SYNOPSIS EXAMPLES

SYNOPSIS EXAMPLES


NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE

This indie favorite follows Napoleon Dynamite, a quirky, ninja-loving teenager growing up in the far reaches of Idaho. Napoleon's life gets complicated when his shady Uncle Rico shows up, a shy girl starts showing him some attention and his best friend Pedro decides to run for school president. Nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004.


LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Convinced little Olive is beauty queen material, parents Richard and Sheryl and the rest of the family embark on a life-altering road trip to a pageant in this madcap comedy. Struggling motivational speaker Richard pushes Olive to win, while her silent brother, depressed uncle and nursing-home reject grandpa add their own quirks to the mix.

SWINGERS

In director Doug Liman's career-making look at twenty-something guys, struggling comedian Mike despairs over his love life, so his four pals, fellow Hollywood hopefuls, pump up his nightlife. Buddy, (Vince Vaughn) offers dubious lessons on "babes," even whisks Mike to Vegas. Although their attempts at living la vida loca seldom work out as fantasized, Mike meets one woman who might finally break his funk.

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING

Nia Vardalos plays Toula Portokalos, a single Greek woman who falls in love with a non-Greek , which is a no-no to her strict family -- especially her commanding mother, Maria, and her traditional father, Gus. Think of it as a cross between Meet the Parents and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner … with a flavoring on the souvlaki side.

CLERKS

Made on a shoestring budget by director Kevin Smith, this classic indie comedy won awards at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Convenience and video store clerks Dante Hicks and Randal Graves are sharp-witted, potty-mouthed … and bored out of their minds. Between serving nonstop shoppers, the overworked counter jockeys play hockey on the roof, visit a funeral home and deal with their offbeat love lives.

DAZED AND CONFUSED

Director Richard Linklater's follow-up to Slacker takes an autobiographical look at some Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976. Despite the school's stratified culture, Randall Floyd moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. A star athlete, Floyd wrestles with signing a "no drugs" pledge demanded by the football coach. Like American Graffiti, Dazed and Confused is rich in period detail.




AMERICAN GRAFFITI

The film that put director George Lucas on the Hollywood map also expertly showcased newcomers such as Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Suzanne Somers and "Ronny" Howard. Lucas masterfully weaves together the stories of a disparate group of high school students as they struggle with adolescent rites of passage in 1962. Touching and timeless, American Graffiti is a not-to-be-missed classic.

THE DEPARTED

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise in Martin Scorsese's multiple Oscar-winning crime thriller, including Best Director and Best Picture. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.


TOY STORY

I's tough being a toy. One day, you're at the top of the heap; the next, you're down in the dumps -- literally. Cowboy-toy Woody feels threatened when space ranger Buzz Lightyear arrives. But they're both lost when the family moves -- and finding their way home is only half the adventure. Director John Lasseter won a special Academy Award for this 3-D "compu-toon."


TOY STORY II

Buzz Lightyear, Woody and the rest of the toys in Andy's playroom are back! When Andy goes off to cowboy camp, an obsessive toy collector kidnaps Woody, and it's up to Buzz and the gang to save their pal. With a story that's great for kids and adults, amazing technical work from Disney and Pixar Animation and the voices of Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Wayne Knight and more, Toy Story 2 is among the best sequels ever made