American Dreamz 2006  PG-13, 107 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Paul Weitz
Cast: Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein, Jennifer Coolidge, Sam Golzari, Marcia Gay Harden, Seth Meyers, John Cho, Judy Greer, Bernard White, Shohreh Aghdashloo
This satire aims at a variety of subjects, but the Presidency of George W. Bush and the reality show, American Idol, are the prime targets. Dennis Quaid takes on the role of recovering alcoholic President Staton who seldom reads the newspaper and relies on the advice of his Dick Cheney-like Chief of Staff (Willem Dafoe) who, to increase the President's ratings, books him as a guest judge on the popular reality show, American Dreamz. The TV show, featuring aspiring musical artists, is easily identified as a satirical view of American Idol with the popular program's self-absorbed Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant) preparing the season's new shows. Contestants include blonde redneck Sally Kendoo (Mandy Moore) and show-tune loving terrorist Omer Obeidi (Sam Golzari). The President agrees to a live presentation, and Omer prepares to assassinate him during his appearance on live TV.
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 The Exorcism of Emily Rose 2005  PG-13, 116 min.
Genre: Drama / Horror
Director: Scott Derrickson
Cast: Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Carpenter, Colm Feore, Joshua Close, Duncan Fraser, Kenneth Welsh, JR Bourne, Mary Beth Hurt, Henry Czerny, Shohreh Aghdashloo
When Catholic priest Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) performs an exorcism on 19-year-old Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter), she dies, and Father Moore is arrested and charged with murder. The lawyer (Laura Linney) who defends him goes up against a cocky state's attorney (Campbell Scott) and the fight is on. Eerie flashbacks of Emily's possession provide horror scenes–interspersed with courtroom drama.
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 House of Sand and Fog 2003  R, 126 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Vadim Perelman
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelly, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher, Kim Dickens, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jonathan Ahdout, Navi Rawat, Carlos Gomez, Kia Jam, Jaleh Modjallal, Samira Damavandi
Short on cash after spending his savings to ensure a good marriage for his daughter, Iranian immigrant Col. Behrani (Ben Kingsley) buys a house at auction, which he plans to fix up and sell for a profit. But, there is a problem here: the county has wrongly evicted the owner (Jennifer Connelly), and she wants the house back. Tensions accelerate when she is aided and abetted by her new boyfriend (Ron Eldard), a policeman who knows all the tricks of the trade. Nominated for three Oscars, including Best Actor (Ben Kingsley) and Best Supporting Actress (Shohreh Aghdashloo).
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 The Lake House 2006 PG, 108 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance / Fantasy
Director: Alejandro Agresti
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Christopher Plummer, Dylan Walsh, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Lynn Collins, Mike Bacarella, Kevin Brennan, Frank Caeti, Scott Elias
When lonely Dr. Kate Forster (Sandra Bullock) takes a new job at Chicago City Hospital, she moves out of the lakeside home on Lake Michigan leaving a message for the new tenant to forward her mail. An architect, Alex Wyler (Keanu Reeves), moves into the home, which is the home his father (Christopher Plummer) built for the family, and the house has been empty for years. Alex finds Kate's note and is confused because the address is for an apartment building not scheduled for completion for over a year from now. Alex sends Kate a letter, and the two begin exchanging notes that evolve into love letters. When it is discovered that they are living two years apart–Alex in 2004, Liz in 2006–they try to get to the bottom of the mystery, which involves Alex seeking Kate's 2004 counterpart while Kate waits for Alex to catch up in time.
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Maryam 2000 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ramin Serry
Cast: Mariam Parris, David Ackert, Shaun Toub, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Maz Jobrani, Victor(2) Jory, Sabine Singh, Michael Blieden, Jason Nash, Goli Samii
During the hostage crisis of 1979, anti-Iranian hostility erupts in a New Jersey town where a local Iranian-born teen finds the sentiments directly influencing his personal relationships.
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 The Nativity Story 2006 PG, 95 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Hiam Abbass, Shaun Toub, Ciaran Hinds, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Stanley Townsend, Alexander Siddig, Nadim Sawalha, Eriq Ebouaney, Stefan Kalipha, Alessandro Giuggioli
This chronicle of the year before the birth of Jesus covers teenage Mary's (Keisha Castle-Hughes) visit from the Angel Gabriel (Alexander Siddig) telling her she will give birth to Jesus, her subsequent marriage to Joseph (Oscar Isaac), and their journey to Bethlehem where Jesus is born.
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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 2008 PG-13, 117 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Adventure / Romance
Director: Sanaa Hamri
Cast: Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Rachel Nichols, Tom Wisdom, Rachel Ticotin, Leonardo Nam, Michael Rady, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Blythe Danner, Jesse Williams, Lucy Hale, Maria Konstadarou, Ernie Lively
Carmen (America Ferrera), Tibby (Amber Tamblyn), Lena (Alexis Bledel), and Bridget (Blake Lively) have just finished their first year in college, and now they reunite for the ceremony of those magical traveling pants that they will pass among themselves during the summer. Dilemmas are a big part of their lives and include Bridget's estrangement from her grandmother (Blythe Danner) and depression over her mother's suicide and Lena dealing with her ex-boyfriend's (Michael Rady) marriage. Meanwhile, Carmen is having trouble dealing with her mother's (Rachel Ticotin) pregnancy and the family moving. Finally, Tibby and her boyfriend Brian (Leonardo Nam) are taking a new look at their relationship. But, through all of life's problems, the sisterhood bond remains intact.
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| 1. American Dreamz (2006)
2. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
3. House of Sand and Fog (2003)
4. The Lake House (2006)
5. Maryam (2000)
6. The Nativity Story (2006)
7. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)
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