Dayo Ade
A woman makes it her business to convince the world that bigger is better in this comedy. Jazmin Biltmore (Mo'Nique) is a plus-size woman trying to find a place in the skin-and-bones world of high fashion. Jazmin has her heart set on launching her own line of clothes for large ladies, but she hasn't had much luck convincing the moneymen that there's a market for her work. Jazmin is also looking for love, but she finds that few men are willing to look past her dress size and see the woman within. Jazmin is becoming despondent when she gets some good news -- she's won an all-expenses paid trip for two to an exclusive resort in Palm Springs, and she and her best friend, Stacey (Kendra C. Johnson), another zaftig woman, head out to enjoy some fun and sun. While on vacation, Jazmin meets Tunde (Jimmy Jean-Louis), a handsome and successful doctor from Nigeria, and she discovers to her surprise that Tunde is strongly attracted to her. Tunde tells Jazmin than in his country, large women are considered beautiful, and his friend Akibo (Godfrey) is similarly drawn to Stacey. Will Jazmin's new luck in love follow into other parts of her life or is Tunde's interest in her just a passing fancy? Phat Girlz was the first feature film from writer and director Nnegest Likké. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mo'nique, Jimmy Jean-Louis, (more)
Actor Daniel Craig assumes the role formerly occupied by such screen greats as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton to set out on the character's very first 007 mission. James Bond has earned his "00" status by masterfully executing a pair of death-defying professional assassinations. Now assigned the task of traveling to Madagascar to spy on notorious terrorist Mollaka (Sebastien Foucan) for his maiden voyage as a 007 agent, Bond boldly goes against MI6 policy to launch an independent investigation that finds him traversing the Bahamas in search of Mollaka's notoriously elusive terror cell. Subsequently led into the company of the mysterious Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian) and his exotic girlfriend, Solange (Caterina Murino), Bond soon realizes that he is closer than ever to locating well-guarded terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), the man who has personally bankrolled some of the most prevalent terrorist organizations on the planet. When Bond learns that Le Chiffre is planning to partake in an upcoming high-stakes poker game to be played at Montenegro's Le Casino Royale and use the winnings to establish his financial grip on the globe, M (Judi Dench) assigns beguiling agent Vesper (Eva Green) the task of watching over the fledgling agent as he plays against Le Chiffre in a covert attempt to destroy the nefarious gambler's well-established monetary stronghold in the underworld once and for all. Bond will need more than his legendary gambling skills in order to win this dangerous game, though, and after allying himself with local MI6 field agent Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) and CIA operative Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), the endlessly suave super-spy puts on his poker face for a high-stakes game of cards in which the stakes are not measured in dollars, but human lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Craig, Eva Green, (more)
- 1995
Pro basketball star Isaiah Thomas) appears as himself in this episode, in which Ray (David Marciano) and Fraser (Paul Gross) try to save a teenaged basketball player named Tyree (Leonard Roberts) from going to jail. Tyree has been persuaded to take an attempted-murder rap for local drug dealer Lou Robbins (Tab Baker). Fed up with Fraser's interference, Lou decides to make sure that there will be one less mountie in Chicago before the week is out. Originally broadcast on Canadian television, this episode made its US debut on April 5, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Gross, David Marciano, (more)
- 1990
The former students of DeGrassi Junior High enter their second year in high school as the TV series DeGrassi High enters its final season. Among the major developments: Michelle (Maureen McKay) breaks up with her black boyfriend, BLT (Dayo Ade), whereupon Snake (Stefan Brogren) hopes to get Michelle on the rebound; school bully Dwayne (Darrin Brown) finds out his girlfriend has HIV; Joey (Pat Mastroianni) gets into hot water when he "streaks" through the cafeteria; single mom Spike (Amanda Stepto) continues to put the shards of her life back together; Lucy (Anais Granofsky) finds out that her "dream" boyfriend is potentially a nightmare; Liz (Cathy Keenan) reveals that she was once molested by her stepfather; Wheels (Neil Hope) has problems finding a place to stay after he moves out of his grandparents' home; and the hypersensitive Claude (David Armin-Parcells) commits suicide over a trivial matter, and Caitlin (Stacie Mistysyn) holds herself responsible. The series ends with the announcement that all of the kids will be transferred to a different school for their junior year -- compelling Dwayne, who now has HIV himself, to make a life-altering decision. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dayo Ade, David Armin-Parcells, (more)
- 1989
With virtually all of our favorite DeGrassi Junior High kids entering high school at the beginning of the series' fourth season, it was necessary to change the title to -- surprise, surprise -- DeGrassi High (besides, the old junior high building had burned to the ground at the end of season three). In addition to such familiar characters as Joey (Pat Mastroianni), Michelle (Maureen McKay), Snake (Stefan Brogren), Wheels (Neil Hope), and Spike (Amanda Stepto), two new cast members join the show this season: David Armin-Parcells as Claude and Byrd Dickens as Scott. The first day of high school turns out to be a bad news-bad news situation for Joey, who must not only deal with his old tormentor Dwayne (Darrin Brown), but also with his least favorite junior-high teacher, who has accepted a job at DeGrassi High; later on, Joey must endure the humiliation of being sent to remedial classes when he's diagnosed with a learning disorder. In other developments: Erica (Angela Deiseach) finds out she is pregnant, whereupon her twin sister, Heather (Maureen Deiseach), tries to talk her out of having an abortion. When her parents separate, Michelle moves in with her bigoted father, who disapproves of her black boyfriend, BLT (Dayo Ade) -- forcing her to find an apartment of her own. Arthur (Duncan Waugh) moons over Caitlin (Stacie Mistysyn), who has fallen for Claude -- who, in turn, seems willing to let her take the rap when they're caught spray-painting anti-war slogans at a nearby factory. Kathleen (Rebecca Haines) regrets going out with Scott when he becomes possessive and physically abusive. Single mom Spike must fend off boys who assume that she's "easy" and is later uncomfortably reunited with Shane, the father of her child, who had attempted suicide one year earlier. L.D. (Amanda Cook) faces an uncertain future when she is diagnosed with cancer. And toward the end of the season, Michelle puts her academic career on the line when she protests the dismissal of her favorite teacher, Ms. Avery (Michelle Goodeve). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dayo Ade, David Armin-Parcells, (more)
The kids of DeGrassi Junior High anxiously prepare for graduation as the series enters its third season. In the one-hour opener, Spike (Amanda Stepto) returns to school after having her baby -- and makes a grim point of ignoring Shane (Billy Parrott), the baby's father. In later episodes, Shane's anguish turns to agony resulting in a spectacular suicide attempt. In other events of the season, Wheels (Neil Hope) moves in with his grandparents after his mom and dad are killed by a drunk driver; Arthur (Duncan Waugh) thinks he's set for life when his mom wins a million-dollar lottery; Paul (Michael Blake), new boyfriend of series regular Lucy (Anais Granofsky), falsely tells everyone that he's had sex with her; Snake (Stefan Brogren) finds out that his older brother is gay; Erica (Angela Deiseach) ducks out of a date by asking her twin sister Heather (Maureen Deiseach) to fill in for her; and Michelle (Maureen McKay) incurs her parents' wrath when she starts dating her black classmate BLT (Dayo Ade). As expected, the season ends with a dance in honor of the student's graduation -- but what is not expected is the disaster that befalls DeGrassi Junior High before the night is over! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dayo Ade, Sara Ballingall, (more)
- 1988
