Yahoo! Movies: New Thriller DVD Releases

Wrong Turn

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:22 -0000

A wrong turn leaves a group of young people trapped --- and hunted � in the West Virginia wilderness. Makeup and creature effects created by Stan Winston. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Oct 20, 2009

Twister

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:21 -0000

The largest storm to hit Oklahoma in more than half a century is brewing, and it promises to drop multiple twisters into Tornado Alley. It's the storm that two rival groups of scientists--Jo Harding and her band of brash university students, and corporate-sponsored Dr. Jonas Miller and his sleek, crack cadre with their state-of-the-art research vans--have been waiting for to earn their place in meteorological history. Each team wants to be the first to launch their own equipment pack inside a twister to transmit valuable scientific data about tornado behavior. But to do so, they must put themselves directly in the path of the marauding monster--and stay always just ahead of the swirling twister, anticipating its every move. Adding to the charged atmosphere, Jo's soon-to-be-ex-husband, meteorologist Bill Harding, reluctantly joins Jo and his old crew for this last, epic chase. (1 hr. 54 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Scooby-Doo

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:20 -0000

Scooby Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang take their animated antics to the big screen as a live-action movie. In this story, Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy have a bit of a falling out and go their separate ways, but they're drawn back together again by fate, in this case taking the form of the mysterious Spooky Island amusement park and the strange behavior being exhibited by the young visitors to the attraction. This is a case that only the Mystery Machine gang can tackle - if only they can get over their differences. (1 hr. 45 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Fallen

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:19 -0000

A cop hunts a demonic serial killer who is eventually caught, tried and executed. The murders continue, however, until the cop himself becomes the prime suspect of the investigation. Making the case even more complex is a similar series of murders that occured some thirty years earlier which ended in the suicide of the detective investigating the case. (2 hrs. 4 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

House of Wax

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:18 -0000

Ever been creeped out by the life-like statues at a wax museum? Yes? But have you ever recognized your old roommate behind the glass? Vincent Price plays the menacing Professor Henry Jarrod, in a role that would solidify his reputation as the creepiest man in Hollywood. With everything from cancan girls to rubber paddleballs finding their way into the audience, 'House of Wax' takes full advantage of the novel 3-D stereoscopic process. (1 hr. 28 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Eight Legged Freaks

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:17 -0000

What do you get when you cross toxic waste with a bunch of exotic spiders? Eaten. As every fan of classic spine-tinglers knows, given the opportunity and the right chemical enhancement, arachnids will grow to humongous size and wreak havoc upon humanity. In EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS, the residents of a rural mining town discover that an unfortunate chemical spill has caused hundreds of little spiders to mutate overnight to the size of SUVs. And they're hungry. (1 hr. 39 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Jurassic Park

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:16 -0000

The contemporary story of a remarkable theme park built around actual dinosaurs, created from DNA deposits. (2 hrs. 7 min.) Release date: Nov 1, 2009

An American Werewolf in London

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:15 -0000

In John Landis' (THE BLUES BROTHERS, ANIMAL HOUSE) dripping black comedy, two American students (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) on a European vacation wander into a creepy local pub in Northern England and are quickly thrown out. Stranded and alone in the dark countryside, the pair get lost in their search for warm lodging. Little do they know that they are about to be changed forever by an ancient terror as they walk along the moors on a moonlit night. Only one of the students survives a deadly attack by a supernatural beast--at least he thinks he survived, until the next full moon rolls around. Terrific makeup effects (by Oscar winner Rick Baker), clever editing, and raunchy tongue-in-cheek humor made this suspenseful and thrilling horror effort an instant classic. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

The Bourne Identity

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:14 -0000

Set against dramatic European backdrops, THE BOURNE IDENTITY is the story of a man (Matt Damon), salvaged, near death, from the ocean by the crew of an Italian fishing boat. When he recuperates, the man suffers from total amnesisa. He is completely without identity or background, but possesses a range of extraordinary talents in fighting, linguistic skills and self-defense that speak of a dangerous past. He sets out on a desperate search�assisted by the initially rebellious Marie (Franka Potente) to discover who he really is, and why he is being pursued by assassins. (1 hr. 36 min.) Release date: Nov 1, 2009

Sliver

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:13 -0000

Carly Norris (Sharon Stone), a demure divorc�e and book editor, moves in to New York City's tall, elegant Sliver building. Unbeknownst to Carly, though, fatal mysteries enshroud her new accommodations. Soon the center of attention, Carly is befriended by Gus Hale (Keene Curtis), left gifts by a secret admirer, and pursued by two handsome men--Zeke Hawkins (William Baldwin) and Jack Lansford (Tom Berenger). However, someone is using a very sophisticated surveillance system to watch the intimate lives of these tenants--including Carly.

SLIVER is based on a novel by Ira Levin (ROSEMARY'S BABY), although the script shares striking similarities with writer Joe Eszterhas's earlier BASIC INSTINCT screenplay. Phillip Noyce directs efficiently, and Polly Walker is striking as a Londoner out of her element in the coke-addled world of upscale Manhattan. (1 hr. 46 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Con Air

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:12 -0000

Nothing makes good-guy non-recidivist offender Cameron Poe happier than the thought of returning to society, where his angelic wife and the equally angelic little girl he's never known are waiting. And nothing makes him angrier than the passel of psychopathic murderers and rapists aboard his prison transport plane--especially when, under the direction of ringleader Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, they revolt and hijack their own plane. Fortunately, our hero's been trained by the Army as an elite one-man-fighting-machine, and a dogged Justice Department agent waits on the ground to help him bring the fanatical fly-boys in for a bloody crash landing--in Vegas! A hyperactive Molotov cocktail blended from the frenetic efforts of high-octane action producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("The Rock"), hipster-schtick screenwriting specialist Scott Rosenberg, and music video director West. Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Original Song ("How Do I Live"), and Best Sound. (1 hr. 50 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

American Gangster

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:11 -0000

British director Ridley Scott may not seem a logical choice for this truly American crime drama, but the filmmaker does an excellent job. The film is based on a true story and set in 1968 Harlem, where Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) is a driver for Bumpy Johnson, one of the top figures in the city's criminal world. When Bumpy dies, Lucas swoops in, taking over his predecessor's empire and expanding it over the next few years with his sale of a particularly potent brand of heroin. Meanwhile, New Jersey cop Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) begins to investigate the New York drug world and discovers that there's a new power in town.

Thanks to screenwriter Steve Zallian, as well as Washington and Crowe, AMERICAN GANGSTER creates a convincing portrait of two men who are neither entirely good nor entirely bad. Washington plays Lucas as a man who buys his mother a palatial home but doesn't hesitate to beat his brother's head against a window. Crowe's Roberts may turn in a million-dollar find, but he cheats on his wife. Sadly, they only meet onscreen toward the end of the film, but the minimal interaction between the two Oscar winners is fascinating. Even though the focus is on Lucas and Roberts, AMERICAN GANGSTER is filled with a wealth of strong characters played by talented actors. It seems everyone with a SAG card turns up for the film, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Ted Levine, John Hawkes, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Carla Gugino, Ruby Dee, Joe Morton, and rappers T.I. and RZA. It's an epic film, with a run time of over two and a half hours, but it's time well spent. Fans of classic crime films such as THE GODFATHER, SERPICO, and CARLITO'S WAY will certainly be pleased by this addition to the genre. (2 hrs. 37 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Halloween

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:10 -0000

The early 2000s have seen a string of big-budget remakes of classic horror films. In addition to THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE HILLS HAVE EYES, John Carpenter's benchmark slasher flick HALLOWEEN has been given a new-millennial overhaul. At the helm of the project sits rocker Rob Zombie, whose previous films, HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES and THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, brought a fan's touch and an auteur's vision to the director's chair. While Zombie's HALLOWEEN is faithful to Carpenter's vision, there are some obvious changes, the most pronounced of these being the substantial focus on Michael Myers's childhood. The film posits Michael (played by a creepily vacant Daeg Faerch) as a troubled child made all the worse by a horrible home life--wonderfully illustrated via William Forsythe's performance as Deborah Myers's boyfriend--and constant abuse at school. Zombie paints Michael's pain with palpable grit and sleaze, but he isn't out to put our culture on the couch--he simply wants to show Michael killing his family. With the exception of Michael's therapy sessions while incarcerated, the film, post-massacre, stays loyal to the original.

Zombie's film is clearly the work of a filmmaker who knows and loves the genre. The director's signature is stamped all over HALLOWEEN (most notably in the use of grainy home movie footage and a smokin' classic rock soundtrack), although remnants of Carpenter's brilliant original still remain. When it comes to remakes, it's hard to ask for much more. (1 hr. 49 min.) Release date: Oct 6, 2009

Shutter

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:09 -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: Sep 15, 2009

The Dead Zone

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:08 -0000

David Cronenberg's first foray into mainstream filmmaking is also one of his most satisfying pictures. Adapted from a Stephen King novel, it stars Christopher Walken as Johnny, a man who has been in a coma for five years and wakes up to realize that he can tell a person's fate just by touching them. Realizing that he can change the future as well, Johnny soon gets intervenes in a number of would-be tragedies. Consequently, he soon becomes famous for his gift, but he longs for his former life, when he still had his job, his fiancee, and a normal life. However, when he shakes hands with a future president of the US (Martin Sheen, in a wonderfully hammy performance) who could end up being the biggest mass murderer since Hitler, Johnny wrestles with what seems to be his destiny. Walken's bravura performance forms the soul of this excellent and touching thriller. (1 hr. 43 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

The Frighteners

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:07 -0000

When his hometown is struck by a series of mysterious deaths that appears to be the work of a malicious supernatural killer, a psychic investigator who is able to communicate with the dead attempts to get to the bottom of things and put a stop to the murders. But even with the help of three ghostly friends, he soon discovers that defeating the deadly fiend is a task much easier said than done. With its mix of humor and suspense, THE FRIGHTENERS is spooky good fun from cult horror director Peter Jackson. (1 hr. 46 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

Shopping For Fangs

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:06 -0000

In this amalgam of comedy styles and genres, a young man believes he may be turning into a werewolf; meanwhile, a lonely housewife is confused by her mysterious blackouts, and meets an irreverent and brash waitress who leads to an unusual and unforgettable relationship. All these quirky characters and more interact in this crazy comedy in which anything can happen. (1 hr. 29 min.) Release date: Oct 6, 2009

Dreamcatcher

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:05 -0000

Dreamcatcher, the film based on Stephen King�s best-selling novel, tells of four young friends who perform a heroic act � and are changed forever by the uncanny powers they gain in return. Years later the friends, now men, are on a hunting trip in the Maine woods when they are overtaken by a blizzard, a vicious storm in which something much more ominous moves� Challenged to stop an alien force, the friends must first prevent the slaughter of innocent civilians by a military vigilante, then overcome a threat to the bond between them. In the end, the friends confront an unparalleled horror, with the fate of the world in the balance. (2 hrs. 14 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

A Time to Kill

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:04 -0000

In a small southern town in the 1960s, a black man awaits trial for murdering the two rednecks who viciously raped his 10-year-old daughter. A young, idealistic white lawyer takes up the father's defense, and the incendiary case becomes a firestorm of racism and controversy, ripping the town apart. Based on John Grisham's bestselling first novel. (2 hrs. 8 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

3,000 Miles to Graceland

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:03 -0000

A skilled band of criminals gang together with a goal to get rich at the 2001 International Elvis Convention in Las Vegas. Dressed to the nines as flawless Elvis impersonators and armed with enough ammo and electronic gadgets to easily knock off any establishment, it's no surprise when, at the last minute, the deal goes bad. A wild action-adventure film with twisting plot and a kicking soundtrack by George Clinton, 3,000 MILES TO GRACELAND is a non-stop rollicking ride. (2 hrs. 5 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

The Gate

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:02 -0000

Two teenagers come across a special rock with a beautiful crystalline center in their backyard. The rock enthralls them and they dig up the family's lawn in a search for more of the precious stones, but instead find the Gate. It's a hidden underground chamber that holds the secret of centuries and the vengeance of eternity. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: Oct 6, 2009

White Noise

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:01 -0000

Michael Keaton plays successful architect Jonathan Rivers, whose peaceful existence is shattered by the unexplained disappearance and death of his wife, Anna (Chandra West). Jonathan is eventually contacted by a man (Ian McNeice), who claims to be receiving messages from Anna through EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon), the process through which the dead communicate with the living through household recording devices. At first skeptical, Jonathan then becomes convinced of the messages' validity, and is soon obsessed with trying to contact her on his own. His further explorations into EVP and the accompanying supernatural messages unwittingly open a door to another world, allowing something uninvited into his life. (1 hr. 41 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

The Skeleton Key

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:00 -0000

Set largely in the dark backwoods just outside of New Orleans, The Skeleton Key stars Hudson as Caroline, a live-in nurse hired to care for an elderly woman's (Rowlands) ailing husband (Hurt) in their home...a foreboding and decrepit mansion in the Louisiana delta. Intrigued by the enigmatic couple and their rambling house, Caroline beings to explore the old mansion. Armed with a skeleton key that unlocks every door, she discovers a hidden attic room that holds a deadly and terrifying secret. (1 hr. 44 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

The Fugitive

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:59 -0000

A man is forced to go on the run after being falsely accused of killing his wife. (2 hrs. 7 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Cape Fear

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:58 -0000

A deranged convict seeks revenge on the attorney who improperly= defended him. (2 hrs. 8 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

Chinatown

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:57 -0000

"Forget it, Jake -- it's Chinatown." The opaque shrug that ends this 1970s classic embodies the film's world-weary depiction of people who are never what they seem and dark motives that dwell deep below the surface. Like the water that drives the plot, secrets in Chinatown have a way of bubbling up in the most unexpected places, as detective Jake Gittes (Nicholson) discovers when he takes on Evelyn Mulwray (Dunaway) as a client. Not so much a recreation of the classic-era Chandler and Hammett private-eye stories as an outright celebration of the depravity they only hinted at. A stunning achievement for both Polanski and Towne. Followed by Nicholson's direction of THE TWO JAKES in 1990. (2 hrs. 11 min.) Release date: Oct 6, 2009

Bringing Out the Dead

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:56 -0000

Martin Scorsese exhilaratingly adapts Joe Connelly's novel about Frank (Nicolas Cage), a paramedic working among the filth and mental desolation of New York City's Hell's Kitchen in the early 1990s. Lately he has been haunted by the visions of a beautiful 18 year-old girl whom he was unable to resuscitate. Soon after, another image begins to torment him, that of Mary (Patricia Arquette), a recovering drug addict who enters Frank's life when he attempts to save her father. His spiral into even further confusion is paralleled with his three driving partners: Larry (a boisterous John Goodman), whose advice to Frank is not to think about all the death and violence; Marcus (a scene-stealing Ving Rhames), a religious fanatic who uses his medical skills as propaganda for the Lord; and Walls (a maniacal Tom Sizemore), a loose cannon who has no sensible grounding whatsoever. In order to escape the madness that is consuming him, Frank asks, unsuccessfully, to be fired. He must ride out the nightmare, trying to redeem the lives of Rose, Mary, and himself in the process. Scorsese uses his camera to capture Frank's wavering mental state with tilted angles and fast-speed photography. In portraying the tormented Frank, Cage dives wholeheartedly into character, delivering another fiery performance. (2 hrs.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Dead Calm

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:55 -0000

Returning from duty with the Australian navy, John Ingram (Sam Neill) is surprised to be met by two policemen, who inform him of a car accident that has left his son dead and his wife, Rae (Nicole Kidman), injured. The grieving couple seeks refuge on their yacht, the Saracen. Out on the boat, the skies are sunny, the sea calm--but on the horizon is another vessel, the Orpheus. As John and Rae approach the ship, they find a lone survivor, Hughie Warriner (Billy Zane), who tells them that the other crew members have died of food poisoning. Leaving Rae behind with the sleeping Hughie, the suspicious John boards the Orpheus--only to be confronted with a horrifying situation.

Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce directs the film, based on a novel by Charles Williams, with great inventiveness--whether focusing on the tranquil water, the violent Hughie, the resourceful Sam, or the determined Rae with her luminous, translucent blue eyes. A suspenseful thriller reminiscent of Roman Polanski's KNIFE IN THE WATER, DEAD CALM is a chilling tale of trouble on the high seas. (1 hr. 36 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Poison Ivy

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:54 -0000

A scheming woman named Ivy insinuates herself into a solitary schoolmate's wealthy family with evil intentions. (1 hr. 31 min.) Release date: Sep 29, 2009

Enemy of the State

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:53 -0000

Robert Dean (Will Smith) is a labor lawyer who is unknowingly in possession of evidence related to a serious politically motivated crime. Government agents eager to hide their guilt believe that Dean is on to them, and proceed to turn his life upside-down, ruin his reputation, and frame him for various incidents, thanks to the latest in high-tech government surveillance techniques. In an attempt to clear his name and reclaim his life, Dean teams up with the reclusive Brill (Gene Hackman), a former federal employee who has as much high-tech equipment and expertise as the government itself. Hackman's role is an extension of Harry Caul, the character he portrayed in Francis Ford Coppola's brilliant 1974 film, THE CONVERSATION. Smith scores as a man who is desperate to reclaim his identity and prove his innocence. This intense technological thrill-ride from director Tony Scott questions how much access the government should have to the communications of private citizens, and leaves the viewer with the unsettling feeling that Big Brother is definitely watching. Watch for the uncredited appearances of Jason Robards, Seth Green, Tom Sizemore, and Philip Baker Hall. (2 hrs. 7 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Natural Born Killers

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:52 -0000

Oliver Stone's over-the-top satire on America's worshipful fascination with tabloid criminals stars Woody Harrelson as Mickey Knox and Juliette Lewis as girlfriend-wife Mallory Wilson. Commencing with the dual murder of Mallory's sexually abusive father (Rodney Dangerfield) and grossly negligent mother (Edie McClurg), the anomic couple take off on a three-week killing spree across the country, telling everyone who they are so that they get the credit for their crimes. The media are immediately enthralled with the couple, especially Wayne Gale (Robert Downey Jr.), the bloodthirsty host of a tabloid TV show who follows their every move. By the time they're finally arrested, they've become such huge media stars that the cops treat them more like celebrities than criminals. Even the maniacal limelight-hogging warden of the Batongaville State Prison, Dwight McClusky (Tommy Lee Jones), is in awe. Stone pulls out all the stops in the prison riot, as the unwitting Gale becomes an unwilling participant in his own broadcast of the event. Again the director switches from film to video, from color to black and white, from sitcom parody to newsreel parody, and from one film stock to another, hoping to jar the audience out of its complacency with visual hyperbole. (2 hrs.) Release date: Oct 13, 2009

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:51 -0000

A hellish, razor-fingered monster enters the dreams of the teenage residents of a bucolic town and systematically slaughters them in their sleep--until one courageous young woman does battle with the predatory fiend. An excellent, surprisingly surrealistic genre entry from the master, Wes Craven. (2 hrs. 30 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2009

Joshua

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:50 -0000

Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby Cairn (Vera Farmiga) seem to have it all. A successful Manhattan couple living in a plush uptown apartment, they have just welcomed their second child into the family--a lovely little girl named Lily. Everything should be golden for the happy family, but their little boy--the nine-year-old Joshua (Jacob Kogan)--is less than pleased with the latest addition to the family. An intelligent but odd little boy, Joshua's lack of humor and preoccupation with death belie his tender age, and as the parents coo over Lily, it becomes clear that they are not quite sure what to make of their stone-faced son. When Lily suddenly turns from a quiet baby into one who mysteriously begins wailing day and night, the Cairns' ordered life quickly disintegrates. The lack of sleep and stress takes a heavy toll on the mentally fragile Abby, and Brad begins racing around the city trying to care for his newborn daughter, ailing wife, and emotionally disturbed son. The family stress mounts, and when small animals and the family dog turn up dead, it doesn't take long before fingers begin pointing at the brooding and bizarre Joshua.

Vera Farmiga delivers a realistic and disturbing performance as someone tottering at the edge of emotional collapse, and Sam Rockwell is a true pleasure to watch in his turn as a father desperately trying to hold his life together. Using a slow, teasing pace and claustrophobic camera angles, the film strives for a Hitchockian level of suspense while also delivering many topnotch performances. (1 hr. 45 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

The Postman

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:49 -0000

Set some 20 years in the future after the devastating Second Civil War, the story revolves around a drifter who unwittingly becomes a national hero. On the run from an evil and oppressive sect known as the Holns, the drifter retreats to the woods of the Northwestern U.S. and assumes the identity of a postal employee when he inadvertantly stumbles upon a wrecked postal vehicle. Although the United States government has long been disbanded, The Postman begins to deliver the mail - providing a sense of hope to the frightened locals who have for too long lived under the Holn's oppressive ways. (2 hrs. 57 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:48 -0000

THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK is director Steven Spielberg's sequel to his original dinosaur thriller. Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) returns for more dino-horror when, four years after the disaster at the would-be amusement park, another expedition is mounted by millionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough). To document the natural behavior of the beasts at a mysterious Site B, Hammond sends a team comprising Malcolm; Malcolm's girlfriend, paleontologist Dr. Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore); and a wildlife videographer (Vince Vaughn). They face adversity in the form of a less-than-scrupulous big-game hunter (Pete Postlethwaite) and, of course, the terrible lizards themselves. The film is loosely based on Michael Crichton's novel THE LOST WORLD, which was named after the 1912 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novel of the same name. Spielberg proved his determination to alternate making socially conscious films with directing movies of sheer entertainment value; his prior film to THE LOST WORLD was SCHINDLER'S LIST, and he followed the dinosaur adventure with AMISTAD. (2 hrs. 14 min.) Release date: Nov 1, 2009

Orca

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:47 -0000

Like a reverse MOBY DICK, ORCA: THE KILLER WHALE stars Richard Harris as a fisherman who kills a male orca's pregnant mate, bringing the whale's vengeance upon a small coastal village and setting the stage for a final nautical showdown between man and beast. This suspenseful thriller co-stars Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, and Bo Derek in her feature film debut. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Rosemary s Baby

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:46 -0000

A young married couple, trying unsuccessfully to conceive, finally have it happen when the husband strikes a deal with the devil worshippers next door. All of this is unbeknownst to the poor wife/mother who soon realizes she could be having Satan's child. (2 hrs. 17 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Disclosure

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:45 -0000

Based on Michael Crichton's controversial bestseller, a powerful woman at a computer software company jeapordizes a man's career when he spurns her sexual advances. (2 hrs. 9 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

The Hitcher

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:44 -0000

This remake of the classic Rutger Hauer horror flick finds two college students taking a perilous trip through the desert after they pick up a mysterious hitchhiker. (1 hr. 24 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

Audition

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:43 -0000

AUDITION is an art-house cult horror film that will be talked about for a long time to come. Ryo Ishibashi stars as Aoyama, a single father who has not dated since his wife died seven years earlier. To help find another woman to bring joy into Aoyama's charmless life, his best friend, television producer Yoshikawa, convinces Aoyama that they should add a fake part to a show they are auditioning actresses for--a role that will become Aoyama's real-life companion. After a series of comical auditions, in walks a woman whom Aoyama thinks is perfect--Asami, played by former model Eihi Shiina. But when Aoyama proves too tentative in his courting--and starts learning odd things about Asami's past--she decides to exact a revenge that filmgoers will never forget.

Director Takashi Miike's film, based on the novel by Ryu Murakami, begins like a slow-moving romance, carefully developing the characters and their maturing relationships. But suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the mood and pace change, smashing viewers over the head with fast cuts between the past and the present, with dreamlike images that turn into torrid nightmares, with screams and shouts where there had been soft-spoken whispers, with blood and violence that replaces love and longing. The last section of the film is one of the most brutal torture scenes ever put on celluloid, and it is definitely not for the faint of heart. But even in its gore-filled shockingness, the film is beautiful to look at, a monumental achievement by a director willing to take chances and challenge his audience. (1 hr. 55 min.) Release date: Oct 6, 2009

Gothika

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:42 -0000

A criminal psychologist (Berry) awakens to find herself a patient in the very same mental institution in which she works, with no memory of the murder of her husband (Dutton) that she's accused of committing. As she tries to regain her memory and convince her coworkers of her innocence, a vengeful spirit uses her as an earthly pawn... which only further convinces all involved of both her guilt and her increasingly stead descent into madness and delusion. (1 hr. 36 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Crimson Tide

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:41 -0000

When Russian rebels gain control of nuclear weapons in the USSR, the United States retaliates by deploying the USS Alabama, a nuclear submarine commanded by Captain Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman). Veteran soldier and Naval legend Ramsey selects Lt. Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington)--a Harvard graduate who prefers using brains over weapons--as his Executive Officer. While submerged, the Alabama is attacked by a Russian sub and loses radio contact just as an order is being transmitted from headquarters. Old Navy dog Ramsey firmly believes that the interrupted transmission ends with an order to fire their nuclear missiles at the Russian rebels. Hunter, desperate to avoid starting World War III, is determined to re-establish radio contact and act only after complete orders are received. Without the second-in-command's agreement, the missiles cannot be launched, and soon Ramsey and Hunter are engaged in a tense battle of wills, forcing the crew to choose sides. In the tradition of TOP GUN and TRUE ROMANCE, director Tony Scott keeps the tension running high in this fast-paced military thriller. Hackman scores as the tradition-bound Ramsey, and Washington is superb as the thoughtful young officer who feels compelled to take a stand against his superior. (1 hr. 52 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Deep Blue Sea

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:40 -0000

Dr. Susan McAlester's experiments are on the verge of creating medical history. But to reach her goal, she has violated ethical codes, genetically re-engineering the DNA of mako sharks. One of nature's most lethal killing machines has become more useful to her research, but also more intelligent and powerful in the process. But McAlester has more to worry about than the deadly specimens at the center of her studies. Her questionable methods put a strain on the relationships with her fellow team members, chiefly shark expert Carter Blake. Compounding the tense atmosphere, Aquatica's financiers are skeptical and nervous and have threatened to shut down the off-shore facility on the eve of a round of Dr. McAlester's key tests. Russell Franklin, the leading backer, has been dispatched to Aquatica to deliver an ultimatum - the research must prove conclusive, or funding is revoked. Susan and her team successfully extract brain tissue from the largest of the mako sharks! . But a tragic accident during the procedure sets off a chain of events that results in irreparable damage to the research facility. With a tropical storm swirling around the now sinking Aquatica, the scientists and workers find themselves stalked by the new generation sharksfighting against the deadly man-made forces of nature they helped to create. (1 hr. 45 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Point of No Return

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:39 -0000

In a grim future America, Maggie (Bridget Fonda), a beautiful young street punk, is about to be executed for killing a cop during a robbery, and is given the choice between death or becoming a government assassin. She accepts the latter and is trained in all manner of martial (and feminine) arts. She ably carries out her deadly assignments, and is groomed to become a powerful killer. Maggie is given a new identity, becomes the seductive Claudia, and is sent to Venice, California, where she begins her new life. But the training takes only too well: the formerly amoral murderess proceeds to fall in love with a photographer (Dermot Mulroney) and develop a conscience. Now she wants out, but the government isn't about to let her go without a fight. Director John Badham's remake of French director Luc Besson's LA FEMME NIKITA is a stylish and thrilling adaptation, featuring a solid performance from Bridget Fonda. (1 hr. 49 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

North By Northwest

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:38 -0000

NORTH BY NORTHWEST is a suspense thriller that finds Cary Grant in the role of Roger Thornhill, a Manhattan advertising executive mistaken for a spy. Considered by many to be the prototypical pure action movie (creating the template for later James Bond and Indiana Jones films), the film is a cross-country roller-coaster ride with Alfred Hitchcock at the helm. The film is duly famous for several classic and indelible scenes, including the desert biplane encounter and the Mt. Rushmore climax. The original title was THE MAN IN LINCOLN'S NOSE, which was replaced by a reference to a line from William Shakespeare�s HAMLET (in which Hamlet says, "I am but mad north-north-west."). The magical combination of Hitchcock and the debonair Grant--who made four wonderful films together--makes NORTH BY NORTHWEST a suspense-filled standout.

When Thornhill finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, the world as he knows it comes to an end. Suddenly danger threatens as the hapless businessman is targeted as an American intelligence agent and set up as a killer. All of Thornhill's attempts to straighten things out only make matters worse--and soon the desperate man is on the run from murderous foreign operatives, the CIA, and the police. The supporting cast, including Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, and Martin Landau, is uniformly excellent. (2 hrs. 16 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

28 Weeks Later

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:37 -0000

Danny Boyle's surprise 2003 hit, 28 DAYS LATER, gets the sequel treatment here. Few elements from the first film remain--actor Cilian Murphy doesn't return, and Boyle and screenwriter/novelist Alex Garland take producer credits this time out. In their places step director/co-writer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (INTACTO) and actor Robert Carlyle (TRAINSPOTTING), who bring the original story to its next logical step. The zombies (again referred to as "the infected") from the first film have died out and England is ready for repopulation. The American military are slowly bringing British citizens back to London, where a heavily guarded community is picking up the pieces and trying to return to normal life. Carlyle plays Don, a man who has lost his wife but is reunited with his children, Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) and Tammy (Imogen Poots), near the start of Fresnadillo's film. The two kids soon escape from the heavily guarded community, go off searching for their childhood home, and discover that mom might not be quite as dead as they originally thought. Chaos follows, with the sadistic military and the forlorn survivors battling both each other and "the infected."

Fresnadillo apes much of Boyle's style from the original film, shooting in rapidly edited sequences that cause plenty of blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments. A pounding soundtrack helps enliven the scenes with "the infected," and an abundance of swooping aerial shots highlight the desolate London landscape. A few minor sub-plots emerge, Fresnadillo offers sly commentary on the military's trigger-happy tendencies, and the film ends up somewhere in between zombie fare such as George A. Romero's LAND OF THE DEAD and dystopian visions of the future such as Alfonso Cuaron's CHILDREN OF MEN. (1 hr. 31 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Outbreak

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:36 -0000

In director Wolfgang Petersen's fast-paced, intelligently written thriller, Dustin Hoffman plays Col. Sam Daniels, an expert on infectious diseases who is called in to study the outbreak of a deadly illness in Zaire. He finds a virus that spreads so quickly it could wipe out an entire nation in just a few weeks, and he believes that it might have spread to the United States. With the help of his ex-wife (Rene Russo), who works at the Centers for Disease Control, Daniels tracks the virus to the quiet seaside town of Cedar Creek, California. His superiors' reticence to help begins to raise questions in Daniels's mind, and he must find a cure before a panicky U.S. army general decides to kill the town's populace in order to save the world. The all-star cast includes Hoffman, Russo, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Morgan Freeman, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. (2 hrs. 7 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Don't Look Now

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:35 -0000

Nicolas Roeg's third film--after the brash PERFORMANCE (1970) and meditative WALKABOUT (1971)--is a haunting thriller that confirmed the director's status as a true visionary. Based on a story by Daphne Du Maurier, DON'T LOOK NOW follows a grieving English couple to Venice, where the past continues to plague them. John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) and his wife Laura (Julie Christie) are in mourning for their young daughter, who drowned tragically near their home. John takes a job in Venice so that the couple can leave the past behind, but, unfortunately, the past is not easily forgotten. While John begins to see unsettling visions of a young girl in a red coat running through the Venice streets, Laura learns from an elderly psychic that her husband is in grave danger. What follows is an eerie, erotic mystery that builds to a shockingly horrific climax.

DON'T LOOK NOW is one of the most daring and influential motion pictures of the 1970s. From Pino Donaggio's atmospheric score to Graeme Clifford's elliptical editing (exemplified in the film's notorious sex scene), Roeg's film is a stylistic achievement. Sutherland and Christie are their typical phenomenal selves playing the bereaved, devastated couple. (1 hr. 50 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Murder By Numbers

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:34 -0000

A tenacious homicide detective (Sandra Bullock) and her new partner (Ben Chaplin) uncover a trail of shrewdly concealed evidence that links two brilliant young men (Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt) to a murder. (2 hrs.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

The Legacy

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:33 -0000

Architect Maggie Walsh (Katharine Ross) and her boyfriend Pete Danner (Sam Elliott) travel to England for a vacation prior to starting a mysterious job that has lured them away from America. Once there, they have a motorcycle accident and are taken to the estate of a strange gentleman in the remote English countryside, supposedly just for tea. However, to their surprise they find that not only was their arrival expected, but also that other guests have been invited as well. Their skepticism soon turns to terror and horror when the guests start dying in odd and violent fashions, until it becomes obvious that Maggie has been chosen for a supernatural legacy left by the mysterious owner of the estate. (1 hr. 42 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:32 -0000

Freddy Krueger, the evil dreamstalker, returns to lure his son back to Springwood. This time he may have met his match in his own child, but not before he enjoys some fiendish games of his own. (1 hr. 36 min.) Release date: Sep 9, 2009

Contact

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:31 -0000

She's known it since she was a young girl, when she would magically connect with distant voices on her father's shortwave radio. She's known it since college, when she chose the search for intelligent extraterrestrial messages as her discipline. She's known it since she bargained for just hours a week of satellite time to sweep the heavens for evidence. And she knows it every time she stares at the countless stars dappling the infinite night sky... Something is out there. (2 hrs. 22 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

The Client

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:30 -0000

In this taut legal drama a trailer-park kid witnesses the suicide of a mob lawyer and is pursued by authorities trying to find out if he knows anything. In an attempt to protect himself, the 11-year-old hires a feisty female attorney who takes up his case and develops a bond with him. Based on the novel by John Grisham. Academy Award Nominations: Best Actress--Susan Sarandon. (2 hrs. 4 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

U.S. Marshals

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:29 -0000

Tommy Lee Jones reprises his Oscar-nominated role as lawman Sam Gerard in THE FUGITIVE. This time, his lamster is a former Secret Service agent accused--perhaps wrongfully--of the cold-blooded murder of two of his unit members. As the chase unfolds, Gerard becomes more and more fascinated by his highly trained and intelligent quarry--and more convinced of his innocence. (1 hr. 45 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Z

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:28 -0000

Based on a true incident, the Deputy Z is struck down by a speeding truck while hundreds watch. Despite the report of accidental death, a journalist's questioning of the facts leads to an investigation. (2 hrs. 5 min.) Release date: Oct 27, 2009

Hardware

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:27 -0000

Sometime in the future, a man acquires some pieces of an android for his metal sculpting girlfriend. The android was once a machine designed to destroy humans. In the night it reassembles itself and resumes its mission in this politically pretentious film. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: Oct 20, 2009

The 13th Warrior

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:26 -0000

Based on Michael Crichton's best-selling novel "Eaters of the Dead," "The 13th Warrior" is an exciting and unforgettable adventure thriller. When an important emissary is abducted by a band of warriors, he is forced to join their quest to battle mysterious creatures legendary for consuming every living thing in their path. Eventually surrounded by the frightening and ferocious foe, Ahmed must conquer his personal fears and help battle the illusive invadors- who emerge out of the shroud of fog in the black night. (1 hr. 43 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Matchstick Men

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:25 -0000

Phobia-addled con artist Roy (Cage) and his prot�g� Frank (Rockwell) are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the unexpected arrival of Roy�s teenage daughter Angela (Lohman) disrupts his carefully-ordered life and jeopardizes his high-risk scam. (1 hr. 56 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Silent Scream

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:24 -0000

When the on-campus accommodations are all taken, a group of college students are forced to take rooms in the spooky house of Mrs. Engels (Yvonne De Carlo) and her strange son, Mason (Brad Reardon). When one of the kids turns up dead, the police launch an investigation, uncovering the bloody history of the mansion and its owners. (1 hr. 27 min.) Release date: Nov 24, 2009

Sleepers

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:23 -0000

Tommy, John, Michael, and Shakes are four young teenage punks growing up in the streets of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen in the mid-1960s. When these four friends pull a prank that that goes awry, they find themselves serving time at the Wilkinson School for Boys, where they are repeatedly and sadistically violated and tortured by four guards--the most menacing being Noles, portrayed by Kevin Bacon. Fifteen years later, the foursome is still dealing with the emotional repercussions of their abuse. Tommy (Billy Crudup) and John (Ron Eldard) have become common criminals, and when they spot Noles in a local watering hole they can't pass up the chance for revenge. It's up to Shakes (Jason Patric), a low-profile newspaper employee, and Michael (Brad Pitt), a lawyer with the district attorney's office, to save their friends while keeping the details of their tortured childhoods secret. Dustin Hoffman appears as Danny Snyder, and Robert De Niro stars as Father Bobby, the local neighborhood priest who is as comfortable on the streets or in a bar as he is behind the pulpit. Based on the allegedly true story by Lorenzo Carcaterra, the film is directed by Barry Levinson (DINER, RAIN MAN). (2 hrs. 20 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Murder At 1600

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:22 -0000

A mysterious murder report summons a hardened Washington D.C. homicide detective to the shadowy halls of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue--and draws him into a web of conspiracy, cover-ups, and corruption. (1 hr. 47 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Proof of Life

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:21 -0000

An American engineer in a Latin American country is captured by anti-government forces. When the rebels learn his identity they demand $3 million for his safe return. However, his U.S. employer is on the verge of insolvency and will not provide the ransom. Peter's wife Alice is forced to deal with the matter on her own. She retains the services of freelance professional hostage negotiator Terry Thorne. With the help of a fellow negotiator, Dino, and a trio of highly trained mercenaries, Terry mounts a bold operation to rescue Peter that could as easily result in disaster as in triumph. (2 hrs. 15 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Star Trek: First Contact

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:20 -0000

Capt. Picard and his crew pursue the Borg back in time to stop them from preventing Earth from initiating first contact with alien life. (1 hr. 50 min.) Release date: Sep 22, 2009

Murder on the Orient Express

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:19 -0000

Directed by Sidney Lumet, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is the definitive adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic mystery, which finds fastidious detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) investigating the murder of an unsavory millionaire among the passengers of a luxury train. This stylish thriller crackles with witty dialogue, moody period-piece atmosphere, and superb performances from an all-star ensemble cast that includes Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Jacqueline Bisset, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, and Ingrid Bergman (who won an Academy Award for her role). (2 hrs. 7 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

The Sentinel

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:18 -0000

Shortly after moving into a new apartment, a beautiful, young fashion model (Cristina Raines) discovers that it the building actually provides a gateway to hell! When she complains to her rental agent, she is met with stony silence, and soon comes to learn that her moving in was not an accident. Gruesome makeup makes this a memorable, mega-schlock horror film. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:17 -0000

Ex-Navy SEAL Casey Ryback returns, this time aboard a train which is hijacked by a psycho genius out to steal a satellite weapons system he invented for the government. Only the inscrutable, martial arts and weapons master Ryback can save the day in this all-out actioner. (1 hr. 40 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

The Stepfather

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:16 -0000

This is the chilling tale of a congenial family man whose engaging smile and staid demeanor insidiously mask a deep-seated dementia. His obsessive desire to live the ideal family life ultimately leads to the family's very destruction. (1 hr. 38 min.) Release date: Oct 13, 2009

Carnival of Souls

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:15 -0000

Mary Henry is enjoying the day by riding around in a car with two friends. When challenged to a drag, the women accept, but are forced off a bridge. It appears that all are drowned, until Mary, quite some time later, amazingly emerges from the river. After recovering, Mary accepts a job in a new town as a church organist, only to be dogged by a mysterious phantom figure that seems to reside in an old run-down pavilion. It is here that Mary must confront the personal demons of her spiritual insouciance. (1 hr. 20 min.) Release date: Sep 22, 2009

Breakdown

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:14 -0000

After their new Jeep conks out on a desolate stretch of Arizona highway, a well-heeled Massachusetts couple accepts the help of a polite and seemingly honest trucker (J.T. Walsh), who drives the wife (Kathleen Quinlan) to a diner while the husband (Kurt Russell) stays behind to "protect" the vehicle. After saying goodbye, the husband gets two surprises--the Jeep starts, and his wife never actually arrived at the diner. What's more, the trucker doesn't recollect having picked her up at all. This taut suspense film, directed by Jonathan Mostow, is light on special-effects bombasticism and heavy on the old-fashioned Hitchcockian chills. (1 hr. 33 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

The Happening

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:13 -0000

In THE HAPPENING, M. Night Shyamalan serves up over-the-top, apocalyptic strangeness. The film opens onto New York City's Central Park with a crowd of people enjoying an idyllic summer day. The carefree scene soon takes a terrifying turn, when out of nowhere, hordes of people begin to commit suicide en masse. People scramble to make sense of the pandemonium, and many believe it is a terrorist attack. It appears that some sort of deadly toxin is being released into the air. Cut to Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) a science teacher in Philadelphia. When he learns of the attack on New York, he meets up with his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel), his friend Julian (John Leguizamo), and Julians's daughter, Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez). They make plans to get out of the city via train, but the train is evacuated in the middle of a small Pennsylvania town. When they learn that the mysterious toxin is spreading its way across the Northeast, they break up into groups, with Elliot, Alma, and Jess running through open farmland in search of safety. They are unsure of where to hide, or what exactly they are hiding from, until Elliot slowly forms a theory about the threat. He fights to keep Alma and Jess free from harm, and the film builds to a bizarre, unsettling climax, with Shyamalan's usual surprise ending.

Shyamalan's premise of escaping an unknown, unexplainable attack is a timely one, and is quite chilling in concept. However, while he at times appears to be groping for the frenzied scariness of THE BIRDS, THE HAPPENING's outlandish death scenes and implausible plot line often veer closer to B-movie classics. The film doesn't match the clever creepiness of THE SIXTH SENSE, but for fans of campy horror � la THE EVIL DEAD, it is truly something to behold. (1 hr. 29 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Dead Again

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:12 -0000

In Kenneth Branagh's stylish suspense film, Branagh stars as Mike Church, a Los Angeles detective who is drawn into the life of Grace (Emma Thompson), a woman with amnesia who is plagued by disturbing nightmares. Attempts to help her regain her memory bring them to Franklyn Madson (Derek Jacobi), a mysterious hypnotist who runs an antique shop. Under hypnosis, Grace claims that in a previous life she was Margaret Strauss, a concert pianist who was murdered by her jealous husband, Roman. Further sessions lead her to believe that Mike is actually Roman reincarnated and that the two are destined to re-create the murder. Mike must then attempt to solve two mysteries--the real identity of Grace and the true story behind a 40-year-old crime. Branagh's taut thriller also features Robin Williams, Andy Garcia, and Campbell Scott. (1 hr. 47 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Suspect Zero

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:11 -0000

FBI Agent Thomas Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) gets called in to investigate a strange murder. When the trail leads him to the suspect (Ben Kingsley), he realizes that he has been drawn into a psychological labyrinth that turns what is expected upside down. (1 hr. 39 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Eraser

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:10 -0000

Muscle-bound, heavily-accented John Kruger is employed by the Witness Protection Program as an "eraser." In other words, he wipes out a witness's identity in order to save him or her from potential harm. One such person is beautiful Lee Cullen, who possesses vital information regarding super high-tech weapons -- and a government conspiracy connected to them. Krueger's job protecting Cullen will lead to some action-packed, death-defying adventures for the pair, as gunmen and goons and even alligators seem to be waiting for them around every corner. Furthermore, a traitor within the Witness Protection Program is hell-bent on violently erasing Krueger himself. (1 hr. 55 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

One Deadly Summer

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:09 -0000

An unusual French film starring Adjani as a sexy, volatile woman who plots to kill the three men who raped her mother years before. Winner of four Cesar awards. (2 hrs. 10 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

The Pelican Brief

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:08 -0000

Julia Roberts (ERIN BROCKOVICH) stars in THE PELICAN BRIEF as sharp law student Darby Shaw whose querying mind gets her into trouble. A faithful adaptation of John Grisham's (THE FIRM) best-selling novel, this taut thriller follows the travails that beset Shaw when her theory on the cause of the deaths of two Supreme Court Justices lands her name on the conspirators' hit list. When Shaw teams up with reporter Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington--THE HURRICANE) they find themselves dodging deadly assassins in a suspenseful story that weaves complex narrative strands. The well-cast film also features a cameo by playwright-actor Sam Shepard (TRUE WEST). (2 hrs. 20 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:07 -0000

Cult favorite Hammer Films offers another addition to its catalogue of horror classics with this swashbuckling tale of a 19th-century vampire hunter. Directed by Brian Clemens of 1960s Avengers fame, CAPTAIN KRONOS stars Germanic actor Horst Janson as the eponymous hero, a former military captain haunted by the loss of his wife and child to vampires and now determined to rid the world of this evil legion of terror. Together with his hunchbacked travelling companion and expert vampire authority Professor Grost (John Cater), Kronos roams the earth hunting down the undead and dispatching them with a slash of his samurai sword. When a pastoral village in the remote English countryside is suddenly plagued by a series of brutal murders--several beautiful young women are found with their faces horribly aged--Kronos and Grost are sent in to investigate. It isn't long before the intrepid duo confirm the work of a unique vampire who drains its victims not of their blood--but of their youth. (1 hr. 31 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Night of the Creeps

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:06 -0000

A group of co-eds experience an evening of terror when their college formal becomes the breeding ground for monstrous creatures who turn their victims into zombies. With special effects by the award-winning make-up artist, David Miller, of "Thriller" fame. (1 hr. 28 min.) Release date: Oct 20, 2009

The Brain That Wouldn't Die

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:05 -0000

A boorish doctor who has devised a way to bring the dead back to life gets into a car accident and kills his beautiful fiancee; he takes her severed head back to the lab with him and keeps it alive in a tray of serum. She is unhappy with the situation and begs him to let her die, but he embarks upon a search for the perfect body for his amour, visiting strip clubs and streetwalkers and scouring the city. Meanwhile, the fiancee discovers that a side effect of her current status is telepathy, and she begins to communicate with the doctor's "mistake," which is held captive in a locked room off the lab. With the monster's help, the bodyless woman manages to save the life of the doctor's chosen victim and burn the lab down in the process. (1 hr. 21 min.) Release date: Oct 20, 2009

Copycat

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:04 -0000

A psychopath is copying the crimes of renowned serial killers such as Son of Sam and the Boston Strangler, and the detective on the case turns to a forensic psychologist who specializes in the field. Unfortunately, the doctor has become a paranoid agoraphobic as the result of an earlier assault at the hands of the killer. A violent, bloody thriller. (2 hrs. 3 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part III: Dream Warriors

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:03 -0000

The third installment in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series. In a medical facility, seven teenagers who have constant nightmares about child murderer Freddy Krueger undergo monitoring for sleep disorders. But nothing that anyone does seems to help them -- until Nancy Thompson, the heroine of the first movie, joins the medical staff. She suggests that they try a new drug, which inhibits dreaming, on the youngsters. The gullible doctor-in-charge opposes this treatment, forcing Nancy to fight both him and a suspicious nurse in order to save the teens. Meanwhile, Freddy gleefully unleashes one horror-filled image after another to traumatize the patients ... till they fear that this is one nightmare they'll never wake up from again. (1 hr. 37 min.) Release date: Sep 29, 2009

Matador

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:02 -0000

This twisted, brave, funny film from Spanish director Pedro Almod�var takes an unflinching look at the link between sex, death, and religion. Antonio Banderas stars as �ngel, a sensitive student of matador Diego (Nacho Martinez), whose goring at the horns of a bull has left him obsessed with killing. In order to prove his manhood to Diego, the misguided �ngel tries to rape his model girlfriend (Eva Cobo), and when that fails, he confesses to a string of murders he didn't commit. Mar�a (Assumpta Serna), a mysterious, attractive lawyer, takes his case but winds up falling for Diego, revealing some dark secrets of her own. The pair begin a beautifully doomed romance as a police inspector (Eusebio Poncela) begins to fathom who the real killer, or killers, may be. This was the fifth film from the talented Almod�var, and it reveals a true genius at work in his use of symbolic color, structure, metaphor, and homage to Hitchcock and Welles. MATADOR is fast-moving, disturbing, erotic, and undeniably brilliant in a way most American audiences may not be prepared for but should certainly seek out. Almod�var regulars Carmen Maura, Julietta Serano, Chus Lampreave, and Ver�nica Forqu� costar. (1 hr. 47 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Spies Like Us

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:01 -0000

Saturday Night Live alumni Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase appear on film together for the first time as Austin Milbarge and Emmett Fitz-Hume, respectively, in this hilarious spy/adventure spoof. Austin and Emmett are two dopey businessmen who decide they want to be spies, even though they have no experience in that area. The dumb duo take the CIA's admissions test...and are busted for cheating. Nevertheless, the pair are employed as spies anyway--unaware that the true reason they've been hired is to serve as a smokescreen for a band of real spies who are on an important mission. Soon the Russians are after the nitwits, and a potential world war hangs in the balance. (1 hr. 49 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Murder in the First

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:00 -0000

A well-shot drama about an ambitious young public defender who takes on the case of a man whose cruel treatment at Alcatraz turned him into a killer. In the process of trying the case, the two develop a bond and ultimately bring down Alcatraz once and for all. (2 hrs. 3 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

City That Never Sleeps

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:59 -0000

John leads the perfect double life happily married, hardworking cop by day; a lurid wretch of a man by night. When his father is murdered, he's forced to choose between his two lives in order to successfully track the killer. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:58 -0000

New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber's ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. Ryder, a criminal mastermind, leads a highly-armed gang of four, threatening to execute the train's passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there's one riddle Garber can't solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape? (1 hr 35 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

X-Cross

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:57 -0000

BATTLE ROYALE II and YO-YO GIRL COP director Kenta Fukusaku returns to the helm with this gruesome, over-the-top shocker concerning a picturesque resort overrun by a village of murderous marauders, and a mysterious killer whose weapon of choice is a particularly large--and sharp--pair of scissors. Shiyori (Nao Matsushita) is enjoying a particularly refreshing getaway when she discovers a cell phone warning her to get out of paradise as quickly as possible. Now, as the bloodthirsty locals set out to take her apart piece by piece, the terrified vacationer begins to recall just how it was that she and best friend Aiko (Ami Suzuki) ended up in this dire predicament in the first place. Time for reflection begins to run short, however, when a formidable villain appears sporting a pair of shears that would make even Edward Scissorhands cower in fear. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Oct 27, 2009

Afterwards

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:56 -0000

As helmed by Gilles Bourdos, this supernatural thriller continues John Malkovich's career-long tradition of playing offbeat, enigmatic figures with a menacing air. Romain Duris stars as Nathan Del Amico, an attorney doubly haunted by his past as the survivor of a childhood near-death experience and an adult witness to his own baby's death. As a product of these crises, Nathan has buried himself in his work and now suffers from a bad case of familial estrangement from his separated wife (Evangeline Lilly) and little girl. Then the mysterious Dr. Kay (Malkovich) turns up, claiming that he has clairvoyant visions informing him when someone is about to die--a gift as a "messenger" that enables him to make each person's transition out of life a smooth and easy one. Suddenly, upon hearing Kay's claims, Nathan feels his death-laden memories double in intensity and grows increasingly convinced that either he now stands on the verge of death, or that he has the same messenger abilities as Kay. (1 hr. 47 min.) Release date: Oct 27, 2009

The Moon in the Gutter

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:55 -0000

This haunting drama, set in a dismal harbor town, tells the story of a stevedore who is desperately trying to discover the identity of his sister's killer. (2 hrs. 6 min.) Release date: Oct 20, 2009

King Of The Ants

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:54 -0000

Michael was a small-town boy who grew up dreaming about his eventual success in college football, spending his free time watching the local team run through their drills. Now in college, he finds himself at the bottom of the food chain, rarely afforded the opportunity to play; this runs counter to the expectations of his military family, who expect nothing but the best from their offspring. Michael is oppressed by this until he meets Brenda, a Californian free spirit who helps him stand up to his father, as well as to see the world outside the sphere of the stadium. KING OF THE ANTS is a moving coming of age story with fantastic performances turned in by Tedd Tasky (PAYBACK, ALIEN FURY - COUNTDOWN TO INVASION) and Patrick St. Esprit (Days of our Lives, WE WERE SOLDIERS). (1 hr. 41 min.) Release date: Oct 6, 2009

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:53 -0000

Freddy, the psycho-sandman, returns to terrorize the teenagers on Elm street, but finds himself squared off against the "Dream Master," a beautiful young girl who just may have the psychic ability to lay the horror to rest. (1 hr. 33 min.) Release date: Sep 29, 2009

The 39 Steps

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:52 -0000

Richard Hanney has a rude awakening when a glamorous female spy falls into his bed -- with a knife in her back. Having a bit of trouble explaining it all to Scotland Yard, he heads for the hills of Scotland to try to clear his name by locating the spy ring known as The 39 Steps. (1 hr. 27 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Eye for An Eye

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:51 -0000

Karen McCann's (Sally Field) world is torn apart while driving home one day when she receives a call on her cell phone from her daughter--who is being raped and murdered as she speaks. The murderer--smirking, animalistic Robert Doob (Kiefer Sutherland)--is arrested, but is then released on a technicality. Seeking an outlet for her anger and despair, Karen joins a support group--and then a vigilante organization--becoming increasingly obsessed with bringing her daughter's killer to justice and gaining vengeance at whatever cost. Directed by John Schlesinger (MIDNIGHT COWBOY) and based on the novel by Erika Holzer. (1 hr. 41 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Stephen King's Graveyard Shift

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:50 -0000

When an abandoned textile mill, now home to a horde of rats, is reopened, it also unleashes a rash of mysterious deaths. The only link between the killings: they all take place between 11 pm and 7 am, otherwise known as the Graveyard Shift. Based on a short story by Stephen King. (1 hr. 26 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Domestic Disturbance

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:49 -0000

A divorced father (John Travolta) finds out his son's new step father (Vince Vaughn) is not what he claims to be, and soon embarks on a mission to save his son as his life may be in danger. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Psycho

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:48 -0000

When a woman is discovered as missing--last seen at the infamous Bates Motel in the desert--her sister and boyfriend visit the place only to find it run by a voyeuristic, taxidermist loner whose possessed by his dead mother and dresses himself up like her, adopting her personality. (1 hr. 49 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:47 -0000

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy. (1 hr. 50 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

Dead Silence

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:46 -0000

There is an old ghost story in the sleepy town of Ravens Fair about Mary Shaw, a ventriloquist who went mad. Accused of the murder of a young boy, she was hunted down by vengeful townspeople who cut out her tongue and killed her. They buried her along with her "children," a hand-made collection of vaudeville dolls. Since that time, Ravens Fair has been plagued by death. The ghastly dolls from Mary Shaw's collection have gone missing from the grave and reappeared over the decades. In the dead of night--wherever they are glimpsed--families are found gruesomely murdered... with their tongues torn out. Far from the pall of their hometown, newlyweds Jamie and Lisa Ashen thought they had established a fresh start. But when his wife is grotesquely killed, Jamie reluctantly returns to Ravens Fair for the funeral, intent on unraveling the mystery of her death. Once reunited with his ill father and his father's new young bride, Jamie must dig into the town's bloody past to find out who killed his wife and why. As he uncovers the legend of Mary Shaw, Jamie unlocks the story of her curse and the truth behind the song from his childhood: if you see her and scream, you will never speak again. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

Blood Rain

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:45 -0000

Mysterious and deadly events are filling the residents of the remote island of Donghwa with a sense of foreboding. A local shaman (Choi Ji-na) collapses during an annual ritual, and seems momentarily possessed by the spirit of Kang (Jeon Ho-jin), a local lord who was executed. Soon afterward, there's a massive fire on the docks just as the paper the island produces is being loaded to be sent to the mainland as tribute. When Lee Won-kyu (Cha Seung-weon) arrives from the mainland to investigate, he finds that the town drunk has been murdered and impaled. While he's investigating the two crimes, another grisly murder takes place, and Lee learns that the deaths mirror those suffered by Kang and four members of his family after Kang was accused of treason and of practicing Catholicism. While other residents of the island, including Kim In-kwon (Park Yong-woo of MY SCARY GIRL), the son of another local lord, apparently try to stymie his investigation for political reasons, Lee digs deeper into Kang's execution, and finds a pit of corruption. At the center of the case is Doo-ho (Ji Seong), a talented artist who was an orphan when Kang took him in. As the body count mounts, Lee discovers that the victims were all informants who denounced Kang. While Lee methodically investigates the crime, the local residents grow increasingly fearful that their island is haunted by Kang's vengeful spirit. BLOOD RAIN marks the second feature of director Kim Dae-seung (BUNGEE JUMPING OF THEIR OWN). The film was shown at the 2006 New York Asian Film Festival, presented by Subway Cinema. (1 hr. 57 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Alien Nation

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:44 -0000

In the Los Angeles of the near future, aliens have come to live among us. They've learned the language and tried to fit in. But there's something about them we don't know. Two detectives - one human, one alien - put aside their mutual distrust and uncover a trail of murder and something more terrifying. (1 hr. 29 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Angels & Demons

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:43 -0000

When Robert Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati -- the most powerful underground organization in history -- he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization's most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican's only hope for survival. (2 hrs. 18 min.) Release date: Nov 24, 2009

The Canyon

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:42 -0000

A newly married couple finds their dream honeymoon turned into a survivalist nightmare in the indie thriller THE CANYON. After eloping to Vegas, newlyweds Nick (Eion Bailey) and Lori (CHUCK�s Yvonne Strahovski) decide to take a mule tour of the Grand Canyon. But the pleasure trip turns deadly when the pair�s untrustworthy guide, Henry (Will Patton), gets them lost in the Arizona desert, leading to a desperate fight for survival in the unforgiving wilderness. (1 hr. 37 min.) Release date: Nov 17, 2009

Franklyn

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:41 -0000

Writer-director Gerald McMorrow makes his feature debut with this ambitious psychological sci-fi drama set between contemporary London and the dystopic Meanwhile City, where the separation between church and state has been obliterated to make way for a religion-dominated society. As atheist vigilante Jonathan Preest (Ryan Phillippe) prepares to seek revenge against Meanwhile City's powerful leader, privileged artist Emilia (Eva Green) finds her cynicism and depression accelerated by the difficult relationship she shares with her mother. Meanwhile, sensitive Milo (Sam Riley) attempts to recover from a recent heartache, just as deeply religious Peter (Bernard Hill) arrives in London to search for his missing son, a haunted Gulf War veteran. As the narrative shifts between the real and imaginary worlds, McMorrow explores the complex relationships between fantasy, faith, and love. (1 hr. 35 min.) Release date: Nov 17, 2009

The Limits of Control

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:40 -0000

In spite of the title, THE LIMITS OF CONTROL constantly reveals the controlling hand of its creator, the indie icon Jim Jarmusch. The film follows Jarmusch regular Isaach de Bankole as he ambles through various parts of Spain on an ambiguous criminal mission. Credited as the "Lone Man," de Bankole encounters a series of oddly disguised accomplices and absorbs their one-sided philosophical musings, all the while piecing together the nature of his assignment. This narrative sounds more compelling in summary than it is on screen, but if you are seeing a Jarmusch picture in hopes of a scintillating story, then you are as confused as the characters from his more memorable films. The sole disappointment of this film is that, despite the overwhelming strangeness of the action (or lack thereof), none of the characters display any confusion or uncertainty, as they assuredly assess the events and still find time to practice tai chi and pontificate about music, film, science, and painting. The film is rigorously structured: each encounter invokes a definitive theme that clicks firmly into place by the conclusion. The individual scenes are entirely enjoyable, as a white-blond Tilda Swinton discusses Welles and Hitchcock, and John Hurt rasps about the depiction of Spanish bohemians in art and literature. Despite Jarmusch�s domineering presence, it is the brilliant work of his collaborators, particularly cinematographer Christopher Doyle and editor Jay Rabinowitz, that shimmers in the memory of the viewer after the final shot. Doyle makes every line, curve, and diagonal in his frames vibrate with hints of radiant significance, and his ethereal images of the Almerian landscape often draw our attention from the artificial metaphysical dialogue. Jarmusch fans will be delighted by this perplexing metaphor of a film, which aims to symbolize and summarize the whole of existence through its myriad parts. (1 hr. 56 min.) Release date: Nov 17, 2009

Hansel and Gretel

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:39 -0000

A callow young traveler finds himself in a most peculiar predicament after crashing his car in the forest and being taken in by a strange family in this sinister fairy tale from second-time director Yim Phil-Sung. Lee Eun-Soo was driving though the forest and talking on the phone with his pregnant girlfriend when he swerved to avoid running over road kill and winded up wrecking his car. Dragged from his car in a daze by a serene young woman, Lee is spirited to the "House of Happy Children" in the heart of the forest. Though the couple who owns the home and their three young children are more than accommodating, their injured guest begins to suspect that something is amiss when his cell phone loses all reception and he discovers the land line is out of order. The following morning, as Lee struggles in vain to locate his car, it gradually begins to dawn on him that these are no ordinary woods. (1 hr. 56 min.) Release date: Nov 17, 2009

Watchmen

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:38 -0000

In an alternate 1985 America, costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity...but who is watching the watchmen? (163 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Dark Mirror

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:37 -0000

A photographer moves her family into a strange old house, where she discovers an alternate reality reflected in the glass... A dark reality that is closing in on her. (1 hr. 26 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Just Cause

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:36 -0000

A Harvard law professor takes up the case of a southern black man on death row for murdering a white woman, a crime he may not have committed. Discovering the truth proves difficult, as a Bible-spouting inmate and the brutal police officer who convicted the condemned man lead the professor down blind alleys and into treacherous waters. (1 hr. 42 min.) Release date: Nov 3, 2009

Sauna

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:35 -0000

JADE WARRIOR director Antti-Jussi Annila crafts this transcendentalist shocker set in 1595 and following two brothers as they descend into a world where there is no such thing as salvation. Protestant Sweden and Orthodox Russia have just reached an uneasy truce. In the wake of their fighting, Finland has become a wasteland. Conquered Finnish brothers Knut and Erik are polar opposites: one is a hardened warrior whose mind has been twisted by the horrors of war, the other is a gentle scientist with no use for fighting. Both have been assigned the task of denoting the new border between Finland and Russia, though they're about to commit a sin that will haunt them both for the rest of their days. After leaving a young girl to die an excruciating death, Knut and Erik forge ahead into an uncharted swamp, eventually reaching an unmapped town where their mere presence awakens a force of unspeakable evil. The girl has returned to haunt them, a horror that both brothers attempt to escape by washing away their sins in a mysterious sauna. But this sauna holds a terrifying secret, and in this godforsaken land there is no mercy for men who would permit such atrocities to be committed against a mere innocent. (1 hr. 23 min.) Release date: Oct 27, 2009

Twilight

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:34 -0000

Bella Swan has always been a little bit different, never caring about fitting in with the trendy girls at her Phoenix high school. When her mother re-marries and sends Bella to live with her father in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, she doesn't expect much of anything to change. Then she meets the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen, a boy unlike any she's ever met. Edward is a vampire, but he doesn't have fangs and his family is unique in that they choose not to drink human blood. Intelligent and witty, Edward sees straight into Bella's soul. Soon, they are swept up in a passionate, thrilling and unorthodox romance. To Edward, Bella is what he has waited 90 years for -- a soul mate. But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. But what will Edward & Bella do when a clan of new vampires -- James, Laurent and Victoria -- come to town and threaten to disrupt their way of life? (120 min.) Release date: Oct 27, 2009

Orphan

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:33 -0000

Horror's creepy child genre gets another entry with this chiller from Jaume Collet-Serra (HOUSE OF WAX). After the death of their unborn child, Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) go to an orphanage to consider adoption. There, they find Esther, a young girl who seems innocent, but she brings destruction to her new family. (2 hr. 3 min.) Release date: Oct 27, 2009

West 32nd

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:32 -0000

As films such as MEAN STREETS have exposed the underbelly of Little Italy, Mike Kang's WEST 32ND is a gritty look at New York City's Koreatown. John Cho (HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE) plays John Kim, an ambitious lawyer who sees how taking the case of a young Korean murder suspect may be able to improve the image of his firm--and himself by extension. He meets the boy's sister Lila (Grace Park), and he's immediately drawn to the case. As he investigates the case, he goes deeper and deeper into the underworld of gangs and corruption.

With OLDBOY and THE HOST, Korean films have gained a foothold in U.S. cinemas, but Korean-American films have yet to do the same. Raised in Providence, Rhode Island, director-screenwriter Kang gives an interesting look at the lives of those straddling the space between Korea and America. Cho, who was previously so funny in the stoner comedy, moves seamlessly into this intense drama. He carries the film with his deft portrayal of a complex character. Park, who is best known for her role as a Cylon in the sci-fi series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, gets to stretch a bit in her role as the conflicted Lila. Coupled with small moments of humor, her flirtation with John gives the film a brief rest from the darkness. WEST 32ND harkens back to crime films such as DONNIE BRASCO and RESERVOIR DOGS where characters with the best of intentions get in over their heads as they spend time with the "bad guys." (1 hr. 31 min.) Release date: Oct 13, 2009

The Killing Room

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:31 -0000

Four volunteers sign up for what initially appears to be a typical paid study in this tense psychological thriller from director Jonathan Liebesman (DARKNESS FALLS, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING). The allure of a little extra cash proving too powerful to resist, and the strangers decide to partake inthe research. As the study gets underway, the group is presented with a series of questions, and given a finite window of time in which each individual member must submit a unique numerical answer. At first, the participants all assume that the subject who gives the most obviously incorrect answer will be removed from the experiment, though it doesn't take long for the group to realize that the correct answer isn't always the answer that the researchers are looking for. Meanwhile, as the brooding Dr. Phillips (Peter Stormare) attempts to manipulate the study to get the answers he wants, the newest member of his team, military psychologist Ms. Reilly (Chlo� Sevigny), begins questioning the ethics of such a diabolical experiment. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Oct 13, 2009

Infestation

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:30 -0000

When hapless cubicle-dweller Cooper (Chris Marquette) awakens strung up in a silky cocoon, he finds himself face to face with a swarm of enormous, man-eating insects intent on devouring the entire human race. It was his first day on the job, but as nervous as Cooper was coming in to work, he never imagined that things could get this bad. Breaking free of his slimy prison with no time to spare, Cooper races to unravel his coworkers before they're all sucked dry like human milkshakes. With a small battalion of terrified office drones under his command, the company's newest employee fights to find a safe haven, and smash as many creepy-crawly invaders as possible along the way. Perhaps in the frenzy of this mutant insect invasion, Cooper will finally summon the courage to break the ice with his pretty colleague Sarah as well. (97 hr.) Release date: Oct 13, 2009

Drag Me to Hell

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:29 -0000

After nearly two decades of successful detours into mature thrillers (THE GIFT, A SIMPLE PLAN) and superhero blockbusters (the Spider-Man series), director Sam Raimi returns--full tilt--to his scrappy horror roots with DRAG ME TO HELL. Alison Lohman stars as Christine Brown, a soft-spoken Southern girl with a good heart, a PhD-toting boyfriend (Justin Long), and a job as a loan officer at a bank just outside of Los Angeles. When evicting a vile and negligent old woman named Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) seems to be the only way to secure an important promotion, Christine pushes her moral flexibility about as far as it can go (not very far at all) only to dearly pay the price as the recipient of a rather nasty curse. The next three days of Christine�s life amount to an unimaginable endurance test in which she is subject to physical and psychological torture while a terrifying demon draws ever closer to take her to hell, where she would burn for eternity.

Raimi manages to keep the feverish awfulness of DRAG ME's central concept palpable while layering on his distinctly disturbing and exhilaratingly kinetic macabre-meets-slapstick portraiture, and the result is an efficient celebration of the art of horror movies that�s campy, scary, and fun. Similar to HBO�s classic TALES FROM THE CRYPT series, HELL feels like a living, breathing EC comic. While it may come as a minor shock that Bruce Campbell, the beloved mouthpiece of the EVIL DEAD franchise, is nowhere to be found in this unabashed horror-comedy, Christine is an excellent twist on Raimi's genre-hero archetype. Fans will get a kick out of seeing her inexplicably leave her gob agape as putrid projectiles pour in, and hearing her, after a bit of pushing, spout a Campbell-ism or two ("I�m gonna get me some!"). (1 hr. 39 min.) Release date: Oct 13, 2009

Oral Fixation

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:28 -0000

A patient turns to murder in hopes of winning her dentist's affections in this dark tale of obsession and tooth decay. When Rachel Marks makes a play for her dentist and he turns her down cold, she wages a sadistic campaign to ingratiate herself into his life even if it means drawing blood. (82 hr.) Release date: Oct 13, 2009

Senseless

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:27 -0000

Kidnapped and tortured by political extremists just as he's making his way to the top of the corporate ladder, an aspiring CEO becomes the star of an ultra-violent reality show that's streams online. His humiliation growing with each new transgression committed against him, Elliot Gast stages a daring escape attempt based on the hope that someone out there is doing more than simply watching. (87 hr.) Release date: Oct 6, 2009

