Drama
The Nativity Story
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The Nativity Story

2006
Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar Isaac) make the hard journey to Bethlehem for a blessed event in this meticulously researched and visually lush adaptation of the biblical tale of the Nativity from director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen). The film follows the pair on their arduous path to their arrival in a small village, where they find shelter in an innkeeper's stable and deliver baby Jesus to the world.

Directed by:

  • Catherine Hardwicke
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    After the Wedding
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    After the Wedding

    2006
    To save the failing orphanage he runs in India, Danish transplant Jacob Petersen (Mads Mikkelsen) returns to his homeland to meet a self-indulgent businessman named Jørgen who's offered a generous donation -- and represents everything the noble-minded Jacob abhors. Complicating matters further are the unusual strings Jørgen has attached to his so-called gift. Rolf Lassgård co-stars in this Oscar-nominated emotional powerhouse of a drama.

    Directed by:

  • Susanne Bier
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    In a Better World
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    In a Better World

    2010
    Danish director Susanne Bier delves into the realm of fathers, sons and their perceived burden of male responsibility with this Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning drama about the interplay between two dysfunctional families. With his father working abroad, bullied Elias (Markus Rygaard) finds solace in a budding friendship with a volatile new student (William Jøhnk Nielsen). But the boys' shared revenge only seems to invite more violence.

    Directed by:

  • Susanne Bier
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
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    Mr. and Mrs. Iyer

    2002
    Mrs. Iyer is traveling by bus to Calcutta to be with her husband. But a flare-up between Hindus and Muslim extremists closes the roads, and a curfew descends. While the riders are trapped on the bus, a gang of Hindus boards to ferret out any Muslims. Mrs. Iyer was brought up to believe that Muslims were inferior, but during the journey, she comes to realize that it's who a person is, not their religions, that's the defining factor.

    Directed by:

  • Aparna Sen
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Five
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    Five

    2011
    This evocative anthology features intertwining short films that examine the effect breast cancer has on five women, each of whom variously uses determination, grit and humor -- one even holds a mock funeral for herself -- to cope with her diagnosis.

    Directed by:

  • Jennifer Aniston
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    The Impressionists
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    The Impressionists

    2006
    This sweeping BBC miniseries dramatizes the lives of the French impressionists who boldly created a new style of painting. Reminiscing about his life, 80-year-old Claude Monet (Julian Glover) recalls his experiences in Paris with maverick painters. His contemporaries, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne and Édouard Manet, endured poverty, social upheaval and derision from the art establishment. Richard Armitage plays the young Monet.

    Directed by:

  • Tim Dunn
  • Mary Downes
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Universal Signs
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    Universal Signs

    2008
    Struggling to cope with depression and anger in the aftermath of a tragedy, tormented deaf artist Andrew (Anthony Natale) gradually begins to come out of his shell by forming an exhilarating new relationship with lovely librarian Mary (Sabrina Lloyd). An innovative silent film that utilizes American Sign Language and English subtitles, this touching drama also stars Margot Kidder, Robert Picardo and Deanne Bray.

    Directed by:

  • Ann Calamia
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Old Enough
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    Old Enough

    1983
    Twelve-year-old Lonnie (Sarah Boyd) lives in a wealthy New York neighborhood and is curious upon meeting Karen (Rainbow Harvest), a working-class teen who seems very different from her. The girls begin an unlikely yet meaningful friendship in this wry, tender comedy. Along with Karen's boisterous older brother, the girls spend the summer discovering who they really are. Alyssa Milano co-stars in her feature film debut.

    Directed by:

  • Marisa Silver
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Season 6
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    Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Season 6

    1997
    Although the sixth year proved the last for this Emmy-winning television Western, the show remained replete with intriguing characters and memorable stories about gallantry, romance and family values. When Colorado Springs falls on financial hard times, Dr. Michaela Quinn (Jane Seymour), her husband (Joe Lando) and the rest of the town's denizens try to make the best of it. John Schneider joins the regular cast as new sheriff Daniel Simon.

    Directed by:

  • Bethany Rooney
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Whale Rider
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    Whale Rider

    2003
    A Maori tribe must contend with the distinctly nontraditional concept of having a female leader when the intended heir to the throne dies during childbirth, leaving his twin sister, Paikea, to prove herself in this inspiring coming-of-age tale.

    Directed by:

  • Niki Caro
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Season 5
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    Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Season 5

    1996
    Back to her practice after having her baby, Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn (Jane Seymour) deals with the ever-increasing pressures of being a working mother and battles a malpractice suit in Season 5 of the Emmy Award-winning series. Her Boston society days well behind her, Dr. Mike braves life on Colorado's open range with mountaineer husband Byron (Joe Lando) and three adopted children. Guest stars include Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.

    Directed by:

  • Terrence O'Hara
  • Bethany Rooney
  • James Keach
  • Gwen Arner
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    The Last Song
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    The Last Song

    2010
    Miley Cyrus has top billing as 17-year-old Ronnie Miller, a rebellious former piano prodigy who doesn't hide her hostility after being sent off to spend the summer in Georgia with her estranged father (Greg Kinnear). Rebuffing her dad's attempts to reconnect, the aloof Ronnie begins to thaw when she meets beach volleyballer Will Blakelee (Liam Hemsworth). Kelly Preston also stars in this contemporary tearjerker based on the Nicholas Sparks novel.

    Directed by:

  • Julie Anne Robinson
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    The Jacksons: An American Dream
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    The Jacksons: An American Dream

    1992
    Before they were stars, the Jackson 5 were just ordinary kids born into a blue-collar family from Gary, Ind. Family patriarch Joe (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) knows they're destined for stardom, but their eventual fame brings problems of its own. Angela Bassett, Margaret Avery and Holly Robinson Peete co-star in this Emmy Award-winning miniseries that reveals the tumult and triumph behind one of the biggest acts in pop music history.

    Directed by:

  • Karen Arthur
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Season 3
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    Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Season 3

    1993
    Living on the frontier isn't easy, but Dr. Quinn is nothing if not determined in Season 3 of this beloved (and multiple Emmy-winning) drama series that intertwines even more deeply the lives of pioneering Dr. Mike Quinn (Jane Seymour) and Sully the cowboy (Joe Lando). As Dr. Quinn struggles with the daily issues of life in a small Western town, she must also raise three children and make headway as the town's physician.

    Directed by:

  • Jerome R. London
  • Jerry Jameson
  • Gwen Arner
  • James Keach
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl
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    Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl

    1999
    At the height of China's Cultural Revolution, a girl is sent to a remote area as part of a government initiative and finds her exile a thrilling adventure -- and a nightmarish trap. This rich tale examines the individual cost of collective decisions.

    Directed by:

  • Joan Chen
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Cora Unashamed
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    Cora Unashamed

    2000
    An African-American housekeeper named Cora (Regina Taylor) -- the only black person in a small Iowa town -- must wage battle on two fronts against the looming Depression and the racism that prevails in her tiny farming community. Directed by Deborah M. Pratt and co-starring Cherry Jones and CCH Pounder, this powerful drama originally aired as a segment on PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre" and is adapted from a work by Langston Hughes.

    Directed by:

  • Deborah M. Pratt
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Now and Then
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    Now and Then

    1995
    Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty in this tender coming-of-age tale, four childhood girlfriends -- Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta -- recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more. Lesli Linka Glatter directs; Gaby Hoffmann, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Cloris Leachman, Thora Birch and Christina Ricci co-star.

    Directed by:

  • Lesli Linka Glatter
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Now and Then (1995)
    A heartwarming movie about four childhood girlfriends who, in adulthood reunion, relive their experience of the life-changing summer of 1970, including a mystery death, divorce, standing up to the boys, first kiss, and the meaning of true friendship. Each explores her unique identity amidst family and friends. Beautifully directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
    - Frances   
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