Elizabeth Peña Movies
For some performers, the art of entertainment is discovered early on and tirelessly studied in an endless quest for perfection, and for others, a career on the stage and screen is a birthright that they are seemingly destined to fulfill. This isn't to say that they don't work just as hard to become the best they can be at their craft, but simply that actors such as the lovely and talented Elizabeth Peña have a distinct advantage in coming from a long line of talented entertainers. The daughter of a well-known Cuban-American writer/actor/director who founded the off-Broadway Latin American Theater Ensemble, Peña was born in New Jersey and raised in New York. By the tender age of eight, young Peña -- having been reared in a household of creativity and parental encouragement -- had realized without question that she wanted to dedicate her life to a career in the entertainment industry. Peña's education at New York's High School of the Performing Arts was complimented by a series of simultaneous roles in repertory theater and a handful of commercial appearances. At the age of 17, the rising starlet gained positive notice for her film debut as a rebellious teen in the award-winning independent movie El Súper. Subsequent roles in Times Square (1980), They All Laughed (1981) and Crossover Dreams (1985) may have done little to expose audiences to Peña's true dramatic abilities as an actress, but it was only a matter of time before a move Los Angeles found her star beginning to burn brighter than ever. Determined to make an impression in her new surroundings, Peña placed her demo tape and future fate as an actress in the hands of a security guard at a major studio -- and the gamble paid off more than she might have ever imagined. Not only did the guard stay true to his word and deliver the tape to the studio's casting director, but it was only 45 minutes until Peña received a phone call requesting that she return to the lot to meet director Paul Mazursky -- who was preparing to cast the role of lusty maid Carmen in the upcoming comedyDown and Out in Beverly Hills. Peña landed the part, and the rest is history.In the years that followed, Peña made quite an impression with parts in such high-profile features as La Bamba (1987) and Blue Steel (1990), and her role as the mysterious girlfriend of a haunted Vietnam veteran in Jacob's Ladder proved that Peña could skillfully alternate between tender and menacing within a single scene. Peña dabbled in television work with roles in I Married Dora and Shannon's Deal, and would continue to alternate between the large and small screens in the years that followed. As the 1990s rolled on, Peña landed an Independent Spirit Award for her role in John Sayles' Lone Star, cracked skulls opposite action superstar Jackie Chan in Rush Hour, and earned positive critical nods for her supporting performance in the Latino-themed television series Resurrection Blvd. In 2001, Peña charmed audiences as never before with her role as a well-fed daughter hungering for fulfillment in the romantic comedy drama Tortilla Soup. If roles in such big-budget movies as Imposter (2002) offered Peña the sort of exposure that independent films such as ZigZag (also 2002) and Sueño (2004) could not, those smaller, more dramatic efforts offered her a chance to truly shine as an actress. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Freddy Rodriguez, John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, Alfred Molina, and Elizabeth Peña star in Washington Heights director Alfredo de Villa's earnest family drama about the importance of familial relationships in times of personal crisis. The snow is falling and Christmas has come to Chicago. For the Rodriguez family, there is particular cause to celebrate this year; youngest sibling Jesse (Rodriguez) has recently returned home safe and sound after fighting in the war overseas. But as the members of the Rodriguez family converge on their parent's home, there's a strange sense of tension lingering heavy in the cool winter air. Despite the fact that Jesse is doing his best to get back in the good graces of his old flame, she seems reluctant to forgive him for leaving in the first place. Meanwhile, his older sister, Roxanna, has little to show for time spent chasing her Hollywood dreams, and eldest brother Mauricio (Leguizamo) is married to a high-strung executive who seems more interested in advancing her career than starting a family. But while none of this sits too well with concerned mother Anna (Peña), the bombshell she's about to drop could prove the straw that broke this family's back. When Anna announces to her children that she is planning to divorce their father, Eduardo (Molina), Roxanna, Jesse, and Mauricio instinctively pull together and begin to reevaluate their past while looking at the future in a whole new light. Later, as lingering resentments are let go and weakened bonds are reaffirmed, the Rodriquez family begins to experience the healing power of laughter while discovering that together as a family they are far stronger than they ever could be apart. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Freddy Rodriguez, John Leguizamo, (more)
