Mía Maestro

Suspecting that thieves have stashed millions in stolen bills in a nondescript Los Angeles home, a disgraced LAPD detective leads an invasion that quickly goes awry. Later, as two homicide detectives (Gabrielle Union and Giancarlo Esposito) interrogate the survivors - a fearless thief and a shell-shocked victim - it's gradually revealed that the detective's motives are clouded in mystery. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Dougray Scott, Linus Roache, Omar Sharif, and Naveen Andrews headline this epic mini-series from director Robert Dornhelm, and following the Prince of Egypt as he discovers his true identity and sets out on a mission from God. An oracle has prophesized that a child will grow up to become the Prince of Egypt, and in order to prevent this from happening The Egyptian Pharaoh (Paul Rhys) orders the immediate slaughter of all newborn males. No child in the entire kingdom is spared except for one. His name was Moses, the son of a Hebrew slave. Set adrift on the Nile immediately after he was born, Moses escapes certain death and enjoys a lavish upbringing in a royal Egyptian household. Moses has no memory of his past, and soon rises to the rank of prince. After Moses receives a fiery message from God and learns of his true heritage, he vows to reclaim his destiny by delivering his people from persecution and realizing his fate as the liberator of the Hebrews. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Despite its late start in January of 2005 after a hiatus of eight months, the fourth season of Alias more than made up for lost time with a plethora of trials, tribulations, jaw-dropping revelations, big-time betrayals, and near-death experiences for the series' secret-agent heroine, Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner). Reeling from the disillusionment and embarrassment of her demotion, Sydney quits the CIA flat; however, it turns out that this is part of a master plan hatched by new CIA director Hayden Chase (Angela Bassett) to arrange Sydney's membership in Authorized Personnel Only (APO), a top-top secret black-ops organization. Sydney's co-workers at APO include several longtime associates: her father, Jack (Victor Garber); her partner and sometime lover, Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan); her steadfast previous partner Dixon (Carl Lumbly) -- and, much to our heroine's surprise, her duplicitous ex-chief, Sloane (Ron Rifkin), who has proven time and again that he can't be trusted. For her first APO assignment, Sydney is sent to Rio, where she has a fateful encounter with her latest adversary, Tamasaki (Rick Yune), a self-styled 21st century samurai. Previously a recurring character, Sydney's half-sister, Nadia Santos (Mía Maestro), becomes a full regular this season, the better to throw a monkey wrench into Sydney's volatile relationship with her father, Jack -- and to share with Jack a startling secret about Sydney's supposedly dead, supposedly traitorous mother. At the same time, Vaughn has a great deal of difficulty overcoming the treachery of his former wife, Lauren, and an equal amount of difficulty assimilating new and disturbing information about his own father. Major developments this season include a huge revival of interest in the Rambaldi code, which when broken may spell the doom of humankind; the surprising temporary recruitment of another of Sydney's longtime enemies, Julian Sark (David Anders), for a special APO mission; a grim prognostication that Sydney and Nadia are destined to duke it out to the death; and the resurrection of a long-presumed-dead central character, who will reveal anew to Sydney that she can never completely rely upon anyone or believe in anything, not even the evidence of her own eyes. Though the season ends with the good news that Sydney and Vaughn are engaged, any hopes for lasting happiness are dashed by still another shocking revelation -- and a spectacular car crash. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Just how far would you go to have the home of your dreams all to yourself? A couple start asking themselves that very question in this dark comedy directed by Danny DeVito. Alex (Ben Stiller) and Nancy (Drew Barrymore) are a young couple who are happy and successful, but lack one thing that they truly want -- the perfect home in Manhattan. Alex and Nancy think they may have found just the place they've been looking for when they discover the bottom half of a beautiful old duplex has opened up. While the couple are delighted with their new flat, they discover it has one major disadvantage they hadn't counted on -- their upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Connelly (Eileen Essel), an elderly woman who soon makes their lives a living hell. Persuading Mrs. Connelly to move is fruitless, since she has a long term rent-controlled lease, and as things become more and more difficult, Alex and Nancy begin to wonder if she won't go away on her own, perhaps a more drastic (and permanent) solution may be in order. Duplex also stars Harvey Fierstein, Justin Theroux, James Remar, and Swoosie Kurtz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

