Action Soundtracks 2003 List

Based very loosely on the Alan Moore graphic novel epic of the same name, this is the story of a group of characters drawn from famous works of literature, including Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, The Invisible Man, Mina Murray and Dr. Jekyll, banding together to combat criminal undertakings of the highest order near the turn of the 19th century. Rather than remain true to the comic roots, the film also incorporates Tom Sawyer and Dorian Gray, in an apparent effort to keep the cast from being entirely without Americans, and it is set in New York.

In this third installment that concerns itself with death, Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus--along with the rest of their battling posse--continue to come against the machines that have systematically enslaved the human race in the Matrix. Now displaying a greater confidence in his own power, Neo fully realizes that he is a superhuman figure capable of amazing feats, and is totally aware that he's able to see the codes of people and things with which he comes into contact. Simultaneously more humans, who are struggling to live in the real world, have awoken out of the Matrix. As their numbers increase, the machines invade Zion, the center of human resistance--considered the last real-world city.

Russell Crowe is Lucky Jack Aubrey, the Navy's greatest fighting captain and Paul Bettany is ship's doctor Stephen Maturin. The ship, the Surprise, is suddenly attacked by a superior enemy. With the Surprise badly damaged and much of his crew injured, Aubrey – the "Master" of the Surprise and "Commander" of his men – is torn between duty and friendship as he sets sail in a high-stakes chase across two oceans, to the far side of the world, to intercept and capture their foe. It's a mission that can decide the fate of a nation – or destroy Lucky Jack and his crew. The film is based on the narrative outline of the tenth book in Patrick O'Brian's legendary "Aubrey/Maturin" series of high seas novels about the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars.

Set in a live-action world in which Warner Bros.' beloved assortment of irreverent animated entertainers interact with human characters for maximum comic effect, the story unfolds on the Studio backlot and careens all over the map in time-honored Looney Tunes style. Our celluloid heroes embark on a hilarious adventure that takes them from Hollywood to Las Vegas, Paris and the jungles of Africa in search of Fraser's character's missing father and the mythical Blue Monkey Diamond.

The third of the trilogy. As the shadow of Mordor grows across the land, Aragorn is revealed as the hidden heir to the ancient kings. Gandolf miraculously returns and defeats the evil wizard, Saruman. Sam leaves his master for the dead after a battle with the giant spider, Shelob; but Frodo is still alive--in the hands of the Orcs. And while the armies of the Dark Lord are massing--and the one ring comes ever closer to the Cracks of Doom.

When a man (Eddie Murphy) and his family encounter a ghost while visiting a haunted house during a job interview, he learns the value of family, and the lesson that he should make sure he never neglects them. Based upon the popular Disney theme park attraction.

Set in the late 1870s, this epic film depicts the beginnings of the modernization of Japan, as the island nation evolved past a feudal society, as symbolized by the eradication of the samurai way of life. We see all this happen from the point of view of an alcoholic Civil War veteran turned Winchester guns spokesman, Captain Woodrow Algren (Tom Cruise), who arrives in Japan to train the troops of the emperor, Meiji, as part of a break away from the long-held tradition of relying on employed samurai warriors to protect territories, as the emperor's new army prepares to wipe out the remaining samurai warriors. When Algren is injured in combat and captured by the samurai, he learns about their warrior honor code from their leader, Katsumoto, which forces him to decide which side of the conflict he actually wants to be on.

In director Antoine Fuqua's new action-adventure film, Bruce Willis stars as Lt. A.K. Waters, the loyal veteran officer of a Navy S.E.A.L unit. When he's sent into the heart of Africa, the usually hard-bitten Waters finds himself deeply conflicted at having to choose between following orders and the dictates of his own conscience. Though a fictionalization, Tears of the Sun deals with the gritty realism of human conflict as Lt. Waters travels to war-torn central Africa to rescue Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci), a U.S. citizen who runs a mission in the countryside. But when Lt. Waters arrives Dr. Kendricks refuses to abandon the refugees under her care. She implores Waters to escort them on a dangerous trek through the dense jungle to the nearby border. During the journey the S.E.A.L.s find themselves the unwitting guardians of a man sought by the rebel militia. This further endangers their already hazardous mission, but all the while strengthening Waters' resolve to protect Lena and the refugees, and to deliver them safely across the border.

