Saul Rubinek Movies

Disgraced former Paradise, Massachusetts Police Chief Jesse Stone (Tom Selleck) goes into self-imposed exile after being suspended from the force, investigating a bizarre series of interconnected murders in Boston that implicate Gino Fish (William Sadler), the city's most ruthless crime kingpin. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An unusually intense teenager gets the idea that his name defines his destiny in this offbeat comedy. Leon Bronstein (Jay Baruchel) is a young man who has made the discovery that his birth name is the same as that of Leon Trotsky, the celebrated Russian revolutionary and socialist theorist. This coincidence leads Leon to believe that he is the reincarnation of Trotsky and it is his destiny to follow his path as closely as possible -- which is a bit difficult when you have rich parents and attend an upscale private school in Montreal. Leon's father (Saul Rubinek) gives his son a part-time job in one of his clothing factories, and within a day Leon is leading his fellow workers in a sit-down strike. Father isn't amused and punishes Leon by making him attend public school, but there the world-be revolutionary finds new ways to battle fascism -- which in this case is represented by Principal Berkhoff (Colm Feore) and Mrs. Davis (Domini Blythe), a teacher eager to give her students detention. Leon's pursuit of social justice causes him to fall in with Frank (Michael Murphy), a burned-out activist-turned-college professor, but Leon also finds himself infatuated with Frank's current girlfriend -- who, like Trotsky's great love, is named Alexandra (Emily Hampshire) and is nine years older than he. Directed by Jacob Tierney, The Trotsky was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A Long Island couple struggles to accept the fact that their son is gay after he comes out of the closet at his cousin's wedding. Every Friday, Shirley Hirsch (Lainie Kazan) invites over a pretty Jewish girl for Shabbat dinner. Her son, Nelson (John Lloyd Young), is single, and she's determined to help him find the perfect mate. When Nelson reveals that he's already involved in a relationship, his mother drops by his apartment in hopes of meeting the lucky girl. Once there, she meets Angelo (Jai Rodriguez), who introduces himself as Nelson's decorator, and assumes that their pretty neighbor Sybil (Carmen Electra) is her son's significant other. Later, at his cousin's wedding, Nelson reveals the truth about his sexuality, prompting a heated feud between his parents. When every attempt to understand their son's lifestyle ends in failure, Nelson's parents decide to have dinner with Angelo's parents, and discover the power of compassion. Subsequently doing their best to keep Nelson's sexuality a well-guarded secret, Shirley and Martin (Saul Rubinek) realize that all bets are off when their son and his partner attempt to adopt a child, and make national headlines in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A man who makes a horrifying discovery about the founding fathers of America must protect his family from the murderous loyalist determined to safeguard the volatile secret at all costs in director Peter Medak's adaptation of a short story by author Bentley Little. Soon after his grandfather's funeral, Mike (Johnathon Schaech) unearths an artifact that paints the first president of the United States in a troubling new light. According to Mike's discovery, George Washington was a ravenous cannibal, and his flesh-eating legacy lives on to this very day. Now, as a loyal band of Washingtonians is determined to ensure that they remain well fed, and their secret never gets out. Of course, the best way to do this is by consuming Mike and his family, but this is one feast that the Washingtonians are going to have to fight for. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The fourth installment of the Jesse Stone series finds restless New England police chief Stone (Tom Selleck) fighting boredom by attempting to solve a twelve year-old cold case involving a murdered bank teller. Jesse Stone is a transplanted L.A. cop who thrived on big city adrenaline, but ultimately buckled under the pressure. Exiled to Paradise after suffering though a nasty divorce and being busted for drinking on the job, Stone now leads a quiet life of writing parking tickets and trying to suppress the urge to cut loose with the booze and babes. When one of his officers out on maternity leave and the other recovering from a recent gunshot wound, Stone turns to some old cold cases to keep himself occupied. Twelve years ago, a local bank teller was killed in broad daylight. Though the gunman responsible for the crime was never brought to justice, Stone soon uncovers a crucial piece of evidence that went overlooked during the original investigation. Now, as this once-cold case gradually begins to heat up again, Stone continues his investigation into an alleged rape that tool place aboard a yacht during Race Week. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An FBI agent whose partner and family were killed by a notorious assassin sets out for revenge as the elusive triggerman sparks a sprawling gang war between the triads and the yakuza in the feature debut from prolific music video director Phillip Atwell. FBI sgent Jack Crawford (Jason Statham) is a man driven by vengeance. After his partner, Tom Lone (Terry Chen), and his family fell to bullets fired by infamous hitman Rogue (Jet Li), Crawford makes it his life mission to ferret out the slippery killer. Complications arise when it begins to appear as if Rogue has a mission of his own to carry out, and as triad boss Chang (John Lone) prepares for all-out war against yakuza boss Shiro (Ryo Ishibashi), Crawford and Rogue also come face to face as the secrets of the past emerge in a hail of gunfire. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

