 Girl with a Pearl Earring 2003  PG-13, 95 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Peter Webber
Cast: Colin Firth, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Cillian Murphy, Essie Davis, Joanna Scanlan, Alakina Mann, Anna Popplewell, Anais Nepper, Nathan Nepper, Melanie Meyfroid, Chris McHallem, Gabrielle Reidy, Rollo Weeks
Based on Tracy Chevalier's best-selling novel, this is the story of 17-year-old Griet (Scarlett Johansson) who, while working as a maid at the Vermeer family estate, modeled for the portrait that would become one of 17th-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer's (Colin Firth) greatest works of art. Griet modeled for Vermeer, but she entered a deal that required her modeling without letting Vermeer's wife (Essie Davis) know that she would be part of the picture.
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A Little Trip to Heaven 2005 R, 90 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Thriller
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Julia Stiles, Jeremy Renner, Peter Coyote, Philip Jackson, Anne Reid, Alfred Harmsworth, Joanna Scanlan, Iddo Goldberg, Vladas Bagdonas, Phyllida Law, Kharl Anton Leigh
Insurance agent Abe Holt (Forest Whitaker) is sent from the scene of a bus crash miles away to Hastings, Minnesota, to investigate another crash: a fatal car accident that left only charred remains. If the claim goes through, the beneficiary of a $1,000,000 death benefit is the victim's sister Isold (Julia Stiles) who lives in a run-down cabin with her husband Fred (Jeremy Renner) and son Thor (Vladas Bagdonas). During the investigation, Fred becomes the prime suspect in what Holt has now determined to be a murder case in which the car victim's identity was forged. But, as he gets to know Isold, Holt's professionalism wavers.
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Notes on a Scandal 2006  R, 92 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Richard Eyre
Cast: Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Andrew Simpson, Philip Davis, Michael Maloney, Juno Temple, Max Lewis, Joanna Scanlan, Julia McKenzie, Shaun Parkes, Tom Georgeson, Emma Kennedy, Tameka Empson, Wendy Nottingham
New art teacher Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) makes friends with elderly spinster, history teacher Barbara Covett (Judi Dench). As the school year progresses, Barbara learns that Sheba is having an affair with 15-year-old Steven (Andrew Simpson). The unstable Barbara tells Sheba that she will keep her secret only if she will immediately end the affair with Steven. This offer could lead to Sheba becoming Barbara's best friend, but will this kind of friendship survive? The film received four Oscar nominations, including Best Actress (Judi Dench) and Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett).
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Stardust 2007  PG-13, 127 min.
Genre: Family / Adventure / Fantasy / Drama
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Ian McKellen, Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Mark Strong, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller, Nathaniel Parker, Ben Barnes, Ricky Gervais, Peter O'Toole, Robert De Niro, Sarah Alexander, Joanna Scanlan, Jason Flemyng, Rupert Everett
Ian McKellen narrates this tale about Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox) who lives with his father Dunstan (Nathaniel Parker) in the Victorian English town of Wall, which is separated from the enchanted town of Stormhold by a wall. In an effort to impress the beautiful Victoria (Sienna Miller), Tristan goes to Stormhold to recover a fallen star. The star has turned into a beautiful woman, Yvaine (Claire Danes), who is less than enthusiastic about being taken to Wall. Another problem enters the scene when the scheming sons of Stormhold's king (Peter O'Toole) also want the star, which their father tossed into the heavens on his deathbed. The star holds the key to the kingdom. That same star knocked Yvaine from the sky and now hangs around her neck. Then, to add to Tristan's trials, witches (Michelle Pfeiffer, Sarah Alexander, and Joanna Scanlan) want Yvaine's heart because it will bestow beauty and eternal life on anyone who cuts it out and eats it. The special effects, along with the characters, provide great viewing.
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| 1. Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
2. A Little Trip to Heaven (2005)
3. Notes on a Scandal (2006)
4. Stardust (2007)
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