Yahoo! Movies: New Thriller DVD Releases

The Mummy Returns

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:26 -0000

THE MUMMY RETURNS is set in 1935, 10 years after the events of the first film. Rick O'Connell (Fraser) is now married to Evelyn (Weisz), and the couple have settled in London, where they are raising their 9-year-old son Alex (played by screen newcomer Freddie Boath). When a chain of events finds the corpse of Imhotep (Vosloo) resurrected in the British Museum, the mummy Imhotep walks the earth once more, determined to fulfill his quest for immortality. But another force has also been set loose in the world...one born of the darkest rituals of ancient Egyptian mysticism, and even more powerful than Imhotep. When these two forces clash, the fate of the world will hang in the balance, sending the O'Connells on a desperate race to save the world from unspeakable evil, and rescue their son before it is too late. (2 hrs. 9 min.) Release date: Jul 8, 2008

The Big Lebowski

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:25 -0000

The Coen brothers and their agreeable cast make more fun than sense with this scattered farce about a pothead bowler who is mistaken for a deadbeat philanthropist and drawn into a cluster of kidnapers, nihilists, porn mobsters and Busby Berkeley beauties. (1 hr. 57 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

The Lost Boys

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:24 -0000

A group of teenage vampires attempts to recruit a new member who is not quite so certain about the trouble he is getting into. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: Jul 29, 2008

The Ring

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:23 -0000

A female journalist (Watts) discovers a disturbing videotape with a bizarre history... everyone who's seen its contents has died within seven days. Is she next? A remake of one of Japan's highest-grossing box-office hits ever. (1 hr. 49 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

The Silence of the Lambs

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:22 -0000

An ambitious FBI agent enlists the aid of a criminally insane ex-psychiatrist to help track down a vicious serial killer. (1 hr. 58 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

The Ruins

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:21 -0000

Author Scott Smith adapts his own popular 2006 novel in this unsettling and surprising horror yarn. In its first half hour, THE RUINS seems to be cut from the same "body-count-of-young-Americans-abroad" cloth as HOSTEL and TURISTAS, but the film has a supernatural element not present in either of those works, keeping it clear of the overpopulated slasher and torture genres. A talented young cast also ensures that Smith's tale reaches the screen with plenty of genuine chills intact. While vacationing on the Yucatan Peninsula, 20-something Americans Jeff (Jonathan Tucker), Amy (Jena Malone), Eric (Shawn Ashmore), and Stacy (Laura Ramsey), befriend German traveler Mathias (Joe Anderson), who invites them to accompany him into the jungle to meet up with his archaeologist brother at an "off the map" Mayan temple. They agree, but once they arrive, angry locals shoot one of their party and refuse to allow them to leave. The Americans and Mathias retreat to the top of the temple, only to find the archaeological camp deserted. Mathias falls into the temple and is badly injured, but that is only the beginning of their troubles, as it soon becomes apparent that the vines covering the temple are alive in a way that goes beyond normal vegetation.

It may be tempting to summarize THE RUINS by saying that it's about killer plants, but that would be undermining its strong points. The latter two thirds of the film play out like a very grim five-character stage play about survival, with large servings of death and desperation, without resorting to the fake scares that many horror films use as a crutch. The gore, while often quite nasty, is also necessary to the story, which takes on a heavy psychological component as the characters begin to fear for their lives. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Jul 8, 2008

Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:20 -0000

This spin-off from 2008's GET SMART, starring Steve Carrell, explores the comic adventures of the secret agent's two technological wizards, Bruce (Masi Oka, HEROES) and Lloyd (Nate Torrence, STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP). Expect plenty of pratfalls, explosions, and gadgets in this release that was produced to hit video stores just days after the parent film screened in theaters. Release date: Jul 1, 2008

Hannibal

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:19 -0000

HANNIBAL is set in Florence, Italy, a decade after the events of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, in which psychopath Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) was interviewed by FBI agent Clarice Starling (originally played by Jodie Foster) while in the custody of a maximum-security prison. Then he escaped. HANNIBAL picks up where that film left off--with the deranged Lecter now free as a bird in Italy, and Starling still on his trail. A terrifyingly horrific story based on the novel by Thomas Harris, the film takes viewers on a sickening journey through Lecter's violent, cannibalistic mind. (2 hrs. 11 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Vantage Point

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:18 -0000

Thomas Barnes and Kent Taylor are two Secret Service agents assigned to protect President Ashton at a landmark summit on the global war on terror. When President Ashton is shot moments after his arrival in Spain, chaos ensues and disparate lives collide in the hunt for the assassin. In the crowd is Howard Lewis, an American tourist who thinks he's captured the shooter on his camcorder while videotaping the event for his kids back home. Also there is American TV news producer Rex Brooks, relaying the historic event to millions of TV viewers across the globe. As they and others reveal their stories, the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place - and it will become apparent that shocking motivations lurk just beneath the surface. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Jul 1, 2008