A charming elderly Jewish writer who lives in a state of "permanent confusion" finds his vivid imagination becoming the bane of his existence in director Jan Schütte's adaptation of Nobel Prize-winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer's richly textured short stories. Max Kohn (Otto Tausig) is an Australian émigré whose mind is constantly spinning. He's an accomplished author of short stories who lives in New York City and is so steeped in tradition that he still uses a typewriter. Despite the fact that confirmed bachelor Max has a virtual harem of female admirers, he spends the majority of his free time with worrisome kindred soul Reisele (Rhea Perlman). It's during a trip to speak in nearby Hanover that Max begins editing his latest story -- a mischievous tale of a Miami retiree who embarks on a series of misadventures. Of course, it doesn't take Max long to lose himself in his own creation, and before he knows it, he's mixed up in two feverish romances and an unsolved murder. Upon snapping back to reality, Max begins to feel as if his own written word has begun to manifest itself. A meeting with world-weary former student Rosalie (Barbara Hershey), with whom he shares a mutual attraction, follows, and later while heading to Springfield for yet another speaking engagement Max discovers that he has misplaced his prepared speech. In the aftermath of that and various other mix-ups, Max decides to start writing a new story based on his recent adventures and featuring a protagonist named Harry -- a thinly veiled stand-in for the author himself. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Otto Tausig, Tovah Feldshuh, (more)
Korean director Shim Hyung-Rae's monster movie D-War begins with a lengthy prologue, in which an antique dealer named Jack (Robert Forster) watches a young patron, Ethan Kendrick (Cody Erens) get zapped with a force emanating from a chest in his shop. Realizing the significance of this event, Jack bequeaths a medal to the boy, and speaks candidly to him of mystical events that transpired a half-millennium earlier. In a bygone era, it seems, giant creatures called Buraki roamed the land, morphing from serpents into dragons and back again, and equipped with a massive army of formidable creatures. An ancient warrior-apprentice saved the life of his beloved from these monstrosities; the warrior's spirit was eventually contained in the aforementioned chest, and it has now filled Ethan. Jack gives Ethan an enchanted red pendant and advises him to see out the contemporary incarnation of the ancient warrior's intended, who can be recognized via a red dragon tattoo on her shoulder. When the woman reaches her 20th birthday, it seems, she and Ethan - joining forces - will be able to reincarnate Imoogi as dragons. That woman is in fact Sarah (Amanda Brooks); she and Ethan do encounter one another, but it isn't long before the Buraki serpent and all of his enormous minions resurface and decide to lay waste to the City of Angels, worming their way through the town as they look for the chosen pair. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, (more)
Adrift in Manhattan, the third feature effort of Hispanic writer/director Alfredo de Villa (Washington Heights, Yellow), intercuts three intensely dramatic stories of life during a cold New York winter, each of which revolves around the concept (and thematic motif) of vision. In the first, an eye doctor grieving from a traumatic loss (Heather Graham) must reexamine her life and priorities; in the second, an artist of advanced age must contend with encroaching blindness -- thus losing the one of his five senses that represents his greatest asset; in the third, a photographer grapples with inner turmoil. De Villa brings these stories together for an unanticipated intersection on a Manhattan subway line, and watches as these individuals -- initially, complete strangers to one another -- help to guide each other through their struggles, pain, and angst. William Baldwin and Erika Michaels co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heather Graham, William Baldwin, (more)
Veteran actor Andy Garcia steps into the director's chair for his first voyage into feature filmmaking with this heartfelt tribute to revolutionary, late-'50s-era Cuba featuring Dustin Hoffman, Bill Murray, Tomas Milian, and offering the director himself in the starring role. Fico Fellove (Garcia) is the politically neutral owner of the El Tropico nightclub who seeks shelter from the winds of change behind the crowded bar of his flourishing business. Unfortunately for Fico, the blood of the revolution flows deep within the veins of his passionate brothers, and it's only a matter of time before both the club owner, and his distinguished father, are forced to face the prospect of having their lives forever changed despite their indifference to the violence that surrounds them. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Garcia, Dustin Hoffman, (more)
