2003 Least Anticipated Movies (Page #8)

This musical set at a summer camp for young singers, dancers, actors and musicians tells the story of Bert Hanley, a former Broadway songwriter who has to work at the camp because his career has burnt out after a series of flops. Inspired by the kids at the camp, however, Bert sees his chance to find success again by recruiting them to put together a new production. The long summer days at Camp Ovation are ripe with life lessons, fast friendships, jealousies and antics, along with the shocking discovery that there is an honest-to-goodness straight boy in the bunch.

Esther Gold (Glenn Close) devotes herself to her comatose, bedridden son, and expresses love for her daughter by trying to win her a car in a last-one-standing radio contest. Jim Train (Dermot Mulroney) questions his value as a man when he is passed over for promotion; Annette Jenning (Patricia Clarkson) tries to keep her family intact in the wake of her divorce; and Helen Christianson (Mary Kay Place) looks for fun and inspiration in her banal life. Despair and humor are delicately balanced in this film that examines people's investment in things that are more predictable, if less satisfying, than their relationships with other people.

Jimmy Cremming (Matt Dillon) finds himself in Bangkok after fleeing the investigation of an insurance scam in the United States. Having discovered that his partner and mentor Marvin (James Caan) has surfaced in Cambodia, Jimmy sets off to get his promised cut of the action. What he finds, however, is a bizarre, ominous environment where cleverness is bait. The further Jimmy searches for Marvin, the deeper he plunges into torment - and the farther he gets from getting out alive.

A three-day drug adventure awaits the speed junkies in "Spun". Jason Schwartzman ("Rushmore") stars as a young speed addict who embarks on an adventure with his dealer, played by John Leguizamo, and the drug chemist, played by Mickey Rourke. Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") plays a fellow speed addict, while Brittany Murphy and Mena Suvari play girlfriends of the drug dealers.

A contemporary romantic comedy about a group of men who plot to rid themselves of their mates' gorgeous but meddling single sister Eva. The simple plan, to pay a man to romance and distract Eva, goes awry, leading to surprising consequences and unexpected complications.

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.

Set in a small New England college town, this drama follows the story of a respected classics professor with a terrible secret. His life starts crumbling after an affair with a young janitor is uncovered and the secret he had harbored for over 50 years is about to explode in a conflagration of devastating consequences.

From Stephen Frears, the Oscar®-nominated director of "The Grifters" and "Dangerous Liaisons", comes a new film set in London's secret underworld, where everything is for sale. It's the story of a young man, Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a Turkish chambermaid, Senay (Audrey Tautou), who work at the same West London hotel--a breeding ground for illegal activity. They are put to the test when Okwe makes a shocking discovery late one night.

Set on an American Army Base in 1989, as the Berlin Wall is about to fall, "Buffalo Soldiers" takes a satiric look as these men steal, drink, fight, and make, take, and sell drugs. Elwood (Joaquin Phoenix) is the brains behind the operation, easily duping his superior (Ed Harris) and sleeping with his wife (Elizabeth McGovern). But with the arrival of the new Sergeant (Scott Glenn), everything changes. The Sergeant cracks down; Elwood retaliates by dating his daughter (Anna Paquin) and attempting a big "weapons for drugs" deal, with the Sergeant in closer pursuit.

"Calendar Girls" is based on the true story of a group of women who bare all - or nearly all - for charity and become international celebrities as a result. The Women's Institute, in Great Britain, encourages the ancient skills of jam-making, flower pressing, knitting and baking. So when a group of extraordinary women are looking for a new way to raise money, they decide to take the annual WI calendar, normally featuring landscapes or flowers, and create something traditional - but with a twist. Behind the baked goods, the apple pressing and the flower arranging, the women are completely nude.

The film takes us into the teenage psyche of Meg, a gifted but emotionally scarred 18-year-old. Haunted by her father's abandonment of the family, she is neglected by her overworked mother and left to her own devices in dealing with her emotionally disturbed younger sister. Meg finds solace in writing poetry. Mr. Auster, her English teacher, recognizes her talent and steps into the role of mentor and father figure, encouraging her to enter a national poetry contest for which he is a judge. As tension at home escalates and Meg struggles to find a way to get to the poetry finals in Florida, Auster's role in her life becomes increasingly complex.

