Dulé Hill Movies

Brandon Beckner's black comedy Remarkable Power stars Saturday Night Live alum Kevin Nealon as Jack West, an L.A. television personality who's having a very bad time both at work and at home. The ratings for his talk show continue to nosedive, and his wife has been sleeping with a pro baseball player. One day, West comes up with an elaborate plan to get revenge on his straying spouse -- a plan that just might also save his program from cancellation. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

The weekly, hour-long detective dramedy Psych made its USA network bow on July 7, 2006, right after the fifth-season opener of the thematically similar Monk. James Roday starred as Shawn Spencer, the genial "slacker" son of no-nonsense police officer Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen). Relentlessly trained from an early age to recognize the smallest and most minute clues at a given crime scene, Shawn developed a photographic memory, which he generally used to coast through life and avoid honest work. Hoping to gain a bit of prestige as a police consultant, Henry made the mistake of providing so much "inside" evidence that at one point he was accused of being a perpetrator. In his efforts to wriggle out of this dilemma, Shawn managed to convince the authorities that he possessed psychic powers (which he most certainly did not), and as such became a permanent "troubleshooter" for the Santa Barbera police department, answerable to interim police chief Karen Vick (Kristen Nelson) -- who, luckily, was an old friend of Shawn's father. Grudgingly partnered with our hero was hard-bitten detective Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), who harbored serious doubts about Shawn's psychic prowess, and Lassiter's co-worker Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson), a gung-ho, ebullient type who believed every word that Shawn said. Also on hand was Shawn's best friend and confidante, Gus (Dule Hill), an overcautious type who resented being continually thrust into harm's way, but who couldn't hide his fascination with various aspects of crime and crime-solving. In a clever directorial gimmick, viewers at home "saw" and "memorized" the various clues in each episode through Shawn's eyes, via freeze-frame and zoom lens. A few episodes of Psych were seen on the over-the-air NBC network beginning July 14, 2006. Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robert S. Levi writes and directs this Emmy Award-winning documentary focusing on the life of pioneering gay composer and jazz musician Billy Strayhorn, whose compositions for Duke Ellington included such timeless classics as "Satin Doll" and "Take the A Train". The driving creative force behind the Duke Ellington Orchestra from the 1940s through the 1980s, Strayhorn produced a staggering body of work that included everything from jazz greats to orchestral suites and even film soundtracks. Though historians and scholars alike are quick to single out Strayhorn as one of the most woefully overlooked American composers in history - he was a virtual unknown when he succumbed to throat cancer in 1967 - his influence lives on even at the dawn of the 21st Century. With this film, Levi offers a comprehensive view of who Strayhorn really was as both a person and a musician, while simultaneously exploring why he remains a relative unknown even to ardent jazz enthusiasts. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

David Mamet wrote the screenplay for this adaptation of his play about a man who suddenly stumbles into a new and dangerous life. Edmond Burke (William H. Macy) is on his way home from work one evening when he impulsively stops to have his fortune read by a woman who informs him, "You are not where you belong." When he does arrive home, Edmond soon falls into an argument with his wife (Rebecca Pidgeon), and he storms out into the city, where he stops at a bar for a few drinks. There, Edmond finds himself talking with a man (Joe Mantegna) who freely shares his racist views about the role of African-Americans in society, and suddenly Edmond begins letting go of the sense of self-control that has always governed his actions. After a crawl through the city's underbelly of watering holes, strip clubs, gambling dens, and brothels, Edmond comes face to face with the violence of this world, and unexpectedly finds himself responding in kind. Edmond also stars Julia Stiles, Denise Richards, Mena Suvari, Bai Ling, and Dylan Walsh; it was directed by Stuart Gordon, who worked often with David Mamet during their early days at Chicago's Organic Theater Company. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Eight loosely connected city dwellers find their lives intersecting through their sexual proclivities in director Ken Kwapis' screen adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's enduring play La Ronde. As the revolving set of bedroom doors spin ever faster, the hopes, fears, truths, and heartaches of those longing to make a meaningful connection surface to offer a revealing look at modern sexuality. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A boy being punished for a crime he didn't commit learns there's more going on at a juvenile correctional facility than meets the eye in this comedy drama. Stanley Yelnats IV (Shia LaBeouf) is a teenager who has been told all his life that the men in the Yelnats family are cursed, thanks to a false promise his great, great grandfather made to a fortune teller. Given his frequent bad luck, and that which follows his father (Henry Winkler), Stanley has no trouble believing this. Stanley's bad luck hits a new low when a pair of sneakers literally falls out of the sky on him -- and turn out to be stolen. A judge sentences Stanley to a stay at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile correctional facility stuck in the middle of the desert, where he finds himself sharing a tent with a gang of misfits, including ringleader X-Ray (Brenden Jefferson), pushy Squid (Jake M. Smith), small but wiry Zero (Khleo Thomas), tough and stinky Armpit (Byron Cotton), paranoid ZigZag (Max Kasch), and thief-in-training Magnet (Miguel Castro). The Warden of Camp Green Lake (Sigourney Weaver) has her own ideas about rehabilitation, which consist of having the boys spend their days digging holes five feet deep under the desert sun. While well-mannered counselor Pendanski (Tim Blake Nelson) tries to help the boys however he can, Mr. Sir (Jon Voight), The Warden's right hand man, is a heartless creep who enjoys making Stanley and his friends suffer. Before long, Stanley wonders if there's a good reason why the Warden seems so curious about what (if anything) the boys find during their digging, and in time he suspects there's something they haven't been told which might be connected to the Yelnats family curse. Holes was based on the award-winning book for young people by Louis Sachar, who also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Once the fourth season of The West Wing gets past its semi-serious two-part opener, in which White House staffers Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), and Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) get lost somewhere in Indiana while campaigning for the re-election of President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen), the series hunkers down to more vital matters. Driving the action during the early stages of season four is, of course, the tense election battle between the Democratic Bartlet and his Republican opponent, Robert Ritchie (James Brolin). Despite the controversy surrounding the president's multiple sclerosis and his staff's presumed efforts to cover up his illness, Bartlet easily defeats his opponent. But the victory is not altogether sweet: First Lady Abby Bartlet (Stockard Channing) may put on a happy face for the public, but inwardly she is outraged that Jed reneged on his promise to serve only one term. The other major development this season is the defection of Bartlet's longtime deputy communications director, Sam Seaborn (played by Rob Lowe, who was reportedly dissatisfied that his role had become secondary to Martin Sheen's). Running for a seat in the House of Representatives, Sam is assured of full support by the Bartlet staff -- and he has been promised that if he loses, he would someday be invited back to the White House as senior advisor to the president. Meanwhile, Sam's replacement, Will Bailey (Joshua Malina), initially hired just to help write Bartlet's acceptance speech, calmly assumes the duties of his new post. Elsewhere, Bartlet's daughter Zoey (Elizabeth Moss) begins an ill-fated romance with a charming but slightly sinister Frenchman; Press Secretary C.J. (Allison Janney) tries to cope with her father's Alzheimer's; the president's new secretary, Debbie (Lily Tomlin), imperiously plays no favorites when it comes to honoring White House protocol; Bartlet courts international disfavor by condemning genocide in the war-torn nation of Kundu; and Mary-Louise Parker joins the cast as Amy Gardner, the first lady's new chief of staff. In the season's controversial closing episode, an anguished Jed Bartlet learns that his daughter Zoey has been kidnapped by Qumari terrorists -- forcing him to avoid a conflict of interest in handling the situation by invoking the little-used 25th amendment, which will place the reins of the government in the hands of Jed's second-in-command. And since the vice president has resigned, the power passes to Speaker of the House Glenallen Walken (John Goodman) -- a powerful Republican! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season one of The West Wing ended with a violent cliffhanger, as President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and his staff were apparently targeted for assassination. As season two begins, it is revealed that the intended bull's-eye of the attack was actually Bartlet's young African-American aide, Charlie Young (Dule Hill), who had raised the hackles of white supremacists for getting "too friendly" with the president's daughter Zoey (Elizabeth Moss). There is a bit of suspense in the first couple of episodes, inasmuch as the full extent of injuries to Bartlet and his deputy chief of staff, Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), are not immediately revealed to the public. This potentially tragic occasion permits the series' writers to pause for a few moments and flash back to the early days of Bartlet's presidential campaign, thereby explaining how such loyal aides as Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe), Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), and C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) hopped on the Bartlet bandwagon. Janel Moloney, as Josh's assistant Donna Moss, is moved up to regular status this season, while Emily Procter joins the cast as White House clerk Ainsley Hayes, who as a devout Republican is at first cold-shouldered by everyone on the Bartlet staff except Leo, who is in awe of her photographic memory and organizational skills. Major season-two plot developments include President Bartlet's revelation to those within his private circle that he has multiple sclerosis, which may scotch his bid for a second term; the kidnapping of five DEA agents in South America, and the disastrous consequences of a rescue attempt; the efforts by the administration to push through a "Family Wellness" bill; a fomenting political crisis in Haiti; and a highly controversial governmental lawsuit against all of big tobacco. The season concludes with a profound personal tragedy for Bartlet involving his loyal secretary Delores (Kathryn Joosten), which leads to a crisis of faith and a momentous decision. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi