Nick Morton Movies
- 2013
A celebrated New York author finds her life thrown into chaos when she travels to Amman, Jordan to plan her wedding in this poignant comedy drama directed, written by, and starring Cherien Dabis. The toast of the New York literati scene, May (Dabis) lives the kind of glamorous lifestyle that most writers only dream about. She's engaged to marry the Muslim man of her dreams when she journeys back to Amman to plan her big day with the help of her family. What promised to be a celebratory family reunion quickly turns sour, however, when May's overbearing, born-again Christian mother takes umbrage at the prospect of her daughter marrying a Muslim. Meanwhile, May's sisters treat her more like a mother than a sibling, and her estranged father shows up out of the blue. Now, caught in the thick of the dysfunction she thought she'd left far behind, May begins to question every decision she's ever made - including her plans to marry the love of her life. Bill Pullman, Hiam Abbass, and Alia Shawkat co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A has-been British pop star reluctantly confronts the demons of his past in order to avoid getting deported from the U.S. after being pulled over for drunken driving and seeing a previous drug offense used against him in court. Back in the 1990s, Lachlan MacAldonich (Robert Carlyle) was on top of the world. You could barely turn on a radio without hearing one of his hits, but these days Lachlan maintains a low profile by working on an organic farm in L.A., and reflecting on the untimely deaths of his favorite musicians in his podcast "Flame-Outs." One night, while driving back home following a night of drinking at his favorite bar, Lachlan is arrested on a DUI charge. That compounded with a drug conviction from years prior means that Lachlan may face deportation unless he can convince the judge that his absence would have a negative impact on his family stateside. Desperate, Lachlan soon finds himself compelled to try and repair the failed relationships that have haunted him ever since his music career dried up and his star faded. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
An overweight teen with no friends puts his planned suicide on hold after he is taken under the wing of an older yet unstable punk rocker in this tender adaptation of KL Going's award-winning young adult novel. Troy Billings (Jacob Wysocki) is a misfit with a weight problem. He's hatched a plan to end it all when out of the blue he meets 18-year-old non-conformist Marcus Macrae (Matt O'Leary), whose devil-may-care attitude gives Troy an optimistic new outlook on life. Troy's merciful reprieve from depression meets an unexpected challenge, however, when his strict father (Bill Campbell) deems Marcus a druggie troublemaker, and forbids the two from being friends. Fat Kid Rules the World marks the feature directorial debut of longtime actor Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby-Doo). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
An act of violence has a powerful impact on the friendship of two young men in this independent drama. Qalli (Josiah Patkotak) and Aivaaq (Frank Qutuq Irelan) are two 17-year-old boys growing up in the Inupiaq community of Barrow, Alaska. While Barrow is at first glance an old-fashioned community cut off from major urban centers and a place where men still hunt seals and walruses to put food on the table, the town shows a few signs of big-city life; the teenagers like to race snowmobiles and listen to hip-hop, and there's also a growing crystal-meth problem. Qalli and Aivaaq have known each other since early childhood and are as close as siblings, but they come from very different households -- Qalli has a tight-knit family and has plans to attend college, while Aivaaq is the son of a single mom and has a pregnant girlfriend to look after. One day, Qalli sees Aivaaq in a fist fight with his friend James (John Miller); both are high on meth, and Aivaaq loses control and accidentally kills James. Rather than report the matter to the police, Aivaaq comes up with a plan to hide the body and let folks believe James has gone missing. Qalli agrees to help out of loyalty, but soon his guilt over the cover up begins to take a heavy toll. On The Ice was the first feature film from writer and director Andrew Okpeaha MacLean. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Josiah Patkotak, Frank Qutuq Irelan, (more)
Part vigilante drama and part psychological thriller, the James Wan-directed Death Sentence stars Kevin Bacon as Nick Hume, a deceptively passive exec whose wife and children are attacked in a sadistic, gang-related hazing rite, and his oldest son killed. Hell-bent on cold-blooded vengeance, Hume pulls a Bronson by tagging each of the perpetrators, then tracking down and rubbing out each one, with the help of formidable, blue-steel artillery. Aisha Tyler co-stars as the homicide detective who first agrees to assist Hume in his mission, then begins to edge up to the conclusion that the unstable father himself might be responsible for the nasty crimes against his family. Kelly Preston co-stars as Bacon's wife, Helen Hume; the cast also features John Goodman (The Big Lebowski), Leigh Whannell (Saw), and Matt O'Leary. Ian Jeffers loosely adapted Brian Garfield's popular 1975 novel. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin Bacon, Garrett Hedlund, (more)
Matthew McConaughey stars as explorer and adventurer Dirk Pitt in this adaptation of the best-selling novel by Clive Cussler. Pitt thinks he may have found both a fortune and the answer to a long-standing mystery when he discovers a rare coin in the waters of a river in West Africa. During the Civil War, an ironclad battleship with a valuable cargo went missing, and Pitt's theory is that the coin places the ship somewhere in the Sahara Desert. Pitt and his goofy sidekick, Al Giordino (Steve Zahn), set out to find it, but along the way they make the acquaintance of Dr. Eva Rojas (Penélope Cruz), a scientist and physician who is trying to determine the source of a strange and deadly disease sweeping the nation. As Eva joins Dirk and Al, they begin to wonder if the mysteries they're trying to uncover might be somehow linked. Sahara was only the second of Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures to be adapted for the screen; the first, 1980's Raise the Titanic, was publicly dismissed by the author. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, (more)
In 1950, most Americans had only a passing familiarity with the game of soccer, even though it was the world's most popular sport, and few athletes in the United States played the game with any particular degree of expertise. However, when an invitation was extended to the United States to participate in the World Cup tournament in Brazil -- the international soccer championship held every four years -- Bill Jeffrey was determined that America participate. In less than two weeks, Jeffrey assembled a team comprised mostly of players from St. Louis (where soccer had developed a small but loyal following) and the East Coast (where the game gained a foothold on college campuses), with immigrants from Haiti, Portugal, and Scotland filling out the ranks. Against all odds, the Americans not only made it to the World Cup games, but defeated the British team (favored by many to win the championship) in the greatest upset of the 1950 games. The Game of Their Lives is a sports drama based on the remarkable true story of the 1950 United States team, featuring John Rhys-Davies as Bill Jeffrey, Wes Bentley as team leader Walter Bahr, Gerard Butler as goalie Frank Borghi, Jimmy Jean-Louis as Joe Gaetiens, a dishwasher born in Haiti who found his way onto the team, and Patrick Stewart as a journalist covering the games. David Anspaugh, who made the acclaimed basketball drama Hoosiers, directed. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gerard Butler, Wes Bentley, (more)
- 2004
- PG13
- Add Ray to Queue Add Ray to top of Queue
Directed by Taylor Hackford, this biopic profiles the life of legendary musician Ray Charles. Despite humble beginnings and the loss of his eyesight due to glaucoma at the age of six, Charles, depicted by Jamie Foxx, would nonetheless become an icon in both the music industry and the civil rights era. While the film delves into his problems with drugs and women, the bulk of the story details his career; among the highlights of that career are 12 Grammy awards and 11 R&B chart-toppers, such as "Unchain My Heart," "Hit the Road, Jack," "Georgia," "Doin' the Mess Around," and "Hallelujah I Just Love Her So." Also among the cast are Larenz Tate as Quincy Jones, as well as Regina King, Kerry Washington, and Clifton Powell. Charles' son, Ray Charles Jr. helped produce the film. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, (more)
Based on the true story of a youth from Brisbane, Australia, who overcame family dysfunction to become a world-class athlete, director Russell Mulcahy's drama centers on young Tony Fingleton's (Jesse Spencer) relationship with his distant father, Harold (Geoffrey Rush), and the dedication it took to win his respect. Born into a large family and convinced by his father that he will never amount to the achievements of his brothers, Tony attempts to win his father's respect by becoming a champion swimmer. Despite his best efforts to please his father, Tony also begins to realize his own self-worth in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.