high school bubbling over with naive optimism, but quickly discovers that her unruly classroom isn't easily won over by her good intentions. After a few floundering attempts to connect with her students, Gruwell gives them the assignment of keeping journals about their own lives--an assignment that the class bites into with relish, which eventually bonds them together and pushes racial rivalries aside. This plotline has been made before, sometimes well, sometimes poorly; Freedom Writers , by drawing heavily from the published journals of the students--and thanks to a (mostly) unheroic script, direction that emphasizes individual characters over stereotypes, and rigorous performances from the whole cast--makes the story seem fresh and genuin...  (less)

high school bubbling over with naive optimism, but quickly discovers that her unruly classroom isn't easily won over by her good intentions. After a few floundering attempts to connect with her students, Gruwell gives them the assignment of keeping journals about their own lives--an assignment that the class bites into with relish, which eventually bonds them together and pushes racial rivalries aside. This plotline has been made before, sometimes well, sometimes poorly; Freedom Writers , by drawing heavily from the published journals of the students--and thanks to a (mostly) unheroic script, direction that emphasizes individual characters over stereotypes, and rigorous performances from the whole cast--makes the story seem fresh and genuin...  (less)

the vein of Phone Booth and Speed that will keep you riveted with edge-of-your-seat car chase scenes. DVD Features: Audio Commentary: with Director David Ellis, writers Larry Cohen and Chris Morgan DVD ROM Features: Script-to-Screen Deleted Scenes: w/optional Director commentary Featurette: 3 Exciting Featurettes! "Celling Out"A look at cellphones in today's culture "Dialing Up Cellular"Making of The Film "Code of Silence: Inside the Rampart Scandal" Theatrical Trailer  (less)

her jealousy and learn an important lesson about love and friendship.  (less)

but it's rough as he's still hung up on his ex-wife.  (less)

(Dre) gets a job as assistant manager at the wash, Sean finds himself caught between his tyrannical boss (the ever-blustery George Wallace) and his friend. But the plot isn't really the point-- The Wash is a loose, ambling collection of off-hand jokes, character portraits, and girls in tight clothes, much in the same vein as Friday or I Got the Hook-Up . Cameos include Shaquille O'Neal, Ludacris, Pauly Shore (as a mob victim tied up in a car trunk), and Eminem. Writer-director DJ Pooh also plays a dimwitted kidnapper and has some of the funniest bits. --Bret Fetzer  (less)

Truffaut as Mississippi Mermaid ) and set in turn-of-the-century Cuba, the film traces a tailspin of amorous obsession when coffee plantation owner Luis (Antonio Banderas) discovers that his American mail-order bride (Angelina Jolie) is not the plain wife he'd expected, but a beautiful, scheming thief who's after his fortune. The movie asserts that love is truly blind, but absurd twists of plot make Luis appear more stupid than passionate. Writer-director Michael Cristofer fared better with Jolie in Gia ; here, he's made another good-looking film about beautiful people, but its plot just can't be taken seriously. --Jeff Shannon  (less)

similar for her first film (although Before Sunset seems to have exerted a greater influence). Nora (Parker Posey in typically fine form) works in guest relations for a hip New York hotel, just as the writer/director once did. Her best friend, Audrey (Drea de Matteo, The Sopranos ), has been married for five years, while Nora remains single. Her mother, Vivien (Gena Rowlands, Zoe's real-life mother), would like to see her settle down. First, Nora goes on a date with self-obsessed actor Nick (a mohawked Justin Theroux), then blind date Charlie (Josh Hamilton). Neither ends well. Nora laments, "Men hate me," but Audrey argues that Nora really hates herself. Her self-confidence gets a boost when she meets Julien (Melvil Poupaud, Fran...  (less)

literature and society around the globe. John Steinbeck (1902-1968) was born in Salinas, California and educated at Stanford University. As a youth, he worked as a ranch hand and fruit picker. His novel, Cup of Gold (1929), romanticizes the life and exploits of the famous 17th century Welsh pirate, Sir Henry Morgan. In The Pastures of Heaven (1932), a group of short stories depicting a community of southern California farmers, Steinbeck first dealt with the hardworking people and social themes associated with most of his works. Among his other early are Tortilla Flat (1935), a sympathetic portrayal of Americans of Mexican descent dwelling near Monterey, California; In Dubious Battle (1936), a novel concerned with a strike of migratory...  (less)

to punish the writer - with shocking results. Then, after a literary agent (Anne Heche, "Men in Trees") comes calling, John hatches a plot to find the fame and fortune he craves. An intense and over-the-top thriller, Ghost Writer will leave you at a loss for words. Also starring Henry Thomas, Jane Lynch, Karen Black and Carrie Fisher. Stills from Ghost Writer (Click for larger image)  (less)

born on July 14th, 1904, in Radzymin, Poland. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1935 and became a naturalized citizen in 1943. Singer was associated with the Jewish Daily Forward, a New York City Yiddish-language newspaper. His novel, Satan in Goray (1955), deals with the 17th century programs in which Jews in Poland were massacred by cossacks. His other well-known novels include The Family Moskat (1950), The Manor (1967), and The Estate (1969). The autobiographical In My Father’s Court was published in 1966. He also wrote many imaginative short stories, including those published in Gimpel the Fool and Other Stories (1957). He won the National Book Award for A Day of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw (19...  (less)

his children’s books. He wrote 19 children’s books, the most popular of which were James and the Giant Peach (1961) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), which was made into a movie in 1971. Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970) and The BFG (1982) are more recent children’s books. He also wrote a number of film scripts, including You Only Live Twice (1967) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), both adapted from Ian Fleming novels. Dahl was born in Llandaff, Wales, and educated at Repton, a boarding school for boys. His harsh treatment while a student there led to him later to write stories about cruelty and revenge. Deciding not to enter a university, he joined the Shell Oil Company in 1933, worked in Tanganyika from 1937 to 19...  (less)