When a vacation video reveals that her husband is having a secret affair, the family camcorder becomes a weapon of truth for a married suburban housewife. Betty (Wendel Meldrum) was poring over her family vacation video when she realized that a telephone conversation captured on the tape revealed her husband's infidelity. Later, as Betty makes the transformation from typical housewife to single mother, the camera becomes her constant companion. Videotaping everything from gynecological exams to blind dates, Betty begins to realize the importance of editing her work as her archives become increasingly unruly. But while Betty's new obsession may seem strange to her family and friends, it doesn't take long to realize that there's no denying the truth when it's captured on camera. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Jolly old Saint Nick goes from the nice list to the naughty list when an old wager runs up and his promise to be nice takes a backseat to his murderous impulses in this comic tale of terror from first-time director David Steiman. It turns out that the story of Santa Claus as we know it isn't quite the whole story, and instead of being a kind hearted gift-giver, Santa is actually a devilish life-taker. It was 1000 years ago that the cherubic devil lost a bet with an angel that forced him to play nice for an entire millennium. Though he remained true to his word and spread Christmas cheer for what secretly seemed like an eternity, Santa's patience has run dry with the expiration of the wager, and when this bet runs up the legend of kindly old Kriss Kringle will never be quite the same. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Paul Mazursky's Coast to Coast features a couple whose marriage is on the rocks. Barnaby (Richard Dreyfuss) and Maxine (Judy Davis) are attempting to salvage what might be left of their broken marriage by taking a road trip together. As they stop at various places and interact with a variety of people, they begin to bridge the wide gap that had taken its toll on their relationship. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Candian filmmaker Peter O'Brian directs the comedy Hollywood North, set in Toronto during the late '70s. Matthew Modine stars as Bobby Mayers, a stressed-out Canadian producer trying to make an action film called "Flight to Bogota." The production is inevitably troubled by numerous problems with the cast, crew, and finances. Alan Bates stars as crazed Hollywood actor Michael Baytes, the leading man who takes over the set. Jennifer Tilly plays Gillian Stevens, the nymphomaniac leading lady who seduces her younger co-star Frankie Candido (Fabrizio Filippo). Meanwhile, filmmaker Sandy Ryan (Deborah Kara Unger) is trying to capture the whole thing for a making-of documentary. Hollywood North premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

A cab driver is murdered, sending Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) on another clue-gathering expedition. The trail leads to a lost book, a brace of authors, and a onetime child prodigy. The story takes a bizarre twist when the suspect demands to be sentenced to death. And, oh, yes, also figuring in the proceedings is the former law school professor and mentor of ADA Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Everybody Loves Raymond co-star Brad Garrett brings "The Great One" to life in this made-for-TV biography of video icon Jackie Gleason. The product of a fractious Brooklyn childhood, capped by the abrupt desertion of his ne'er-do-well father, Gleason launches his show business career with the motto "Never depend on anyone." Yet because of his multitude of insecurities, he demands total loyalty and 100-percent devotion from everyone around him. Trouble is, he has no loyalty or devotion to give in return: Dedicated to his career, his drinking, and his womanizing (not always in that order), Jackie neglects his wife Gen (Gretchen Egolf) and his children, tyrannizes his associates in general and his faithful agent George "Bullets" Durgom (Saul Rubinek) in particular, and shamelessly steals other people's ideas and comedy material, claiming it exclusively as his own. For all his bluster and bullying, Gleason remains likable and arguably even lovable -- just like his most famous TV character, Brooklyn bus driver Ralph Kramden (indeed, the script suggests that Gleason was Kramden and Kramden was Gleason -- and that Jackie was envious of Ralph's ability to "make things up" to his long-suffering wife Alice at the end of each Honeymooners sketch). The film is at its best in its re-creations of Gleason's stage and TV triumphs, though one could nitpick about the hazy and often downright inaccurate chronology of events. As the title character, Brad Garrett offers an uncannily on-target portrayal, despite the fact that the 6'8" actor was nearly a foot taller than the real Gleason (this discrepancy was amply compensated for by the clever camera angles of cinematographer Neil Roach, not to mention the elevator shoes worn by practically every other member of the cast). Of the supporting players, Gretchen Egolf and Terry Farrell are superb as Jackie's first and second wives respectively, while Michael Chieffo's portrayal of Art Carney is eerily perfect. Co-written by Michael Preminger and Rick Podell, the same team responsible for Jackie Gleason's final theatrical feature Nothing in Common, Gleason made its CBS network debut on October 13, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi