Bobby Moresco
- 2008
Based on the Oscar award winning film of the same name, Crash follows the lives of a seemingly unconnected group of people living in Los Angeles. At first, none of the very different lives led on screen seem to overlap, from hotshot record producer Ben Cendars (Dennis Hopper) to hair-trigger cop Kenny Battaglia (Ross McCall). But as the underlying tensions between class, race, gender, and politics find their way into everyday situations, it soon becomes apparent that all of these characters are inextricably linked, for better or for worse. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Hopper, Clare Carey, (more)
- 2007
- PG
- AddThe Prince and the Pauper: The Movieto QueueAddThe Prince and the Pauper: The Movieto top of Queue
A poor boy who spends most his spare time playing stickball in the streets suddenly finds himself returning volleys to his butler in this contemporary take on the classic Mark Twain tale starring Cole and Dylan Sprouse. Running away to the east side in his chauffer-driven limousine, thirteen year old Matthew hatches an ingenious identity-switch scheme after running into his spitting image - a fun-loving inner city youth named Jeff. Intent on making his mother pay for a series of minor infractions he may have been responsible for while studying at an ultra-posh boy's academy, Matthew sends Jeff to live with his self-made millionaire mother as he prepares to spend Spring Break with his new stepfather and two stepsisters. While Jeff is dumbfounded to discover that stores actually sell clothes that have never been worn before, Matthew is thrilled to take the field for his first rain-soaked baseball game. Yet despite the fun these two kids have on the opposite side of the social spectrum, they quickly learn that life just isn't the same when you can't go home to your true loved ones. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, (more)
Something of an Irish variation on The Sopranos with a considerably younger cast, NBC's weekly, hour-long The Black Donnellys was reportedly inspired on the exploits of an actual family (also named Donnelly) who were involved in a notoriously bloody fued in the Ontario of the 1880s. The TV series, however, was set in the present, and took place in the Hell's Kitchen district of New York City, specifically a patch of territory controlled by four tough young Irish-Americans with mob connections. The eldest of the four Donnelly brothers was the hotheaded, antagonistic Jimmy (Thomas Guiry), the leader of the gang and owner of the bar where the family all hung out. Jimmy's second-in-command was his brother Tommy (Jonathan Tucker), a former art student who occasionally suffered pangs of conscience over the Donnelly's dubious ethics and business practices. The third brother, Kevin (Bill Lush), was a compulsive gambler, while youngest brother Sean (Michael Stahl-David) was a weak-willed ladies' man. The series was narrated by family friend Joey "Ice Cream" (Keith Nobbs), a combination hatchet man and court jester. Created by the same people responsible for the Oscar-winning feature films Million Dollar Baby and Crash, The Black Donnellys debuted February 19, 2007, as a ten-week replacement for the floundering NBC dramedy Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Acevedo, Tom Guiry, (more)
Issues of race and gender cause a group of strangers in Los Angeles to physically and emotionally collide in this drama from director and screenwriter Paul Haggis. Graham (Don Cheadle) is a police detective whose brother is a street criminal, and it hurts him to know his mother cares more about his ne'er-do-well brother than him. Graham's partner is Ria (Jennifer Esposito), who is also his girlfriend, though she has begun to bristle at his emotional distance, as well as his occasional insensitivity over the fact he's African-American and she's Hispanic. Rick (Brendan Fraser) is an L.A. district attorney whose wife, Jean (Sandra Bullock), makes little secret of her fear and hatred of people unlike herself. Jean's worst imaginings about people of color are confirmed when her SUV is carjacked by two African-American men -- Anthony (Chris Bridges, aka Ludacris), who dislikes white people as much as Jean hates blacks, and Peter (Larenz Tate), who is more open minded. Cameron (Terrence Howard) is a well-to-do African-American television producer with a beautiful wife, Christine (Thandie Newton). While coming home from a party, Cameron and Christine are pulled over by Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon), who subjects them to a humiliating interrogation (and her to an inappropriate search) while his new partner, Officer Hansen (Ryan Phillippe), looks on. Daniel (Michael Pena) is a hard-working locksmith and dedicated father who discovers that his looks don't lead many of his customers to trust him. And Farhad (Shaun Toub) is a Middle Eastern shopkeeper who is so constantly threatened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that he decided he needs a gun to defend his family. Crash was the first directorial project for award-winning television and film writer Haggis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, (more)
Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is a veteran boxing trainer who has devoted his life to the ring and has precious little to show for it; his daughter never answers his letters, and a fighter he's groomed into contender status has paid him back by signing with another manager, leaving Frankie high and dry. His best friend and faithful employee Eddie Dupris is a former fighter who Frankie trained. In his last fight, Eddie suffered a severe injury, a fact that brings Frankie great guilt. One day, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) enters Frankie's life, as well as his gym, and announces she needs a trainer. Frankie regards her as a dubious prospect, and isn't afraid to tell her why: he doesn't think much of women boxing, she's too old at 31, she lacks experience, and has no technique. However, Maggie sees boxing as the one part of her life that gives her meaning and won't give up easily. Finally won over by her determination, Frankie takes on Maggie, and as she slowly grows into a viable fighter, an emotional bond develops between them. When a tragedy befalls one of the three characters, each comes to a decision that shows how the relationships in the film have changed them. Adapted from a short story by F.X. Toole, a former corner man with years of experience in the fight game, Million Dollar Baby also stars Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie, and Mike Colter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, (more)
