Clark Peterson Movies

Death brings a contentious family together (though that doesn't mean they get along) in this comedy-drama from director Anna Chi. When elderly Mrs. Xiao (Lisa Lu) dies in her sleep at home, her housekeeper and close friend Viola (Talia Shire) contacts her four adult children in hopes they'll come home to help with the funeral. Unfortunately, Mrs. Xiao didn't have many friends besides Viola, her children all have issues with her, and given her zeal to assimilate into American culture, the siblings are more than puzzled that she insisted upon a traditional Chinese funeral lasting a full seven days. Alexander (Russell Wong), a successful doctor, is still coming to terms with his overly strict mother and philandering father, and is unexpectedly reunited with his ex-wife (Kelly Hu), who he lost through his own infidelity. Elizabeth (Julia Nickson), a writer, also crosses paths with her former spouse (Adrian Hough) while she mourns both her mother and her young son. Victoria (Francoise Yip) has never been able to forgive her mom after she rejected her for marrying an African-American. And MeiMei (Steph Song), an actress, is a lesbian who wants to have children with her significant other Deedee (Bai Ling); they've been having trouble finding a suitable sperm donor, though they think one of the monks at the funeral may be just what they're looking for. Dim Sum Funeral received its world premiere at the 2008 AFI Fest. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Three talented hip-hop musicians struggle to make themselves heard in a repressive culture in this documentary from filmmakers Jauretsi Saizabitoria and Emilia Menocal. While rap and hip-hop are often cited as the most pervasive and influential musical forms to emerge in public consciousness since 1980, in Cuba rappers and DJs are still waging an uphill battle to gain official acceptance. Soandry (real name Soandres Del Rio Ferrer), Magyori Martinez Veitia, and Mikki Flow (real name Michel Hermida) are three lyricists from Alamar, a small blue-collar community, who are members of a hip-hop collective known as "El Cartel." While they have talent, El Cartel are not recognized as "real" musicians under Cuba's communist government, and must scramble for a chance to perform. Mikki Flow is one of a handful of Cuban underground rappers who have organized the nation's first and only hip-hop festival, but when the threat of a hurricane gives officials an excuse to shut down the festival, Mikki and his compatriots must find a way to reorganize the gathering under the radar of the nation's official music committees. As El Cartel search for new venues for their music, Mikki, Soandry, and Magyori talk about the rise of Cuban hip-hip in the 1990s, the realities behind their conscious lyrics, and Soandry's relationship with his brother, who has defected to the United States. East of Havana was screened as part of the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Model-turned-actress Charlize Theron leaves her glamorous image behind for this gritty drama, in which she plays a disturbed prostitute who becomes a serial killer. Aileen Wuornos (Theron) was a woman who survived a brutal and abusive childhood in Michigan to become a thick-skinned but emotionally damaged adult. Homeless most of her life, Wuornos subsisted by working as a street prostitute; later, when she was in Florida, down to her last five dollars and pondering suicide, she stopped into a bar for a beer. There, Aileen met Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), a woman in her early twenties who had been sent to live with relatives after her Christian parents became aware of her lesbian lifestyle. Selby is immediately attracted to Aileen, and while Aileen tells Selby she's never been in a lesbian relationship, she soon finds herself equally infatuated with her. Selby runs away from her family and moves into a cheap hotel with Aileen, who initially pays the bills by hooking. However, as their money runs low and Aileen finds herself unable to land a regular job, tensions mount between the two. One night, after a john attacks her, Aileen pulls a gun and kills the man. Although her first murder can be categorized as self-defense, Aileen's loathing for the men who pay her for sex becomes so extreme that she begins killing her customers regardless of their behavior. Meanwhile, Selby slowly becomes aware of the full extent of her lover's instability and the bloody consequences of her actions. Monster was inspired by the true story of Aileen Wuornos, whose life and death was chronicled in two documentaries by filmmaker Nick Broomfield, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer, and Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

An evil genie, the Djinn (Andrew Divoff), escapes from an ancient statue and wreaks havoc in this horror film from director Robert Kurtzman. The devious Djinn can regain human form permanently if he grants someone three wishes. The Djinn at first is trapped in a statue, which falls and cracks open when a drunken worker unloads it from a ship. The genie is inside a precious gem that a puzzled pawnbroker gives to university gemologist Josh (Tony Crane). The Djinn kills Josh, and Josh's friend and colleague Alexandra Amberson (Tammy Lauren), who had been resisting Josh's romantic advances, sets out to find the killer. She follows a trail of carnage, and she soon learns the truth about the genie from anthropologist Wendy Derleth (Jenny O'Hara). The Djinn presents itself to Alexandra, who resists his seductive offers to grant wishes, but then the fiend sets his sights on Shannon (Wendy Benson), Alexandra's younger sister. The genie makes his final stand to grant a third wish at a party where antiquities collector Anthony Beaumont (Robert Englund) is displaying the statue. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

In this sexual thriller a housewife nearly loses everything she treasures when a night's indiscretion leads to obsession -- and possibly murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The message of this direct-to-video thriller may be that it is possible for a daughter to love her father too much, especially when she will cheerfully murder anyone who threatens to come between them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide