January 2006 Movies

By day, 35-year-old Alex (Covert) is the world's oldest video game tester, but by night. By night, he is privately developing the next big game for the X-Box generation. When one of his roommates(Loughran) spends all the rent money on Filipino hookers, Alex is kicked out of his apartment, and finds himself forced to live with his grandmother (Roberts) and her friends Grace (Jones) and Bea (Knight).

Taking a much more macabre tone than did Eli Roth's feature debut "Cabin Fever", "Hostel" is an amalgamation of many of the most terrifying things about human nature and the world at large, culled from lots of pulpy-but-true stories of international organized crime, human trafficking, and sex tourism. Relentlessly graphic and deeply disturbing, the film is rife with explicit sex and brutal violence that is sure to delight hard core genre fans, and prove difficult to stomach for general audiences.

"The Matador" is a comedic adventure about a traveling salesman, Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear), who accidentally meets up with Julian (Pierce Brosnan), "a facilitator of fatalities," at a Mexico City bar, where their subsequent evening together intertwines their lives in an unexpected, but lasting, bond. Each one is facing what could be a life-changing moment, and though they ostensibly have nothing in common, they're drawn together.

After his father loses his business and is taken to a labor camp, Gyorgy Koves soon finds himself baffled and alone at Auschwitz-Birkenau, struggling to find meaning in his tragic fate. Gyorgy stoically suffers the slings and arrows of concentration camp life. Amid the deprivation and brutality, he takes solace in the kindness of an array of characters. Gyorgy will have to draw on the memory of these small gestures of humanity when he returns to Budapest and realizes that the horrors he has experienced while interned have left him profoundly alienated from his post-war community.

In 18th century Romania, Rayne (a girl with a human mother and vampire father) possesses superhuman strength but a soft side for humans. She decides to find her vampire father who is the powerful vampire Kagan. On her journey, she is befriended by two vampire hunters and learns that there are three Talisman organs -- a heart, an eye and a rib from her ancestor vampire, Beliar—which Kagan covets, that will make him so powerful that he will throw the earth into darkness and vampires will rule forever.

A chilling, factually-based, story of three road-trippers in remote Australia who are plunged into danger when they accept help from a friendly local.

This is the epic tale of a pair of doomed lovers from warring nations, Tristan (James Franco) of Britain and Isolde (Sophia Myles) of Ireland, set during the time soon after the fall of the Roman Empire. Orphaned as a child, Tristan is raised by Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell), a friend of his family, and as he matures, Tristan becomes a brave knight who leads successful attacks against the forces of the Irish King Donnchadh (David O'Hara). When he is poisoned during one of these battles, however, Tristan is placed upon a funeral boat which eventually washes up on the Irish shores, where it is found by the Irish king's daughter, Isolde, who cures Tristan's ailment, as the two fall in love, unaware of who the other one really is. Tristan eventually returns to Britain, where he learns that the Irish king has offered up his daughter's hand in marriage under the guise of bringing the two countries together. Tristan eagerly volunteers to be Lord Marke's champion in the competition, and he wins, but his heart is soon crushed when he discovers that the woman he loves is actually the Irish princess whose hand in marriage he just handed to the man who has been his best friend his whole life...

Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) lives a small life tucked inside big dreams. A shy cookware salesperson for a New Orleans retail outlet, she handles knives and skillets with the flair of a master chef. But when Georgia learns her days are numbered, she throws caution to the wind and embarks on a dream holiday vacation to a grand resort in Europe. There, thinking she has nothing to lose, Georgia undergoes a metamorphosis… and her transformation affects everyone around her. Georgia's newly uninhibited personality shakes up staff and guests alike, including a venerated chef (Gerard Depardieu) as well as a retail magnate (Timothy Hutton) who becomes convinced she's a rival intent on sabotaging his business plans. From snowy slopes to spectacular spas, delectable dinners to midnight balls, Georgia is going to live a lifetime of fun in just a few weeks…

In the re-telling of this classic fable, the story begins at the end. Chief Grizzly (Xzibit) and Detective Bill Stork (Anthony Anderson) investigate a domestic disturbance at Granny's (Glenn Close) cottage involving a karate-kicking Red Riding Hood (Anne Hathaway), a sarcastic Wolf (Patrick Warburton) and an oafish Woodsman ( Jim Belushi). The charges are many: breaking and entering, intent to eat and wielding an axe without a license, but these unusual suspects have their story to tell first.

"Glory Road" is based on the inspiring true story of the underdog Texas Western basketball team whose drive to win superceded some of the most bruising and difficult challenges during a point in U.S. history of massive cultural and philosophical turmoil. It was a time when, against all odds, the first all African American starting lineup of players took the country by storm and, in a surprise turn of events, wont the 1966 NCAA tournament title. Josh Lucas stars as Hall of Famer Don Haskins, the passionately dedicated college basketball coach that changed the history of basketball and, in turn, helped change the course of history. The film is directed by James Gartner, written by Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois.

