Frank Vincent Movies

Filmmaking duo Frank and Joe Ciota follow up 1997's The North End and 2001's Ciao America with this black comedy about an Italian-American funeral home struggling to remain afloat as an influx of young, healthy bodies into the neighborhood finds business slowing. Ragucci's the nation's oldest Italian-American funeral home, and owner Felix Ragucci (Joe Sicari) is determined to stay in business. At the heart of Frank's business is Frank Tramontana (Danny Aiello), a former public relations executive who now drives a hearse for a living. Frank is a handsome man who prides himself on both his spotless reputation and his remarkable ability to seduce young women like statuesque beauty Lauren (Heather Tom). Ragussi's holds a special place in Frank's heart, not only because so many people he knows received their final farewells there but also because it serves as a community center for the close-knit family that works there. When Frank learns that Ragucci's may finally be closing their doors, he recruits fellow employees John "The Prince" Monaco (Jon Polito) and Nino Degeneroso (Louis Vanaria) in concocting a scheme to keep the funeral home afloat. But Frank is about to find out that it isn't easy to save the day while attempting to keep up with a much younger girlfriend and negotiate your son's tuition with your demanding ex-wife, and when the gang's shady scheme draws the attention of local gossip writer Sid Buford (Frank Bongiorno), all three will be begging to bury the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Christian Maelen served as both star and director in this offbeat independent crime drama. Will Bentley (Maelen) leads a charmed life -- he has inherited a fortune from his parents, he has a beautiful girlfriend, Michelle (Candice Coke), and his career as an artist is starting to take off. But Will also has a serious drug problem that causes all of his luck to run out one evening; after getting high at a party, Will was with a close friend when he was shot on the street. Now that Will's head has cleared, he remembers almost nothing about the evening, but it turns out his pal owed plenty of money to some powerful people, and between the police and the mob, Will finds himself dragged into a labyrinth of danger. Remedy co-stars Frank Vincent, Vincent Pastore, Rick Aiello, and former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, who also contributes to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Wiseguys on Texas Hold 'Em features actors playing the popular brand of poker with helpful hints provided along the way by champion poker player Robert Varkonyi. In addition to Willie Garson and Fisher Stevens, and players include three cast members of The Sopranos - Frank Vincent, Vinny Vella, and Vincent Pastore. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Smokin' Stogies stars Joseph Marino as Vinnie Marscone, a mobster who, on orders from his boss (Tony Sirico), is sent from New York to Miami to locate a missing million dollar shipment of Cuban cigars. Vinnie believes that the local mobsters in Florida are supposed to help him, but he begins to suspect otherwise as he finds himself on a wild goose chase that may end with him dead before he finds the contraband. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Fancy (James McDaniel) and Jones (Henry Simmons) try to help Jones' former boss Lt. Abner (James Pickens Jr.), who is in a deep depression -- but their efforts are too little, too late. When the partner of nightclub owner Dave Lorenz (Peter Jurasik) is murdered, Lorenz points a finger at a jailed mobster who may have ordered the hit, but Mrs. Lorenz (Sherry Hursey) has an entirely different theory. And while investigating a rape charge, Jill (Andrea Thompson) and Diane (Kim Delaney) turn up a suspect who refuses to speak to anyone but a male detective -- leading to an unexpected revelation of subliminal racism. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A newspaper columnist is murdered, thereby reopening a 20-year-old homicide case. Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) track down the central character in the original case, who was a juvenile at the time. This leads to a tricky dilemma for the D.A.'s office -- a dilemma eagerly pounced upon by the defense attorney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A man needing some easy money finds danger instead in this sexy thriller. Mike Aguayo (Lorenzo Lamas) is a former police detective who has moved to Puerto Rico, where he runs a night club. But business is bad, and Mike is hounded by creditors; in desperate need of some quick money, he accepts an unusual offer from a gangster who wants Mike to seduce his wife. The mobster's logic is that if he can prove Mike and his wife have had sex, he can divorce her as an adulteress. However, when Mike meets the woman in question, he discovers that she has a plan of her own for her husband, and Mike finds himself in deep and dangerous waters. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a hard-luck gambler learns a new commandment: Honor Thy Mother's Lottery Winnings. Johnny Amico (Mike Starr) runs a delicatessen in New York City; regarded as a nice guy by his friends and regular customers, he has a weakness for gambling and is usually in debt. Johnny is constantly nagged by his well-meaning but domineering mother (Judith Malina), who gives him ten dollars to play the same number every week in the lottery. One week, her number turns up a winner, but this is bad news for Johnny: convinced that the number would never win, he's been using the money to place bets of his own. Now Mom expects Johnny to come up with the prize money for a winning ticket he never bought; Johnny hatches a scheme to raise the money, but, given his usual success as a gambler, no one is very optimistic that he can pull it off. The Deli features an impressive list of supporting names, including actors Michael Imperioli, Frank Vincent, and Debi Mazar; rappers Heavy D and Ice T; singer David Johansen; and model Iman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The subject of this urban comedy could be "Two-timing men, and the women that despise them" as it presents the scathing opinions of women observing an adulterous misogynist in action. The adulterer in question is Scott who swears fealty to his beloved fiance, but then goes out and chases anything with ovaries when she is not around. He is cheered on by his equally misogynistic uncle. Scott's many sexploits are interrupted by female observers, who offer their commentary upon his actions. Their comments upon Scott can apply to adulterers everywhere. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The fact-based TV movie Dead and Alive bears a remarkable resemblance to the plot and structure of the 1931 Fritz Lang classic M. A cocaine-addicted cop killer (Tony Danza) is on the loose, managing to elude the authorities at every juncture. The killer has known mob connections, so the police put the pressure on the city's head criminals. Buckling under, the Mob puts out a contract on Danza--while the head investigator trails the hit men in order to bring the killer in alive. Ironically, the main good guy in Dead and Alive is played by Ted Levine, previously cast as the serial killer in Silence of the Lambs (1991). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This independently produced black-and-white feature records the evolution of the central relationship in the protagonist's life. Pat is a white boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1930s, and his best buddy is Jake, who is black. As they grow older, various events of their lives punch holes into Pat's optimism and sense of faith in the future, but the final blow to his hopes is the death of his old friend Jake while on his way to a baseball tryout in the segregated South. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In the early 1960s, two very different New Jersey high schoolers share their first love in this bittersweet romantic drama, an early feature by writer/director John Sayles. Jill Rosen (Rosanna Arquette) is a sweet, overachieving Jewish girl heading for college to become an actor; "Sheik" Capodilupo (Vincent Spano) is a mysterious, confident Italian guy who pushes his way into Jill's already busy life. Sheik successfully woos Jill, and the story follows their ups and downs as teenage romantics. While that introduction is lighter fare than most Sayles material, the film trails off into some unexpected plot developments, providing an original take on the "different sides of the track" genre. Sayles directs the high school scenes with a combination of reminiscence and reality, balancing the excitement of cars and the prom with the heartache, anxiety, and classwork that goes along with it. The movie is injected with a mostly 1960s soundtrack, yet the videocassette lists that "some music has been changed" for home video -- the note apparently refers to four Bruce Springsteen cuts. Matthew Modine and Tracy Pollan appear in small parts, and Robert Downey Jr. also has a tiny role. This was the fiercely independent Sayles' first film to be made with a major studio (Paramount), and he claims it will be his last, as he lost final editing control. ~ Norm Schrager, All Movie Guide