John Solari Movies
Director Brian De Palma returns to the helm for the first time since 2002's Femme Fatale with this stylish screen adaptation of James Ellroy's novel detailing one of the most notorious unsolved murders in Hollywood history. Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) was a struggling actress looking to make a name for herself in 1940s-era Tinseltown. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, it was her grim fate that would ultimately overshadow anything she would accomplish during her short and tragic career. When police discover Elizabeth's body cut clean in half and with all of her organs missing, ex-pugilist detectives Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) are the men charged with cracking the case and apprehending the killer. This isn't your average murder case, however, and as Blanchard's marriage to Kay (Scarlett Johansson) begins to suffer due to his obsession with the sensational crime, his partner Bleichert discovers a troubling link between the victim and the mysterious Madeleine Linscott (Hilary Swank), a prominent socialite and the daughter of one of the town's most connected key players. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, (more)
Here's a fictionalized account of Jack Ruby's perspective of the events leading up to his assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald. Danny Aiello appears convincingly as the nightclub-owner Ruby who (according to this telling) points the finger at an FBI conspiracy as the force behind the Kennedy assassination. The film includes some actual footage from Ruby's Oswald shooting. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Sherilyn Fenn, (more)
Even though Charles Bronson doesn't carry a gun in this feature, there are still plenty of the fights, car chases, and explosions -- all hallmarks of Bronson's action films. Bronson plays Denver Tribune crime reporter Garrett Smith, who investigates the murder mystery of a Mormon family. Smith tries to mediate between rival factions who have broken off from the Salt Lake theology and are carrying on a bloody feud. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Trish VanDevere, (more)
O'Brien (Chuck Norris) is a detective who captured the psychotic maniac Simon Moon (Jack O'Halloran), aka the Terror, by mistake. When the obese 6' 6'' villain fell from a ladder trying to escape, he was knocked cold and the lucky O'Brien got the credit for his collar. With his psychiatrist sweetheart Kay (Brynn Thayer), pregnant with their first child, the Terror escapes. Although he is large and unforgettable, the terrible Titan manages to evade the police, and no one even notices him when he carts cadavers on his massive shoulders. This routine actioner provides a view of several historic sights in Santa Monica, California. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Norris, Brynn Thayer, (more)
In Armed and Dangerous, John Candy plays a cop who has been kicked off the force on a trumped up charge. Eugene Levy costars as a disbarred lawyer. The two outcasts take low-paying jobs as security officers at a company controlled by mob boss Robert Loggia. In their own stumblebum fashion, Candy and Levy uncover a smuggling operation masterminded by Loggia. Meg Ryan also shows up in an early leading role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Eugene Levy, (more)