Red Eye

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:17 -0000

Lisa Reisert hates to fly, but the terror that awaits her on the night flight to Miami has nothing to do with a fear of flying. Moments after takeoff, Lisa's seatmate, Jackson menacingly reveals the real reason he's on board: He is an operative in a plot to kill a rich and powerful businessman, and Lisa is the key to its success. If she refuses to cooperate, an assassin awaiting a call from Jackson will kill her father. Trapped within the confines of a jet at 30,000 feet, Lisa has nowhere to run and no way to summon help without endangering her father, her fellow passengers and her own life. As the miles tick by, Lisa knows she is running out of time. She desperately looks for a way to thwart her ruthless captor and stop a terrible murder. (1 hr. 25 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Starship Troopers

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:16 -0000

Paul Verhoeven has fashioned a visually spectacular, morbidly funny comic book adventure that seems to merge the fresh-faced youths of the Archie Comics with the save-the-planet mandate of "Buck Rogers.' (2 hrs. 9 min.) Release date: Aug 5, 2008

Gattaca

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:15 -0000

In the near future, where corporations screen their employees based on their genetic makeup, a man with a congenital heart condition tries to assume the identity of a former athlete with perfect genes in order to fulfill his dream of traveling in space. (1 hr. 52 min.) Release date: Aug 5, 2008

The Brotherhood of the Wolf

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:14 -0000

Set in 1765 during the reign of Louis XV, a mysterious creature is laying waste to the countryside in a rural province of France, savagely killing scores of women and children. Unseen, possessed of enormous strength and a seemingly near-human intelligence, the beast has eluded capture for years. Desperate to end the growing unrest of the populace, the King sends in a renowned scientist and his Iroquois blood brother, an unconventional team whose combined methods and capabilities may finally bring the beast down. (2 hrs. 23 min.) Release date: Aug 26, 2008

Ultraviolet

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:13 -0000

Set in the late 21st century, a subculture of humans has emerged with a genetic mutation causing enhanced speed, incredible stamina and acute intelligence. As more people are infected and the government becomes increasingly terrified of their growing power, those with the mutation are treated as outcasts, subjected to terrifying tests and put into quarantine. The government sets out to destroy them, but one woman is determined that that doesn't happen: ultra-beautiful, ultra-lethal Violet. With eye-popping martial arts skills and chameleon-like abilities, Violet becomes a rogue warrior bent on protecting her new race -- and seeking revenge on those who created it. (1 hr. 28 min.) Release date: Aug 5, 2008

Shutter

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:12 -0000

Treading territory similar to JU-ON: THE GRUDGE (2003), RINGU (1998), and ONE MISSED CALL (2003), all Asian horror films remade for American audiences, SHUTTER is the first English-language film for director Masayuki Ochiai, whose career has been primarily within the horror genre. The result is another potent ghost story able to conjure up feelings of dread through a single longhaired, poker-faced female apparition.

Newlywed New Yorkers Ben (Joshua Jackson, THE SKULLS) and Jane Shaw (Rachael Taylor, TRANSFORMERS) have traveled to Tokyo, where photographer Ben is investigating a potentially lucrative job opportunity. While driving on a dark road at night, the couple runs over a mysterious woman who seems to appear out of nowhere and can't be found after the accident. Over the next few days, Jane goes sightseeing while Ben works, only to see strange apparitions that also appear on the photos she takes. After Ben's photos show the same ghostly forms, he confesses that he knows something about the woman they ran over, but it may be too late to stop her trail of terror. Another Hollywood remake of an Asian horror film, SHUTTER has a tricky lineage: the 2004 original was made in Thailand, while this version is U.S.-financed, but shot mostly in Japan. By setting the film in Japan, director Ochiai retains an element of exoticism for American audiences, which also allows Ben and Jane to be out of their element, � la DON'T LOOK NOW. As the menacing spirit, Megumi, Megumi Okina is adept at conjuring fear with a simple glare in a minimal but effective performance. SHUTTER doesn't stretch the boundaries of horror cinema, but it provides a handful of decent shocks and a couple of crowd-pleasing gross-outs, all within the limits of a non-restrictive PG-13 rating. (1 hr. 25 min.) Release date: Jul 15, 2008

Species

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:11 -0000

A genetically engineered, shape-shifting creature with extraterrestrial intelligence adopts the form of a beautiful woman to mate with humans and unleash a brood of offspring that will destroy mankind. A team of experts must band together to stop her--it--from accomplishing its diabolical mission. Special editions contain behind-the-scenes footage with creature creator H.R. Giger. (1 hr. 51 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Child's Play

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:10 -0000

A new birthday doll begins to operate without batteries when it becomes possessed by the spirit of a vicious murderer and resumes a nasty reign of terror.

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Magic (1 hr. 28 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Rise: Blood Hunter

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:09 -0000

When a young reporter wakes up in a morgue and discovers she is no longer among the living, she vows revenge against the vampires who put her there and hunts them down. (1 hr. 37 min.) Release date: Jul 29, 2008

What Lies Beneath

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:08 -0000

This Hitchcock-type suspense/thriller from director Robert Zemeckis (FORREST GUMP, CONTACT, BACK TO THE FUTURE) casts Harrison Ford as Dr. Norman Spencer and Michelle Pfeiffer as his wife, Claire. Dr. Norman and Claire are a quiet, loving couple living in the hills of Vermont. Until Claire begins to see and hear what appears to be a ghost of a young woman in their home. Claire's life makes a turn for the worse as she obsesses with finding out who and why this ghost is haunting her. (2 hrs. 10 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Pumpkinhead

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:07 -0000

When a gang of bikers run over a child, the child's father invokes the demon Pumpkinhead to seek his revenge, forgetting there is a price for his services. Special effects man Winston (ALIENS, JURASSIC PARK) makes a sparkling debut in this creepy horror effort which features the one of the greatest monsters in recent memory. (1 hr. 26 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Dark City

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:06 -0000

From the director of "The Crow," an atmospheric melange of styles and substance about aliens, night and unspeakable acts. Interesting, but more than a bit addled. (1 hr. 35 min.) Release date: Jul 29, 2008

Misery

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:05 -0000

Romance author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) longs for parting with Misery. Sheldon's plucky heroine of seven novels has delivered Sheldon fame and fortune and recognition beyond the average writer's dreams, but she is also interminably linked to him. Determined to escape an eternal role as dimestore novelist, he kills her off in the eighth novel and heads to his cabin to work on his own Great American Novel. Upon completion, Sheldon excitedly sets out for his New York City publisher in the midst of a raging blizzard and within minutes veers into a desolate snowbank. From the brink of death, he is rescued from the snow by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who just so happens to be Misery's self-professed biggest fan. At first, she nurses him back to health in her remote cabin, telling him the roads and phones are knocked out by the storm, fawning over his literary accomplishments. However, things change when she purchases his eighth Misery book and reaches the point of Misery's death. Annie's psychotic underbelly swiftly surfaces as the unfortunate author is held clandestinely captive in her home. Meanwhile, a wily small-town sheriff (Richard Farnsworth) circles in....

Director Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's novel is an eerie tale of obsessiveness and isolation. The film features an excellent turn by Caan and an Oscar-winning performance by Bates. (1 hr. 47 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Street Kings

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:04 -0000

David Ayer, who wrote TRAINING DAY, gives us another unflinching look at disillusionment and questionable decision-making within the ranks of the LAPD. Ayer's second directorial effort tells the story of burnt-out Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves), a functioning alcoholic and undisciplined detective with the Special Vice Unit. While so much of this characterization appears resonatingly familiar at first, we soon learn that the character here has been tweaked. While this loose cannon in no way does things by the book, he is also far from playing by his own rules. Ludlow is relied upon by the other detectives in the unit, and by their almost maniacally ambitious Captain Wander (Forest Whitaker), to go outside the law whenever needed. The infractions he is pressured to commit are quickly and uncomplainingly covered up by Captain Wander, while Ludlow and the rest of Special Vice receive accolades for their high clearance rate. Not until one of these cover-ups leads to the brutal murder of his ex-partner (Terry Crews) does Ludlow try to dispel the apathy (and the vodka fumes) clouding his purpose. This procedural melodrama is almost completely internalized within the LAPD, as Vice cops investigate Narcotics cops, who snitch on Homicide cops, and no one talks to Internal Affairs, etc. Crimes are staged, executed, and pinned firmly on suspects with alarming efficiency as the necessary DNA, murder weapons, and fingerprints are then sprinkled around the scenes after the fact.

A study in familiar elements slightly skewed, STREET KINGS provides a satisfying dose of bright, loud, violent police work blended with the right amount of discreetly passed interoffice envelopes to keep the taut intrigue in step with the body count. Little time is wasted on exposition, and the audience's ability to extrapolate is given a great deal of credit as Ludlow's dead wife, substance abuse, and past career troubles are flashed at us briefly, then put away in favor of the crisis at hand. (1 hr. 48 min.) Release date: Aug 19, 2008

Insanitarium

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:03 -0000

He's played a terrifyingly mono-syllabic kidnapper and murderer, an eccentric drug dealer, and Satan at least once each, so it was only a matter of time for the well-trained Peter Stormare (FARGO, BAD BOYS II, CONSTANTINE) to take on the role of Dr. Gianetti, the unhinged head physician of the Mid-Psych mental institution. When the punky Jack (Jesse Metcalfe) discovers the patients of Mid-Psych--including his sister--are being subjected to experimentation and turned into vicious killers, it's up to him and his nervous-yet-trusty friend and sidekick (Kevin Sussman) to take care of business. This innovative and energetic directorial debut from MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN scribe Jim Buhler combines gallows humor, a vivid cast of characters, lovingly crafted practical gore effects, and genuine terror to a sickening effect. Release date: Jul 15, 2008

Zodiac

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:02 -0000

As a serial killer terrifies the San Francisco Bay Area and taunts police with his ciphers and letters, investigators in four jurisdictions search for the murderer. The case will become an obsession for four men as their lives and careers are built and destroyed by the endless trail of clues. (2 hrs. 36 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Prom Night

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:01 -0000

It's been three years since her family was murdered by a teacher obsessed with her, and Donna (Brittany Snow) is getting ready to go to the prom with her boyfriend, Bobby (Scott Porter). Now living with her aunt and uncle, Donna has just started having nightmares again about the tragedy, especially the part where she was hiding under the bed as she watched the teacher, Richard Fenton (Johnathon Schaech), kill her mother. On prom night, Detective Winn (Idris Elba), who handled the original case, is suddenly told that three days ago Fenton had broken out of the psychiatric hospital where he was imprisoned, and is now missing. With a strong suspicion that Fenton will be heading after Donna to fulfill what he believes is his destiny--to be with her--Winn and Detective Nash (James Ransone) go to the prom, which is being held in a lavish hotel, to keep their eyes on Donna and to watch out for Fenton. But Fenton is a crafty villain, already on another murderous rampage as he makes his way toward Donna, who he believes belongs to him and only him. Nelson McCormick's remake of the 1980 thriller PROM NIGHT, which starred scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis, has been completely reimagined by screenwriter J. S. Cardone. Instead of focusing on the body count and grisly methods of murder, McCormick--who has directed episodes of such hit television shows as E.R., COLD CASE, and HOUSE--delves more into the mind of the characters, especially Donna, Fenton, and Winn. The creepy mood is enhanced by cinematographer Checco Varese's shadowy photography and Paul Haslinger's eerie score. Dana Davis gives an excellent supporting performance as Donna's friend Lisa, who is determined to be named prom queen over snobby rich girl Crissy Lynn (Brianne Davis). (1 hr. 28 min.) Release date: Aug 19, 2008

The Bank Job

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:03:00 -0000

A car dealer with a dodgy past and new family, Terry has always avoided major-league scams. But when Martine, a beautiful model from his old neighborhood, offers him a lead on a foolproof bank hit on London's Baker Street, Terry recognizes the opportunity of a lifetime. Martine targets a roomful of safe deposit boxes worth millions in cash and jewelry. But Terry and his crew don't realize the boxes also contain a treasure trove of dirty secrets - secrets that will thrust them into a deadly web of corruption and illicit scandal that spans London's criminal underworld, the highest echelons of the British government, and the Royal Family itself...the true story of a heist gone wrong...in all the right ways. (1 hr. 50 min.) Release date: Jul 15, 2008

Turistas

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:59 -0000

After a bus accident maroons a diverse group of young adventure travelers in a remote Brazilian beach town, they slowly discover that the white sand beaches and lush jungles are concealing a darker, unsettling secret. (1 hr. 29 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Swamp Thing

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:58 -0000

In an attempt to relieve the world of hunger, a group of scientists develop a chemical which causes things to grow at a prodigious rate. When the substance is spilled on one of the researchers, he becomes a foliage covered monster and abruptly moves into the local swamp. Based on the DC comic book. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Don't Say A Word

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:57 -0000

A noted adolescent psychiatrist, racing to secure the freedom of his kidnapped daughter, must first retrieve a critical piece of information from his newest pro bono patient: a catatonic, violent but angelic-looking young woman. (1 hr. 52 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:56 -0000

In this remake of the 1956 cult classic, terror slowly and silently strikes San Francisco as the city is mysteriously covered by alien spores that produce strangely beautiful flowers. Unbeknownst to the people, the flowers are the bearers of alien pods that make a spiderlike webbing that captures their victims as they sleep and replicates their human form. Although they still look human, the victims are transformed into emotionless creatures by a strange race of aliens out to consume and control humanity--and only four people are left to stop them. Donald Sutherland stars as Matthew Bennel, a Department of Health inspector whose close friend and coworker Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) is overwhelmed by fear and paranoia when she begins to suspect her boyfriend, Geoffrey (Art Hindle), of no longer being human. Together, with their friends Jack (Jeff Goldblum) and Nancy (Veronica Cartwright), they are out to stop the bizarre alien invasion before they fall victim to the alien pods. Leonard Nimoy costars as Dr. David Kibner, a guru psychiatrist who might not be whom he seems. This haunting parable of human paranoia is a creepy glimpse of a city overrun with robotlike yuppies threatening to wipe out all of humankind. Sutherland gives a knockout performance as the leader of the last four humans left in San Francisco in this terrific blend of B-movie science fiction and modern terror. (1 hr. 55 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Friday the 13th

