2005 Most Anticipated Movies (Page #4)

Vin Diesel redefines what it means to be an action hero in the heartwarming family action-comedy "The Pacifier". Diesel stars as Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe who, as an elite member of the world's fiercest and most highly trained force thought he was prepared to take on any duty no matter how perilous or impossible... until he tried baby-sitting. Assigned to protect the five out-of-control children of an assassinated scientist working on vital government secrets, Shane is suddenly faced with the juggling two outrageously incompatible jobs: fighting the bad guys while keeping house. Replacing his usual arsenal of wetsuits and weapons with diapers and juice boxes, Shane not only must battle a deceptive enemy but wrangle teen rebel Zoe (Brittany Snow), sullen 14 year-old Seth (Max Theriot), 8 year-old Ninja-wanna-be Lulu (Morgan York), as well as 3 year-old Peter and baby Tyler - not to mention their off-beat Romanian Nanny (Carol Kane). But while drop zones, demolitions and destroying enemy targets come naturally to Shane, he has no idea what tough really is until he pits his courage against diapering, den-mothering and driver's education. He's truly a SEAL out of water, and now it's up to this one-time lone warrior to take on the most important mission of his life: keeping a family together.

Opal, a 10-year-old girl and the only daughter of a an emotionally distant preacher, is a lonely outsider looking for friends. Opal comes upon a mutt-like dog at the Winn-Dixie supermarket, and it's love at first sight. Together, the two open hearts and make friends wherever they travel. Now, Opal must open the heart of her father to learn about the mother who left her when she was only three-years-old. Opal learns that life is made up of love and loss—and that one can sometimes compensate for the other.

Pro quarterback Paul Crewe and former college champion and coach Nate Scarboro are doing time in the same prison. Asked to put together a team of inmates to take on the guards, Crewe enlists the help of Scarboro to coach the inmates to victory in a football game fixed to turn out quite the other way.

"Alias" Jennifer Garner returns as Elektra, who after recovering from the mortal wounds she suffered in "Daredevil", becomes the world's most dangerous assassin. When she gets her latest assignment, Elektra makes a decision that can take her life in a new direction—or destroy her.

"Match Point" represents a departure for native New Yorker Woody Allen, the majority of whose films lovingly depict New York and—not always so lovingly—New Yorkers. Crossing the Atlantic for the first time in his film career, Allen set "Match Point" in London, where it was also filmed. The film is described as a melodrama about many things -- ambition, the seduction of wealth, love, sexual passion and, most importantly, the huge part luck plays in events as opposed to the comforting misconception that more of life is under our control than it really is.

He was a writer. He thought he wrote about the future but it really was the past. In his novel, a mysterious train left for 2046 every once in a while. Everyone who went there had the same intention—to recapture their lost memories. It was said that in 2046, nothing ever changed. Nobody knew for sure if it was true, because nobody who went there had ever come back—except for one. He was there. He chose to leave. He wanted to change.

"End Game" is a political thriller opening with a presidential assassination and following a perilous path of intrigue. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a Secret Service agent in charge of the president's protection detail. He blames himself for his team's failure and quits his post only to become obsessed with solving the crime. A tenacious reporter (played by Angie Harmon) aids him in his quest. Together they must unravel a web of lies as they try to divine the truth behind the conspiracy among shadowy assassins, an ex-special ops comma.

From acclaimed "In America" director Jim Sheridan comes the first film starring mega-hit rapper 50 Cent. This tale follows an inner city drug dealer who turns away from a life of dangerous crime to pursue his true passion, rap music. The road to change isn't easy however.

In the outrageous comedy Wedding Crashers, divorce mediators John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) are business partners and lifelong friends who share one truly unique springtime hobby–crashing weddings! Whatever the ethnicity of the wedding party–Jewish, Italian, Irish, Chinese, Hindu–the charismatic and charming duo always have clever back stories for inquisitive guests and inevitably become the hit of every reception, where they strictly adhere to their proven “rules of wedding crashing” to meet and pick up women aroused by the very thought of marriage.

"Eros" is an anthology of three short films on the subject of eroticism and love, from a trio of the world's most extraordinary directors, Wong Kar Wai, Steven Soderbergh, and Michelangelo Antonioni. Wong Kar Wai's "The Hand" is the story of a young tailor's (Chang Chen) long-time unrequited love for a beautiful Hong Kong courtesan (Gong Li). Over many years, he lovingly crafts the clothes that she wears for other men. Over time, the seemingly unattainable fantasy woman loses everything, just as the tailor prospers in his career. Then the unexpected happens... Steven Soderbergh's "Equilibrium" is about a stressed-out 1950's advertising man (Robert Downey, Jr.) who has been suffering from a series of recurring erotic dreams. During his session with psychiatrist Dr. Pearl (Alan Arkin), he describes his dream of a woman who is familiar to him—but he can't recall who she is when he wakes up. Through the course of a very offbeat hour of therapy, we discover why that is. Michelangelo Antonioni's "The Dangerous Thread of Things" follows a fortyish married couple (Christopher Buchholz and Regina Nemni) that no longer have anything to say to one another. At an impasse, the man has a passionate one night stand with a free-spirited young girl (Luisa Ranieri), but this experience also fails to satisfy him. Later on, the wife and the girl meet....

Millions of devoted fans worldwide have been spellbound by the dark invention of its adventures . . . have awaited its every incarnation with urgent anticipation . . . and have devoted countless hours, days and weeks to conquering its hidden mysteries: Doom. When the home-computer game "Doom" was first launched in 1993, no one could have foreseen the legion of fans it would create and the mania surrounding its every new permutation. "Doom" and its successive installments have transfixed gamers worldwide for over a decade and have sold millions of copies (while chalking up an unprecedented tens of millions of downloads as shareware). It is, simply, the most explosive home-computer game franchise phenomenon in history. Now, the game that made history is jumping from computer screens to the motion picture screen: get ready for "Doom". Set countless years in the future and told in the hyper- kinetic, kamikaze style that made its gaming predecessor a global phenomenon, the science fiction action adventure "Doom" takes the viewer to the far corners of the galaxy with a fully-realized vision of a dark and disturbing future.

Journalism student Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood) has been expelled from Harvard for a crime he didn't commit. His promising career ended and his future looking bleak, he heads for London to seek refuge with his married sister Shannon (Claire Forlani) and her husband Steve (Marc Warren).

Steve introduces Matt to his younger brother Pete (Charlie Hunnam) and, through their friendship, Matt enters the world of football fanaticism and the secrecy and intrigue of the football firm.

Pete Dunham and his close knit group of friends make up the Green Street Elite (GSE), a hard core group of West Ham United supporters – and one of the toughest London football firms. All the football clubs have a firm and they all have one aim – to be the most feared and respected mob in the country - no matter what it takes. As Pete explains 'West Ham's football is mediocre, but our firm's top notch and everyone knows it… it's really about reputation – humiliating the other mob by beating them in a row or doing things that other firms get to hear about.' Matt is not only drawn into the sheer excitement of the game of football itself, but also the brotherhood and loyalty of life inside the GSE. The buzz that violence brings to him produces a sense of power that he has never before experienced.

But Matt has been sparring with the truth about his past life and not every member of the firm considers him a 'brother'. Bovver (Leo Gregory), resents the presence of the outsider and his own apparent demotion within the ranks of the GSE. His continuing distrust and dislike of Matt creates a powder keg of jealousy and emotion that's just searching for an opportunity to blow.

When Bovver discovers hidden information about Matt it sets off a devastating chain of events that tests friendship, loyalty, honor and determination in battle. Tragic consequences force Matt to acknowledge the cost of his actions and the painful lessons learned lead him to re-evaluate his future.

In an extremely rare decision, the Catholic Church officially recognized the demonic possession of a 19 year-old college freshman. Told in terrifying flashbacks, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" chronicles the haunting trial of the priest accused of negligence resulting in the death of the young girl believed to be possessed. Inspired by true events, the film stars Laura Linney as the lawyer who takes on the task of defending the priest (Tom Wilkinson) who performed the controversial exorcism.

The story of "The Libertine" focuses on 17th-century womanizing poet John Wilmot (Johnny Depp), the Earl of Rochester, who befriended King Charles II (John Malkovich) and died at the young age of 33 after falling in love with aspiring actress Elizabeth Barry (Samantha Morton).

In the wake of a painful estrangement from his daughter, boxing trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) has been unwilling to let himself get close to anyone for a very long time—then Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) walks into his gym. In a life of constant struggle, Maggie's gotten herself this far on raw talent, unshakable focus and a tremendous force of will. But more than anything, she wants someone to believe in her. The last thing Frankie needs is that kind of responsibility—let alone that kind of risk—but won over by Maggie's sheer determination, he begrudgingly agrees to take her on. In turns exasperating and inspiring each other, the two come to discover that they share a common spirit that transcends the pain and loss of their pasts, and they find in each other a sense of family they lost long ago. Yet, they will both face a battle that will demand more heart and courage than any they've ever known.

Awakened by a rumbling that could only be made by the much-feared Heffalump, the Hundred Acre Wood crew sets forth to catch the dreaded creature. Disregarded as too young to partake in such a dangerous expedition, Roo opts to search on his own – with far greater success than his friends. But in meeting a young, playful Heffalump named Lumpy, Roo quickly discovers that Heffalumps are nothing like what he's been told, and that the creature is equally afraid of Roo's silly pals. Roo and Lumpy strike up a sweet friendship and work together to dispel the unfounded fears of their respective friends and families.

This comedy focuses on a man (Ashton Kutcher) marrying a black woman whose father (Bernie Mac) is having a difficult time dealing with the interracial relationship.

Based on a short story by master of science fiction Ray Bradbury, the sci-fi action adventure "A Sound of Thunder" is set in the future, when time travel is not only possible—it's a lucrative monopoly. It's especially profitable for Charles Hatton (Ben Kingsley), the owner of Time Safari Inc., a travel agency that specializes in escorting wealthy clients on exclusive hunting trips back to the Prehistoric Age. Under the leadership of seasoned scout Dr. Travis Ryer (Edward Burns), participants are permitted to hunt and kill dinosaurs provided they follow a set of strenuous rules. These guidelines are intended to protect the creatures' natural habitats and prevent time travelers from impacting the course of evolution. When an expedition is compromised and the rules are broken, the hunters return to the future...and discover the world is a markedly different place than it was when they left. As "time waves" ripple from the Prehistoric past through the present to the uncharted future, Ryer teams up with Sonia Rand (Catherine McCormack), the inventor of the time travel technology, to unravel the mystery behind the catastrophic historical changes that are threatening to erase humanity from existence.

Set in the Philippines in 1945, "The Great Raid" tells the true story of the 6th Ranger Battalion, under the com-mand of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) who undertake a daring rescue mission against all odds. Traveling thirty miles behind enemy lines, the 6th Ranger Battalion aims to liberate over 500 American prisoners-of- war from the notorious Cabanatuan Japanese POW camp in the most audacious rescue ever.

A dysfunctional family is at the core of the story that unfolds as the matriarch, Magda, attempts to cope with the aftermath of a deadly accident. She dotes on her 20-year old son while her daughter and her husband live upstairs. Seven characters struggle to survive against odds that become more complicated than any of them could have contemplated. Greed, betrayal, homosexual politics, manipulation, blackmail, and a ferocious race to take ownership of a family owned plot of land, all combine to make this a modern day Greek tragedy, However, as in most tragedies of this nature, farce is never far behind.