Monthly Archives: May 2012

Girl, Interrupted (1999)

May 31, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by James Mangold, Based on a true story, It’s 1967 and 17-year-old Susanna Kaysen is like a lot of American teenagers her age- confused, insecure, struggling to make sense of the radiply changing world around her. The psychiatrist she meets with (courtesy of her parents), however, gives this behavior a name- Borderline Personality Disorder, ‘manifested by uncertainty about self-image, long-term goals, types of friends or lovers to have and which values to adopt’- and whisks her away to Claymoore Hospital. Here, Susanna discovers Lisa, Daisy, Georgina, Polly and Janet- a group of offbeat young women who not only become her closest friends, but Susanna’s back to something she had lost- herself.

About these ads

Wyatt Earp (1994)

May 30, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, Based on a true story, Wyatt Earp is a movie about a man and his family. The movie shows us the good times and the bad times of one of the West’s most famous individuals. Earp, who lived from 1848 to 1929. Growing up on a farm in Iowa, Earp tries to run away to join the Union Army in the Civil War, but he is turned away because of his youth. Instead, he studies law and marries Urilla Sutherland. But Urilla dies of typhoid fever before they can have children. Earp grows despondent and descends into drinking and petty thievery, but his father Nicholas finds him, sobers him up, and sets him straight. Earp becomes a buffalo hunter and a close companion of Bat Masterson and his brother Ed. With his brothers, Virgil and Morgan, Earp sets out to clean up the violence-plagued towns of the old West.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)

May 29, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Busby Berkeley, In 1906, Eddie and Dennis, star players for the Wolves baseball team, reunite with their teammates in Florida, after completing their off-season jobs as vaudeville entertainers. At the hotel near the training field, Eddie and Dennis lament their lost freedom and long for the days when they could stay up late and date women. The strict training schedule upsets Eddie more than it does Dennis, The team celebrates the new season with a party, but the celebration is dampened by news that the recently deceased owner of the Wolves has bequeathed the team to a distant relative, K. C. When the team is told that K. C. will be participating in the management of the team, Dennis and Eddie lead a rebellion against the change even before the new owner arrives. The team members, who have assumed that K. C. is a man, are astonished when they discover that she is a woman.

Memorial Day (2011)

May 27, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Samuel Fischer, When 13-year-old Kyle Vogel discovers the World War II footlocker belonging to his grandfather, Bud, everyone tells Kyle to put it back. Luckily, he ignores them. Although Bud has never talked about the war, he finds himself striking a deal with his grandson: Kyle can pick any three souvenirs, and Bud will tell him the stories behind each one. Memorial Day not only takes us on a journey into Bud’s complicated wartime past, but also into Kyle’s wartime future. As the two men share parallel experiences in combat, they come to realize how that day on the porch shaped both of their lives.

Men in Black III (2012)

May 25, 2012 1 Comment

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, They are back…in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

Scarface (1983)

May 25, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Brian De Palma, After years of diplomatic silence between the United States and Cuba, Castro opens the port of Mariel Harbor, Cuba, to thousands emmigrating to the United States in search of the American dream. Shrewdly, Castro also unlocks the overpacked prisons, allowing hordes of criminals to join the refugees. Tony, a small time hood, is one of them. In Florida, Montana connects with gangster Frank, and guns his way through the sun washed streets of Miami where he finds power, wealth and passion. He kills Lopez and marries his mistress, Elvira. Montana, better known as “Scarface,” soon becomes the leader of a bloody cocaine-smuggling empire. However, like that of others before him,  his reign is brief and a violent end is guaranteed as rival gangster compete to become the next drug lord.

In My Sleep (2009)

May 24, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Allen Wolf, Marcus struggles with parasomnia, a sleepwalking disorder that causes him to do things in his sleep that he cannot remember the next day. When he wakes up with blood on his hands and a knife at his side, he is startled to hear that a close friend has been found stabbed to death. Marcus frantically tries to put the pieces together – could he have murdered his friend while sleepwalking to hide a dark secret between them? Desperate to figure out what happens after he goes to sleep. His journey to uncover the truth leads him to a shocking revelation.

The Intouchables (2011)

May 23, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, Based on a true story of a wealthy, physically disabled risk taker, the picture of established French nobility, who lost his wife in an accident and whose world is turned upside down when he hires a young, good-humored, black Muslim ex-con as his caretaker. Depicts an unlikely camaraderie rooted in honesty and humor between two individuals who, on the surface, would seem to have nothing in common, Their bond proves the power and omniscience that love and friendship can hold over all social and economic differences.

