Lesley Ann Warren
Another of the many "tough but troubled heroine" cable-TV dramatic series of the early 21st Century, In Plain Sight starred Mary McCormick as Mary Shannon, a no-nonsense US Marshal connected with a Federal Witness Relocation service known as WITSEC. It was Mary's job to "baby-sit" criminals and innocent bystanders who'd been given new identities and homes in exchange for courtroom testimony, and to keep her charges' whereabouts a secret from potential assassins. The pressures brought to bear on Mary during her working hours were exacerbated by the fact that she could not reveal the nature of her work to her friends or family members. Worse still, our heroine was saddled with an overgrown-delinquent sister named Brandi (Nichole Hilz) and a boozy, overbearing mom named Jinx (Lesley Ann Warren). Helping to get Molly over the rough spots were her boss Stan McQueen (Paul Ben-Victor), her partner and best friend Marshall Mann (Frederick Weller), and her lover Raphael (Cristian De La Fuente. Debuting with a special 76-minute episode on June 1, 2008, the sixty-minute In Plain Sight was seen by some 5 million viewers, a near-record for the USA network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary McCormack, Frederick Weller, (more)
A man is forced to go against his family and his principles in the name of serving his country in this drama inspired by actual events. Tommy Santoro (James Marsden) was just a boy when his father was murdered, and young Tommy quickly discovered his dad was a high-ranking member of the Philadelphia Mafia. Tommy grew up determined to stay on the right side of the law, but his brother Vincent (Brad Renfro) and cousin Joey (Giovanni Ribisi) had other ideas and ended up joining "the family business." Tommy enlisted in the Army and served in Operation Desert Storm, but when he impulsively stole a jeep, he was arrested by the military police. However, Tommy finds he's not questioned by MP's, but by Horvath (Brian Dennehy), an FBI agent who knows all about his past and family history. Horvath has learned that Sicilian mobsters have been taking over the Philly rackets, and persuades Tommy to join up with Vincent and Joey in order to infiltrate the Mafia and serve as an informant to the FBI. Tommy grudgingly agrees, but he's uneasy about betraying his family and following the path that killed his father -- especially when he discovers his actions have put Vincent and Joey in grave danger. Also starring Dennis Hopper, Piper Perabo, and Lesley Ann Warren, 10th & Wolf was the directorial debut for Bobby Moresco, who won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Crash. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi, (more)
Upon moving with his family to a new town and befriending a pair of magical mutts, a ten-year-old boy must choose between his love of animals and his desire to do the right thing in director Richard Gabai's affectionate family adventure. Like any young boy, Zack is nervous about moving to a new town. After happening across a pair of abandoned dogs with surprising magical powers though, Zack discovers that his new home may not be so bad after all. Now, with a pair of determined criminals struggling to steal the dogs for themselves and a growing determination to return his four-legged friends to their rightful owner, Zack sets out to thwart the thieves and ensure that his remarkable story has a happy ending. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janine Turner, Patrick Muldoon, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Jon Polito, (more)
An orphaned drifter recently released from the hospital and seeking gainful employment finds that sometimes fate can play cruel tricks on the desperate in a tightly wound tale of adultery, deception, and murder starring Peter Coyote and Lucas Black. Nat Banyon (Black) is an orphan just looking to get back on his feet after an extended convalescence in a Wyoming hospital. When by chance Nat spots a bad car accident and bravely acts to save the life of the car's eccentric driver, Herman Finch (Coyote), the grateful wheelman kindly extends an offer of work to the young drifter, with the understanding that room and board will be provided free of charge. Assigned the task of cleaning up Finch's rundown Deepwater motel in exchange for a street-worthy car, Nat sets about performing his duties while slowly becoming aware that, in this ramshackle motel, nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucas Black, Peter Coyote, (more)
The devastating disappearance of a young girl haunts her grieving family in this fact-based tale feature debut from filmmaker Dionysius Zervos. Hungering for some quality alone time with her new boyfriend, Ray (Costas Mandylor), single mother Kaliope Harris (Izabella Miko) leaves her young daughter, Anna (Erika Shasho), in the care of loving grandmother Mrs. Harris (Lesley Ann Warren). An idyllic day at the beach turns to tragedy for the Harris family, however, when in the blink of an eye the precious young Anna seemingly disappears into the vast sand. While Mrs. Harris struggles to accept the startling disappearance, her enraged husband (Ben Gazzara) hounds the authorities to step up their search and Kaliope and Ray comb the beach in a desperate bid to retrace Anna's every step on that fateful and tragic day. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Lesley Ann Warren, (more)
Lesley Ann Warren makes her first appearance as Sophie Bremmer, who descends upon her daughter, Susan (Teri Hatcher), after calling it quits with her current boyfriend, Morty (Bob Newhart). Elsewhere, Bree (Marcia Cross) enrages Lynette (Felicity Huffman) when she disciplines Lynette's incorrigible son Porter. Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom) has another shocking surprise for his parents. And Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) fiddles with his prenuptial contract while wife Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) burns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An estranged African-American family from the deep South is forced to confront their painful past when as they come together to celebrate the life and legacy of the woman whose death served as the catalyst for renewed family bonds in this redemptive family drama starring Hill Harper, Billy Dee Williams, and Lesley Ann Warren. Carmel Boxer (Gabrielle Union) has passed away, and her entire family has returned to Huntsville, Alabama to pay their final respects. Coming together isn't easy for the Boxer family though, and for family patriarch Helms (Williams) in particular, the painful memories of an unrequited interracial love affair are something that he would rather just forget. As the revelations about Carmel's past prompt each family member to take stock of their pent up emotions and reevaluate their feelings about one another, the changing racial fabric of both society and his family prompts the troubled Helms to confront the inner demons that have tormented him for decades. In the end it's the redemptive power of love and the honesty of family that will help to inspire healing in a group whose hearts had been held hostage to their turbulent history for far too long. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Dee Williams, Zoe Saldana, (more)
An old-fashioned Jewish father vows to bring his stubborn family together after being slipped a dose of ecstasy during the annual Passover celebration in director Salvador Litvak's psychedelic Seder comedy. Family patriarch Ira Stuckman (Michael Lerner) has taken a few tips from his hard-nosed father, Arthur (Jack Klugman), when it comes to matters of the family. A strict disciplinarian with little tolerance for tomfoolery, stubborn Ira is insistent that the whole family come together for the Seder feast despite their lingering disagreements. When Ira's son, Zeke (Ben Feldman), drops a hit of ecstasy into his father's meal in hopes of opening the old man's eyes up to a "new perspective," the once curmudgeonly father turns suddenly touchy-feely before insisting upon on ushering in a new era of forgiveness among the notoriously disagreeable clan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Lerner, Lesley Ann Warren, (more)
What sinister scheme can George Williams (Roger Bart) have in mind to steal Bree (Marcia Cross) away from Rex (Steven Culp)? Will Lynette (Felicity Huffman) suffer from the presence of her husband Tom's former girlfriend Annabel Foster (Melinda McGraw) when Annabel is hired by Tom's firm? Does Susan's daughter, Julie (Andrea Bowen), have anything to fear from the increasingly obsessive Zach (Cody Kasch)? How will Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) explain away her illegal home invasion? And here's a question we can answer without any problem at all: will Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) be lonely during the eight months that Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) is in jail? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) is a far from disinterested witness when Bree (Marcia Cross) goes out to lunch with the charming but slightly sinister George Williams (Roger Bart). Meanwhile, Bree's husband, Rex (Steven Culp), continues to suffer from ill health (can there be a connection somewhere?). And in other developments, Susan (Teri Hatcher) forgives Mike (James Denton) for his fatal "indiscretion"; Felicia (Felicity Huffman) takes a hand in Zach's (Cody Kasch) problems; and Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) finds out that birth control is not 100 percent effective -- especially when it's been tampered with. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A washed-up actor who is desperate for a comeback lures an unscrupulous A-list director into his home with a little help from cellular technology in directors Glen Scantlebury and Lucy Phillips' wicked showbiz satire. Bobby Devillin is a movie producer with more than his share of problems. Despite his string of high-profile hits at the box office, Bobby's disgruntled wife is getting tired of the producer's constant extramarital dalliances, and his pregnant mistress, Bonnie (Debi Mazar), has just flown into town to confront him about her current status as a mother-to-be. When Bobby's disgruntled girlfriend Karen angrily throws his cell phone into the bushes during a heated argument and the phone is subsequently discovered by a suicidal actor on the verge of ending it all, Bobby's already complicated life is thrown into a whole new world of chaos. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Comeau, John Heard, (more)
For their 200th assignment together, Monica (Roma Downey) and Tess (Della Reese) were supposed to bring hope and faith into the heart of embitteredt DMV instructor Kelly (Lesley Warren). But when Tess is "disqualified", angel-in-training Gloria (Valerie Bertinelli) takes over. On surface, Kelly is a standard-issue assignment, a woman who has soured on life after spending 14 years caring for a streetwise orphan named Jessie (Edwin Hodge) in a crime-ridden Chicago neighborhood. But there is a whole different dimension to this case: Kelly is herself an angel, who since going AWOL from Heaven has evolved into a human being...with far more than her share of human failings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Only in a made-for-TV comedy would the owners of a fancy restaurant be out of town on the establishment's opening night. Thanks to an unforeseen mishap, Mr. and Mrs. Korda (John Larroquette, Lesley Ann Warren) are nowhere to be found when their eatery is scheduled to open its doors. It falls to the Korda children -- Rebecca (Margo Harshman), Sam (Andrew Allen), and Max (Andrew Allen) -- to hold down the fort in their parents' absence. Naturally, the big night is full of craziness, exacerbated by temperamental employees, snobbish customers, and a couple of unforeseen flies in the ointment. Recipe for Disaster made its first PAX network appearance on May 16, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Larroquette, Lesley Ann Warren, (more)
Sadomasochism provides the backdrop for a very unusual employer/employee relationship in this very offbeat romantic drama from filmmaker Steven Shainberg. Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a shy young woman, who, after a brief spell in a mental institution, is released in the care of her overprotective mother (Lesley Ann Warren) and hard-drinking father (Stephen McHattie). Hoping to make good on her own, Lee begins looking for a job, and in her free time indulges in her odd habit of inflicting pain upon herself in various ways. Lee is hired as a secretary by E. Edward Grey (James Spader), a grim and ruthlessly efficient attorney who warns her that her work will be both dull and demanding. Lee takes to the job with genuine enthusiasm, and while she's recently acquired a new boyfriend, Peter (Jeremy Davies), she's far more intrigued by Grey's coldly patrician demeanor. While Grey often criticizes Lee, she seems to thrive on his abuse, but one day he crosses a line when he insists upon spanking her after some minor mistake. Lee quite enjoys the treatment, and wants it to continue, but Grey can no longer take pleasure humiliating Lee when he knows that she likes it; he fires her, despite her pleas to be allowed to stay. Finally discovering the key to her sexual and emotional needs, Lee tries to persuade Peter to be rough with her, but he simply doesn't have the taste or talent for it, and Lee soon maps out a last-ditch effort to win back her position with Grey, whatever the cost. Secretary won a special award for "Originality" at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader, (more)
An unborn child has to be convinced that moving into the big, bad world is a good idea in this comic fantasy. Elizabeth (Bridget Fonda) and her husband Kevin (Campbell Scott) are a couple expecting a baby, who is due at any time, and when labor sets in, they rush to the hospital in anticipation of the blessed event. But after Elizabeth spends many hours in labor, nothing seems to be happening, throwing both her and her husband into a state of panic. As it turns out, their son-to-be, Milo (Anton Yelchin), is waiting in the otherworldly Life Training Center, where children about to be born are shown the ropes of how life on Earth works by a staff led by Mr. Gordon (Douglas Spain). Milo, however, has gotten cold feet, and decides he doesn't want to put up with the bother of life on Earth. Having a child refuse to make the journey into the real world could upset the balance of the universe, so fallen angel Elmore (Albert Finney) is given a final chance at redemption by the Powers That Be -- Elmore is to take Milo on a tour of Earth and convince him to say the five magic words, "I want to be born." Delivering Milo was shown at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, and made its North American debut at the Palm Springs Film Festival the same year. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bridget Fonda, Albert Finney, (more)
Local teens cruelly tease Tara (Victoria Sanchez), the intelligent but hairy wolf girl of Harley Dune's (Tim Curry) traveling freak show that has set up near a rural town. One of the young men is particularly vicious, throwing darts and feces at Tara during her performance, but Tara is helpless to defend herself as she spends much of her time isolated in a trailer or hanging out with the fat lady, dwarves, and other freaks. But she's befriended and taken into town by outcast teen Ryan (Dov Tiefenbach), whose mother (Lesley Ann Warren) happens to be a chemist working on an experimental depilatory treatment. Without telling anyone, Ryan begins injecting Tara with the chemical, and her hair gradually begins to fall out. But there are two side effects no one counted on -- the chemical makes Tara carnivorous and easily enraged. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
Alan Rudolph directed and co-wrote this eccentric comedy about a woman who bumbles her way into fighting crime. Trixie Zurbo (Emily Watson) is a well-meaning but scatter-brained casino security guard, who dreams of a career as a private detective. Her ambition accidentally becomes reality when she's thrown into the middle of a series of events involving double-dealing state senator Avery (Nick Nolte), crooked real estate developer Red Rafferty (Will Patton), and his sleazy girlfriend Dawn Slotnick (Lesley Ann Warren). Along the way, Trixie finds romance with the suave Dex Lang (Dermot Mulroney). Nathan Lane appears in a supporting role as Kirk Stans, a flamboyant lounge singer. Trixie had its world premiere at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Watson, Dermot Mulroney, (more)
