The Local Cinema: February 2009

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Plot: After total humiliation at her thirteenth birthday party, Jenna Rink wants to just hide until she's thirty. Thanks to some wishing dust, Jenna's prayer has been answered. With a knockout body, a dream apartment, a fabulous wardrobe, an athlete boyfriend, a dream job, and superstar friends, this can't be a better life. Unfortunetly, Jenna realizes that this is not what she wanted. The only one that she needs is her childhood best friend, Matt, a boy that she thought destroyed her party. But when she finds him, he's a grown up, and not the same person that she knew.

Rating: PG-13

28 Days

Plot: After getting into a car accident while drunk on the day of her sister's wedding, Gwen Cummings is given a choice between prison or a rehab center. She chooses rehab, but is extremely resistant to taking part in any of the treatment programs they have to offer, refusing to admit that she has an alcohol addiction. After getting to know some of the other patients, Gwen gradually begins to re-examine her life and see that she does, in fact, have a serious problem. The path to recovery will not be easy, and success will not be guaranteed or even likely, but she is now willing to give it a try.

Rating: PG-13

About a Boy

Plot: Will Freeman is a hip Londoner who one day realizes that his friends are all involved with the responsibilities of married life and that leaves him alone in the cold. Passing himself off as a single father, he starts to meet a string of single mums, confident in his ability to leave them behind when they start to ask for a commitment. But Will's hope of a continued bachelorhood is interrupted when he meets 12-year old Marcus, in many ways his complete opposite.

Rating: PG-13

Akeelah and the Bee

Plot: Eleven year old African-American Akeelah Anderson comes from a working class family living in South Los Angeles. Akeelah is a bright girl, especially when it comes to words, but finds life at poor Crenshaw Middle School boring and unchallenging, so she doesn't try. But her natural aptitude for words spurs the school administrators, led by Principal Welch, to convince her to try out for the process of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Akeelah, already feeling isolated from many in her school because of being perceived as a "brainiac", feels that participating in such will make her feel even more isolated. But her joy in learning new words at least gets her started in the process. After easily winning the school's spelling bee, she meets and befriends Javier Mendez, a competitor at the Los Angeles district bee where most of the competitors come from primarily white middle class to wealthy families. There, she learns about the nature of spelling bee life in all its good and bad, the latter which includes the cutthroat world of competitor parents. An example is Javier's classmate and two time national runner-up Dylan Chiu, whose father will not settle for second best as Dylan enters the last year he is eligible for the competition. Akeelah learns she needs a coach, hers to be in the form of former spelling bee competitor and UCLA English Department Chair Dr. Joshua Larabee, who teaches Akeelah not only the rote memorization of typical spelling bee words, but how to use English in all its glorious facets. Akeelah progresses further and further into spelling bee life without telling her widowed mother Tanya, who sees the bees as impinging into time in her other school work. Other challenges that Akeelah faces are trying to balance working on her spelling against time with her friends, and handling the hopes and dreams of all of South Los Angeles on her shoulders. Ultimately there may be more important things in Akeelah's life than winning the national championship.

Rating: PG

America's Sweethearts

Plot: America's favorite couple, in movies as well as in real life, has broken up: Gwen has fallen in love with Latin actor Hector, Eddie can't take it no more and has taken quite some time off in the lush gardens of a leading wellness guru. But there is a problem: The latest movie of Gwen & Eddie ("Time over Time") is being held hostage by its director Hal Weidmann. His only request is that it is shown to the press first, not even producer and studio boss David Kingman may take a look at it. Kingman now entrusts PR wizard Lee Philips, whom he just had fired, to organize a press junket that none of the journalists will ever forget - just to distract the press from the fact that the film itself won't be shown at all. Therefore, Lee somehow has to bring Gwen and Eddie back together, at least for that one weekend, in a lonely hotel resort in the Nevada desert. Not quite everything works out the way Lee wanted it to, since Gwen's sister and assistant Kiki also has a mind of her own.

Rating: PG-13

An Affair to Remember

Plot: Handsome playboy Nicky Ferrante and beautiful night club singer Terry McKay have a romance while on a cruise from Europe to New York. Despite being engaged to other people, both agree to reunite at the top of the Empire State Building in six months. However, an unfortunate accident keeps Terry from the reunion, and Nicky fears that she has married or does not love him anymore. Will he discover the truth behind her absence and reunite with his one true love, or has fate and destiny passed them by?

An American in Paris

Plot: Jerry Mulligan, a struggling American painter in Paris, is "discovered" by an influential heiress with an interest in more than Jerry's art. Jerry in turn falls for Lise, a young French girl already engaged to a cabaret singer. Jerry jokes, sings and dances with his best friend, an acerbic would-be concert pianist, while romantic complications abound.

A More Perfect Union

Plot: America, 1786. Ten years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. England wages a new war of unfair trade and tariffs. Bickering and jealousy fracture the once United Staes.
But a handful of brilliant men, JAMES MADISON, GEORGE WASHINGTON, and BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, lead a political battle to create a new form of government, one that will establish the standard of self-government to the world.
A MORE PERFECT UNION: America Becomes A Nation is the first comprehensive recreation of those stirring, heated debates during the sweltering summer of 1787. Filmed on location at Independence Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia, and other historical sites, it dramatically chronicles how America became a nation and those underlying principles that guard our freedoms today.

Aquamarine

Plot: After a vicious storm , half the ocean washes into the beach club swimming pool. Two teenagers, Haley and Claire, discover a mermaid in the pool. She tells them that she needs to find love in three days, and they agree to help her because helping a mermaid means you get a wish, and they decide that they can use their wish to try and stop Haley from moving to Australia.

Rating: PG

Beauty and the Beast: A Latter-day Tale

Plot: Eric is a man shrouded in mystery. Throughout the land, he is known as 'the Beast' for his bad temper and mean ways. When Belle is forced to work for him, she tries not to be intimidated and resolves to look deeper. She discovers the truth and becomes the one person who can make a difference in Eric's life and help him rediscover the faith and love he lost years ago.A touching story of forgiveness, change and love, this classic fairytale comes to life in modern times to capture your heart!
Rating: PG

Because of Winn-Dixie

Plot: A 10-year-old girl, abandoned by her mother when she was three, moves to a small town in Florida with her father, a preacher. While there, she adopts a stray dog whom she names after the local supermarket where he was found. With her goofy pooch by her side, she meets an eclectic group of townspeople and rekindles an almost lost relationship with her father.

Rating: PG

Bend It Like Beckham

Plot: Of East Indian origin of the Sikh faith, the Bhamra family have been settled in Great Britain for several years. They have two daughters, Pinky and Jessminder. While Pinky is in the process of getting married, Jessminder is preparing to play football - which is not acceptable to her parents. But Jessminder knows she is good at the sport, and she does receive considerable encouragement. Her parents are clearly uncomfortable with their daughter running around in shorts, chasing a big ball, instead of being clad in a traditional salwar khameez, and learning to cook East Indian recipes. Jessminder must now decide what's important for her. To make matters worse, a football tournament is arranged on the very day of her sister's marriage. Will Jessminder be able to play, or will her dreams be shattered?

Rating: PG-13

The Best Two Years

Plot: Two pairs of Mormon missionaries from America live in a beaten-up apartment in the Dutch city of Haarlem. Their personalities are distinctly different. Appropriately, the most responsible one, Elder Johnson, is the District Leader and oversees their efforts. His companion, the vain Elder Van Pelt, seeks to become the assistant to the mission president (the top post available) as soon as possible, and he receives letters from three girlfriends he left behind. The capable Elder Rogers has become disillusioned and inattentive to his duties ever since a previous missionary companion returned to America, looked up and married Elder Roger's girlfriend. As a result he is simply marking time until he returns home in a few weeks time. The three meet Elder Roger's new companion, Elder Calhoun, in the train station. This new elder is a nerdy but enthusiastic "greenie" that has just arrived from the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Utah. Unfortunately his training did not give him much fluency in the Dutch language, but as luck would have it, the first person he approaches to proselytize is a fellow American named Kyle. In the weeks that come, Elder Johnson and Van Pelt increasingly irritate each other while in contrast Elder Rogers and Calhoun begin to relate in a positive fashion as they teach Kyle about the Mormon faith.

Rating: PG

The Book of Mormon Movie

Plot: The story of Lehi and his wife Sariah and their four sons: Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. Lehi leaves Jerusalem because he prophesied unto the people concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, and they sought his life. He journeys into the wilderness with his family. He sends Nephi and his brethren back to Jerusalem after the brass plates and the family of Ishmael. The sons and daughters of Lehi marry the sons and daughters of Ishmael. They take their families and continue into the wilderness. Ishmael dies in the wilderness. They come to the sea. Nephi's brethren rebel against him. He confounds them, and builds a ship. They cross the sea to the promised land in the Americas. Lehi dies in the promised land. Nephi's brethren rebel against him again. Nephi departs again into the wilderness.

Rating: PG

The Bourne Ultimatum

Plot: Matt Damon returns as highly trained assassin Jason Bourne, who is on the hunt for the agens who stole his memory and true identity. With a new generation of skilled CIA operatives tracking his every move, Bourne is in a non-stop race around the globe as he finally learns the truth behind his mysterious past. Loaded with incredible fight and chase sequences, it's the exhilarating movie with "mind-blowing actioin" that you can't afford to miss!

Rating: PG-13

A Boyfriend for Christmas

Plot: Holly is not looking forward to Xmas. Her brother has a wife and kids to bring to their parents' house. She hasn't had a boyfriend since Ted. Holly loved Ted but he broke her heart when he chose to break up with her when he was transferred to an out of town newspaper owned by his family's publishing empire. Oh, and work is unrewarding--today the woman Holly was helping failed to regain custody of her kids when pro bono lawyer Ryan Hughes never showed up at the hearing. Knowing she will never meet Hughes, Holly has to settle for dictating a nasty letter to him. Holly's friend Diane tries to perk her up by promising to send her a great Xmas present. So when a handsome man with a Xmas tree knocks at her door, she realizes Douglas Firwood is her present and she can take him home to her parents for the day as a boyfriend she is serious about. Holly thinks the day is going perfectly--she and Doug are hitting it off, her family likes Doug, and her family believes every fact about Doug that she dreams up on the spur of the moment. There are three truths she doesn't realize: her brother's wife foresees great professional advancement if she can get his new boss Ted married to Holly so Ted is coming over, Diane's gift to Holly was a great bottle of booze, and how unbelievably coincidental it is that the man showing up at her door carrying a Douglas fir should claim to be named Douglas Firwood.

Bride and Prejudice

Plot: A Bollywood update of Jane Austen's classic tale, in which Mrs. Bakshi is eager to find suitable husbands for her four unmarried daughters. When the rich single gentlemen Balraj and Darcy come to visit, the Bakshis have high hopes, though circumstance and boorish opinions threaten to get in the way of romance.

Rating: PG-13

Cars

Plot: Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters--including Sally, a snazzy 2002 Porsche, Doc Hudson, a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, and Mater, a rusty but trusty tow truck, who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship.

Rating: G

Chasing Liberty

Plot: Anna Foster (Mandy Moore) has never had an ordinary life. At eighteen years old, she is the most protected girl in America; she is the First Daughter. Frustrated with her overprotective father, the President of the United States of America (Mark Harmon), Anna makes a deal with him: only two agents are allowed to guard her while she attends a concert in Prague. When her father backs out of his promise, Anna flies into a temper and goes on the run with Ben Calder (Matthew Goode), a handsome photographer she runs into outside of the music club. They travel together with the intention of going to the Love Parade in Berlin. Anna hasn't told Ben who she is but more importantly, Ben hasn't told her who he is. Under the orders of Anna's father, Ben is supposed to keep an eye on the rebellious girl but falling in love with her wasn't something he expected to do. Romance blossoms between the wild, sassy Anna and the cool, distant Ben as they backpack through Europe. Problem is, when it is time to go back and Anna finds out about Ben, what will happen to the two lovers?

