The Movie Blog

Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera ‘Rent’ tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling to express themselves through their art and “measuring their lives in love.” Against the gritty backdrop of New York’s East Village, these friends strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic.

It’s Christmas Eve in rainy, icebound Wichita, Kansas, and this year Charlie Arglist just might have something to celebrate. Charlie, an attorney for the sleazy businesses of Wichita, and his unsavory associate, the steely Vic Cavenaugh, have just successfully embezzled $2,147,000 from Kansas City boss Bill Guerrard. Even so, the real prize for Charlie would be the stunning Renata, who runs the Sweet Cage strip club. Charlie’s fondest Christmas wish is to slip out of town with Renata. But, as daylight fades and a storm whirls, everyone from Charlie’s drinking buddy Pete Van Heuten to the local police begin to wonder just what exactly is in Charlie’s Christmas stocking. For Charlie, the 12 hours of Christmas Eve are filled with nonstop twists and turns, both on the ice and off.

Hoping to safeguard his daughter, a mafia don assigns his loyal right-hand man, Darrell, to act as his daughter’s bodyguard. Little does he realize that his daughter and Darrell have been sweet on each other for a long time, and now, things are really going to heat up.

Frank is a straight-laced career military man with eight kids. Helen is a free-spirited designer with 10. When they get married and decide to pack the entire clan under one roof, the only thing that will get the kids together is the job of breaking their parents apart.

This is an exploration of the classic and modern urban myths of the West Coast set inside two of the most emotionally volatile subcultures in Southern California: hip-hop and illegal street car racing. First, there is the inner city player Chato, a first-generation Guatemalan-American growing up in the hood of Crenshaw, Los Angeles. Then, there is Noza who possesses the grace and innocence of a Mexican-born princess and who falls in love with Quattro, a white kid from the desert with the heart of an old-school street racer. This classic union sets the stage for a bitter vendetta in which all parties compete for the highest stakes. By mixing factual stories with fantastic imagery, ordinary teenage experiences of friendship and romance become the stuff of folklore.

Hoping to safeguard his daughter, a mafia don assigns his loyal right-hand man, Darrell, to act as his daughter’s bodyguard. Little does he realize that his daughter and Darrell have been sweet on each other for a long time, and now, things are really going to heat up.

Ami Ankilewitz was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) — an extremely rare and often fatal form of muscular atrophy that severely limits his physical growth and movement yet at 34 years of age — he continues to outlive a doctor’s prediction of life expectancy by 28 years. And counting. Ami, who weighs only 39 pounds, works in Israel as a 3D animator and creates his art despite the fact that his bodily motion is limited to a single finger on his left hand and in doing so, continues to redefine notions of a “limited” life. The film follows Ami’s journey in search of the doctor who predicted his early demise. Along his journey, Ami attempts to come to terms with another major incident from his past and to complete a lifelong dream: To finally ride a Harley Davidson.

When a likable everyman is rejected by his true love, who says she wants to be just friends. So, he moves across the country and transforms himself into a selfish womanizer, only to return to his past persona when he reconnects with the girl who broke his heart.

Robert Baer (Clooney), a 21-year veteran of the CIA, spent his entire career investigating terrorists around the globe. As the dangers of terrorism increased, Baer watched as the CIA’s funding was cut, politics overtook judgment, and warning signs were ignored. But the struggle becomes personal when and oil executive (Damon) and his wife (Peet) are faced with a family tragedy.

Whitwell Middle School in rural Tennessee is the setting for this documentary about an extraordinary experiment in Holocaust education. Struggling to grasp the concept of six million Holocaust victims, the students decide to collect six million paper clips to better understand the extent of this crime against humanity. The film details how the students met Holocaust survivors from around the world and how the experience transformed them and their community.