American father (Cotter Smith) and an Egyptian mother (Ava Haddad). The outcome of the story is triggered by the ethnic and religious schism between Alison's parents. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
After a coed is murdered, a detailed description of the crime appears online. Once again, detective Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) must rely upon the computer savvy of his partner Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) to track down the perp. Once the accused is in custody, Assistant D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) must deal with the stonewall tactics of the defense attorney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
At first, it appears that a wealthy woman's death was the result of suicide. But as the detectives and the lawyers dig deeper, it becomes obvious that the woman was murdered. This time the suspects include the dead woman's teenaged daughter and the victim's husband -- or, in this case, husbands. Prominent among the supporting cast are such powerhouse performers as Sarah Paulson and Victor Raider-Wexler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
A newly excavated skeleton forces Assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) to reopen a murder case that he worked on years earlier. The wily "perpetrator" in the original case, Phillip Swann (Zeljko Ivanek), hopes to use the rediscovered remains to force a new trial. But as so often happens in Law & Order, what seems obvious at first is likely to change at a moment's notice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Logan (Chris Noth) and Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) run up against a "wall of brass" when they investigate the death of a female Navy officer, who was last seen alive at a wild party. The detectives' only witness is Ensign Evan Walters (Michael Dolan), who claims that he can remember nothing of the events leading up to the woman's death. Resistance to the successful prosecution of the case reaches to the highest levels of Navy bureaucracy -- but assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) is determined to break through the official coverup. Future E.R. regular Julianna Margulies is seen as Lt. Ruth Mendoza. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- PG
- Add Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie to QueueAdd Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie to top of Queue
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie is the live-action, feature film adaptation of the cult comic book and the popular animated television show. After prolonged exposure to radiation, four teenage turtles--Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello--have mutated into ninjas and have begun living in the sewers of a large city. Under the guidance of a ninja master Splinter the Rat and television reporter April, the Turtles embark on a mission to run crime out of the city and battle the warlord Shredder. The Turtles have been designed by Jim Henson Productions and effortlessly fit into the live-action surroundings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, (more)
- 1990
Originally scheduled to air on October 11, 1990, this Law & Order episode was bumped forward to November 20 of that year. The flames of racial unrest are fueled when a young African-American honors student is shot by Freddo Parisi (John Finn), a white cop. Much to their dismay, detectives Greevey (George Dzundza) and Logan (Chris Noth) are faced with the likelihood that the cop may have planted a weapon on the deceased to get himself off the hook. Likewise made uncomfortable by the implications and possible consequences of the incident, assistant D.A.'s Stone (Michael Moriarty) and Robinette (Richard Brooks) nonetheless set a trap to catch Officer Parisi in his own web of deceit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
A victim of AIDS is murdered, and detectives Greevey (George Dzundza) and Logan (Chris Noth) collar a suspect who may have been responsible for a string of killings in the gay community. The suspect claims that he is an "angel of mercy," putting AIDS sufferers out of their misery. Reluctantly, assistant D.A.'s Stone (Michael Moriarty) and Robinette (Richard Brooks) take the case to court, operating upon the theory that the killer was nothing more than a homicidal homophobe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
After making a mistake on the air, Murphy (Candice Bergen) finds herself being caricatured as "Mouthy Brown" in a comic strip drawn by satirical cartoonist Pat O'Shea (Gregory Proccacino). Unwilling to be thought of as a bad sport, Murphy pretends to find her cartoon counterpart to be hilarious, all the while seething inside. But when O'Shea begins to use his strip to attack the rest of the "FYI" staff, it's time for some retaliatory action. The "comic" motif in this episode is played to the hilt, right down to the utilization of animated thought balloons and "idea" light bulbs. And, oh yes, Secretary #18 (Josh Pais) makes his expectedly brief appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This little-known Robert DeNiro film is set several years after the war in Vietnam. DeNiro plays an unpredictably explosive war veteran, while Ed Harris co-stars as his army buddy, who's trying his best to forget his Vietnamese experiences by crawling into a bottle. While visiting Harris and Harris' sister Kathy Baker, DeNiro frightens both with his neurotic ramblings. Still, Baker is grateful that DeNiro's presence seems to be lifting Harris out of his deep funk. She encourages DeNiro to stay on for a while, thereby setting the stage for a blossoming romance. Baker has no way of knowing that Harris' depression has been brought about by the death of a wartime pal--a death he blames on DeNiro. Violence threatens to erupt at every turn in Jacknife, but the film refuses to play down to its audience by wallowing in the obvious. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Ed Harris, (more)
- 1988
The family braces itself for a deluge of Biblical proportions when Cliff (Bill Cosby) volunteers to fix a leaky pipe in the bathroom. Ultimately, however, he acquiesces to a crew of young plumbers comprised of Sondra's college friends. Intrigued that these high achievers would take on a "blue collar" profession, Cliff peppers head plumber Jennifer (Erica Gimpel of Profiler and Veronica Mars fame) with annoying questions. Elsewhere, Rudy (Keshia Kinght Pulliam) is driving Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) crazier than usual. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
