Tony Yalda Movies
Director Eyad Zahra teams with writer Michael Muhammad Knight for this drama about a Pakistani-American engineering student who falls in with a tightly knit group of Muslim punk-rockers. Attending school in Buffalo, NY, college student Yusef moves into a house occupied by Muslim punks, who introduce him to Taqwacore -- an emerging scene that's gradually gaining momentum across the country. The more Yusef learns about Taqwacore, the more he begins to question his own faith. This film is inspired by Knight's novel of the same name, which was originally distributed via free Xerox copies in true punk fashion. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bobby Naderi, Noureen DeWulf, (more)
Hollywood meets Bollywood in director Lorraine Senna's Pygmalion-like tale of a Tinseltown hanger-on who attempts to transform a Himalayan village belle into an A-list American celebrity. Having recently arrived in America to discover the man she was arranged to marry is far from the man of her dreams, Himalayan girl Shalini (Namrata Singh Gujral) sets out to seek her fortune in a foreign land where anything seems possible. Little does Shalini realize that southern-bred west-coast import Rob (Brad Raider) is attempting to make a name for himself in show-business, and has recently been challenged by the CEO of a Hollywood management company (Beau Bridges) pluck a superstar out of thin air. Now, as Shalini becomes Shelley and Rob does his best to school the culturally inquisitive beauty in the ways of Western society, the opportunity to see the world from an entirely different perspective prompts both to reevaluate their lives as love begins to blossom and the quest for fame takes a back seat to romance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Namrata Singh Gujral, Beau Bridges, (more)
The President of the United States (Dennis Quaid) seems to be having a nervous breakdown after picking up a newspaper for the first time in four years, and when his Chief of Staff (Willem Dafoe) determines to get the Commander in Chief out of his pajamas and back into the spotlight, the stage is set for a talent contest that the nation will never forget. To President Staton, the world is a fairly black-and-white place, but a glance at the daily headlines on the eve of his reelection leaves the most powerful man in the free world shaken to the very core. Now determined to read as much as possible in order to best assess the opinions of the general public, President Staton locks himself away and obsessively begins taking in as much information as humanly possible. With concern about the President's mental health soon taking precedence over all other issues in the White House, his nervous Chief of Staff attempts to get the Commander in Chief back in the public eye by booking him as a guest judge on television's top-rated talent show, "American Dreamz." A weekly ratings juggernaut hosted by self-loathing celebrity Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant), "American Dreamz" cashes in on the dominant culture of celebrity by affording everyday Americans the opportunity to be catapulted into stardom. As "American Dreamz" hopefuls Sally (Mandy Moore) and Omer (Sam Golzari) progress to the final round and the President takes his seat on the panel, an unexpected revelation about one of the finalists promises to make this season finale the biggest ratings grabber in television history. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, Hugh Grant, (more)
