Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Movies
Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell) has got some problems -- when he's not at Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings hunting for women to bed, he masquerades as a choking victim in restaurants as a scheme to gather money from unsuspecting strangers, which he uses to keep his ailing mother (Anjelica Huston) in a high-end extended-care facility for her extreme dementia. But what happens when this messed up Colonial-era theme-park employee finds Mrs. Right in the guise of his mother's doctor -- and how can he give their relationship a try when she tells him he's the next coming of Jesus Christ? Based on Chuck Palahniuk's (Fight Club) pitch-black comedic novel, Choke is adapted and directed by David Mamet alumni Clark Gregg, whose career spans stage, screen, and TV work as well as a screenplay credit for Robert Zemeckis' 2000 thriller What Lies Beneath. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, (more)
Longtime actor Chad Lowe makes his feature directorial debut with this quiet family drama focusing on two young brothers as it explores the elaborate family dynamics and rapidly-evolving social attitudes during the dawn of the 1970s. Simon (John Hurt and Judith Messerman (Rita Wilson) are progressive parents who want nothing but the best for their two boys Clive (David Call) and William (Brett Davern). A highly-intelligent math prodigy whose seems set to claim the top prize at the upcoming mathmatics competition, troubled Clive frequently disconnects from his doting parents by speaking in a made-up language that nobody but himself can understand. William, on the other hand, is just trying to get by as he struggles to work his way out from under the formidable shadow cast by his older sibling. When Clive's provocative girlfriend Sandra (Michelle Trachtenberg enters into the equation harboring a decidedly sensitive secret, the tempestuous relationship between the two brothers will soon put to the ultimate test. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brett Davern, David Call, (more)
David Simon's masterful social commentary went back to school, quite literally, in the fourth season, which focuses on Baltimore's crumbling education system. A relevant link to its first three seasons is supplied by Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski (Jim True-Frost), who left the police department to become a teacher at Edward Tilghman Middle School, a hardscrabble institution on life support that services a low-income, drug-infested neighborhood. (Incidentally, Prez's career path is similar to one of the series' producers, Ed Burns). His eighth-grade math class includes a close-knit quartet of friends -- Randy Wagstaff (Maestro Harrell), Michael Lee (Tristan Wilds), Duquan "Dukie" Weems (Jermaine Crawford) and Namond Brice (Julito McCullum). The wisecracking Brice is ignominiously selected to be part of a university experiment studying at-risk kids, which counts a former police commander, Bunny Colvin (Robert Wisdom), as a consultant. Out on the corners, Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector) strengthens his grip on the city's West Side narcotics trade once dominated by the Barksdale gang, and with his cold-blooded lieutenants, Chris (Gbenga Akinnagbe) and Snoop (Felicia Pearson), devises an ingenious method to hide the collateral damage of his ascent from the law. This sleight-of-hand bedevils detectives Freamon (Clarke Peters), Greggs (Sonja Sohn) and Bunk (Wendell Pierce). The trio are flummoxed by the lack of victims that would surely coincide with Marlo's ever-widening domain, a savage power grab that also threatens the relative peace of the New Day Co-Op under East Side pooh-bah Proposition Joe (Robert F. Chew). Meanwhile, the Democratic primary in the city's mayoral campaign pits the entrenched African-American incumbent, Clarence Royce (Glynn Turman), against Councilman Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen), a scrappy politico with a savvy campaign manager in Norman Wilson (Reg E. Cathey), but a long shot to become Charm City's first white chief executive in years. ~ Joe Friedrich, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dominic West, Clarke Peters, (more)
Opposites attract in the close quarters of a one bedroom apartment in this romantic comedy from first-time director Claudia Meyers. Mel (Matthew Modine) plays saxophone with a jazz band, and the only thing he's ever pursued with the same passion as his music is women, whom he loves and leaves on a regular basis. However, Mel has decided it's time that he finally made a commitment to something besides his pet goldfish, and agrees to move in with his latest girlfriend, Inga (Ewa Da Cruz). This means giving up his apartment, which Mel sublets to Ginger (Gina Gershon), a pretty but seriously geeky scientist who has come to New York from the U.K. to study the sexual habits of frogs. One day, while riding a ferry, Mel literally runs into Diana (Christy Cashman), a beautiful blonde wearing a wedding dress, and he immediately falls head over heels for her. The fact Mel has been hired to play Diana's wedding reception (not to mention the fact Diana fully intends to marry someone who isn't Mel) doesn't dissuade him from trying to court her, and Mel moves out of Inga's place and into his old flat. Trouble is, Ginger refuses to move out, and being forced to share the apartment doesn't agree with either of them. But before long, Ginger's frogs begin displaying an unusual attraction to Mel's fish, just as the free-spirited musician and the uptight scientist discover they have more in common than they thought. Kettle of Fish received its world premier at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Gina Gershon, (more)
- 2006
On the streets of New York City, where the fine line between the desperate and the successful can be decidedly blurred, a homeless man and a struggling band are about to find out the difference that a stranger can make in one's life under the right circumstances. Inspired by actual events in the life of sage sidewalk sleeper Harold "Chopper" Jones, writer/director James Furino's film focus on a struggling Manhattan glam rock band who receives some career advice from a most unlikely source. When the workday is over, word processor James, college professor Parker, and research scientist Michael all take the stage to rock the city into the wee hours of the morning. But lately things haven't been going so well for the trio with high hopes of a successful musical career. Upon meeting the man they call "Chopper" things soon begin looking up, yet sometimes in the midst of things it's difficult to determine who is truly helping whom. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Becky Ann Baker, Brette Taylor, (more)
- 2005
When the disemembered head and arm of a female murder victim is found in a junkyard, the SVU team launches an extensive search for the killer. Several false leads later, a man comes forth with a confession--but this is not the end of the story, which involves a black-market ring specializing in illegal body parts. The plot takes a poignant turn when it is determined that the dead woman's missing kidney is about to be donated to an ailing youngster. This case is especially fascinating to Detective Munch (Richard Belzer), if for no other reason than it reunites him with attractive, hearing-impaired medical investigator Amy Solwey (Marlee Matlin). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Directed by Spike Lee, She Hate Me follows John Henry "Jack" Armstrong (Anthony Mackie), who is fired from a posh job in biotechnology after informing the proper authorities of some sketchy business dealings from within the company. Unemployed and desperate for some quick cash, Jack accepts a strange offer -- his ex-girlfriend Fatima (Kerry Washington) says she will pay him generously if he successfully impregnates her. Once word gets out among the lesbian community, Jack is inundated with requests, and is initially quite happy with his new direction in life. However, things -- as they are wont to do -- get complicated. There's his former employer, who is actively trying to pin the blame for their wrongdoings on his shoulders, for one thing, and it isn't long before the moral implications of his life as a sperm donor come to the forefront. The film co-stars John Turturro, Ellen Barkin, Woody Harrelson, Monica Bellucci, and Q-Tip. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, (more)
- 2004
Stringer's (Idris Elba) "legitimate" real estate associates are soaking him for bribe after bribe. Colvin's (Robert Wisdom) "provisional legalization" program, which the hoppers call "Hamsterdam," seems to be working. Colvin orders his troops to spare no effort in deterring dealers from staying on their corners, and they go wild with it. Avon (Wood Harris), fresh out of jail, is upset to hear about his crew's run-ins with Marlo (Jamie Hector). He wants to take a run at him, but Stringer wants to keep trying to talk to Marlo. Stringer wants to worry about the wholesale business of supply and money laundering, not the petty retail squabbles of who runs what corners. Kima (Sonja Sohn) and McNulty (Dominic West) tell Daniels (Lance Reddick) about Stringer's meeting with Marlo, but he's tells them, "This unit is about the bodies," and the Western District has been quiet. Avon has Cutty (Chad L. Coleman) and Slim Charles (Anwan Glover) take a run at Marlo. But Barksdale's crew doesn't have the muscle it once did. Bubbles (Andre Royo) tells Kima about the bodies dropping, but Daniels gets fed up with McNulty and Kima usurping his authority, and refuses to reassign the unit, so Kima suggests that McNulty go around him. Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) and D'Agostino (Brandy Burre) think if there's a black candidate running against Royce (Glynn Turman) in the primary to split the black vote, and Carcetti can get the support of someone like Odell Watkins (Frederick Strother), he might have a chance. Bunk (Wendell Pierce) gets permission to work his murder case, and arranges a face-to-face meeting with Omar (Michael K. Williams), taking the opportunity to lecture the man about his effect on the community. Donette (Shamyl Brown) talks to Brianna (Michael Hyatt) about her relationship with Stringer, and about McNulty's visit. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Bubbles (Andre Royo) has been working as a CI, and Johnny (Leo Fitzpatrick) is not happy about it. He convinces Bubbles to pull a small-time scam. McNulty (Dominic West) get fed up watching Stringer (Idris Elba) and decides to confront the man directly. Stringer tries to sell him a condo, leading McNulty to lament, "You disappointed me, String. I had such f***ing high hopes for us." Later, Kima (Sonja Sohn), watching Marlo (Jamie Hector), makes a discovery that will bring joy to McNulty. Colvin (Robert Wisdom), having failed to get the corner boys to move of their own volition, decides to go over their heads, and eventually has to go to Daniels' (Lance Reddick) unit to find out who the drug lieutenants are in his district. Colvin explains to them that police will only be in the designated locations to prevent violence, and will not arrest them for dealing. He also threatens to crush those who choose to stay on the corners. The cops even end up rounding up customers for the dealers, but Marlo, for one, refuses to play along. Just before Avon (Wood Harris) is released on parole, Baltimore's drug kingpins meet and agree to Stringer's plan to team up to get a better deal from his New York suppliers. Bunk (Wendell Pierce) is developing leads on the double homicide involving Omar (Michael K. Williams), but his superiors again force him to focus on tracking down the missing police weapon. Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) learns about a state's witness who was murdered, and quietly makes his displeasure known to Royce (Glynn Turman), who promises swift action to prevent further such incidents. McNulty meets D'Agostino (Brandy Burre) at an event for his son's school, and the two hit it off, after a fashion. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Herc (Dominick Lombardozzi) and Carver (Seth Gilliam) try to convince the local corner boys to relocate, as per Colvin's (Robert Wisdom) orders. "Vincent Street is your Amsterdam in Baltimore," Herc tells them, but they're not interested, so Colvin has them rounded up and brought to a local school gym so that he can tell them about his plan. They're unresponsive. Kima (Sonja Sohn) and McNulty (Dominic West) continue to disobey Daniels' (Lance Reddick) orders, hiring Bubbles (Andre Royo) to look around and tell them what happened to Avon's (Wood Harris) people after the towers came down. Bubs tells them about the strangely cooperative mood on the street, and about how the dealers are all using disposable cell phones, called "burners," these days. McNulty also tracks Stringer (Idris Elba) on his own, and learns that Stringer is cleaning up his act, at least on the surface, through his real estate dealings. Lester (Clarke Peters) attacks McNulty for disrespecting Daniels. "This may not be perfect," he tells McNulty, "but it's a chance to be police." Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) is considering a run for mayor. He meets with an old acquaintance, Terri D'Agostino (Brandy Burre), who is now a successful political consultant. "You're the wrong color," she tells Carcetti. "You're not electable." Carcetti is not deterred. Cutty (Chad L. Coleman), increasingly frustrated with straight life, pays a visit to Slim Charles (Anwan Glover) looking for work. McNulty pays a late night drunken visit to Rhonda (Deirdre Lovejoy) and finds that she's otherwise engaged. Stringer finally looks in on Donette (Shamyl Brown), who tells him about McNulty's stated suspicion that D'Angelo was murdered. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Novelist and screenwriter Peter Hedges makes his directorial debut with the comedy drama Pieces of April. Family outcast April Burns (Katie Holmes) lives in a beat-up apartment in New York's Lower East Side with her boyfriend, Bobby (Derek Luke). In order to spend some time with her dying mother, Joy (Patricia Clarkson), April invites her conservative suburban family to her place for a Thanksgiving feast. She discovers that her oven is broken the morning of the big day, so she goes around her tenement building trying to find a sympathetic neighbor with a working oven. Though she doesn't know them, neighbors Eugene (Isiah Whitlock) and Evette (Lillias White) offer the use of their oven, but only for an hour. While she frantically tries to complete the meal, the family drives in from Pennsylvania sharing less-than-pleasant opinions about April's lifestyle. Dad Jim (Oliver Platt) tries to think positively, while daughter Beth (Alison Pill) flaunts her good-girl status and son Timmy (John Gallagher Jr.) captures it all on film. Shot with digital video, Pieces of April is a project of the Independent Film Channel's InDigEnt production company. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson, (more)
A man has one day to put his life in order before a long stretch in prison in this drama directed by Spike Lee. Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) is a man who came from a working class family in New York. Monty's best friends Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Slaughtery (Barry Pepper) went on to distinguished careers as, respectively, a high school teacher and a bonds trader, but Monty took a different path and began dealing drugs. While Monty's trade has made him plenty of money, it hasn't brought him much respect from his family and friends, and while Jacob and Slaughtery have stayed in touch, Monty's lifestyle has led them to keep their distance. One night, Monty is relaxing at home with his girlfriend Naturelle (Rosario Dawson) when the police show up; Monty is arrested, and after a trial he's sentenced to seven years in prison. On his last day of freedom before he goes to jail, Monty tries to make amends with his father (Brian Cox) and goes out on the town with Jacob and Slaughtery. With both of his friends facing emotional crises of their own, Monty finds himself wondering where his life took a wrong turn and if there's any way left to redeem himself. Along the way, Monty begins to suspect that Naturelle may have turned him in, and he has to deal with Kostya Novotny (Tony Siragusa), an ill-tempered drug supplier who has unfinished business with him. 25th Hour was scripted by David Benioff, who adapted the story from his novel of the same name. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, (more)
- 2002
