Ashanti Movies
Widely hailed as one of the greatest urban music discoveries of the new millennium, glamorous R&B recording sensation Ashanti entered the public eye thanks, in large part, to the efforts of record mogul Irv Gotti, the powerhouse also responsible for launching Ja Rule's career. Such albums as Chapter II, Concrete Rose, and The Declaration sold an unholy number of copies in a brief span of time, ensuring superstardom for the ascendant diva. In actuality, however, the young woman -- born Ashanti S. Douglas -- had already established a viable presence in a key number of theatrically released feature films and telemovies long prior to her 2002 debut album. She received her formal training in dance at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center, and made one of her earliest television appearances as a dancer, at age nine, in the Phylicia Rashad-headlined musical update of Pollyanna, Polly (1989). Bit parts in feature films ensued, including Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992) and Ted Demme's Who's the Man? (1993).Unsurprisingly, Ashanti's acting career received a boost from musical stardom; she landed small roles in the quasi-Bollywood comedy Bride and Prejudice (2004) and the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer before tackling her first lead, as Dorothy Gale, in the made-for-television special The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005). Ashanti then rose to higher billing with plum roles in the teen sex comedy John Tucker Must Die (2006) and the action-filled video-game adaptation Resident Evil: Extinction (2007). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Director Russell Mulcahy takes over for the third chapter in the Resident Evil film franchise, which finds genetically altered Alice (Milla Jovovich) joining forces with Carlos (Oded Fehr) and L.J. (Mike Epps) to take down the Umbrella Corporation once and for all. Upon emerging from her hideout in the Nevada desert, Alice is quickly joined by old friends Carlos and L.J., as well as survivors Claire (Ali Larter), K-Mart (Spencer Locke), and Nurse Betty (Ashanti). Now instilled with super-human strength, senses, and dexterity as a result of the biogenetic experimentation conducted on her by the Umbrella Corporation, Alice and the rest of the survivors set out to eliminate a virus that threatens to turn every living human undead, and ensure that the mysterious organization pays the price for their horrific crimes against humanity. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, (more)
Three teenagers two-timed by a local lothario decide to turn the tables on him in this romantic comedy. John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe) is the big man on campus at his high school -- he's the captain and star player of the basketball team, he's got money, he's good-looking and charming, and he can have any girl he wants. However, the latter attribute is about to get him in serious trouble when three different girls at his school -- Heather (Ashanti), Beth (Sophia Bush) and Carrie (Arielle Kebbel) -- discover they've all been dating John at the same time. Determined to bring down the campus ladykiller, the girls devise a plan -- they pick a cute but socially clumsy girl who is new at school, Kate (Brittany Snow), and give her a crash course in stealing John's heart. Once Kate has John wrapped around her little finger, she's supposed to drop him like a bad habit and give him a taste of what heartbreak is really like. However, it seems that the early stages of the plan work a little too well, and John and Kate end up falling for each other for real. John Tucker Must Die also stars Jenny McCarthy, Penn Badgley, and Dan Payne. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse Metcalfe, Brittany Snow, (more)
The true-life story of a coach who tries to teach his players that there's more to life than basketball is brought to the screen in this sports drama. Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) was once a star player on the Richmond High School basketball team in Richmond, CA, and years later, after establishing himself in publishing and marketing, he returns to the school and to the team as the new basketball coach. Carter quickly sees that his work is cut out for him -- the team is having an awful season, and their fights off the court are more decisive than their play on the court. While Carter wants to make the Richmond cagers into a winning team, he also wants a lot more -- to teach the boys to respect themselves and one another, and that they must excel in the classroom as well as in the gymnasium. Under Carter's guidance, the team turns their losing season around, with the state title a genuine possibility. However, when Carter learns that a number of his players have let their grade point averages slip below 2.3, as mandated in a contract he entered into with the students, he decides to lock the team out of the gym and send them into study hall until their marks improve. Carter's plan quickly becomes a subject of controversy among parents and team boosters, and their objections are soon picked up by the local news media, many of whom are not sympathetic to Carter's belief that his players must have goals beyond college ball or the NBA. Coach Carter also features Rob Brown and Rick Gonzalez as members of the team, and R&B diva Ashanti in her film debut as the girlfriend of one of Carter's players. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Ri'chard, (more)
L. Frank Baum's enduring fantasy story gets a new and very funny spin in this made-for-TV comedy. Dorothy (Ashanti) is a young woman who works in a diner in Kansas owned by her Aunt Em (Queen Latifah) and dreams of one day making it big as a singer. When a tornado makes its way through the trailer park Dorothy and Em call home, the young woman is spirited off to a magical land known as Oz, where she accidentally kills the most wicked witch in the land. Dorothy, however, isn't so sure she wants to stay, and sets off to find a wizard who might be able to help her. As Dorothy searches for the wizard's castle, she makes some friends along the way -- a scarecrow (Kermit the Frog, voiced by Steve Whitmire), a cowardly lion (Fozzie Bear, voiced by Eric Jacobson), a combination robot and computer made of tin (The Great Gonzo, voiced by Dave Goelz) -- but she also has to fend off The Wicked Witch of the West (Miss Piggy, voiced by Eric Jacobson), whose sister fell victim to Dorothy upon her arrival in the strange new land. Featuring most of the best-known Muppet Show characters, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz also features guest appearances by Jeffrey Tambor, David Alan Grier, and Quentin Tarantino. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ashanti, Queen Latifah, (more)
