Kidulthood (2006)Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 |
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A day in the life of a group of troubled 15-year-olds growing up in west London. |
Kidulthood (2006)Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 |
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A day in the life of a group of troubled 15-year-olds growing up in west London. |
In Her Shoes (2005)Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 |
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I hadn’t read Jennifer Weiner’s book and the trailer didn’t sell me on “In Her Shoes,” so I went in without any expectations. I came away believing I’d seen one of the few movies of 2005 worth watching twice. |
10 Items or Less (2006)Friday, May 16th, 2008 |
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A well-known actor, who hasn’t accepted a role in four years, is considering a project. The cousin of the director drives him to Archie’s Ranch Market, in Carson, and drops him off to do a little research. He’s fascinated by one of the checkers, Scarlet, a young woman from Spain with a preternatural ability to ring up items at the cash register. She hates her job, stuck at the 10 items or less lane. The actor chats her up, and when her shift ends, he asks for a ride. In the course of the afternoon, he helps her prepare for a job interview. She needs to have confidence, he needs to commit. Human contact, however brief, can change people. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com} |
Fearless (1993)Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 |
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After a terrible air disaster, survivor Max Klein emerges a changed person. Unable to connect to his former life or to wife Laura, he feels godlike and invulnerable. When psychologist Bill Perlman is unable to help Max, he has Max meet another survivor, Carla Rodrigo, who is racked with grief and guilt since her baby died in the crash which she and Max survived. Written by Reid Gagle |
Mean Girls (2004)Monday, March 17th, 2008 |
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Armed with the knowledge “Mean Girls” was scripted by Tina Fey, “Saturday Night Live’s” head writer and one half of the team that brought “SNL’s” Weekend Update skits back to life, I was really looking forward to a sharply written, tell-it-like-it-is, teen movie. And while parts of it were as good as I expected, it didn’t quite have the bite to it I associate with Fey’s writing style. |
Uptown Girls (2003)Monday, January 28th, 2008 |
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Molly Gunn (Murphy), the freewheeling daughter of a deceased rock legend, is forced to get a job when her manager steals her money. As nanny for precocious Ray (Fanning), the oft ignored daughter of a music executive (Locklear) she learns what it means to be an adult while teaching Ray how to be a child. Written by Lindsey |
Christmas Vacation (1989)Sunday, December 9th, 2007 |
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It’s Christmas time and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration, but things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen and their two kids. Clark’s continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon. Written by Rob Hartill |
Marie Antoinette (2006)Friday, November 9th, 2007 |
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The Bottom LineI know nothing more about Marie Antoinette than I did going into Sofia Coppola’s lush $40 million production. Granted, it’s not the film’s job to educate me on the intricacies of the life of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, but it would have made the movie so much easier to endure if Coppola presented any reason at all to care about the film’s central characters. Just one reason, that’s all it would have taken to make Marie Antoinette something more than good-looking, insignificant fluff.
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)Monday, October 1st, 2007 |
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Lorelei and Dorothy are just “Two Little Girls from Little Rock”, lounge singers on a transatlantic cruise, working their way to Paris, and enjoying the company of any eligible men they might meet along the way, even though “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Based on the Broadway musical based on the novel. Written by Stewart M. Clamen {clamen@cs.cmu.edu} |
Single White Female (1992)Tuesday, August 21st, 2007 |
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When a ‘Single White Female‘ places an ad in the press for a similar woman to rent a room (to replace the boyfriend she’s just left), all the applicants seem weird. Then along comes a level headed woman who seems to be just right. The new lodger has a secret past which haunts her. Written by Rob Hartill |