After being attached to a number of actors, directors, and producers, this long-gestating biography of one of Mexico's most prominent, iconoclastic painters reaches the screen under the guiding hand of producer/star Salma Hayek. Hayek ages some 30 years onscreen as she charts Frida Kahlo's life from feisty schoolgirl to Diego Rivera protégée to world-renowned artist in her own right. Frida details Kahlo's affluent upbringing in Mexico City, and her nurturing relationship with her traditional mother (Patricia Reyes Spindola) and philosophical father (Roger Rees). Having already suffered the crippling effects of polio, Kahlo sustains further injuries when a city bus accident nearly ends her life. But in her bed-ridden state, the young artist produces dozens upon dozens of pieces; when she recovers, she presents them to the legendary -- and legendarily temperamental -- Rivera (Alfred Molina), who takes her under his wing as an artist, a political revolutionary, and, inevitably, a lover. But their relationship is fraught with trouble, as the philandering Rivera traverses the globe painting murals, and Kahlo languishes in obscurity, longing to make her mark on her own. Frida was directed by Julie Taymor, whose Broadway production of The Lion King won her international acclaim. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Based on the book by Julia Alvarez, this fact-based drama tells the story of a woman who, along with her family, found the courage to defy a corrupt dictator -- and paid a fearful price for their actions. Minerva Mirabal (Salma Hayek) and her sisters Patria (Lumi Cavazos), Mate (Mia Maestro), and Dede (Pilar Padilla) are the daughters of Enrique (Fernando Becerril), a man who owns a plantation and a small store in the Dominican Republic during the rule of the despotic Rafael LeónidasTrujillo (Edward James Olmos). When several members of her family are killed by Trujillo's forces, Minerva pledges that she will some day win revenge against the dictator, though when the leader first encounters Minerva, it's after she helps foil a friend's poorly planned assassination attempt. After completing her schooling, Minerva meets Virgilio Morales (Marc Anthony), a professor of law at a state university who also works with an underground rebel group attempting to overthrow Trujillo. The two fall in love, and Virgilio helps to open Minerva's eyes to the extent of Trujillo's crimes; when Virgilio is forced to go underground as a result of his actions against Trujillo, Minerva pledges to follow his example and become a lawyer. However, Trujillo's head has been turned by the lovely Minerva, and the more he learns about her, the more he wants to seduce her, hoping to crush her fiery spirit. In time, Minerva attends law school, hoping to challenge the system from within, but upon graduation she discovers Trujillo has been keeping tabs on her actions and isn't about to allow her to practice law; an outraged Minerva vows to fight the corrupt dictator by any means necessary. Produced for the Showtime premium cable network, In the Time of the Butterflies first aired on October 21, 2001; leading lady Salma Hayek also served as executive producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Director Mike Figgis helmed this ground-breaking experimental feature, filmed with four synchronized digital video cameras in four separate locations. The story, outlined in advance but otherwise improvised, was enacted in a single continuous take, like a stage play, with the unedited images from all four locations presented on the screen at once. Figgis and his crew chose the best single run-through, and the result is the film's final release version. The story focuses on four main characters around the casting sessions for a film called Bitch of Louisiana to be directed by Lester Moore (Richard Edson): Alex Green (Stellan Skarsgard), the studio executive overseeing Moore's project; his wife Emma (Saffron Burrows); gangster Lauren Hathaway (Jeanne Tripplehorn); and her unfaithful lover Rose (Salma Hayek). These characters' paths cross as murder, infidelity, and dirty dealings are interrupted by an earthquake and its aftershocks. Time Code 2000 also features Kyle MacLachlan, Holly Hunter, Julian Sands, Steven Weber, Danny Huston, Viveka Davis, and Laurie Metcalf. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Combining fiction and documentary, 66-year-old Carlos Saura directed this Spanish-Argentine dance drama with masterful camerawork by acclaimed cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. After his wife (Cecilia Narova) leaves him, Argentine film director Mario Suarez (Miguel Angel Sola), moves to a Buenos Aires suburb, and begins work on a film about the tango with meticulous care. At a cabaret, he encounters gangster Angelo Larroca (Juan Luis Galiardo), lover of aspiring dancer Elena Flores (Mia Maestro). Larroca asks Mario to audition Elena, but problems arise when Mario takes a romantic interest in her. Promoted as the most expensive Argentine film ever made, this production employed theatrical lighting and several cameras shooting simultaneously on a specially constructed set in Buenos Aires. Tango classics alternate with Lalo Schifrin's score. Famed tango dancers appear onscreen in dark dances depicting passions, sorrows, and the past history of Argentina, including a war ballet, as Saura noted, "We needed a scene that would be brutal, and a ballet that would be violent and aggressive, which we don't often see in musicals. It frightened me. There was a great deal of tension on the set because some of the dancers had loved ones who had suffered during those years, and the ballet re-creates the terrible feeling of the period." Shown out of competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide