Index of My Movies

Full Synopsis

As visually stylish as it is graphically violent, this thriller directed by Luc Besson concerns Mathilda (Natalie Portman), a twelve-year-old girl living in New York City who has been exposed to the sordid side of life from an early age: her family lives in a slum and her abusive father works for drug dealers, cutting and storing dope. Mathilda doesn't much care for her parents, but she has a close bond with her four-year-old brother. One day, she returns from running an errand to discover that most of her family, including her brother, have been killed in a raid by corrupt DEA agents, led by the psychotic Stansfield (Gary Oldman). Mathilda takes refuge in the apartment of her secretive neighbor, Leon (Jean Reno), who takes her in with a certain reluctance. She discovers that Leon is a professional assassin, working for Tony (Danny Aiello), a mob kingpin based in Little Italy. Wanting to avenge the death of her brother, Mathilda makes a deal with Leon to become his protégée in exchange for work as a domestic servant, hoping to learn the hit man's trade and take out the men who took her brother's life. However, an affection develops between Leon and Mathilda that changes his outlook on his life and career. Besson's first American film boasted a strong performance from Jean Reno, a striking debut by Natalie Portman, and a love-it-or-hate-it, over-the-top turn by Gary Oldman.

Les Miserables PG 13 2 hrs 37 min 2012

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried

Synopsis: The motion-picture adaptation of the beloved global stage sensation seen by more than 60 million people in 42 countries and in 21 languages around the globe and still breaking box-office records everywhere in its 27th year. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France,the film tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption - a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Ex-prisoner Jean Valjean is hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.

Let Me In R 1 hr 55 min

Synopsis

John Ajvide Lindqvist's celebrated vampire novel makes the leap to the big screen once again with the second feature adaptation in so many years (Tomas Alfredson's critically acclaimed 2008 hit Let the Right One In, being the first). The sensitive target of vicious bullying at school, 12-year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a social misfit from a broken home. By day Owen dreams about laying waste to his classroom tormentors; by night his attentions turn to his reclusive neighbors in their austere apartment complex. One evening, as Owen takes out his pent-up aggressions on a tree, his new neighbor Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz) appears over his shoulder. A young girl wise beyond her years, Abby just moved in next door to Owen with her stoic caretaker (Richard Jenkins), who seems to harbor a sinister secret. Compelled by Abby's apparent imperviousness to the harsh winter elements, her frail disposition, and the fact that she's nowhere to be found before the sun falls, Owen senses a kindred soul, and strikes up a friendship with the girl, despite her repeated attempts to maintain an emotional distance. Simultaneously, their community grows vigilant following a series of vicious murders, and Abby's caretaker vanishes without a trace. Later, as Abby begins to grow vulnerable, her bond with Owen strengthens. By the time Owen begins to suspect that his evasive new friend is something other than human, it starts to seem as if Abby could use a good friend after all. Given that his bullies are growing more emboldened by the day, so too could Owen.

Letters to Juliet PG,1 hr 45 min

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, Gael García Bernal

Synopsis

An American girl discovers a love letter that changes her life in this romantic comedy starring Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave. The setting is Verona, Italy -- the city where Romeo and Juliet first met. In Verona, there's a wall where the lovelorn leave notes, hoping that Juliet will answer their inquiries about love. Sophie (Seyfried) is part of a team of volunteers who respond to the letters. When Sophie answers a letter from 1957, the woman who wrote it (Redgrave) decides to seek out the one that got away, and romance starts to blossom all around.

License to Wed (2007) 91 mins PG13

Starring: Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, John Krasinski

Full Synopsis:

An engaged young couple finds their lifetime of happiness unexpectedly compromised by a pushy minister who insists they successfully complete his comprehensive marriage-prep course before exchanging wedding vows in a matrimonial comedy starring John Krasinski, Mandy Moore, and Robin Williams. Sadie Jones (Moore) has always longed to marry the man of her dreams in her family church. Though she found her lifetime companion in Ben Murphy (Krasinski), Sadie is distressed to learn that St. Augustine's has only one wedding slot available over the next two years. While Sadie and Ben do qualify for the slot, charismatic St. Augustine's minister Reverend Frank (Williams) won't wed the couple until they agree to attend his two-week prenuptial course. Now, as their wedding date draws near, Sadie and Ben must attend every one of Reverend Frank's exhausting classes and complete a series of rigorous homework assignments designed specifically to test their dedication to one another and ensure that their union will have a sound foundation.

Life is Beautiful (1997)

Cast: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giustino Durano

Director: Roberto Benigni

Category: Comedy, Drama, Foreign

Running Time: 1 hour 56 minutes

DVD Release: 11/09/1999

Full Synopsis

In this WW II tragicomedy, famed Italian funnyman Roberto Benigni (The Monster) portrays Guido, who moves during the '30s from the country to a Tuscan town, where he is entranced by schoolteacher Dora (Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni's real-life wife). Dora likes Guido, but she remains faithful to her pompous fiancé, so Guido has an uphill struggle. Meanwhile, anti-Semitic attitudes lead to attacks against Guido's Jewish uncle (Giustino Durano). Leaping ahead to five years later, during WW II, Guido and Dora are married and have a son Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini). After they are imprisoned in a concentration camp, Guido goes to elaborate lengths to keep his son from understanding the truth of their situation. He tells the boy that they are competing with others to win an armored tank -- so everything from food shortages to tattoos is explained as necessary for participation in the contest.

The Life of David Gale [WS] (2003)

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney

Category: Drama, Foreign, Mystery & Suspense

Running Time: 2 hours 11 minutes

DVD Release: 07/22/2003

Full Synopsis

The mystery of one man's guilt or innocence literally becomes a matter of life and death in this drama. David Gale (Kevin Spacey) was the head of the philosophy department at Austin University and the author of several well-regarded books; he was also an active and visible member of Deathwatch, an anti-capital punishment activist group. One of Gale's best friends was Constance Harraway (Laura Linney), a fellow Deathwatch activist with whom he became especially close, particularly since Gale's wife, Sharon (Elizabeth Gast), who had taken a lover in Spain, was usually absent. One night, Gale was seduced by an attractive student from his class, Berlin (Rhona Mitra), who had too much to drink; later, the remorseful student accused Gale of rape. While Gale was eventually cleared of the charges, the negative publicity cost him his career as an educator, and with no job and no wife, Gale turned to drink. When Harraway was found raped and murdered a few years later, Gale was charged with the crime, and convicted despite the best efforts of his well-meaning but ineffectual lawyer Braxton Belyeu (Leon Rippy). Now Gale awaits execution, and less than a week before his date with the fatal injection, Gale agrees to tell his story to Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet), a nervy journalist from a major newsmagazine, who arrives with her assistant, Zack Stemmons (Gabriel Mann). As Bloom discusses the facts of the Harraway murder with Gale, it occurs to her that the details simply don't add up, and soon a mysterious stranger slips evidence to her that suggests Gale has been framed -- leaving Bloom and Stemmons only a few days to solve the mystery and save Gale from the executioner. The Life of David Gale was co-produced by actor Nicolas Cage, who originally commissioned the script and intended to star in the film before prior commitments led him to hand the project over to director Alan Parker.

Life of Pi PG 2 hrs 7 min 2012

Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irfan Khan, Ayush Tandon

Synopsis: Yann Martel's ponderous adventure novel gets the big-screen treatment with this Fox 2000 adaptation helmed by director Ang Lee. The coming-of-age story surrounds the son of a zookeeper who survives a shipwreck by stowing away on a lifeboat with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena, and a Bengal tiger by the name of Richard Parker. Suraj Sharma heads up the cast as the young boy, with Gérard Depardieu, Adil Hussain, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, and Bollywood actress Tabu also starring.

Like Crazy PG13 1 hr 29 min

Starring: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence

Synopsis:

Drake Doremus' romantic drama Like Crazy stars Felicity Jones as Anna, a British girl who comes to America to attend college. In Los Angeles she falls madly in love with fellow student Jacob (Anton Yelchin), who returns her affection absolutely. However, when she overstays her visa, the government kicks her out of the United States, forcing the lovebirds to maintain a long-distance relationship and overcome a number of problems to keep their relationship alive.

Like Dandelion Dust PG 13 1 hr. 40 min

Synopsis

Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino and Barry Pepper star in My Date with Drew director Jon Gunn's heart-wrenching tale of a recently released ex-con who uses a legal loophole to locate his son, who was adopted by an upper-crust family shortly after his father was incarcerated. When Rip Porter (Pepper) went to prison, his wife, Wendy (Sorvino), couldn't handle the responsibilities of being a single parent. Wanting the best for her newborn son, Joey, she put the boy up for adoption. Adopted by Jack (Cole Hauser) and Molly Campbell (Kate Levering), Joey now enjoys an idyllic life with his new parents in a small town just outside of West Palm Beach, FL. Then, one day, Jack and Molly receive a troubling phone call from the social worker who assisted with the adoption: Rip has just been released from prison, and he's eager to start a new life with his wife Wendy and son Joey (Maxwell Perry Cotton). A judge has just issued a ruling stating that the Campbells have no choice but to return Joey to his biological parents -- but what if Jack and Molly were simply to disappear with Joey, like dandelion dust, never to be seen again? The film is adapted from the best-selling novel by Karen Kingsbury.

Limitless PG13 1 hr 45 min

Starring: Bradly Copper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish

Synopsis

A struggling writer unlocks the full potential of his brain by taking a cutting-edge pharmaceutical, only to find that his newfound abilities have made him a target for some of the most greedy and dangerous men on the planet. Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is an author without a novel. No matter how hard he tries, he just can't summon the inspiration to write a single word. That all changes when an old friend wanders back into Eddie's life, and opens his eyes to a powerful new drug called NZT. The moment Eddie takes NZT, his brain begins functioning at 100 percent, giving him the ability to quickly recall every event in his life down to the smallest detail, learn new languages in a flash, and harness the untapped power of complex mathematical equations. But when Eddie's supply of NZT runs out, the party is over. Of course, it doesn't take Eddie long to make a mint on Wall Street, and when he does, it draws the attention of Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro), one of the world's most powerful and prominent businessmen. With Eddie's help, Carl plots to arbitrate a complex corporate merger that will shake the establishment to its very core. Just as the deal is about to be brokered, however, some dangerous characters discover Eddie's secret and come gunning for his dwindling supply of medicine. Now, if Eddie can just endure the debilitating side effects of NZT long enough to run for his life, he may just survive to see another day.

The Lincoln Lawyer R,1hr 59min

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, Marisa Tomei

Synopsis

Matthew McConaughey stars in this legal thriller as a low-rent defense attorney named Mickey Haller. Most of the time, Mickey barely keeps his head above water, representing low-life clients and working out of the back of his car. He thinks he's landed the case of a lifetime when he's hired to defend a rich playboy (Ryan Phillippe) who stands accused of rape and attempted murder, and eagerly accepts his new client and the massive payoff that's sure to come with him. But Mickey soon discovers that he's become ensnared in a twisted plot where no fee in the world is high enough to pay for the deadly workload, and his only hope of survival may just lay in his own skills as a long-practiced double-crosser.

Lions for Lambs R, 1 hr 32 min

Starring: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise

Synopsis: Robert Redford directs this dramatic tale of intersecting lives that weaves together the stories of an idealistic professor's attempts to inspire a privileged student, a former student of the teacher who is wounded behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, and a congressman whose interactions with a seasoned journalist reveal much about the man behind the public persona. Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, and Robert Redford star in a film scripted by Matthew Michael Carnahan.

Little Children (2006) R 137 min.

Starring: Kate Winslet, Kathy Adamson, Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson

Full Synopsis:

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Todd Field teams with novelist Tom Perrotta to adapt Perrotta's acclaimed novel concerning the suburban malaise experienced by a handful of small-town individuals whose intersecting lives converge in a variety of surprising, and sometimes ominous, ways. Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly, and Patrick Wilson star in a cinematic adaptation that doesn't aim so much to simply reproduce the book for the screen as it does to re-imagine the written word by exploring new possibilities for the characters and situations originally presented in Perrotta's 2004 best-seller. Sarah (Winslet) is a suburban outsider who, unlike the other playground moms, isn't afraid to approach the dreamy but long-absent father whom smitten housewives have taken to calling the "Prom King." Long days at the local community pool with their respective children soon find Sarah becoming acquainted with local husband and father Brad (Patrick Wilson) -- who seems to share in her seething discontentment with life in their quaint commuter town. An English literature major who never envisioned a fate as a soccer mom, Sarah has a growing dissatisfaction with her successful husband (Gregg Edelman) that parallels Brad's increasing frustration with his inability to pass the bar and connect with his wife, Kathy (Jennifer Connelly), a successful documentary filmmaker. It's not long before the dejected pair is meeting for a series of illicit afternoon trysts as their unsuspecting spouses work and their children lie quietly napping. Meanwhile, after the community is riled by the return of a convicted sex offender (Jackie Earle Haley) who leaves the concerned parents scrambling to protect their young ones, an attempt made by Sarah and Brad to legitimize their clandestine relationship by dining together with their respective spouses begins to awaken Kathy's suspicions about the fidelity of her husband.

Little Fockers PG13,1hr 38min

Starring: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson

Synopsis

A birthday party for the twins gives Greg an opportunity to redeem himself after he takes a job that raises the suspicions of his overbearing father-in-law, Jack (Robert De Niro), in this installment of the hit comedy series. Greg (Ben Stiller) and Pam (Teri Polo) have been together for ten years, and now they're the proud parents of two adorable twins. But money is tight, and in order to keep his family afloat, devoted nurse Greg takes a second job working for a drug company. But that development doesn't sit well with Jack, whose previous suspicions regarding his hapless son-in-law soon come back in full force after learning of this development. With the twins' birthday fast approaching, the proud parents invite the entire clan over to celebrate in style, including Kevin (Owen Wilson), who still carries a torch for his pretty ex Pam. As the festivities get under way, Greg takes every opportunity available to prove to Jack that he's fully capable of providing for his family. Now Greg has one last chance to prove that he's trustworthy. Should he fail, the circle of trust will be broken for good. Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Laura Dern, and Jessica Alba co-star.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Running Time: 1 hour 39 minutes

Starring: Greg Kinnear - Richard.Toni Collette - Sheryl, Steve Carell - Frank, Paul Dano - Dwayne, Abigail Breslin - Olive

Full Synopsis:

When a pudgy, bespectacled seven-year-old voices her desire to take home the coveted Little Miss Sunshine crown at an upcoming beauty pageant, her wildly dysfunctional family sets out on an interstate road trip to ensure her a clear shot at realizing her dreams in former music video directorial team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' quirky feature debut, starring Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, and Toni Collette. Despite early career success as an outspoken motivational speaker, family patriarch Richard (Kinnear) continues to cling to his "Refuse to lose" philosophy, much to the chagrin of his increasingly annoyed spouse, Sheryl (Collette). Add into the mix a Nietzsche-reading teenage son (Paul Dano) who has taken up a vow of silence until he finds his fate as a fighter pilot; a horny, heroin-happy grandfather (Alan Arkin) with a penchant for creative profanity; and a suicidal genius (Carell) and Proust scholar still reeling about losing both his male lover and his MacArthur Foundation genius grant -- and the stage is set for a road trip in which sanity is sure to take the back seat.

Live Free or Die Hard (2007) PG 13 129 min.

