Jane Beard Movies
Jeffrey Blitz's seriocomedy Rocket Science proves that many a handicap can be overcome, no matter how daunting the obstacle at hand may initially seem. Newcomer Reece Thompson plays Hal Hefner, a 15-year-old high-school student with a minor yet socially alienating (and painful) disability: he stutters uncontrollably. Determined to work through the problem, Hal opts for an extreme route -- he joins the school debating team, which sends him on a headfirst plunge into breakneck speech competitions -- and offers a much-needed boost toward correcting the problem. Blitz, like his onscreen alter ego, struggled with a stammer as a young man -- a disability he eventually surmounted -- which imparted him with a lifelong interest in speech and storytelling. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reece Daniel Thompson, Anna Kendrick, (more)
An aspiring ballerina from a wealthy family learns some lessons about both dancing and life from a roughneck with soul in this teen drama. Tyler Gage (Channing Tatum) grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in a rough section of Baltimore, and has been in and out of trouble with the law most of his life. Finding himself before the judge yet again, Tyler is sentenced to 200 hours of community service, and he ends up mopping floors at the Maryland School of the Arts. Tyler catches the eye of Nora (Jenna Dewan), a gifted ballet student who is trying to incorporate hip-hop moves into her classical routines. None of Nora's fellow students seem to be on the same page as her, but Tyler is a talented street dancer with strength, moves, and enthusiasm. Despite the misgivings of the school's administrators, Nora persuades Tyler to team up with her for a major class project. Tyler gains a new self-respect as he gives in to the discipline of the dance academy, but he wonders if this new opportunity means turning his back on who he really is. Matters become all the more complicated when Tyler and Nora realize they're falling in love. Step Up was the first directorial credit for choreographer Anne Fletcher, who designed dance routines for the films Bring It On, She's All That, and Boogie Nights. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, (more)
- 1994
Hoping to make Bolander (Ned Beatty) less self-conscious about their first date, Linda (Melissa Leo) agrees to double-date with Howard (Melissa Leo) and Danvers (Zeljko Ivanek) -- but the jealous Munch (Richard Belzer) messes things up. Back on the job, Bayliss (Kyle Secor) investigates when a phone-sex operator is found strangled, clutching a note that seems to point directly to her killer. And Lewis (Clark Johnson) and Crocetti (Jon Polito) look into a murder at the library, committed by an "ink-pen fetishist." This was the final episode of Homicide's very brief second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, (more)
