Gary Leroi Gray Movies

The second direct-to-video sequel of the hit teen cheerleading film Bring It On, Bring It On: All or Nothing concerns one Britney Allen, who must make new friends when her rich family moves into less desirable environs. She attempts to make the cheerleading squad of her new school, but butts heads with the popular, manipulative girl who is the captain of the troupe. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Season four of the cartoon series The Fairly OddParents yields 14 half-hour episodes, most of them containing two separate stories, generally involving 10-year-old Timmy Turner and his enthusiastic but incompetent fairy godparents Wanda and Cosmo. Exceptions to the two story rule include the season opener, "The Big Superhero Wish" (what if real life was one big comic book) and "Shelf Life" (Tom Sawyer is brought to life to wreak havoc on Timmy's house and also to bedevil a variety of other literary characters), not to mention the special episode, "The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour," wherein the characters of the cell-animated Fairly OddParents meet the CGI cast of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, and brace of animated TV movies, Crash Nebula and Channel Chasers. Other choice season-four adventures include "Vicky Loses Her Icky," in which Timmy comes to regret his wish that his hateful babysitter Vicky turn nice; "Power Pals!," a battle royal between a group of Super Friend rip-offs and the "Anti-Timmy Force"; "Lights! Camera! Adam!," exposing an insidious plot to discredit Timmy's favorite comic-book character, the Crimson Chin (voiced by Jay Leno); and "Class Clown," proving that being the Funniest Boy on Earth has its drawbacks. Among the other highlights this season are "Baby Face," wherein Timmy wishes to revert to infanthood to avoid Francis the Bully; "New Squid in Town," a tour de force for Timmy's extraterrestrial pal Mark the Alien, who is searching for the "ideal" bride (that is, one that is even uglier than Mark!); "Genie Meanie Minie," in which an evil spirit is released from a lava lamp; and the follow-up episode "Back to the Norm," which finds Timmy's hateful teacher Mr. Crocker getting hold of the lamp and conjuring up a Road Runner-like cartoon -- with himself as an ersatz Wile E. Coyote. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Of the 17 half-hour episodes produced for season three of The Fairly OddParents, most contain two short, self-contained segments per show. This year's exceptions include the season opener, "Information Stupor Highway"; the Valentine's day show "Love Struck"; and "The Secret Origin of Denzel Crocker," the life story of the nasty teacher who is obsessed with proving that ten-year-old Timmy Turner has a pair of winged fairy godparents named Wanda and Cosmo. (Which, of course, Timmy does!) Highlights of the third season include "Movie Magic," in which Timmy wishes to be transformed into an "auteur" to impress the haughty Trixie Tang; "Most Wanted Wish," illustrates the perils of wanting to be "wanted"; "This is Your Wish," with Cosmo's magical mom wreaking havoc; "Engine Blocked," wherein Timmy is transformed into his dad's sportscar; and "Beddy Bye," featuring the voice of Jackie Mason as the Sandman, who is so mad he could plotz when Timmy wishes for a world without sleep. Also: Timmy uses an enchanted microphone to expose the evil of his babysitter Vicky in "Microphony"; comic book superhero The Crimson Chin (voiced by Jay Leno) is pitted against his liquidy adversary H2Olga in "Crime Wave"; Timmy's wish for complete silence backfires when he can't warn Dimmsdale of an approaching meteor in "Pipe Down!"; a Darth Vader action figure is not only brought to life, but repulsively replicated by a magic copying machine in "Hard Copy"; and Timmy's neighbors face the dual threat of an avalanche and the Abominable Snowman in "Snow Bound." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two unlikely friends help to transform each other's lives through art in this independent drama. Robert (Brandon Karrer) is an aspiring photographer working at a photo supply store who is trying to put his life back together after the unexpected death of his best friend. As Robert's girlfriend Sidney (Jennifer Joslyn) tries to help him through this rough patch in his life, on the other side of town a boy named Marcus (Gary Leroi Gray) is falling into a life of crime under the influence of his older brother Keith (Trent Cameron), who runs with a notorious street gang. Marcus picks up an old camera one day, and when Robert happens into his neighborhood by accident, he bumps into the boy and they have a conversation about photography. Robert begins bringing his own camera along as he visits Marcus, finding a powerful and inspiring subject in the decay of the inner city. He urges Marcus to use his art as a way out of the ghetto and a dead-end life, though Keith and his friends hardly welcome Robert as he tries to work his way into Marcus' life. Focus was the first feature film from writer and director Roger Roth. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

At Dartmoor Academy snooty principal Morgan Brinway (B.D. Wong) has second-graders studying opera appreciation, but five feisty kids, nicknamed the "Stinkers" by Brinway, skip class to create chaos on the school grounds. Although they get a warning from Brinway, they soon rebel with more misadventures. Discovering sea lion Slappy during an aquarium field trip, they smuggle him back on the school bus and install him in Brinway's hot tub. Groundskeeper Roy (Bronson Pinchot) mistakes the sea lion for a giant gopher and plans to kill him, but before that can happen, animal thief Boccoli (Sam McMurray) makes off with Slappy, planning to sell him to the circus -- prompting the Stinkers to set forth on a rescue mission. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

So eager is Cliff (Bill Cosby) to get Sondra (Sabrina LeBeauf) and Elvin (Geoffrey Owens) out of the house that he agrees to babysit the twins while the couple moves into their new home in New Jersey. In his efforts to keep the kids entertained, Cliff plays a rough-house game with them--which culminates in his breaking the grandfather clock in the living room. Terrified that Clair (Phylicia Rashad) will give him what-for when she sees the damage, Cliff is "rescued" in the nick of time by a pair of resourceful moving men (played by network sportscasters Jim Valvano and Dick Vitale!) This episode was originally shown in tandem with "Cliff Gets Jilted". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This episode takes place just after the devastating LA riots of 1992. Philip (James Avery) and Vivian (Janet Hubert-Whitten) return to their old neighborhood to spearhead a clean-up effort, prompting a flashback to the couple's early years and their aspirations for the future (offering a glimpse of Philip in a 'fro'!) Meanwhile, Will (Will Smith) runs up against an embittered ghetto dweller (Shavar Ross) who attacks him for forgetting his homeboy roots. The story ends with a surprise announcement that will profoundly affect the family's future. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the first half of The Cosby Show's now-legendary series finale (originally shown as a single, hour-long special), Cliff (Bill Cosby) insists upon inviting everyone he knows to his son Theo's graduation--much to the dismay of Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), who is allowed only two commencement tickets. At the same time, Cliff's step-granddaughter Olivia (Raven-Symone) prepares to move to Singapore with her parents Denise and Martin. And there is a remote possibility that Vanessa will get back together with her much-older fiance Dabnis (William Thomas Jr.). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Clair (Phylicia Rashad) are worn to a frazzle by the disruptive behavior of their twin grandkids Nelson (Gary Gray) and Winnie (Jessica Vaughn). Even more annoying is the unwillingness of the twins' parents Sondra (Sabrina LeBeauf) and Elvin (Geoffrey Owens) to curb the kids' antics--and since the couple won't be able to move into their own house for another sixty days, it looks as though things will get worse before they get better. In desperation, Cliff constructs a makeshift "fort" in his living room to keep the twins at bay--and when this fails, he tries to palm the youngsters off on his own parents! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The eighth and final season of The Cosby Show gets under way with a surprise announcement from Vanessa, third-eldest of the Huxtable daughters. It seems that for the past six months, Vanessa has been engaged to Dabnis Brickey (William Thomas Jr.), the maintenance man at her college--and a man who is twelve years older than she! During a family dinner, Vanessa's parents Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Clair (Phylicia Rashad) are more than a little concerned as Dabnis rattles off his previous romances. Naturally, Cliff is dead set against his daughter's impending marriage, until he realizes two things: He likes Dabnis, and he will finally get Vanessa out of the house. (Conspicuous by their absence are the Huxtables' daughter Denise and her husband Martin, who--according to the script--is now stationed in Japan.) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi