Arian Moayed Movies
- 2011
- R
A man has to give up a life of lifting amps and chasing groupies to take on the challenges of the real world in this independent drama. Jimmy Testagross (Ron Eldard) was a teenage rock & roll fan when he was growing up in Queens, and a couple years out of high school, he landed what seemed like the perfect job -- joining the road crew of hard-rock icons Blue Oyster Cult. After spending 20 years on the road, Jimmy is cut loose when economics force the band to streamline their operation, and at the ripe old age of 40, he has no idea what to do with his life. Needing some time to regroup, Jimmy returns home to visit his elderly mother (Lois Smith), only to discover she's growing senile and may need him to move in and look after her. As he struggles with the notion of facing adult responsibilities for the first time, he also crosses paths with Randy (Bobby Cannavale), who bullied him in high school and still acts like a spoiled brat, and Nikki (Jill Hennessy), Randy's wife, who dated Jimmy in high school and is still holding on to a fading dream of making it as a singer/songwriter. Jill Hennessy, an accomplished musician as well as an actress, wrote the songs she performs in character in the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bobby Cannavale
Two women whose peoples are often at odds find they're more alike than anyone expects in this drama from directors Stefan C. Schaefer and Diane Crespo. Rochel (Zoe Lister-Jones) and Nasira (Francis Benhamou) are two young women who have begun teaching at a public grade school in Brooklyn, NY. Rochel is an Orthodox Jew and Nasira is a Muslim of Pakistani descent, and the students and the administrators at the school are concerned there might be friction between the two teachers. However, over the course of their first year of teaching, Rochel and Nasira discover they have far more in common than they imagined -- both sometimes find themselves culturally out of place in 21st century New York, and both are trying to live within the traditions of their faith while struggling with their own feelings. In particular, Rochel and Nasira bond over the fact both are expected to enter into arranged marriages, Nasira with a wary optimism and Rochel with a great deal of trepidation. Arranged was screened in competition at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Zoe Lister-Jones, Francis Benhamou, (more)
