Bruno Gioiello Movies
A booze-swilling, pot-smoking, hard-swearing seventh-grade teacher rallies to get out of the classroom for good by wrangling a rich substitute teacher into marriage in this comedy from director Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story). Cynical teacher Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz) hates her job. She can't wait for the day she finds a man who makes enough cash to let her walk away from her life of middle-school misery, and when her fiancé cancels their wedding plans, her frantic search intensifies. Just when it starts to look like Elizabeth will have to muscle her way through another semester of skull-crushing hangovers, however, handsome substitute Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake) shows up at school sporting a fancy wristwatch and the promise of a care-free future. But in order to earn her meal ticket, Elizabeth will have to out-cute perky fellow teacher Amy (Lucy Punch). And it won't be easy, because Scott is crushing on Amy hard. Now, if Elizabeth can just motivate her students to study so that she can win a state contest to earn enough cash for some new breast implants, perhaps she can finally find a means of diverting Scott's gaze. Meanwhile, much to Elizabeth's chagrin, wisecracking, self-effacing gym teacher Russell (Jason Segel) refuses to admit defeat despite being turned down for a date by his gold-digging colleague time and again. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, (more)
A south-of-the-border jaunt turns into a Mexican fiasco when a group of California twenty-somethings arrive in Baja for their annual New Year's Eve surfing trip, and become pawns in an explosive showdown between the local mayor and the corrupt police force. Brandt (Tom Carver) is a failed entrepreneur who's just lost his girlfriend, his business, and his mojo. But Brandt's best friend TK (Kenny Morrison) has the perfect cure -- a New Year's Eve surf trip to Baja, Mexico with his girlfriend Mackenzie (Kansas Carradine) and their best bud, Unis (Rini Bell), who's waging a valiant battle against cancer. Unfortunately, Brandt expected to stay in a luxury resort, and when he emerges from his drunken stupor to realize that the gang is instead staying at a primitive campsite on a rural Mexican beach inhabited by a hungry donkey, he prepares to hightail it back home. But Kenny changes Brandt's mind by convincing him to give the "real" Mexico a shot. Now, inspired by Unis' bravery and realizing he has little to return home to, Brandt finally starts to loosen up. Later, when the gang's bus breaks down and they get caught up in a violent battle between the mayor and the corrupt local police, they gain a newfound appreciation for their flawed lives and attempt to outrun the bullets and make it back to their home country. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rini Bell, Kansas Carradine, (more)
The world's wackiest Volkswagen is back in action in this action comedy. Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan) is the 18-year-old daughter of Ray Peyton Sr. (Michael Keaton), a once-successful stock car driver whose career is not what it once was. Maggie loves racing and is in line for a job covering NASCAR for ESPN, but in her heart she'd rather be behind the wheel, even though her father strictly forbids this. For Maggie's birthday, Ray takes her out looking for a used car, and she finds herself strangely drawn to a wrecked 1963 Volkswagen in a salvage yard. Against Ray's better judgment, Maggie gets the car, and a note in the glove box tells her the rust bucket is named "Herbie," and he can help her solve her problems. To her surprise, the message turns out to be true -- with a little TLC, Herbie is running like new, and after showing his stuff in a street race, Maggie persuades her naysayer dad to take her and her VW on as part of his racing team. Herbie: Fully Loaded also stars Matt Dillon as rival racer Trip Murphy, Breckin Meyer as Maggie's brother (and fellow struggling driver) Ray Jr., and Justin Long as Maggie's friend Kevin. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lindsay Lohan, Justin Long, (more)
- 2004
The duplicitous Gideon (Gildart Jackson) conspires with the Darklighters to get rid of Leo (Brian Krause). As a result, Leo and Piper (Holly Marie Combs) are banished to the Ghostly plane, which may well prevent the birth of their future son, Chris (Drew Fuller) -- who in turn realizes he must be conceived immediately or his Whitelighter "self" will permanently vanish. Meanwhile, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and Paige (Rose McGowan) are convinced that Piper is dead, which definitely casts a pall over Wyatt's first birthday party. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brian Krause, Drew Fuller, (more)
- 2003
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is called in to investigate the supposedly accidental" death of of Elliot D'Souza (Mark Tymchyshyn), chief financial officer for the notorious girlie magazine "Sapphire". Elliot's secretary Miss Luden (Fay Masterson) is convinced that he was murdered by Sapphire's publisher Dexter Larsen (Gary Cole)--who, naturally, has the usual airtight alibi. Complicating matters so far as Monk is concerned is the fact that his nurse-assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) once posed nude for "Sapphire" and is trying to keep this secret from her son. And then there's the curious omnipresence of Dexter's current house guest...Danny Bonaduce! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
