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Kali Rocha Movies

Known to many as Dr. Sydney Heron on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy, Kali Rocha seems to be an eternally familiar face, due to her numerous appearances in such a variety of projects. After growing up in Rhode Island, Rocha attended the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama before embarking on a professional acting career with a role in 1996's The Crucible. Subsequent projects found her playing everything from a fun-loving demon on Buffy the Vampire Slayer to an all-business social worker in White Oleander. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
2011  
R  
Add Brake to Queue Add Brake to top of Queue  
A Secret Service agent is forced to choose between saving his loved ones and protecting a secret he's been sworn to safeguard in this thriller starring Stephen Dorff. After awakening completely disoriented and restrained, Jeremy Reins (Dorff) watches helplessly as a digital countdown edges ever closer to zero. Outside, it begins to sound as if society has collapsed. His captors want to know the location of the president's secret underground bunker, and they're willing to kill in order to get an answer. Unless Reins gives it to them, everyone he cares about will soon die. As the conflicted agent weighs his responsibilities, the clock keeps counting down. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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2009  
R  
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Mad Men star Jon Hamm headlines this unusual low-budget mystery-thriller, as Detective Tom Adkins, a man haunted relentlessly by the disappearance of his ten-year-old son, Tommy, Jr. No leads immediately turn up in that case, but he does receive an early-morning phone call that draws him to the mangled and mutilated remains of a young boy slain 50 years prior. Tom takes on the case in an attempt to find absolution, and a second tale evolves, set 50 before, involving a man named Matthew Wakefield (Josh Lucas) and his son John. The baffling similarities between the Wakefield case and Tommy Jr.'s mysterious fate push Tom to the brink of sanity and ultimately lead him on a collision course with fate. Gradually, one step at a time, Tom stumbles onto the horrifying truth about what happened to his boy. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Starring:
Jon HammJosh Lucas, (more)
 
2009  
R  
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Life doesn't offer many guarantees, but in the alternate universe of writer-director Jac Schaeffer's feature debut, the romantic comedy TiMER, people can get a digital clock implanted on their wrist that counts down to the second they meet "the one." It even sounds a little alarm the first time two soul mates look into each other's eyes. The device is not working too well for Oona (Emma Caulfield, who played Anya on Buffy the Vampire Slayer), because her TiMER is blank. That means her soul mate, whoever he is, hasn't yet signed up for the service. So Oona dates guys without TiMERs, and forces them to get the implant if the relationship looks promising. But so far, no dice. Oona's twentysomething half sister, Steph (Michelle Borth), is also unlucky. Her TiMER tells her she won't meet Mr. Right for about 20 more years. While Steph sows her wild oats, resigned not to commit to a relationship, Oona, approaching 30, obsesses over her TiMER. Oona meets a cute younger guy working at the local supermarket, but Mikey (John Patrick Amedori of Gossip Girl) already has a TiMER, and it's set to go off in a few months. "Life is about detours," he tells her, but Oona's not convinced. Meanwhile, Steph meets dashing and TiMER-less Dan (Desmond Harrington, also of Gossip Girl). Dan is interested in Steph, but she knows he's not "the one" for her, so she tries to set him up with Oona. Timer also features JoBeth Williams as Oona's mom. The film had its world premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, and was shown on demand in conjunction with the 2010 festival at the time of its theatrical release. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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Starring:
Emma CaulfieldJohn Patrick Amedori, (more)
 
2008  
 
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Carrie Preston, John G. Preston, Michael Emerson, and Lurie Poston star in director James Vasquez's coming of age comedy about a young boy obsessed with dresses, dolls, and cheerleading. Joshua Dowd (Poston) isn't like the other boys in class. All Joshua's single mother Andy (Carrie Preston) wants is for her son to be normal, but instead of joining the wrestling team like the rest of his classmates Joshua longs to try out for his school's all-girl cheerleading team. Upon receiving the news that her absent father has died, Andy is surprised to see her wayward brother Alex (John G. Preston) appear unannounced on her doorstep. Perhaps now that these estranged siblings have finally come back together, they can finally start to understand what it truly means to be a "family" - even if they don't fall under the traditional definition of the word. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Carrie PrestonLurie Poston, (more)
 