The first film by Duncan Tucker, Transamerica stars Felicity Huffman as a pre-operative transsexual named Bree (whose given name was Stanley). One week before going under the knife, Bree learns that she fathered a boy who is now 17 and is in trouble with the law. Bree would like to ignore this information, but is forced to meet the young man, Toby (played by Kevin Zegers), by her analyst Margaret (Elizabeth Peña), who will not allow the surgery to happen unless Bree meets him and confronts this aspect of her past. Upon meeting, the son believes that Bree is simply a do-gooder. She buys a car and the two road-trip back to her home in Los Angeles, Bree all the while attempting to keep from Toby the truth of the situation. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegers, (more)
- 2005
- R
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Georgina Garcia Riedel's comedy How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer stars Lucy Gallardo, Elizabeth Peña, and America Ferrara as three generations in a family. Teenager Blanca (Ferrara) detests the boys in her small town and takes on a boyfriend from another town in the hopes that he might be different. Her mother, Rosa (Peña), is so sexually frustrated that she begins to put the moves on her best friend's husband, a man who has had an ongoing problem with sexual fidelity. Rosa's mother, Dona (Gallardo), embarrasses her daughter by refusing to settle down into a quiet elderly life. The 80-year-old takes driving lessons from a local gardener, although their relationship turns out to be far more. This film was screened in competition at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- America Ferrera, Elizabeth Peña, (more)
An aspiring musician looking to break big finds the singer who may finally be able to make his dreams come true in director Renee Chabria's musical drama starring John Leguizamo and Elizabeth Peña. There's nothing that Antonio (Leguizamo) wants more out of life than to be standing on the stage with the spotlight shining down on him. Soon after purchasing a bus ticket to Los Angeles and leaving his Mexican border town behind, Antonio falls for aspiring young doctor Nina (Ana Claudia Talancon). When Antonio discovers that his new neighbor Mirabella is a gifted former singer who has fallen on hard times, he convinces the struggling single mother to put her faith in her abilities and prepare for the upcoming talent contest that may just lead the pair to a future full of prosperity and creative freedom. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Leguizamo, Ana Claudia Talancón, (more)
Based on a true story, this made-for-TV drama concerns Clara Harris (Elizabeth Peña), a successful dentist and mother of twins, who hires a private detective, Bobbi Bacha (Sela Ward), to keep tabs on her husband David (Brett Cullen). Clara has suspected for some time that David has been unfaithful to her, and when he hires a sexy new secretary, it isn't long before Clara learns the two are having an affair. Clara hires Bobbi to catch David in the act, but when Clara sees David out on the town with his mistress, Bobbi ends up getting something unexpected on videotape -- footage of Clara running over her husband with her car not once, but three times. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sela Ward, Elizabeth Peña, (more)
As the wife of fading Hollywood producer Kit Freers (Andrew McCarthy), children's book illustrator Holly Freers (Justine Bateman) would love to have some of the fame and fortune of her movie star neighbors rub off on her just once in a while. However, there is one aspect of living in Beverly Hills that Holly despises. Whereas she is deeply devoted to her daughter Chloe (Holliston Coleman), most of the wives in Holly's neighborhood regard their children as mere ornaments, treating motherhood more as a passing fad than as a blessing. This is especially true of Julia Prentice (Angie Everhart), the trophy wife of a popular sitcom star, who is gearing up to stage the baptism of her baby as a major media event. Nor is this the only reason that Holly resents Julia; it seems that the woman had once been Kit's lover. Thus, when Julia's corpse is found floating in the Freers' swimming pool, the police have two ready-made suspects -- and Holly suddenly becomes a celebrity, just like she always wanted...though she certainly didn't want it like this! Hoping to track down the real killer, Holly starts playing Jessica Fletcher (or is it Nancy Drew?) in the company of her handsome neighbor, screenwriter and mystery buff Justin Caffrey (David Gale). Originally telecast by the Hallmark Channel on August 8, 2004, The Hollywood Mom's Mystery is based on Dead Hollywood Moms Society, a novel by Lindsay Maracotta. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justine Bateman, Elizabeth Peña, (more)
A man who lives what many would consider to be the perfect life begins to see the cracks forming on the surface of his porcelain smooth façade in director Stu Pollard's paranoid tale of deception and betrayal. David Dailey (Gil Bellows) has a picture-perfect home, a career with a promising future, and a key role in the community -- but all of that is about to change. With the sexual obsessions of his lusty wife Susan (Kim Raver) gradually taking their toll on David and his longtime assistant blatantly setting his sights on the established professional's job, the stress of his personal life eventually drives David into the arms of beautiful stranger Melody Carpenter (Jennifer Westfeldt). Despite outward appearances, Melody's charming and rich ex-boyfriend Sean (Christian Kane) hasn't taken too warmly to her new relationship with David and sets into motion a devious plan to win her back at any cost. Meanwhile, Sean's powerful and overprotective father (Stacy Keach) has hired a sexy spy (Elizabeth Peña) to keep close tabs on all involved. As the relationship between David and Melody grows increasingly intense, so do their mutual suspicions of being watched, and David soon realizes that the only thing worse than having nothing at all is having it all swept out from under your feet when you least expect it. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gil Bellows, Kim Raver, (more)
Directed by Brad Bird, The Incredibles revolves around former high-profile superhero Bob Parr (aka Mr. Incredible), who has not-so-successfully settled into suburban life along with his wife and kids under the watchful eye of the Superhero Protection Program. A far cry from the "glory days" during which "supers" were a welcome addition to society, the Parrs' living situation was brought on after a series of superhero-related lawsuits forced them into hiding. When not trying to fight small-time crime undercover with fellow former superhero Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), Parr (voice by Craig T. Nelson) is muddling through the corporate world as a paunchy, emotionally unsatisfied insurance claims adjuster. His family is like any other with some notable exceptions -- his daughter has the uncanny ability to become invisible and create impenetrable force fields at will; his son, Dash, can run at incredible speeds; his wife, Helen (Holly Hunter), is known in super circles as Elastigirl, one of the most respected (and pliable) superwomen of her time. Just when it looks as if things can't get any worse for Bob, he gets a summons to show up at a remote island to receive instructions for a highly classified assignment, which he promptly accepts. Thrust back into the world of fighting crime, the Incredible family is back in familiar territory -- saving the world from Syndrome, a jilted former fan of Mr. Incredible. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, (more)
- 2004
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A presentation of the daily PBS Kids programming block, Maya & Miguel was a Latino-flavored educational cartoon series geared for children aged 5 through 11. Maya Santos was a lively 10-year-old Hispanic girl who was insatiably curious about the world around her, and who also came up with a million and one ideas to help those around her--in short, a well-meaning busybody, who invariably learned an important Life Lesson, or a new aspect of Latino culture and history, the end of each half-hour episode. Maya was accompanied in her exploits by her twin brother Miguel, her 7-year-old Mexican cousion Tito, and her ethnically diverse friends, among them Chrissy, Maggie, Theo and Andy. The adult characters included Maya and Miguel's incredibly supportive parents Miguel and Rosa, the kids' warm-hearted grandmother Abuela Elena, and friendly neighborhood mailman Senor Felipe. The Hispanic characters all spoke bilingually, switching from English to Spanish and back again with exhilarating abandon. Produced by Scholastic Productions and funded in part by a cooperative agreement between PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the US Department of Education, Maya & Miguel debuted October 1, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candi Milo, Nika Frost, (more)
Directed and written by Rodrigo Garcia, Ten Tiny Love Stories features ten women who, in a series of monologues, talk about the men who have made the largest impact on their respective lives. Though each woman is unique in her experiences with love, sex, death, loss, and many other aspects of the human condition, they all have one thing in common: their memories are the only remaining connection they have to the man who affected them to an extent he will probably never realize. Ten Tiny Love Stories is Garcia's second feature film, and features Kathy Baker, Radha Mitchell, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Debi Mazar, and Elizabeth Peña. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
Writer and director Allison Anders, who used the world of rock & roll as the backdrop for her films Border Radio, Grace of My Heart, and Sugar Mountain, returns to the music scene for this tale of a woman struggling to come to terms with an emotionally devastating past. Sherry McGrale (Kim Dickens) is a punk-influenced singer and songwriter whose angry, deeply personal music has begun to win her a national following, though the demons that fuel her art are playing havoc with her life, as she drowns her sorrows in drugs and alcohol and fills a growing police blotter with arrests for disorderly conduct. Sherry is winning significant airplay for a song about the brutal rape of a young woman, and rock journalist Owen (Gabriel Mann) convinces his editor Pete (Rosanna Arquette) to assign him a major story on Sherry when he tells her he knows the truth about Sherry's own rape as an adolescent, which inspired the song. Owen is forced to run interference with Chuck (Don Cheadle), Sherry's manager and former boyfriend who is fiercely protective of his fragile client, but Owen is still able to meet with the singer. However, Owen finds that Sherry either can't or won't remember most of the details of the brutal and degrading assault, and she doesn't want to discuss the heavy toll it's taken upon her. Influential experimental rock group Sonic Youth contributed several original compositions for the film's score; Sherry's singing voice was provided by Kristen Vigard, who performed on the soundtrack of Grace of My Heart. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Dickens, Gabriel Mann, (more)
A remake of Ang Lee's family comedy Eat Drink Man Woman, Maria Ripoli's Hispanic-American ensemble feature set in Southern California about a veteran chef named Martin Naranjo (Hector Elizondo), who is slowly losing his sense of taste. He has three daughters, all of whom have chosen different paths. There is Letitia (Elizabeth Pena), the oldest and most repressed of the bunch, a rigid schoolteacher who is a member of the Christian faith. His youngest, Maribel (Tamara Mello), is the most assured, though plagued by doubts. His middle daughter Carmen (Jacqueline Obradors) is most like him and shares his taste for cooking, but has chosen a career as a corporate consultant, which makes for a more secure lifestyle. She is offered a high-profile job in Barcelona, which causes a rift in the family setting. Maribel soon finds herself drawn to a handsome Brazilian student (Nikolai Kinski), and Letitia is gaining affection for Orlando (Paul Rodriguez), an awkward ballplayer whom her students have sent mistaken love letters to without her knowing. Also at their dinners are a shy single mother (Constance Marie) and her obnoxious mother (Raquel Welch), who has her sights set on Martin's affections. Tortilla Soup is Maria Ripoli's second major feature, after her whimsical 1998 feature Twice Upon a Yesterday. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hector Elizondo, Jacqueline Obradors, (more)
Zigzag is the directorial debut of screenwriter David S. Goyer (Blade, Blade 2). Based on the well-received debut novel by Landon J. Napoleon, the film tells the story of an autistic teenager, Louis "Zigzag" Fletcher (Sam Jones III). Zigzag is a sensitive and thoughtful boy who retreats into his own mind to escape the harshness of his inner-city life, particularly the abuse of his father (Wesley Snipes). His only friend is Singer (John Leguizamo), his compassionate Big Brother, who gives Louis his nickname, and tells the boy he's imbued with special powers. He's trying to get Zigzag removed from his father's home, and also to teach him to survive. Singer has testicular cancer, and is concerned that he won't always be around when the boy needs him. Zigzag works as a dishwasher in a restaurant owned by the Toad (Oliver Platt), an amusingly caustic Southerner. After Zigzag's father demands 200 dollars for rent, the boy sees Toad opening his office safe, and commits the combination to memory. Later, he takes 9,000 dollars from the safe. When he attempts to give his father the rent, his father takes all the money. When Singer finds out what Zigzag has done, he goes to desperate lengths to get the money back, so he can return it to Toad before Zigzag gets into trouble. As Singer's plan goes awry, this brings the pair into contact with a sleazy loan shark (Luke Goss, who was also in Blade 2) and a kindhearted prostitute (Natasha Lyonne). The film's soundtrack was composed by Grant Lee Phillips. Zigzag was shown at the 2002 SXSW Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Jones III, John Leguizamo, (more)
This long-delayed science fiction thriller from director Gary Fleder was actually filmed prior to his box-office hit Don't Say a Word (2001), which preceded it in theaters by several months. Based on a 1953 short story by Philip K. Dick, the film shares that schizophrenic author's long-running obsessions with concealed identity and humanity's potential inferiority to alternative life forms. Gary Sinise stars as Spencer John Olham, a respected government scientist in the year 2079 trying to devise a secret weapon that will help his fellow humans win a decade-long war with invading aliens that are cloning human subjects and using the replicas as walking time bombs. Suddenly, Olham is accused of being an alien spy and a nationwide manhunt to capture him ensues. With even his doctor wife (Madeleine Stowe) unsure that she can trust him, Olham must uncover the truth on his own, even as he's relentlessly pursued by Hathaway (Vincent D'Onofrio), a federal agent charged with destroying the clones. Imposter has a complicated history, originally produced in early 2000 as a 30-minute short to be included in an anthology entitled "The Light Years Trilogy," a project that never got off the ground. So impressed was Dimension Films with the completed piece, however, that the footage was incorporated into a new feature version. That film was then shuffled around the release schedule for more than a year as effects were completed, reshoots were ordered, and the film was recut for a PG-13 rating instead of its original R. The R-rated "director's cut" was later released on DVD. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, (more)
A desperate man is lured to the wrong side of the law with dangerous consequences in this drama. Luke (Eric Mabius) and Nicole (Marley Shelton) are a young couple who have decided to pull up stakes and relocate to California. While passing through a small town along the Mexican border, they discover all their money has been stolen, leaving them without the means to go on. Nicole takes a job as a waitress, but Luke knows they'll need more money that her tips will raise if they want to get to California, so when a local rounder offers Luke a few hundred bucks to drive a load of illegal aliens into the country, he accepts. While Luke is paid well for his work, he soon finds he's working for dangerous and disloyal men -- and that Captain Elias (R. Lee Ermey), a local law enforcement officer, has begun to suspect what he's doing. On the Borderline also features Elizabeth Pena, Aiden Campbell, and Tony Frank. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Mabius, Marley Shelton, (more)
In this romantic comedy, a man gets an insider's perspective on his drawbacks as a boyfriend. Jesse (Tim Daly) has never had much luck sustaining a romance. When one of his former girlfriends dies, he asks his current flame (Olivia D'Abo) to marry him. After she turns him down, he decides to visit his former girlfriends to find out what he's doing wrong. Jesse's roster of former girlfriends includes Jami Gertz, Melora Hardin, Elizabeth Pena, and Mimi Rogers. Seven Girlfriends marked the feature debut of director Paul Lazarus, who has a background in such TV series as Friends, Melrose Place, and Beverly Hills 90210. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Daly, Olivia D'Abo, (more)
- 1999
Executive-produced by actor Anthony Edwards, the made for TV Border Line is a showcase for Edwards' ER costar Sherry Stringfield, cast as attorney and single mom Allison Westlin. As the representive of the LA-based Fuller Adoption Agency, Allison has never had any reason to question the integrity of her employers--until she stumbles upon the murder of an Asian woman. Investigating, Allison unhappily concludes that the Fuller Agency has been using illegal strongarm tactics abroad, literally snatching babies from the arms of poor and helpless Asian mothers to service their customers. Working hand in glove with Private Eye Mariano (Christopher Reid) and immigration officer Macivers (James LeGros), Allison puts her own life on the line--not to mention those of her daughter and her Hispanic nanny (Elizabeth Pena)--to see that justice is served. Border Line debuted February 22, 1999 on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
William Forsythe, James LeGros and Elizabeth Pena star in this modern noir-style thriller. A guy whose luck has not been good lately picks up a hitch-hiker one night. This seemingly innocent act draws him into a dark world of corrupt police officers and strange behavior; it also brings him into contact with a lonely waitress with seduction on her mind. Directed by Kurt Voss, best known for his collaborations with Allison Anders (Border Radio, Sugar Town). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Forsythe, James LeGros, (more)
Dee Snider, of the Twisted Sister heavy metal music group, made his debut as a screenwriter and producer with this horror film, directed by John Pieplow. A psycho on the Internet uses the handle, "Captain Howdy" (Snider), an obvious reference to the unseen Ouija board spirit in The Exorcist (1973). After the abduction of his daughter Genevieve (Linda Cardellini), detective Mike Gage (Kevin Gage) is on the case, joined by detective Christian (Brett Harrelson). Kidnapper Captain Howdy is eventually captured and sent off to the asylum. Released four years later, Howdy is hanged by a vigilante mob led by redneck Jackson Roth (Robert Englund). Reborn as Carleton Hendricks (Snider), Howdy turns against the vigilantes, kidnaps Genevieve a second time, and once again confronts Gage. Snider also contributes an original heavy-metal tune for the closing credits. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dee Snider, Kevin Gage, (more)