"Underworld" reimagines Vampires as a secretive clan of modern, aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves), a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the city's underbelly. The balance of power is upset when a beautiful young Vampire and a nascent Lycan - deadly rivals for centuries - fall in love. Len Wiseman directs Kate Beckinsdale and Scott Speedman in a fast-paced, modern-day tale of deadly action, ruthless intrigue and forbidden love, all set against the backdrop of an ancient feud between the two tribes in a timeless, Gothic metropolis.

The third installment in Robert Rodriguez's trilogy that began with 1992's "El Mariachi" and continued with 1995's "Desperado", the latter of which also starred Antonio Banderas. El Mariachi makes his way across a rugged landscape on the blood trail of Barrillo (Willem Dafoe), a cartel kingpin with one last score to settle who is planning a coup d'etat against the president of Mexico. Enlisted by Sands (Johnny Depp), a corrupt CIA agent, El Mariachi demands retribution, and the adventure begins against a backdrop of revolution, greed, and revenge.

When Travis (Seann William Scott), the son of an underworld kingpin, disappears in the Amazon in search of a priceless artifact, Beck (The Rock), the kingpin's retrieval expert, is sent to get him. Despite their hostility - and their love for the same woman (Rosario Dawson) - the two must eventually join forces to fight the evil head (Christopher Walken) of a gold-mining corporation who is after the same treasure.

Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall), Charley Waite (Kevin Costner), Mose Harrison (Abraham Benrubi) and "Button" (Diego Luna) freegraze their cattle across the vast prairies of the West, sharing their friendship forged by a steadfast code of honor and living a life unencumbered by civilization. When their wayward her forces them near the small town of Harmonville, the cowboys encounter a corrupt Sheriff (James Russo) and kingpin rancher (Michael Gambon) who govern the territory through fear, tyranny and violence. Boss Charley find themselves inextricably drawn towards the inevitable showdown as they are forced to defend the freedom and values of a lifestyle that is all to quickly vanishing. Amidst this turmoil, life suddenly takes an unexpected turn for loner Charley when he meets the beautiful and warm-spirited Sue Barlow (Annette Bening), a woman who embraces both his heart and his soul. As these courageous men prepare for the decisive battle that looms, they are also forced to confront and conquer their own internal demons.

Aboard the Black Pearl, infamous pirate Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) attacks the city of Port Royal and kidnaps a governor's daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley). Barbossa then sets sail with his hostage toward a secret hideaway, hoping to lift an ancient curse by sacrificing her and returning a once-plundered treasure. Elizabeth's childhood friend Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) meets an eccentric seaman, Jack Sparrow, who reveals that the Black Pearl was formerly his ship, until Barbossa committed mutiny. Together, they assemble a ragtag crew and commandeer a British vessel, hoping to chase down and free both Elizabeth and Sparrow's Pearl. Following after them is the British military, led by Elizabeth's would-be fiancé, Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport).

On their most mind-blowing mission yet, the Spy Kids are about to enter an entirely new dimension: the third dimension. In "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over", state-of-the-art digital 3D technology puts something special into special effects action for the whole family. On their latest assignment, under-age Juni and Carmen Cortez (Sabara and Vega) journey inside the virtual reality wolrd of a cool but crazy video game, where anything is possible, including the impossible. Action film veteran Sylvester Stallone joins the cast as the power-hungry villain the 'Toymaker', who wants to take over the youth of the world, and Juni and Carmen must battle their way through tougher and tougher levels of a three-dimensional game ingeniously designed to outwit and defeat them. Using their usual humor, gadgetry, bravery and family bonds, the Spy Kids must win every high-flying, puzzle-solving challenge, from racing road warriors to surfing on boiling lava. Meanwhile, high-definition digital 3-D sequences and special viewing glasses give the audience a chance to interact with the larger-than-life excitement on screen. Adding to the visual fun, "Spy Kids 3D: Game Over" also features all-new inventions from the mind of writer/director Robert Rodriguez, who lets his imagination loose in a blazingly colorful, futuristic game world come to life. In this latest chapter of the Spy Kids trilogy, Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino reprise their roles as suave spy-parents Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez and Ricardo Montalban makes a comeback as the Spy Kids' grandfather, who plays a pivotal role in their mission. Also returning are Steve Buscemi as the mad scientist Romero; Alan Cumming as Floop; Bill Paxton as Dinky Winks; Cheech Marin as Uncle Felix; and Danny Trejo as Uncle Machete.

