Bai Ling Movies
Bai Ling, whose name translates into English as "White Spirit," was born in China on October 10, 1970. Ling was born into a creative family -- her father was a musician and teacher, while her mother had been a stage actress -- but she was primarily raised by her grandmother after Ling's parents ran afoul of Chinese authorities during the Cultural Revolution. At the age of 14, Ling was enlisted in the People's Liberation Army, where she served as an entertainer, singing and dancing for the troops. However, the authoritarian atmosphere of the Army didn't suit Ling, who found herself accused of insubordination for use of tobacco and alcohol. After the end of her hitch with the Army, Ling joined a theater group in Beijing, where she appeared in traditional Chinese plays as well as dramas from the West. Ling began receiving small roles in Chinese films, and in 1988, Ling starred in Hu Guang, and attended the film's screening at the Moscow Film Festival; however, she was warned not to discuss political matters, particularly those related to the then-recent Tiananmen Square protests (in which Ling took part).Ling traveled to New York City at the age of 21 to study at New York University's Department of Film, and to hone her craft at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute; Ling arrived in New York not knowing a word of English, but soon mastered the language through daily immersion. In 1994, Ling landed her first American film role, as the villainous Myca in the dark fantasy The Crow, and she also auditioned for Oliver Stone's Vietnam war drama Heaven & Earth. While Ling didn't get the part, Stone was impressed enough to cast her in his film Nixon as Richard Nixon's interpreter during his first visit to China. Ling's next film project turned out to be highly controversial; she appeared as a lawyer defending an American journalist on assignment in China in 1997's Red Corner. The film's highly unflattering depiction of the Chinese legal system (and the nation's widespread human rights abuses) caused the picture to be banned in both China and Korea; Ling also found her contracts canceled to appear in a pair of Chinese films, and Chinese officials revoked her passport shortly afterward (in 1999, she was granted United States citizenship). Afterward, Ling continued to receive steady work in supporting roles, appearing in Wild Wild West, Anna and the King -- for which she cut off most of her waist-length hair.
Her career's upward trajectory continued as the new millennium dawned, landing her roles in Spike Lee's She Hate Me and the highly stylized Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Ling also scored a cameo role in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, though most of her screen time was lost in editing. Ling was quoted as saying she felt she was cut because she'd subsequently graced the pages of Playboy magazine (as the first woman from the People's Republic of China to appear on its cover), but director George Lucas claimed her part was cut simply due to story and runtime. Prominent roles followed, however, including a part in Southland Tales, the 2006 film by Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly. She also made a splash on reality TV, appearing on the show But Can They Sing. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1989
Huguan was one of China's 1989 entries in the Moscow Film Festival. The protagonist is a troubled young woman who has convinced herself that she's a witch. When her imagination gets completely out of hand, she ends up in a mental asylum. Here she is put under the care of a female shrink, who does her utmost to probe the tortured woman's psyche. The film's English-language title is The Shining Arc. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bai Ling, Zhang Guang Bei, (more)
- 1993
Lewis (Clark Johnson) and Crosetti (Jon Polito) run afoul of the Feds while investigating the murder of a Chinese student, who turns out to have been one of the leaders of the Tiananmen Square protest. Elsewhere, Munch (Richard Belzer) and Bolander (Ned Beatty) investigate when a body is found in the park; Howard's (Melissa Leo) testimony against sadistic drug dealer Pony Johnson (Geoffrey Ewing) may be inadmissible; and Pembleton (Yaphet Kotto) may get a promotion -- if anyone can find him. This episode marks the first appearance of Pembleton's wife Mary, played by Yaphet Kotto's real-life spouse, Ami Brabson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, (more)
Based on the graphic novel by James O'Barr, this fantasy follows Eric Draven (Brandon Lee), a rock musician who is murdered along with his fiancée, Shelly (Sofia Shinas), by a group of marauding thugs who terrorize the decaying city in which they live. One year to the day after his death (which happens to be Devil's Night), a mystical crow appears at Eric's grave; Eric rises from the dead and, with the bird as his guide, goes on a mission to avenge himself against Top Dollar (Michael Wincott), the leader of the gang who killed him. Star Brandon Lee was killed while filming a scene in which he was shot with a shell from an improperly cleaned gun that was supposed to be loaded with blanks. Like his father, martial arts superstar Bruce Lee, Brandon was fated to enjoy his greatest popular success after his premature death. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, (more)
