Shani Pride Movies
- 2007
- R
Uprooted from her comfortable San Francisco home and transplanted to a generic Southern California suburb by her two well-meaning moms, open-minded high-school sophomore Tru despairs at being surrounded by close-minded football players and air-headed Paris Hilton wannabes until she gets the idea to combat small-town intolerance by co-founding a local chapter of the Gay-Straight Alliance. Life in her new town isn't easy, so in order to fend off boredom, Tru frequently escapes into fantasy. But whether she's retreating into a picture-perfect, Leave It to Beaver-style household with two mothers and two fathers or dancing in the streets West Side Story-style, Tru's depressive new surroundings always remain the same once she's snapped back to reality. When the star quarterback at her new high school begins paying special attention to Tru, her initial elation is soon tempered by the revelation that he's actually just another closet case in search of a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. Though Tru is at first frustrated by the prospect of putting on a false front in order to protect the athlete's true sexuality, she decides to address the homophobic attitudes of her new classmates directly by opening a local chapter of the Gay-Straight Alliance. As the movement begins to gain steam, however, Tru is forced to reconcile her unguarded position on sexual orientation with the private pledge she has made to her closeted classmate. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Najarra Townsend, Bruce Vilanch, (more)
Three teenagers two-timed by a local lothario decide to turn the tables on him in this romantic comedy. John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe) is the big man on campus at his high school -- he's the captain and star player of the basketball team, he's got money, he's good-looking and charming, and he can have any girl he wants. However, the latter attribute is about to get him in serious trouble when three different girls at his school -- Heather (Ashanti), Beth (Sophia Bush) and Carrie (Arielle Kebbel) -- discover they've all been dating John at the same time. Determined to bring down the campus ladykiller, the girls devise a plan -- they pick a cute but socially clumsy girl who is new at school, Kate (Brittany Snow), and give her a crash course in stealing John's heart. Once Kate has John wrapped around her little finger, she's supposed to drop him like a bad habit and give him a taste of what heartbreak is really like. However, it seems that the early stages of the plan work a little too well, and John and Kate end up falling for each other for real. John Tucker Must Die also stars Jenny McCarthy, Penn Badgley, and Dan Payne. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse Metcalfe, Brittany Snow, (more)
- 2005
Paige (Rose McGowan) is suffering from an unidentified pain, exacerbated by a tiny voice inside her brain. Sandra (Elizabeth Dennehy), an Elder at the magic school, determines that Paige is suffering from a profound lack of confidence -- and in the process of resolving this problem, Sandra compels Paige to utilize her latent talents as Whitelighter. Elsewhere, baby Wyatt continues to exert more and more control over his inbred magical powers, and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and Piper (Holly Marie Combs) are kept busy searching for Pandora's Box, which has been stolen by a demonic shapeshifter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Krause, Dorian Gregory, (more)
The sophomore outing for writer/director/actress Troy Beyer, Love Don't Cost a Thing is a romantic teen comedy based on the screenplay for the 1987 Partick Dempsey film Can't Buy Me Love. Nick Cannon stars as Alvin, a brilliant but awkward teenager -- and budding engineer -- who seizes a golden opportunity when popular cheerleader Paris (Christina Milian) wrecks her parents' SUV and is strapped for cash. They strike an agreement: Alvin will do the repairs for free if Paris pretend to be his girlfriend for two weeks, all in the hopes of elevating his social standing. Little does he know, being popular isn't all its cracked up to be. Kal Penn and Steve Harvey co-star. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Cannon, Christina Milian, (more)
In this edgy horror story, a veteran high school teacher, still smarting after the death of his wife, learns that the school where he taught for years is being torn down. With the help of five of his students, the teacher breaks into the school to retrieve souvenirs and artifacts before the school falls to the wrecking ball. However, the students discover something strange and mysterious locked up in the basement, and when they release it, they realize too late that they've unleashed a monster with the power to kill them all. The Vault stars Ted Lyde, Michael Cory Davis, and Shani Pride; it was the first directorial effort from actor James Black (not to be confused with comedy star Jack Black). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
