Cathy O'Donnell

Gracie's Choice -- Inspired by a true story. Gracie (Kristen Bell) is a 17 year-old with four siblings from different fathers and a mother (Anne Heche) that is utterly incapable of taking care of the kids. When it looks as if the kids will be scattered to the wind, Gracie overcomes enormous obstacles to adopt her younger siblings and keep the family together.

Newlyweds visit her family mansion so she can confront and surmount childhood demons.

Inspired by a true story. Gracie (Kristen Bell) is a 17 year-old with four siblings from different fathers and a mother (Anne Heche) that is utterly incapable of taking care of the kids. When it looks as if the kids will be scattered to the wind, Gracie overcomes enormous obstacles to adopt her younger siblings and keep the family together.

An intensely satisfying drama of rugged primitive justice, "The Man from Laramie" marked the final, and finest, collaboration of one of the most important teams in Western films: director Anthony Mann and star Jimmy Stewart. Together this perfectly-matched pair provided audiences with eight classic pictures, including "Winchester '73" and "Strategic Air Command." Under Mann's superb direction, Stewart departs from his well-loved "ordinary hero" role and gives a riveting performance as a resolute vigilante obsessed with finding the man responsible for his brother's death. Among the suspects are an arrogant cattle baron (Donald Crisp), his sadistic son (Alex Nicol) and his ranch foreman (Arthur Kennedy, in the best performance of his career). One explosive confrontation, in which Stewart is dragged by a wild horse and shot in the hand at close range, is one of movie history's most memorable sequences. Among the first Westerns filmed in CinemaScope, "The Man from Laramie" uses the widescreen technology to emphasize the scope and power of this harrowing action-drama, making it a perfect example of the Western as America's epic art form.

After his boyhood friend Messala's fanatic loyalty to Rome makes him a powerful enemy, Judah Ben-Hur is found guilty of an attempted murder he did not commit. His family is banished and he is enslaved on a warship. Through his ferocity in a raging sea battle, he is able to escape and become a horse trainer. To exact his revenge, Ben-Hur decides to compete against Messala in the Roman chariot races. They race, locked in a battle to the death. Barely surviving, Ben-Hur forsakes the sword for Christ and finally finds redemption.

James Stewart stars as a vigilante obsessed with avenging his brother's death in this intense action-drama.

An intensely satisfying drama of rugged primitive justice, THE MAN FROM LARAMIE marked the final, and finest, collaboration of one of the most important teams in Western films: director Anthony Mann and star Jimmy Stewart. Together this perfectly-matched pair provided audiences with eight classic pictures, including Winchester '73 and Stategic Air Command. Under Mann's superb direction, Stewart departs from his well-loved "ordinary hero" role and gives a riveting performance as a resolute vigilante obsessed with finding the man responsible for his brother's death. Among the suspects are an arrogant cattle baron, his sadistic son and his ranch foreman. One explosive confrontation, in which Stewart is dragged by a wild horse and shot in the hand at close range, is one of movie history's most memorable sequences. Among the first Westerns filmed in CinemaScope, THE MAN FROM LARAMIE uses the widescreen technology to emphasize the scope and power of this harrowing action-drama, making it a perfect example of the Western as America's epic art form.

An embittered cop leads a precinct of characters in their grim battle with the city's lowlife while wife Parker suffers from neglect. Based on Sydney Kingsley's Broadway play, this seminal movie was a prototype for everything from "Hill Street Blues" to "NYPD Blue." Academy Award Nominations: 4, including Best Director, Best Actress--Eleanor Parker, Best Screenplay. (English)