2004 Least Anticipated Movies (Page #2)

Inspired by a Korean legend, this is the odyssey of two sisters, who after spending time in a mental institution, return to the home of their father and cruel stepmother. Their recovery is affected by their stepmother's increasing cruelty, together with appearances of the ghost of their mother, which creates an atmosphere of strange occurrences and irrespirable fear.

Three weeks ago, just before the lunar eclipse, American teenager Regina and her family moved into a charming old house in the remote Spanish countryside. Since then, nothing has been the same. Day by day, a strange force seems to be pulling the family apart and Regina is the only one brave enough to search for answers. However, she is about to discover the answers to all her questions lie deep within the walls of their new home: something has been waiting here for her family's arrival; something ancient and wicked; something looking for retribution; a force as bottomless and hungry as the dark itself. Now, darkness is closing in on Regina's family, and she's their only chance for survival.

The normal façade of a modest house in Tokyo belies the hidden terror within. It is possessed by a violent plague that destroys the lives of everyone who enters. Known as 'The Grudge,' this curse causes its victims to die in the grip of a powerful rage. Those who are fatally afflicted by the curse die and a new curse is born--passed like a virus to all those who enter the house in an endless, growing chain of horror. Karen is an exchange student studying social work in Japan who innocently agrees to cover for a nurse who didn't show up for work. When she enters the assigned home, she discovers an elderly American woman, Emma, who is lost in a catatonic state while the rest of the house appears deserted and disheveled. As she is tending to the stricken old woman, Karen hears scratching sounds from upstairs. When she investigates, she is faced with a supernatural horror more frightening than she could ever imagine. Within this house, a chain of terror has been set in motion resulting from a terrifying evil that was born years before. As more people die, Karen is pulled into the cycle of horror and learns the secret of the vengeful curse that has taken root in this house. Now she must stop it before it's too late.

During the early 1960s, Paris was an explosion of life. As the old gave way to the new, everything was in flux and the city was filled with an energy that promised cultural shifts and social change. Against this background, in a working class neighborhood, two unlikely characters--a young Jew and an elderly Muslim--begin a friendship. When we meet Moise, also known as Momo, he is in effect an orphan even tough he lives with prostitutes who treat him with genuine affection. Momo buys his groceries at the neighborhood shop, a crowded dark space owned and run by Ibrahim, a silent exotic looking man who sees and knows more than he lets on. After Momo is abandoned by his father, Ibrahim becomes the one grownup in Momo's life. Together they begin a journey that will change their lives forever.

A film noir centering around a hard-boiled, stylish kingpin drug dealer, called King David, who returns to his hometown seeking redemption—but ends up only finding violent death. King David's final moments are spent with Paul, an aspiring journalist who knew him for just a few minutes; yet King David would forever more have an impact on Paul's life. Half preacher, half Satan, and all street smarts, King David had recorded the story of his exploits on audiotape, leaving behind an often-poetic sermon on villainy and its consequences. The tapes reveal that the cycle of violence and retribution, which his actions have spawned, has come back to him, full circle, as he suspected they might all along.

Remake of the 1966 Michael Caine romantic comedy, "Alfie" follows a modern-day womanizer who begins to wonder whether his life is shallow and superficial. As in the original, Alfie will talk directly to the camera at times as he shares his thoughts on members of the opposite sex.

After being found in an intimate, sexual encounter with another young man, Perry is thrown out of his house by his family and forced to survive on his own. As he struggles to hold on by working in a homeless shelter and trying to maintain a college scholarship, he is haunted by his homosexuality and becomes increasingly withdrawn due to his family's rejection of him and their condemnation of his desires. As his friend Marcus is performing his new poetry for him, an elderly man, Bruce, appears seemingly out of nowhere and begins reciting verse to them. He disappears just as quickly and elusively as he arrived, before they get a chance to talk to him. In his library research for a class project, Perry finds a book about the Harlem Renaissance and recognizes a poem ("Smoke, Lilies and Jade" by Bruce Nugent) as the same one that the elderly man was reciting. They encounter each other again at the homeless shelter where Perry works. He confronts Bruce about who he is and begins to ask him about the Harlem Renaissance. They go on a literal and metaphorical journey to the house that was known as "Niggeratti Manor" which was the creative center for the younger, rebellious generation of the Harlem Renaissance as they created their revolutionary literary journal, "Fire!". Although the house is now dilapidated, we are transported through the landscape of Bruce's memories of the glory days of the Harlem Renaissance. Perry learns about the lives and personalities of Wallace Thurman, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Aaron Douglas and sees how they became a surrogate family for Bruce. Perry begins to recognize this era as his history. He sees the pride that Bruce exuded in those times in terms of being Black, gay and unashamed. His pride and self-esteem begin to have an empowering effect on Perry as he gains a stronger sense of his identity. As the story progresses, we witness the transformative power that they have on each other's lives through their shared passion for art and storytelling.

