Ashlynn Rose Movies
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)
Barry Levinson directed this comedy in which success has a rather surprising effect on two old buddies. Nick Vanderpark (Jack Black) and Tim Dingman (Ben Stiller) are best friends and next-door neighbors who work together at a sandpaper factory. Nick and Tim often find themselves wishing for something more from life, and Nick has a habit of dreaming up harebrained get-rich-quick schemes that usually end in disaster. Tim is particularly appalled by Nick's latest idea, "Vapoorizer," a cleaning product which will make pet feces magically disappear, but to their shock, it turns out to be an incredible success, and before long Nick is wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. Tim, however, is still the same guy getting by in suburbia he's always been, and soon Tim finds himself bitterly resentful of his old friend. As Nick gets richer, Tim gets angrier, and he develops a drinking problem. One night, in a bar, Tim meets an eccentric drifter (Christopher Walken) who offers him some not-so-friendly advice on getting even with his old friend. Envy also stars Rachel Weisz and Amy Poehler as Tim and Nick's much-put-upon spouses. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Stiller, Jack Black, (more)
- 2001
There has to be some explanation as to why a hung-over Drew (Drew Carey) has awakened in a Tennessee dog pound handcuffed to guest star John Ratzenberger). Laboriously putting the pieces together, Drew learns that he'd tried to commit suicide the night before, guilt-ridden for having done a "horrible thing"--namely, sleeping with Mimi (Kathy Kinney). Without giving anything else away, it can be noted that the whole sorry affair begins when the gang heads to Nashville for business and pleasure, and ends with an unholy alliance between John Ratzenberger and Blue Man Group. This is the third of the series' episodes to be originally broadcast live on ABC, with three different versions beamed to the three main time zones, replete with improvisations courtesy of Whose Line Is it Anyway regulars Gerry Cohen, Charles Esten, Greg Proops, Brad Sherwood and Jeff Bryan Davis. (Trivia note: a bit of dialogue initially censored by ABC is preserved intact in the syndicated version. See if you can spot it). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Devoutly Jewish Sam Silverstein (David Margulies) is heartbroken when his daughter Rachel (Meredith Scott Lynn), a cartoonist for the "Portland Daily News", turns her back on her faith and gains popularity by creating an anti-Jewish comic strip titled "Chutzpah." In their efforts to bring hope and redemption to Sam and Rachel (if that is indeed their current mission), Monica (Roma Downey) and her fellow angels uncover the childhood trauma that has so alienated Rachel from her father. But even if Rachel can be made to see the error of her ways, it might be too late for Sam, who disowns his daughter and spearheads a grass-roots effort to have "Chutzpah"--and Rachel--banished from the "Daily News." In a bizarre turn of events, a bigoted skinhead plays a key role in the resolution of this crisis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
By rights, child psychologist Dr. Nina Moss (Mare Winningham) should be pleased and proud that her daughter Beth (Alison Lohman) is a slim, eternally upbeat overachiever. But Nina suspects that all is not well with Beth--and she's right. Desperate to be accepted by her family and friends, and determined to be fully in control of her own destiny, Beth has become bulimic, "binging" and "purging" whenever things threaten to get out of hand in her life--or whenever she gains a single pound beyond her "ideal" weight. The winner of a 2001 Peabody Award, Sharing the Secret originally aired May 10, 2000, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alison Lohman
