Browse Movies : 2009 : Drama (Page #4)

Hector Villa, a ranked fighter, flees Mexico with his friend and mentor, Billy, after being told he must throw a fight. He and Billy seek sanctuary as farm laborers on a ranch, where Hector is eventually recognized and forced to fight the owner's evil son.

"Nine," based on the Tony Award Winning Broadway musical and inspired by Fellini's classic film "8 1/2," stars Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis ("There Will be Blood") as world famous film director Guido Contini as he prepares his latest picture and balances the numerous women in his life. Contini's wife "Luisa Contini" is played by Cotillard, his sultry mistress "Carla" by Cruz, Kidman stars as his film star muse "Claudia Graham," Judi Dench plays the role of "Lily" - his confidant and costume designer, Sophia Loren is his mother or "Mamma" and Hudson plays "Stephanie" the young American fashion journalist.

"Notorious" is about the life of rapper Christopher Wallace a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. In just a few short years, The Notorious B.I.G. rose from the streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time. B.I.G. was a gifted storyteller; his narratives about violent life on the streets were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect and credibility. His stories were universal and gave a voice to his generation.

In "Pandorum", actors, Dennis Quaid ("Vantage Point", "The Express") and Ben Foster ("3:10 to Yuma", "Alpha Dog"), join Cam Gigandet ("Never Back Down", "Twilight"), Cung Le ("Tekken", Fighting"), newcomer Antje Traue and director Christian Alvart ("Antibodies") to tell the terrifying story of two crew members stranded on a spacecraft who quickly realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It's pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the spacecraft. They can't remember anything - who are they, what is their mission? The only way out of the chamber is a dark and narrow airshaft. Corporal Bower (Foster), the younger of the two, crawls inside, while the other, Lt. Payton (Quaid), stays behind for guidance on a radio transmitter. As Bower ventures deeper and deeper into the ship, he begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft's shocking and deadly secrets come unraveled, and the astronauts realize that the survival of mankind hinges on their actions.

Somewhere deep inside the Santa Fe desert there have been a number of blood curdling murders...a real killing spree. The local police station is in disarray. Captain Billings, Officers Degrasso and Wright have apprehended three witnesses: Officer Jack Bennet, one of their own, tough, but affected by recent events; Bobby, young, high as a kite on cocaine; and Stephanie, eight years old, who has just witnessed her family being brutally murdered by two figures dressed in jumpsuits, gloves, boots, and horrifyingly disfiguring blue latex masks. Even though everyone is ready to go, they are still waiting... waiting for the Feds to arrive. As the witnesses tell their stories one by one to the FBI agents who have now taken over, the murderous events unravel before our eyes. It becomes clear, little Stephanie knows something, something about the agents, Hallaway and Anderson. And then two more bodies have been found...

Set in 1960's and 1970's England, "The Damned United" tells the confrontational and darkly humorous story of Brian Clough's doomed 44 day tenure as manager of the reigning champions of English football Leeds United. Previously managed by his bitter rival Don Revie, and on the back of their most successful period ever as a football club, Leeds was perceived by many to represent a new aggressive and cynical style of football - an anathema to the principled yet flamboyant Brian Clough, who had achieved astonishing success as manager of Hartlepool and Derby County building teams in his own vision with trusty lieutenant Peter Taylor. Taking the Leeds job without Taylor by his side, with a changing room full of what in his mind were still Don's boys, would lead to an unheralded examination of Clough's belligerence and brilliance over 44 days. This is that story. The story of "The Damned United".

In "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens 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?

Strange events happen at a rural school in the north of Germany during the year 1913, which seem to be ritual punishment.

From Jason Reitman, the Oscar® nominated director of "Juno," comes a comedy called "Up in the Air" starring Oscar winner George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.

A crew of officers at an armored transport security firm risk their lives when they embark on the ultimate heist….against their own company. Armed with a seemingly fool-proof plan, the men plan on making off with a fortune with harm to none. But when an unexpected witness interferes, the plan quickly unravels and all bets are off.

A newsman intentionally frames himself for a murder he didn't commit in order to point out the dangers of circumstantial evidence and to expose an overzealous district attorney who has manipulated evidence in the past to gain convictions. Everything is going as planned until his friend, the one person who can exonerate him, is killed.

An estranged couple is desperately trying to reconcile after the tragic death of their daughter. Unable to face either their grief or each other, they go on a series of "blin dates", each placing personal ads in the paper and pretending to be strangers when they meet. They do this over and over again, playing a series of different roles, in an attempt to overcome the pain and rebuild their shattered relationship.

"Broken Embraces" is a four-way tale of amour-fou, shot in the style of '50s American film noir at its most hard-boiled, and will mix references to works like Nicholas Ray's "In a Lonely Place" and Vincente Minnelli's "The Bad and the Beautiful," with signature Almodóvar themes such as Fate, the mystery of creation, guilt, unscrupulous power, the eternal search of fathers for sons, and sons for fathers.

Jeff Bridges stars as the richly comic, semi-tragic romantic anti-hero Bad Blake in the debut feature film "Crazy Heart" from writer-director Scott Cooper. Bad Blake is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart.

John Malkovich stars as David Lurie, a South African professor who gets involved with a student and is fired. After moving to the Eastern Cape to stay with his daughter, he becomes wrapped up in racial politics.

A highly stylized movie based on the life of legendary 16th century ninja and bandit Ishikawa Goemon.

Maze Prison in Northern Ireland, 1981. The infamous H-Blocks is where Irish republican prisoners are on the Blanket and No-Wash protest. It is a living hell for both prisoner and prison officer as the H-Block leader, Bobby Sands, pursues various tactics to help his fellow republicans re-establish their political status. In order to create real change, Bobby leads a Hunger Strike to protest for special category status for republican prisoners.

The true story of a Palestinian widow who must defend her lemontree field when a new Israeli Defense Minister moves next to her and threatens to have her lemon grove torn down.

The project stars A.J. Cook (CBS' "Criminal Minds") as a religious conservative who receives a message from God telling her to act as a surrogate mother for two gay men desiring to raise a child.