John Ventimiglia Movies

Fox Searchlight presents the tragic life story of rap star Notorious B.I.G. from director George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food) and executive producer Sean "Diddy" Combs. The script is provided by Cheo Hodari Coker and Biker Boyz writer/director Reggie Rock Blythewood. Jamal Woolard portrays the slain rapper, with Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, and Anthony Mackie filling out the supporting cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Jake Hoffman, Jeremy Sisto, Devon Aoki, and Ralph Macchio star in first-time screenwriter/director Jordan Galland's horror comedy about a Shakespearian actor who agrees to direct a most unusual stage production of Hamlet. An out-of-work actor (Hoffman) in search of his big break believes that he's got his shot at stardom when he's hired to direct an unconventional off-Broadway production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. But this adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play isn't just different because it takes a few intriguing liberties with the familiar tale, the most remarkable aspect of this particular production of Hamlet is the fact that it was written by a genuine Romanian vampire (John Ventimiglia). Now, as the rehearsals get under way and the body count starts to rise, the ambitious director struggles to gain control of the production while staying faithful to his one true love (Aoki) and dodging the detective (Sisto) who has made it his mission to solve the recent rash of unusual murders. Meanwhile, a powerful mob boss (Macchio) does his best to battle the legions of the undead. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

HBO split the sixth and final season of its serial mafia drama The Sopranos into two halves, spaced 10 months apart: the first half (episodes 1-12) aired from mid-March through early June of 2006; a hiatus followed between episodes 12 and 13, before the series picked up again for its final nine episodes on April 8, 2007, purportedly thanks to overwhelming audience demand for an extension. As the season begins, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is plagued by problem after problem at home: though he has made peace with wife Carmela (Edie Falco), and daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) is relatively well-adjusted and happy, attending college and living with fiancée Finn De Trolio (Will Janowitz), Tony's son, A.J. (Robert Iler) is a complete slacker and layabout who has just failed out of college and seems hesitant to accomplish anything of merit. Meanwhile, Tony finds himself saddled with a new captain, Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) who expresses more hesitation over "working" him than his incarcerated predecessor, Johnny Sacks (Vince Curatola). Complicating matters are two employees: Tony's soldier Eugene Pontecorvo (Robert Funaro), who attempts to buy his way out of the syndicate via an inheritance, and the homosexual captain Vito Spatafore (Joe Gannascoli) who comes out of the closet and ends up being spotted in a leather bar - then is knocked off by a member of the family, which leads to the death of a Lieutenant and sparks a tidal wave of mob violence. In another subplot, aspiring screenwriter Christopher (Michael Imperioli), Tony's cousin, devises an idea for a gangster picture which he describes as "The Godfather meets Saw," and heads off to Hollywood to pitch it to Ben Kingsley. The season cliffhanger, however, involves Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese), an elderly man suffering from extreme senility who mistakenly draws a gun and plugs Tony in the stomach, sending him into a coma - leaving consigliere Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt of The E Street Band) to tend to family business. This, in turn, yields several sequences where Tony wanders around in a dream state, and contemplates his own mortality. The second half of the season has Christopher continuing his strenuous efforts to have his epic (which he entitled Cleaver) produced, the absence of Johnny Sack leaving an ongoing void of power in the syndicate, and Tony again coming to terms with aging and mortality, while he struggles (as ever) to balance personal and professional demands. Guest stars in the 2007 episodes include: Sydney Pollack, Tim Daly, Daniel Baldwin and Geraldo Rivera. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