Rating: PG-13

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Plot: Charlie Bucket is a young boy who comes from a poor but loving family and would love nothing more than to find a golden ticket to enter the amazing chocolate factory run by inventor and owner Willy Wonka. As luck would have it, Charlie finds the last golden ticket and goes on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure with his grandpa Joe. Among the other four winners are Veruca Salt, a spoiled rich girl; Augustus Gloop, a gluttonous kid who stuffs his face with sweets; Violet Beuragarde, a champion trophy gum chewer; and Mike Teavee, a kid who spends more time watching TV and playing video games than anything else. Most fascinating is the mysterious Willy Wonka who in turn had a troubled childhood and has a special grand prize at the end for one of the kids. Also along the tour are Wonka's staff the singing, working Oommpa Loompas.

Rating: PG

Cheaper By the Dozen

Plot: The Bakers, a family of 12, move from small-town Illinois to the big city after Tom Baker gets his dream job to coach his alma mater's football team. Meanwhile, his wife also gets her dream of getting her book published. While she's away promoting the book, Tom has a hard time keeping the house in order while at the same time coaching his football team, as the once happy family starts falling apart.

Rating: PG

Cheaper By the Dozen 2

Plot: Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt return as heads of the Baker family who, while on vacation, find themselves in competition with a rival family of eight children, headed by Eugene Levy

Rating: PG

Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella (Brandy)

Plot: In this Rogers& Hammerstein musical version of the classical fairy tale, where only the genetic miscasting surpasses the implausibility of most colors and sets, a royal heir is as bored with court life as fascinated with commoners lives, but his mother commands another grand ball in his name- he only concedes to attend if another lack of acceptable marital candidates wins him the right to switch to a selection process of his choice. However Cinderella, a black stepdaughter (de facto maid) gets to attend till midnight by the magic of her fairy godmother, and unlike her hideous stepsisters is the only one to captures his heart, so when she rushes off he orders every young woman in the kingdom should fit her left behind glass slipper...

Rating: G

Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella (Julie Andrews)

Plot: The first of three TV-versions of the classic fairy tale that featured a Rodgers and Hammerstein score.

A Cinderella Story

Plot: At 8 years old, the blonde Samantha Montgomery lost her father to an earthquake, leaving her to live in an attic, while her stepmother Fiona, and stepsisters, Gabriella and Brianna take over her life. With popular kids Austin Ames, Shleby Cummings, and their crew, then her house family, the only escapes she has are the Diner Staff, her best friend Carter, and an online buddy-Nomad. They both go to North Valley High and dream of going to Princeton. They have a relationship that goes on through text messages and emails. He finally asks her to the Halloween dance, where they meet, and she finds out Austin is Nomad. Not knowing who his 'Cinderella' is, he goes on one of the toughest quests ever, as Sam's friends convince her to tell him. He finds out at a more than humiliating pep rally that Cincerella is 'Diner Girl'. She finally tells off her steps, and she manages to tell off Austin. At the end, they supposedly end up dating, going to Princeton, and she finds her dad's will, stating it leaves EVERYTHING to Sam. Happy Ever After? Who knows.

Rating: PG

Confessions of an American Bride

Plot: Young career woman Samantha 'Sam' Hoyt gets swept off her feet by Benjamin 'Ben' Rosen, who romances her better then anyone before, so she jumps at the offer of becoming his fiancée. If Ben thought a girls typical obsession with the perfect wedding was testing, she soon proves a particularly bad case, and before he gets used to that meeting each-others parents complicates things gravely, as Jewish and church wedding traditions don't exactly mix easily. They take their time preparing while living together. Then fate strikes again: the key man from the client of her firms advertising campaign is Luke Stinson, the perfect gay at college whom she could never date because of a rather serious fall just when they could have kissed. Luke proves still as irresistible, gorgeous, charming, easy-going and simply too sexy for any female not to lust for at first sight, and actually confides in her he asked for her on the campaign because he considers her the one attractive girl who got away. They collaborate intensively while the ever trying wedding preparations continue, and she feels ever more attracted to the love of her youth, so is she still quite sure Ben is truly the love of her life?

Cowboys and Angels

Plot: A lawyer in his 30s named Danny still dreams about becoming a cowboy when his fiancée leaves him on the eve of their wedding ceremony. Fortunately, for him, not one, but two contrasting girls appear on his life to take her place: the bubbly Jo Jo and the more traditional Candice. But who will win out?

Rating: PG

Coyote Ugly (Edited)

Plot: When young Violet finally follows her dream and moves to New York to become a songwriter, she knows little about the big city. All her efforts to get a demo tape to a producer are useless, additionally her apartment is broken in to, leaving her with nothing. But a coincidence leads her to Coyote Ugly, a night club where only beautiful women call the shots, using their female attraction to drive the guests just crazy. Violet manages to get a position and starts learning the ways of the city. After getting in trouble because of a misunderstanding, Violet's new friend Kevin tries to rid her of her stage fear so that she can perform her songs herself. Violet's father Bill does not like her new job as well as her leaving him, but it's all part of growing up.

Rating: PG-13

Dreamer

Plot: In Lexington, Kentucky, the horse barn of the family Crane has been empty for years, without any horses, due to the financial difficulties of the family. When the female horse Sonya, a.k.a. Sonador (Dreamer, in English) breaks one foreleg in a race, the owner Palmer decides to sacrifice the animal, but Ben Crane accepts the injured horse as part of three months salaries owed by Palmer. His daughter Cale becomes very connected with Sonya, and while the horse is rehabilitated, the wounds in the Crane family are also healed.

Rating: PG

The Dukes of Hazzard

Plot: Bo and Luke Duke are southern cousins. In Hazzard County, Bo and Luke help their Uncle Jesse and their sexy cousin Daisy run the Moonshine business and always getting into trouble with Sherriff Roscoe P. Coltrane and recklessly driving in their red car "General Lee". Boss Hogg, the mean and corrupt local county commissioner who hates The Dukes evicts The Dukes from their farm. Bo and Duke travels to Atlanta and meets up with old friend Katie Johnson and her friend Annette as they set out to find out why Boss Hogg has evicted them from their farm and what he plans to do. With local ace race car driver Billy Prickett in town to take part in the Annual Hazzard Road Race rally, Bo and Luke sets out to save their farm and foil Boss Hogg's scheme.

Rating: PG-13

Elf

Plot: Based on Gail Carson Levine's award winning novel, this is the story of Ella, a young woman who was given a "gift" of obedience by a fairy named Lucinda. Anything anyone tells her to do, she must obey. When her mother passes away, Ella is cared for by her thoughtless and greedy father who remarries a loathsome woman with two treacherous daughters. This modern-day, fantasy Cinderella features fairies, ogres and elves...as well as a hero in the guise of Prince Charmont, whom Ella falls in love with. Unlike Cinderella though, Ella must depend on herself and her intelligence to get her through her troubles and find Lucinda in order for her "curse" to be broken!

Rating: PG

Ella Enchanted

Eloise at Christmastime

Plot: The Plaza's most famous six-year-old girl returns for Christmas in this heartwarming family film based on the best-selling children's classic Eloise at Christmastime.
"I absolutely love Christmas!" exclaims Eloise. So, with her "mostly companion" Nanny, Eloise sets off celebrating the season in her own irrepressible style. Whether it's helping coordinate a Christmas Eve wedding because "Getting married on Christmas Eve is the most romantic thing," shopping for the entire staff of the hotel or helping a neighbor save her home, Eloise has a "to do" list as long as her Christmas list.

Eloise at the Plaza

Plot: Eloise is a fun-loving little girl with a knack for finding adventure every place she looks. While under the care of her "rawther" wonderful nanny, Eloise tries to play matchmaker to a lonely prince and wrangle an invitation to the society event of the season.
Join New York City's most adventurous six-year-old in this charming new family film. It's "as bright and quick-witted as its high-spirited heroine."

Emma

Plot: Based on the Jane Austen novel, "Emma" tells the story of a young woman in England who plays her town's matchmaker. When attempting to match up her friend with the Reverend Elton, Emma starts to run into complications, which multiply amongst themselves with cases of mistaken intentions of love, a cast of supporting characters who each love someone else, but Emma doesn't know who loves who, and Emma finally realizing the one person she truly loves.

Rating: PG

Enchanted

Plot: Once upon a time in the kingdom of Andalasia, a beautiful young maiden named Giselle lives in a cottage in the forest. But before she can marry the dashing Prince Edward, Giselle is sent tumbling down a magical well - and finds herself in the non-animated, extremely disenchanted world of modern-day New York City. There, she befriends a cynical divorce lawyer, Robert, who isn't so sure that her prince is coming to rescue her. Giselle's spontaneous singing and fairy-tale demeanor enchant everyone around her as she waits for Prince Edward. But she's about to discover that love in the real world isn't always as easy as sharing a single True Love's Kiss - and that she'll need courage, spunk and maybe just a little enchantment if she's ever going to find her own happily-ever-after.

Rating: PG

Ever After

Plot: Danielle, sole daughter of a deceased French nobleman, is raised - more as a servant than as a stepdaughter - by cruel and snobbish Rodmilla together with her own two daughters Marguerite and Jaqueline. One day, she accidentally meets Prince Henry, the future king of France. A little later Danielle has to pretend to be a noble person and meets the prince again. This time, his interest in the young lady grows. But the day of the prince's marriage draws closer and closer without an official bride at hand. Actually, her stepsister Marguerite seems to have the best odds to win the race. But they all underestimated the power of true love, especially when a genius is at hand...

Rating: PG

The Family Stone (Edited)

Plot: In the lead up to Christmas, the extended Stone family - headed by parents Sybil and Kelly Stone - are planning on descending on the family home for the holidays. The Stones are loving, tight-knit, outspoken and liberal minded. Among those attending the festivities are their five children, "perfect" son Everett, unmarried son Ben, deaf gay son Thad (with his African American partner, Patrick), pregnant daughter Susannah (with her first child, adolescent Elizabeth), and outspoken daughter Amy. New to the mix this year is Everett's guest, Meredith Morton, who Everett intends on marrying. Meredith is outwardly put-together, but is uptight, self-conscious and lacks self-esteem. Also outwardly, Meredith is not a typical addition to the Stone family, an issue not lost on either Meredith herself or any of the Stones. There is an open air of tension in the household because of the presence of Meredith, who calls upon her sister, Julie, to come to the Stone Christmas if only for moral support. Julie, on the other hand, is loved by all the Stones. Meredith storms off on Christmas Eve the result of a major argument with the Stones. But as Everett, Julie and Ben go after Meredith, all have a chance to reflect on their feelings and actions. In the light of Christmas day, life at the Stone's seems clearer if not slightly poignant as one by one individuals in the family learn of a secret kept by Sybil.

Rating: PG-13

Flicka

Plot: Coming of age story set in the mountain vistas, A headstrong 16 year old Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. Katy then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.

Rating: PG

Freedom Writers

Plot: Hilary Swank stars in this gripping story of inner city kids raised on drive-by shootings and hard-core attitude - and the teacher who gives them the one thing they need most: a voice of there own. Dropped into the free-fire zone of a school torn by violence and racial tension, teacher Erin Gruwell battles an uncaring system in a fight to make the classroom matter in her students lives. Now, telling their own stories, and hearing the stories of others, a group of supposedly "unteachable" teens will discover the power of tolerence, reclaim their shattered lives, and change their world.

Rating: PG-13

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Season 3

Funny Face

Plot: Fashion photographer Dick Avery, in search for an intellectual backdrop for an air-headed model, expropriates a Greenwich Village bookstore. When the photo session is over the store is left in a shambles, much to salesgirl Jo Stockton's dismay. Avery stays behind to help her clean up. Later, he examines the photos taken there and sees Jo in the background of one shot. He is intrigued by her unique appearance, as is Maggie Prescott, the editor of a leading fashion magazine. They offer Jo a modeling contract, which she reluctantly accepts only because it includes a trip to Paris. Eventually, her snobbish attitude toward the job softens, and Jo begins to enjoy the work and the company of her handsome photographer.

The Game Plan

Plot: In this hilarious and heartwarming family comedy, one of sport's toughest players ever takes on his biggest challenge yet--fatherhood! A superstar with an ego bigger than a football field, Joe Kingman is getting ready for a run at the big championship game when the 8-year old daughter he never knew existed shows up at his not-so-family-friendly bachelor pad. As the big game gets closer, he begins to realize the most meaningful win he can achieve is the heart of the one little fan who counts the most.

Rating: PG

Gentle Ben 2: Danger on the Mountain

Plot: With tensions running high between Jack & Fog over plans to drill on his land that abuts the wilderness preserve, Fog announces to the whole town that he isn't drilling for oil - but is opening a natural spring water business. Jack doesn't believe him & the night of the big annoucement he is jailed, suspected of sabotaging Fog's well. But Ben & Mark soon uncover a secret that Fog's business partners aren't telling him about. In fact this new venture turns out to be more than Fog could have bargined for. It is a race to prove Jack's innocence & uncover the truth before Mark is taken back to the city to live in a foster home.

Gentleman's Agreement

Plot: Philip Green is a highly respected writer who is recruited by a national magazine to write a series of articles on anti-Semitism in America. He's not too keen on the series, mostly because he's not sure how to tackle the subject. Then it dawns on him: if he was to pretend to all and sundry that he was Jewish, he could then experience the degree of racism and prejudice that exists and write his story from that perspective. It takes little time for him to experience bigotry. He soon learns the liberal-minded firm he works for doesn't hire Jews and that his own secretary changed her name and kept the fact that she is Jewish a secret from everyone. Green soon finds that he won't be invited to certain parties, that he cannot stay in so-called 'restricted' hotels and that his own son is called names in the street. His anger at the way he is treated also affects his relationship with Kathy Lacy, his publisher's niece and the person who suggested the series in the first place.

Get Smart

Plot: American Maxwell Smart works for a Government spy agency in an administrative capacity. When the agency's head office is attacked, the Chief decides to assign Maxwell as a spy and partners him with sexy Agent 99, much to her chagrin. The duo nevertheless set off to combat their attackers by first parachuting off an airplane and landing in Russian territory - followed closely by a over seven foot tall, 400 pound goon, known simply as Dalip. The duo, handicapped by Maxwell's antics, will eventually have their identities compromised, and may be chalked up as casualties while back in America their attackers have already planted a bomb that is set-up to explode in a concert.

Rating: PG-13

Gigi

Plot: Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship, but it may not stay platonic for long. Gaston, the scion of a wealthy Parisian family finds emotional refuge from the superficial lifestyle of upper class Parisian 1900s society with the former mistress of his uncle and her outgoing, tomboy granddaughter, Gigi. When Gaston becomes aware that Gigi has matured into a woman, her grandmother and aunt, who have educated Gigi to be a wealthy man's mistress, urge the pair to act out their roles but love adds a surprise twist to this delightful turn-of-the 20th century Cinderella story.

Rating: G

Glory Road

Plot: 40 years ago, Don Haskins went on the recruiting trail to find the best talent in the land, black or white. 7 blacks and 5 whites made up the legendary 1965-66 Texas Western Miners. They were mocked and ridiculed for their showboating and flaunting of black players on the court. Yet, in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, Haskins and his Miners came together as a team united to reach the National Championship game against powerhouse Kentucky.

Rating: PG

Hannah Montana: Livin' The Rock Star Life!

Plot: Hannah Montana is living the rock star dream, with cool concerts, lots of limos and a huge closet full of the latest styles. And nobody knows that underneath all the glitz 'n' glamor, she's simply sweet Miley Stewart. Y'all won't believe the hilarious things she does to keep her celebrity secret while navigating the challenges of homework, crushes, and being accepted into the local social scene. It all works out, though, because this chick totally rocks!

Harry Potter 1: The Sorcerer's Stone

Plot: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first film in the Harry Potter series based on the novels by J.K. Rowling. It is the tale of Harry Potter, an ordinary 11-year-old boy serving as a sort of slave for his aunt and uncle who learns that he is actually a wizard and has been invited to attend the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is snatched away from his mundane existence by Hagrid, the grounds keeper for Hogwarts, and quickly thrown into a world completely foreign to both him and the viewer. Famous for an incident that happened at his birth, Harry makes friends easily at his new school. He soon finds, however, that the wizarding world is far more dangerous for him than he would have imagined, and he quickly learns that not all wizards are ones to be trusted.

Rating: PG

Sunday, February 22, 2009

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