The 15th precinct investigates the death of a young boy, who was murdered for his bicycle. Eventually a suspect is arrested, only to embarrass the cops by escaping out of the interview-room window. Meanwhile, Frank Colohan (Nicholas Lea), the abusive brother-in-law of detective Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross), manages to post bail, whereupon his wife, Michelle (Katherine La Nasa), forgives him and takes him back -- an act of kindness that has tragic and surprising consequences. The premature birth of Michelle's baby launches a story arc that will come to fruition at the end of NYPD Blue's tenth season. This episode was dedicated to Bruce Paltrow, the late father of director Jake Paltrow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Simmons
A lovelorn matchmaker tries to set up two people about to be married -- but not to each other -- in this independent romantic comedy. George (Tunde Adebimpe) is a Nigerian expatriate living in upstate New York, where he has pledged to marry a woman in a marriage arranged for him in childhood, though he's not especially enthusiastic about the idea. George goes to Buffalo to pick up his fiancée as she arrives in America, only to discover she's already moved on to Niagara Falls, where the wedding will be held in three days. On his way back home, an annoyed and downcast George meets Gerard (Hippolyte Girardot), a man from France who is wallowing in sorrow after being dumped by his girlfriend, and Alicia (Natalia Verbeke), a light-hearted Latin-American woman who is due to marry her fiancé Nathan (James Wilby) in less than a week. Alicia finds George amusing but thinks he needs to loosen up a bit, so she invites him to a party; George brings Gerard along, feeling he needs some cheering up, and Gerard notices an obvious attraction between Alicia and George. Gerard fancies himself an authority on matters of the heart, and is certain George and Alicia would rather be with each other than with the people they're engaged to marry, so joining George, Alicia, and Nathan for a trip to visit Alicia's parents en route to Niagara Falls, he hatches a plan to break Alicia and Nathan apart -- and bring Alicia and George together. Jump Tomorrow was shown in competition at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tunde Adebimpe, Hippolyte Girardot, (more)
- 2000
A 16-year-old has been found dead from a bizarre wound, and the detectives are hot on the trail of the possible perpetrator. Chief among the suspects is John Telford (Jacob Pitts), a school bully with an inordinate fascination for martial arts. Ultimately, the investigation zeroes in on John's father Robert Telford (Robert Clohessy), who purchased the exotic weapon of death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
A prisoner is murdered while still behind bars. At first, it seems to be an open-and-shut case, with detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) almost immediately collaring the likeliest suspect. But did the perpetrator act on his own volition, or was he merely following orders -- orders that may have been issued from outside prison walls? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Five years after a series of murders committed by the same person, a copycat serial killer seems to be at large. Assistant D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston), who handled the original case, agrees to investigate the more recent spate of murders. This brings McCoy back into contact with Diana Hawthorne (Laila Robins), his former legal partner and lover -- a woman who possesses information which may very well destroy McCoy's career. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
The detectives discover that a young junkie found dead in the yard of a day-care center was the daughter of a wealthy family. Further investigation reveals that the woman was taken to her final "resting place" as she was dying. The question: Is it possible that someone very close to the victim would have allowed her to perish in so ignominious a fashion? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters, running errands and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino), who takes him in as a surrogate son. As he reaches his teens, Hill (Ray Liotta) is inducted into the world of petty crime, where he distinguishes himself as a "stand-up guy" by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his psychotic partner Tommy (Joe Pesci), he rises through the ranks to become Paulie's lieutenant; however, he quickly learns that, like his mentor Jimmy (Robert DeNiro), his ethnicity prevents him from ever becoming a "made guy," an actual member of the crime family. Soon he finds himself the target of both the feds and the mobsters, who feel that he has become a threat to their security with his reckless dealings. Goodfellas was rewarded with six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; Pesci would walk away with Best Supporting Actor for his work. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, (more)
Where the original Gremlins was a horror film spiked with comedy, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is essentially a black comedy, with a couple of horrifying touches. As the film starts, the fantastical trinket shop in Chinatown, which sold the Mogwai in the first film, is demolished by a crazed multi-media businessman called Daniel Clamp (John Glover). The heroes from the first movie, Billy (Zach Galligan) and Kate (Phoebe Cates), happen to work for Clamp in his huge high-rise. They find the Mogwai within Clamp's building, but not before he has accidentally spawned legions of mischievous, lizard-like Gremlins. Soon, the Gremlins are wreaking havoc throughout the building. In the original film, their misdeeds were violent, but here they're also goofy and satirical. Director Joe Dante has filled the film with quick verbal and visual jokes, which, for many, makes Gremlins 2: The New Batch a satire and inversion of the typical horror film. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, (more)
