Devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) has just lost his wife and his job as a substitute teacher. But by impressing his favorite NFL team’s coach in open tryouts and winning a place on the field, he turns a terrible year into a winner. Greg Kinnear and Elizabeth Banks co-star in this inspirational, fact-based drama from the producers of the similar but baseball-themed The Rookie.
Jul 102010
Jun 012010
Al Schmid (John Garfield) is your typical happy-go-lucky bachelor who is determined to steer clear of marriage. He is doing pretty good, too, until he meets Ruth Hartley (Eleanor Parker). He is incredibly rude to her when they first meet and has to spend quite a bit of time persuading her to give him a chance and he soon finds himself falling head over heels in love with her. Al doesn’t really realize he is in love with her until he joins the Marine Corps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He feels guilty asking Ruth to wait for him, but he finds himself proposing at the train station as he heads off to war. Al is a scrappy fighter [...]
May 312010
In a career-defining performance that earned him his first Academy Award, Gary Cooper stars as Alvin York, a poor Appalachian pacifist drafted into World War I. Placed in an impossible position, York single-handedly captures an entire enemy platoon and becomes a national hero. This World War II-era Hollywood classic based on the real-life war hero received 11 Academy Award nominations, including one for director Howard Hawks.
May 262010
This tuneful comedy is based loosely on the life of irrepressible silent-movie star Pearl White (played to the hilt by Betty Hutton). The film follows White from her humble beginnings as a frustrated sweatshop worker to her days on the road with a repertory company to her worldwide fame as queen of the serials. William Demarest co-stars as stentorian director George “Mac” McGuire, and John Lund portrays Mike Farrington, White’s love interest.
May 142010
A strong swimmer who longs to dance ballet, Annette Kellerman (Esther Williams) moves with her father (Walter Pidgeon) from Australia to England. After running into financial trouble, she reluctantly works with two showbiz promoters who lead her to fame, fortune, romance and scandal. Featuring beautiful water ballet sequences choreographed by Busby Berkeley, this classic biopic received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography.
May 042010
James Cagney won the Best Actor Oscar for his lively portrayal of “Mr. Broadway,” George M. Cohan, in this lavish screen biography that highlights Cagney in some of his finest song-and-dance routines. Cohan, a playwright, entertainer, composer and patriot, made his mark on the vaudeville stage and penned countless memorable tunes, including “Over There,” “It’s a Grand Old Flag,” “Give My Regards to Broadway” and the film’s rousing title number.
Apr 212010
Teenager Anne Frank (Ellie Kendrick) and her Jewish family hide from the Nazis during World War II in this outstanding BBC production of the classic book. As time drags on, they deal with both the terrifying fear of their situation and normal family life. But the cramped quarters and tense situation sometimes cause tempers to flair. Presented in five half-hour episodes, the series intertwines some of Frank’s actual words within the action.
Apr 212010
While her at-risk students are reading classics like The Diary of a Anne Frank, a young teacher (Hilary Swank) asks them to keep journals about their troubled lives and apply history’s lessons to break the cycle of violence and despair that threatens their futures. Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton and Patrick Dempsey co-star in this moving drama based on real-life California educator Erin Gruwell’s unorthodox methods.
Apr 082010
Critically acclaimed Australian filmmaker Jane Campion helms this drama detailing the passionate three-year romance between 19th-century Romantic poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) – who died tragically at age 25 – and his great love and muse, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Much of the story was inspired by Keats’s poetry and the actual love letters the pair exchanged. Thomas Sangster, Paul Schneider and Kerry Fox co-star.
Mar 042010
“Based on a New York Times Magazine story, this crime drama starring Kevin Kline delves into a sordid world of international sex trafficking that leads from Mexico City to a New Jersey stash house. In a bid to save kidnapped 13-year-old Adriana (Paulina Gaitan) before she’s sold into sexual slavery, her desperate brother (Cesar Ramos) teams with a Texas cop (Kline). Can they find her before she vanishes into a hellish underworld?”
Feb 262010
“Refractory Sybylla Melvyn (Judy Davis) bucks 19th century societal conventions in this charming Australian film helmed by Gillian Armstrong. On Sybylla’s path toward realizing her dream of artistic greatness, she casts aside a starchy suitor, exasperates her mother and confounds her grandmother. But when Sybylla falls for affluent landowner Harry Beecham (Sam Neill), she must choose between traditional marriage and pursuing her career ambitions.”
Feb 262010
“Sissy Spacek shines in her Oscar-winning role as country singer Loretta Lynn. The movie charts the rise of the queen of country music, from her hardscrabble upbringing in Appalachia to stardom at the Grand Ole Opry. Married at the age of 13, Loretta was pushed into a music career by her husband, Dolittle (a wonderful Tommy Lee Jones). Beverly D’Angelo appears as Patsy Cline, and that’s Spacek’s singing voice you hear as Lynn.”