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:55 -0000

Despite repeated warnings to stay away, a group of fun-loving but none-too-bright teenagers set out to reopen the eerie Camp Crystal Lake, which closed 20 years earlier after a series of bizarre and unexplained deaths. Now someone is lurking in the woods, spying on the happy campers, and plotting a gory, grisly revenge on those who would disturb the camp's slumber. A horror classic that set the standard for slasher flicks of the 1980s. (1 hr. 35 min.) Release date: Aug 5, 2008

Pet Sematary

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:54 -0000

Director Mary Lambert's (THE IN CROWD) second film is a very underrated rendering of a Stephen King bestseller. In it a young family, the Creeds have recently moved to a new neighborhood where they very quickly lose their cat, which is run over by a speeding truck. The Creed's neighbor, Jud (Fred Gwynne), feeling bad for the family, tells Mr. Creed (Dale Midkiff) about the secret Indian burial ground in the neighborhood, which has mysterious rejuvenating powers. However, when the Creed's infant son meets a fate similar to the family pet, Mr. Creed can't resist temptation and he brings an unspeakable evil back from the grave. (1 hr. 43 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Married Life

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:53 -0000

This melodramatic musing on the trials and tribulations of marriage features a small but talented ensemble cast that includes Patricia Clarkson, Chris Cooper, and Rachel McAdams. Set in 1949, the story opens into a picturesque, affluent suburb where Harry Allen (Chris Cooper) resides with his wife, Pat (Patricia Clarkson). But there's trouble brewing beyond the perfect picket fences. Harry has fallen deeply in love with a blonde beauty named Kay (Rachel McAdams). He confesses his secret to his longtime bachelor friend, Richard (Pierce Brosnan), and even introduces Richard to the lovely Kay. Unfortunately for Harry, Richard is instantly smitten, and makes up his mind that he will do whatever it takes to win Kay for himself. Harry, meanwhile, continues to plot ways to escape his marriage, though he fears leaving Pat will destroy her. He soon decides the most humane thing would be to dispose of her the old-fashioned way, with the aid of a little poison. While he debates on when to make his move, we learn that Pat actually has a few secrets of her own.

Cooper and Clarkson both give charming, multi-layered performances, expertly revealing the tortured emotions that hide behind their well-mannered 1940s fa�ades. The film's recreation of the era is mesmerizing in its detail, with gorgeous costumes and an elegant set design. MARRIED LIFE has all the ingredients for Hitchcockian thrills, including a delicate blonde bombshell and a methodical murder plot. Yet the film daintily dances between black comedy and noir thriller, leading to a tidy, if rather anticlimactic end. The movie keeps you on your toes, but some might find themselves longing for a bigger payoff by the time the credits roll. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Sep 2, 2008

The Mummy (documentary)

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:52 -0000

A two show collection which focuses on the mummies, zombies, and walking dead of Hollywood's Golden Age. Show one includes clips from the original MUMMY, THE MUMMY'S HAND, CURSE OF THE MUMMY, and many more. Also includes THE WALKING DEAD, which tells of zombies and other representations of the undead in cinema. Show two contains rare newsreel footage and featurettes. Release date: Jul 8, 2008

The 6th Day

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:51 -0000

In "The 6th Day", a futuristic action thriller that treats the topic of genetic cloning, Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Adam Gibson, a helicopter pilot who returns home from a trip to his wife and family to find his double--a human clone--already there living his life in his place. Because cloning is illegal, a team of assassins attempts to eliminate the real Gibson. Challenged by moral and scientific arguments, Gibson unites with his clone to battle together against the assassins for their lives, their humanity, and their freedom. (2 hrs. 4 min.) Release date: Aug 5, 2008

Fatal Attraction

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:50 -0000

A happily married New York City attorney engages in a one-night stand while his wife and child are away. The woman refuses to end the affair and subsequently terrorizes the attorney and his family. (2 hrs. 1 min.) Release date: Aug 5, 2008

House on Haunted Hill

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:49 -0000

The owner of a supposedly haunted mansion offers $10,000 to anyone dumb enough to attempt to spend the night there. (1 hr. 15 min.) Release date: Jul 29, 2008

Maximum Risk

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:48 -0000

After making several violent Hong Kong action films in the style that's come to be known as heroic bloodshed, Ringo Lam came to Hollywood to make his first American film with Belgian martial arts star Jean-Claude Van Damme. MAXIMUM RISK, like Van Damme's previous DOUBLE IMPACT, is the story of twin brothers. Unlike the earlier film--in which he played brothers with contrasting characters--here he's a French policeman, Alain Moreau, who takes on the identity of his dead brother, Mikhail. They were separated at birth when their mother, Chantal, played by veteran French film actress Stephane Audran, gave one up for adoption to a Russian diplomat. He grew up to become a member of the new Russian Mafia operating out of the Little Odessa section of New York City. When Mikhail is murdered in France after a wild chase through the streets, Alain goes to New York, where he's assumed to be Mikhail by everyone from the local Russian crime boss to his brother's beautiful girlfriend, Alex (Natasha Henstridge). Working with a seemingly unlimited budget for car crashes, Lam stages the action scenes with a kinetic flair and smartly knits them together with the help of sharp editing by Bill Pankow. (1 hr. 45 min.) Release date: Aug 12, 2008

Rogue

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:47 -0000

Greg McLean (WOLF CREEK) directs yet another thrilling horror ride set in the Australian outback with ROGUE, the story of an American journalist who encounters a man-eating crocodile while on assignment in Australia. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: Aug 5, 2008

Witness

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:46 -0000

Australian Peter Weir's first Hollywood film tells the story of John Book (Harrison Ford), a Philadelphia cop whose life is altered while trying to help Rachel (Kelly McGillis), an Amish woman, and her son Samuel (Lukas Haas), who witnesses a murder in a Philadelphia train station bathroom. After discovering that the murder was committed by a member of his force, Book travels to Lancaster County with Rachel and Samuel and poses as a member of the Amish community to hide from his murderous police peers. While there, love blooms between Rachel and Book, and he finds himself drawn in by the honesty and simplicity of the old-world Amish lifestyle. Fine performances and beautiful cinematography are prevalent throughout. (1 hr. 52 min.) Release date: Aug 5, 2008

Fortress

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:45 -0000

Director Stuart Gordon's contribution to the I've-seen-the-future-and-it-sucks genre, FORTRESS is a creative and rousing sci-fi adventure. It's 2018, and America is facing a terrible overpopulation crisis. To solve the problem, a strict limit has been set on the number of children a family can have: one. When John Brennick (Christopher Lambert) and his wife, Karen (Loryn Locklin), lose their infant son, they try to have another illegally. However, they're caught and sent off to the Fortress, a supermaximum security prison from which escape is impossible. Despite the robot guards, the laser beams, the mindscanners, and the death devices planted in all inmates' stomachs, Brennick plans an escape with his wife anyway. Lambert is excellent as Brennick, the only reasonable man in an unreasonable world. Locklin is good as Karen, his wife and equal in strength of mind and will. Kurtwood Smith is gleefully evil as the sadistic prison director who is as emotionless as the machines that control him. Gordon imparts his graphic and detailed visual style to the film, as well as his usual strengths of strong character development and solid storytelling. FORTRESS is a great sci-fi escape movie that recalls THE RUNNING MAN and other prison-break films. (1 hr. 29 min.) Release date: Aug 5, 2008

Turn the River

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:44 -0000

Though most know Famke Janssen for action-oriented roles in the X-Men films, she bears the heft of this weighty drama with apparent ease. Janssen stars as Kailey, a woman who had to give up her son at birth, but now she's using her skills as a pool hustler to earn enough money to get him back. Actor Chris Eigeman (THE TREATMENT) turns director, writer, and producer with this acclaimed indie film. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: Jul 22, 2008

How to Rob a Bank

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:43 -0000

Comedy and thriller, truth and lies, and heroes and villains clash in this debut feature from commercial and music video director Andrew Jenkins. Nick Stahl, Erika Christensen, and Gavin Rossdale star as three characters who will keep the audience guessing as to which side of the law they're on in the midst of a bank heist. (1 hr. 21 min.) Release date: Sep 2, 2008

The Fan

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:42 -0000

Quick-tempered Gil Renard (Robert De Niro) has an ex-wife who hates him, a son who fears him, and a job that he's about to lose. The only thing that this down-on-his-luck knife salesman can count on is baseball. He's a loyal, die hard fan, specifically when it comes to his favorite player, Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes). Renard has followed Rayburn's career since day one and is thrilled that his hero has just signed with his hometown team, the San Francisco Giants. When Rayburn hits a slump, his number one fan decides to help him by any means necessary. But when Rayburn discovers the lengths to which his admirer has gone to "help" him and begins to fear Renard, the disturbed fan becomes disillusioned with his hero and focuses his aggression toward Rayburn and his family. De Niro is creepy and menacing as the obsessed Renard, a psychotic stalker who ingratiates himself with his victim. Directed by Tony Scott (TOP GUN, CRIMSON TIDE), the film is based on the novel by Peter Abrahams. (2 hrs.) Release date: Aug 12, 2008

Towards Darkness

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:41 -0000

This stylish thriller follows 90 minutes in the life of a kidnapping victim in Colombia. Bound and gagged on a bathroom floor, Jos� Gutierrez recalls his life and the series of events that led to this moment. Meanwhile, his distraught family negotiates for his release with the help of a pair of Americans. But when the ransom money isn't there, and a special-ops team gets involved, things build to an action-packed climax. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: Jul 29, 2008

The Last Winter

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:40 -0000

In a cinematic world where most horror films are loud and flashy, it might be easy to overlook Larry Fessenden's quietly creepy THE LAST WINTER. But if they do, genre fans would be missing out on a truly unsettling film that centers on the real-life chills of the changing environment. Ron Perlman (HELLBOY) stars as Ed Pollack, an oil company employee who arrives in Alaska. He's eager to take some of the tundra's oil bounty, but the rising temperatures have an environmental scientist (James LeGros, ZODIAC) worried about the irreparable damage they could do to the Alaskan wilderness. Soon things start to go wrong at their camp, and one of their one dies mysteriously. Whether it's cabin fever, poisonous gas, or supernatural forces, something is threatening the camp and the people who live there.

Fessenden imbues the well-paced film with a frightening sense of menace, but he's not without help. Director of photography G. Magni �gustsson perfectly captures the isolation of the Alaskan landscape with his framing of the camp, and Jeff Grace's score adds to the sense of dread without ever descending into clich�. THE LAST WINTER also features a strong cast who ably communicate the growing confusion and terror. As in his work for directors such as Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillermo del Toro, Perlman is a highlight here as the gruff Pollack. As Pollack's former love, Abby, Connie Britton shows the talent that fans of her role on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS have come to expect. Though this is his first film, Zach Gilford--also of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS--is excellent as the first of the team to feel the eerie effects of the environment. (1 hr. 40 min.) Release date: Jul 22, 2008

The Life Before Her Eyes

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:39 -0000

Diana is a suburban wife and mother who begins to question her seemingly perfect life--and perhaps her sanity--on the 15th anniversary of a tragic high school shooting that took the life of her best friend. In flashbacks, Diana is a vibrant high schooler who, with her shy best friend Maureen, plot typical teenage strategies--cutting class, fantasizing about boys--and vow to leave their sleepy suburb at the first opportunity. The older Diana, however, is haunted by the increasingly strained relationship she had with Maureen as day of the school shooting approached. These memories disrupt the idyllic life she's now leading with her professor husband Paul and their young daughter Emma. As older Diana's life begins to unravel and younger Diana gets closer and closer to the fatal day, a deeper mystery slowly unravels. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Aug 19, 2008

Leviathan

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:38 -0000

An underwater mining expedition encounters a grotesque mutant creature five miles below the ocean surface. (1 hr. 43 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Event Horizon

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:37 -0000

In this eerie science-fiction ghost story, an astrophysicist (Sam Neill), haunted by the memory of his wife's suicide, joins a rescue mission to salvage his life's work: the Event Horizon, a prototype spacecraft capable of faster-than-light travel that has been missing for seven years. Their arrival triggers contact with something beyond human experience--and more dangerous than ever imaginable. Similar in plot to Andrei Tarkovsky's eponymous screen adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's science-fiction novel SOLARIS, EVENT HORIZON provides some truly disturbing moments in its often potent combination of horror and sci-fi. (1 hr. 37 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Sniper

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:36 -0000

Sergeant Tom Beckett finds himself saddled with an inexperienced partner on a dangerous assignment to track down and eliminate a Colombian drug lord. As they stalk their prey deep into the jungles of Panama they each recognize a version of himself in the other and hopefully will use that to their advantage before time runs out. (1 hr. 39 min.) Release date: Aug 12, 2008

Friday the 13th Part 2

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:35 -0000

A fresh batch of teenage camp counselors return to the ill-fated Camp Crystal Lake five years after its most recent atrocities. Since the apparent perpetrator of those crimes was decapitated by the only survivor, the plucky teens ignorantly go about the business of reviving the camp, unaware that they are being stalked by an unseen figure who lives in the woods, waiting for the right opportunity to take bloody revenge. (1 hr. 27 min.) Release date: Aug 5, 2008

Never Forever

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:34 -0000

THE DEPARTED's Vera Farmiga stars in this drama about interracial romance and forbidden passion. Sophie (Farmiga) becomes desperate when she and her Asian-American husband Andrew (David L. McInnis) cannot conceive. She tries getting pregnant by a Korean immigrant (Jung-woo Ha, BREATH), but soon their trysts become about more than just saving her marriage. (1 hr. 41 min.) Release date: Jul 15, 2008

Trapped Ashes

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:33 -0000

When several strangers get trapped on an infamous horror movie set while touring a Hollywood studio, they must tell their scariest stories as if their lives depended on it. Genre fans should already smell an anthology, and they are on the right track if images of CREEPSHOW, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, or the MASTERS OF HORROR and FEAR ITSELF series are creeping into mind. The tales found here are directed by some of the biggest names in horror, cult, and special effects, including Sean S. Cunningham (FRIDAY THE 13TH), Ken Russell (ALTERED STATES, TOMMY), Monte Hellman (TWO-LANE BLACKTOP), and some of the visual effects artists from THE MATRIX and TERMINATOR 2. Off-kilter genre director Joe Dante (GREMLINS, THE HOWLING, MATINEE) takes wrap-around story duties in this fresh take on anthology horror. (1 hr. 44 min.) Release date: Jul 15, 2008

Seed

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:32 -0000

Written and directed by horror auteur Uwe Boll, SEED follows the exploits of a death row inmate who survives his own execution, only to be bound and buried alive. Clawing his way out of the ground, the killer goes on a vengeance-thirsty rampage, bent on destroying everyone who had a hand in his incarceration. Starring Boll movie alums Will Sanderson and Michael Pare, this giddy gore-fest (in true Boll form) pushes well past the realm of "ultra-violent." Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:31 -0000

The mythical hook-armed Candyman returns in this sequel set in New Orleans' French Quarter during Mardi Gras. The Tarrants are an old-money family. When the father succumbs to the wicked vengeance of the mythical killer, daughter Annie studies everything she can about the legend of Candyman to empower herself so that she can defeat the evil of the undead. (1 hr. 34 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:30 -0000

Here comes Halloween intrigue, perfect for the whole family: a scrappy indie spookshow, akin to the old-fashioned William Castle spine-tinglers of yore. Rissa Walters stars as intrepid young Sarah Landon, who finds herself heading an occult investigation when her car breaks down during a visit to the childhood memory-infused town of Pine Valley. Reconnecting with her old playmate Matt (Dan Comrie)--now matured into hunk status--she discovers there's an ancient family curse afoot, with Matt's brother, David (Brian Comrie) sentenced to die--or at least get seriously ghosted--at a particular time, between midnight and one a.m.--on his upcoming birthday. Sarah starts having dreams straight out of NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and is determined to get to the bottom of things. The fateful hour approaches, the tension mounts, and parents relax, knowing nothing is going to get too bloody or disturbing. What sets this apart from other family-friendly scarefests is its authentic home-cooked perspective. Director Lisa Corrie co-wrote with her uncle, co-produced with her dad, her brothers are the leads, and Walters is a family friend. If it's a little rough around the edges, that's part of the rustic charm; this is a true homespun concoction for the Halloween holidays, a healthy home-made candy apple instead of the usual slick, empty-calorie candy bars for trick-or-treat. (1 hr. 21 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2008

The Witman Boys

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:29 -0000

Before the outbreak of World War I, two brothers who can't find love at home search for it in the arms of prostitutes. But their sojourns to the village brothel soon compel them to take their lusts into far darker directions. Janoz Szasz directs this unsettling Hungarian drama. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: Aug 26, 2008

Quid Pro Quo

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:02:28 -0000

This somber yet sexy psychodrama stars Nick Stahl as Isaac, a paraplegic radio journalist who gets entangled with a cult of "wannabes," i.e. people who wish they were paralyzed or missing limbs, or who pretend to be paralyzed so they can travel around in a wheelchair. His entry into this bizarre world is Fiona (Vera Farmiga), a mysterious beauty who lures him into one strange "quid pro quo" bargain after another. Eventually, the repressed events surrounding Nick's childhood car accident (he was orphaned and left paralyzed) come into play, he finds a pair of seemingly magic shoes, and nothing is what it seems, except the raw desire, guilt, and fear that propel these characters on collision courses deep into each other's noir-stained psyches. QUID PRO QUO is the feature debut for writer-director Carlos Brooks, and it slinks along on the subtle pathways of Sundance-style indie plot exposition, bending the film to wheelchair-level view through a well thought-out maze of little touches. Director of photography Michael McDonough captures (as if in golden amber) the bruised flesh and velvet wallpaper, the filtered sunshine and dusky wooden surfaces of a perennially autumnal dream world. Stahl is good but Farmiga steals the show in another live wire, wide-eyed performance. Like her work in previous years (in Sundance indies JOSHUA and DOWN TO THE BONE), her performance here would be judged in the same league with the bared-soul brilliance of James Dean or pre-accident Montgomery Clift were this an gender bias-free world. Mark Mothersbaugh (of Devo) did the score. (1 hr. 22 min.) Release date: Aug 19, 2008