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An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African-American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.
Director:
Tate Taylor
Stars:
Emma Stone,
Viola Davis,
Bryce Dallas Howard
Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Director:
Bennett Miller
Stars:
Brad Pitt,
Jonah Hill,
Philip Seymour Hoffman
In New York City's Harlem circa 1987, an overweight, abused, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.
set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with ... See full summary »
Director:
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Stars:
Dakota Fanning,
Queen Latifah,
Jennifer Hudson
American-born Gogol, the son of Indian immigrants, wants to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers, despite his family's unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways.
When a man with AIDS is fired by a conservative law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.
Director:
Jonathan Demme
Stars:
Tom Hanks,
Denzel Washington,
Roberta Maxwell
An airline pilot saves almost all his passengers on his malfunctioning airliner which eventually crashed, but an investigation into the accident reveals something troubling.
Director:
Robert Zemeckis
Stars:
Nadine Velazquez,
Denzel Washington,
John Goodman
A mentally retarded man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter, and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family.
Director:
Jessie Nelson
Stars:
Sean Penn,
Michelle Pfeiffer,
Dakota Fanning
Eleven year-old Akeelah Anderson's life is not easy: her father is dead, her mom ignores her, her brother runs with the local gangbangers. She's smart, but her environment threatens to strangle her aspirations. Responding to a threat by her school's principal, Akeelah participates in a spelling bee to avoid detention for her many absences. Much to her surprise and embarrassment, she wins. Her principal asks her to seek coaching from an English professor named Dr. Larabee for the more prestigious regional bee. As the possibility of making it all the way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee looms, Akeelah could provide her community with someone to rally around and be proud of -- but only if she can overcome her insecurities and her distracting home life. She also must get past Dr. Larabee's demons, and a field of more experienced and privileged fellow spellers. Written by
Shannon Patrick Sullivan <shannon@mun.ca>
Laurence Fishburne's character, Mr Larabee, is based on director Doug Atchison's teacher, Mr. Larabell. See more »
Goofs
At the beginning of the film, they state that Akeelah is 11 years old. At the end of the film, even though clearly a whole year has passed, her age is still mentioned to be 11. See more »
Quotes
Mr. Welch:
So whoever wins the school bee today, gets to represent Crenshaw at the district bee next month.
Akeelah:
Why would anybody want to represent a school where they can't even put doors on the toilet stalls?
[coughing]
Mr. Welch:
Akeelah, if we can't show students can perform were not going to have money for books let alone bathroom doors.
[pause]
Mr. Welch:
Now I want you to do the bee today, okay?
Akeelah:
So everyone can call me a freak and a brainiac? No I ain't down for no spelling bee.
Mr. Welch:
Well, maybe you'd be down for spending the rest...
See more »
Just saw a packed screening at the Pan African Film Festival. There were so many people there that some had to be turned away. The best parts were the interactions between the characters of Akeelah and Javier, a young Mexican boy who comes from an affluent family. Their friendship and team work in helping each other do their best in the Spelling Bee is a great example for young black and browns here in Los Angeles, especially with all the racial fighting in the schools and prisons.
It's a good movie for everyone to see, especially if you're a word freak like me.
34 of 48 people found this review helpful.
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Just saw a packed screening at the Pan African Film Festival. There were so many people there that some had to be turned away. The best parts were the interactions between the characters of Akeelah and Javier, a young Mexican boy who comes from an affluent family. Their friendship and team work in helping each other do their best in the Spelling Bee is a great example for young black and browns here in Los Angeles, especially with all the racial fighting in the schools and prisons.
It's a good movie for everyone to see, especially if you're a word freak like me.