- 2004
- Add Ashanti: Princess of Hip Hop/Soul to QueueAdd Ashanti: Princess of Hip Hop/Soul to top of Queue
Ashanti -- Princess of Hip Hop/Soul is an unauthorized biography of the singer. Starting with her childhood in New York and her relationship with her supportive family, the film shows how she became a show-business success. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
The very British sensibilities of Jane Austen are introduced to the exotic flavors of the Bollywood musical in this romantic comedy with songs from the director of Bend It Like Beckham, Gurinder Chadha. Lalita Bakshi (Aishwarya Rai) is the lovely and eligible daughter of her socially ambitious mother and father (Nadira Babbar and Anupam Kher). Mother and father want to be sure that Lalita, the most beautiful of their four daughters, settles down with a man worthy of her, but she has proven resistant to matchmaking, announcing that she will choose her own husband, and will choose him for love. While mother is keen on the profoundly annoying Kholi (Nitin Chandra Ganatra), Lalita has had her head turned by a handsome vagabond from England, Johnny Wickham (Daniel Gilles). But while attending the wedding of a friend, Lalita meets Will Darcy (Martin Henderson), a college buddy of family friend Raj (Naveen Andrews) who is the son of a wealthy hotel magnate. Lalita finds that Will makes a strong impression on her -- she can't stand him, but she also can't get him out of her mind. Will feels the same way about her, and as they inadvertently chase one another over three continents, will morbid fascination grow into true love? Bride and Prejudice marked the first English-speaking role for Aishwarya Rai, who had firmly established herself as India's leading female star when this film was made. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, (more)
- 2003
Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) each step out for the evening with someone new, but both dates are full of surprise revelations. Xander's rendezvous is with Lissa (pop singer Ashanti), a lovely young lady he meets on his construction job. Buffy's, meanwhile, is with Principal Robin Wood (D.B. Woodside), her boss at Sunnydale High School. Things begin normally enough for Buffy and Robin, but a vamp attack soon nips the fun in the bud. Much to Buffy's astonishment, though, the principal more than holds his own against the attackers. Over dinner, he reveals that he's the son of a slayer and was raised by his mother's watcher after her death. Now a part-time demon-fighter, he was fully aware of Buffy's identity when he hired her as school counselor. Once again the evening is interrupted, this time by a frantic phone call that Xander needs help. With Spike (James Marsters) and Robin in tow, Buffy heads to the school just in time to save her friend from being murdered by Lissa. It turns out Xander has once again romanced a demon, this time one who wants to get in good with The First by bring another Turok-Han to earth. As Xander's rescuers defeat his duplicitous date, Spike puts on his ugly face, revealing to the disgusted Robin that Buffy is in league with a vampire. Later, the specter of Robin's mother -- actually The First in disguise -- appears to him and reveals the identity of her killer. It turns out she's actually the slayer Spike murdered on a New York City subway in the 1970s (see "Fool for Love"). Originally broadcast Feb. 11, 2003, on UPN, "First Date" marked episode 136 of the cult-favorite series. K.D. Aubert here replaces April Weeden-Washington as Robin's mother, the subway Slayer. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Video director Jerome Cornuau made his feature-film debut with this showbiz-themed French film. Young Alice (Ambre Boukebza) hitchhikes into the city to seek out her music-executive dad (Bernard Le Coq) but instead becomes friends with a singing star (Ophelie Winter, portraying herself), learns dancing from African trashman Rudy (Ashanti), polishes her singing skills with an assist from vocalist Nathalie (Lea Drucker), and is romanced by producer Jeremy (Patrick Forster-Delmas). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ambre Boukebza, Ophélie Winter, (more)
In this comedy, bumbling Harlem barbers Dr. Dre and Ed Lover are shipped off to the police academy by their frustrated boss, Nick (Jim Moody). However, when a crooked land developer threatens to forcibly take over their ex-boss' land, it is up to Dr. Dre and Ed to use their new-found police powers to stop him. A number of well-known rap artists make appearances in this film, including Queen Latifah, Humpty Hump, Kriss Kross, B-Real, and Ice-T. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1989
There were those in 1989 who bellyached that Disney Television's Polly was a far from faithful adaptation of Eleanor Porter's classic novel Pollyanna. What they meant was that Polly did not resemble the 1960 Hayley Mills movie version of Pollyanna, which itself played fast and loose with the source material. In Polly, The Cosby Show's Keshia Knight Pulliam portrays the "Glad Girl" who brings along a satchelful of happiness and optimism when she visits her wealthy aunt one summer. Tranposing Porter's all-white story to a middle-class black community in the Alabama of the 1950s (Celeste Holm is the only white costar) isn't nearly as self-conscious or gimmicky as it seems on paper. Nor is any damage done to the original by adding musical numbers, especially when taking into consideration that the film was directed by renowned choreographer Debbie Allen (the sister of Phylicia Rashad, who plays Polly's aunt--and who in 1989 was costarring with Keshia Knight Pulliam on a weekly basis on The Cosby Show). Polly scored a boffo ratings hit, prompting Disney TV to assemble a 1990 sequel, Polly: Comin' Home! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
