Jernard Burks Movies

Two social misfits hit the road in search of some answers in this broad comedy set in 1987. Danielle (Juno Temple) is a girl with a certain reputation at the small-town Oklahoma high school she attends -- her fashion statements suggests she's either a streetwalker or auditioning for a Mötley Crüe video, and her list of sexual conquests is quite remarkable for her age. But Danielle's disinterest in academics and her sleazy reputation land her in a remedial education program, where she finds herself partnered in a parenting class project with Clarke (Jeremy Dozier), a chubby outcast with zero cool. As they get to know one another, though, Danielle and Clarke discover they have something in common -- they both like boys and that makes problems for them with their peers -- and they become close friends, with Danielle even pretending Clarke is her new boy-toy in front of his homophobic parents (Dwight Yoakam and Mary Steenburgen). However, while both of them dream of getting out of Oklahoma someday, Danielle has a specific destination in mind -- finding the father who abandoned her mom (Milla Jovovich) years ago -- and so she and Clarke hop in a car and hit the road in search of their destiny. Also starring William H. Macy, Dirty Girl was the first feature film from director Abe Sylvia. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A popular West Coast poet reconnects with his ailing father and falls into a dangerous spiral of self-destruction in this drama from Ulee's Gold director Victor Nuñez. When Cruz Montana (Kuno Becker) takes the stage to recite his poetry, the whole West Coast hangs on his every word. A gifted artist who always speaks from the heart, Cruz is touring the poetry circuit when he learns that his father, Senior (Rubén Blades), is dying. Concerned, Cruz races back home to the scenic mountain valley where he grew up to find that drugs and violence have taken a terrible toll on the once-peaceful community. In no time, Cruz is back working for local criminal kingpin Emilio (Miguel Sandoval), the ruthless club owner who used to be Senior's number one partner in crime. In Emilio's world, money comes easy, and beautiful girls are always close by. Now, the longer Cruz remains at home the more his poetry skills begin to deteriorate, and the further he begins to drift from the values he once lived by. Perhaps if Cruz can find a way to reclaim his identity and pull himself back from the brink, the seeds of healing will finally be sewn both within his family and in his troubled community as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Ronnie (David Rees Snell) discovers that there is 7,000 dollars missing from the "Money Train" stash. He and Lem (Kenny Johnson) suspect Shane (Walton Goggins), but Vic (Michael Chiklis) doesn't believe it. Shane, meanwhile, decides to buy an engagement ring for Mara (Michele Hicks) from Taylor (RonReaco Lee), a fence. Julien (Michael Jace), desperate to have a child with his wife, visits a doctor about his sexual dysfunction. Dutch (Jay Karnes) takes Danny (Catherine Dent) out to look for the "cuddler" rapist, and later learns that an elderly woman was sexually assaulted and murdered just a few blocks away. A minor oversight by Claudette (CCH Pounder) endangers the lives of Trish (Nicki Micheaux) and Waylon (Gareth Williams), who are working undercover to bust a gang-related contract-murder business. Waylon's cover is blown, putting the cops in the precarious position of needing to alert Waylon not to go forward with the sting, without putting Trish in further jeopardy. Tommy (Matt Gerald) returns to the station to beg for his old job back. When neither Julien nor Danny seems enthusiastic about helping him, he takes drastic action. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Comic Chris Rock co-scripted and stars in this remake of 1941's Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which was also remade with Warren Beatty in 1978 as Heaven Can Wait. Comedian Lance Barton (Rock) is struggling to get his career off the ground when he dies in an untimely bus accident; arriving at the Pearly Gates, he discovers that he's not supposed to have passed on for another 50 years. Barton is not happy with this turn of events, and eventually the Powers That Be send his spirit back to Earth, but for the time being he has to make do with the body of a middle-aged, closed-minded millionaire, Charles Wellington. Lance falls in love with a young community activist (Regina King), but he soon finds he has bigger problems at home: the millionaire's wife and her lover are both trying to kill him. The supporting cast includes Mark Addy as an actor passing himself off as an English manservant, Chazz Palminteri as Mr. King, Heaven's no-nonsense manager, and Eugene Levy as Mr. Keyes, the angel who accidentally ends Barton's life. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Brian DePalma directed this taut thriller, set in Atlantic City, where a corrupt cop investigates a political assassination. Outside an Atlantic City arena-hotel-casino, a TV news reporter stands in a pre-hurricane storm to report on the heavyweight boxing match about to begin inside. A transition to the stadium interior focuses on Atlantic City homicide Detective Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage), a father with a wife and son, yet also a dishonest cop who maintains a mistress and cheerfully accepts bribes. DePalma's Steadicam follows Santoro on a fast-paced tour of the stadium as the laughing, yelling detective travels stairs and hallways, talks to a gal with a between-rounds placard, visits the dressing room of champ Lincoln Tyler (Stan Shaw), rides down an escalator to squeeze money from a small-time hood, enters the arena of 14,000 fight fans, talks on his phone with his girlfriend and wife, and sits ringside next to his lifelong buddy, Navy Cmdr. Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise). Behind Dunne, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Charles Kirkland (Joel Fabiani) is seated alongside billionaire casino owner Gilbert Powell (John Heard). As the fight gets underway, Dunne abandons his position protecting the defense chief to pursue a suspicious redhead. From his ringside vantage point, Santoro has a close view of the champ, curiously conscious despite taking a kayo punch. At that moment, an assassin fires at Kirkland. Santoro immediately concocts a good cover story for his pal (to explain why Dunne left his post protecting Kirkland). Just after the shooting, Dunne kills a Palestinian extremist, the apparent killer, and Santoro orders the stadium doors locked, hoping he can locate other suspects among the fleeing crowd. One such is Julia Costello (Carla Gugino), an injured woman in a blond wig who spoke with Kirkland seconds before the gunfire. After a video replay reveals the champ took a fall, going down to the floor from a punch that never touched him, Santoro becomes more curious and suspicious, comparing witness accounts, and he attempts to locate Julia, convinced she's the key to truth behind the assassination. As it all comes to a head, Santoro peels through successive layers of corruption, ultimately confronting himself in a self-examination of his own values. Filmed at Montreal's old Forum. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Denzel Washington stars in this adaptation of the novel by African-American crime author Walter Mosley, the first of his stories to reach the screen. Ezekiel Rawlins (Washington), known to his friends as "Easy," has just lost his job at an aircraft plant in post-WW II Los Angeles, a time when good-paying jobs for black men are hard to come by. He's wondering how to make his mortgage payment when he's approached by De Witt Albright (Tom Sizemore), who describes his job as "doing favors for friends." It seems that a woman named Daphne Monet (Jennifer Beals) has gone missing; Daphne is the former girlfriend of wealthy mayoral candidate Todd Carter (Terry Kinney) and a known habitué of the black jazz clubs and night spots on L.A.'s Central Avenue. Albright offers Easy $100 to help him find Daphne, and while he doesn't have any detective experience, the price is right, so Easy agrees. After a passionate affair with a friend of Daphne's, Coretta James (Lisa Nicole Carson), leads to that woman's murder, Easy enlists the help of his friend Mouse (Don Cheadle), who seems to know just a bit too well how to use a gun, which gives Easy all too clear a look at the lower depths of L.A.'s upper crust. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

As visually stylish as it is graphically violent, this thriller directed by Luc Besson concerns Mathilda (Natalie Portman), a 12-year-old girl living in New York City who has been exposed to the sordid side of life from an early age: her family lives in a slum and her abusive father works for drug dealers, cutting and storing dope. Mathilda doesn't much care for her parents, but she has a close bond with her four-year-old brother. One day, she returns from running an errand to discover that most of her family, including her brother, have been killed in a raid by corrupt DEA agents, led by the psychotic Stansfield (Gary Oldman). Mathilda takes refuge in the apartment of her secretive neighbor, Leon (Jean Reno), who takes her in with a certain reluctance. She discovers that Leon is a professional assassin, working for Tony (Danny Aiello), a mob kingpin based in Little Italy. Wanting to avenge the death of her brother, Mathilda makes a deal with Leon to become his protégée in exchange for work as a domestic servant, hoping to learn the hitman's trade and take out the men who took her brother's life. However, an affection develops between Leon and Mathilda that changes his outlook on his life and career. Besson's first American film boasted a strong performance from Jean Reno, a striking debut by Natalie Portman, and a love-it-or-hate-it, over-the-top turn by Gary Oldman. Léon was originally released in the U.S. in 1994 as The Professional, with 26 minutes cut in response to audience preview tests. Those 26 minutes were restored in the director's preferred cut, released in 1996 in France as Léon: Version Intégrale and in the U.S. on DVD as Léon: The Professional in 2000. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi