Drama

A South African mercenary and a Mende fisherman find their fates forever intertwined as they embark on a quest to obtain a rare and highly coveted pink diamond in director Edward Zwick's frantic adventure drama. Ripped from his family farm and forced to toil away in the sweltering South African diamond fields, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) discovered an extraordinary rough stone of immeasurable value. Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hired gun who specializes in the sale of so-called "blood diamonds" that are used to finance rebellions and terrorist organizations, and is currently serving time for smuggling. As a bloody civil war rages in Sierra Leone and Archer learns that Vandy has safely hidden the diamond in a place where no one would ever suspect, the pair enlist the aid of disillusioned American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) in recovering the treasure that has the power to save Vandy's family and provide the desperate Archer with a much-needed chance for redemption. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Australian director Gillian Armstrong directed this Laura Jones adaptation of Peter Carey's 1988 Booker Prize-winning novel. In a lengthy flashback, Oscar Hopkins' great grandson (Geoffrey Rush) narrates the family history that led to his birth. On an Australian farm, Lucinda Leplastrier was tutored by her intelligent mother, a woman who took part in the early feminist movement. Oscar's lonely boyhood in rural England was under the watchful eye of his preacher father. At Oxford to train as a minister, the adult Oscar (Ralph Fiennes) feels he doesn't fit in and develops a passion for gambling, giving his winnings away to the poor. Oscar and Lucinda (Cate Blanchett) meet aboard a ship; he's off to the outback to work as a missionary, and she's returning from London after buying equipment for her glass factory. As mutual misfits, they have an instant attraction and quickly grow close, developing a romantic relationship based on trust. However, the Rev. Dennis Hasset (Ciarán Hinds) and Lucinda are friends, sharing an interest in glass. Convinced they are in love, Oscar embarks on an unusual and difficult task, building a glass church for the reverend, an ambitious project to attempt in the remote wilderness. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

One of the great stories of doomed love is given a new screen interpretation in this historical drama. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, King Donnchadh (David O'Hara) of Ireland has become the de facto ruler of England, but one of his underlings, Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell), dreams of uniting British forces with an eye toward self-rule. One of Marke's most valuable allies is Tristan (James Franco), Marke's protégé, who has become a brave warrior since he was rescued by the lord after his parents were murdered by Irish forces during a battle. While Marke and Tristan dream of banishing Ireland's presence in England, Tristan has a secret he's been hiding from Marke -- after suffering serious wounds during a hard-fought battle, he was rescued and nursed back to health by Isolde (Sophia Myles), King Donnchadh's daughter, and the two fell deeply in love. But the couple were separated after Tristan returned to England, and when King Donnchadh attempts to quell the British uprising by staging a tournament among the nation's greatest warriors, with an extreme and rather personal surprise in store for Tristan.
Tristan & Isolde was directed by Kevin Reynolds, and produced in part by Ridley Scott, who attempted to bring the story to the screen back in the 1970s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A struggling human interest columnist finds a simple scrap of paper with a profound message may be the key to saving her column from cancellation in this inspirational, made for television drama starring Genie Francis and Ted McGinley. Peyton MacGruder (Francis) is the "Heart Healer" columnist for the local Middleborough Times newspaper. It's Christmas time, and just as the crew of Flight 848 reports a minor electrical problem, Peyton is summoned to her editor's office for a serious discussion about the future of the "Heart Healer" column. According to the results of a recent reader's survey, the "Heart Healer" column was voted the least interesting item that the paper had to offer, and as a result Peyton is about to get the axe. Just as Peyton's editor warns the writer to improve her standing with readers of hit the pavement, word breaks in the newsroom that Flight 848 has crashed, killing everyone aboard. King Danville, Peyton's friend and colleague at the paper, has lost a dear friend in the crash. Pondering whether or not the passengers realized they were going to die while drowning his sorrows at the local sports bar, King wonders aloud whether they had time to say goodbye to their loved ones, half-jokingly suggesting that Peyton work the concept into her failing column. The following day, Peyton is jogging along the beach when she spies smarmy television reporter Truman Harris interrupting a memorial service for the victims, all the while struggling to find an angle that doesn't seem exploitative. That angle arrives in the form of a note that Peyton finds during another walk along the coast. Sealed inside a small plastic bag half filled with cookie crumbs is a note to "T" from "Dad." Peyton is deeply moved by the heartfelt note, and vows to use the "Heart Healer" column as a means for getting the note to its intended recipient. In order to do so, however, Peyton will be forced to contend with her television counterpart Harris, a tactless reporter whose penchant for sensationalizing a story is only matched by his willingness to resort to underhanded tactics in order to take sole credit for all of Peyton's hard work. And while tracking down "T" proves no easy task, Peyton quickly discovers that her latest story truly resonates with readers upon being informed by her publisher that her "Heart Healers" column has gained a loyal following across the country. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In this tightly-wound, perceptive film, a young farm boy kills his older brother when a shotgun accidentally goes off then retreats into a shell of silence as his family seems to react against him. Arnold (Jason Presson) and his brother get up at the crack of dawn to go duck hunting, but their happy plans take a tragic turn when Arnold's shotgun gets caught in a barbed wire fence and accidentally goes off, killing his older brother. Arnold is in shock, he sits by his brother's side, he irrationally wanders in a pea patch, slowly picking the vegetables. When he finally goes home and manages to articulate what happened, his parents ignore him in their own grief. His father Joe (Robert Duvall) thinks Arnold does not have a clue about what he did because he just stands there, not speaking or communicating anything at all -- like a stone. Arnold's mother may not understand his behavior -- this is a Montana farming couple, not a pair of psychologists -- but she is not as judgmental as her husband. The family's grief causes some aberrant behavior, making the life of Arnold's next-door Aunt Lu miserable (her philandering husband is taking off after the dead boy's girlfriend), and Arnold senses a kindred spirit in the woman. But his grandfather is the only one who understands that the family should not mistreat Arnold, that he is suffering so intensely he simply cannot express it. When Arnold runs away, escaping to the city of Reno, there is some hope that the boy will find a much-needed emotional release. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide