Browse Movies : Released : 2006 : Drama (Page #5)

Emily Wang (Maggie Cheung) is a woman who wrestles with her dream of becoming a singer, her fitness as a mother, and daily life without her partner Lee (James Johnston). Her past is riddled with drugs and regrets, the result of which left Lee dead in a desolate motel room in Hamilton, Ontario, and landed Emily with a six-month jail sentence. The only thing that she desires for the future is a loving relationship with her son Jay, who is being cared for by Lee's parents, Albrecht (Nick Nolte) and Rosemary (Martha Henry). While Rosemary blames Emily for the death of Lee, Albrecht recognizes the importance of the bond between a mother and her son, and his faith sets the standard for the faith Emily must find in herself. Clean follows Emily to Hamilton, Paris, London and San Francisco and in three languages (English, French and Cantonese), as she battles for a place in a world reluctant to forget the woman she has been and unwilling to accept her as the woman she longs to be.

Set in the turbulent late 1960s and early '70s, "Dreamgirls" follows the rise of a trio of women)—Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Deena (Beyonce Knowles) and Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose)—who have formed a promising girl group called The Dreamettes. At a talent competition, they are discovered by an ambitious manager named Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx), who offers them the opportunity of a lifetime: to become the back-up singers for headliner James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). Curtis gradually takes control of the girls' look and sound, eventually giving them their own shot in the spotlight as The Dreams. That spotlight, however, begins to narrow in on Deena, finally pushing the less attractive Effie out altogether. Though the Dreams become a cross-over phenomenon, they soon realize that the cost of fame and fortune may be higher than they ever imagined.

The Battle of Iwo Jima, which took place in the winter of 1945, was a turning point in the Pacific Theater. In one month, 22,000 Japanese and 26,000 Americans died, and the battle produced one of World War II's most enduring images: a photograph of U.S. servicemen raising an American flag on the flank of Mount Suribachi, the island's commanding high point.

A biopic about the life of photographer Diane Arbus, considered one of the most mysterious, enigmatic, and frighteningly bold artists of the 20th century. Most known for her obsession with 'freak' subject-matter, her haunting work emerged from a deeply private place. Arbus' death was as mysteriously tragic as was the aura surrounding some of her most piercing portraits.

How far would you go to live your dream? When Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) is given the chance of a lifetime, he must leave his family, his life in Los Angeles and everything that he knows to travel halfway around the globe to England and into a completely foreign world -- the exciting, fast-paced and glamorous world of international soccer.

As an underprivileged Mexican-American immigrant growing up in the poor section of Los Angeles, Santiago seemed destined to follow his father's path in life: laboring at menial jobs to earn just enough money to support his family. Naturally gifted, his amazing talent on the soccer field was wasted in recreation league games while he could only dream of playing on the world stage of professional soccer. But when a British scout (Stephen Dillane) discovers his talent and gets him a tryout with one of England's premier soccer clubs, Newcastle United, Santiago must choose between his father's fate and his own destiny.

Now alone in a world where soccer is a religion and players are gods, this underdog must prove that he's got the talent and determination to make it amongst the best in the world.

A uniquely compelling exploration of fame and identity. The drama, inspired by one of Hollywood's most infamous real-life mysteries, follows a 1950s private detective (Academy Award winner Adrien Brody) who, investigating the mysterious death of "Superman" star George Reeves (Academy Award winner Ben Affleck), uncovers unexpected connections to his own life as the case turns ever more personal. The torrid affair Reeves had with the wife (Diane Lane) of a studio executive (Bob Hoskins) might hold the key to the truth.

This is the strange, disturbing story of the Manderlay plantation.

Manderlay lay on a lonely plain somewhere in the deep south of the USA. It was in the year of 1933 that Grace and her father had left the township of Dogville behind them. Grace's father and his army of villains had spent the entire winter seeking out new hunting grounds in vain, and now they were heading south in one last attempt to find a favourable location in which to take up residence.

By chance their cars stop in the state of Alabama in front of a large iron gate bearing a thick chain and a padlock. Beside the gate, a dead oak tree towers over a heavy boulder with Manderlay hewn in monumental letters into the granite.

Just as Grace, her father and his men are about to leave after a short break and a quick lunch, a young black woman runs up to the car. She knocks on Grace's window. She hammers at the glass in despair. Ignoring her father's advice to leave others to their own affairs, Grace follows the girl through the gates of Manderlay and there, she finds a group of people living as if slavery had not been abolished seventy years earlier, with white masters and black slaves...

Grace believes that she has a duty to make it up to the slaves for injustices they have suffered at the hands of her kind: 'we brought them here, we abused them and made them what they are', as she argues to her father; and she decides that having liberated Manderlay, she will remain at the plantation until she has seen them through their first harvest.

Her father grudgingly leaves her with four henchmen and a lawyer, warning Grace that he won't be there to pick up the pieces when her plans for the resurrection of Manderlay fall apart...

From the imagination of Oscar-winning writer/director Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation") comes a vibrant retelling of the classic story of "Marie Antoinette", the naïve Austrian princess, who is thrown into the scandal-ridden world of the French aristocracy, when she is betrothed to King Louis XVI. While still a teenager, Marie Antoinette conquers her fears and becomes France's iconic queen. Marie Antoinette stars Kirsten Dunst in the title role with Jason Schwartzman as King Louis XVI. Other members of the ensemble, portraying various members of the elitist court of Versailles include Rip Torn (in the role of King Louis XV), Judy Davis (as the Comtesse de Noailles), Steve Coogan (as Mercy), Asia Argento (playing the Comtesse du Barry), Danny Huston (as Joseph), Rose Byrne (in the role of Polignac), Molly Shannon (as Aunt Victoire) and Shirley Henderson (as Aunt Sophie).

Frank is a 55-year-old hard-working man, established and respected in his community, who suddenly finds himself without a job. Several other colleagues suffer the same fate and, whilst a shock to everyone, it is above all a crushing blow to Frank's pride. For the first time in his life, Frank is without direction. Agonised by the memory of his young son's drowning, Frank's dreams are haunted with images of water, yet it is only when he swims that he feels truly in control of his destiny. When his friend Danny jokes that on a clear day he could swim to France, a seed of hope is planted in his mind. Frank determines to salvage his self-esteem and to tackle his demons by attempting the ultimate test of endurance--to swim the English Channel--the 22-mile stretch of water dividing England and France. Initially concealing his master plan from his loving wife Joan and estranged son Rob, Frank and his friends unite to support his audacious plan. In the process this motley band of brothers restore their lost hope and confidence in the future.

A chubby, brainiac 18-year-old schoolgirl forms an unexpected bond with a thirtysomething pizza deliveryman/political activist with a history of failed relationships.

Magdalena is the daughter of a Mexican-American family who runs a storefront church in Echo Park, Los Angeles. With her fifteenth-birthday approaching, all she can think about is her boyfriend, her Quinceañera dress, and the Hummer Limo she hopes will carry her on her special day. But a few months before the celebration, Magdalena falls pregnant. As the elaborate preparations for her Quinceañera proceed, it is only a matter of time before her religious father finds out and rejects her. Forced out of her home, Magdalena moves in with her great-great uncle, Tomas, an old man who makes his living by selling champurrado--a Mexican hot drink--in the street. Already living with him is Carlos, Magdalena's cousin, a tough cholo who was thrown out by his parents. Carlos does not disguise his disapproval of Magdalena's arrival. The back house rental where Tomas has lived happily for many years is on a property that was recently purchased by an affluent white gay couple--pioneers of gentrification in the neighborhood. Inevitably, worlds collide when they become entangled in the lives of their tenants. As Magdalena's pregnancy grows more visible, she, Carlos, and Tomas pull together as a family of outsiders. But the economics of the neighborhood are turning against them. Ultimately, this precipitates a crisis that threatens their way of life.

Tyler Gage is a street smart juvenile delinquent, with a reckless streak that lands him in a world of trouble after he and his friends trash an auditorium at a high school for the performing arts. Sentenced to do community service at the school, he at first wants nothing to do with the students, until he meets a beautiful dancer who's willing to give him a shot. Against all expectations, Ty gets drawn into her world, and discovers his own talent for dance.

The true story of celebrated Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree, a former world champion who broke the world one-hour record on a bike of his own design, made partly out of sections of a washing machine. It follows his life's victories as well as his debilitating battles with mental health problems.

"The Fountain" is an odyssey about one man's thousand-year struggle to save the woman he loves. His epic journey begins in 16th century Spain, where conquistador Tomas Creo (Hugh Jackman) commences his search for the Tree of Life, the legendary entity believed to grant eternal life to those who drink of its sap. As modern-day scientist Tommy Creo, he desperately struggles to find a cure for the cancer that is killing his beloved wife Isabel (Rachel Weisz). Traveling through deep space as a 26th century astronaut, Tom begins to grasp the mysteries of life that have consumed him for more than a century.

A U.S. journalist returns to Berlin after the second World War to find his mistress, only to become embroiled in a murder.

"The Matador" is a comedic adventure about a traveling salesman, Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear), who accidentally meets up with Julian (Pierce Brosnan), "a facilitator of fatalities," at a Mexico City bar, where their subsequent evening together intertwines their lives in an unexpected, but lasting, bond. Each one is facing what could be a life-changing moment, and though they ostensibly have nothing in common, they're drawn together.

A young psychiatric intern unearths secrets about the mental health facility in which he works.

Based on the life of Chris Gardner, a self-made millionaire, this untitled project will star Will Smith as a man who finds himself jobless and homeless at age 30, living in a San Francisco train station with his infant son. Determined to beat the odds, he finds work as a trainee at a brokerage and climbs the corporate ladder, eventually becoming partner and owner of his own Chicago-based firm.

The story of the death of Princess Diana of Wales and the relationship between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the British Royal Family upon hearing of her death.

"The Wicker Man" follows the story of Sheriff Edward Malus (Nicolas Cage) as he investigates the disappearance of a young girl on a remote island off the coast of Maine. Things and people are not as they seem on the island and when Sheriff Malus discovers evidence of pagan rituals his hope of unraveling the girl's disappearance become increasingly uncertain.