2007  
R  
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Philippe Caland directs and stars in this karmic drama about a hip, new age clothing designer from Lebanon who attempts to engineer redemption after realizing that a mistake from his past may have destroyed his entire future. Amer Atrash (Caland) is a first generation immigrant who's perpetually on the verge of the American Dream. But despite his repeated attempts to achieve financial success, it seems that complications always arise at the eleventh hour that set him directly back to square one. Now, after years of struggling, Amer is set to debut a cutting edge clothing line that could put him on top of the world. When the rug is pulled out from under Amer's feet once again, his efforts to hustle his way through the predicament ultimately amount to naught. Later, when Amer's wife Sherry (Virginia Madsen) admits that she's been feeling neglected and needs time to decide whether it's worth working to save their marriage, the dejected designer tells her a secret that he's never revealed to another living soul. Fifteen years earlier, Amer was involved in an accident that left a man named Phillip Blackman (Forest Whitaker) wheelchair bound. Could it be that all of Amer's current life problems somehow stem back to that one fateful night? Upon hearing Amer's story, Sherry encourages her husband to seek out Phillip and make amends. Later, after locating Phillip's beautiful wife Kitty (Minnie Driver), Amer begs for forgiveness by citing all the bad things that have happened to him since the accident. When Phillip and Amer set out on a journey designed to alter Amer's current state of mind and finally bring him nearer to enlightenment, the lives of both men are profoundly changed in ways that neither could have ever anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Forest WhitakerVirginia Madsen, (more)
 
2007  
 
As the interns prepare for the all-important First Year exam, the candidates for the position of surgical chief fall over themselves providing "TLC" to a "VIP" patient. Sloan (Eric Dane) anxiously counts the seconds until the end of his 60-day vow of chastity. Cristina (Sandra Oh) gets sore when Burke (Isaiah Washington) monopolizes their wedding plans. The relationship between Addison (Kate Walsh) and Alex (Justin Chambers) heats up, even as Alex grows ever closer to "Jane Doe" (Elizabeth Reaser)--or is her real name Ava? And a male patient is brought in with a fish stuffed in his. . .well, never mind, but it hurts REAL bad. This episode marks the reteaming, as it were, of former X-Files regulars James Pickens Jr. and Mitch Pileggi. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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2007  
 
In the second episode of a three-part story arc, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) has fallen in the water at the scene of a horrendous ferryboat disaster, and is still among the missing. Izzie (Katherine Heigl) takes medical instructions by phone as she performs emergency cranial surgery on a victim trapped between two cars. George (T.R Knight) tells a mother that her son has been found safe so she would agree to undergo surgery--and now must conduct a frantic search for the boy. And while trying to mollify the victims' families, Alex forms an unusual bond with an unidentified pregnant woman (Elizabeth Reaser) who has sustained mulitple injuries. With all this going on, Cristina and Burke still find time to announce their upcoming wedding--only to start quarrelling the moment the words are out of their mouths. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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2007  
 
In the first episode of a three-part story arc, the staff at Seattle Grace swings into action when disaster strikes on Coleman Dock. A cargo ship has plowed into a ferryboat, killing several people and seriously injuring many more. Some of the survivors are in such bad shape that Dr. Webber (James Pickens Jr.) must literary play God, deciding on the spot who can be saved and who can't. Cristina (Sandra Oh) takes special interest in a grotesquely disfigured and very pregnant "Jane Doe" (Elizabeth Reaser), while Alex (Justin Chambers) must keep his arrogance in check as he deals with the victims' anguished relatives. The situations worsens when, while providing aid and comfort to an eerily calm child victim (Madison Leisle), Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) loses her footing and falls in the water--and she can't swim! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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2006  
 
The nurses go on strike, forcing the doctors and interns (with the exception of George [T.R. Knight], who refuses to cross the picket line) to soldier on all by themselves. With Bailey on pregnancy leave, her replacement is Dr. Sydney Aaron (Kali Rocha), the polar opposite of Seattle Grace's infamous "Nazi". Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) makes a mistake while treating a patient, and the error does not go unnoticed by the patient's gossipy friends (played by veteran actresses Betty Garrett, June Lockhart and Rae Allen). And elsewhere, the beleagured doctors must cope with a sullen pregnant teenager and a mysterious skin ailment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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2006  
 