The war on terror has an unusual effect on one man in this independent drama. Hassan (Ayad Akhtar) was an engineering student from Pakistan who, while studying in Paris, was one of several Pakistani students arrested by intelligence officers on suspicion of participating in international terrorist activities. Hassan was innocent of any crimes, but it took him hours to convince the authorities of this. By the time Hassan was released, his attitude about the West had begun to change, and in time he began to identify with the terrorists with whom he had been unwittingly associated. Hassan then renounces his old life, joins a radical group, and illegally slips into the United States with the aim of staging a major terrorist action in New York City. Hassan comes to stay with an old friend, Sayeed (Firdous Bamji), and his family; Hassan has told Sayeed and his wife (Sarita Choudhury) that he's come to New York in search of a job, but in time Sayeed suspects his friend has a different agenda in mind. The War Within was screened as part of the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Three women whose lives have followed very different paths ponder their pasts and their futures in this omnibus film from second-time director Rebecca Miller, adapted from her acclaimed short story collection of the same name. Delia (Kyra Sedgwick) grew up in a fractured household; her mother abandoned the family when Delia was a child, and her father (Brian Tarantina) was a drug-addled loser who could barely be prodded off the couch. When she entered adolescence, Delia realized that she could use her body to get men to do as she pleased. While this gained her a feeling of power and self-sufficiency, it also earned her a reputation as the "class slut," and the end product was her marriage to Kurt (David Warshofsky). Greta (Parker Posey) is the daughter of a successful lawyer (Ron Leibman) who left her mother when she was young and offered Greta criticism rather than affection. Plagued with self-doubt, Greta is squandering her literary talents editing cookbooks and is married to Lee (Tim Guinee. When Thavi (Joel de la Fuente), a respected and successful young novelist, asks Greta to edit his next novel, it forces her to reassess herself on a number of levels. Finally, Paula (Fairuza Balk), yet another product of a fractured family, ran away from her mother and was homeless until she met Vincent (Seth Gilliam), who took her in and became her boyfriend. A year later, Paula is uncertain in her feelings about Vincent, unsettled to learn that she's pregnant, and startled after witnessing a murder while out clubbing with a friend; she hits the road again, and soon picks up a fellow alienated teen, Kevin (Lou Taylor Pucci), who bears the scars of a recent -- and very brutal -- beating. Personal Velocity: Three Portraits was honored with the Grand Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

It is just possible that the made-for-TV biopic Muhammad Ali: King of the World was hastily pieced together to capitalize on the popular theatrical documentary When We Were Kings and the publicity attending the upcoming Will Smith movie vehicle Ali. Actually, the title of the TV film was something of a misnomer, since the story covers the formative days of Ali's career and fame, when he was still fighting under his given name Cassius Clay. Played by Terrence DaShon Howard, the young Clay slugs his way from poverty-stricken obscurity to the 1960 Olympics, garners both positive and negative publicity with his incessant self-worship and improvised rhymes, and proves that he is more than just talk when he defeats Sonny Liston (Steve Harris) in 1964. It is in fact at this point that the film draws to a close, with a few hints of what is to come manifested in an early meeting between the impressionable Clay and Islamic activist Malcolm X (Gary Dourdan). Based on the bestselling 1998 biography by David Renwick, Muhammad Ali: King of the World debuted January 10, 2000, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Would you believe Hugh Grant as a violent Mafioso from Kansas City? Don't worry if you can't: that's part of the joke in this romantic comedy. Michael Felgate (Hugh Grant) is a British expatriate living in Manhattan who runs a successful auction house dealing in rare and valuable art. When Michael meets Gina (Jeanne Tripplehorn), he's immediately smitten, and three months later he asks for her hand in marriage. Gina, however, tells Michael that she could never marry him because of her family. Crestfallen, Michael wants to find out what the trouble could be; and when he tracks down Gina's father Frank (James Caan), he discovers the nature of Gina's family problems: Frank is a Mafia kingpin, and several of Gina's previous boyfriends have met an ill fate trying to fit in with his criminal lifestyle. Frank, however, takes an immediate liking to Michael and asks him for a few small favors. Before long, Michael has inadvertently laundered mob money through his auction house and has to pass himself off to rival gangsters as Mickey Blue Eyes, a wiseguy from Kansas City. Mickey Blue Eyes was co-produced by Hugh Grant's significant other, Elizabeth Hurley, and directed by Kelly Makin, whose previous credits include the Kids in the Hall movie Brain Candy. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In the series' third episode, a crime family confronts the possibility of a future power struggle. Meadow Soprano (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), the daughter of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), takes crystal methamphetamines with a friend in order to help them study for the SATs. Tony visits his dying Mafia superior, Jackie Aprile (Michael Rispoli), in the hospital and presents him with a gift: a hooker dressed as a nurse. Mikey Palmice (Al Sapienza), the top lieutenant of Tony's rival and uncle, Junior (Dominic Chianese), is convinced that Tony will make a grab for top boss after Jackie's death, and he begins to convince Junior that his nephew should be whacked. Tony, his henchman Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico), and another Soprano lieutenant, Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt), deal with a Hasidic family of motel owners who refuse to pay protection money. After hiring family friends Artie Bucco (John Ventimiglia) and his wife Charmaine (Kathrine Narducci) to cater a party, Tony's wife, Carmela (Edie Falco), learns that her husband slept with Charmaine in high school. Soprano associate Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) tries to make a botched truck hijacking right by returning stolen goods to Junior, but the mob capo still orders Christopher's pal, Brendan Filone (Anthony de Sando), murdered and Christopher to be threatened. Airing on January 24, 1999, "Denial, Anger, Acceptance" was directed by independent feature filmmaker Nick Gomez (New Jersey Drive, Illtown). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

