Mpho Koaho Movies
- 2009
- R
Lionsgate's money-making franchise is back with this sixth entry in the Saw film series. The editor for all of the previous films, Kevin Greutert, makes his directorial debut with this picture, once again written by Feast writers, Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Costas Mandylor, Tobin Bell, (more)
- 2006
Two kids with nothing in common are brought together in a very unexpected way in this comedy. Nell (Samaire Armstrong) is a pretty but hopelessly geeky teenage girl who loves Shakespeare and wants little more than to study literature at Yale when she graduates from high school in a few months Woody (Kevin Zegers), who lives next door, is the quarterback on the school's football team, and seems like a sure bet to land a lucrative football scholarship despite the fact he isn't especially bright. Nell and Woody are not at all friendly and normally have nothing to say to one another, but one day during a class field trip to a historical museum, the two fall under the spell of an Incan icon and when they awake the next morning, Woody's mind is in Nell's body, and vice versa. Neither is comfortable with their sudden gender switch or having to assume the other's personalities, but they quickly realize that until they can find a way to reverse the spell, they have to work together if Nell is to go to Yale and Woody is to get his scholarship and move away from this loutish parents (Sharon Osborne and Maury Chaykin. Elton John was an executive producer on It's A Boy Girl Thing, and songs from his back catalog appear on the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Zegers, Samaire Armstrong, (more)
Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is back, and this time he's concocted his deadliest set of traps yet in this gore-soaked sequel written by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, and directed by Saw II's Darren Lynn Bousman. Picking up directly where its predecessor left off, Saw III finds Jigsaw near death and fighting to stay alive for one final game. Determined to show his protégé, Amanda (Shawnee Smith), what it truly means to carry out his deadly game, the ailing Jigsaw instructs his apprentice to kidnap unsuspecting doctor Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) in order to ensure that he survives long enough to see how his latest victim Jeff (Angus MacFadyen) fares when faced with the prospect of imminent death. As Lynn and Jeff both struggle to beat the clock and carry out their tasks before Jigsaw draws his final breath, a much larger plan begins to emerge that shows just how cunning the legendary killer can truly be. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, (more)
- 2005
- R
Hip-hop star 50 Cent makes his movie debut in this hard-edged urban drama inspired by the rapper's own life. Marcus (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, aka 50 Cent) grew up in a tough New York neighborhood and was left to fend for himself after the death of his mother when he was a kid. Marcus fell in with a powerful crime boss (Bill Duke) who gave him an opportunity to make a good living -- by selling drugs. While Marcus has misgivings about his life of crime and has an interest in expressing himself as a rap artist, his success as a dealer makes it hard for him to get away from the life. However, when a heist goes wrong and Marcus is shot several times, he has a change of heart and decides to leave his old life behind. He begins pursuing his dream of making it in music, and with the support of his girlfriend (Joy Bryant) he begins recording a demo tape. Marcus' new songs are inspired by the gritty realities of his old life on the street, but just as it looks like he might be able to land a record deal, he discovers that some of his old business associates aren't too happy about Marcus telling folks about their actions. Get Rich or Die Tryin' was directed by Jim Sheridan, best known for his tough but atmospheric stories of life in Ireland (In The Name of the Father, My Left Foot). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
When a corrupt Miami businessman flees to the Cayman Islands with his daughter and a million dollars in dirty money, the resulting inferno threatens to consume father, daughter, and even a few unsuspecting innocents in a sun soaked crime drama starring Bill Paxton, Orlando Bloom, and Agnes Bruckner. Carl Ridley (Paxton) was desperate to escape the law when he boarded an airplane for the Cayman Islands, but as the heat starts to rise in paradise, he's about to realize that there are some fates far worse than prison time. As Carl attempts to cleanse his ill-gotten gains with a little help from crooked British investment banker Mr. Allen (Stephen Dillane), his resentful daughter Pippa (Bruckner) sets out to explore her exotic new surroundings on the arm of native bad boy Fritz (Victor Rasuk). A low-level thug whose connections to a powerful local crime lord threatens to spell doom for all involved, Fritz draws Pippa in to disastrous chain of events sparked by the forbidden desires of unsuspecting lovers Shy (Bloom and Andrea (Zoe Saldana). Now, as the West Indies threatens to explode into violence, Carl must choose between the safety of his daughter and fortune he's trying to hide. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Orlando Bloom, Bill Paxton, (more)
Armand Assante is an ex-cop turned undercover crime fighter in this intense, high speed action film from Director Sidney J. Furie. Dejected by the failure of an undercover drug bust involving some dirty cops, Jack Cunningham (Assante) must protect the only surviving witness if there is any hopes of clearing his name and cleaning the streets of an increasingly drug-infested city. As time winds to a close and the bad guys move in for the kill, Jack's chances for survival in an urban nightmare grow as dim, though there may be one last hope of turning the tables if he can just find a good place to hide. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante
Music video director Richard Murray makes his feature debut with this hip-hop crime thriller about an ambitious kid caught in the shady underworld of the recording industry. Sam Jones III (Erik Triggs) is a wannabe rap artist working menial jobs at Ill Wax Records by day and sneaking into the studio and laying down some tracks by night. His activities have already attracted the welcome attention of Cheryl (Zo Saldana), a bodacious marketing executive. Meanwhile, the company's villainous president Bobby Starr (Dean Winters) is bullying rap phoneme Prolifik (Nelly) into doing his debut record Bobby's way. On the same night that Sam and his buddy Malik sneak into the studios, Prolifik and his master tapes are abducted and soon the prime suspect appears to be none other than Sam. With the wrathful Starr on his tail and the cops closing in, Sam is forced to find the crook responsible the crime and fast. This film played at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Jones III, Zoe Saldana, (more)
The fun begins when Kenny Witowski, a typical middle school student, begins seeking out e-mail pals on the Internet. Thanks to a glitch in the system, Kenny is connected with a correspondent who signs himself "Average Joe," and who solicits our hero's opinion on practically everything. Little does Kevin realize that "Average Joe" is actually one A. Thorton Osgood II -- President of the United States! Mail to the Chief was first telecast on April 2, 2000, as an entry in the ABC anthology The Wonderful World of Disney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Holland Taylor, (more)
Poet Maya Angelou made her feature directorial debut with this African-American family drama, shown theatrically but originally produced for the Showtime cable network. Unemployed single mother Loretta (Alfre Woodward) lives with her mother, Rosa Lynn (Mary Alice), in a Chicago apartment. Drugs and alcohol lead Loretta to neglect her autistic daughter, Tracy (Kulani Hassen). Her teen son Thomas (Mpho Koaho) brings in money by photographing tourists. Rosa Lynn pawns a family heirloom in order to send Loretta and the kids off to their Mississippi Delta hometown where Loretta's Uncle Earl (Al Freeman Jr.) runs his diner. Earl lives in a dry county, so Loretta is reluctant. However, she has no choice after Rosa Lynn threatens to contact child-welfare authorities if she doesn't go. Earl takes in the trio even though he already has enough problems with Annie (Esther Rolle), an Alzheimer's victim under the supervision of caregiver Zenia (Loretta Devine). Toronto locations substitute for Mississippi. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman, Jr., (more)
