John G. Connolly
Chicago-based writer/director Ron Lazzeretti (The Opera Lover, The Merry Gentleman) explores the complexities of modern relationships in this independent drama presented in four parts. The first segment, titled "Last Day" finds acrimony taking precedent over amenity during a farewell party for an employee who's about to move on. A bride and the priest who's officiating her wedding get an unpleasant surprise after running away together in "Wedding Night," and a woman on the CTA receives a spontaneous gift that transforms her outlook on the world (at least, momentarily) in "Flowers". Lastly, a family preparing for a big relocation finds the forces of the universe seemingly aligned against them in "Move".
Ice Cube stars as Darius Stone, a thrill-seeking troublemaker whose criminal record and extreme sports obsession make him the perfect candidate to be the newest XXX agent. He must save the U.S. government from a deadly conspiracy led by five-star general and Secretary of Defense George Deckert (played by Willem Dafoe).
Short filling the gaps between xXx and xXx: State of the Union. Likely rendered non-canon by the release of xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017). An extra from xXx (2002) Directors Cut.
Pete, an eight-year-old Catholic boy growing up in the suburbs of Chicago in the mid-1970s, attends Catholic school, where as classes let out for the summer, he's admonished by a nun to follow the path of the Lord, and not that of the Devil. Perhaps taking this message a bit too seriously, Pete decides it's his goal for the summer to help someone get into heaven; having been told that Catholicism is the only sure path to the kingdom of the Lord, Pete decides to convert a Jew to Catholicism in order to improve their standing in the afterlife. Hoping to find a likely candidate, Pete begins visiting a nearby synagogue, where he gets to know Rabbi Jacobson, who responds to Pete's barrage of questions with good humor. Pete also makes friends with the Rabbi's son, Danny, who is about the same age; when he learns that Danny is seriously ill, he decides Danny would be an excellent choice for conversion.
In 1964, a brash, new pro boxer, fresh from his Olympic gold medal victory, explodes onto the scene: Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his proud public self-confidence and his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. Yet at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test.
A film about one woman's personal freedom and the price she pays to keep it.
