Troy Hall Movies
- 2008
A holiday get-together goes wrong in a number of ways in this dark comedy from first-time director Rafael Monserrate. It's 1987, and Cliff Morgan (Jay O. Sanders) and his wife Carol (Kathleen Quinlan) are having their annual Thanksgiving reunion with their children. Robby (Troy Hall) is a twenty-something disc jockey, Charlie (Kevin Logie) is a paranoid teenager convinced he's going to contract a serious illness, and adopted daughter Brooke (Deshja Driggs-Hall) is a fashion maven with regrettable taste. The night before Thanksgiving, the Morgans honor family tradition by gathering for dinner at their favorite Chinese restaurant, where Cliff and Carol drop a bomb on their kids, announcing that they're getting a divorce and this will be their last holiday together. The parents also ask their children to keep their negative feelings about this news to themselves so their Turkey Day will be pleasant. However, this is easier said than done, and while this would be the worst time of all for Robby and Brooke to acknowledge their long-simmering attraction to one another, that doesn't stop it from happening. Poundcake received its world premiere at the 2008 AFI Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The war on terror has an unusual effect on one man in this independent drama. Hassan (Ayad Akhtar) was an engineering student from Pakistan who, while studying in Paris, was one of several Pakistani students arrested by intelligence officers on suspicion of participating in international terrorist activities. Hassan was innocent of any crimes, but it took him hours to convince the authorities of this. By the time Hassan was released, his attitude about the West had begun to change, and in time he began to identify with the terrorists with whom he had been unwittingly associated. Hassan then renounces his old life, joins a radical group, and illegally slips into the United States with the aim of staging a major terrorist action in New York City. Hassan comes to stay with an old friend, Sayeed (Firdous Bamji), and his family; Hassan has told Sayeed and his wife (Sarita Choudhury) that he's come to New York in search of a job, but in time Sayeed suspects his friend has a different agenda in mind. The War Within was screened as part of the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ayad Akhtar, Firdous Bamji, (more)