In the sophomore episode of the HBO series, mob boss Jackie Aprile (Michael Rispoli) is dying of cancer, which can only lead to a power struggle between his two top capos, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and Tony's own uncle, Junior (Dominic Chianese). Tony persuades his mother, Livia (Nancy Marchand) to move into a retirement community against her wishes. When a car is stolen from a teacher at the school of Tony's son, Anthony Jr. (Robert Iler), Tony sends his two top lieutenants, "Big Pussy" Bompensiero (Vincent Pastore) and Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) to get the vehicle back. The incident leads to Anthony Jr.'s first suspicions about his dad's true occupation. Junior is having his own problems with the headstrong Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), his nephew, and a lieutenant of Tony's who has hijacked some merchandise from one of his trucks. Peace is made when Christopher agrees to pay Junior tribute, but his dimwitted associate Brendan Filone (Anthony de Sando) again holds up one of Junior's trucks, this time accidentally killing the driver. Tony learns that his friend Artie Bucco (John Ventimiglia) did not have his restaurant insured, and that an explosion Tony secretly arranged has destroyed his friend financially. "46 Long" originally aired January 17, 1999. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

One of the most infamous hate crimes of the 1990s was the source for this episode. Even jaded New York detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) are shocked by the brutal murder of a black man who was dragged behind a car to his death. Prosecuting the crime proves to be a difficult task, thanks to the reluctance of the only known eyewitness and the evasive behavior of certain NYPD cops. The outcome of the case is as startling as the crime was senselessly vicious. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Alexandre Rockwell wrote and directed this follow-up to his award-winning In the Soup (1992) with a spin-off of two characters from his earlier success, singing landlords Louis Di Buffoni (Steven Randazzo) and Frank (Francesco Messina). Louis now has a family and a Queens removals business, while his cousin Frank has been training as a beautician in Sicily. Back in Queens, Frank suggests they return to professional singing. Billed as the Bitchin' Di Buffonis, they sign with unsuccessful talent manager Lenny Star Springer (Tony Curtis), who once managed a singing parrot that died. After debuting at a New Jersey bowling alley, they finally get a NYC booking -- but then learn they have to perform in drag. Steve Buscemi makes an uncredited appearance in drag. With a dream sequence in black-and-white, this comedy was shown at the 1998 Rotterdam Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Troubled, unemployed New York office worker Sue (Anna Thomson) lives in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. However, job interviews lead nowhere, and she's behind in the rent, forced to accept a prostitute as a roommate. Meanwhile, she veers close to a mental precipice as she wanders the city, seeking human contact. She finds a friend in free-lance journalist Ben (Matthew Powers), but after he leaves the country on an assignment, she becomes increasingly disturbed and unable to cope, facing both eviction and mental collapse. Shown at 1997-98 film festivals (Toronto, Berlin). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi