Erica Hubbard
- 2006
Based on the children's books by Dan Santat, the Disney animated series The Replacements concerned itself with a pair of orphan children, Riley and Todd, who took it upon themselves to order two "normal" foster parents from the Fleemco Replacement Parent Organization. Instead, they ended up with a mom who was a British superspy named Agent K and a dad who was a foolhardly movie stuntman named Dick Daring. And oh yes, Riley and Todd also fell heir to a Knight Rider-style talking automobile named C.A.R.T.E.R., or C.A.R. for short (its voice was wittily supplied by former "Man from U.N.C.L.E." David McCallum). Offering two fast-paced adventures per half-hour episode, The Replacements premiered September 8, 2006, on cable's Disney Channel, and not long afterward joined the weekend-morning lineup on Disney's sister network ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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)
- 2005
- PG
- AddThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsto QueueAddThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsto top of Queue
Ann Brashares' best-selling novel for young adults comes to the big screen in this engaging comedy drama. Carmen (America Ferrera), Bridget (Blake Lively), Lena (Alexis Bledel), and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) are four teenage girls who have been close friends since they were babies (and even before -- their mothers all knew each other from attending the same prenatal exercise class). However, fate has dictated that for the first time ever the young women will be spending their summer apart -- Carmen will be visiting her father, whom she hasn't seen in years, Lena will be visiting her grandparents in Greece, Bridget is attending a soccer camp in Mexico, while Tibby is stuck working at a discount store. A few days before Carmen, Lena, and Bridget leave, the four go shopping, and while at a thrift shop they discover an unusual pair of blue jeans that, despite the fact they're all of different height and weight, fits all four women perfectly. The girls buy the jeans and pledge to each look after them for a week at a time, hoping they'll bring one another good luck as the girls deal with a variety of new life experiences, both good and bad. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, (more)
Cute but geeky high-school student Samantha Martin (Hilary Duff) is knocked off her feet by her father's untimely death, which leaves his diner and Samantha's well-being in the care of Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge), Sam's thoroughly wicked stepmother. Not one to take on such menial tasks as dishwashing and mopping floors, Fiona exploits Sam's dependence as a method of hoisting any dirty work off her own shoulders. School is hardly a break for Samantha, particularly when Shelby (Julie Gonzalo) is around; spoiled, wealthy, and popular, Shelby treats Samantha nearly as badly as Fiona does. Samantha's life is irrevocably changed, however, by two events: a makeover of epic proportions and a sudden electronic correspondence with a mysterious young man. Due to a misplaced cell phone and a series of fateful coincidences, Samantha and her Prince Charming develop a romance through text messages and e-mails, and ultimately promise to meet face-to-face at the biggest school dance of the year. Of course, getting there doesn't go smoothly, and Samantha may miss her chance to meet her dream date -- none other than Austin (Chad Michael Murray), the most popular boy in school. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Duff, Jennifer Coolidge, (more)
- 1997
As their premature baby son struggles for his life in the ICU, Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Carla (Lisa Nicole Carson) mull over their future. Increasingly paranoid after being beaten by an unknown assailant, Greene (Anthony Edwards) purchases a gun. Anspaugh (John Aylward) is upset that Carter (Noah Wyle) wants to abandon surgery in favor of emergency medicine. Romance re-enters the lives of Ross (George Clooney) and Carol (Julianna Margulies). And troubled teenager Charlie (Kirsten Dunst) is back. This was the final episode of ER's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
