As the debate over the state of America's public school system rages on, one thing everyone agrees on is the need for great teachers. Yet, while research proves that teachers are the most important school factor in a child's future success, America's teachers are so woefully underpaid that almost a third must divide their time between a second job in order to make a living. Chronicling the stories of four teachers in different areas of the country, American Teacher reveals the frustrating realities of today's educators, the difficulty of attracting talented new teachers, and why so many of our best teachers feel forced to leave the profession altogether. But this wake-up call to our system's failings also looks at possibilities for reform. Can we re-value teaching in the United States and turn it into a prestigious, financially attractive and competitive profession? With almost half of American teachers leaving the field in the next five years, now is the time to find out.
The King of Far Far Away has died and Shrek and Fiona are to become King & Queen. However, Shrek wants to return to his cozy swamp and live in peace and quiet, so when he finds out there is another heir to the throne, they set off to bring him back to rule the kingdom.
Kate and Charlie like to have a good time. Their marriage thrives on a shared fondness for music, laughter… and getting smashed. When Kate’s partying spirals into hard-core asocial behavior, compromising her job as an elementary schoolteacher, something’s got to give. But change isn’t exactly a cakewalk. Sobriety means she will have to confront the lies she’s been spinning at work, her troubling relationship with her mother, and the nature of her bond with Charlie.
A down-on-his-luck American Indian recently released from jail is offered the chance to "star" as the victim of a snuff film, the resulting pay of which could greatly help his poverty stricken family.
Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.
Must Love Dogs tells the story of Sarah Nolan (Diane Lane), a newly divorced woman cautiously rediscovering romance with the enthusiastic but often misguided help of her well-meaning family. As she braves a series of hilariously disastrous mismatches and first dates, Sarah begins to trust her own instincts again and learns that, no matter what, it's never a good idea to give up on love.
Starring: Diane Lane, Elizabeth Perkins, Alli Hillis, John Cusack, Christopher Plummer, Stockard Channing, Dermot Mulroney, Julie Gonzalo
English language with latvian and russian subtitles.
Ryan (Troy Gentile), Wade (Nate Hartley) and Emmit (David Dorfman) attend their first day at high school and they're pumped...until they meet up with Filkins (Alex Frost), a school bully who comes off like a little Hannibal Lecter. Before they become completely engulfed in Filkins' reign of terror, they seek out some protection by placing an ad in Soldier of Fortune magazine. Their best response -- and the cheapest -- comes from Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson), a down-on-his luck soldier of fortune who lives a homeless -- he likes to say "home-free" -- existence on the beach. He enrolls them in some physical and mental training.
Cast: Owen Wilson, Leslie Mann, David Dorfman, Danny McBride and Josh Peck
Directed by Steven Brill
Script: Kristofor Brown, Seth Rogen
Producers: Judd Apatow, Susan Arnold
Some teachers just don’t give an F. For example, there's Elizabeth . She’s foul-mouthed, ruthless, and inappropriate. She drinks, she gets high, and she can’t wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she’s dumped by her fiancé, she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich, handsome substitute – competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague, Amy). When Elizabeth also findsherself fighting off the advances of a sarcastic, irreverent gym teacher the consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students, her coworkers, and even herself an education like no other.
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Lucy Punch, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Phyllis Smith
Directed by: Jake Kasdan
Until he was downsized, affable, amiable Larry Crowne (Hanks) was a superstar team leader at the big-box company where he's worked since his time in the Navy. Underwater on his mortgage and unclear on what to do with his suddenly free days, Larry heads to his local college to start over. There he becomes part of a colorful community of outcasts, also-rans and the overlooked all trying to find a better future for themselves...often moving around town in a herd of scooters. In his public-speaking class, Larry develops an unexpected crush on his teacher Mercedes Tainot (Roberts), who has lost as much passion for teaching as she has for her husband. The simple guy who has every reason to think his life has stalled will come to learn an unexpected lesson: when you think everything worth having has passed you by, you just might discover your reason to live.
Casting: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Sarah Mahoney, Roxana Ortega, Randall Park, Brady Rubin
Directed by: Tom Hanks
A young man, Enrique (played by Fele Martinez) is working as a film director. He is visited by a childhood friend Ignacio Rodriguez (played by Gael Garcia Bernal), who is looking for work. Before he leaves Ignacio gives Enrique a book that he has written called 'The Visit'. The story centres around the lives of two young boys who attend a Catholic School. Enrique decides to make a film based on the book which is set to resurrect his own childhood. The film visits three time periods. The past features the Catholic School where two young boys come of age and begin to have feelings for one another and the influence their teacher has on their lives, priest Father Manolo (played by Daniel Gimenez Cacho). The director Pedro Almodovar weaves the story through the 70s and 80s, and pre and post-Franco Spain. A compelling drama.
Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (Depp) and Charlie, a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory. Long isolated from his own family, Wonka launches a worldwide contest to select an heir to his candy empire. Five lucky children, including Charlie, draw golden tickets from Wonka chocolate bars and win a guided tour of the legendary candy-making facility that no outsider has seen in 15 years. Dazzled by one amazing sight after another, Charlie is drawn into Wonka's fantastic world in this astonishing and enduring story.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, AnnaSophia Robb, Jordan Fry, Julia Winter, Philip Wiegratz
English language with latvian and russian subtitles.