Most of the familiar DeGrassi Junior High characters dutifully report for class as the series launches its second season. New to the cast this year are Cathy Keenan as Liz O'Rourke and Michael Carry as Simon Dexter. The season's 13 episodes are the traditional blend of sitcom hilarity and sobering dramatic reality, beginning with the episode in which Spike (Amanda Stepto) tries to adjust to her pregnancy, while Shane (Billy Parrott) reluctantly shoulders the responsibility of fatherhood. In subsequent storylines, Spike's friends rally around her when the PTA threatens to throw her out of school, Lucy (Anais Granofsky) agonizes over reporting the substitute teacher who touched her inappropriately, rumors fly that new student Liz "puts out," Melanie (Sara Ballingswell) suffers the consequences when she tells a lie to break a date with Yik (Siluck Saysanasy), Caitlin (Stacie Mistysin) finds out she has leprosy, Joey (Pat Mastroinni) learns the hard way that standing up to school bully Dwayne (Darrin Brown) won't solve anything, Kathleen (Rebecca Haines) can no longer deny her mom's alcoholism, Stephanie (Nicole Hoffman) is stuck in the middle of her parents' custody battle, and Erica (Angela Deiseach) worries that she's picked up mono from an older boy. Season two ends by resolving a plotline launched in season one as Spike goes into labor at a graduation dance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dayo Ade, Sara Ballingall, (more)
- 1987
Adapted from the 1979 Canadian TV series The Kids From DeGrassi Street, this popular half-hour program for teens and preteens debuted on Canada's CBC on January 18, 1987, and was picked up stateside by PBS later the same year. Taped in Toronto, the series focused on the lives of the multiethnic students as DeGrassi Junior High, deftly shifting from comedy to tense drama and back again. Though the series focused on such potent real-life issues as drug addiction, teen pregnancy, smoking, parental abuse, drunk driving, abortion, and suicide, it never came off as preachy or pedantic, principally because the young actors -- most of them recruited from the Playing With Time repertory company -- essayed their roles with utter conviction and sincerity. Even more laudatory was the fact that the actors were not chosen for their looks or charisma but instead were as average and normal-looking as the series' legions of fans. During the series' five seasons on CBC, over 50 principal characters floated in and out of the proceedings. Among the most popular recurring characters were Joey (Pat Mastroianni), Snake (Stefan Brogen), Spike (Amanda Stepto), Wheels (Neil Hope), Caitlin (Stacie Mistysyn), twin sisters Erica and Heather (played by real-life twins Maureen Deiseach and Erica Deiseach), BLT (Dayo Ade), Yick (Siluck Saysanasy), Arthur (Duncan Waugh), Lucy (Anais Granofksy), L.D. (Amanda Cook), Simon (Michael Carry), Michelle (Maureen McKay), Alexa (Irene Courakos), and Melanie (Sara Ballingall). Three years into the series, the regulars graduated from junior high and moved on to high school, whereupon the series was retitled DeGrassi High, remaining as such until its cancellation two years later. Introduced during these final seasons were several new characters, notably Scott (David Armin-Parcells) and Claude (Byrd Dickens). After the series ran its course, many of the principals appeared in the movie-length special School's Out. And in 2001, Canada's CTV unveiled a spin-off series, DeGrassi: The Next Generation, with a fresh cast of students but with several favorites from the earlier series, now adults, cast as various parents and teachers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat Mastroianni, Neil Hope, (more)
The first episode of the first season of DeGrassi Junior High is seen through the eyes of Stephanie (Nicole Stoffman), newly admitted to the eighth grade. Before the episode is over, Stephanie has entered the race for student council, received her first kiss, and lost her best friend Voula (Niki Kemeny). The remaining 12 episodes maintain the opener's delicate balance of humor, heartbreak, airy whimsy, and harsh reality. In later stories, Stephanie gets drunk just before a school dance; Yick (Siluck Saysanasy) tries to find out if a teacher has it in for him by submitting another student's paper as his own; self-conscious Melanie (Sara Ballingall) demands to be her first bra; a rumor spreads that one of the teachers is gay; Wheels (Neil Hope) sets himself up for a crushing blow when he tries to bond with his biological father; and L.D. (Amanda Cook) is terrified that she may become an orphan. The most compelling of the first-season episodes is the one in which Spike (Amanda Stepto) finds out that she's pregnant...and that Shane (Billy Parrott) is the father. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dayo Ade, Sara Ballingall, (more)