A chubby, brainiac 18-year-old schoolgirl forms an unexpected bond with a thirtysomething pizza deliveryman/political activist with a history of failed relationships.

The sequel to the $100 million worldwide hit, "Underworld: Evolution" continues the saga of war between the aristocratic Death Dealers and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). The film traces the beginnings of the ancient feud between the two tribes as Selene (Kate Beckinsale), the beautiful vampire heroine, and Michael (Scott Speedman), the lycan hybrid, try to unlock the secrets of their bloodlines. The fast-paced, modern-day tale of deadly action, ruthless intrigue and forbidden love takes them into the battle to end all wars as the immortals must finally face their retribution.

A humorous story of what happens when the U.S. Government sends comedian Albert Brooks to India and Pakistan to find out what makes the over 300 million Muslims in the region laugh. Brooks, accompanied by two state department handlers and his trusted assistant, goes on a journey that takes him from a concert stage in New Delhi, to the Taj Mahal, to a secret location in the mountains of Pakistan. It's a comedic, insightful look at the some of the issues we are dealing with in a post-9/11 world.

A savage killer from a remote Amazon tribe becomes grandfather to the grandchildren of the North American man he killed.

"Why We Fight" is an unflinching look at the military industrial complex and the rise of the American Empire. Inspired by Dwight Eisenhower's legendary farewell speech (in which he coined the phrase "military industrial complex"), the film surveys the scorched landscape of a half-century's military adventures, asking how—and telling why—a nation of, by, and for the people has become the savings-and-loan of a system whose survival depends on a state of constant war. The film moves beyond the headlines of various American military operations to the deeper questions of why—why does America fight? What are the forces—political, economic and ideological—that drive us to fight against an ever-changing enemy?

In this dark and witty fable, Emma Thompson portrays a person of unsettling appearance and magical powers who enters the household of the recently widowed Mr. Brown (Colin Firth) and attempts to tame his seven exceedingly ill-behaved children. The children, led by the oldest boy Simon (Thomas Sangster), have managed to drive away 17 previous nannies and are certain that they will have no trouble with this one. But as Nanny McPhee takes control, they begin to notice that their vile behavior now leads swiftly and magically to rather startling consequences. Her influence also extends to the family's deeper problems, including Mr. Brown's sudden and seemingly inexplicable attempts to find a new wife; an announcement by the domineering Aunt Adelaide (Angela Lansbury) that she intends to take one of the children away; and the sad and secret longings of their scullery maid, Evangeline (Kelly Macdonald). As the children's behavior begins to change, Nanny McPhee's arresting face and frame appear to change as well, creating even more questions about this mysterious stranger whom the children and their father have come to love.

FBI agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence) finds himself forced to resume the identity of Atlanta matriarch Hattie Mae Pierce, AKA Big Momma once again in order to go undercover in the investigation of the death of his partner.

"Bubble" is the story of an unlikely love triangle at a doll factory in a small Midwestern town that has fallen on hard times. Lonely and isolated, long time employees Martha and Kyle have become friends by default in spite of their drastic age difference, but their dynamic is upset by the arrival of a new worker: young, attractive single mother Rose. As Martha grows increasingly wary about Rose's dubious character, she discovers Kyle and Rose developing a relationship of their own.

One morning, Rose is found dead, strangled in her own home. An investigation begins, one that will call into question our established assumptions about these characters and life in their small town.

Featuring a cast of non-professional actors from the Ohio location, Soderbergh brings this tragic story of characters striving to establish and maintain meaningful connections to life with startling realism.

When he won a coveted admission spot to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, local kid Jake Huard (James Franco) thought all his dreams had come true – but his battle to become the man he wants to be is only just beginning.

Now, uncertain if a regular kid from a poor blue collar family can fit into the Academy's pressure-cooker atmosphere, and barely making the grade as a Freshman "plebe," Jake has one last shot at proving he has what it takes to become an officer in an institution that boasts a venerable 137-year history of focused discipline and determined excellence. With nothing left to lose, Jake decides to enter the notoriously fierce Navy boxing competition known as the Brigade Championships -- and face off against his arch-nemesis, Midshipman Lt. Cole (Tyrese Gibson). Everything Jake has ever hoped for stands in the balance: the chance to make his father proud, to validate his Lieutenant's faith in him, to stand up for his fellow plebes, and most of all, to forge a different future.

Directed by critically acclaimed indie director Justin Lin ("Better Luck Tomorrow"), comes this exhilarating comeback story of a courageous young sailor who discovers that some opportunities in life are worth fighting for. Jake's fellow classmates are comprised of a dynamic young cast that includes Jordana Brewster as the alluringly tough, female commander who helps to train Jake; Donnie Wahlberg as Lt. Cmdr. Burton, the officer who first decides to take a chance on Jake; and Chi McBride as the boxing coach who takes Jake from amateur swinger to focused warrior.