April 2006 Movies

Starring Mo'Nique as Jazmin Biltmore, a smart-mouthed aspiring fashion designer, "Phat Girlz" is an edgy comedy about two frustrated plus-size women obsessed with their weight while struggling to find love and acceptance in a world full of "hot bodied" babes. The "Phat Girlz" are thrown a major curve ball when they meet the men of their dreams in the most unexpected of ways.

Gus and his nerdy buddies, Richie and Clark, are scouted by a millionaire nerd, Mel, who wants to form a baseball team and compete with the meanest Little League teams in the state. A stellar ballplayer, Gus becomes a role model for nerds and outcasts everywhere. But when his fans learn that Gus, himself, was once a school bully, they feel outraged and betrayed, until Gus takes extraordinary steps to win back their admiration and trust.

Frank is a 55-year-old hard-working man, established and respected in his community, who suddenly finds himself without a job. Several other colleagues suffer the same fate and, whilst a shock to everyone, it is above all a crushing blow to Frank's pride. For the first time in his life, Frank is without direction. Agonised by the memory of his young son's drowning, Frank's dreams are haunted with images of water, yet it is only when he swims that he feels truly in control of his destiny. When his friend Danny jokes that on a clear day he could swim to France, a seed of hope is planted in his mind. Frank determines to salvage his self-esteem and to tackle his demons by attempting the ultimate test of endurance--to swim the English Channel--the 22-mile stretch of water dividing England and France. Initially concealing his master plan from his loving wife Joan and estranged son Rob, Frank and his friends unite to support his audacious plan. In the process this motley band of brothers restore their lost hope and confidence in the future.

Pierre Dulaine is a Manhattan ballroom teacher and competitor who volunteers his time to teach ballroom dancing to a group of New York inner city high school kids. Initially forced to participate as a form of detention, the kids reject Mr. Dulaine's efforts until his unwavering commitment and dedication finally inspires them to embrace the program, infusing it with their own unique hip-hop style while subconsciously learning valuable life lessons about pride, respect, self-esteem and honor.

A tale which centers around four best friends and their relationships with one another, the men in their lives, and their checkbooks. However one of them, who is unsettled and unattached, decides to clean houses to make ends meet.

One night, Samson's (Sutherland) son, Ryan, accidentally causes a gazelle stampede. Father and son have a heated argument that leads to Ryan running away and hiding in an empty crate, without realising that it's in a truck marked "Return to the wild" - Africa. Samson and his friends take off into the real Wild, New York City and end up at New York harbour where they arrive just in time to see Ryan take off on a boat. Our rescue squad, commandeer a boat and head off to Africa after Ryan. Once in Africa, their adventure continues as they search for Ryan and encounter a herd of wildebeests who are bent on eating all of our zoo friends… except Nigel the koala (Eddie Izzard) who they believe is God-like. Our heroes lives, as well as Ryan's, now lie in Nigel's hands, or paws, but will he let his new-found fame go to his head.

Geoff is a 30ish, successful, high-fashion photographer who meets 14-year-old Haley on the Internet. They arrange a date at a coffee shop and then head back to his house. What follows is a spine-chilling nightmare. And, Geoff has no one to blame but himself.

Cindy Campbell is back in the next chapters of the hugely successful "Scary Movie" franchise, that has grossed over $325 Million domestic and is now under the helm of legendary comedy filmmaker David Zucker. The "Scary Movie" franchise has now branched out beyond parodying horror films and has become the comedy spoof of today's youth and pop culture, attacking music and fashion trends, current events and the occasional celebrity scandal. This time around promises to be the most hilarious and accessible due to an onslaught of successful horror and genre movies released in the last year – including "Dawn of the Dead", "The Grudge", "Ring 2", "The Forgotten", "Freddie vs. Jason", "Saw", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "The Village", as well as Academy films such as "Million Dollar Baby" and "Sideways".

After almost ten years of marriage, the stunningly attractive Zoë realizes that her marriage to Ignacio no longer carries the passion and spark it once had. Emotionally adrift, she is left to search for those sensations once again, and soon finds herself seduced into the arms of Gonzalo, her husband's brother. At first, Zoe becomes reinvigorated by the romance. But her decision soon launches a series of events that drives these three people through a gauntlet of revenge, secret and despair that will unravel them all.

The story of Bettie Page, uber-successful 1950's pin-up model, one of the first sex icons in America, and the target of a Senate investigation (based on her bondage photos).

On the morning of his re-election, the President (Quaid) decides to read the newspaper for the first time in four years. This starts him down a slippery slope. He begins reading obsessively, reexamining his black and white view of the world, holing up in his bedroom in his pajamas. Frightened by the President's apparent nervous breakdown, his Chief of Staff (Dafoe) pushes him back into the spotlight, booking him as a guest judge on the television ratings juggernaut (and the President's personal fave), the weekly talent show American Dreamz.

America can't seem to get enough of American Dreamz, hosted by self-aggrandizing, self-loathing Martin Tweed (Grant), ever on the lookout for the next insta-celebrity. His latest crop of hopefuls includes Sally (Moore), a conniving steel magnolia with a devoted, dopey veteran boyfriend (Klein), and Omer, a recent Southern Californian immigrant (who just happens to be a bumbling, show tune singing, would-be terrorist awaiting activation). When both Sally and Omer make it to the final round of Dreamz—where the President will be judging along with Tweed—the stage is set for a show the nation will never forget.

Four siblings struggle to banish the ghost of their dead father and create some semblance of harmony using a college on New York's Upper East Side as their surrogate home. Flashing between the chaos of Manhattan and the seemingly perfect sanctuary of Charleston, this unflinchingly honest drama with comedy explores and explodes the myths of family and friendship. As three sisters and a brother recall the simpler life the family left in their childhood home, they peel back the layers of their pretensions and self-deceptions with wit and candor escalating to moments of shocking power. Their final realization is that chaos and violence lie within the heart, and the only defenses are love and honesty.

Elise (Amy Adams) and Michael (Adam Garcia) are the perfect couple who have been dating seemingly forever. Unlike most young couples, they have everything one can wish for - a beautiful house, an upcoming wedding, and a crew of close friends, all coming into Los Angeles for the weekend nuptials. As they each arrive at the house, joyous reunions quickly turn into awkward meetings that bring up both sweet and painful memories. Rich (Aaron Stanford) and Samantha (Melissa Sagemiller) are the best man and maid of honor who are also toying with taking the next step towards the altar. Lana (Mena Suvari) is a neurotic actress with an unstable love life. When all the men she's ever slept with, the forlorn Pockets (Jon Abrahams), children's show host Donovan (Ethan Embry), and drunken actor Simon (James Van Der Beek), all show up for the wedding, chaos ensues. Rounding out the group are Quentin (Colin Hanks), a fast-talking agent who falls hard for the bride's sister (Marnette Patterson), Jennifer (Lauren German), the bride's former roommate with a secret, Franklin (Roger Avary), the definition of a wacky Hollywood director, and Jonathan (Xander Berkeley), the groom's long lost father battling addiction, attempting to reenter his son's life.

Rose cannot accept the knowledge that her daughter Sharon is dying of a fatal disease. Over the protests of her husband, she flees with her child, intending to take the girl to a faith healer. On the way, she ends up driving through a portal in reality, which takes her to the eerie and deserted town of Silent Hill. Sharon disappears in Silent Hill, and Rose follows what she thinks is her daughter's silhouette all over town. It's soon clear the town is not like any place she's ever been. It's inhabited by a variety of creatures and a living darkness that descends and literally transforms everything it touches. The human inhabitants - the ones who are left - are trapped and fighting a losing battle against the Darkness. Joined by a cop named Cybil, who has been sent to bring her and Sharon back, Rose searches for her little girl while learning the history of Silent Hill and that Sharon is just a pawn in a larger game. To save her daughter, Rose makes a deal with a demon in the form of a little girl...

Jeff Bridges will play the coach of a team of rule-abiding gymnasts who develop a taste for rebellion after a renegade member (Missy Peregrym) joins the crew. Vanessa Lengies co-stars as Peregrym's rival.

A young couple who have Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, fall in love, but their talents are offset by an inability to relate to one another, which threatens to undermine their relationship.

When a colleague is murdered, Secret Service agent Pete Garrison is put in charge of the investigation. But Garrison himself becomes a suspect after he is blackmailed by someone who knows of his affair with the first lady. Stripped of his duties and now a fugitive, Garrison races to prove his innocence and save the president's life.

An urban action thriller with a sexy 21st-century Bonnie and Clyde. Ex-con O2 (Tyrese Gibson) is suddenly plunged into a life-or-death situation; trying to go straight for the sake of his young son Junior, O2 is forced to go back outside the law when Junior is kidnapped in a carjacking. His son is now in the hands of a vicious criminal leader, Meat (hip-hop superstar The Game). O2's shady cousin Wanna Be (Larenz Tate) is caught between loyalties, and so the only person who can or will help O2 now is wily street-smart hustler Coco (Meagan Good). With the clock ticking down, the heat between them rises as they become a lawbreaking couple, on an action-packed tear through town to save Junior and outwit the underworld.

During the Cuban Revolution of 1958-59, the three brothers of the Fellove family are ruined: brother Luis supports Castro as a clandestine terrorist and is killed by the forces of Batista; brother Ricardo joins Castro's forces as a freedom fighter and kills himself when he realizes that Castro is just another power-hungry dictator; and wary brother Fico, a nightclub entrepreneur, stays apolitical during the Revolution and sees his life's work confiscated by Castro's puritanical and acquisitive goons.

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 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, "Water" begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence. Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

An unflinching drama that tells the story of the passengers and crew, their families on the ground and the flight controllers who watched in dawning horror as United Airlines Flight 93 became the fourth hijacked plane on the day of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil: September 11, 2001.

"Art School Confidential" follows Jerome, an art student who dreams of becoming the greatest artist in the world. Arriving as a freshman at a prestigious East Coast art school, filled with every artsy "type" there is, Jerome quickly discovers his affected style and arrogance won't get him very far. When he sees that a clueless jock is attracting the glory rightfully due him, he hatches an all-or-nothing plan to hit it big in the art world and win the heart of the most beautiful girl in the school.

Emily Wang (Maggie Cheung) is a woman who wrestles with her dream of becoming a singer, her fitness as a mother, and daily life without her partner Lee (James Johnston). Her past is riddled with drugs and regrets, the result of which left Lee dead in a desolate motel room in Hamilton, Ontario, and landed Emily with a six-month jail sentence. The only thing that she desires for the future is a loving relationship with her son Jay, who is being cared for by Lee's parents, Albrecht (Nick Nolte) and Rosemary (Martha Henry). While Rosemary blames Emily for the death of Lee, Albrecht recognizes the importance of the bond between a mother and her son, and his faith sets the standard for the faith Emily must find in herself. Clean follows Emily to Hamilton, Paris, London and San Francisco and in three languages (English, French and Cantonese), as she battles for a place in a world reluctant to forget the woman she has been and unwilling to accept her as the woman she longs to be.