Esposito, Jennifer

Crash (Widescreen Edition)

Movie studios, by and large, avoid controversial subjects like race the way you might avoid a hive of angry bees. So it's remarkable that Crash even got made; that it's a rich, intelligent, and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents--black, white, latino, Asian, and Persian--is downright amazing. A politically nervous district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his high-strung wife (Sandra Bullock, biting into a welcome change of pace from Miss Congeniality) get car-jacked by an oddly sociological pair of young black men (Larenz Tate and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); a rich black T.V. director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) get pulled over by a white racist cop (Matt Dillon) and his reluctant partner (Ryan Phillipe); a detective (Don Cheadle) and his Latina partner and lover (Jennifer Esposito) investigate a white cop who shot a black cop--these are only three of the interlocking stories that reach up and down class lines. Writer/director Paul Haggis (who wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) spins every character in unpredictable directions, refusing to let anyone sink into a stereotype. The cast--ranging from the famous names above to lesser-known but just as capable actors like Michael Pena (Buffalo Soldiers) and Loretta Devine (Woman Thou Art Loosed)--meets the strong script head-on, delivering galvanizing performances in short vignettes, brief glimpses that build with gut-wrenching force. This sort of multi-character mosaic is hard to pull off; Crash rivals such classics as Nashville and Short Cuts. A knockout. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Crash (click for larger image)

This compelling urban thriller tracks the volatile intersection of a multiethnic cast of characters struggling to overcome their fears as they careen in and out of one another's lives. In the gray area between black and white victim and aggressor during the next 36 hours the will all collide.System Requirements: Running Time 122 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: R UPC: 031398179382 Manufacturer No: 17938

Dracula 2000

As a director, Wes Craven has been able to infuse his horror movies with humor and some smart, often genuinely creepy, thrills, even on his lowest-budgeted films. As a producer of horror movies, well, his record has been spotty at best. Craven tapped his longtime editor Patrick Lussier to direct Dracula 2000, and the movie ends up with all the good and bad of "a Wes Craven production." A modern-day update of the Dracula legend, the script has some genuinely good ideas. Christopher Plummer (The Insider) takes a relatively juicy role as Van Helsing, owner of an antiques shop specializing in ancient weapons. He takes exception to how his namesake was portrayed in Bram Stoker's classic novel, which he's more than happy to tell his assistant (Jonny Lee Miller, "Sick Boy" from Trainspotting) without telling him the whole story. When Omar Epps leads a band of high-tech criminals to break into Van Helsing's high security vault (thinking that with so much security there's got to be something extremely valuable in there), what they end up stealing is the body of Dracula, who of course awakens from his slumber. When the story shifts to New Orleans, where Van Helsing's estranged daughter is working for the local Virgin Megastore (here metaphor is replaced by product placement), Dracula is drawn to her. The undead start to multiply, and the vampire hunt resumes. Another excellent idea deals with a new origin to Dracula, flashing back to biblical times to explain his aversion to silver and crosses. But there is a downside. Under the inept direction of Lussier the movie is never scary, inspiring instead an occasional feeling of pity for the actors. Overall, this a vampire movie for the mind, not the heart. --Andy Spletzer

The master of modern horror, Wes Craven, presents a riveting adaptation of the chilling classic featuring Jennifer Esposito (SUMMER OF SAM), Omar Epps (IN TOO DEEP), Jonny Lee Miller (TRAINSPOTTING), Vitamin C (GET OVER IT), and Jeri Ryan (STAR TREK: VOYAGER). When a team of techno-savvy thieves breaks into a high-security vault, they don't discover priceless artwork ... they find a crypt that hasn't been opened for 100 years! Suddenly, the ancient terror of Dracula is unleashed in the chaotic 21st century. Free to follow his pursuits of seduction and power, Dracula's first destination is America and the exotic city of New Orleans, a place where he feels right at home. Not far behind, however, is a young vampire hunter (Miller) from London, determined to save a young woman (Justine Waddell) with whom Dracula shares his dark legacy!

Master of Disguise

For grown-up fans of Dana Carvey, this train wreck of a comedy, is, in the words of Carvey's SNL Ross Perot impression, just sad. But kids love it! Carvey's chameleonesque Pistachio Disguisey is an endearing klutz-turned-hero in the classic Jerry Lewis tradition. So perhaps they won't get the Tony Montana Scarface reference. But his Turtle man is a hoot ("Am I not turtle enough?" is the catchphrase that swept the playgrounds). And when all else fails (and it nearly does), Brent Spiner shows up to steal his scenes as the villain who has a penchant for passing gas after laughing maniacally. No doubt hopes for an Austin Powers-like franchise have been dashed. Certainly, Master, with its cameos by Bo Derek, Jessica Simpson, and Jesse Ventura, lacks Goldmember's A-list star power. But it is way more family-friendly, and that will favorably impress parents. --Donald Liebenson

Crash (Full Screen Edition)

The lives of a group of Los Angeles residents interconnect as a result of often heated and racist encounters.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 9-JAN-2007
Media Type: DVD

Movie studios, by and large, avoid controversial subjects like race the way you might avoid a hive of angry bees. So it's remarkable that Crash even got made; that it's a rich, intelligent, and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents--black, white, latino, Asian, and Persian--is downright amazing. A politically nervous district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his high-strung wife (Sandra Bullock, biting into a welcome change of pace from Miss Congeniality) get car-jacked by an oddly sociological pair of young black men (Larenz Tate and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); a rich black T.V. director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) get pulled over by a white racist cop (Matt Dillon) and his reluctant partner (Ryan Phillipe); a detective (Don Cheadle) and his Latina partner and lover (Jennifer Esposito) investigate a white cop who shot a black cop--these are only three of the interlocking stories that reach up and down class lines. Writer/director Paul Haggis (who wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) spins every character in unpredictable directions, refusing to let anyone sink into a stereotype. The cast--ranging from the famous names above to lesser-known but just as capable actors like Michael Pena (Buffalo Soldiers) and Loretta Devine (Woman Thou Art Loosed)--meets the strong script head-on, delivering galvanizing performances in short vignettes, brief glimpses that build with gut-wrenching force. This sort of multi-character mosaic is hard to pull off; Crash rivals such classics as Nashville and Short Cuts. A knockout. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Crash (click for larger image)

Summer of Sam

It's important to note that Spike Lee's drama is not titled Son of Sam. Summer of Sam doesn't chronicle the killer as much as the times: the blistering hot summer of 1977 when the Big Apple's psyche was taken hostage by the lone gunman. We spot the killer (Michael Badalucco) in his mad ramblings, but the film centers on two friends from the Bronx: Vinny and Ritchie (John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody). Vinny and his wife, Dionna (Mira Sorvino), bury a bad marriage (he cheats at a drop of a hat) in the disco halls of the area. Ritchie returns to the neighborhood sporting punk hair, punk clothes, and a British accent that immediately infuriates the neighborhood boys oozing far too much testosterone. Cops, local mob leaders, and the guys on the street all have ideas who the killer is; neighborhood loners to Reggie Jackson (in the midst of World Series heroism) are on their misguided lists of suspects. When the film looks at how the citizens faced the fearful times, Lee scores with his energetic camerawork and pop soundtrack. Yet the film is banal in its domestic dramatics. The film takes large detours into Vinny's home sex life (stagnant) and Ritchie's extracurricular activities. One of the marriage arguments--though real and well acted--is so long and cliché-ridden you wonder if someone fell asleep in the editing booth. Add the point-blank killings and nonstop vulgarity and you have Lee's most unpleasant film. --Doug Thomas

In the summer of 1977 in New York City, a man called the Son of Sam commits numerous murders. As friends in a small Italian neighborhood become obsessed with the idea that the Son of Sam is someone nearby, the madman's plague of terror becomes the catalyst that prompts relationships to fall apart and trust to disintegrate into dread.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 5-AUG-2003
Media Type: DVD

Crash - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Movie studios, by and large, avoid controversial subjects like race the way you might avoid a hive of angry bees. So it's remarkable that Crash even got made; that it's a rich, intelligent, and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents--black, white, latino, Asian, and Persian--is downright amazing. A politically nervous district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his high-strung wife (Sandra Bullock, biting into a welcome change of pace from Miss Congeniality) get car-jacked by an oddly sociological pair of young black men (Larenz Tate and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); a rich black T.V. director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) get pulled over by a white racist cop (Matt Dillon) and his reluctant partner (Ryan Phillipe); a detective (Don Cheadle) and his Latina partner and lover (Jennifer Esposito) investigate a white cop who shot a black cop--these are only three of the interlocking stories that reach up and down class lines. Writer/director Paul Haggis (who wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) spins every character in unpredictable directions, refusing to let anyone sink into a stereotype. The cast--ranging from the famous names above to lesser-known but just as capable actors like Michael Pena (Buffalo Soldiers) and Loretta Devine (Woman Thou Art Loosed)--meets the strong script head-on, delivering galvanizing performances in short vignettes, brief glimpses that build with gut-wrenching force. This sort of multi-character mosaic is hard to pull off; Crash rivals such classics as Nashville and Short Cuts. A knockout. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Crash (click for larger image)

This compelling urban thriller tracks the volatile intersection of a multiethnic cast of characters struggling to overcome their fears as they careen in and out of one another's lives. In the gray area between black and white, victim and aggressor, during the next 36 hours, they will all collide.

Breakin' All the Rules (Special Edition)

The game is on and the rules are out as Jamie Foxx Morris Chestnut Jennifer Esposito and Gabrielle Union star in this outrageous comedy that rewrites the book of love. After being dumped by his fianc e aspiring writer Quincy Watson (Foxx) pens the ultimate how-to book on breaking up. When it becomes a smash bestseller Quincy starts giving his cousin Evan (Chestnut) choice tips on how to win the battle of the sexes. But when Evan s beautiful girlfriend Nikki (Union) gets wind of the plan it s these players that end up getting played in this sexy comedy of errors about breaking up breaking throughand breaking all the rules.DVD FeatuesThe Three Stooges "Hoi Polloi" Short FilmQuincy Watson Interview"The Break-up Handbook" Making-of FeaturetteGag ReelCast and Crew CommentaryWidescreen PresentationSystem Requirements:Running Time 85 MinsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396013124 Manufacturer No: 01312

Jamie Foxx proves a winning romantic lead in the surprisingly subtle Breakin' All the Rules. When Quincy (Foxx, Ali, Collateral) gets brutally dumped by his fiancee, he researches the psychology of firing employees to create a break-up guide--a guide to a kinder, gentler break-up. His cousin Evan (Morris Chestnut, The Brothers) is afraid that his girlfriend is going to dump him, so he asks for Quincy's help, setting in motion a web of mistaken identities that snares Evan's girlfriend Nicky (Gabrielle Union, Bring It On), Quincy's boss Philip (a wonderfully squirmy Peter MacNicol), and a blithe gold digger named Rita (Jennifer Esposito, Dracula 2000). Writer/director Daniel Taplitz gives his characters, if not three dimensions, then two and a half--comedy comes out of their personalities instead of lame gags. Add in some unpredictable plot twists, genuine chemistry between Foxx and Union, and the result is genuinely fun. --Bret Fetzer

Taxi (Widescreen Edition)

Bumbling cop Washburn (Jimmy Fallon) is a terrible driver who loses his license and so recruits reluctant Belle (Queen Latifah) and her souped-up mega-cab after he stumbles onto a team of supermodel bank robbers. Several klutzy encounters and high-speed car chases ensue. If this sounds to you like the obvious result of a Hollywood pitch session ("Hey, let's pair some guy from Saturday Night Live with a tough-talking African-American and set them after babes on wheels!"), you're right; it doesn't mean, however, that you won't get in a few decent laughs before director Tim (Barbershop) Story's amiable time-killer falls into a steaming pile of would-be blockbuster buddy film cliches. The ever-ingratiating Latifah has long since proved her star charisma, and Fallon does an amusingly offhand parody of failed machismo. They're clearly having a good time together, and you could do worse than their company. There isn't a frame here that isn't cheaply recycled from some other lame action comedy, but if you grit your teeth for the very bumpy ride, you'll come out without too many scratches.--Steve Wiecking

Sassy hip-hop star Queen Latifah brings hilarious attitude to this hard-driving, high-octane comedy action blast! Latifah plays Belle, New York's fastest cabbie, whose taxi-driving expertise - not to mention her loaded-to-the-max vehicle - comes in handy when a fumbling young undercover cop (Jimmy Fallon) must crack a bank robbery plot hatched by a gang of supermodels! Don't miss this tire-squealing, stop-on-a-dime comedy with a topflight cast of stars, including NYPD Blue's Henry Simmons, Ann-Margaret and supermodel Gisele Bundchen!

American Crude

Rob Schneider (Deuce Bigalow) Ron Livingston (Office Space) Jennifer Esposito (Taxi) and Michael Clarke Duncan (School for Scoundrels) give hilarious performances in this off-beat comedy! For years Johnny (Livingston) had been successful devising schemes that would help him achieve the American Dream. Until the night he throws a bachelor party for his best friend. Now before the frantic evening is over all his best-laid plans comes crashing down as the paths of several highly eccentric characters (including a transsexual prostitute a runaway virgin a gorgeous gone-wilding ex-con and a porn king) converge in this seriously twisted comedy where no deed - good or bad - goes unpunished.System Requirements:Running Time: 98 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/COMING OF AGE Rating: R UPC: 043396228474 Manufacturer No: 22847

Don't Say a Word

Adapted from Andrew Klavan's bestselling suspense novel, Don't Say a Word is a suitable companion to director Gary Fleder's earlier hit Kiss the Girls, with solid performances serving a plot that begins promisingly. The tension starts when the daughter of a topnotch New York psychiatrist (Michael Douglas) is kidnapped by a bitter ex-con (Sean Bean) with an old score to settle. Aided by an unwitting colleague (Oliver Platt), Douglas can save his daughter by extracting crucial information from a traumatized patient (Brittany Murphy), while his bedridden wife (Famke Janssen) and a tenacious detective (Jennifer Esposito) do their part to solve the mystery. Fleder pushes all the routine buttons with effectively somber style, so Don't Say a Word will satisfy anyone with a preference for high-anxiety thrillers, even as it grows increasingly conventional; it's entertaining without being particularly original. It's a by-the-book programmer, just right for rainy-day viewing. --Jeff Shannon

Michael Douglas is "tremendous" (Tribune News Services) inthe psychological thriller "in the classic Hitchcock tradition" (The New York Observer). When The daughter of a prominent new York psychiatrist (Douglas) is kidnapped, his only hope for her safe return is to pry a 6-digit number from the memory of a troubled teenage girl - and time is running out!