James Villemaire Movies

When the harried clerks at a New Jersey Christmas store discover that they're scheduled to work until midnight on Christmas Eve, their frustration at having to work the holiday soon takes a backseat to a playful debate over religious differences and cultural misunderstandings. It seems that their boss has gotten himself into a tight jam; if he fails to raise enough money to pay of his lingering crime debts, he may wind up with a pair of broken legs. Meanwhile, back at the store, the clerks work to resolve their differences while realizing that one need not be a Christian to get into the Christmas spirit. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This episode was advertised as the 300th installment of Law & Order, although technically it was number 301. (NBC did not count the series' 1990 pilot, which had originally been produced for CBS.) Again drawing its inspiration from recent headlines, the episode opens with an apparent fire in a high-rise apartment, culminating horribly when the baby son of popular comedian Monty Bender (Adam Ferrara) falls from the apartment window to his death. What appears to be a tragic accident leads to the reopening of an old pedophilia charge against Bender, and a startling revelation involving the parents of a young boy who'd been paid off to drop their case against the beleaguered comic. Real-life comedian Larry Miller, who'd played a murderer on two earlier episodes, is here cast as himself. This was the final episode of Law & Order's 13th season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Onetime advertising director Eric Webber, who in the 1980's created campaigns for Dr. Pepper and Molson, here takes a satiric look at his former profession. Ken Tuttle (Randy Pearlstein) is a frustrated author who takes a job as a copywriter at Cranston & Co., headed by Tom Cranston (Robert Klein). Tuttle is guided through the corporate world by bitter creative director George Parkyn (Tony Hendra) as he helps craft an ad campaign for a sanitary napkin which its makers claim is so revolutionary it will change the way women view the world. However, a rival firm has also been retained to create a campaign for the same product, and tense competition between the two companies leads to infighting at Cranston & Co. and personal problems for Tuttle and his girlfriend (Ingrid Rogers). This dark and sharp-edged comedy was drawn from Webber's personal experiences in the ad game; he claims several of the film's most outrageous moments are based on true stories. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Trace (Stephen Baldwin) is a cop who's just been assigned to a new unit led by Lt. Devon (Chazz Palminteri). Trace is alarmed at the tactics of his new partners, who shoot criminals to kill without warning and take bets on who will kill the primary target. The unit turns out to be a team assembled to dispatch drug dealers and mobsters, similar to the ruthless cops in Mulholland Falls or L.A. Confidential. When Trace protests, his teammates tie him up in a firing range and shoot near misses at him. Later, Trace spares a tough nightclub singer/prostitute (Tia Carrere), from a deadly raid, and both become hunted by the cops as well as the mob. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi

An award-winner at the 1997 AFI/Los Angeles Film Festival, this low-budget drama follows the misadventures of drifter Billie (Edie Falco), who ditches her motorcycle and picks up a car. The vehicle is hit by another car, and she can't collect from the other driver (Andrew Lowery). Instead, she settles into a marginal existence in an impoverished fishing village where she takes on odd jobs while camping out with a local resident (Caitlin Clarke) and contemplating a bleak future. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

This sequel to the dreadful but creative 1987 horror thriller The Gate, centers on troubled-teen Terry who tires of being teased for being a nerd, not having dates, and dealing with his unemployed, alcoholic father. After learning about the portal to the gates of hell said to be in his town, Terry decides to cast a spell and see if he can make his life a little better. Using his computer and a book of ancient incantations, the determined young man begins his ritual. Unfortunately before he is finished, the two town bullies and their girl friend intervene and find themselves hopelessly involved when the gates open and out pops a diminutive demon who is more than happy to do their bidding. At first the kids are delighted to finally have their hearts desire, but it is only a matter of time before the demon's true nature manifests itself and all their dreams turn to nightmares. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Less an example of the native giallo subgenre than an Italian attempt to imitate the erotic thrillers then popular in America, this film went so far as to use an English-language title and mask its director Enrico Grassi as "Bob J. Ross" even in Italy itself. The frequently nude Loredana Romito stars as Carla, a beautiful woman married to the owner of a luxurious hotel in the country. When her husband is blinded in an accident with a handsome young man on a motorcycle, Carla takes over the daily operations of the hotel and hires the motorcyclist, Alessio, as a handyman. When Carla discovers her blind husband sleeping with his mistress, she takes Alessio to bed and begins to sexually control him, eventually persuading him to push her husband off a cliff to his death. Unfortunately, the hotel maid discovers what has happened and attempts to blackmail Carla, receiving a bullet in the head for her efforts. After disposing of the body, Alessio and Carla engage in the film's central set piece, a blood-smeared sex scene which graphically fuses the lust for flesh and the lust for blood in a way that few American films have dared since the opening scene of Basic Instinct. It's a common enough occurrence in giallo films, however, and shouldn't offend many devotees, particularly coming as it does in the middle of a fairly bloodless endeavor as far as Italian thrillers go. John Armstead co-stars with Ann Margaret Hughes, James Villemaire, and Carmen Manzano. Various prints run 84 and 87 minutes. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi