Jordan Allison Movies

The first 26-episode season of the animated Braceface follows gawky teenager Sharon Spitz as she makes the transition from junior high to high school, supported by her loyal pals, opposed by her school rivals, virtually ignored by her family (her parents are divorced), and forever finding herself in embarrassing situations thanks to her magnetized teeth braces, which not only attract "foreign" objects at the most inopportune times, but also can pick up private cell-phone conversations! Many of the episodes deal with such vital teen issues as friendship, loyalty, trust, sharing and responsibility. Less generally, the episodes are strongly character-driven, not only by Sharon -- aka "Braceface" -- but also by her friends Maria and Connor, her "enemies" Nina and Alyson, her erstwhile sweetheart Alden, her self-involved divorced parents, and her often-cloddish brothers Adam (the older one) and Josh (the younger one). Sample plotlines: The vegetarian Sharon almost dumps Alden when he gets a job in a meatpacking plant; a mixed-up Adam asks sister Sharon some advice on romance; our heroine gets her first period just as she is going on her first real date (Alden thinks she's got appendicitis!); the Spitz kids agonize when their mom and dad re-enter the dating scene; Sharon starts drinking heavily to be "one of the guys" and suffers the consequences; after a near-death experience, Sharon and Nina try to figure out why their once-strong friendship has gone to the dogs; Maria goes into full envy mode when Sharon is made a summer-camp counselor; and in an episode that must have really hit home with Alicia Silverstone, the voice of Sharon, our heroine meets a singing superstar and learns the hard way that being a celebrity is no bed of roses! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though originally completed during the 2003-2004 season, the third year's worth of episode of the animated series Braceface were not picked up by cable's Disney Channeluntil early in 2006. Also, as in previous years, the series' third season showed up in a single 26-episode package on American TV, but was broken up into two separate 13-episode bundles for Canadian play. This is the season that actress Stacey DePass replaces film star Alicia Silverstone as the voice of high schooler Sharon Spitz, also known as "Braceface" because of her ill-fitting (and magnetized!) dental braces. Typical of Sharon's adventures during Season 03 are her brief foray into acting, and her efforts to "dumb down" so as not to embarrass her less academically adept friend Connor. Elsewhere: Sharon's ex-boyfriend Alden suffers a head injury and fantasizes that he and Sharon are still a couple, a notion she adamantly resists--at least at first; resuming ballet classes after several years, Sharon discovers she's better suited to slapstick than "Swan Lake"; our heroine suffers unintended consequences when she purchases a pumped-up bra in order to look more mature; Sharon's doltish older brother Adam surprises one and all when he's revealed to a be a talented poet; the "unique and original "Dion continues to set his friends a-wondering whether he's gay or straight; an attempt by the kids to be more "spontaneous" and less predictable backfires; the notoriously fickle Nina lands a new boyfriend, whereupon Sharon tries to break up the couple "for their own good" (yeh, right); Sharon is dismayed to learn that her rock-musician date has been reduced to singing minstrel ballads in a medieval-themed restaurant; in a parody of All About Eve, aspiring singer Sharon is taken advantage of by a false friend; and when nasty Nina decides to stop battling with Sharon and become pals again, Sharon begins yearning for the days when they were still enemies! In honor of the series' staunch pro-animal stance, the third season of Braceface was honored with two more Genesis Awards--even before they'd been telecast in the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The toughest man in the American military faces a new kind of challenge -- looking after four kids in soccer-mom suburbia -- in this family-friendly comedy from Walt Disney Pictures. Shane Wolf (Vin Diesel) is a former Navy SEAL who was assigned to protect a scientist working on a top-secret defense project for the government. Despite Wolf's efforts, however, an assassin slipped past him and murdered the man he was guarding. The inventor's project is still being stored in his home, so Wolf has now been assigned to protect Julie (Faith Ford), the scientist's widow, as well as her four children, Zoe (Brittany Snow), Seth (Max Thieriot), Lulu (Morgan York), and baby Peter (Kegan Hoover and Logan Hoover). Wolf has had years of military experience in some of the most dangerous places on Earth, but he doesn't know much about raising kids, and he soon discovers his new job demands he be a nanny as much as a bodyguard. The Pacifier also co-stars Brad Garrett, Lauren Graham, and Carol Kane. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide