Gift Subscriptions
Doug Atchison
Former Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst directs Ice Cube and Keke Palmer in this battle-of-the-sexes sports comedy about a former high-school football star who coaches his niece to become the first-ever girl quarterback in the history of Pop Warner football. Based on a true story, The Longshots opens in the struggling American town of Minden, IL. The Minden Browns used to be one of the strongest teams in the Pop Warner league, but lately things have taken a turn for the worst. Recognizing that his old team needs some fresh blood in order to make a comeback, a former player (Cube) trains his 11-year-old niece, Jasmine (Palmer), to throw the ball like a true gridiron giant. While the powers that be scoff at the idea of a female quarterback, they soon begin to sing a different tune as Jasmine leads the Browns to the championships and an invigorating shot at redemption. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, (more)
- 2007
Writer/director Doug Atchison tells the tale of a teacher from Reno, NV, who accepted her sixth-grade class's challenge to run for Congress in 2000 under the condition that the students would take charge of the campaign. Halle Berry plays middle-school educator Tierney Cahill, a single mother whose adoring students eventually convince her to run for Congress. Though the beloved teacher-turned-political hopeful would eventually lose her bid to an incumbent, Cahill shocked both her district and her loyal supporters by taking home 35 percent of the popular vote. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Halle Berry
- 2007
Sarah Jessica Parker produces and stars in stage director Mark Brokaw's adaptation the Rebecca Gilman play concerning a newly hired dean of students at an elite New England college who finds her life consumed by chaos following a vicious series of hate crimes. Sarah Daniels (Parker) was just settling into her new position when she was placed in charge of the investigation into a series of racially motivated campus crimes. Having previously worked at an inner-city school, Sarah makes the decision to get the police involved when Dean Catherine Kenney (Miranda Richardson) and President Winston Garvey (James Rebhorn) -- both more concerned with maintaining the institution's untarnished image than actually capturing the culprit -- begin to question her authority at every turn. Later, when investigative reporter Aaron Carmichael (Mykel Williamson) arrives on campus after receiving an anonymous telephone call, Sarah is saddled with the responsibility of escorting the journalist in order to squelch any potentially negative press. When a "Forum on Race" conducted by Professor Burton Strauss (Beau Bridges) against Sarah's recommendation turns into an all-out riot, the emerging truth about the crimes forces the emotionally shattered dean of students to confront her own long-dormant prejudices. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Jessica Parker, Mykelti Williamson, (more)
A young girl learns to believe in herself and value her intelligence in this critically-acclaimed, family-friendly drama. Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer) is an 11-year-old being raised by her mother, Tanya (Angela Bassett), who was left on her own after the death of her husband. While Akeelah is a very bright girl, she's hardly a star student and seems afraid of acting like a bookworm around her friends and classmates. However, Akeelah's teacher sees genuine potential in her student and encourages her to enter the school's spelling bee, convinced Akeelah has the brains and the talent to win. Akeelah applies herself and emerges victorious in the local competition, but discovers the going gets tougher when she goes to a statewide bee, studying for the regionals under the aegis of strict English teacher Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne), who consents to act as her coach A college professor who was a spelling-bee champ as a child, Larabee is a stubborn taskmaster who questions Akeelah's ability and commitment, but in time he develops a respect for his pupil and helps her prove her talent as she climbs the ladder to the National Spelling Bee. Meanwhile, Tanya feels intimidated when she finds the contests are dominated by children from wealthy families and privileged backgrounds, and argues that the competition may not be in Akeelah's best interest, believing instead that homework should be the one and only priority in Akeelah's life. It soon becomes apparent that if Akeelah has any intention of entering the national spelling bee championships in Washington, D.C., she will not do so with Tanya's permission or blessing. This marks the first onscreen reunion of Bassett and Fishburne since their Academy Award-nommed performances as Ike Turner and Tina Turner in Brian Gibson's 1993 biopic, What's Love Got to Do with It.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, (more)
One man's fascination with pornography leads him down a path of destruction, hurting both himself and others. In this independent drama, Paul (Michael DeGood) is a young man who has problems with women, who falls into the habit of purchasing pornography and hiring prostitutes. After making a few amateur porn videos on his own, he meets Spano (Craig Wasson), a major producer of adult films who tells Paul he could go far in pornography if he could find the right star. When Paul meets Kate (Katheryn Cain) -- a naive, aspiring actress who has just moved to L.A. -- he thinks he may have found just the right girl to build his career on. But Paul is blind to the dangerous and sordid world he has moved into, and the deeper he goes, the more damage is done to himself and to Kate. Co-star Craig Wasson also served as associate producer for this film, which was shown at the 1999 Santa Barbara Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael DeGood, Craig Wasson, (more)
