LSC Event Descriptions
October 13 & 15, 2006 |
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Rated PG
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Akeelah and the Bee (2006) October 13, 2006 at 7:00 and 10:00 pm in 26-100 October 15, 2006 at 7:00 pm in 26-100 Superbly written and directed by Doug Atchison, this family drama covers the same dramatic territory as the acclaimed 2002 documentary Spellbound and the 2005 drama Bee Season, but the fictional story of 11-year-old Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer) is, if anything, even more entertaining, inspiring, and full of hope for the potential of children everywhere. Although reluctant at first (and fearful of being labeled a "brainiac" by classmates at her under-funded middle school in South Central Los Angeles), Akeelah grows determined to win the district, regional, and ultimately the Scripps National Spelling Bee, aided by the able coaching of an English professor (Laurence Fishburne) who, like Akeelah's overworked single mother (Angela Bassett) is slowly recovering from a devastating personal loss. Structured like a conventional sports drama, Akeelah and the Bee rises above its generic trappings to become an uplifting and deeply moving study of friendship, pride, fair play, and above all, the value of self-confidence and realization that there's more to life than winning. As played by the young Palmer in an award-worthy performance, Akeelah is a winner in the best sense of the word, and so is this wonderfully positive movie. [www.amazon.com] "You expect nothing but emotional truth from Fishburne and Bassett, but it's young Palmer who wins your heart with a performance that's completely free of guile and affectation." |
| October 13 & 15, 2006 | ← Previous | Fall 2006 schedule | Next → |
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