Cinderella Man

Cinderella Man: Russell Crowe and Renée Zellweger

Cinderella Man

Cast: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Bruce McGill, Paddy Considine

James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe), an Irish-American hard-nosed boxer, formerly a light heavyweight contender, is forced to give up on boxing after breaking his hand in the ring. As the United States enters the Great Depression, Braddock works at a variety of menial jobs to support his family, but still dreams of somehow returning to boxing and making it big. Thanks to a last minute cancellation by another boxer, Braddock gets a second chance to fight but is put up against the number two contender in the world by the promoters who see Braddock as nothing more than a punching bag. Braddock stuns the boxing experts and fans with a third round knockout of his formidable opponent. Fighting with permanent injuries to his hands, Braddock continues to win and before long he comes to represent the hopes and aspirations of the American public coping with the Depression. Dubbed the "Cinderella Man," in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, he would eventually defeat the seemingly invincible Max Baer (Craig Bierko) to become the heavyweight champion of the world.

The Ides of March

The Ides of March: George Clooney

The Ides of March

Cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright, Max Minghella, Evan Rachel Wood

The Ides of March is an upcoming 2011 American political drama film directed by George Clooney from a screenplay by Clooney and Grant Heslov. It stars Clooney, Marisa Tomei, Paul Giamatti, Ryan Gosling, and Evan Rachel Wood. It is an adaptation of the play Farragut North.

The Nanny Diaries

The Nanny Diaries: Scarlett Johansson

The Nanny Diaries

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Alicia Keys, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, Donna Murphy

The Nanny Diaries tells the story of the emotional and often humorous journey of Annie Braddock (Johansson), a young woman from a working-class neighborhood in New Jersey, struggling to understand her place in the world. Fresh out of college, she gets tremendous pressure from her nurse mother to find a respectable position in the business world although Annie would prefer to trade in her blackberry for an anthropologist's field diary. Through a serendipitous meeting, Annie ends up in the elite and ritualistic culture of Manhattan's Upper East Side - as remote from Annie's suburban New Jersey upbringing as life in an Amazon tribal village.

Choosing to duck out of real life, Annie accepts the position as a nanny for a wealthy family, referred to as simply "the X's." She quickly learns that life is not very rosy on the other side of the tax bracket, as she must cater to the every whim of Mrs. X (Linney) and her precocious son Grayer, while attempting to avoid the formidable Mr. X (Giamatti). Life becomes even more complicated when Annie falls for a gorgeous Park Avenue Hottie (Evans), and she's forced to explore her identity as never before.

Paycheck

Paycheck: Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman

Paycheck

Cast: Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Uma Thurman, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti

Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a reverse engineer who routinely has his recent memories erased after working on sensitive high-tech projects. He is often helped by his friend Shorty (Paul Giamatti). He agrees to take on a project for James Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart), his old college roommate and close personal friend; Rethrick is CEO of Allcom. All Jennings is told is that he is to design something for three years in exchange for Allcom shares which will be worth a minimum of 10 million dollars. He meets and falls in love with Dr. Rachel Porter (Uma Thurman), an Allcom biologist. However, after working for three years on the secret project, he wakes up with his memory erased and learns that he signed away his shares in Allcom which are worth 92 million dollars, and is left only with an envelope.

Barney's Version

Barney's Version: Rosamund Pike

Barney's Version

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Lefevre, Scott Speedman, Bruce Greenwood

Barney's Version is the warm, wise, and witty story of Barney Panofsky, (Paul Giamatti), a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. A candid confessional, told from Barney's point of view, the film spans four decades and two continents, taking us through the different acts of his unusual history. There is his first wife, Clara, (Rachelle Lefevre), a flame-haired, flagrantly unfaithful free spirit with whom Barney briefly lives la vie de Boheme in Rome. The Second Mrs. P. (Minnie Driver) is a wealthy Jewish Princess who shops and talks incessantly, barely noticing that Barney is not listening. And it is at their lavish wedding that Barney meets, and starts pursuing, Miriam (Rosamund Pike), his third wife, the mother of his two children, and his true love. With his father, Izzy (Dustin Hoffman) as his sidekick, Barney takes us through the many highs, and a few too many lows, of his long and colorful life. Not only does Barney turn out to be a true romantic, he is also capable of all kinds of sneaky acts of gallantry, generosity, and goodness when we and he-- least expect it. His is a gloriously full life, played out on a grand scale. And, at its center stands an unlikely hero the unforgettable Barney Panofsky

Shoot 'Em Up

Shoot 'Em Up: Monica Bellucci

Shoot 'Em Up

Cast: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci, Greg Bryk, Chris Jericho, Stephen McHattie, Jane McLean, Daniel Pilon

The film follows Mr. Smith (Clive Owen), a drifter who appears to have an extensive military background and a fondness for carrots who wants nothing more than to be left alone. Smith finds himself embroiled in a complex political conspiracy once he aids a pregnant woman who is going into labor while being chased by a hitman. After the woman is killed, he takes the baby and goes on the run with a lactating prostitute named Donna (Monica Bellucci). The unlikely family is trailed by the intelligent and ruthless Hertz (Paul Giamatti) and his army of thugs. A plethora of elaborate gunfights ensue, between which Smith pieces together the real story: a United States Senator who strongly supports gun control had been breeding babies for their bone marrow to treat his cancer, and a prominent gun baron has contracted Hertz to kill the babies. After Smith kills the senator he is captured by Hertz who tries to get him to tell where the woman and child are. He soon manages to escape and kill Hertz and returns to the baby and Donna. The film ends with him taking out a band of robbers who attempt to rob the restaurant where they are reunited.