Starring: Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant

Full Synopsis:

An old-fashioned cop emerges to foil a high-tech attack on the country's computer infrastructure as Bruce Willis brings back one of the biggest action franchises in screen history. It's been over a decade since audiences last saw New York cop John McClane (Willis), but now, as the world's greatest criminal mastermind (Timothy Olyphant) attempts to cripple the entire country with an innovative act of technological terrorism, only one cop can insure that the integrity of the system stays intact. In this, the fourth installment of the long-running action series, Underworld director Len Wiseman picks up the torch formerly carried by directors John McTiernan and Renny Harlin to helm a script penned by Mark Bomback.

The Lives of Others (2006) R 2 hrs. 18 min. German

Starring: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch

Full Synopsis:

A man who has devoted his life to ferreting out "dangerous" characters is thrown into a quandary when he investigates a man who poses no threat in this drama, the first feature from German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It's 1984, and Capt. Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) is an agent of the Stasi, the East German Secret Police. Weisler carefully and dispassionately investigates people who might be deemed some sort of threat to the state. Shortly after Weisler's former classmate, Lt. Col. Grubitz (Ulrich Tukur), invites him to a theatrical piece by celebrated East German playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), Minister Bruno Hempf (Thomas Thieme) informs Weisler that he suspects Dreyman of political dissidence, and wonders if this renowned patriot is all that he seems to be. As it turns out, Hempf has something of an ulterior motive for trying to pin something on Dreyman: a deep-seated infatuation with Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck), Dreyman's girlfriend. Nevertheless, Grubitz, who is anxious to further his career, appoints Weisler to spy on the gentleman with his help. Weisler plants listening devices in Dreyman's apartment and begins shadowing the writer. As Weisler monitors Dreyman's daily life, however (from a secret surveillance station in the gentleman's attic), he discovers the writer is one of the few East Germans who genuinely believes in his leaders. This changes over time, however, as Dreyman discovers that Christa-Maria is being blackmailed into a sexual relationship with Hempf, and one of Dreyman's friends, stage director Albert Jerska (Volkmar Kleinert), is driven to suicide after himself being blackballed by the government. Dreyman's loyalty thus shifts away from the East German government, and he anonymously posts an anti-establishment piece in a major newspaper which rouses the fury of government officials. Meanwhile, Weisler becomes deeply emotionally drawn into the lives of Dreyman and Sieland, and becomes something of an anti-establishment figure himself, embracing freedom of thought and expression. A major box-office success in Germany, Das Leben der Anderen (aka The Lives of Others) received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival.

Lockout PG13 1 hr 35 min

Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Vincent Regan

Synopsis: The U.S. government strong-arms a man accused of treason into rescuing the president's daughter from a maximum-security space prison that's been taken over by the inmates in a brutal riot. Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, and Peter Stormare star.

The Longest Yard (2005) 09/20/2005 1 hour 53 minutes

Cast: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock,

Director: Peter Segal

Category: Drama

Running Time:

Full Synopsis

One of the toughest and best-remembered sports movies of the 1970s gets a humorous makeover in this comedy. Paul "Wrecking" Crewe (Adam Sandler) was once a famous professional football player, but after several years out of the limelight and an alcohol problem have taken their toll, Crewe is arrested for a serious traffic accident aggravated by the fact he was drunk. Crewe is sentenced to Allenville Penitentiary, where Warden Hazen (James Cromwell) is something of a football fan. Hazen had organized his guards into an impressive football team, and clears a healthy profit by taking bets on their games. Looking to make the competition more interesting, Hazen suggests that Crewe put together a team from the inmate population to play his guards. With the help of fellow prisoner Caretaker (Chris Rock), Crewe recruits the heaviest hitters from the cell block for the team, but the guys don't play like a unit until Crewe and Caretaker get some help from Nate Scarborough (Burt Reynolds), a former college and NFL coach doing hard time. Adapted from Robert Aldrich's 1974 box-office smash of the same name, The Longest Yard also features rap star Nelly and Nicholas Turturro; the film has previously been loosely remade in 2001 as Mean Machine, with the action moved to England and the game changed to soccer.

The Lookout (2007) R 99 min.

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels