Charles Castaldi Movies
- 2008
- R
Inspired by actual events, director Tao Ruspoli's urgent road film follows documentary filmmakers Bella and Milo as they race across Los Angeles on a 12-hour mission to get Milo's brother Leo to rehab before he's given a three-year prison sentence. Beginning at a police station in suburban Calabasas, Bella, Milo, and Leo blast through Beverly Hills, Watts, and everyplace in between as they attempt to raise the 5,000 dollars needed to get Leo into rehab. Ironically, it begins to appear as if cutting a quick but lucrative drug deal may be the best way to ensure that Leo ends up in rehab instead of prison. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Andrews, Olivia Wilde, (more)
In 1965, Marcus Hooks (John Legend), Floyd Henderson (Bernie Mac), and Louis Hinds (Samuel L. Jackson) were just three kids singing doo-wop harmonies around a fire barrel when legendary record producer Willie Mitchell caught an earful of their infectious harmonizing. Two short years later, Marcus Hooks and the Real Deal had signed to Hi Records, and they quickly became one of the most popular soul acts in America. But success can't last forever, and it wasn't long before Hooks decided to strike out on his own. Though Floyd and Lewis did their best to keep the Real Deal going, scoring one breakout hit with "Walk in the Park," clashing egos and "creative differences" would eventually break the duo apart. Flash-forward to the new millennium, when Hooks has won a staggering total of 19 Grammy awards while Floyd and Lewis languish in obscurity. Then, one day, while considering suicide with a mouthful of pills and a bottle of liquor, Floyd is shocked to see a news report that Hooks has suddenly dropped dead just before he was slated to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In order to celebrate Hooks' career, Hi Records has organized a lavish tribute concert at the Apollo Theater. Will Floyd and Lewis be able to put aside their differences long enough to drive cross-country and perform together on-stage one last time, or will lingering grudges ultimately cause the pair's already-tenuous relationship to implode long before they reach New York City? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, (more)
A single father who has just found success as the host of an outrageous television talk show begins to question his path in life when he returns home to attend his parents' 50th wedding anniversary party in the company of his famous fiancée -- a reality television star -- in this crisis-of-conscience comedy starring Martin Lawrence. RJ Stevens (Lawrence) is a television talk-show sensation who has transcended his modest Southern beginnings to become the most popular self-help guru ever to grace the small screen. His show, "Team of Me," is a ratings juggernaut, his fiancée is a beautiful reality television star, and his pockets are always lined with large bills. There are few Tinseltown dreams that RJ hasn't already achieved, so when his parents announce their 50th wedding anniversary, the family-oriented television star immediately drops everything and sets his sights on Georgia. As a boy, RJ was always the target of ridicule within his family, but these days things are different; not only does RJ have a ten-year-old son, but his bride-to-be is admired by countless viewers all across the globe on a weekly basis. But RJ's egotistical West Coast attitude simply doesn't fly in the South, and when his lovable but relentless family refuses to cut him any slack due to his current superstar status, he must finally pause and take stock of the man he has become. Louis C.K., Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Clarke Duncan, and James Earl Jones co-star in a Southern-flavored family comedy written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Margaret Avery, (more)
