ESL As Good as it Gets (ESL) - Santa Barbara City College · ESL As Good as it Gets (ESL) Director: ... child performer CC Bloom and San Francisco rich kid Hillary meet in a holiday

ESL

As Good as it Gets (ESL)

Director: James L. Brooks

Actors: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich

Run Time: 139 minutes

Product description:

The trials and tribulations of a compulsive writer, Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson). After his homosexual

neighbor (Greg Kinnear) is brutally beaten, he is entrusted to the care of the neighbor's dog, with a difficult

relationship with a waitress (Helen Hunt) to add on top of that. What develops is a weekend trip/triangle

between these three individuals, and together they learn the true meaning of "the sunny side of life".

Avalon (ESL)

Director: Barry Levinson

Actors: Leo Fuchs, Eve Gordon, Lou Jacobi, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elizabeth Perkins



A Russian family comes to USA at the beginning of the century and they and their children try to make

themselves a better future in the Promised Land.

Beaches (ESL)

Director: Garry Marshall

Actors: Robert Ball, Mayim Bialik, Frank Campanella, Michael Elias, Diane Frazen



When the New York child performer CC Bloom and San Francisco rich kid Hillary meet in a holiday resort

in Atlantic City, it marks the start of a lifetime friendship between them. The two keep in touch through

letters for a number of years until Hillary, now a successful lawyer moves to New York to stay with

struggling singer CC. The movie shows the various stages of their friendship and their romances including

their love for the same man.

Bend it Like Beckham (ESL)

Director: Gurinder Chadha

Actors: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher



A comedy about bending the rules to reach your goal, Bend It Like Beckham explores the world of

women's football, from kick-abouts in the park to freekicks in the Final. Set in Hounslow, West London

and Hamburg, the film follows two 18 year olds with their hearts set on a future in professional soccer.

Heart-stopping talent doesn't seem to be enough when your parents want you to hang up your football

boots, find a nice boyfriend and learn to cook the perfect chapatti.

Birdcage, The (ESL)

Director: Mike Nichols

Actors: Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, Dianne Wiest, Dan Futterman


Product Description:

The Birdcage - a drag club on the South Beach. Albert, Starina, the star of the show - one half of a couple

with Armand. Val is Armand's son from a long-ago heterosexual experiment, and has been raised in the

Armand and Albert apartment. His intended is Barbara, daughter of the very right wing U.S. senator John

Keeley, co-founder of the Coalition for Moral Order. She is bringing her family to visit Val and meet his

family (her parent’s think that Armand is a Greek diplomat). Results - mix-up, pretense, and farce.

Blast from the Past (ESL)

Director: Hugh Wilson

Actors: Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek



Brandon Fraser is Adam Weber, the child of an eccentric inventor and his wife. Following a bomb scare in

the 1960s that locked the Weber’s in their bomb shelter for 35 years, Adam Weber must venture out into

Los Angeles and obtain food and supplies for his family, and a non-mutant wife for himself. He meets Eve

(Alicia Silverstone), who reluctantly agrees to help him out.

City Slickers (ESL)

Director: Ron Underwood

Actors: Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Patricia Wettig, Helen Slater



Mitch is a middle aged big-city radio ads salesman. He and his friends Ed and Phil are having mid-life

crisis. They decide the best birthday gift is to go on a two week holiday in the Wild West driving cattle

from New Mexico to Colorado. There they meet cowboy Curly who not only teaches them how to become

real cowboys, but also one or two other things about life in the open air of the west.

Come See the Paradise (ESL)

Director: Alan Parker

Actors: Dennis Quaid, Tamlyn Tomita, Sab Shimono, Shizuko Hoshi, Stan Egi



Portraying one of the shadier details of American history, this is the story of Jack McGurn, who comes to

Los Angeles in 1936. He gets a job at a movie theatre in Little Tokyo and falls in love with the boss's

daughter, Lily Kawamura. When her father finds out, he is fired and forbidden ever to see her again. But

together they escape to Seattle. When the war breaks out, the authorities decide that the Japanese

immigrants must live in camps like war prisoners.

Driving Miss Daisy (ESL)

Director: Bruce Beresford

Actors: Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd, Patti LuPone, Esther Rolle



An elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta can no longer drive. Her son insists she allow him to hire a

driver, which in the 1950s meant a black man. She resists any change in her life but, Hoke, the driver is

eventually hired by her son. She refuses to allow him to drive her anywhere at first, but Hoke slowly wins

her over with his native good graces. The movie is directly taken from a stage play and does show it. It

covers over twenty years of the pair's life together as they slowly build a relationship that transcends their

differences.

Father of the Bride (ESL)

Director: Charles Shyer

Actors: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams, Kieran Culkin



In this remake of the Spencer Tracy classic, George and Nina Banks are the parents of young soon-to-be-

wed Annie. George is a nervous father unready to face the fact that his little girl is now a woman. The

preparations for the extravagant wedding provide additional comic moments.

Forrest Gump (ESL)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Actors: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise

Run Time: 141 min

USA Rating: PG-13


"Life is like a box of chocolates... You never know what you're gonna get." Like the movie itself, this line

from Forrest Gump became an instant classic and an inspiration to millions of people worldwide. Tom

Hanks gives an astonishing performance as Forrest in this acclaimed film from director Robert Zemeckis

that rocketed to box-office history and touched the hearts of filmgoers like no other movie. Through three

turbulent decades, Forrest rides a tide of events that whisks him from physical disability to football

stardom, from Vietnam hero to shrimp tycoon, from White House honors to the arms of his one true love.

Forrest is the embodiment of an era, an innocent at large in an America that is losing its innocence. His

heart knows what his limited IQ cannot. His moral compass never wavers. His triumphs become an

inspiration to us all. Forrest Gump. It's the story of a lifetime.

Grand Canyon (ESL)

Director: Lawrence Kasdan

Actors: Danny Glover, Kevin Kline, Steve Martin, Mary McDonnell



Grand Canyon revolved around six residents from different backgrounds whose lives intertwine in modern-

day Los Angeles. At the center of the film is the unlikely friendship of two men from different races and

classes brought together when one finds himself in jeopardy in the other's rough neighborhood.

Grumpy Old Men (ESL)

Director: Donald Petrie

Actors: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah

Run time: 104 minutes


John and Max are elderly men living next door to each other. They're continuously arguing and insulting

each other, and have been this way for over 50 years. One day, Ariel, moves into their neighborhood. Both

men are attracted to her, and their rivalry steps up a gear.

Harold and Maude (ESL)

Director: Hal Ashby

Actors: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack, Charles Tyner



Harold is a depressed, death-obsessed 20-year-old man-child who spends his free time attending funerals

and committing suicide in front of his mother, but he does not die. At a funeral, Harold befriends Maude, a

79-year-old woman who has a zest for life. She and Harold spend much time together during which she

exposes him to the wonders and possibilities of life. After rejecting his mother's three attempts to set him

up with a potential wife, and committing fake suicide in front of all of them, Harold announces that he is to

be married to Maude. However, Maude has a surprise for Harold that is to change his life forever.

It’s a Wonderful Life (ESL)

Director: Frank Capra

Actors: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers


USA Rating: PG


George Bailey spends his entire life giving up his big dreams for the good of his town, Bedford Falls, as we

see in flashback. But in the present, on Christmas Eve, he is broken and suicidal over the misplacing of an

$8000 loan and the machinations of the evil millionaire, Mr. Potter. His guardian angel, Clarence, falls to

Earth, literally, and shows him how his town, family, and friends would turn out if he had never been born.

George meant so much too so many people; should he really throw it all away?

Joy Luck Club (ESL)

Director: Wayne Wang

Actors: Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu, Ming-Na



Through a series of flashbacks, four young Chinese women born in America and their respective mothers

born in feudal China, explore their past. This search will help them understand their difficult

mother/daughter relationship.

Like Water For Chocolate (ESL)

Director: Alfonso Arau

Actors: Marco Leonardi, Lumi Cavazos

Run Time: 105 min

USA Rating: R

In a forgotten Mexico Tita and Pedro fall in love, but are forbidden to marry. Mama Elena sees Tita's role

as her caretaker for life - no youngest daughter has ever married and her daughter will not be the first to

break tradition. Tita's heart breaks when her mother instead offers to Pedro her other daughter, and he

accepts. Now they live in the same house, and Mama Elena cannot forbid their love as she did their

marriage.

Maria Full Of Grace (ESL) Director: Joshua Marston

Actors: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Guilied Lopez and Orlando Tobón

Run Time: 101 min

USA Rating: R


A pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her

family.

Mask of Zorro, The (English, Spanish and French) Director: Martin Campbell

Actors: Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Anthony Hopkins

Run Time: 137 min

USA Rating: PG-13


A swashbucklilng tale set against Mexico’s fight for independence from Spain, The Mask of the Zorro stars

Antonio Banderas, and Academy Award winners Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones. This Deluxe

Edition DVD features a sneak peek at the exciting sequel, the ‘The Legend of Zorro,” an entire scene from

the new film, plus loads of bonus content. After twenty years, the legendary Zorro escapes from prison to

avenge the murder of his wife and kidnapping of his daughter Elena at the hand of his enemy, Don Rafael

Montero. But first he must transform a cocky young thief into the fearless hero and champion of the people

he once was. With two Zorros on the scene, it’s twice the adventure and twice the fun.

Monsoon Wedding (ESL)

Director: Mira Nair

Actors: Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shetty, Vijay Raaz, Tilotama Shome


USA Rating: R


A story set in the modern upper-middle class of India, where telecommunications and a western lifestyle

mix with old traditions, like the arranged wedding young Aditi accepts when she ends the affair with a

married TV producer. The groom is an Indian living in Texas, and all relatives from both families, some

from distant places like Australia, come to New Delhi during the monsoon season to attend the wedding.

The four-day arrangements and celebrations will see clumsy organization, family parties and drama,

dangers to the happy end of the wedding, lots of music and even a new romance for the wedding planner

Dubey with the housemaid Alice...

Mrs. Doubtfire (ESL)

Director: Chris Columbus

Actors: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, Polly Holliday

Run Time: 125 min.

USA Rating: PG-13


Daniel Hillard is a struggling father who loses his job in which he does "voices" for a cartoon. When he

throws a surprise birthday party for his son, Chris, everything takes a turn for the worst. Daniel's wife,

Miranda, has had it with Daniel and wants a divorce. When the divorce hearings arrive, Daniel is denied

custody of the children, but is allowed visitations. Seeing his children once a week isn't enough, so Daniel

pretends to be Mrs. Doubtfire, an old woman who is hired as the Hillard's housekeeper. Daniel's act turns

out to be too good, however, and leads to disastrous consequences.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (ESL)

Director: Joel Zwick

Actors: Nia Vardalos, Michael Constantine, John Corbett, Christina Eleusiniotis


USA Rating: PG


Toula Portokalos is 30, Greek, and works in her family's restaurant, Dancing Zorba's, in Chicago. All her

father Gus wants is for her to get married to a nice Greek boy. But Toula is looking for more in life. Her

mother convinces Gus to let her take some computer classes at college (making him think it's his idea).

With those classes under her belt, she then takes over her aunt's travel agency (again making her father

think it's his idea). She meets Ian Miller, a high school English teacher, WASP, and dreamboat she had

made a fool of herself over at the restaurant; they date secretly for a while before her family finds out. Her

father is livid over her dating a non-Greek. He has to learn to accept Ian; Ian has to learn to accept Toula's

huge family, and Toula has to learn to accept herself.

My Family (ESL)

Director: Gregory Nava

Actors: Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos, Esai Morales, Eduardo López Rojas


USA Rating: R


Traces over three generations an immigrant family's trials, tribulations, tragedies, and triumphs. Maria and

Jose, the first generation, come to Los Angeles, meet, marry, and face deportation all in the 1930. They

establish their family in East L.A., and their children Chucho, Paco, Memo, Irene, Toni, and Jimmy deal

with youth culture and the L.A. police in the 50's. As the second generation become adults in the 60's, the

focus shifts to Jimmy, his marriage to Isabel (a Salvadorian refugee), their son, and Jimmy's journey to

becoming a responsible parent.

Narnia (ESL)

Director: Andrew Adamson



Prepare to enter another world when Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media present C.S. Lewis' timeless

and beloved adventure. With the stunningly realistic special effects, you'll experience the exploits of Lucy,

Edmund, Susan and Peter, four siblings who find the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while

playing a game of "hide-and-seek" at the country estate of a mysterious professor. Once there, the children

discover a charming, once peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs and giants that

has been turned into a world of eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis. Aided by the wise and

magnificent lion Aslan, the children lead Narnia into a spectacular, climactic battle to be free of the Witch’s

glacial powers forever!

Parenthood (ESL)

Director: Ron Howard

Actors: Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, Dennis Dugan, Mary Steenburgen, Paul Linke



The story of the Buckman family and friends, attempting to bring up their children. They suffer/enjoy all

the events that occur: estranged relatives, the "black sheep" of the family, the eccentrics, the skeletons in

the closet, and the rebellious teenagers.

Quinceañera (ESL)

Directors: Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland

Actors: Jesus Castanos, Araceli Guzman-Rico, Emily Rios, J.R. Cruz, Listette Avila,



Magdalena is 14 and anxiously awaiting her 15th birthday where she'll celebrate her quinceanara. Her

world starts to crumble when she discovers her pregnancy after not being able to fit in her gown for her

quinceanara. Soon, she's kicked out of her home, abandoned by her family, and abandoned by her baby's

father. Magdalena is then taken in by her great-granduncle, Tomas and her gay, often-in-trouble cousin,

Carlos. There she finds a new family and life.

Smoke Signals (ESL)

Director: Chris Eyre

Actors: Adam Beach, Evan Adams, Irene Bedard, Gary Farmer, Tantoo Cardinal



Young Indian man Thomas is a nerd in his reservation, wearing oversize glasses and telling everyone

stories no-one wants to hear. His parents died in a fire in 1976, and Thomas was saved by Arnold. Arnold

soon left his family (and his tough son Victor), and Victor hasn't seen his father for 10 years. When Victor

hears Arnold has died, Thomas offers him funding for the trip to get Arnold's remains, but only if Thomas

will also go with him. Thomas and Victor hit the road.

Stepmom (ESL)

Director: Chris Columbus

Actors: Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Ed Harris, Jena Malone, Liam Aiken



Anna and Ben, the two children of Jackie and Luke, have to cope with the fact that their parents divorced

and that there is a new woman in their father's life: Isabel, a successful photographer. She does her best to

treat the kids in a way that makes them still feel at home when being with their dad, but also loves her work

and does not plan to give it up. But Jackie, a full-time mother, regards Isabel's efforts as offensively

insufficient. She can't understand that work can be important to her as well as the kids. The conflict

between them is deepened by the sudden diagnose of cancer, which might may be deadly for Jackie. They

all have to learn a little in order to grow together.

Terms of Endearment (ESL)

Director: James L. Brooks

Actors: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels



Aurora and Emma are mother and daughter who march to different drummers. Beginning with Emma's

marriage, Aurora shows how difficult and loving she can be. The movie covers several years of their lives

as each finds different reasons to go on living and find joy. Aurora's interludes with Garrett Breedlove,

retired astronaut and next door neighbor are quite striking. In the end, different people show their love in

very different ways.

Thelma and Louise (ESL)

Director: Ridley Scott

Actors: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen



Louise is working in a fast food restaurant as a waitress and has some problems with her friend Jimmy,

who, as a musician, is always on the road. Thelma is married to Darryl who likes his wife to stay quiet in

the kitchen so that he can watch football on TV. One day they decide to break out of their normal life and

jump in the car and hit the road. Their journey, however, turns into a flight when Louise kills a man who

threatens to rape Thelma. They decide to go to Mexico, but soon they are hunted by American police.

Tortilla Soup (ESL)

Director: María Ripoll

Actors: Jacqueline Obradors, Tamara Mello, Judy Herrera, Nikolai Kinski



Retired Mexican-American chef Martin Naranjo shares an L.A. home with his three gorgeous, but single,

adult daughters. Though he long ago lost his ability to taste, Martin still lives to cook incredibly lavish

dinners for his loved ones and to serve them in a family-style ritual at traditional sit-down meals. Although

the women humor their father's old-fashioned ways, each of them is searching for fulfillment outside the

family circle. College student Maribel is growing increasingly frustrated with the singles scene and wants a

steady man; gorgeous career woman Carmen is fed up with her boyfriend and his wandering eye;

meanwhile, eldest daughter Letitia, who has suppressed her own romantic longings, senses something

missing in her life. Things take a turn for the romantic when Dad, a widower, meets a vivacious divorcee

on the lookout for a mate and each of his daughters, in turn, finds someone. But they'll all discover that the

recipe for happiness may call for some unexpected ingredients.

Tuesdays With Morrie (ESL)

Director: Mick Jackson

Actors: Jack Lemmon, Hank Azaria and Wendy Moniz

Run Time: 89 min


Mitch became caught up with his career as a sport commentator and journalist. He ignored his girlfriend

and did not make time to do things in life that are of the most value to a human being. Morrie was one of

Mitch's professors in college and a famous scholar. One day Mitch was watching television and saw Morrie

giving an interview stating that he is dying of Lou Gehrig disease or ALS.

When Harry Met Sally (ESL)

Director: Rob Reiner

Actors: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby, Steven Ford



Harry and Sally meet when she gives him a ride to New York after they both graduate from the University

of Chicago. The film jumps through their lives as they both search for love, but fail, bumping into each

other time and time again. Finally a close friendship blooms between them, and they both like having a

friend of the opposite sex. But then they are confronted with the problem: "Can a man and a woman be

friends, without sex getting in the way?"

You’ve Got Mail (ESL)

Director: Nora Ephron

Actors: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton


Product Description: The owner of a large bookstore chain starts putting the owner of a small local

bookstore out of business. Meanwhile they have been corresponding over the internet without knowing

who either of them is. They can't stand each other in person but over the internet they are very attracted. He

finds out who she is but she doesn't know. He starts to like her more but she still hates him. He has to fix it.

Documents

ESL As Good as it Gets (ESL) - Santa Barbara City College · ESL As Good as it Gets (ESL) Director: ... child performer CC Bloom and San Francisco rich kid Hillary meet in a holiday