Identical twin brothers Mark Polish and Michael Polish have written, directed, and starred in an emotional romance about a prostitute who falls in love with Siamese twins. The Polish Brothers play the conjoined twins Blake and Francis Falls, who are joined at the chest and thus share many vital organs. They have come to the big city to find their long-lost mother and end their suffering once and for all. As a birthday present to themselves, they hire a pretty young prostitute named Penny Michele Hicks to comfort them in their dark hotel room. Turned off at first, Penny eventually sees beyond the boys' disabilities and agrees to help them. She invites them to an underground Halloween party where they finally fit in for the first time in their lives, albeit as part of a freak show. Slowly Penny falls in love with Blake; she explores his body in such a sensual way that she is both attracted and repulsed by his deformed torso. Eventually, Blake reveals that his better half, Francis, is dying. He must choose between dying with his brother or a risky operation that would allow him to be separated and further explore the love he has experienced with Penny. Can Blake adjust to an identity of his own? Can he ever get over the guilt of abandoning his brother? Is life worth living when a part of you is gone? ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Polish, Mark Polish, (more)
Two actors best known for their work in the late 1960s, Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda, star in The Limey, a drama in which a recently released felon contemplates the gulf between aging criminals like himself and their modern counterparts. Wilson (Stamp) is a British career criminal who has been released after nine years in prison. He has learned that his daughter Jenny died under suspicious circumstances in Los Angeles, so he travels to America for the first time to find out what happened and who's responsible. With the help of an ex-con named Ed (Luis Guzman), Wilson discovers Jenny was romantically involved with Valentine (Fonda), a middle-aged record producer with a shady past and a fondness for young women. In hopes of getting the truth -- and getting to Valentine -- Wilson finds himself doing battle with some of the worst criminals to crawl from the underbelly of Los Angeles; along the way, he also meets Elaine (Lesley Ann Warren), an older actress who knew Jenny and reminds Wilson of how little he really did for his daughter while she was alive. Steven Soderbergh's first film after his commercial comeback with 1998's Out Of Sight, The Limey features, along with Stamp and Fonda, two other notable 60's actors in supporting roles, Barry Newman and Joe Dallesandro. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, (more)
After the success of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and television's Dawson's Creek, screenwriter Kevin Williamson made his directorial debut with this screwball thriller in which an honor roll student and two friends kidnap their witchy teacher. Although her single mom (Lesley Ann Warren), a waitress, struggles to make ends meet, aspiring writer Leigh Ann Watson (Katie Holmes) works hard, avoids sexual temptation, and focuses on her studies. She hopes to make valedictorian and earn a scholarship to college -- and get away from her dead-end hometown. As her senior year draws to a close, however, she's dogged by harsh grades from her vituperative history instructor, Mrs. Tingle (Helen Mirren). On the same day she finds out that she's still in second place behind fellow valedictory candidate Mary Beth Carter (Liz Stauber), Leigh Ann must endure Mrs. Tingle's fierce criticism of the final project into which she's poured her heart. After commiserating with her best friend, aspiring actress Jo Lynn Jordan (Marisa Coughlan), and hunky stoner Luke Churner (Barry Watson), Leigh Ann runs even further afoul of Mrs. Tingle; Luke stashes an advance copy of the teacher's final exam in Leigh Ann's backpack and Tingle discovers it, promising to turn Leigh Ann in for cheating and ruin her chances of a better life. When the three teens turn up at Tingle's house to try to reason with her, Luke and Jo Lynn manage to accidentally kidnap Mrs. Tingle. Soon the three students are keeping their teacher a prisoner, trying to figure out how to blackmail her into silence while maintaining the illusion that nothing strange is going on. Teaching Mrs. Tingle was filmed under the name "Killing Mrs. Tingle," but the title was changed after a rash of real-life high school killing sprees made the headlines. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, Katie Holmes, (more)
New Age masseur Poe Finklestein (Mario Van Peebles) has an appointment at the posh estate of widow Evelyn Heiss (Lesley Ann Warren), who lives with her gay stepson Dominique (Donovan Leitch) and her sister-in-law Alena Heiss (Louise Fletcher). The gardener (Melvin Van Peebles) is a bystander observing the con games, betrayals and schemes unleashed in this dysfunctional household. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Van Peebles, Lesley Ann Warren, (more)