The NBC sitcom Teachers was based on the British comedy series of the same name, which first aired in the U.K. in 2001. Whereas the British series was set in Summerdown School in Bristol, the American edition of Teachers took place at Fillmore Middle School in New Jersey. In both cases, the schools were less than prestigious, weighed down by apathetic instructors, "don't give a damn" students, ridiculous and self-defeating rules and regulations, mediocre-to-poor facilities, and miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. The American Teachers starred Justin Bartha as English teacher Jeff Cahill, a Kotteresque wise guy and iconoclast who eagerly did battle against the educational establishment -- and sometimes his fellow teachers -- in hopes of helping those few students who really cared about learning something to reach their full potential. Sarah Alexander co-starred as Alice, a former Fillmore student who, in a burst of idealism, had returned as a teacher, and for whom Jeff carried a torch. The rest of the cast included Deon Richmond as Calvin Babbet, the school's drama teacher and Jeff's best friend; radio talk-show host Phil Hendrie as the all-but-burned-out veteran teacher Dick; Sarah Shahi as hot new "sub" teacher Tina; Matt Winston as the wheedling, sycophantic instructor Mitch; and Kali Rocha as Fillmore's ineffectual, p.c.-obsessed principal Ms. Wiggins. Executive-produced by reliable sitcom hands Matt Tarses and Bill Wrubel, Teachers debuted March 28, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Justin BarthaSarah Alexander, (more)
 
2006  
R  
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Love at first sight has some interesting repercussions a few months down the line in this offbeat romantic comedy. Ira Black (Chris Messina) is a wildly neurotic thirtysomething who can't get his life in gear -- the son of a pair of therapists, Arlene (Judith Light) and Seymour (Robert Klein), Ira still hasn't finished his grad school dissertation, he's been in therapy for 12 years, and can't bring himself to settle down with his longtime girlfriend Lea (Maddie Corman). When both Lea and his analyst inform Ira that they don't want to see him anymore, he decides he needs to make some changes. Ira joins a health club, where he meets Abby Willoughby (Jennifer Westfeldt), who is supposed to sell memberships to the gym but is much better at listening to people's problems. The two discover they have a strong and immediate rapport, and Ira asks Abby to marry him only a few hours later. Abby says yes, and soon the couple are wed. However, it isn't until after they've been married for a few weeks that Ira discovers Abby has been divorced twice already, and it makes him very uneasy about their relationship. Despite more therapy, Ira asks Abby for a divorce, and it sends shock waves through their families -- Arlene begins having an affair with Michael (Fred Willard), Abby's free-spirited father, while Seymour commiserates with Abby's mother Lynne (Frances Conroy), and eventually parents and children are all meeting together in group therapy for couples. Ira and Abby was written by leading lady Jennifer Westfeldt, who was also screenwriter and star for the independent hit Kissing Jessica Stein. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Chris MessinaJennifer Westfeldt, (more)
 
2006  
 
The male staffers at Seattle Grace go on a camping trip in the mountains, which culminates in a "slap fight" (so to speak) between George (T.R. Knight) and Alex (Justin Chambers). Addison (Kate Walsh) and Callie (Sara Ramirez) have a lot to talk over as they team up on a medical case. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) tears into Cristina (Sandra Oh) concerning her strange actions vis-à-vis Burke (Isaiah Washington). And Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) enters unchartered territory (for her) as she assists Sloan (Eric Dane) with a very delicate "corrective" procedure (Hint: the patient is named Donna, but she used to be Daniel). This episode earned a special award from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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2005  
PG  
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The made-for-cable The Family Plan will probably seem a breath of fresh air to anyone who hasn't seen such movies as Picture Perfect and Good Neighbor Sam, or who can't remember the mid-1960s TV sitcom Occasional Wife. A longtime employee at Sugar Dot Bakeries, Ms. Charlie McKenzie (Tori Spelling) faces dismissal when the company is taken over by a conglomerate. It seems that new CEO Walcott (Greg Germann) is a staunch advocate of Family Values, and prefers to employ people who are married and with children. Since Charlie cannot meet either one of these requirements, she hastily concocts a job-saving hoax, "borrowing" her best friend's daughter (Kali Rocha) to pose as her own child, then hiring unemployed actor Buck Maddox (Jordan Bridges) to impersonate Charlie's nonexistent dental-hygienist husband. The you-know-what threatens to hit the fan when Germann moves next door to Charlie and her "family". The Family Plan originally aired over the Hallmark channel on February 17, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Tori SpellingGreg Germann, (more)
 
