Olesya Rulin Movies
Bright-eyed Olesya Rulin may have found tremendous success as an actress and singer at a young age, but her beginnings were decidedly humble. Born in a destitute village in Russia, she immigrated to the United States with her family in 1994, at the age of eight, and subsequently began studying singing and ballet. At 12, she started modeling, and within a few years she was appearing on shows like Touched by an Angel. In 2006, she was cast as Kelsi Nielsen in High School Musical, a project that would become a major phenomenon and make her a familiar face to legions of fans. Rulin would go on to appear in the film's sequels, but she had no plans to abandon her education, studying economics in Paris and enrolling at Columbia College Chicago, majoring in musical theater. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
A talented but troubled high-school rugby star gets a second shot at redemption after being sentenced to serve time in a Salt Lake City boys' home and landing a coveted spot on the famed Highland High School rugby team in this inspirational sports drama from director Ryan Little (Saints and Soldiers, Everything You Want). Rick Penning (Sean Faris ) was the star player on his Arizona rugby team until his life took a turn for the worse. Now, after a fateful brush with the law, Rick finds himself out of the spotlight and forced to ponder the consequences of his actions in a Salt Lake City juvenile detention center. As fate would have it, however, Salt Lake's famed Highland High rugby team could use a player like Rick. With a little help from coach Larry Gelwix (Gary Cole), Rick may even be able to lead the Highland High team to the national championships. When Rick discovers that the team they'll be competing against is none other than his old team from Arizona, which is coached by his father, Richard Penning (Neal McDonough), the deciding game takes on a newfound sense of gravity in the eyes of the ambitious young athlete. Arielle Kebbel and Sean Astin co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Faris, Gary Cole, (more)
- 2008
- G
- Add High School Musical 3: Senior Year to QueueAdd High School Musical 3: Senior Year to top of Queue
High School Musical 3: Senior Year continues the ongoing tune-filled love story between basketball player Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) and brainy beauty Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Anne Hudgens). As they head toward high-school graduation, the couple realizes that they'll be separated when they head to different colleges in the fall, so they join with their friends to produce a spring musical that will help them express their hopes and fears about the future. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, (more)
Kenny Ortega's High School Musical 2 reunites the cast from the hit made-for-Disney Channel original to tell another story in the lives of the musically inclined students attending East Side High. The sequel takes place primarily at the Lava Springs Country Club, an exclusive summer resort that hires Wildcat basketball hero Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), his genius girlfriend Gabriella Montez (anessa Hudgens), and their two best friends. The parents of scheming Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) own the resort, and she wields her remarkable power in an attempt to win Troy away from Gabriella. Eventually Troy must decide between a bright future with a scholarship, or true love. High School Musical 2 premiered on the cable outlook on August 17, 2007. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, (more)
The captain of the East High basketball team and the key member of the academic club shock the student body by teaming to audition for the upcoming school musical in a Disney Channel Original Movie that's all about being yourself and following your dreams. Troy (Zac Efron) is best known as the player who keeps the East High basketball team on the scoreboard. Of course, life isn't always about athletics, though, and as Troy slam-dunks on the boards, beautiful and brainy Gabriella (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) is raising the reputation of East High as the key member of the school's successful academic team. Despite their outgoing natures, no one would ever peg Troy and Gabriella as theater types. When word gets out that this popular pair has secretly chosen to reach for the stars and try their luck on the stage, the students of East High are about to learn an important lesson in teamwork while gearing up for a musical performance that will have their audience dancing in the aisles. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, (more)
- 2005
- PG
Can an East Coast mob mechanic find happiness in the most straight-laced community in America? Carmine "Beans" Pasquale (Mark De Carlo) is a gangster from New Jersey who is pinched by the FBI and learns the only way he can avoid spending the rest of his life in jail is to tell the cops all he knows about his boss, Angelo Marcello (Michael Kagan). However, Pasquale knows if he talks to the Feds, Marcello's top hit man, Little Nicky Cappuccino (Joe Maruzzo), will see to it that he never speaks (or breathes) again. To ensure Pasquale's safety, the FBI enroll him, his wife, Gina (Jeanette Puchich), and their teenage son, Vincent (Clay Taylor), in the Federal Witness Protection Program. Now known as George Cheeseman and supposedly hailing from Nebraska, Pasquale is relocated to Moab, UT, a quiet Mormon enclave where the new family feels very much out of place. As Pasquale learns to live without a strong cup of coffee while working a nine-to-five job, his aggressively friendly neighbors struggle to make the new folks in town feel welcome. Mobsters and Mormons was written and directed by John E. Moyer, a Utah filmmaker who has made a number of offbeat comedies pertaining to the Church of Latter Day Saints. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark de Carlo, Jeanette Punich, (more)
- 2001
Lots of kids have to put up with their younger siblings, but two children have to help out their younger parents in this sci-fi comedy produced for The Disney Channel. Eddie and Marie are two seemingly ordinary kids whose parents are extremely gifted inventors. However, not every one of their inventions works just as they hoped, and while working on a machine that would allow them to travel through time, they hit a snag and instead end up with a device that simply makes them younger. What's more, they can't seem to stop the age reversal process, and unless the machine can somehow be stopped, they'll soon hit "the poof point" and simply disappear. Eddie and Marie aren't eager to be on their own just yet (and having folks younger than they are is a bit embarrassing), and they start brainstorming to bring their parents back to their proper age before it's too late. Based on the children's book by Ellen Weiss and Mel Friedman, The Poof Point stars Mark Curry, Tahj Mowry, and Dawnn Lewis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Curry, Tahj Mowry, (more)