Oliver Stone, the most outspokenly political American filmmaker of the 1980s and '90s, directs this epic-length biography of Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the U.S., who was re-elected by a landslide in 1972, only to resign in disgrace two years later. Taking a non-linear approach, Nixon jumps back and forth between many different periods and events, from Nixon's strict upbringing at the hands of his Quaker mother, through the many peaks and valleys of his political career, to his downfall in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The facts of his life are blended with supposition and speculation to create a portrait that is often critical of the man's policies but displays an unexpected compassion toward his failings as a human being. Anthony Hopkins stars as Nixon, Joan Allen plays his long-suffering wife Pat, Mary Steenburgen portrays his mother Hannah, Bob Hoskins is cast as J. Edgar Hoover, Powers Boothe plays Alexander Haig, Paul Sorvino portrays Henry Kisinger, and Ed Harris plays E. Howard Hunt. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, (more)
- 1995
- R
In this independent drama, Vivian Saunders (Elizabeth Pena) comes home one day to an unusual surprise: her boyfriend Reggie (Andrew McCarthy) is lying on the kitchen table with a large sword sticking out of his body. At first Vivian thinks this must be some sort of joke, but she discovers that Reggie is indeed dead, and as she calls her best friend Louise (Paige Turco) to figure out what might have happened and what to do, it occurs to her that she blacked out after too much wine the night before and isn't sure what she did before she passed out. After a few phone calls, Vivian's women's support group arrives, and what to do about Reggie soon takes second place to what Vivian should do for herself. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Peña, Andrew McCarthy, (more)
Iranian-born director Ramin Niami loosely adapted the Maxim Gorky play The Lower Depths for this ensemble character study set in modern-day New York City's Lower East Side. Sandra Bernhard stars as Betty, a remarkably introverted and lonely therapist hungering for a male companion. In her apartment building, several other residents also have emotional, career, or romantic issues. Chinese student Lu Lu (Bai Ling) wants to stay in the U.S., so she interviews prospective husbands in hopes of obtaining a green card. Marta (Ornella Muti) is forced to sexually service her building's fat landlord daily in exchange for a free room, but she's in love with Frankie (Robert John Burke), an inept thief. Che (Paul Anthony Stewart) is a rich kid trying to incite a worker's revolt from his basement headquarters, while Graham (Peter Stormare) is a gay Shakespearean actor looking for love. Their stories intersect in the film's finale, which involves the kidnapping of former New York mayor Ed Koch (who plays himself). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sandra Bernhard, Ornella Muti, (more)
The strong anti-China beliefs of actor and political activist Richard Gere were evident in this Hitchcockian thriller that sought to expose the civil and human rights abuses of that country's legal system. Gere stars as Jack Moore, counsel to a large media conglomerate seeking to open trade relations with China, thereby delivering American television shows by satellite to the largest untapped market in the world. After an evening out at a nightclub and fashion show, Jack goes home with a beautiful model (Jessey Meng), then wakes up the next morning to discover her dead body. To his horror, Jack is accused of murdering the girl, who is revealed to have been the daughter of a high-ranking general. Assigned a court-appointed lawyer, Shen Yuelin (Bai Ling), Jack discovers that the repressive Chinese court system does not grant bail, encourages quick guilty pleas and executions, and looks upon him with disfavor for his Western moral turpitude. Finally persuading Shen that he's innocent, Jack and his lawyer embark on an investigation impeded at every turn by Chinese authorities, eventually uncovering a plot to discredit Jack and his company's entry into China. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Gere, Bai Ling, (more)
- 1998
In the conclusion of Touched by an Angel's two-part Season Four finale (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Monica (Roma Downey) and Tess (Della Reese) have managed to smuggle Chinese defector Jean Chang (Bai Ling) back into Beijing for a reunion with her husband George (Russell Wong). But George has bad news: his and Jean's beloved daughter Piao is missing, and may no longer be alive. Also in Beijing is Jean's American boss Edward Tanner (Adrian Pasdar), a disreputable toy manufacturer who has been exploiting cheap labor provided by George. One of these characters is slated to perform an act of great and selfless courage that will change the lives of many others--but Monica isn't certain whom that person will be, and with the Red Chinese police hot on her heels, she may never find out! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