Crazy As Hell

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:26 -0000

CRAZY AS HELL tells the story of Ty Adams (Mike Beach), a maverick psychiatrist whose non-medicinal approach for treating patients has crowned him a hero in some circles, and an egoist in others. At Sedah State Mental Hospital Adams agrees to be the subject of a thirty-day documentary, examining the effects of psychiatry on mental illness and conversely the effects of metal illness on psychiatry. The study progresses as planned, until the day that a mysterious stranger admits himself to the hospital claiming to be Satan (Eriq La Salle). Through their intense therapy, the stranger works his way into Adams' world, unraveling his life, and pushing him into a battle in which only one of them will survive. (1 hr. 53 min.) Release date: Oct 6, 2009

Trauma

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:25 -0000

A taut, mysterious thriller, TRAUMA stars Colin Firth (LOVE, ACTUALLY) as Ben, an insect-obsessed man slowly putting together the pieces of his life as he awakes from a coma. He discovers that the car accident which lead to his unconscious state claimed the life of his wife, and the police suspect him of murdering a famous pop star. Ben's sense of disorientation at this news is heightened by plenty of visual trickery deployed by director Marc Evans (MY LITTLE EYE), who litters the hospital where the bulk of the film plays out with lashes of David Lynch-inspired imagery. Mena Suvari (AMERICAN BEAUTY) makes a few brief appearances as Charlotte, whom Ben becomes infatuated with, and the action builds slowly to an unforgettable climax. (1 hr. 33 min.) Release date: Sep 29, 2009

Lies & Illusions

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:24 -0000

Monster-movie director Tibor Takacs (MANSQUITO, MEGASNAKE) offers a different kind of thrill with his action-comedy LIES & ILLUSIONS. Christian Slater stars as successful self-help author Wes Wilson, whose happiness is shattered when his fiancee, Samantha (Sarah Ann Schultz), is killed in a seemingly random attack. Wes�s world is turned further upside down after he uncovers Samantha�s secret double life, which involved stealing a cache of diamonds from ruthless jewel smuggler Isaac (Cuba Gooding Jr.)--who now wants his loot back, and is willing to do anything to get it. (93 hr.) Release date: Sep 29, 2009

The Lawnmower Man

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:23 -0000

A simpleton gardener is transformed into a malevolent mega-genius by a scientist using virtual reality software in THE LAWNMOWER MAN, which uses excellent computer graphic animation by Angel Studios. (1 hr. 45 min.) Release date: Sep 29, 2009

Fermat's Room

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:22 -0000

A group of motley math experts must solve problems at lightning speed to avoid being squashed into oblivion in writer-director Luis Piedrahita's mindbending thriller FERMAT'S ROOM. The story begins with a handsome, twentysomething intellectual, Galois (Alejo Sauras), banking off the success of solving an intimidating mathematical enigma known as Goldbach's theorem. Galois then receives an invitation from the mysterious stranger Fermat (Federico Luppi) who invites both him and several other intellectuals to a set location in a warehouse, with the stated intention of having them collectively solve a mathematical riddle. He instructs them to avoid bringing cell phones, which none do. Upon arrival, Fermat indeed greets them in the warehouse, but is soon summoned offsite and leaves his invitees alone. As soon as he departs, odd events begin to transpire: the members of the group begin receiving strange mathematical riddles on their PDAs which they must solve in under a minute. Subsequently, hydraulic presses on the exterior of the warehouse kick on and the walls begin to close in, threatening the lives of the protagonists. (1 hr. 30 min.) Release date: Sep 29, 2009

Stepfather 2

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:21 -0000

The unrepentant sociopathic killer has escaped from a psychiatric hospital and assumed a new identity. Posing as a family therapist he begins to court a divorced woman and wins over her son in order to satisfy his bloody urges. (1 hr. 26 min.) Release date: Sep 29, 2009

The Keeper

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:20 -0000

No description available Release date: Sep 22, 2009

Grace

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:19 -0000

The evil child motif is a fixture in horror cinema, but this film adds another dimension to the trope. In GRACE, an expectant mother (Jordan Ladd, CABIN FEVER) discovers that her unborn baby has died. But she makes the unexpected decision to carry the child to term, with even more unexpected results: the baby is born alive�sort of. This unsettling film played at Sundance in 2009 to shocked and horrified audiences. (1 hr. 25 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Blindspot

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:18 -0000

BLIND SPOT offers an intriguing look at "peak oil," also known as the moment (believed by some to be on the horizon) when humans will have almost entirely depleted the Earth�s fossil-fuel supply. The documentary examines the current level of energy consumption, and analyzes both the difficulties of conservation and the risks of doing too little to protect the environment. (1 hr. 20 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

The X-Files: I Want to Believe

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:17 -0000

In grand "X-Files" manner, the film's storyline is being kept under wraps. This much can be revealed: It is a stand-alone story in the tradition of some of the show's most acclaimed and beloved episodes, and takes the complicated relationship between Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in unexpected directions. Mulder continues his unshakable quest for the truth, and Scully, the passionate, ferociously intelligent physician, remains inextricably tied to Mulder's pursuits. (1 hr. 44 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

Mirrors

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:16 -0000

French director Alexandre Aja adds to his growing canon of horror features with this remake of the Korean feature GEOUL SOKEURO (2003). Kiefer Sutherland stars as Ben Carson, a disgraced former New York City cop who attempts to put his checkered past behind him by taking a job as a security guard. Carson is required to take the night shift in a department store in the city. The store closed down after a fire put an end to its business, and Carson soon discovers that malevolent spirits are lurking behind its walls. The spirits connect with the human world through the mirrors in the store, and when they discover Carson's presence they go after his ex-wife, Amy (Paula Patton), and his kids (played by Erica Gluck and Cameron Boyce). Carson attempts to figure out the meaning of a cryptic message carved into one of the mirrors, hoping it will save his family and cut off contact with the malignant lurking presence.

Aja successfully replicates much of the tension and edge-of-your-seat moments that he managed so skillfully in HAUTE TENSION (2003). The film begins with an unnerving set piece in which Carson's predecessor takes a shard of mirror and slashes his own throat, and it's an indication of the gore-filled fun that awaits intrepid viewers. Aja creates a palpable sense of unease by shooting dim-lit set pieces in the department store. Sutherland makes for a convincing lead in a character that closely resembles his turn as Jack Bauer in 24. There are plenty of genuine scares in the film, and the director ultimately spins MIRRORS as a cross between a psychological thriller in the vein of the POLTERGEIST movies and a no-holds-barred splatter flick. (1 hr. 50 min.) Release date: Sep 15, 2009

The Phantom of the Opera

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:15 -0000

The masked phantom of the Paris Opera House schemes to make a beautiful young soprano the star of the opera company and wreak revenge on those who stole his music. Academy Award Nominations: 4, including Best (Color) Cinematography. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: Sep 13, 2009

The Trap

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:14 -0000

A group of hikers discover a corpse and a cash-stuffed bag, but soon a pair of murderers arrives to take what's theirs. The men have already killed to get what they want, and they won�t hesitate to hunt down the campers to make sure they get to keep the money. (1 hr. 24 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

The Exorcist

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:13 -0000

Regan (Linda Blair) is a little girl who becomes possessed by the devil and undergoes a violent exorcism conducted by the priest (Max Von Sydow). A blood-chilling film, directed by William Friedkin and written by William Peter Blatty, this enhanced restoration of the original will thrill audiences anew. (2 hrs. 1 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Crank High Voltage

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:12 -0000

Committed to delivering A.D.D. movies for the music-video and video-gaming generation, directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor turn the action and antics levels up to "11" in CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE. The film picks up where its cult-hit predecessor left off, with hunky hit man Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) falling to his death on the streets of L.A. But fate and Chelios�s vengeful enemies have other plans, implanting him with an artificial heart while preparing him for more extensive organ harvesting. When Chelios�s escape reduces this temporary ticker to internal battery power, the quest for his own heart must be sustained by any electrical charge available. This includes everything from dog shock-collars to high-voltage transformers to a very public display of electron transferral with ex-girlfriend Eve (Amy Smart). Aided by good friend Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam) and the Tourette's-suffering Venus (Efren Ramirez), Chelios cuts a frenzied path of destruction on his way to a final shoot-'em-up showdown with the Ferret (Clifton Collins Jr.). Will it be in time to restore the aggrieved assassin�s heart, or will Chev Chelios find that his tankful of tenacity is finally on empty? An adrenaline-fueled rush from start to finish, the film revels in its whiplash violence and vulgarity without ever taking itself too seriously. And with Statham further bolstering his dashing-while-deadly bona fides, CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE is action-packed, Colisseum-pleasing entertainment in its purest form. (95 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Surveillance

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:11 -0000

Jennifer Lynch, director of BOXING HELENA and daughter of David Lynch, helms this sci-fi-fueled thriller. Though the Santa Fe desert appears calm, it's the site of a number of gruesome murders. A trio of local police officers has found several witnesses, but soon the investigation belongs to the FBI. In this film starring Julia Ormond and Bill Pullman, nothing is as simple as it might seem. (1 hr. 37 min.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009

Sphere

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:31:10 -0000

When psychologist Norman Goodman (Dustin Hoffman) wrote a report for the government on how to deal with extraterrestrial life forces, he didn't expect his recommendations to be used. Now that a secret government agency is investigating what may be an alien spaceship that has been discovered partially buried on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, Norman finds that the plan he outlined is being put into effect and that the team he named in his report has been assembled. In addition to Norman, there is Harry Adams (Samuel L. Jackson), a mathematician; Ted Fielding (Liev Schreiber), a physicist; and Beth Halperin (Sharon Stone), a biochemist and Norman's old flame. Led by the secretive Barnes (Peter Coyote), the foursome undergoes a crash course in diving and living under the sea in a naval habitat and begins investigating the mysterious vessel, discovering a huge glowing sphere made of an unidentifiable substance with a shimmering, almost liquidlike surface. As the investigation continues, a series of strange, horrific events leads the team of scientists to doubt each other's sanity and motives. The film is based on the best-selling novel by Michael Crichton. (2 hrs.) Release date: Sep 8, 2009