Celine Rattray Movies
- 2009
- PG13
Lindsay Lohan stars as an office assistant who fakes a pregnancy to get on the good side of her stringent boss in this romantic comedy from Nu Image and Millennium Films. Chris Parnell, Cheryl Hines, Luke Kirby, and Connie Britton co-star in the Lara Shapiro-helmed production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsay Lohan, Luke Kirby, (more)
- 2009
Screen starlet Julia Stiles assumes the role of ambitious reporter Ester Greenwood in this screen adaptation of the critically acclaimed, semi-autobiographical novel by celebrated author Sylvia Plath. When a bid to seek out fame in New York City proves too much strain for the young writer to bear, she sinks into a deep depression and moves back to her hometown of Boston. Later, after undergoing electroshock therapy, the troubled Greenwood becomes increasingly suicidal. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Stiles
- 2009
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award recipient James C. Strouse follows up his 2007 Sundance Film Festival favorite Grace Is Gone with this heartfelt drama about an alcoholic ex-basketball star who gets a second chance at success on the court when recruited by a local high school principal to coach the girl's varsity team. Bill (Sam Rockwell) used to sink hoops in the NBA, but that was before the bottle got the best of him. These days, Bill's more likely to be spotted bussing tables at the local diner than hustling up and down the court. Handed the reins on his daughter's basketball team by the school's principal, Bill seizes the opportunity to get back in the game and set things right. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Rockwell, Emma Roberts, (more)
- 2008
Author Sherwood Kiraly pens the screenplay adaptation of his own comedic novel concerning a man (Matthew Broderick) who gets amnesia after suffering a blow to the head and the road trip he embarks on with his Alzheimer’s-afflicted uncle (Alan Alda) and high-school sweetheart (Virginia Madsen). Convinced that they will make a fortune by selling an ultra-rare baseball card at a high-profile memorabilia show, the trio sets out on the open road in search of adventure. Bobby Cannavale and Lois Smith co-star in the feature directorial debut of actor-turned-director Terry Kinney. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Broderick, Virginia Madsen, (more)
Bart got a room -- a hotel room -- and he's booked it for senior prom night. Though the title character of Bart Got a Room only appears in one brief scene towards the end of the film, it's his uber-geek specter that hangs over writer-director Brian Hecker's comedy, a semi-autobiographical ode to teenage angst. The plot is centered on the hopelessly dateless Danny (Steven Kaplan), a gawky band nerd who must decide between taking his best friend, Camille (Alia Shawkat), to the prom, and attempting to woo the date of his dreams, a pretty blonde cheerleader. Along the way he endures derision and peer pressure from friends, as well as uncomfortably frank advice from his divorced parents, played by Cheryl Hines and William H. Macy. Set in the geriatric environs of terminally sunny south Florida, Danny's world offers constant reminders of the road he's headed down should he not solidify this one life-defining event: Macy's Ernie grapples with loneliness by seeking women in chat rooms, while Hines's Beth sees relationships as a shortcut to financial security. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William H. Macy, Cheryl Hines, (more)
- 2008
- R
Michelle Monaghan stars as a self-reliant trucker forced to take on the responsibility of caring for her 11-year-old son when his father (Benjamin Bratt) ends up in the hospital in this independent drama from Plum Pictures. James Mottern directs from his own script, with Nathan Fillion, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jimmy Bennett set to co-star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michelle Monaghan, Nathan Fillion, (more)
- 2008
- R
Some of the world's most-respected directors align forces to pay tribute to the city of the New York in this unconventional omnibus sister film to 2006's Paris, Je T'Aime. Broken into short segments, New York, I Love You is comprised of 10 films, most choosing to take a down-to-earth approach to the stories of the countless lives lived in the city on a given day. The segments are as follows, chronologically:
Segment 1 - Directed by Jiang Wen; Written by Hu Hong and Meng Yao; Starring Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia and Rachel Bilson.
Segment 2 - Directed by Mira Nair; Written by Suketu Mehta; Starring Natalie Portman and Irrfan Khan.
Segment 3 - Written and directed by Shunji Iwai; Adaptation by Israel Horovitz. Starring Orlando Bloom and Christina Ricci.
Segment 4 - Directed by Yvan Attal; Written by Olivier Lecot and Yvan Attal; Starring Robin Wright Penn, Ethan Hawke, Maggie Q and Chris Cooper.
Segment 5 - Directed by Brett Ratner; Written by Jeff Nathanson; Starring Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thirlby and Blake Lively
Segment 6 - Directed by Allen Hughes; Written by Xan Cassavetes and Stephen Winter; Starring Drea de Matteo and Bradley Cooper.
Segment 7 - Directed by Shekhar Kapur; Written by Anthony Minghella; Starring Julie Christie, John Hurt and Shia LeBoeuf.
Segment 8 - Written and directed by Natalie Portman; starring Taylor Geare, Carlos Acosta and Jacinda Barrett.