Denzel Washington stars as a government operative/soldier of fortune who has pretty much given up on life. In Mexico City, he reluctantly agrees to take a job to protect a child (Dakota Fanning) whose parents are threatened by a wave of kidnappings. He eventually becomes close to the child and their relationship reawakens and rekindles his spirit. When she is abducted, his fiery rage is unleashed on those he feels responsible, and he stops at nothing to save her.

This film tells the story of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus (Jim Caviezel), on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem. This film's script is based upon several sources, including the diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) as collected in the book, "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ", "The Mystical City of God" by St. Mary of Agreda, and the New Testament books of John, Luke, Mark and Matthew.

This is the story of special ops officer Robert Scott (Val Kilmer) and his protégé Curtis (Derek Luke) who are recruited to find the missing daughter of a high-ranking government official. Their mission seems to come to an abrupt conclusion when the media reports the girl's death – but Curtis believes the girl is in fact alive. If she is, there's a dangerous conspiracy at the highest levels.

Academy Award winner Tom Hanks teams up for the first time with Academy Award–winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?") for this retelling of the critically acclaimed 1955 comedy, "The Ladykillers". Hanks stars as Goldthwait Higginson Dorr III, Ph.D., a charlatan professor who's assembled a gang of "experts" for the heist of the century. The thieves: experts in explosions, tunneling, and muscle, and the critical "inside man." The base of operations: the root cellar of an unsuspecting, church-going little old lady named Mrs. Munson (Irma P. Hall). The ruse: the five need a place to practice their church music. The problem: it quickly becomes evident that Dorr's thieves lack the mental capacity to do the job. The bigger problem: they all have seriously underestimated their upstairs host.

Set in the world of high-stakes poker hustlers, this is the story of three conmen/hustlers (Gabriel Byrne, Stuart Townsend, Thandie Newton) looking for that one big take that they can all retire on. After they actually do pull a huge sting off with the help of someone called "The Dean" (Sylvester Stallone), they find themselves chased by a ripped-off gangster looking for revenge...

Now that Greg Focker is in with his soon-to-be in-laws, Jack and Dina Byrnes, it looks like smooth sailing for him and his fiancée, Pam. But that's before Pam's parents meet Greg's parents, Bernie and Roz Focker. The hyper-relaxed Fockers and the tightly-wound Byrneses are woefully mismatched from the start, and no matter how hard Greg and Pam try, there is just no bringing their families together.

Throughout time, men have waged war. Some for power, some for glory, some for honor — and some for love. In ancient Greece, the passion of two of history's most legendary lovers, Paris, Prince of Troy (Orlando Bloom) and Helen (Diane Kruger), Queen of Sparta, ignites a war that will devastate a civilization. When Paris steals Helen away from her husband, King Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), it is an insult that cannot be suffered. Familial pride dictates that an affront to Menelaus is an affront to his brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox), powerful King of the Myceneans, who soon unites all the massive tribes of Greece to steal Helen back from Troy in defense of his brother's honor. In truth, Agamemnon's pursuit of honor is corrupted by his overwhelming greed — he needs control of Troy to ensure the supremacy of his already vast empire. The walled city, under the leadership of King Prium (Peter O'Toole) and defended by mighty Prince Hector (Eric Bana), is a citadel that no army has been able to breach. One man alone stands as the key to victory or defeat over Troy — Achilles (Brad Pitt), believed to be the greatest warrior alive. Arrogant, rebellious and seemingly invincible, Achilles has no allegiance to anyone or anything, save his own glory. It is his insatiable hunger for eternal renown that leads him to attack the gates of Troy under Agamemnon's banner — but it will be love that ultimately decides his fate. Two worlds will go to war for honor and power. Thousands will fall in pursuit of glory. And for love, a nation will burn to the ground.

In Sony Pictures "Spider-Man 2", two years have passed since Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) walked away from his longtime love Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and decided to take the road to responsibility as Spider-Man. Peter must face new challenges as he struggles to cope with "the gift and the curse" of his powers while balancing his dual identities as the elusive superhero Spider-Man and life as a college student. The relationships Peter holds most dear are now in danger of unraveling as he clashes with the powerful, multi-tentacled villain "Doc Ock" (Alfred Molina).

A rebellious rich boy reluctantly lands in the Marine Corps and falls for a beautiful but crazy young musician while on leave. Against the wishes of family and friends and under strict regulations of military life, the two find romance and solace within each other - facing obstacles that may force them apart.

Following the death of their eight year old son on his birthday, Jessie (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) and Paul (Greg Kinnear) are befriended by a doctor on the forefront of genetic research (Robert DeNiro) at the height of their mourning. He leads the couple in a desperate attempt to reverse the rules of nature and clone their son. The experiment is successful and under Richard's watchful eye, Adam grows into a healthy and happy young boy, until his 8th birthday. As time goes by, the Duncan's gradually start to see small, subtle differences between the new Adam and the Adam they lost. At the time of the new Adam's eighth birthday, the changes in character are more pronounced. Adam grows distant and fearful as a palpable sense of menace settles within the young boy. This Adam begins to suffer from night terrors and frightening flashbacks as a sinister personality begins to emerge. Paul and Jessie cannot escape the fact that this Adam is different. Terror settles on the couple as they try to come to terms with just what they have done, or what has been done to them.

Melding biography and social history with a cultural analysis of our Society's obsession with fame and celebrity, "Mayor of the Sunset Strip chronicles the picaresque life of pop impresario Rodney Bingenheimer, beloved figure on the Los Angeles music scene since the early 1960s, and a friend, confidant, and lifelong admirer of countless luminaries from all walks of public life. Rodney has helped define the sounds that have dominated over three decades of music by giving dozens of major artists their first airplay. A partial list of bands he helped to break includes the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Ramones, X, the Go-Go's, Blondie, Devo, Van Halen, Nirvana, Oasis, No Doubt, and, more recently, Coldplay and the Strokes. Featuring interviews with such stars as David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Cher, Brooke Shields, Brian Wilson, Debbie Harry, Gwen Stefani, Courtney Love, Nancy Sinatra, Coldplay's Chris Martin, and many others, "Mayor of the Sunset Strip" is a fascinating look at a life defined by a fascination with, and a Zelig-like knack for getting close to, the most famous names in music, movies, television, and beyond.

Inspired by the true story of a sting operation in Providence, R.I. "The Last Shot" revolves around a young filmmaker (Matthew Broderick) who is given millions of dollars to make his first movie by a mysterious benefactor (Alec Baldwin) on the condition that he shoot it in Providence. But the filmmaker eventually discovers that his film's producer is an undercover FBI agent.

It's Christmas Eve in New York City and with some help from each other—and more importantly, from themselves—five people will discover new meaning on Christmas Day... In stark contrast to her success as a book editor, Rose's (Susan Sarandon) personal life is in disarray. Burdened by a recent divorce and charged as sole caretaker of her ailing mother, she finds herself hopeless and lonely when her holiday doldrums are interrupted by Charlie—an unexpected friend—who reminds her that no one is ever truly alone at Christmas. New York City police officer Mike Riley (Paul Walker) had planned to spend the holiday with his fiancée, Nina (Penélope Cruz),when his own paranoia and misplaced jealousy drive her away. Nina leaves to seek solace with relatives and reevaluate her future with Mike. In her absence, Mike learns from the tragic past of a stranger, Artie (Alan Arkin),where his jealousy can lead. Jules (Marcus Thomas) has a single happy Christmas memory, when he was fourteen. Today, a troubled twenty-something with no family and friends to speak of, he plans to recapture that happiness through extreme measures, but first must find the courage to step beyond his past to find true contentment.