Lucille Soong Movies
- 2007
- PG13
- Add Nora's Hair Salon 2: A Cut Above to QueueAdd Nora's Hair Salon 2: A Cut Above to top of Queue
The stars of Nora's Hair Salon return, along with some fresh new faces, in this sequel that finds Nora's estranged nieces at odds over what to do with their aunt's bustling business. Nora has willed her salon to her beloved nieces Lilliana (Tatyana Ali) and Simone (Stacey Dash), and now the two girls can't agree on whether to sell the business and cash in or continue to cater to their loyal client base. Lilliana is tired of trying to raise a son while constantly playing the role of peacekeeper between feuding stylists Delicious and Xenobia, but the salon holds a special place in her heart that she isn't quite ready to give up. But Simone has decided to sell the shop and make a pretty penny, leaving the conflicted Lilliana to choose between taking the quick payout and using all of her energy to keep the salon in business. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tatyana Ali, Stacey Dash, (more)
A resourceful teenage super-sleuth finds her investigative skills put to the ultimate test as director Andrew Fleming and screenwriter Tiffany Paulsen revive the character originally made famous by author Carolyn Keene. Upon leaving her quaint hometown of River Heights and arriving in Los Angeles with her father, Carson (Tate Donovan), precocious small-town teen Nancy Drew (Emma Roberts) enrolls in Hollywood High and discovers just how different life on the West Coast really is. A true original in the land where Rodeo Drive dictates what's "in" at any given moment, Nancy stands apart from the pack as much for her penny loafers as for her sincere, non-acerbic attitude and keen study skills -- all of which make the non-ironic goody two-shoes an object of scorn for fashion-conscious mean girls Inga (Daniella Monet) and Trish (Kelly Vitz). Concerns about how to fit in soon take a back seat to more pressing issues, however, when Nancy, having previously promised her worried father that she would give up sleuthing, stumbles across a series of clues that may lead her to find out what caused the death of beautiful Hollywood movie star Dehlia Draycott -- who perished years ago under particularly mysterious circumstances. Upon discovering that she and her father are currently residing in the very same mansion that Draycott once called home, the prospect of solving one of Hollywood's biggest mysteries simply proves too tantalizing for the brilliant young detective to resist. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Roberts, Josh Flitter, (more)
- 2005
Ryan O'Neal guest stars as Rodney Scavo, father-in-law of Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman). Rodney has a few surprises in store for Lynette and her husband, Tom -- and they don't come wrapped up in pretty ribbons. (Also, listen for an inside reference to the old TV soaper Peyton Place, which also featured Ryan O'Neal.) Meanwhile, Susan (Teri Hatcher) looks askance at the growing relationship between her daughter, Julie (Andrea Bowen), and the secretive Zach Young (Cody Kasch). Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) is shocked by a favor asked by the parents of her teenage paramour, John (Jesse Metcalfe). And Bree (Marcia Cross) doesn't seem all that eager to get back together with her estranged husband, Rex (Steven Culp). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
As Valentine's Day dawns, Susan (Teri Hatcher) eagerly awaits her date with Mike Delfino (James Denton) -- or at least she does until a new plot development rears its ugly head. Elsewhere, Bree (Marcia Cross) doesn't know as much about her husband, Rex (Steven Culp), as she thought she did. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) has kid and neighbor trouble again. And Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) finds a job uniquely suited to her special talents when she is hired to model mattresses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
As of now, the only people who know what actually happened to busybody Mrs. Huber are the viewers -- and her killer. Meanwhile, Mrs. Huber's equally problematic sister, Felicia (Harriet Sansom Harris), makes an unexpected appearance. Bree (Marcia Cross) comes to grips with her separation from her husband and tentatively re-dips her toes into the dating scene with pharmacist George Williams (Roger Bart, in his first series appearance). Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) must take drastic measures to compensate for her past extravagances. Susan (Richard Burgi) once more goes head-to-head with ex-husband Karl (Richard Burgi). And Lynette (Felicity Huffman) has reason to regret hiring her new nanny, Claire (Marla Sokoloff). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A couple who live on different sides of the divide of life and death discover just how many boundaries love can cross in this romantic comic fantasy. Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon) is a hardworking and dedicated medical resident who, after 20 hours on duty, is heading home when she falls asleep at the wheel of her car and is involved in a fatal auto accident. Several weeks later, a man named David (Mark Ruffalo) takes over the lease on Elizabeth's apartment, but he discovers that she hasn't quite vacated the building. Elizabeth's body may be dead, but her spirit is still quite lively, and her ghost is insisting that the apartment is still hers...and that she wants him to move out. David brings in Darryl (Jon Heder), an eccentric man who claims to have psychic powers, to help sweep Elizabeth's spirit out of the apartment, but she refuses to budge, certain that she can't be completely dead, despite all evidence to the contrary. As Elizabeth and David try to share the flat, they discover that their differences aren't as great as they once imagined, and they become attracted to one another. But will Elizabeth's spirit stay in the land of the living long enough for their romance to go somewhere? Just Like Heaven marked Jon Heder's first feature film role after his breakthrough appearance in the independent hit Napoleon Dynamite. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo, (more)
- 2004
Carlos, the wealthy husband of the wandering Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) strongly suspects that she's cheating on him; trouble is, he suspects the wrong guy. Meanwhile, Mrs. Huber (Christine Estabrook) wants Susan (Teri Hatcher) to pay her hush money to keep her from telling Edie (Nicolette Sheridan) who was responsible for torching Edie's house. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) uses a method of her own to deal with her twin sons' attention deficit disorder. And the true odious nature of young Andrew Van De Kamp (Shawn Pyfrom) makes itself known. Richard Roundtree makes his first series appearance as the enigmatic Mr. Shaw. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A high-strung mom and her punky daughter learn what it's like to walk in each other's shoes -- literally -- in Disney's second update of their 1977 teen fantasy comedy. The new-millennium Freaky Friday has disgruntled teen Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) living, sans father, with her uptight therapist-author mom Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and bratty brother Harry (Ryan Malgarini). The angst between the two reaches a fever pitch on the eve of Tess' wedding rehearsal: Anna wants to ditch the proceedings for an all-important band audition, but Tess sees the conflict as a show of resentment toward imminent step-dad Ryan (Mark Harmon). When the whole clan goes out to dinner at their favorite Chinese restaurant, their sage waitress (Lucille Soong) picks up on the tension between the mother and daughter and casts a spell on them via two magic fortune cookies. The next day, Tess and Anna must put up with life in each other's bodies -- until, as the fortune says, they can come to a greater understanding of one another. Freaky Friday was previously remade for TV in 1995 with Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffman in the leads. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, (more)
Director Wayne Wang and screenwriter Ronald Bass effectively interweave sixteen mother-daughter tales in their silken film version of Amy Tan's best-selling novel about the clash between generations. The film takes place in present-day San Francisco, concentrating on a group of late-middle-aged Chinese women. Ever since arriving in the United States after World War II, the women have gathered weekly to play mah-jongg and to tell stories, regaling each other with tales of their children and grandchildren, giving each other a sense of hope and renewal in the midst of poverty and hardship. The Joy Luck Club is made up of four women -- Suyuan (Kieu Chinh), Lindo (Tsai Chin), Ying Ying (France Nuyen), and An Mei (Lisa Lu). But when Suyuan dies, the three surviving members invite Suyuan's daughter June (Ming-Na Wen) to take her place. Along with the daughters of the other members -- Waverly (Tamlyn Tomita), Lena (Lauren Tom), and Rose (Rosalind Chao) -- June is a Chinese-American with only a passing interest in her rich cultural heritage. But through vignettes that switch back and forth in time, the daughters begin to appreciate the struggles of their mothers to start their families in the optimistic promise of the United States. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, (more)
- 1970
- PG
Rat-pack pals Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford reprise their roles of Charlie Salt and Chris Pepper, respectively, in this film that marks the directorial debut of comedian/writer Jerry Lewis. Lawford also plays Lord Sydney Pepper, the twin brother of Charlie who is a murder victim. Salt and Pepper investigate the crime in this uneven comedy feature. Pepper takes the place of his dead brother and winds up involved in a diamond-smuggling operation. The duo is chased through the bucolic English countryside by Interpol agents and crooks after the stolen gems. Like many sequels, it fails to be as amusing as the original, which wasn't that great in the first place. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, (more)
- 1968
In this youthful musical adventure, three lonesome, lovestruck teens decide to kidnap the men they idolize. One is the Minister of Pop Culture, another is a handsome singer, the third is a disc jockey. Naturally the three victims are unhappy with their circumstance, but the girls are nice and attractive so things aren't too bad. It does not stop one fellow from causing further problems by escaping and alerting the police. Trouble follows, but fortunately, everything works out in the end. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In this episode of the British television series The Prisoner, medical researchers at the Village have discovered a way to tap into the human mind and observe a person's dreams and sub-conscious thoughts. Number Six (Patrick McGoohan) becomes a test subject, and as he is unconscious, his imaginings are adjusted until he believes he's in Paris on a rendezvous to sell the secrets he learned as an espionage agent. Number Two, the leader of the mysterious Village, is played in this episode by Colin Gordon; Katherine Kath and Sheila Allen also appear. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Julie Christie won an Oscar for her portrayal of a bored, amoral fashion model in this cynical melodrama from director John Schlesinger. Following the break-up of a teenage marriage, Diana Scott (Christie) drifts into the world of modeling and acting, where she meets a television news reporter, Robert Gold (Dirk Bogarde), who leaves his family for her and introduces her to a more powerful and wealthy set. Soon Diana meets somebody more attractive: public relations mogul Miles Brand (Laurence Harvey). After briefly leaving and then drifting back into Robert's life, experiencing an orgy and even getting an abortion, Diana eventually leaves the swinging London scene behind and settles down to an unfulfilling if comfortable life as the wife of millionaire Italian widower Cesare (Jose-Luis deVillalonga). Shocking in its day, Darling (1965) won Oscars for its costumes and script from Frederic Raphael. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Christie, Dirk Bogarde, (more)
- 1965
The internationally produced historical epic Genghis Khan sometimes wavers uncertainly between spectacle and self-parody. Though Omar Sharif essays the title role, top billing is bestowed upon Stephen Boyd as Genghis Khan's mentor-turned-enemy Jamuga. It's hard to generate audience sympathy for a Mongolian leader who laid waste to much of the civilized world, but Sharif manages to pull it off. While the battle scenes are impressive, the most memorable sequence involves an outsized fireworks display (which turns out to be a clever bit of military strategy). James Mason is amusing as an epigrammatic Chinese leader, Eli Wallach is appropriately hissable as the film's main villain, and the late Francoise Dorleac is decorative as the romantic bone of contention between Genghis Khan and Jamuga. Most of the film was lensed in Yugoslavia, a country that served as a generic location for many a historical pageant of the 1960s and 1970s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Boyd, Omar Sharif, (more)
- 1965
Sailor Ken Okimura (Lane Nakano) returns to Japan on board a Dutch freighter in this romantic melodrama. Through his American friend Bud (Tony Russel), he meets Sumi (Takimo Aya), the pretty nightclub hostess. Although the two fall in love, Sumi's tradition-bound father (Tatsuo Saito) forbids her to marry Ken. Most of the action is narrated by the ship's captain (Roland Ray). The film often resembles a well-made travelogue of Japan. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kane Nakano, Tony Russell, (more)