In the first half of Touched by an Angel's two-part Season Four finale (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Monica (Roma Downey) and Tess (Della Reese) wonder how many lives can be changed by the courage of a single person--and better still, who will turn out to be the "courageous" one in their newest assignment. Candidiates include Jean Chang (Bai Ling), a dissident Chinese National who fled Beijing after the Tiananmen Square confrontation; Jean's boss Edward Tanner (Adrian Pasmar), a none-too-ethical American toy manufacturer; Jean's husband George (Russell Wong), who stayed behind in Beijing and who now provides low-cost labor for Edward's company; or Jean and George's daughter Piao Yue--who has been missing and presumed dead for years. When this episode was originally telecast, Richard Gere appeared in an introductory segment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Yet another TV series is revived for the big screen, as Will Smith and Kevin Kline join forces as James T. West and Artemus Gordon, the most sophisticated government agents of the 1860's, in the film adaptation of The Wild Wild West. West and Gordon represent two opposite ends of the personality scale: West is a smooth-talking charmer and man of action who prefers to shoot first and ask questions much, much later; while Gordon is intensely methodical and cerebral, with a genius for gadgets and mechanical innovations. They're brought together by no less an authority than the President of the United States to track down an evil genius named Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh). Loveless was once an honored military leader and inventor until one of his schemes went awry and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Driven mad by the experience, Loveless is determined to get revenge on the United States by assassinating the President, using a 60-foot tall mechanical spider. Assisting Loveless is a team of beautiful female criminals, Miss East (Bai Ling), Amazonia (Frederique Van Der Wal), Munitia (Musetta Vander) and Miss Lippenreider (Sofia Eng). As the initially suspicious West and Gordon learn to work together, they also find themselves helped by an attractive woman, Rita Escobar (Salma Hayek), who has her own bone to pick with Loveless. Wild Wild West reunites star Will Smith with director Barry Sonnenfeld, who previously worked together on the hit Men In Black (1997). Wild Wild West features a hip-hop theme song from one-time Fresh Prince Smith, along with a more traditional Western score from composer Elmer Bernstein. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Will Smith, Kevin Kline, (more)
The true story of Anna Leonowens' experiences as a governess to the children of an eccentric Asian king has been adapted into a book of memoirs, a biography, a stage play called Anna and the King of Siam -- which was adapted into a 1946 film, a stage musical called The King and I -- made into both the live-action The King and I (1956)) and the animated The King and I (1999) feature films, and a short-lived 1972 TV series. Now the story is brought to the screen yet again, as Jodie Foster stars as Leonowens, hired by the king of Thailand (Chow Yun-Fat) in the 19th century to help care for his children. The king wants the best for his children, but Anna soon discovers that he is a strong-willed but quixotic leader, and her stay in Thailand becomes a struggle for power with romantic overtones, as they decide who will have authority over the royal youngsters. Anna and the King was directed by Andy Tennant, best known for his 1998 variation on the Cinderella story, Ever After. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat, (more)
- 2000
The morning after a rowdy party at Cordelia's place, Angel (David Boreanaz) officially hires Wesley (Alexis Denisof) as a member of Angel Investigations. Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) promptly has a vision of a murder at an ice factory, and soon the team is investigating a war of attrition between the two sexes of a demon race known as the Vigorie. Jheira (Bai Ling), a freedom fighter, is rescuing her fellow demon women from their home dimension, Oden Tal, to keep the males of the species from harnessing the power of their "ko" -- the seat of the females' sexual and physical power. But Tay (Colby French), another Vigorie, and his henchmen are in hot pursuit of Jheira and her refugees. The conflict comes to a head when Tay and his minions trace the women to Palm Ridge, the spa where they're hiding out. Despite the help of the Angel Investigations team, however, Jheira seems to have little regard for the lives of anyone but herself and her people. Originally broadcast February 8, 2000, on the WB network, "She" marked season one, episode 13 of the supernatural comedy drama. The standard closing credits are replaced in this episode by a jokey sequence of Angel and Wesley dancing at Cordelia's party. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
One cop is a vampire and his partner is not in this unconventional thriller from director Michael Oblowitz. To help stop an evil plot that would integrate vampires into normal society, a pair of FBI agents must stop an evil fanged fiend. Matters are complicated when the human officer begins to fall for a sexy female vampire. Adrian Paul (Highlander: Endgame) stars as the good vampire agent. Bokeem Woodbine plays his partner. Bai Ling portrays the vampire seductress Lucy. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Adrian Paul, Bokeem Woodbine, (more)
The two-part TV miniseries The Lost Empire was loosely based upon Chang-En Wu's classic 16th century Chinese novel, His Yu Chi (Journey to the West). Updated to the present, the series was set in motion when American journalist Nick Orton (Thomas Gibson) agreed to track down the lost manuscript of Chang-En Wu's masterpiece, which had fallen into the proverbial wrong hands. Accompanied by a curious collection of mythical creatures, including the Monkey King (Russell Wong), a piglike human and a former cannibal, Nick found himself fighting evil and sorcery at every turn, secure in the knowledge that he would win the love of Kwan Ying (Bai Ling), the Goddess of Mercy, if he successfully completed his mission. Filmed partially in Prague by Hallmark Entertainment, The Lost Empire (later released to video as a 132-minute feature titled The Monkey King) was broadcast by NBC on March 11 and 12, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Thomas Gibson, Bai Ling, (more)
Three generations of Chinese-American women struggle to reconcile tradition and family with their own needs and desires in this independent drama from first-time director Bertha Bay-Sa Pan. In 1977, Kim (Bai Ling) is an intelligent and headstrong Asian-American, whose mother (Kieu Chinh) is eager to see married off to an eligible man as soon as possible. Kim isn't interested in settling down just yet, and is dating a bright but struggling law student, Willie (Ken Leung). Kim is making some extra money by tutoring Daniel (Will Yun Lee), a handsome but irresponsible boy from a wealthy family. Daniel seduces Kim one evening after she's had an argument with Willie, and while she has no interest in seeing Daniel again, she soon discovers that she's pregnant with his child, and both her mother and Daniel's parents insist that they marry. It doesn't take long for Kim to realize that she and Daniel don't care much for one another, and Kim decides to leave America for Singapore, leaving her baby daughter Genie in mother's care. Two decades later, grown-up Genie (Kristy Wu) is even more rebellious than her mother, and while Genie pays a modicum of lip service to her grandmother, she's no more interested in settling down with a nice Chinese boy than Kim was. Genie has been dating Michael (Treach), an African-American hip-hop musician; Michael is eager to make their relationship more permanent, but Genie isn't so sure, and her grandmother has no idea what to make of Genie's new beau. When Kim arrives on one of her infrequent visits, the three generations of this family find themselves struggling to find a common ground. Face was screened in competition at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Terry Cunningham's cyber-thriller Code Hunter features an interactive game called SHOCK. The creator of the game steals the identity of the best SHOCK player in the whole world in an attempt to get the player to join forces with him in a plan for world domination. The player must stop the game's creator before his plan will end both the cyber-world he created and the real world. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
Jason (Chad Allen, formerly a child actor on TV's St. Elsewhere) is a stoic L.A. cop. As Paris opens, he stumbles down the strip in Las Vegas, obviously in pain, before collapsing. We then see what brought Jason to this dismal state. Back in Los Angeles, his corrupt partner, Leon (James Russo of Donnie Brasco), pledged his loyalty to Jason just before an apparent bust gone bad. In the ensuing chaos, Jason accidentally shoots Leon, crippling him. Leon helps Jason cover up the shooting, asking in return that he take a bag of money from the crime scene and track down a beautiful Chinese woman Leon calls "Linda" to give her half the cash. Jason reluctantly agrees, and sets off on a seedy trail through L.A. massage parlors and Vegas whore houses to find the woman. With thugs on his trail to get their money back and Leon urging him on, Jason eventually runs into Shen Li (Bai Ling), Leon's "Linda." He learns that she's an illegal immigrant from China who's essentially been sold into prostitution to pay for her trip to the U.S., and that, while Leon claims to love her, he used his standing as a police officer to take advantage of Shen Li. Forced to protect the woman, Jason quickly finds himself falling in love with her, and decides to help her escape the sex trade and fulfill her girlhood dream of traveling to Paris. Director Ramin Niami had previously directed the indie feature Somewhere in the City, a quirky New York comedy which, like Paris, starred Bai Ling and featured an original score by John Cale. Shot on both digital video and 35 mm, Paris had its world premiere at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Chad Allen, Bai Ling, (more)
Three lazy pals find they're facing fatherhood simultaneously in this light-hearted comedy co-written by star Eddie Griffin. Lonnie (Griffin), G. (Anthony Anderson), and Dominick (Michael Imperioli) live stress-free lives with Lonnie's trash-talking Uncle Virgil (John Amos). But when all three young men's girlfriends get knocked up at the same time, they're forced to take a long, hard look at their lifestyles. For G., who works at the family grocery store of his girlfriend Xi Xi (Bai Ling), that means saying no to criminal temptation and staying on the straight and narrow; for Dominick, it means taking time out from his busy career as a record producer and coming to terms with surprise revelations from his baby's momma; and for Lonnie, it means recognizing ghetto-fabulous girlfriend Rolonda (Paula Jai Parker) as the gold-digger she is and finding a new lady love without sacrificing his individuality. Directed by Cheryl Dunye, whose previous features were low-budget indies, My Baby's Daddy also stars rapper Method Man as imposing ex-con No Good. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Griffin, Anthony Anderson, (more)
- 2003
- Add Taxi 3 to Queue
Lead-footed taxi driver Daniel (Sami Narceri) puts his personal problems aside to help the police nab an elusive group of thieves known as The Santa Claus Gang in this action-packed sequel from producer Luc Besson and director Gérard Krawczyk. The Santa Claus Gang is making the police look incompetent, and that doesn't sit well with Police Chief Gibert (Bernard Farcy). Now, as a Chinese reporter begins working on an article probing the local police force, Chief Gibert realizes his men will have to start working overtime in order to save themselves from some serious public embarrassment. Meanwhile, Emilien (Frederic Diefenthal) learns that he's about to become a father, and Daniel finds his romantic life in shambles. Though it takes a little convincing from the desperate powers that be, Daniel ultimately agrees to use his souped-up taxi to help the police put the jolly gang of bandits behind bars. Emma Sjoberg, Marion Cotillard, and Bai Ling co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Samy Naceri, Frédéric Diefenthal, (more)
- 2004
What first began as a short-form study in terror now expands to a full-fledged, feature-length fright fest as director Fruit Chan explores the high price that people are willing to pay for youth and beauty. Originally one third of the horror anthology Three...Extremes, Dumplings tells the tale of a traditional Chinese dish infused with a disturbing, but rejuvenating twist. Mrs. Lee is a retired television star whose once-glamorous visage is slowly succumbing to the degenerative effects of time. Her career has ended and her husband is beginning to wander astray. Upon learning that a mysterious chef known as Aunt Mei (Bai Ling) has a secret recipe for dumplings that is rumored to turn back the clock and restore one's youthful appearance, the desperate former starlet contacts the cook in order to arrange a tasting. But these aren't your typical dumplings. In order to achieve the powerful effects that her clients demand, Aunt Mei has substituted the traditional pork for the meat of aborted fetuses. Impatient that the unique form of rejuvenation isn't working as fast as she had hoped, Mrs. Lee soon begins seeking out an even more potent recipe. Though the new and improved recipe does indeed give Mrs. Lee the results she has been longing for, an unexpected complication soon leads to some decidedly unusual side effects, and it's not long before Mrs. Lee's curious husband appears in the kitchen of the alluring Aunt Mei looking for answers. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Miriam Yeung, Bai Ling, (more)
Three Asian directors, from Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan, join forces to create an omnibus horror film, Three...Extremes. In Fruit Chan's "Dumplings," shot by Christopher Doyle, Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeung), a thirtysomething former actress with a philandering husband (Tony Leung) goes to visit Aunt Mei (Bai Ling), who sells the most expensive dumplings in Hong Kong. Mrs. Li knows about their rejuvenating powers, and she also knows about their unpleasant main ingredient, but after some initial nausea, she digs right in. In Oldboy writer/director Park Chan-wook's "Cut," a successful filmmaker (Lee Byung-hun of Joint Security Area) arrives home to find that a disgruntled extra (Lim Won-hee) has taken over his home, and fastened his pianist wife (Kang Hye-jun of Oldboy) to the grand piano. The madman threatens to cut off the wife's fingers, one by one, unless the director strangles the helpless child he's tied to the couch. Takashi Miike directs the last segment, "Box," about a young author and former circus performer, Kyoko (Kyoko Hasegawa), seemingly haunted by the ghost of her twin sister, who died a mysterious and horrible death while practicing their act. Adding to Kyoko's trauma, her editor (Atsuro Watabe) is a dead ringer for her old stepfather/ringmaster, who may have perished in the same "accident" that took her sister's life. Three...Extremes was shown at Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival in 2005. For the American release of Three...Extremes, the order in which the films are presented was altered from the original "Box," "Dumplings," and "Cut" to "Dumplings," "Cut," and "Box." This film was actually preceded by another omnibus film, Three, that was nevertheless retitled Three...Extremes II for the English-language market and issued after this one. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bai Ling, Miriam Yeung, (more)
Directed by Spike Lee, She Hate Me follows John Henry "Jack" Armstrong (Anthony Mackie), who is fired from a posh job in biotechnology after informing the proper authorities of some sketchy business dealings from within the company. Unemployed and desperate for some quick cash, Jack accepts a strange offer -- his ex-girlfriend Fatima (Kerry Washington) says she will pay him generously if he successfully impregnates her. Once word gets out among the lesbian community, Jack is inundated with requests, and is initially quite happy with his new direction in life. However, things -- as they are wont to do -- get complicated. There's his former employer, who is actively trying to pin the blame for their wrongdoings on his shoulders, for one thing, and it isn't long before the moral implications of his life as a sperm donor come to the forefront. The film co-stars John Turturro, Ellen Barkin, Woody Harrelson, Monica Bellucci, and Q-Tip. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, (more)
A Vietnamese man looking for a better life embarks on a dangerous and eye-opening voyage to America in this powerful drama set during the early '90s. In 1990, Binh (Damien Nguyen) is a man in his early twenties who has never known his parents, though he is clearly of mixed-race parentage, which makes him an outcast in his community. Weary of being treated like an animal, Binh sets out to find his mother, Mai (Thi Kim Xuan Chau), only to discover she works as a servant for a wealthy family who subject her to constant abuse, and that she has a baby son. When a household accident leads to the death of the matriarch, Mai, her infant, and Binh go on the run. Mai then confesses to Binh that she's dying, gives him all the money she has, and implores him to leave Vietnam for America, with his half-brother in tow. Unable to travel to America legally, Binh attempts to smuggle his way into the States aboard a ship; he's found out, and is sent to a prison camp in Malaysia, where he meets Ling (Bai Ling), a beautiful woman who has been forced into prostitution to support herself. Befriending Ling, Binh eventually arranges for passage to America aboard a refugee ship, though the harrowing voyage claims the life of Binh's half-brother. Binh and Ling arrive in New York City as illegal aliens, and soon learn that life in America can be just as harrowing as what they left behind; eventually, Binh runs away, hoping to make his way to Texas where he's learned that his father is living. Produced by Terrence Malick, The Beautiful Country also features supporting performances from Nick Nolte and Tim Roth. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Damien Nguyen, Nick Nolte, (more)
- 2004
- PG
- Add Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to Queue Add Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to top of Queue
Directed by Kerry Conran, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow revolves around the mysterious disappearance of some of the world's most revered scientists. When an investigation is launched, Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow), reporter for the prestigious Chronicle, and Sky Captain (Jude Law), resident flying ace, are at the forefront of the case. Though the mission's perks include traveling around the world, the stout-hearted duo are nonetheless risking their lives with each passing moment, as the culprit is none other than the nefarious Dr. Totenkopf, and his goal, from what they can gather, is to destroying the earth in its entirety. Luckily, Sky Captain and Polly are not alone -- Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), the commander of an all-female amphibious squadron, and Dex (Giovanni Ribisi), an unparalleled technical genius, have joined them in hopes of saving the planet before it's too late. Laurence Olivier appears posthumously as Dr. Totenkopf, via old film-clips "recycled" (or CG-altered) to fit the dialogue and scenes at hand. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, (more)
An unscrupulous Hollywood agent seeks to balance the success of his professional status with the abysmal reality of his personal life in director Mike Binder's existential comedy drama. When it comes to playing the Hollywood game, no one does it better than Jack Giamoro (Ben Affleck). Yet despite having a high-powered job, money to spare, and a beautiful wife, Jack slowly begins to suspect that something is missing from his glitz and glamour life. After enrolling in a journal-writing class in hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of his feelings, the man who has it all is shocked to learn that his wife Nina (Rebecca Romijn) has entered into a heated affair with his biggest client. Though at first Jack takes solace in the fact that he is able to express his inner pain through his writing, his entire future is brought into question when ambitious journalist Barbi (Bai Ling) steals his diary in hopes of landing the year's biggest scoop. Not only does the diary contain sensitive personal information, but crucial information about his high-profile clients as well. Now, as Jack fights against insurmountable odds just to hold his life together, the man who once placed priority on power and material possessions realizes that the only path to true happiness is by spending precious time with family. John Cleese, Kal Penn, Jerry O'Connell, and Adam Goldberg star in a soul-searching comedy that explores the relationship between career success and personal fulfillment. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ben Affleck, Rebecca Romijn, (more)
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