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Movies on M-Net Stars this month:


Original Kings Of Comedy
On: Monday, 3 March at 19h30

2000 Directed by Spike Lee. Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac

Between 1997 and 2000, The Kings of Comedy  - the talented African American comedians Steve Harvey, DL Hughley, Cedric The Entertainer and Bernie Mac - toured America, playing to packed houses wherever they went.

Poking fun at all things American, including sex, religion and racism, they amused and offended audiences wherever they performed. It was the most attended comedy tour in US history, with ticket sales exceeding $50 million. In February 2000, director Spike Lee filmed two nights of their tour. This movie is the result.

Rushmore
On: Monday, 10 March at 19h30

1999 Directed by Wes Anderson. Bill Murray, Olivia Williams

Max is 15 - smart, confident with plenty of cheek. His future at the elite Rushmore school is in danger because he’s so busy with extra-curricular activities.

Oblivious to girls his own age, he sets out to impress Rosemary, a beautiful widowed teacher twice his age. He also befriends Herman Blume, a wealthy middle-aged man and former student who, disillusioned with his home life, finds Max a breath of fresh air.

Things get tricky when it emerges that a love triangle has developed between teen, tycoon and teacher. Soon Max is planning Herman’s downfall, and it’s anyone’s guess how things will turn out.

Tex
On: Monday, 17 March at 19h30

1982 Directed by Tim Hunter. Matt Dillon, Jim Metzler

Based on the book The Outsiders by SE Hinton, Tex centres around two boys who are raising themselves while their rodeo cowboy father is away, which is often.

Tex, 18, is a sports star who works hard to put food on the table and keep the house going. Mason, 14, is a typical adolescent who likes riding his horse and hanging out with his best friend. Things reach a head when their money runs out, and Mason sells the horse.

Tex, angry with Mason, his father and life itself, gets involved with a shady character, and soon finds himself in a scary situation. As the brothers try to deal with what life is throwing at them, they learn the true meaning of family.

Iron Will
On: Monday, 24 March at 19h30

1994 Directed by Charles Haid. Mackenzie Astin, Kevin Spacey

Based on an actual event in 1917, when hundreds of dog-sledders undertook an arduous 500 mile race across some of North America’s most treacherous for a $20 000 prize.

The movie centres on Will, a 17-year-old boy who decides to enter the race after his father, a dog-sledder, dies and his mother faces ruin.

After weeks of training under the watchful eye of a wise Native American, Will arrives at Winnipeg, to find he’s late for the start, and that he doesn’t have the required registration fee.

A reporter comes to the rescue, but more challenges lie in wait, including an obnoxious man who will do anything to win the race.

It Runs In The Family
On: Monday, 31 March at 19h30

1994 Directed by Bob Clark. Charles Grodin, Kieran Culkin

Ralphie is growing up in a small town in 1940s America. His life revolves around fishing, finding the perfect spinning top, and watching his parents deal with small-town crises.

For his father, it’s his annoying hillbilly neighbours; for his mother, it’s her inability to collect a full set of Hollywood-themed china. As the summer wears on, things get more exciting as his father plots revenge and his mother loses her cool.

The film is a sequel to A Christmas Story - both films based on the memoirs of American humourist Jean Shepherd.



A Far Place Off
On: Tuesday, 4 March at 19h30

1993 Directed by Mikael Salomon. Reese Witherspoon, Ethan Embry

Nonnie, 14, is showing her new friend from America, Harry, 16, around her parents’ farm in the Northern Cape, when strangers with guns arrive and ruthlessly murder Nonnie’s parents and Harry’s father.

Shocked and confused, the children go on the run when they discover that the men want to kill them, too.

With the help of a young San guide, Xhabbo, they embark on a gruelling trek across the Kalahari desert, learning invaluable survival tricks and people skills along the way.

The Big Green
On: Tuesday, 11March at 19h30

1995 Directed by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Steve Guttenberg, John Terry

It’s not just the economy that’s depressed in Elma, Texas - it’s the whole town. That’s until Anna, an exchange teacher from England, breezes into town.

Irrepressibly cheerful, she refuses to buy into the loser mentality that affects everyone, and sets out to teach the kids something she’s passionate about: soccer.

With no talent, skills, know-how or kit, her project seems certain to fail, until she gets some help in the shape of deputy sheriff Tom and two promising students. As the kids start practising this crazy new football, they discover qualities in themselves like teamwork, commitment - and hope.

