Lisa Hoyle Movies

The glorious Hollywood institution of the romantic comedy gets raked over the coals in this broad parody of any number of boy-meets-girl flicks. Julia Jones (Alyson Hannigan) is a young woman who wants nothing more than to find the man of her dreams and settle down. However, Julia has a rather serious weight problem that prevents her from making a positive impression on people. Determined to find love at all costs, Julia somehow drops the weight and meets Grant Fonckyerdoder (Adam Campbell), a handsome and charming Englishman who falls head over heels for her. Julia and Grant waste no time in setting the date, but until they make their way to the altar they have to deal with meddling parents, flaky wedding planners, fights over the right wedding dress, vertically challenged romantic advisors, and Andy (Sophie Monk), a longtime friend of Grant, who isn't so happy to hear he's getting hitched. Also featuring Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, Eddie Griffin, and Tony Cox, Date Movie was written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, proudly billed as "two of the six writers of Scary Movie." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Three loosely interrelated stories of dysfunctional relationships are played for edgy laughs in this dark comedy drama from writer and director Don Roos. An unexpected assignation between stepsiblings Mamie and Charley results in Mamie becoming pregnant, with the child being put up for adoption shortly after birth. Twenty years later, Mamie (Lisa Kudrow) is approached by Nicky (Jesse Bradford), an aspiring filmmaker with an abrasive personality who claims to know where her long-lost son is living. However, there's a catch -- Nicky wants to shoot the reunion for the student film he's working on, and won't tell her about her child unless she agrees, though her lover, Javier (Bobby Cannavale), attempts to work out a compromise. Meanwhile, Charley (Steve Coogan), now out of the closet, has a longstanding relationship with Gil (David Sutcliffe), and the couple are involved in a legal battle over whether or not Gil's donated sperm produced a baby who has been adopted by a lesbian couple they know (Laura Dern and Sarah Clarke). And finally, Jude (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a bohemian malcontent who becomes involved with Otis (Jason Ritter), a sexually ambiguous rock musician. Otis has a difficult relationship with his father, Frank (Tom Arnold), but when Jude meets Frank, she likes him fine -- in fact, she soon falls in love with him and leaves Otis for his dad. Happy Endings had its world premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

As the newly resurrected Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) horrifically digs herself out of her grave, her friends scatter, unaware that their necromancy actually worked before it was interrupted by a demon biker gang. Meanwhile, those same demons continue to pillage Sunnydale, overjoyed that the only Slayer now standing in their way is the ineffectual Buffy-bot. Spike (James Marsters) valiantly protects Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) from the carnage, while Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and the others do what they can to battle the leather-clad fiends. Meanwhile, a near-catatonic Buffy wanders the town and witnesses her robot double being dismantled by the bikers. Ultimately, she must face off with the demons in an alley while her nearby friends slowly realize she's the real Slayer and not the 'bot. Elsewhere, Dawn learns of her sister's return from the mutilated robot and rushes off to find Buffy, who, still speechless, has fled from the Scoobies. The Summers sisters find one another atop the rickety tower from which Buffy fell to her supernatural death some months earlier. Dawn can't seem to believe it when Buffy asks her if this is Hell and seems on the verge of taking a second plunge. Hysterical, the girl tells Buffy she can't live without her. The pair barely make it to the ground before the tower collapses, but Buffy doesn't look nearly as happy about her return from the dead as Dawn does. Originally broadcast October 2, 2001, on the UPN network as part of a two-hour block with the previous installment, "Bargaining, Part 2" marked episode 102 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide