Sakina Jaffrey Movies
Acclaimed animator and independent filmmaker Emily Hubley directed this offbeat fusion of animation and live action. Mona Peek (Lily Rabe) is slowly coming to terms with the death of her father when she learns that the house where she grew up is about to be sold. As a child, Mona buried a bone in the backyard, imaging it had magical powers, and now that a new family is about to move in, she decides to head back home to dig it up. As Mona searches for the lost talisman, she discovers she's misplaced her wallet and has to make time to find it. Meanwhile, on another plane, a pack of talking dogs are playing a game of cards that controls the path of Mona's life. The Toe Tactic also stars Kevin Corrigan, Mary Kay Place, and John Sayles, while Eli Wallach, David Cross, Don Byron, and Andrea Martin contribute their voice talents. The score was written and performed by the celebrated indie rock band Yo La Tengo, whose drummer, Georgia Hubley, is Emily's sister. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lily Rabe, Daniel London, (more)
There's an old joke that goes "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get you," and this independent thriller puts a new and frightening spin on that notion. Jackson (Michael Risley) has a good job with a computer firm and a solid relationship with his fiancée Kim (Adrienne Shelly), but that begins to change one day when Jackson notices things on his desk aren't where they're supposed to be. Jackson wonders if someone is playing tricks on him when he starts getting vaguely threatening messages in his e-mail, and he sees a television commercial advertising a new fragrance for women, Revolution #9, that he's convinced is filled with messages directed specifically at him. Kim is worried that something is wrong with Jackson, and urges him to see a psychiatrist, but Jackson is convinced that someone is determined to hurt him. After his fears cost him his job, Jackson is diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, but he refuses to believe it, certain that the doctors are in cahoots with whoever has been after him, and he tries to track down Scooter McCrae (Spaulding Gray), the director of the TV spot for Revolution #9, in a bid to find out the truth about what's been happening. Revolution #9 was written and directed by Tim McCann, and premiered (in rough-cut form) at the 2001 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Risley, Adrienne Shelly, (more)
- 2000
Law & Order's 11th season begins with Nora Lewin (Dianne Wiest) taking over as interim D.A. until an official replacement for Adam Schiff can be elected. Lewin's first case concerns a disabled youngster who died of smoke asphyxiation in an apartment fire. Suspects include the kid's parents and one of their neighbors, a person with a history of being in close proximity of suspicious blazes. Astonishingly, A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), who normally goes for the jugular, believes that "the penalties are too severe" this time around. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A Toronto family of East Indian immigrants seeks to gain a foothold in the Canadian world in this 1992 production. The patriarch (Saeed Jaffrey) is a postal worker struggling to make ends meet, while his nephew (played by writer/director Srinivas Krishna) makes trouble both in the family and on the streets of Toronto. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Saeed Jaffrey, Srinivas Krishna, (more)
- 1988
Someone has tried to murder Mr. Perfect (Dinshaw Daji) and now the beleaguered Inspector Ghote (Krishna Shah) must figure out who tried to do it. Set in Bombay, India, this rollicking crime drama centers on Ghote's search for the would-be killer. Mr. Perfect was knocked out with a candlestick in the home of the jovial Dilap Lal, his employer. As there was no sign that the assassin forced his or her way into the home, Ghote assumes the prime suspect is Lal or one of his family members. Unfortunately, the pressures from his other cases that include a ring of jewel smugglers and a bureaucrat's purloined piece of costume jewelry prevent Ghote from giving his full attention to Perfect's assailant. That Ghote must also entertain the meddlesome Axel Svensson (Stellan Skarsgård), a renowned Swedish crime scientist, does nothing to help matters. To make matters worse, Lal's clan belongs to the upper caste, making it nearly impossible for him to get answers to his questions. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dalip Tahil, Madhur Jaffrey, (more)
- 2007
- R
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Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, and Marisa Tomei star in director Sidney Lumet's thriller concerning two brothers who hatch a plan to rob their parent's jewelry store. When the job goes awry, the entire family is set on a collision course with tragedy. Andy (Hoffman) is an overextended broker in desperate need of some cash. His brother, Hank (Hawke), isn't much better off, so when Andy hatches a plan to rob their parent's modest jewelry store, it seems like a foolproof way to make a quick buck. But Andy's trophy wife, Gina (Tomei), is secretly sleeping with libidinous younger brother Hank, and when the robbery proves a complete disaster it isn't long before loyalties start to shift. Now Andy and Hank's father, Charles (Finney), is determined to make the unidentified robbers pay for their crime. What's a father to do when he discovers that the ones he loves have become his worst enemies? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, (more)
Ismail Merchant, best known as a producer for his work with director James Ivory (including Howards End and A Room With a View), takes possession of the director's chair in this drama. In 1954, seven years after India has gained independence from Great Britain, many Indians still feel like second-class citizens in their own country, as the nation's sovereignty has not immediately erased the perception that the British are superior to the Indian-born natives. Such a woman is Cotton Mary (Madhur Jaffrey), who works as a nurse for Lily Macintosh (Greta Scacchi), the wife of a BBC correspondent. Mary claims she's the daughter of a British regiment officer (although she has no firm evidence), and she sees herself as more British than Indian. While she takes offense at racist comments, she often states her belief that most of her people are unclean and dishonest, and her personal philosophy is informed by Christianity as much as the Hindu teachings with which she was raised. When Lily gives birth prematurely, Mary has to find a wet nurse for the child, and she uses this to win greater trust and confidence from Lily; in time, Mary persuades Lily to fire Abraham (Prayag Raaj), the household's loyal but proudly Indian cook, while she hides the fact that her sister Blossom (Neena Gupta) is nursing Lily's child. When not acting, Madhur Jaffrey is an acclaimed Indian chef and author, who has written a series of books on Indian cuisine; her daughter, Sakina Jaffrey, also appears in the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madhur Jaffrey, Greta Scacchi, (more)
Based on the stories by Tama Janowitz, this film follows the relationships and problems of a group of artists struggling to survive in New York City. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bernadette Peters, Nick Corri, (more)
Directed by Garry Marshall, Raising Helen revolves around Helen Harris (Kate Hudson), whose successful fashion career and decadent Manhattan lifestyle are plenty in terms of keeping her occupied and content. Helen's days as a socialite are brought to a swift end, however, when she is informed not only of the death of her sister and brother-in-law, but of the decision to leave their three children in her care. Being one of New York's hippest matters little to 15-year-old Audrey (Hayden Panettiere), ten-year-old Henry (Spencer Breslin), and five-year-old Sarah (Abigail Breslin), who would much rather have their parents back. Convinced she can raise the kids and maintain her already fast-paced schedule, Helen quickly finds herself burnt out and disheartened by her older sister's (Joan Cusack) lack of faith. Despite her already hectic schedule, however, Helen finds the time to develop a genuine affection for her new dependents, as well as an equally genuine attraction to Pastor Don Parker (John Corbett), the kids' school principal and local pastor. Eventually, Helen realizes she can't balance the two lives, and is faced with a difficult decision: Does she live her old dreams or take a chance on a new one? ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Hudson, John Corbett, (more)
Director Jonathan Demme filters the classic Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant vehicle Charade through the influence of the French New Wave in this stylish romantic thriller. Regina Lambert (Thandie Newton) has been having second thoughts about her marriage to the often enigmatic art dealer Charlie (Stephen Dillane), and decides to take a vacation without him, where she meets Joshua Peters (Mark Wahlberg), a handsome and charming American who seems quite taken with her. When Regina returns home to Paris, she receives the startling news that her husband has been murdered; however, even more disturbing is her discovery that her husband had a secret life which involved several passports under different identities, and a missing six million dollars. Police official Commandant Dominique (Christine Boisson) seems to believe that Regina is somehow involved in the crime, while U.S. embassy representative Mr. Bartholomew (Tim Robbins) breaks the news to Regina that her late husband was actually a secret agent involved in some very shady operations. Three mysterious and dangerous figures who had ties to Charlie -- Emil Zadapec (Ted Levine), Lola Jansco (Lisa Gay Hamilton), and Il-Sang Lee (Joong-Hoon Park) -- also arrive in Paris, convinced that Regina knows where her husband stashed the money and determined to get their hands on it. Meanwhile, as Regina's life becomes increasingly chaotic and dangerous, Joshua arrives in Paris and a romance begins to blossom between them, but while he seems determined to do whatever he can to help her, Regina soon has reason to doubt that Joshua's motives are as pure as they seem. Shot on location in Paris, The Truth About Charlie also features cameo appearances from a number of legendary French actors and filmmakers, including Charles Aznavour, Anna Karina, and Agnès Varda. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Wahlberg, Thandie Newton, (more)
Ismail Merchant, best known as the producing half of the successful Merchant-Ivory team, once again steps behind the camera as director for this story of life among Indian expatriates in the 1950s. Ganesh (Aasif Mandvi) is a young man who was born to a community of Indian exiles living in Trinidad. Always bright, Ganesh hopes to hake a career for himself as a writer, but he lacks the money to pursue writing full-time, and his ideas about education clash with those of his employers after he gets a job as a teacher, leaving him with few prospects. Returning to Trinidad after the death of his father, Ganesh is pressured into marrying a local woman named Leela (Ayesha Dharker), whose father, Ramlogan (Om Puri), is a successful merchant. Ganesh and Leela move to a modest home in the hills, where he begins work on a book, but Leela chafes at the Spartan lifestyle dictated by Ganesh's finances, and for a time leaves their home to stay with her parents. In time, Ganesh completes his first book -- a book for lay people on the Hindu faith -- but sales are sluggish until Ganesh and Leela come up with a plan to boost interest in Ganesh's work. Ganesh is promoted as a "Mystic Masseur" with special powers to heal the infirm; Ganesh's routine quickly makes his work very popular with spiritual seekers, and his book becomes a top-seller. However, Ganesh becomes disillusioned with his newfound fame and power, especially after he attempts to take advantage of his celebrity by entering the political arena. The Mystic Masseur was based on a novel by V.S. Naipaul, who won an Nobel prize in the year of this film's release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Based on the popular children's book by Lynne Reid Banks, this fantasy concerns a young boy who discovers that his toys are developing lives of their own -- which presents him with unexpected responsibilities. Omri (Hal Scardino), a young boy growing up in Brooklyn, receives an odd variety of presents for his birthday: a wooden cabinet from his older brother, a set of antique keys from his mother Jane (Linsday Crouse), and a tiny plastic model of an Indian from his best friend Patrick (Rishi Bhat). Putting them all together, Omri locks the Indian inside the cabinet, only to be awoken by a strange sound in the middle of the night. Omri opens the cabinet to discover that the tiny Indian has come to life; it seems that he's called Little Bear (Litefoot), and he claims to have learned English from settlers in 1761. Omri hides this remarkable discovery from his mother but shares it with Patrick; as an experiment, Patrick locks a toy cowboy into the cupboard, and soon Little Bear has a companion, Boone (David Keith), though predictably, the cowboy and the Indian don't get along well at first. Omri comes to the realizations that his living and breathing playthings are also people with lives of their own, and he begins to wonder how much control he should really have over their lives. The Indian in the Cupboard was directed by Frank Oz, best known as one of the original puppeteers for The Muppets and the voice of Miss Piggy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Scardino, Litefoot, (more)
The push and pull of familial bonds and clashing cultures sets the stage for the comic drama Chutney Popcorn. Renna (Nisha Ganatra) is a young woman of Indian descent living in New York, where she works as both a photographer and a body artist who creates henna tattoos. Renna is also a lesbian, which does not please her mother, Meenu (Madhur Jaffrey), who prefers to dote on her more traditionally minded (and happily married) daughter Sarita (Sakina Jeffrey). One day, Renna gets some bad news from Sarita: While she and her husband have been trying to have a baby, her doctor has informed that her she is infertile and will never bear a child of her own. Renna volunteers to serve as surrogate mother for Sarita; she wants to help her sister and hopes this will smooth some of the rough spots in her relationship with her mother. But Renna starts to have second thoughts, as her lover Lisa (Jill Hennessy) feels left out of the loop, and Meenu thinks both Renna and Sarita are making a mistake. Nisha Ganatra co-wrote and directed Chutney Popcorn and also plays Renna; the film was enthusiastically received in its screening at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jill Hennessy, Nisha Ganatra, (more)