Facing her greatest challenges and dangers yet, Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) shows off her physical prowess like never before. During this exciting installment of her adventures, the intrepid tomb raider jet skies, horseback rides, motorcycles and much more through such countries as Hong Kong, Kenya, Wales, Greece and Africa as she searches for an infamous site known as "The Cradle of Life."

A band of thieves, led by Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg), pulls off the ultimate heist by rigging the stoplights of the city of Los Angeles so that they can drive right out of the city with a carful of gold (in a safe that they're stealing back after Croker's double-crossing ex-partner, played by Edward Norton, stole it from Croker first), with nothing but greenlights, while everyone else gets redlights, thus keeping the roads plugged with the largest traffic jam in L.A. history, and the police from pursuing them. Aiding their escape is the fact that the bandits are driving BMW Mini Coopers (tiny cars), so they're able to use sidewalks and the subway system in addition to L.A.'s streets and highways. That, of course, is how it's *supposed* to work...

Arnold Schwarzenegger returns in this third installment of the popular sci-fi action saga as a cyborg from the future once again becoming involved in the affairs of twentysomething John Connor and his first battles with the SkyNet machine network.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a sequel to the blockbuster action-adventure-comedy hit released by Columbia Pictures and inspired by the popular television series. The sequel reunites Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu as the indomitable crime-fighting heriones. In the Angels' new adventure, the captivating trio once again demonstrates their expertise as espionage and martial arts, and disguise.

Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, and the rest of their crew continue to battle the machines that have enslaved the human race in the Matrix. Now, more humans are waking up out of the matrix and attempting to live in the real world. As their numbers grow, the battle moves to Zion, the last real-world city and center of human resistance.

Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), stripped of his badge after the events of the first film, gets a chance to redeem himself by going undercover to infiltrate the world of Miami street racing.

For 60 years, a mysterious monk with no name (Chow Yun-Fat) has traversed the globe to protect an ancient scroll - a scroll that holds the key to unlimited power. Now the Monk must look for a new scrollkeeper. Kar (Seann William Scott) is an unlikely candidate, a streetwise young man who only cares about himself. But when he inadvertently saves the Bulletproof Monk from capture, the two become partners in a scheme to save the world from the scroll's most avid pursuer. The Monk, Kar and a sexy Russian mob princess called Bad Girl (Jaime King) must struggle to find, face and fight the ultimate enemy.

To his family and friends, Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) is a typical teen - he loves to skateboard, hates math, and feels like a complete idiot around girls. But Cody's got a secret - he's actually part of a secret teen CIA program. Cody's living every boy's dream life - he can drive like a stuntman, has an incredible arsenal of cool gadgets, and his agency mentor, Ronica Miles (Angie Harmon), is totally hot. But Cody's training is put to the test when he's sent to pose as a prep school student and befriend fellow teen Natalie Connors (Hilary Duff) in order to gain access to her father, a scientist unknowingly developing a fleet of deadly nanobots for the evil organization ERIS. From runaway cars and high-speed snowboard chases to a spectacular final mountaintop showdown, Cody has to use everything he's learned to prove himself as an agent and stop ERIS-and maybe even get the girl.

After taming the wild west in the comedy "Shanghai Noon", Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson) are back in the saddle, but off the range - this time, they're out to settle a score in civilized London in the sequel, "Shanghai Knights". When a Chinese rebel murders Chon's estranged father and escapes to England, Chon and Roy make their way to London with revenge on their minds. Chon's sister, Lin, has the same idea, and uncovers a worldwide conspiracy to murder the royal family - but almost no one will believe her. With the help of a kindly Scotland Yard Inspector and a 10-year-old street urchin, the acro- batic Chon (Chan) gives Victorian Britain a kick in the pants as he attempts to avenge his father's death - and keep the romance-minded Roy away from his sister. Hilarious escapades and hair-raising adventure await our heroes as they do for Big Ben, Madame Toussaud's, and the Convent Gardens what they did for the Old West.

"Biker Boyz" is an contemporary Western on wheels with desperados who live every day on the edge. Lawyers and city workers by day, they take to the streets in their leathers to race by night. In the world of underground motorcycle clubs, the undefeated racer known as Smoke (Laurence Fishburne) is the undisputed "King of Cali." But Smoke's dominance of the set is about to be threatened by a young motorcycle racing prodigy called Kid (Derek Luke), who is determined to win Smoke's helmet and earn the coveted title.