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Mama Kohn Movies

2011  
NR  
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An educator and the school where he works are both on the verge of collapse in this hard-hitting drama from director Tony Kaye. Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) is a gifted teacher whose psyche has been taking a beating -- he still bears emotional scars from his mother's drunken tirades while he was a child, and he's been forced to look after his grandfather (Louis Zorich) as he dies a slow, painful death. Henry has become a substitute teacher rather than fully commit himself to his students, but his latest assignment takes him to a high school where the building is in sad shape and the staff are faring no better. The principal, Carol Dearden (Marcia Gay Harden), is dealing with an unsupportive school board and a hostile husband (Bryan Cranston), Mr. Wiatt (Tim Blake Nelson) is being driven to the edge of a nervous breakdown, Mr. Seaboldt (James Caan) is too cynical to care about his work anymore, and guidance counselor Dr. Parker (Lucy Liu) spends more time insulting the students than helping them. As Barthes struggles to find a reason to continue, two troubled kids break through his wall of ennui -- Meredith (Betty Kaye), an overweight student who is a target for bullies among the students and staff, and Erica (Sami Gayle), a 15-year-old who has sex for money and is used as a punching bag by those around her. Detachment received its world premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Adrien BrodyMarcia Gay Harden, (more)
 
2010  
R  
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Actor Josh Radnor makes his debut as a writer and director with this independent comedy drama in which a handful of people riding the gap between their late twenties and early thirties navigate the sometimes tricky path of adulthood in New York City. Sam (Radnor) is a struggling writer who has trouble with long-term relationships; one day while on the subway, he meets Rasheen (Michael Algieri), a young boy who has been abandoned by his parents. Sam takes the boy in, which gives him a preview of parenthood but also proves to be more complicated than he expected. Sam is infatuated with Mississippi (Kate Mara), a bartender with a dream of making it as a musician; tired of one-night stands, she agrees to move in with Sam for a few days to see how she feels about a "real" relationship, but Rasheen's presence makes things awkward. Another of Sam's sometime girlfriends is Annie (Malin Akerman), who suffers from a rare medical condition that prevents her from having any hair. Though she's beautiful, Annie's lack of hair has caused her to have a dire self-image and she jumps from one relationship to another with a handful of men, some of whom treat her poorly. And Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) are a couple whose relationship is teetering on the brink as he considers a lucrative job offer in Los Angeles while she refuses to budge. Happythankyoumoreplease received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the audience award for Best Dramatic Feature. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Malin AkermanMichael Algieri, (more)