Gross Anatomy
On: Tuesday, 18 March at 19h30

1989 Directed by Thom Eberhardt. Matthew Modine, Daphne Zuniga

Joe has a brilliant medical career ahead of him - if he can reign in his arrogance and do something about that irreverent bedside manner of his. As a first year student at an elite medical school, he has no interest in campus politics.

As he dissects cadavers and tries to deal with the relentless pressures of assignments and exams, he finds himself getting close to his four lab partners.

One becomes his girlfriend, and another becomes his first patient. By the end of the year, Joe will have learned a lot about medicine, and even more about friendship and teamwork

Mad Love
On: Tuesday, 25 March at 19h30

1995 Directed by Antonia Bird. Chris O'Donnell, Drew Barrymore

Matt is a clean-cut high school student who lives at home with his work-obsessed father and younger brother. He is serious and responsible, studies hard and has little time for fun.

Enter Casey, a sexy free spirit and the complete opposite of Matt. She is unpredictable and loves taking risks. Sparks fly and the two fall madly in love. But Casey has problems Matt doesn’t even begin to understand.

When her parents have her committed to a psychiatric hospital, Matt helps her escape, and they are soon heading for Mexico - a road trip that will bring danger, adventure and enlightenment.



Dream For An Insomiac
On: Wednesday, 5 March at 19h30

1997 Directed by Tiffanie Debartolo. Ione Skye, Jennifer Aniston

Best friends and aspiring actresses Frankie and Allison work in a Frank Sinatra-themed coffee shop in San Francisco. They talk, drink coffee, and talk some more.

In just a few days, they will be leaving for Hollywood to pursue their acting careers. Just then, an aspiring writer trying to cure his writer’s block joins the café’s staff. For Frankie, it’s love at first sight.

David is a romantic, a poet, a kindred soul. And he has Sinatra’s blue, blue eyes. But with only 48 hours before she and Allison leave town, is it worth making a play for him?

The Alarmist
On: Wednesday, 12 March at 19h30

1998 Directed by Evan Dunsky.

On his first day selling home security systems, sweet, gentle Tommy lands a sale and a new girlfriend. Love and promotion are clearly in the air. But just as things seem to be going really well, he discovers that his charming boss has some rather unorthodox business ideas.

In fact, he may even be a little crooked. Tommy wants nothing to do with Heinrich’s schemes, until something happens that makes the up and coming young salesman show his own true colours.

Last Supper
On: Wednesday, 19 March at 19h30

1995 Directed by Stacy Title. Cameron Diaz, Bill Paxton

Cameron Diaz stars as a young liberal who shares a house with four other like-minded graduate students.

One Sunday night, they invite Zach to dinner. Zach turns out to be a neo-Nazi with no respect for their ideas and he’s violent. An argument ensues and next thing Zack is on the floor, a knife in his back.

The friends hurriedly bury Zach in the back garden, telling themselves he was bad news and deserved to die. Come to think of it, they reason, everybody with anti-social ideas - racists, misogynists, homophobes, anti-Semites - should be taught a lesson. And so begins a series of rather interesting dinners …

Rich In Love
On: Wednesday, 26 March at 19h30

1993 Directed by Bruce Beresford. Kyle MacLachlan, Ethan Hawke

Teenager Lucille lives in a gracious Southern mansion with her elderly parents, when her mother suddenly walks out. Her disbelieving father, who already does very little, starts doing even less, and slowly starts unraveling.

Lucille’s older sister brings added complications by moving in with her new husband. Turns out she’s pregnant, and not too happy about it.

As Lucille’s various family members fall apart, she drops out of school to try and help piece the once happy picture together again.


Teen Wolf
On: Thursday, 6 March at 19h30

1985 Directed by Rod Daniel. Michael J Fox, James Hampton

A young Michael J Fox stars in this comedy set in a high school where popularity, being good at something and getting the girl of your dreams feature high on every teenage boy’s wish list.

Scott, 17, is a nice but average Joe who is just so-so at basketball and just hopeless at catching the eye of Pamela, the hottest girl in school. But one day, Scott’s genes kick in, and he becomes a werewolf, with a kick-ass attitude and an amazing way with a basketball.

The kids at school are impressed. Soon Scott is a rock star of sorts, feared, revered and lusted after. Suddenly, Pamela wants him, and Scott starts neglecting his gal pal Boof, who has loved him like, forever.

Flamingo Kid
On: Thursday, 13 March at 19h30

1984 Directed by Garry Marshall. Matt Dillon, Molly Mc Carthy

Jeffrey, 18, lives with his hard-working plumber father Arthur in Brooklyn, and wonders what to do with his life. He lands an invite to an exclusive club on Long Island, where he meets Phil, a rich, charismatic car salesman who helps him land a summer job as a cabana boy.

Soon Jeff is running errands for the rich and famous and dreaming of bigger things. This doesn’t sit well with Arthur, who wants his son to follow in his footsteps. But as Jeff spends more time with his new father figure, he works out the hard truth for himself.

The Adventures Of Huck Finn
On: Thursday, 20 March at 19h30

1993 Directed by Stephen Sommers. Elijah Wood, Jason Robards

Huck Finn is a lively, semi-literate boy whose mother is dead and his father is a brutal drunk. One day, Huck’s father kidnaps him in the hopes of laying his hands on Huck’s inheritance.

The enterprising Huck fakes his own death and manages to escape. Teaming up with Jim, a slave who is also looking for his freedom, the two head down the great Mississippi in a small raft.

The journey is filled with danger, beauty and insights as Huck learns more about his new friend and discovers new things.

Searching For Bobby Fisher
On: Thursday, 27 March at 19h30

1993 Directed by Steven Zaillian. Max Pomeranc, Joe Mantegna

Seven-year-old Josh, who idolises American chess champion Bobby Fischer, enjoys hanging out at Washington Square with street hustler Vinnie, who teaches him to play quick, intuitive chess.

Josh’s mother spots his talent, and tells his father, a sports writer. Frank sits him down for a game, and is whipped. Before long, chess master Bruce Pandolfini is roped in as the boy’s personal chess teacher.

As Josh is thrust into the ruthless world of competitive chess, his enthusiasm starts waning. He started out playing the game for fun, but his father and teacher seem to think that winning is all-mportant. What if he should lose?


Harriet The Spy
On: Friday, 7 March at 19h30

1996 Directed by Bronwen Hughes. Michelle Trachtenberg, Vanessa Lee Chester

Harriet is a bright 11-year-old girl who wants to be a writer. When her wise nanny Golly suggests that she observe people and keep a journal, Harriet starts spying on friends and strangers alike.

It seems like harmless fun, until the most popular girl in school finds her journal and reads it out aloud in class. Suddenly, Harriet is a pariah, shunned even by her closest two friends. Miffed, she goes on a revenge spree - only to find that she has made things worse. If ever she needed her nanny’s wisdom, it’s now.

Desperately Seeking Susan
On: Friday, 14 March at 19h30

1985 Directed by Susan Seidelman. Rosanna Arquette, Madonna

Roberta is a good little New York housewife who loves reading the classifieds. Just what is a DBF? And just who is a SWF anyway? Then she spots an ad from a man who is “desperately seeking Susan”.

Who is Jim, and who is Susan? When Roberta sets out to find answers, she finds a whole lot more: an adventure featuring a Jimi Hendrix jacket, a bump on the head, and being mistaken for a good-time girl wanted by the Mob. Suddenly, Roberta is freed to be a bad girl.

Little Man Tate
On: Friday 21 March at 19h30

1991 Directed by Jodie Foster. Jodie Foster, Dianne Wiest

Fred Tate, 7, is a mathematical and musical genius who worries about world hunger and global warming. His mother Dede is a cheerful cocktail waitress who can’t balance her cheque book.

They adore each other, but Dede senses that Fred needs something more. When psychologist Jane Grierson invites Fred to join her school for gifted children, Dede is delighted, but secretly frets about losing her little man.

As for Fred, he now has to get to grips with a world that isn’t always as warm and safe as the one he’s come to know.

Crazy/Beautiful
On: Friday, 28 March at 19h30

2001 Directed by John Stockwell. Kirsten Dunst, Jay Hernandez

Carlos, 18, is a model student, star athlete and aspiring pilot. Nicole,17, is the spoiled, rebellious daughter of a wealthy California congressman. Total opposites, they meet on the beach, go out on a few wild dates, then fall in love.

Carlos’s mother is not happy that he’s dating a white girl, and Nicole’s father is not happy either - not because Carlos is not good enough for Nicole, but because Carlos is too good for her. She’s trouble, he warns the baffled teen.

Nicole becomes increasingly destructive, volatile and angry, to the point where it not only threatens their relationship, but Carlos’s future. What is he to do with this crazy, messed up girl?


Clueless
On: Saturday, 8 March at 19h30

1995 Directed by Amy Heckerling. Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy

Cher, 16, is a rich, spoiled and chatty teen queen who wants to change the world one makeover at a time. When she isn’t giving fashion-challenged new girls tips on clothes, deportment and make-up, she’s match-making teachers because everybody knows that happy teachers give better grades.

Cher is saving herself for the school hunk, only to discover that the boy of her dreams is right under her nose.

Adventures In Babysitting
On: Saturday, 15 March at 19h30

1987 Directed by Chris Columbus. Elisabeth Shue, Maia Brewton

When her boyfriend stands her up, high school student Chris agrees to baby-sit a couple’s little girl. But what starts out as an ordinary night of babysitting turns into something out of the ordinary when Chris’s best friend phones her in a mad panic.

Chris bundles her young charge, the girl’s older brother and the brother’s friend into the family station wagon, and heads into Chicago. A flat tyre marks the beginning of a series of adventures involving sneaky characters and shady venues, such as a jazz club, where nobody leaves until they’ve sung the blues.

Bill And Ted's Bogus Adventure
On: Saturday, 22 March at 19h30

1991 Directed by Peter Hewitt. Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter

In the far distant future, the world is a happy, laidback place, where the cult of Bill and Ted reigns supreme and everyone’s excellent to one another. But one evil fellow thinks it’s all too much, and decides to change the past to prevent this happy future.

The way to do that is to go back to a pivotal event in 1991, when Bill and Ted won a battle of the bands contest, which started the Bill and Ted peace cult.

So he creates two Bill and Ted robots, and sends them back to kill the real stoners. They toss Bill and Ted off a cliff, and soon the dead dudes are having conversations with some hellish VIPs, and negotiating their way right back to life.

Calendar Girl
On: Saturday, 29 March at 19h30

1993 Directed by John Whitesell. Jason Priestley, Gabriel Olds

It’s 1962, and three buddies, red-hot Roy, nerdy Ned and shy Scott, have just graduated from high school. The grown-up world beckons, but first, they have to fulfill their lifelong dream: to meet Marilyn Monroe. So, setting off in a “borrowed” Galaxy 500 and a fistful of cash, they arrive in Hollywood, where they proceed to catch the bombshell’s eye.

They camp out outside her house, follow her to the beach, and do something wicked to a cow. Just when things start looking up, mobsters rock into town, looking for their money and their car.

Will the trio get to meet MM before they die?


Motorama
On: Sunday, 9 March at 19h30

1993 Directed by Barry Shils. Jordan Christopher Michael, Martha Quinn

Motorama centres around a young boy, Gus, who runs away from home to win a game called Motorama. If he can collect all the cards making up the word Motorama, he’ll win a fortune.

Gus steals a Ford Mustang, then starts driving, meeting an assortment of oddball characters along the way. He is never quite sure who is friend and who is foe, but by journey’s end, just as he is in sight of his goal, Fate deals him an unexpected hand.

The Squeeze
On: Sunday 16 March at 19h30

1987 Directed by Roger Young. Michael Keaton, Leslie Bevis

A cash-strapped modern sculptor and a female debt collector fall in love while trying to unravel a conspiracy to rig the national lottery. It all starts when the sculptor’s ex-wife leaves a black box in his care.

The box contains special magnets that affect the way the white balls drop during the draw. As the lovebirds try and figure out who’s masterminding the scheme, they have to stay one step ahead of an assortment of villains who are after the magnets.

Amazing Grace And Chuck
On: Sunday, 23 March at 19h30

1987 Directed by Mike Newell. Dean Alexander, Jamie Lee Curtis

During a visit to a nuclear plant, young Chuck is shocked to learn just how destructive nuclear power is. In a bid to draw the world’s attention to the dangers, he stops playing baseball.

The story gets into the local newspaper, which is read by national basketball star, Amazing Grace Smith. Moved to action, Smith announces that he too will stop playing his sport, and soon athletes around the country are joining the anti-nuclear protest.

Sport in America will be a thing of the past - unless the US President can drum some sense into Chuck’s head.

Fly Away Home
on: Sunday, 30 March at 19h30

1996 Directed by Carroll Ballard. Jeff Daniels, Anna Paquin

After the death of her mother, Amy, 13, moves to Canada to live with her father, a sculptor, conservationist and amateur pilot. The two struggle to relate, until Amy comes across a deserted nest of goose eggs in the bush.

Determined to save them, she builds an incubator, and it’s not long before 16 goslings are waddling around. There’s just one problem: they think Amy is their mother. If they are ever to learn how to fly and migrate, she will have to teach them. But how? Then dad comes up with a bright idea. Amy will have to learn to fly first …

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