Leo Rossi Movies

After spending almost a decade in prison, boxer Joey Nardone (Tony Luke Jr.) is no longer in fighting shape. All that changes when he meets teenage Jesus; Joey becomes the boy's champion, giving him a reason to train and fight. ~ All Movie Guide

Angie Everhart, David Proval, Sal Mazzotta and Abe Vigoda star in co-directors Mazzotta and Brian Cavallaro's horror omnibus exploring the shadowy areas between life and death, and the unexplored darkness that lurks just beneath our collective consciousness. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A medical student with mounting debts draws on her formidable poker skills in order to stay afloat in this gambling drama starring Dominique Swain and Michael Madsen. As a young girl, Alicia "Ace" Anderson (Swain) frequently accompanied her card shark father (Madsen) to clandestine gambling rooms for tense rounds of Texas Hold 'Em. As a result of her childhood spent watching her father fleece his opponents, Alicia became a fairly exceptional card player herself. These days Alicia has left behind the world of gambling in order to focus on medical school, but education doesn't come cheap and the tuition fees are fast piling up. Of course the one way that Alicia knows how to make a quick buck is to fall back on her old skills, and now with a bottomed out bank account and few options on the table the savvy student gambler enlists the aid of some fellow students in hitting it big at the local casino. Though her cohorts may be well schooled in the art of the bluff, this team will need much more than a good poker face if they truly intend to win out over some of the world's best card players. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

As a jury convenes to determine the fate of a man accused of being a notorious serial killer, they quickly discover that the so-called facts in the case aren't quite what they seem in director Russell Gannon's twisting courtroom-thriller. Jack Hamilton is on trial for the murder of fourteen people, and all but one of the jury believe him to be guilty of the grisly crimes with which he has been charged. Now, as jury foreman Mr. Griffith attempts to convince his peers that Hamilton is an innocent man, it rapidly becomes obvious that in this deliberation nothing is what it appears to be. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The romantic comedy Shut Up and Kiss Me concerns two best friends, one a stockbroker and the other a slacker surfer, who each fall in love with the perfect girl the same day. The situation gets complicated when the uncle of one of the girls turns out to be a mob boss who is troubled by the thought of his niece dating the surfer. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

In a world driven by celebrity obsession, what better way to express your admiration of the Hollywood star of yesteryear than by having them glimmering from around your neck or shimmering on your finger wherever you go? At least that's the attitude taken by Dr. Lockbuster (Tim McNeil) as he enters into a lucrative partnership with notorious criminal Augustine Garza (Leo Rossi) and millionaire Quentin Leeds (Joseph Ruskin) to market "celebrity" diamonds made from the ashes of deceased Hollywood royalty. It seems that wealthy widows simply can't get enough of the glitz and glamour, especially diamond fanatic Mrs. Kelly (Tippi Hedren). But what happens when the men assigned the decidedly unglamorous task of acquiring the remains begin running out of "product"? With their decidedly finite supply of deceased Hollywood royalty rapidly declining, desperate grave robbers Bergerac de la Houssey (Bronson Pinchot) and Lulu (Darin Heames) soon begin shopping around for living candidates. When the murder of Quentin Leeds inspires investigators to pick up Bergerac for questioning, the nervous grave robber beats a hasty retreat while in possession of the famed Hemingway diamond that is said to have a hypnotic effect on anyone who comes in contact with it. With the police, Garza, and Mrs. Kelly hot on his trail, it seems that this quest for the ultimate gem can only end badly. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Shot on digital video and taking its title from his 1992 book of poetry, Sherman Alexie's The Business of Fancydancing is a portrait of the conflicted relationship between two Native American men. Aristotle Joseph (Gene Tagaban) and Seymour Polatkin (Evan Adams) had long been best friends by the time they left their Spokane reservation to attend college in Seattle. But while Seymour flourished in Seattle as a gay writer, Aristotle endured nothing but bad luck that led to growing resentment, both against white society and his best friend. Although Aristotle returned to the reservation, Seymour remained in Seattle. Now, 15 years later, the sudden death of their mutual childhood friend brings Seymour back to the reservation -- without his white boyfriend -- where he must cope with his status as the de facto mouthpiece for his people and his estranged relationship with both Aristotle, who seems to be growing more violent by the day, and also Agnes (Michelle St. John), his one-time college girlfriend. The Business of Fancydancing was screened at the 2002 Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

A woman in need of a miracle finds one in an unexpected manner in this inspirational comedy-drama. Amanda (Julie Condra) works as a secretary for Sully (Leo Rossi), a mid-level mobster working out of Las Vegas. Amanda, who seems to be perpetually at the end of her rope, and her spineless live-in boyfriend Alan (Jay Underwood), have a habit of living beyond their means, and they find themselves deep in debt. Unable to pay their bills, Amanda gets the bright idea of "borrowing" $250,000 from Sully without telling him, and putting it on a "sure thing" at the racetrack. However, the horse that couldn't lose does just that, and Amanda has to come up with a quarter-million dollars before Sully gets wind of her embezzlement. Amanda learns she has a grandfather that she's never met, Nathan (Pat Hingle), and it seems Grandfather is a multi-millionaire. Amanda tracks Nathan down, and to her relief, he agrees to lend her the money. But there's a string attached -- Nathan, who is in a convalescent home, wants to visit his favorite fishing hole in Redemption, MT, one last time before he dies, and he'll give Amanda the money only if she'll escort him there. Amanda and Nathan soon hit the highway, with Sully's men following close behind, and as Amanda finds herself in the middle of a series of unexpected adventures, she also learns something about her grandfather's deep and abiding Christian faith. Road to Redemption was produced by World Wide Pictures, a media outlet of the Billy Graham Crusade (excerpts from Mr. Graham's radio broadcasts can be heard in the film, though he does not appear on camera). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Direct-to-video auteur Lloyd A. Simandl directs Kari Wuhrer in this silly sci-fi exercise. Wuhrer portrays Sasha Burns, who must use all of her powers to help Governer Crombie (Daniel Fleischer-Brown) stop a spaceship from crashing into (and therefore destroying Los Angeles. In an attempt to keep the audience from noticing the thin plot, the director has included many women-in-prison film clichés and given them a futuristic twist. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

In the same year that a hit cable television series, The Sopranos, successfully mined the same premise, this comedy about a mobster seeking advice from a psychiatrist was a box office winner for director Harold Ramis. Billy Crystal stars as Dr. Ben Sobel, a New York shrink who's becoming a little bored with his upscale but neurotic clientele. Into Sobel's practice comes a guy with legitimate problems, Mafia kingpin Paul Viti (Robert DeNiro), a godfather who is being reduced to tears and panic attacks by stress and his guilt over his beloved father's assassination. Intimidated but also fascinated by Viti, Dr. Sobel becomes frustrated when his mob boss patient becomes a full-time occupation, as Viti summons the psychiatrist for his professional help at all hours and in all places, even including the doctor's Florida wedding to TV reporter Laura MacNamara (Lisa Kudrow). In the meantime, a power struggle is brewing with Viti's long-time rival Primo Sidone (Chazz Palminteri), but Viti begins employing the feel-good self-help jargon and techniques he's learned from Dr. Sobel to keep his enemy off balance. Just as the therapist and his powerful patient are making breakthroughs, the FBI attempts to persuade Sobel that Viti is going to have him murdered, leading to a nearly lethal misunderstanding. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

If aliens from another galaxy were to observe ordinary people as they look for love in contemporary America, what would they make of it? That is the premise of The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human, which takes the form of a documentary in which a camera crew from an alien civilization spies on a couple from Earth as they meet, fall in love, and navigate the bumpy road to matrimony, as a helpful narrator explains what's going on. The Male (Mackenzie Austin) encounters The Female (Carmen Electra) at The Sacred Meeting Ground (a nightclub in Los Angeles), and thus begins a long series of dates, conversations, sexual episodes, meetings of parents and friends, and finally marriage, as an expert (David Hyde Pierce) enlightens us as to what it all means. The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human was written and directed by Jeff Abugov, best known for his work in television on the series The Golden Girls, Roseanne, and Grace Under Fire; the supporting cast includes Lucy Liu, Markus Redmond, and Lisa Rontondi. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Unconditional Love stars stand-up comic John Kennedy Horne as Joe Kirkman, an investigative reporter for an L.A. newspaper. When his best friend is murdered by underlings of Ted Markham (Henry Silva), a business executive with criminal ties, Kirkman decides to get revenge the best way he knows how -- by digging into Markham's business, uncovering the extent of his crimes, and bringing him to justice. He's aided in his research by Patrice (Tracey Ross), a graduate student and computer expert who soon develops a decidedly non-academic relationship with Kirkman. Unconditional Love also features supporting performances from Antonio Fargas, Robert Culp and Adrian Zmed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Three women who share a house are all about to turn 30. Tentative, mousy Micki (Julie Warner) has just had her fiancée, Jeff (Joseph Urla), break off their wedding plans because she's not passionate enough for him. Beautiful Tanya (Paulina Porizkova) is pregnant and has lost her job as a sales clerk, but her boyfriend Tom (Richard Edson) isn't ready to marry and raise a child. Jasmine (Illeana Douglas), who loves being single and dating bad boys, is tired of her family's pressure to marry. She proposes that all three get married, notify their families, then divorce. They go to Las Vegas to pursue the scheme. Micki hooks up with a dreamy cowboy, Cary (John Corbett), who instructs her in the art of passion. Tanya lures an older fellow, divorced businessman Oliver (Charles Martin Smith), planning to trick him into thinking that he's responsible for her pregnancy. Jasmine falls for Oliver's younger friend Matt (Jonathan Penner), who turns her on despite being a nice guy. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide