"12 Rounds" (PG-13 for intense violence) Crime thriller, set in New Orleans, about a police detective (John Cena) who finds his fiancée (Ashley Scott) kidnapped by a revenge-minded escaped-con (Aidan Gillen) whose own girlfriend had been accidentally killed during their apprehension for a multi-million dollar heist.  
 "The Haunting in Connecticut" (PG-13 for intense terror and disturbing images) Haunted house tale, based on a true story, recounts the host of supernatural horrors visited upon . . .

"Piney Ridge," an award-winning play written by La'Chris Jordan and directed by Isiah Anderson, Jr., runs through April 5, at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, 104 17th Ave. S., in Seattle.
After a race riot tears apart a small Virginia town in 1910, the residents of Piney Ridge are outraged when a young White girl from a sharecropping farm is physically attacked. 'Piney Ridge' explores the rifts of race, class, and social injustice.
The Skanner spoke to Isaiah Anderson last month about the show, his career, and the future of urban youth in the Pacific Northwest. . . .

Will Smith and Rosario Dawson won NAACP Image Awards for their performances as ill-fated lovers in this relentlessly-depressing tearjerker. Smith stars as a suicidal widower wracked with guilt over killing his wife in a car accident while fiddling with his Blackberry, and Dawson comes along later in the story as the new flame he's agonizing over getting involved with.
The picture plays like a variation of The Millionaire, if you're old enough to remember that classic TV series about a reclusive philanthropist who, with the help of his loyal manservant, Mr. Anthony, gave away a fortune each week to a needy stranger, anonymously. . . .

Here, we have a fact-based bio-pic recounting the suicide by fasting of Bobby Sands (1965-1981), a latter-day revolutionary who led an Irish Republican Army (IRA) hunger strike at Long Kesh Prison located in Northern Ireland. Bobby and nine of his comrades would perish while behind bars in pursuit of elevating their status to political prisoners so that they would no longer be treated like common criminals. Curiously, this empathetic portrait was the brainchild not of an Irishman but of Steve McQueen (no relation), a Black Brit born in London. . . .

I guess it's not fair to expect much from a movie inspired by a homemade video posted on YouTube, even if the original registered over 80 million hits online. But this is what we have in "Afro Ninja: Destiny," a picture calculated to cash in on the success of an Internet phenomenon. If this is a new trend, can full-length feature spin-offs of Tay "Chocolate Rain" Zonday and Chris "Leave Britney Alone!" Crocker be far behind? . . .

For the first time in 27 years, "Hello, Dolly!" is returning to the 5th Avenue Theater's stage. Opening night for musical is Thursday, March 12 at 8 p.m.  Performances are running now through March 29, with opening night at 8 p.m. on March 12. The play is about Dolly Gallagher Levi, a matchmaker who is hired to arrange a marriage for the miserly half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder, she finds him the perfect mate – herself! But first she must . . .

As part if its Reel Music Film Festival, the Northwest Film Center presents "The Night James Brown Saved Boston," Monday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m., at The Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park Ave.
For anyone not familiar with the deeply controversial political stands of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the aftermath of his assassination – or the genius of recording artist James Brown – this film is a must-see....

In celebration of America's historic presidential election, Juba Books is proud to release a play script for young people about President-elect Barack Obama's younger life up to his election victory. The script, entitled "I Have A Promise," is included in the new book, "Positive African American Plays for Children, Book 3" with others about Condoleezza Rice, Cullen Jones, Missy Elliot, and Reginald Lewis....

Ronaldo Mazyck, owner and operator of Paper Chase Shredding and Recycling: Service Minority Business Opportunity Committee's Service Contractor of the Year for 2007.
Owned and operated by Ronaldo Mazyck, Paper Chase Recycling Service is an independent locally owned shredding and recycling service. Started by Mazyck in 1987, Paper Chase is a leader, visionary, advocate and change agent for recycling.
Passionate about the environment and dedicated to protecting it for future generations ...

Just imagining a career in the movie industry is a far-off dream for most people. Actually making it in the highly competitive world can be even tougher.
But one local filmmaker and critic says it's not as hard as it seems, it just takes a bit of tenacity, a lot of dedication and a good dose of talent.
David Walker, the longtime film critic for the Willamette Week and creator of three unreleased films, didn't get his start in the film industry because of family connections, movie star good looks or luck. Walker says he got his start as a filmmaker and critic by using his strong taste for words and love of film.
"I think I was born to be a writer," he says.
Despite beginning school to become a graphic designer, Walker spent much of his time hanging out with the film majors while going to school in New York. After realizing he wasn't happy designing for a living, he dropped out of school and dedicated himself to writing screenplays.