 Jesus' Son 1999  R, 110 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Alison Maclean
Cast: Billy Crudup, Samantha Morton, Denis Leary, Jack Black, Will Patton, Greg Germann, Holly Hunter, Dennis Hopper, Torben Brooks, Antoinette LaVecchia, Ben Shenkman, Mark Webber, John Ventimiglia, Michael Shannon, Alan Davidson
Based on Denis Johnson's short stories, dark humor and a strong cast contribute to this story about FH (Billy Crudup), a 1970s' junkie who shoots up to attain his dreams. FH's heroin addiction leads to many problems that intensify when he falls in love with Michelle (Samantha Morton) who is also addicted. Michelle becomes pregnant, has an abortion, and leaves for Mexico. Determined to track her down, FH sets off on a trek to Mexico. Along the way, FH meets Mira (Holly Hunter) and becomes involved in an auto accident. This tragedy leads him into rehab where he finds redemption. Presented as a series of episodes in an addict's life, the film tends to romanticize the drug culture.
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 Mickey Blue Eyes 1999  PG-13, 102 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Kelly Makin
Cast: Hugh Grant, James Caan, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Burt Young, James Fox, Joe Viterelli, Gerry Becker, Maddie Corman, Tony Darrow, Paul Lazar, Vincent Pastore, Frank Pellegrino, Scott Thompson, John Ventimiglia, Margaret Devine
A very respectable Manhattan art auctioneer, Michael Felgate (Hugh Grant), proposes marriage to Gina (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and only later learns that she is a Mafia princess–the daughter of Mafia chief Frank Vitale (James Caan). Frank takes a liking to Michael, and Michael's life changes: his trucked-in deliveries start arriving on time, but he pays the price via favors expected by the mobsters.
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Niagara, Niagara 1997 R, 93 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Bob Gosse
Cast: Robin Tunney, Henry Thomas, Michael Parks, Stephen Lang, John MacKay, Alan Pottinger, Candy Clark, John Ventimiglia, Dwight Ewell, Sol Frieder
Marcy (Robin Tunney), a young girl suffering with Tourette's Syndrome, and a troubled teen, Seth (Henry Thomas), head for Toronto in search of a doll with a "bobby styling head" that Marcy can't find in the stores of her New York town. Along the way, they fall in love, Marcy runs out of needed medication, and they are chased by law-enforcement officers
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Notorious 2009  R, 120 min.
Genre: Drama / Musical
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Cast: Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Naturi Naughton, Dennis L.A. White, Anthony Makie, Antonique Smith, Julia Pace Mitchell, John Ventimiglia, Marc John Jeffries, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Jasper Briggs, Cyrus Farmer, Aunjanue Ellis, Charles Malik Whitfield
Growing up in Brooklyn, young Christopher Wallace (Christopher Jordan Wallace, Jr.) lives with his religious mother Violetta (Angela Bassett). When he reaches his teenage years, Christopher (now played by Jamal Woolard) enters the criminal world of drugs and even serves some time in jail. Along the way, he realizes that he is great at dropping lines, signs a deal with Sean "Diddy" Combs (Derek Luke) to record his rap music, and becomes the phenomenon, Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie. He lives life out on the edge with women and partying, but fate steps in, and Wallace is murdered in Los Angeles at the young age of 24.
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On the Run 1998 N/R, 97 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Bruno de Almeida
Cast: Michael Imperioli, John Ventimiglia, Drena DeNiro, Agnes Jaoui, Joaquim de Almeida, Nick Sandow, Victor Argo, Tom Gilroy, Joseph Gannascoli, Suzanne Shepherd
Two stars from "The Sopranos"–Michael Imperioli and John Ventimiglia–take on lead roles in this story about an introverted travel agent, Albert DeSantis, who gets a visit from his childhood friend, Louie Salazar. Louie has just broken out of prison and is ready to take Albert on a night filled with adventure.
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Personal Velocity 2002  R, 88 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Rebecca Miller
Cast: Kyra Sedgwick, Parker Posey, Fairuza Balk, David Warshofsky, Leo Fitzpatrick, Tim Guinee, Wallace Shawn, Lou Taylor Pucci, Mara Hobel, John Ventimiglia
This powerful drama, composed of three stories, reveals how three women–Delia (Kyra Sedgwick), Greta (Parker Posey), and Paula (Fairuza Balk)–escape from their individual emotional prisons.
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Stonewall 1995  N/R, 98 min.
Genre: Drama / Comedy
Director: Nigel Finch
Cast: Guillermo Diaz, Fred Weller, Brendan Corbalis, Duane Boutte, Bruce MacVittie, John Doman, Luis Guzman, Isaiah Washington, Dwight Ewell, Matthew Faber, Peter Ratray, Michael McElroy, Nicole Ari Parker, Jose Zuniga, John Ventimiglia
In 1969, patrons of the Stonewall bar in Greenwich Village decided to fight off police bashing, and that began the gay liberation movement. This docudrama recreates that era through the eyes of Matty Dean (Fred Weller). This is an interesting film that provides a contrast as well as a reminder of feelings about homosexuals–then and now.
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Sue 1997 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Amos Kollek
Cast: Anna Levine, Matthew Powers, Tahnee Welch, Tracey Ross, John Ventimiglia, Austin Pendleton, Edoardo Ballerini, Matthew Faber, Robert Kya-Hill, Tom Cappadona
Sue (Anna Levine) is down on her luck–she's out of work and has difficulty finding friendships and, finally, is evicted. Then, a man she met and started an affair with is sent overseas, and things get worse as she seeks weird sex as an outlet.
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Then She Found Me 2008 R, 100 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Helen Hunt
Cast: Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, Lynn Cohen, Ben Shenkman, John Benjamin Hickey, Salman Rushdie, Daisy Tahan, Tommy Nelson, Robert Lupone, Lillias White, Ben Shenkman, Mark Webber, John Ventimiglia
Thirty-nine-year-old schoolteacher April Epner (Helen Hunt) is suffering a midlife crisis: her husband Ben (Matthew Broderick) has walked out on their marriage, and her mother Trudy (Lynn Cohen) has just passed away. In the midst of her problems, her long-lost birth mother Bernice Graves (Bette Midler) appears on the scene attempting to reconcile with April. In her fragile emotional state, April begins a relationship with the single father (Colin Firth) of one of her students. Events take still another turn when April learns that she is pregnant. The father is Ben, and now he tries to woo her back.
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The War Within 2005 N/R, 100 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joseph Castelo
Cast: Ayad Akhtar, Firdous Bamji, Nandana Sen, Sarita Choudhury, Charles Daniel Sandoval, Varun Sriram, Anjeli Chapman, John Ventimiglia, Mike McGlone, Aasif Mandvi, Samrat Chakrabarti, Kamal Marayati
An engineering student, Hassan (Ayad Akhtar), is arrested in Paris and tortured by intelligence agents who mistakenly believe he is involved in terrorist activities. After his release, Hassan radically changes his position and joins a cell in the U.S. with plans to blow up part of NYC.
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| 1. Jesus' Son (1999)
2. Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)
3. Niagara, Niagara (1997)
4. Notorious (2009)
5. On the Run (1998)
6. Personal Velocity (2002)
7. Stonewall (1995)
8. Sue (1997)
9. Then She Found Me (2008)
10. The War Within (2005)
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