2005  
 
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His thirtieth birthday rapidly approaching, a gay actor working as a tour guide at a movie studio theme park seeks to explore life outside the seductive allure of circuit parties in director Carrie Preston's soul searching independent comedy. James Sanchez is your typical late-twenties gay male; his hair is thinning, his gut is growing, and his dreams of fame and fortune have been replaced with bills that are piling up and a car that's about to break down. When he's not stalking the cute young boy at the local coffee house, tentatively exploring the world of online dating, or earning a little extra dough by wearing a giant bunny costume, James at least finds comfort in the company of his best friends Roxy and Brandon. While actress-turned-activist Roxy struggles to show James that there is more to life than dancing the night away at the club, self-assured homosexual Brandon is doing his best to coach his pal in the fine art of breaking the ice when he sees a man he's like to meet. A perpetual outsider who doesn't quite fit in to the circuit scene and finds himself constantly stuck in the middle of his Hispanic-American heritage, James does his best to find his place in the world with a little help from those who care about him most. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
James VasquezNicole Marcks, (more)
 
2004  
PG13  
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After suffering the humiliation of being given the third degree by his girlfriend's father, one man now faces the even more embarrassing task of introducing his own mother and father in this star-studded sequel to the box-office smash Meet the Parents. After getting off on the wrong foot (to put it mildly) with his prospective in-laws, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) has finally won the grudging approval of Jack and Dina Byrnes (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) to marry their daughter Pam (Teri Polo). But after clearing the first hurdle, now Greg has to face an even bigger challenge -- introducing the straight-laced Byrnes family to his folks, free-spirited sex therapist Roz (Barbra Streisand) and eccentrically open-minded Bernie, who blend with Pam's parents not quite as well as oil and water. Meet the Fockers was directed by Jay Roach, who handled the same chores for Meet the Parents. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Robert De NiroBen Stiller, (more)
 
2003  
PG13  
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Director Ron Maxwell and producer Ted Turner return to the glory and tragedy of the Civil War in this historical drama, a prequel to Gettysburg, which examines the early days of the conflict through the experiences of three men. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) left behind a quiet life and a career as a college professor to become one of the Union's greatest military minds. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (Stephen Lang) was, like Chamberlain, a man of great religious faith who served in the defense of the Confederacy. And Gen. Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall), who led the Confederate army, was a man who was forced to choose between his loyalty to the United States and his love of the Southern states where he was born and raised. As Chamberlain, Jackson, and Lee are followed through the declaration of war and the battles at Manassas, Antietam, Frederickburg, and Chancellorsville, the film also introduces us to the many supporting players in the epic tale of the war between the States, among them the women these men left behind, among them Fanny Chamberlain (Mira Sorvino) and Anna Jackson (Kali Rocha). Based on a novel by Jeff Shaara, Gods and Generals also features a new song written and performed by Bob Dylan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Robert DuvallStephen Lang, (more)
 
2002  
 
Her alienation and angst having grown all season, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) finally makes Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) aware of her isolation in a most unexpected time and manner: magically, at her big sister's birthday party. The night of the soiree, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Anya (Emma Caulfield) bring a cute romantic prospect for the Slayer. Tara (Amber Benson) also attends, giving her the chance to witness Buffy's clandestine relationship with Spike (James Marsters) firsthand. Conversation between Tara and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) proves stilted, but the ex-lovers get the opportunity to bond when a mysterious spell makes everyone prisoners of the Summers house. Attempting to break the spell with magicks of her own, Tara accidentally unleashes a demon who wounds Buffy's blind date and causes general mayhem. Anya demands that recovering magic addict Willow cast an enchantment to free everyone, but Tara vigorously defends Willow's right to abstain. Eventually, the spell's author turns out to be Halfrek (Kali Rocha), an old vengeance-demon friend of Anya who's been posing as Dawn's guidance counselor. Dawn's innocent wish that none of her friends or family ever leave her again has now manifested itself as an impenetrable barrier around the house. Luckily, after Anya summons her, Halfrek falls victim to her own curse and has no choice but to break it. The guests go home, but Dawn's not off the hook; during her imprisonment, Anya discovered the hoard of jewelry and talismans that Dawn has been pilfering from the magic shop. Originally broadcast February 12, 2002, on UPN, "Older and Far Away" marked episode 114 of the cult-favorite series. A throwaway joke in this episode suggests that Halfrek is none other than Cecily, the Victorian lass Spike ineffectually romanced when he was human (see "Fool for Love"); both characters were portrayed by Kali Rocha. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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2002  
 
The big day has finally arrived: Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Anya (Emma Caulfield) are getting married. The obstacles on their path to wedded bliss include atrocious bridesmaid's dresses, a stubborn cumberbund, and bitter sniping from the alcoholic Harris clan about the "circus freaks" (aka demons) who make up Anya's half of the wedding party. During the preparations, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has a wistful encounter with Spike (James Marsters), whose cheap floozie of a wedding date causes pangs of jealousy even as the Slayer resolves to keep their relationship in the past tense. As for Anya, her dreams of wedded bliss soon also recede into memory when Xander disappears from the chapel. It seems the prospective groom has received a visit from his time-traveling, elderly self, who shows Xander a vision of the future in which his marriage ends in bitterness and murder. Later, when old-man Xander turns out to be a disguised enemy of Anya seeking revenge against the former vengeance demon, Xander still can't overcome his conviction that he isn't ready to get married. The guests riot, the absentee groom checks into a hotel, and the jilted bride turns to D'Hoffryn (Andy Umberger), her former demon master, for comfort. Originally broadcast March 5, 2002, on UPN, "Hell's Bells" marked episode 116 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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2002  
 
As Tara (Amber Benson) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) tentatively reignite their romance, Anya (Emma Caulfield) seeks to dull the pain of her own failed relationship. Newly returned to the vengeance-demon fold, Anya seeks payback against Xander (Nicholas Brendon) for leaving her at the altar (see "Hell's Bells"). When her attempts to elicit potentially deadly wishes from his unsuspecting friends fizzle, she turns to Spike (James Marsters), hoping the vampire's dislike of Xander will make him amenable to revenge. Spike, however, is at the Magic Box, busily trying to cast a spell of his own to numb his pain at being dumped by Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Bitterness and booze soon lead the lovelorn pair to find solace the horizontal way. Unfortunately, their tryst is captured by the hidden cameras of the super-nerd troika -- at the exact moment Willow (Alyson Hannigan) is hacking into the villains' computer system. Despite the grainy Internet footage, Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) witness everything. Xander's first response is to acquaint Spike with the pointy end of a stake, but Buffy interrupts her friend's hotheaded attack. As all four exes square off, Buffy reluctantly admits her former relationship with Spike to Xander. Hurt and confused, Xander storms off, giving Anya a taste of vengeance, though not in the way she was hoping for. Originally broadcast April 30, 2002, on UPN, "Entropy" marked episode 118 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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2002  
PG13  
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The Oprah Book Club best-seller by Janet Fitch makes it to the big screen in this adaptation from British director Peter Kosminsky. White Oleander recounts the traumatic adolescence of Astrid Magnusson (Alison Lohman), who finds herself an orphan after her short-fused, enigmatic artist mother Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) is carted off to prison on murder charges. Astrid first finds herself in the care of Starr (Robin Wright Penn), a garish, born-again mother of two with a gruff but sensitive boyfriend (Cole Hauser). From there, she's shunted back to a state-run facility, where she tangles with other troubled teens and finds temporary solace in the arms of Paul (Patrick Fugit), a dough-faced comic book artist with dreams of moving to New York City. Astrid then lucks into a living arrangement with a successful but insecure actress (Renee Zellweger) who offers her unconditional love. But Ingrid's stifling influence continues to haunt her daughter, whether through the occasional prison visit or via manipulative letters to Astrid's caretakers. White Oleander received a Gala North American premiere at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival before reaching multiplexes later that fall. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

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Starring:
Alison LohmanMichelle Pfeiffer, (more)
 
2002  
 
Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) interrupts a recap of the latest attack from the super-nerd troika (see "Gone") with a startling announcement -- to make ends meet, she's taken a job...at a burger joint! Clad in an embarrassing orange uniform, the Slayer bravely confronts her first shift at the Doublemeat Palace, a fast-food restaurant where the workers all seem lifeless and morose -- when they show up to work at all. Depressed by her own minimum-wage lot in life, the Slayer continues her sweaty liaison with Spike (James Marsters). But when she's not busy having sex behind the dumpster on her dinner break, she grows disturbed by the company's rampant absenteeism and by rumors of a sinister mystery ingredient in the burgers. Buffy's worst fears are confirmed when human body parts show up near the meat grinder. Fired rather than rewarded for her grisly discovery, Buffy turns to the Scoobies for help. Willow (Alyson Hannigan), who's been fending off the forcible companionship of fellow magic junkie Amy (Elizabeth Anne Allen), uses some old-fashioned science to analyze the meat. As it turns out, though, the body parts and disappearances are the work of a particularly loyal customer who happens to be a demon. Vanquishing the beast, Buffy uses Willow's research into the Palace's secret recipe to secure renewed employment for herself. Elsewhere, Anya (Emma Caulfield) hooks up with Halfrek (Kali Rocha), an old vengeance-demon friend who questions the wisdom of Anya's upcoming nuptials to Xander (Nicholas Brendon). Originally broadcast January 29, 2002, on UPN, "Doublemeat Palace" marked episode 112 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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2001  
PG  
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This 2001 TV docudrama relates the story of tennis' 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" between Wimbledon champions Billie Jean King (Holly Hunter) and Bobby Riggs (Ron Silver), an event considered by many to be an early victory for feminism. Riggs, 20 years past his prime, lives to wager on anything and everything. Seeing the rise of feminism, he decides he can make some money by challenging top female players, 30 years his junior, into exhibition matches. His first choice for an opponent is Billie Jean King, but she turns him down because she is too busy organizing the members of the female tennis tour into a de facto union, and winning tennis tournaments. After Bobby defeats the number one female tennis player in the world, Margaret Court, King realizes she needs to beat him. Following months of hype in which Bobby's bluster is matched at every point by Billie's confidence, the two face off in the Astrodome before a huge live and television audience. When Billie Beat Bobby was written and directed by Jane Anderson who had previously written The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom, which also featured Holly Hunter in the title role. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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Starring:
Holly HunterRon Silver, (more)
 
2000  
PG13  
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In this comedy from Austin Powers director Jay Roach, Ben Stiller plays a young man who endures a disastrous weekend at the home of his girlfriend's parents. Greg Focker (Stiller) is completely in love with Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo), and views their upcoming trip to her parents' house on Long Island (where her sister is to be married during the weekend) as a perfect opportunity to ask her to marry him. Once Greg is introduced to Pam's parents, however, things stampede steadily downhill. Pam's father, Jack (Robert De Niro), takes an instant and obvious dislike to his daughter's boyfriend, lambasting him for his job as a nurse and generally making Greg painfully aware of the differences between him and Pam's family. Where Greg is grubby, relatively unambitious, and Jewish, Pam comes from a long line of well-mannered, blue-blooded WASPs. Things go from bad to worse in less time than it takes to spin a dreidel, with Greg incurring the wrath of both Pam's father -- who, it turns out, worked for the CIA for 34 years -- and the rest of her family, and almost single-handedly destroying their house and the wedding in the process. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

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Starring:
Robert De NiroBen Stiller, (more)
 
2000  
 
Spike (James Marsters) reveals his feelings for Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) when she comes to him for information on what it's like when a slayer dies. A brush with her own mortality ignites Buffy's curiosity and she realizes that only Spike, who has killed two previous slayers, will be able to sate it. When she offers the neutered vampire cash for his life story, he happily obliges: William, a terrible poet in the London of 1880, tries to court beautiful Cecily Addams (Kali Rocha) but finds acceptance only from Drusilla (Juliet Landau), the alluring but insane vampire who later sires him. Rampaging across the planet with Darla (Julie Benz), Angelus (David Boreanaz), and Dru, William comes into his own and renames himself Spike. His flamboyant carnage annoys the low-profile Angelus, who warns Spike that one day a slayer will get the best of him. Now fixated on slayers, Spike kills a Chinese Chosen One (Ming Liu) during the Boxer Rebellion, earning extravagant praise from Drusilla. A mere 75 years later, on a subway in New York, he finally bags his second slayer (April Weeden-Washington), this one a Foxy Brown-style heroine from whose corpse he collects his now-signature black leather trench coat. Dru remains his inamorata throughout these adventures, but in 1998 she leaves him, disgusted by his truce with Buffy (see "Becoming, Part 2"). In the present day, Spike counsels Buffy that he was able to kill both slayers only because their constant proximity to death left them eager, finally, to feel its peaceful embrace. He tells Buffy that when she's ready he will kill her, then he tries to kiss her. She recoils, tells him he's beneath her, and leaves him sobbing. Later, however, after learning her mother has once again been hospitalized, Buffy stiffly allows Spike to console her. Originally broadcast November 14, 2000, on the WB network, "Fool for Love" marked episode 85 of the cult-favorite series. The subsequent episode "Hell's Bells" would hint strongly that Halfrek, the vengeance demon played by Kali Rocha, is the same person as Cecily Addams, the human she portrays here. And although she would be played by a different actress, this episode's unnamed Blaxploitation slayer would resurface unexpectedly in "First Date." ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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