Segment 9 - Written and directed by Fatih Akin; starring Burt Young, Ugur Yucel and Shu Qi..
Segment 10 - Written and directed by Joshua Marston; starring Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman.
Transitions In-Between Segments - Directed by Randy Balsmeyer; Written by Israel Horovitz, James Strouse and Hall Powell; Starring Emilie Ohana, Eva Amurri and Justin Bartha.
~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Segment 1 - Directed by Jiang Wen; Written by Hu Hong and Meng Yao; Starring Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia and Rachel Bilson.
Segment 2 - Directed by Mira Nair; Written by Suketu Mehta; Starring Natalie Portman and Irrfan Khan.
Segment 3 - Written and directed by Shunji Iwai; Adaptation by Israel Horovitz. Starring Orlando Bloom and Christina Ricci.
Segment 4 - Directed by Yvan Attal; Written by Olivier Lecot and Yvan Attal; Starring Robin Wright Penn, Ethan Hawke, Maggie Q and Chris Cooper.
Segment 5 - Directed by Brett Ratner; Written by Jeff Nathanson; Starring Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thirlby and Blake Lively
Segment 6 - Directed by Allen Hughes; Written by Xan Cassavetes and Stephen Winter; Starring Drea de Matteo and Bradley Cooper.
Segment 7 - Directed by Shekhar Kapur; Written by Anthony Minghella; Starring Julie Christie, John Hurt and Shia LeBoeuf.
Segment 8 - Written and directed by Natalie Portman; starring Taylor Geare, Carlos Acosta and Jacinda Barrett.
Segment 9 - Written and directed by Fatih Akin; starring Burt Young, Ugur Yucel and Shu Qi..
Segment 10 - Written and directed by Joshua Marston; starring Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman.
Transitions In-Between Segments - Directed by Randy Balsmeyer; Written by Israel Horovitz, James Strouse and Hall Powell; Starring Emilie Ohana, Eva Amurri and Justin Bartha.
~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia, (more)
The contemplative, understated tearjerker Grace Is Gone dramatizes the quiet crisis that befalls Stanley (John Cusack), a young Midwestern husband of a female marine stationed in Iraq, and a father of two girls. Suddenly and unexpectedly widowed when his wife, Grace, is killed on the battlefield, Stanley cannot bring himself to share the devastating news with his two young daughters. In lieu of speaking to them immediately about their mother's death, Stanley internalizes his devastation and takes the girls on a road trip while he attempts to sort through a myriad of conflicted and tumultuous internal feelings about the war itself and contemplates how to break the shattering news. Inevitably, the road trip will end with Grace's funeral. This film represents the brainchild of producer/star Cusack and writer/director James C. Strouse. It began with Cusack's fury about the Bush administration's policy banning footage of caskets returning from the Iraq and Afghani wars, and his desire to see those events played out onscreen, in the lives of American citizens. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Shélan O'Keefe, (more)
A disillusioned leftist pulls up stakes for the Great White North in this independent comedy-drama. It's 2004, and John Logue (Breckin Meyer) is a political activist working for the Democratic presidential campaign in Ohio. After a few drinks too many, John is interviewed on camera by a local broadcast journalist, and he announces that if George W. Bush is re-elected, he'll leave the country and move to Canada. A few days later, Bush narrowly defeats John Kerry, and John falls into a deep depression. After returning home to San Francisco, John ponders his alcohol-fueled pledge, and learns that a handful of leftists north of the border have formed a group called "Marry A Canadian," which provides contact with sympathetic singles willing to wed American expatriates hoping to escape the Bush regime and gain Canadian citizenship. John decides to give "Marry A Canadian" a try, and places a classified to find someone willing to split gas and keep him company as he heads for Vancouver. An attractive young woman named Chloe (Anna Paquin) contacts John and agrees to travel with him, but once they're on the road, he learns that politics are not Chloe's primary reason for leaving the States. Blue State received its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Breckin Meyer, Anna Paquin, (more)
Director Craig Lucas teams with screenwriter Elyse Friedman for this sociologically-slanted comedy drama concerning three eccentric siblings who were forced to grow up in an environment with no actual grown ups. In a typical family, the pattern usually goes something like this: Parents have children, children grow up, children move out, and family comes together for visits on holidays and special occasions. Unfortunately for Morrie Tanager, any concept of normalcy was thrown out the window when his parents died, and he was left to raise his two siblings Ida and Jay in the family home. These days Morrie shares the home with his wife Betty, Ida is a promiscuous artist who's always traveling despite the fact that she's perpetually broke, and Jay is a reclusive weirdo who frequently conducts antisocial experiments. All that the perpetually constipated Morrie wants out of life is to please his wife Betty. While it's been quite a while since siblings Morrie, Ida, and Jay have all been together under one roof, those familiar childhood dynamics quickly return when Ida comes knocking at the exact moment Jay goes supernova. As neurosis and instability suddenly cascades through the home like a dysfunctional Niagara Falls, Morrie and Betty suddenly find their delicate attempts to secure Morrie's tenure washed down the river right towards the big drop. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Perry, Ginnifer Goodwin, (more)
Actor Justin Theroux (Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Mulholland Dr.) steps behind the camera for his directorial debut with this irreverent romantic comedy. Billy Crudup is Henry, a cynical children's book writer who holds little more than disdain for his pint-sized target audience. Artist Rudy (Tom Wilkinson) is both Henry's illustrator and the only friend in his miserable life. But when Rudy's health fails, Henry unwittingly finds himself paired with a new illustrator, played by Mandy Moore, who proves to be the oil to his water. Dedication also stars Mia Farrow and Bob Balaban. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore, (more)
A film freak has his life turned upside down when he starts dating a real-life femme fatale in this comedy. Neil (Cillian Murphy) is a dyed-in-the-wool movie fan who runs a video store, "Gumshoe Video," specializing in classic film noir and offbeat cult items. Neil spends nearly every evening on the couch, soaking up classic movies from the blue glow of his television; Neil's lack of a social life has not been good for his relationships with women, and his latest girlfriend walked out on him after he declared he wanted her to be more like Katharine Ross in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. But then Neil meets Violet (Lucy Liu), a sexy and adventurous woman who is immediately taken with him. However, Neil soon decides Violet may be a bit too adventurous -- while he's content to get his excitement from watching movies, she would rather throw herself into thrilling situations rather than observe them from a distance, and her appetite for danger proves to be far more than he bargained for. Watching the Detectives was the first directorial effort from Paul Soter, who as a member of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe helped write the films Super Troopers and Beerfest. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cillian Murphy, Lucy Liu, (more)
- 2007
A successful New York architect (Patrick Wilson) with a beautiful wife (Amy Smart) and an adoring young son is forced to reevaluate his outwardly idyllic life after a chance meeting with an urban designer (Lynn Collins) reveals the cracks in the foundation of his paradise in an existential drama from first-time feature filmmaker Tracey Hecht. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Wilson, Amy Smart, (more)
A less than auspicious homecoming for an introspective artist sets the stage for this low-key comedy drama directed by Steve Buscemi. Jim (Casey Affleck) is a chronically glum aspiring novelist who, after a failed two-year sojourn in New York City, has returned home to his parents' home in Goshen, IN. Jim's folks, Don (Seymour Cassel) and Sally (Mary Kay Place), run a ladder factory, a family business Jim wants nothing to do with. His older brother, Tim (Kevin Corrigan), is also living at home, and has problems of his own after his marriage ended in divorce and his business went broke. When Tim makes the latest of a number of suicide attempts by driving into a tree, Jim is reintroduced to Anika (Liv Tyler), a nurse who had a one-night fling with Jim a while ago. Jim and Anika strike up a conversation and start seeing one another again, though she seems to have feelings for Tim as well. With Tim in the hospital, Jim is persuaded against his better judgment to take on some of his brother's responsibilities, including doing some work at the ladder factory. At work, he bonds with his uncle Stacy (Mark Boone Jr.), who prefers to use the nickname "Evil" and deals drugs on the job. Jim's attempts to help Uncle Stacy with his side business backfire and implicate his parents, with Sally ending up in jail. But between his budding relationship with Anika and coaching a kids' basketball team that includes Tim's daughters, Jim begins to cautiously consider the notion that life might be worth all the trouble. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Casey Affleck, Liv Tyler, (more)
A man with a "doormat" personality tries standing up for himself for a change in this comedy. Mild mannered tax accountant Elliot Sherman (Michael Showalter) is what he calls a "Baxter": the kind of calm, unexciting fellow who "wears sock garters" and "enjoys raking leaves." Loved by bosses and parents, Elliot is a perfectly nice guy. And that's his problem -- he's safe and pleasant, but not very interesting, so as a consequence he hasn't had much luck with long-term relationships, and more than one woman has abandoned him for someone more exciting. Elliot believes his luck has finally changed for the better when he becomes engaged to Caroline Swann (Elizabeth Banks), a smart and attractive editor at a successful magazine. However, a few weeks before the wedding, who should come back into Caroline's life but Bradley Lake (Justin Theroux), her high school sweetheart and, according to many, the great love of her life. Bradley quickly makes it clear that he wants to win Caroline back, and generally in such circumstances Elliot would politely step aside, but just this once Elliot decides to fight for the woman he loves. Elliot gains an unexpected champion in Cecil Mills (Michelle Williams), a frumpy but adorable temp employee at his office who encourages Elliot to develop a take-charge attitude, though the results aren't quite what he expects. The Baxter was written and directed by Michael Showalter, who also plays Elliot; Showalter was a member of the sketch comedy troupe the State, and also works with the comedy performance trio Stella, whose other members, Michael Ian Black and David Wain, also appear in the movie. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Showalter, Elizabeth Banks, (more)