The Eagle (2011)

May 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Kevin Macdonald, In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca, Marcus sets out across Hadrian’s Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the lost legion’s golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

May 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Princess Aurora is cursed at birth by the evil fairy Maleficent, the baby is kidnapped by a trio of good fairies who raise the girl themselves, hoping to avoid the spell’s fulfillment. Nevertheless, at the age of 16, A snubbed malevolent fairy casts a curse on a princess Aurora falls into a deep sleep that can only be awakened by a kiss from her betrothed, Prince Phillip. Knowing that Phillip intends to save Aurora, Maleficent takes him prisoner. When the good fairies launch a rescue attempt, Maleficent transforms herself into a spectacular fire-breathing dragon, forcing Phillip to defeat her in mortal combat.

Cinderella (1950)

May 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Clyde Geronimi and Wilfred Jackson, When Cinderella’s cruel stepmother prevents her from attending the Royal Ball, she gets some unexpected help from the lovable mice Gus and Jaq, and from her Fairy Godmother. Cinderella’s father remarries a cold, cruel woman who has two daughters, Drizella and Anastasia. When the father dies, Cinderella’s wicked stepmother turns her into a virtual servant in her own house. Meanwhile, across town in the castle, the King determines that his son the Prince should find a suitable bride and provide him with a required number of grandchildren. So the King invites every eligible maiden in the kingdom to a fancy dress ball, where his son will be able to choose his bride. Cinderella has no suitable party dress for a ball, but her friends the mice, led by Jaques and Gus, and the birds lend a hand in making her a dress.

Predator (1987)

May 20, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by John McTiernan, A team of commandos, on a mission in a Central American jungle, find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior. Sent to eliminate a gun-running camp in Central America, United States Major Dutch Schaeffer and his commandos get more than they bargained for when they cross paths with a mysterious assassin. As members of their unit begin to disappear, Dutch, Dillon, and Blain conclude that whatever is hunting them is not of this earth. Every attempt at a tactical defense is a defeated for Dutch and company and it is only in the last stretch of their race to safety that their suspicions are confirmed and they encounter the alien nimrod face to face.

Another Stakeout (1993)

May 18, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by John Badham, Chris and his partner Bill Reimers are back — this time, accompanied by a woman from the district attorney’s office Rosie. Their mission: to case the lakeside home of a Mafia trial witness without blowing their cover, of course. It’s a comic battle of wills among the unlikely trio when things go from bad to worse.

Stakeout (1987)

May 18, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by John Badham, While on an FBI stakeout, detective Chris falls hard for Mari, the woman he’s supposed to be watching. Soon he’s inside her home enjoying a torrid love affair, while his young partner Bill, waits across the street, looking through his binoculars and fuming. But the woman’s ex-boyfriend, a crazed, escaped convict who is the real object of the stakeout, is on his way back to see her and poses a very dangerous threat to the new couple.

Accident (1967)

May 17, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Joseph Losey, The sound of a car crash shatters the stillness of the country night and brings Stephen, an Oxford don, from his work to investigate. He finds two of his students,William, an English nobleman who is dead, and Anna, an Austrian princess suffering from shock. Carrying Anna to his house, Stephen recalls recent events involving the students. During a tutoring session Stephen learns of William’s love for Anna, and Stephen, whose wife, Rosalind, expects their third child and who senses the approach of middle age, also is strongly attracted to her. Stephen’s frustration is increased by his unsatisfactory attempt to rekindle the passion he once shared with Francesca and the knowledge that Anna is having an affair with Charley. Stephen’s feelings for Anna can only end in tragedy for them and those around them.

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)

May 16, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, A tough detective’s mother comes to visit him and begins to meddle in his life and career. Joe breakup with girlfriend and fellow detective Gwen and Detective Joe gets a new lady and partner in crime prevention his meddlesome mom. Joe’s mom instantly gets on his nerves by doing everything from cleaning his house to washing his gun, but the fun really begins when she botches an important undercover job  and begins to further interfere with his job and love life, eventually helping him with a case.

Frida (2002)

May 14, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Julie Taymor, Based on a true story, Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work. The life of artist Frida Kahlo–from her complex and enduring relationship with her mentor and husband, Diego Rivera, to her illicit and controversial affair with Leon Trotsky, to her provocative romantic entanglements with women, Frida lived a bold and uncompromising life as a political, artistic, and sexual revolutionary.

Show Boat (1951)

May 14, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by George Sidney, The daughter of a riverboat captain falls in love with a charming gambler, Hawk family, is the show boat where everyone comes for great musical entertainment down south. Julie and her husband are the stars of the show. After, a snitch on board calls the local police that Julie (who’s half- African-American) is married to a whiteman, they are forced to leave the show boat. The reason being, that down south interracial marriages are forbidden. Magnolia, Captain Hawks daughter, becomes the new show boat attraction and her leading man is Gaylord Ravenal, a gambler. The two instantly fall in love, and marry, without Hawks approval. Magnolia and Gaylord leave the, “Cotton Blossom”, for a whirl wind honeymoon but Magnolia soon faces reality quickly, that gambling means more to Gaylord than anything else.