A love story spanning two continents, "Nowhere in Africa" is the extraordinary true tale of a Jewish family who flees the Nazi regime in 1938 for a remote farm in Kenya. Abandoning their once-comfortable existence in Germany, Walter Redlich, his wife Jettel (Juliane Kohler) and their five-year-old daughter Regina each deal with the harsh realities of their new life in different ways. Attorney Walter is resigned to working the farm as a caretaker; pampered Jettel resists adjustment at every turn; while the shy yet curious Regina immediately embraces the country-learning the local language and customs, and finding a friend in Owuor, the farm's cook. As the war rages on the other side of the world, the trio's relationships to their strange environment become increasingly complicated as Jettel grows more self-assured and Walter more haunted by the life they left behind. As they eventually learn to cherish their life in Africa, they also endeavor to find a way back to each other.

When the police chief (Denzel Washington) of a small Florida town "borrows" money from the evidence room so he can run away with a woman (Sanaa Lathan) he's always been in love with, she quickly betrays him, revealing that she only began having an affair with him as a way to seek revenge... Now, with his reputation and career on the line, an otherwise good cop must resolve his life before he runs... "Out of Time".

Caught in a savage rainstorm, ten travelers are forced to seek refuge at a strange desert motel. They soon realize they've found anything but shelter. There is a killer among them and, one by one, they are murdered. As the storm rages on and the dead begin to outnumber the living, one thing becomes clear: Each of them was drawn to the motel, not by accident or circumstance, but by forces beyond imagination, forces that promise anyone who survives a mind-bending and terrifying destiny.

Set in the competitive world of New York City real estate, a couple (Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller), whose dream home is a converted duplex apartment in the perfect neighborhood, decide to kill the sweet little old lady (Eileen Essell) who's currently living there, or else they'll never get to buy it...

When a lonely guy (Steve Martin) meets a woman (Queen Latifah) on the Internet who happens to be in prison, she breaks out to be with him, and quickly proceeds to bring chaos and some much-needed change into his middle-class life...

This comedy concert movie will see Eddie Griffin following in the footsteps of other black comedians like Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. What makes this movie stand out, however, is that it is a combination of Griffin's stand-up routines with footage of Griffin's Kansas City family, including some of his eccentric uncles, like Uncle Buckey who's a former pimp, and Uncle Curtis, who has an extensive porn collection, much of which he filmed himself.

Focuses on Filomena Capadscio, the matriarch of a family who is abruptly visited by tragedy. Filomena's husband and two sons are brutally murdered by the sons of Firmino Santos Guerra. Thirty years earlier, Filomena had been engaged to Santos Guerra but left him before their wedding to marry his rival Borges Capadscio. The result of this union filled Santos Guerra with rage and promise to someday exact revenge on the newly married couple. Filomena buries her husband and sons and begins to set plans to have revenge against the Santos Guerra family. She brings together her three daughters (Maria Francisca, Maria Rosa and Maria Pia) and sends them off into the backlands of Brazil to locate and hire three ruthless killers. Maria Francisca has to find the gunman known as Zi das Cobras, who has not spoken to a woman since the death of his mother. Maria Rosa looks for Chief Tensrio, a backwoods cop who is also a knife specialist, and convince him to break the laws he defends. Maria Pia goes off in search of Jesulino Cruz, also known as "The Devil's Horse," but there is a slight obstacle in her path: this killer is locked up in prison."

This is the story of three guys in their early 30's, Mitch (Luke Wilson), Frank (Will Ferrell), and Beanie (Vince Vaughn), who try to relive their old college glory days by moving into a large house near their old campus. They inadvertently form an "unofficial fraternity", where students can enjoy all the riches of the partying lifestyle without the commitment that comes with having to abide by the university's fraternity rules. Soon, however, the realities of their past lives catches up with their wild college lifestyles.

Combines the worlds of law enforcement and the music industry. It pairs a young cop and older cop, both of whom moonlight in other jobs -- acting and real estate -- who get themselves involved in a crime within the music business. Washington will play Sartain, a feared rap impresario who in the past has arranged the murder of several rappers who wanted out of their contract. He also is working in tandem with a former LAPD officer who is now the head of security for Sartain's music company.