Browse Movies : 2006 : Drama : A

"A Good Woman" is a scandalous yet comic story set in New York and the Italian Riviera during the 1930s. Mrs. Erlynne (Helen Hunt) is an audacious and well-known woman of a certain age with a reputation for entertaining wealthy, married men. Leaving her problems and unpaid bills in New York, she sets sail for Italy to pursue Meg (Scarlett Johansson) and Robert Windermere (Mark Umbers), one of the most high profile couples in 1930s society. Once in Europe, she becomes embroiled in a family scandal which becomes an intriguing story of seduction, betrayal and, ultimately, surprising loyalty.

When he won a coveted admission spot to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, local kid Jake Huard (James Franco) thought all his dreams had come true – but his battle to become the man he wants to be is only just beginning.

Now, uncertain if a regular kid from a poor blue collar family can fit into the Academy's pressure-cooker atmosphere, and barely making the grade as a Freshman "plebe," Jake has one last shot at proving he has what it takes to become an officer in an institution that boasts a venerable 137-year history of focused discipline and determined excellence. With nothing left to lose, Jake decides to enter the notoriously fierce Navy boxing competition known as the Brigade Championships -- and face off against his arch-nemesis, Midshipman Lt. Cole (Tyrese Gibson). Everything Jake has ever hoped for stands in the balance: the chance to make his father proud, to validate his Lieutenant's faith in him, to stand up for his fellow plebes, and most of all, to forge a different future.

Directed by critically acclaimed indie director Justin Lin ("Better Luck Tomorrow"), comes this exhilarating comeback story of a courageous young sailor who discovers that some opportunities in life are worth fighting for. Jake's fellow classmates are comprised of a dynamic young cast that includes Jordana Brewster as the alluringly tough, female commander who helps to train Jake; Donnie Wahlberg as Lt. Cmdr. Burton, the officer who first decides to take a chance on Jake; and Chi McBride as the boxing coach who takes Jake from amateur swinger to focused warrior.

The movie is a celebrity version of Garrison Keillor's radio show. It adds a slight story of the radio show ending as a new owner (Tommy Lee Jones) has bought the Fitzgerald theater that the show broadcasts from and is going to tear it down. Another fantasy element is thrown in as an angel (Virginia Madsen) stalks the theater to take one of the performers. Keillor plays the lead character, coincidentally called GK. Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep play the singing Johnson Sisters, with Lindsay Lohan as a suicide-obsessed daughter of Streep. Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly are hilarious as the slightly off-color singing cowboy duo, Dusty & Lefty. Kevin Kline is a security guard who tells the story. Maya Rudolph also appears as a pregnant stage coordinator. Contains some mild sexually-oriented jokes.

From Academy Award winning filmmaker Mel Gibson, comes "Apocalypto" a heart stopping mythic action-adventure set against the turbulent end times of the once great Mayan civilization. When his idyllic existence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, a man is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression where a harrowing end awaits him. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and his family he will make a desperate break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life.

A heart-warming, triumph-over adversity drama, "Akeelah and the Bee" centers on a precocious eleven-year-old girl, Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), from south Los Angeles, who is discovered to have a talent for words. In spite of the objections of her mother Wanda (Angela Bassett), Akeelah enters a spelling contest. Her gift takes her to compete in the National Spelling Bee, the most famous competition of its kind in the world. On the way, she is helped by a forthright, mysterious teacher, Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne) and a cast of colorful characters from the community. Her journey evokes pride in the neighborhood, bringing them together and, in the end, all witness the courage and inspiration of one amazing little girl.

Set in 1930s Los Angeles, the story follows Arturo Bandini (Colin Farrell), a first generation Italian hoping to become a writer, and Camilla (Eva Mendes), a Mexican woman who hopes to marry an American.

Based on the novel by Peter Mayle, the film is about failed London banker Max Skinner (Crowe) who moves to Provence to tend a vineyard he inherited from his uncle, played by Albert Finney. There he encounters Cotillard's character, a beautiful California woman who says she is a long-lost cousin and lays claim to the property.

Based on the Alice Hoffman novel, the film revolves around two teenage girls (JoJo, Emma Roberts) who discover a mermaid (Sara Paxton) in their beach club's swimming pool.

Set in the future, "A Scanner Darkly" follows an undercover agent, Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves), who can change his face and identity. But when he ingests too much of the drug Substance D, his personality splits in two.

"Americano" centers around Chris McKinley (Joshua Jackson), a recent college graduate backpacking through Europe who savors his last three days of freedom before boarding the career fast track back in the United States. In Pamplona with two friends (Timm Sharp and Ruthanna Hopper), Chris meets an Australian thrill-seeker (Phil Barantini), a quintessential Spanish beauty (Leonor Varela) and an enigmatic provocateur (Dennis Hopper), all of whom encourage him to rethink his life. As the minutes and seconds until his departure tick away, Chris struggles with an age-old question: Should he follow the beaten path or risk it all on the road less traveled?

"All the King's Men" is a story of human nature, power, corruption, idealism, romance and betrayal. A uniquely American story, it is steeped in the atmosphere of the South during the 1940s and 50s, but its message is still timely and relevant today. "All the King's Men" uses politics as a framework to delve into the more profound dilemmas of human existence—sin, guilt and redemption. In its exploration of the corrupting aspects of power, the story focuses on a once just man who has lost his moral center and will use any means possible to achieve his goals.

A tale about a troubled hit man who is starting to realize that he has too much conscience to kill. Having recently rekindled his relationship with his childhood soul mate, Michelle, he sees their love as a way out. But reality soon grips him when he learns that she has stolen a mysterious briefcase, forcing Jean-Pierre to walk a fine line between protecting the woman he loves and falling back into the world of crime he just left--an impossible task that soon unravels in ways that he can neither imagine nor control.