Devdas (2002)

May 13, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, After his wealthy family prohibits him from marrying the woman he is in love with, Devdas, he takes up alcohol and a life of vice to numb the pain. Early 1900s, follows a young man named Devdas on his way home to India after having spent the past ten years in London. As the news reaches Devdas and his ex-love Paro’s respective households, the family matriarchs remember when the young couple were still children. When Devdas’ mother found out the two wanted to get married, she refused to give her consent, and in doing so, set off a sequence of events which would lead Devdas into alcoholism. Though Paro has agreed to an arranged marriage with a wealthy landowner, but she still loves Devdas.

The Dark Corner (1946)

May 11, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Henry Hathaway, Secretary tries to help her boss, who is framed for a murder. An ex-convict who returns to the private detective business upon his release. Sour and surly, Galt behaves himself only when he’s around his faithful and adoring secretary Kathleen. When Galt’s crooked former partner Tony inaugurates an affair with socialite Mari, Cathcart’s waspish art-collector husband arranges Jardine’s murder, carefully pinning the blame on Galt. On the lam from the cops, Galt must rely on Kathleen to help gather enough evidence to prove his innocence.

Dark Shadows (2012)

May 11, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Tim Burton, The year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas has the world at his feet-or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique. A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972.

Rear Window (1954)

May 10, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. Jeffries breaks his leg while getting an action shot at an auto race. Confined to his New York apartment, he spends his time looking out of the rear window observing the neighbors. He begins to suspect that a man across the courtyard may have murdered his wife. Jeff enlists the help of his girlfriend Lisa and his visiting nurse Stella to investigate.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

May 10, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by William Cottrell and David Hand, Snow White is always cheerful and kind, even though her cruel stepmother wishes the innocent maiden ill when the Magic Mirror reveals Snow White to be the fairest in the land. The wicked queen tries to do away with Snow White, but she narrowly escapes through the terrifying forest and finds comfort among the gentle wild creatures that live there. Even after she has found a new home with her new friends, the Seven Dwarfs, her wicked stepmother finds a way to send her into an enchanted sleep. Fortunately, a happy ending is just a kiss away.

High Art (1998)

May 8, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Lisa Cholodenko, Sydney, age 24, her whole life mapped out in front of her. Living with longtime boyfriend James, and working her way up at the respected high-art photography magazine Frame, Syd has desires and frustrations that seem typical and manageable. A young female intern at a small magazine company becomes involved with a drug-addicted lesbian photographer, both of whom seek to exploit each other for their respective careers, while slowly falling in love with each other.

Shame (2011)

May 8, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Steve McQueen, Brandon is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon’s insular life spirals out of control. Shame is a compelling and timely examination of the nature of need, how we live our lives and the experiences that shape us.

Submit by Tim H.

Splash (1984)

May 6, 2012 1 Comment

Directed by Ron Howard, Allen is vacationing with his family near Cape Cod. While taking a sight-seeing tour on a ferry, he gazes into the ocean and sees something below the surface that fascinates him. Allen jumps into the water, even though he cannot swim. He grasps the hands of a girl who is inexplicably under the water with him and an instant connection forms between the two. Allen is quickly pulled to the surface by the deck hands and the two are separated, though no one else apparently sees the girl.  Twenty-five years later, the boy has grown up, Allen returns to Cape Cod, where he briefly encounters eccentric Dr Walter and again falls into the sea. He wakes up on a beach where he encounters a beautiful naked woman who unknown to him is the mermaid he met as a boy .

100 Days (1991)

May 4, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Partho Ghosh, Premonitions of her sister’s death at the hands of a trench-coat-clad gunman haunt clairvoyant Devi; next thing you know, her sibling disappears and is presumed dead. Five years later, Devi discovers her sister’s skeleton, triggering another vision — this time, of a videotape promising to reveal the killer’s identity in 100 days. Can Devi handle the shocking truth?

Iron Man 2 (2010)

May 4, 2012 Comments: 2

Directed by Jon Favreau, The world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark is the armored Super Hero Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. With Pepper Potts, and James “Rhodey” Rhodes at his side, Tony forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces. Tony must contend with deadly issues involving the government, his own friends and new enemies.

Iron Man (2008)

May 4, 2012 1 Comment

Directed by Jon Favreau, Tony Stark is a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man. and ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

May 4, 2012 1 Comment

Directed by Louis Leterrier, Scientist Bruce desperately hunts for a cure to the gamma radiation that poisoned his cells and unleashes the unbridled force of rage within him: The Hulk. Living in the shadows–cut off from a life he knew and the woman he loves, Betty–Banner struggles to avoid the obsessive pursuit of his nemesis, General Thunderbolt, and the military machinery that seeks to capture him and brutally exploit his power. As all three grapple with the secrets that led to The Hulk’s creation, they are confronted with a monstrous new adversary known as The Abomination, whose destructive strength exceeds even The Hulk’s own. To stop it, one scientist must make an agonizing final choice: accept a peaceful life as Bruce.

The Avengers (2012)

May 4, 2012 1 Comment

Directed by Joss Whedon, The Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. His team will need all their powers to save the world from disaster.

Amazing Grace (2006)

May 3, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Michael Apted, Based on a true story, In 1784, 21-year-old William Wilberforce was elected to the British House of Commons, and soon established himself as a politician with a conscience. Several years later, his close friend William Pitt became prime minister, and together they made a bold plan to introduce a bill banning slavery before the English legislature. Wilberforce was aided by anti-slavery activists Olaudah Equiano and Thomas Clarkson; however, pro-slavery hard-liners Lord Tarleton and the Duke of Clarence spearheaded a hard-fought opposition to the legislation, and despite Wilberforce’s best efforts, his bill went down in defeat. In 1797, Wilberforce left politics due to poor health and a battered spirit.

Enter the Dragon (1973)

May 2, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Robert Clouse, A martial artist agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord using his invitation to a tournament there as cover. Lee is a martial arts artist who makes it his business to help catch the drug dealer whose gang killed his sister. The dealer  works from an island that is heavily-guarded by his own team of martial arts experts. A kung fu tournament is regularly held on the island, so he enters the contest and then proceeds to fight his way into the leader’s headquarters. It is a deadly tournament that they will enter on an island.

Glory (1989)

May 2, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Edward Zwick, Based on mostly true story, The story of the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War.  Lead by two idealistic young Bostonians, the regiment also includes an inspirational sergeant who unites the troops and a runaway slave who embodies the indomitable spirit of the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts. Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War’s first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.

( The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry the first formal unit of the US Army to be made up entirely of African American men.)

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

May 1, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Clyde Geronimi and Wilfred Jackson, The romantic tale of a sheltered uptown Cocker Spaniel dog and a streetwise downtown Mutt. Lady is the pampered female dog belonging to Jim and Darling. When her human masters bring a baby into the house, Lady feels she’s being eased out; and when Darling’s insufferable Aunt Sarah introduces her nasty twin Siamese cats into the fold, Lady is certain that she’s no longer welcome. The cats wreak all for which Lady is blamed. After the poor dog is fitted with a muzzle, Lady escapes from the house, only to run across the path of the Tramp, He is obviously from the wrong side of town, but happenings at Lady’s home make her decide to travel with him for a while, as no dog is above the law.

In a Better World (2010)

May 1, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Susanne Bier, Anton is a doctor who commutes between his home in an idyllic town in Denmark, and his work at an African refugee camp. In these two very different worlds, he and his family are faced with conflicts that lead them to difficult choices between revenge and forgiveness. Anton and his wife Marianne, who have two young sons, are separated and struggling with the possibility of divorce. Their older, ten-year-old son Elias is being bullied at school, until he is defended by Christian, a new boy who has just moved from London with his father, Claus. Christian‟s mother recently lost her battle with cancer, and Christian is greatly troubled by her death. Elias and Christian quickly form a strong bond, but when Christian involves Elias in a dangerous act of revenge with potentially tragic consequences.

Emma (1996)

May 1, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Douglas McGrath, In rural 1800s England things go bad for a young matchmaker, Emma, a young woman who imagines herself an authority on matters of the heart. With the best of intentions, Emma plays matchmaker for her friends, most notably her friend Harriet, who Emma links up with the Reverend Elton, and her governess, who she introduces to her future husband, Mr. Weston. However, Emma is not nearly as good at playing Cupid as she likes to imagine, and she spends so much time trying to solve everyone else’s romantic problems that it takes her quite some time to realize that she’s fallen in love with Mr. Knightly.

Amistad (1997)

May 1, 2012 Leave a comment

Directed by Steven Spielberg, Based on the true story, of the failed mutiny on board the slave ship Amistad in 1839, and the courtroom battle that followed. In the trial that would challenge the very foundation of the American legal system, abolitionist Theodore Joadson, trial lawyer Roger Baldwin and ex-president John Quincy Adams argue for the freedom and civil rights of the captive African slaves.

( The Amistad Africans returned to their homeland in 1842; the Lomboko Fortress was not destroyed until December 1849.)

%d bloggers like this: