just wright

the year: 2010

the genre: rom-com

the cast:  Queen Latifah (Leslie Wright); Common (Scotty McKnight); Paula Patton (Morgan Alexander); James Pickens, Jr. (Lloyd Wright); Phylicia Rashad (Ella McKnight)

don't miss: Phylicia Rashad as Scott McKnight's mom.  Another great character!

listen for: some great piano jazz!

extra bonus points: if you can name the singer who makes a cameo as a Nets fan cheering courtside when McKnight is injured.

 

hairspray

the year: 2007

the genre: musical


the cast: John Travolta (Edna Turnblad); Michelle Pfeiffer (Velma Von Tussle); Christopher Walken (Wilbur Turnblad); Amanda Bynes (Penny Pingleton); James Marsden (Corny Collins); Queen Latifah (Motormouth Maybelle); Brittany Snow (Amber Von Tussle); Zac Efron (Link Larkin); Elijah Kelley (Seaweed); Allison Janney (Prudy Pingleton); Nikki Blonsky (Tracy Turnblad)


the plot: Tracy Turnblad, an overweight teenager with all the right moves, is obsessed with the Corny Collins Show. Every day after school, she and her best friend Penny run home to watch the show and drool over Link Larkin, much to Tracy's mother Edna's dismay. After one of the stars of the show leaves, Corny Collins holds auditions to see who will be the new dancer. With the help of her friend Seaweed, Tracy makes it on the show, angering the evil dance queen Amber Von Tussle and her mother Velma. Tracy then decides that it's not fair that the black kids can only dance on the Corny Collins Show once a month, and with the help of Seaweed, Link, Penny, Motormouth Maybelle, her father and Edna, decides she's going to integrate the show.....without denting her 'do!


don't miss: Corny Collins.



did you know: most of the cast jokingly called "You Can't Stop the Beat" "you can't stop to breathe" because of its pace and fast-moving lyrics. Queen Latifah said she had no trouble singing a lot of words very quickly because of her background as a rapper.



listen for: "You two better brace yourselves for a whole lotta ugly comin' at you from a neverending parade of stupid." "So, you've met my mom?"



extra bonus points: if you know why it's cool that Ricki Lake plays one of the talent agents and Jerry Stiller plays Mr. Pinky.


also listen for: "I was just at home, practicing my new twist on The Twist, when I overheard it on the news. I can't believe Tracy savagely bludgeoned an Eagle Scout. That's just not like her."



even MORE extra bonus points: if you can name "The Nicest Kids in Town".



And my favorite scenes here and here.

last holiday

the year: 2006

the genre: comedy


the cast: Queen Latifah (Georgia Byrd); LL Cool J (Sean Matthews); Timothy Hutton (Matthew Kragen); Alicia Witt (Ms. Burns); Gerard Depardiew (Chef Didier)


the plot: Georgia Byrd clerks at a New Orleans department store. She eats Lean Cuisine even though she dreams about gourmet cooking, likes a co-worker in silence, hasn't left Louisiana although she has plenty of money saved up, and collects dreams in her Possibilities Book. When a CT Scan discloses she has three weeks to live, she cashes her savings and heads to Europe's Grandhotel Pupp, where Chef Didier presides. She checks into the Presidential Suite, orders everything on the menu, snowboards, and comes to the attention of the chef and the hotel's powerful American guests: a Congressman, a Senator, a retail magnate, and his mistress. She has nothing to lose, so she tells them what she thinks. Will the truth set them free?


listen for: "The cost of a median cranial debulking surgery is around $340,000. That's without anesthesia. You'll want that."


don't miss: how Georgia meets Chef Didier.


did you know: All the dishes served in the movie was prepared by Food Network chefs who traveled with the crew to do the cooking. Food Network posted the recipes for all of the dishes on their website.


extra bonus points: if you can name one of the dishes prepared for the movie.


also listen for: "You and I, we know the secret to life...it's butter."