Bend It Like Beckham 2002 PG-13, 112 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Gurinder Chadha Cast: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi, Shaznay Lewis, Frank Harper, Juliet Stevenson, Shaheen Khan, Ameet Chana, Pooja Shah, Paven Virk, Saraj Chaudhry, Preeya Kalidas, Trey Farley
Amidst a clash of cultures, young Jess (Parminder Nagra) dreams of becoming a soccer player. Jess meets Jules (Keira Knightley) who plays on a local soccer team, and Jules, who is impressed with Jess' athletic skills, encourages Jess to try out for professional soccer. Meanwhile, Jess' parents (Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan) want her to go to law school and learn to cook traditional East Indian recipes. In the midst of confusion, Jess must decide whether to follow her dream of becoming a soccer player or to follow her parents' plan for her future.
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The Constant Gardener 2005 R, 129 min. Genre: Drama / Thriller / Romance
Director: Fernando Meirelles Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Hubert Kounde, Daniele Harford, Bill Nighy, Pete Postlethwaite, Gerard McSorley, John Keogh, Archie Panjabi, Richard McCabe, Donald Sumpter, Keith Pearson, John Sibi-Okumu, Nick Reding
Based on John le Carre's novel, activist Tessa (Rachel Weisz) uncovers the fact that a pharmaceutical company is testing its drugs on African natives. She tries to expose the conspiracy and is killed. Her widower, British High Commission diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), takes on the investigation in pursuit of not only Tessa's murderer but the possibility of Tessa's unfaithfulness to him as well. Weisz won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and the film received three additional nominations.
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East Is East 1999 R, 96 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Damien O'Donnell Cast: Om Puri, Linda Bassett, Jordan Routledge, Archie Panjabi, Emil Marwa, Chris Bisson, Jimi Mistry, Raji James, Ian Aspinall, Lesley Nicol, Emma Rydal, Ruth Jones
In early 1970s' England, a Pakistani family's seven children rebel against their father George Khan's (Om Puri) culture and opt for the less restricted lifestyle that has been demonstrated by their English mother Ella (Linda Bassett). The family resides in Salford, Manchester, where traditions are quite different from those in Pakistan. Now, chaos ensues as Khan tries to keep his dysfunctional family in line.
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A Good Year 2006 PG-13, 118 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Ridley Scott Cast: Russell Crowe, Albert Finney, Marion Cotillard, Abbie Cornish, Freddie Highmore, Tom Hollander, Didier Bourdon, Isabelle Candelier, Archie Panjabi, Rafe Spall, Richard Coyle, Kenneth Cranham, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Based on Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence," this is the tale of Englishman Max (Russell Crowe)–a ruthless, workaholic stock trader–who is notified that his nearly-forgotten Uncle Henry (Albert Finney) has died, leaving his Southern France vineyard estate to Max, his sole heir. Max had spent much time at the estate in his youth, and Uncle Henry was one of the few people that Max admired. His plan: sell quickly. But, upon reaching the estate, memories of his happy childhood at the estate give him second thoughts. Problems arise when he finds out that the estate is rundown, the wine is virtually undrinkable, and Christie (Abbie Cornish) arrives on the scene claiming to be Uncle Henry's illegitimate daughter.
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A Mighty Heart 2007 R, 108 min. Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Michael Winterbottom Cast: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Archie Panjabi, Irrfan Khan, Will Patton, Denis O'Hare, Adnan Siddiqui, Gary Wilmes, Jeffry Kaplow, Perrine Moran, Amy Rosenthal, Amy Shindler, Sajid Hasan, Mohammed Afzal
This story centers on the courage of the pregnant wife, Mariane (Angelina Jolie), of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman). In 2002, Daniel was kidnapped in Pakistan where he planned to interview an Islamic cleric with ties to the "shoe bomber" Richard Reid. Daniel was kidnapped, accused of being a spy for the CIA, and later killed. The focus is on the hunt for the kidnappers as a team of FBI agents, Pakistani investigators, and journalists assemble at Mariane's compound where they ask questions and wait for answers for five agonizing weeks.
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Traitor 2008 PG-13, 113 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff Cast: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Jeff Daniels, Said Taghmaoui, Neal McDonough, Aly Khan, Archie Panjabi, Raad Rawi, Hassam Ghancy, Mozhan Marno, Adeel Akhtar, Lorena Gale, Scali Delpeyrat, Mehdi Ortelsberg, Aizoun Abdelkader
At age 12, he saw his father killed in a car bombing in Sudan and then was raised by his mother in Chicago. Now, 30 years later, Samir Horn (Don Cheadle) is a Muslim jihad attempting to sell plastic explosives in Yemen. Samir is arrested and jailed where Omar (Said Taghmaoui) is also being held. Samir had served as a military advisor to Omar in the past. Now, Omar is part of an international terrorist ring recruiting young Muslims to fight a holy war against the West. FBI agents Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) and Max Archer (Neal McDonough) offer Samir his freedom if he will talk, but Samir refuses the deal. When Omar's cohorts break him out of jail, Samir joins them, but now Clayton and Archer are on Samir's trail hoping to prevent an attack on American soil.
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| 1. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
2. The Constant Gardener (2005)
3. East Is East (1999)
4. A Good Year (2006)
5. A Mighty Heart (2007)
6. Traitor (2008)
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