2004 Least Anticipated Movies (Page #12)

From the rural town of Preston, Idaho, comes Napoleon Dynamite. With a red 'fro, his moon boots and illegal government ninja moves, he is a new kind of hero. His family consists of fragile brother Kip, who's seeking his soul mate in online chat rooms; Uncle Rico, who is stuck in his "glory" days of high school football; and Grandma, who enjoys going out to the dunes on her quad-runner. Napoleon spends his days drawing magical beasts, working on his computer hacking skills to impress the chicks, and begrudgingly feeding his grandma's pet llama. When his friend Pedro decides to run for class president, it is Napoleon to the rescue to help him triumph over adversity.

Winner of over 22 film festival awards, "Robot Stories" is science fiction from the heart, four stories in which utterly human characters struggle to connect in a world of robot babies and android office workers. The stories include: "My Robot Baby," in which a couple must care for a robot baby before adopting a human child; "The Robot Fixer," in which a mother tries to connect with her dying son by completing his toy robot collection; "Machine Love," in which an office worker android learns that he, too, needs love; and "Clay," in which an old sculptor must choose between natural death and digital immortality.

In 1992, Nick Broomfield made his first documentary about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, and this follow-up comes a year after Wuornos' execution for killing six men during her years as a Florida prostitute. Wuornos gave Broomfield the last interview of her life, and this film includes scenes of Broomfield testifying about his experiences with her.

Jim Jarmusch's ensemble comedy is a series of vignettes, all revolving around discussions held over coffee and cigarettes. Starring a diverse cast, including Bill Murray, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, Cate Blanchett, and others, the film has been in production since the 1980s and is in black and white. Topics of conversation include Nicola Tesla, alternative medicine, Paris, the movie industry, and more.

An exploration of a sustained and well-funded effort to discredit and defeat Bill Clinton, dating from his gubernatorial days in Arkansas and eventually leading to his impeachment trial.

"Young Adam" is David McKenzie's adaptation of Alexander Trocchi's novel, a romantic murder mystery set on a barge in the canals of Scotland. Lovely photography by Giles Nuttgens, complemented by a lonely score by David Byrne, provides a picturesque backdrop for what is otherwise a seedy story of morality gone far astray and hopelessness taking hold of everyday life, with sex as the only outlet. Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton both lend excellent performances to the film, acting out a strained relationship of carnal misgiving that is their mutual respite. Working on a barge that travels to ports between Glasgow and Edinburgh, Joe (McGregor) is a randy ol' chap. He befriends Les (Peter Mullen) as they labor hard days shoveling coal and pass their evenings over pints and darts in the local pubs. But Joe is simply positioning himself to seduce Les' wife, Ella (Swinton), who he easily and frequently beds. A steamy affair with a heavy dose of on-screen coitus eventually leads to trouble for all three. A subplot concerns Joe's past romance with a girl (Emily Mortimer) whose mysterious death is reported in local papers, with flashbacks to raunchy sexual interludes representing his fondest memories of her.

In June 1940, as politicians, journalists, society figures, demi-mondaines and spies from all sides all meet up at the Hotel Splendide in Bordeaux, a young man has to choose between a famous actress and an impassioned student, between politicians and hoodlums, between insouciance and adulthood.

John C. Reilly ("Chicago"), Diego Luna ("Y Tu Mama Tambien") and Maggie Gyllenhaal ("Secretary") star in a contemporary caper movie set in Los Angeles. It's the story of an extremely odd couple: a young Latino man who will do anything for his family (Luna) and a 30-something scheming white guy who will do anything to his family (Reilly). One wants to save his father. The other wants to get rich, in any way possible. So when they come across one of the most valuable pieces of currency in U.S. history, they're suddenly stuck together, and that's just . . . criminal. All they have to do is sell it, which is where the real problems begin. And of course the only way out is family: the one person who can help them, hates them: the schemer's sister (Gyllenhaal).

For some athletes, the ultimate win comes through a stroke of luck, but for Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., Bobby Jones, the only golfer in history to win the prestigious Grand Slam all in the same year—it was truly a stroke of genius. Having overcome an early childhood illness, he would later leave an indelible print in sports history. In 1930, at the age of 28, Jones won the title of Grand Slam Champion by winning the British Amateur, the British Open, the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. His record remains unbroken today. Even then, Jones was still able to complete two college degrees and graduate from law school. Eventually torn between his family and the game he loved, Jones retired early to spend time with his wife and children. However, his contributions to golfing continued, as Jones went on to found the acclaimed Augusta National Golf Club and the annual professional and amateur tournament—The Masters. The biopic, itself, is not only a story about the amazing feats Bobby Jones accomplished on the golf course, but also, the way he lived his life off the course. Bobby Jones became a true American hero, not because he played for money or fame, but rather for the love of the game. Bobby Jones, whose natural skill and uncanny passion for the game earned him the title the best golfer in the world, will always be remembered as a true gentleman and gracious sportsman.

"Secret Things" is the story of two gorgeous young women who discover the power of sex as a tool to climb the social ladder. Sandrine and Natalie work at a strip club; Natalie performs an erotic act on stage while Sandrine serves drinks. After they are both fired, the two become roommates and Natalie begins training Sandrine in the art of the courtesan. Erotic lessons on how to pleasure oneself and others, how to seduce and not be seduced, public nudity and sex and the art of the fake orgasm are all part of their plan to take on the world of men. Their top prize is Christophe, a charming heir apparent and rising star at a large bank. These femme fatales don't bargain for the ultimate cruelty and power of their prey and soon find Christophe, a man who controls all he meets, their ultimate match.

From Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer and Imagine Entertainment and based on the best-selling book about high school football by H.G. Bissinger, "Friday Night Lights" chronicles the entire 1988 season of the Permian High Panthers of Odessa, Texas, with football players, coaches, mothers, fathers, pastors, boosters, fans and families struggling with ongoing personal conflicts while the team fights for a state championship. A town for sale, Odessa, Texas has seen better days--the financial bust evident in its boarded-up shops and broken lives. Yet one hope sustains the community where, once a week during the fall, the town and its dreams come alive beneath the dazzling and disorienting Friday night lights...when the Permian High Panthers take to the field. In a city where economic uncertainty has eroded the spirit of its inhabitants, nearly everyone seeks comfort in the religion of the Friday night ritual, where the unfulfilled dreams of an entire community are shifted onto the shoulder pads of a team of high-school athletes. "Friday Night Lights" captures the frenzy of a small town that reveres its school team and their weekly games.

The adventure continues with a new generation of talking toddlers. This time, the baby geniuses find themselves at the center of a nefarious scheme led by powerful media mogul Bill Biscane (Jon Voight). Joining the babies in their battle against evil is a legendary baby named Kahuna (Leo, Myles and Gerry Fitzgerald). Part ultra-cool spy, part superhero, Kahuna joins babies Archie (Michael and Max Iles), Finkleman (Jordan and Jared Scheideman), Alex (Joshua and Maxwell Lockhart) and Rosita (Keana and Maia Bastidas) in a race against time to stop the villainous Biscane from using his state-of-the-art satellite system to control the minds of the world's population.

High-powered New York divorce attorneys Daniel Rafferty (Pierce Brosnan) and Audrey Woods (Julianne Moore) have seen love gone wrong in all its worst case scenarios – so how bad could their own chances be? At the top of their respective games, Audrey and Daniel are a classic study in opposites. She practices law strictly by the book; he always manages to win by the seat of his pants. But soon they're pitted against each other on opposite sides of a nasty public divorce between famous clients (Parker Posey and Michael Sheen), with the case centering on an Irish castle which each future divorcee has their sights set on. Audrey and Daniel travel to Ireland to chase down separate depositions, yet the two lawyers, who have slowly been developing a mutual attraction that neither wants to acknowledge, find themselves thrown together at a romantic Irish country festival. Naturally, after a night of wild celebrating, they wake up the next morning as man and wife. Now they have to return to New York to carry on with their surprising new situation and the ongoing court case. Maybe getting married first is the best way to fall in love?

Andre Stander was a smooth-talking jailbreaker, thrill addict and master of disguise. He was also a high-ranking officer in South Africa's Apartheid-era police force who became an outlaw hero when he launched a second career as a bank robber. Stander's sensationalized activities won him celebrity status by the time of his first arrest for twenty-six robberies. After he daringly escapes from prison and forms the Stander gang with fellow escapees Allan Heyl and Patrick Lee McCall, the three men set off to crumble the status quo and capitalize on the chaos.

Based on the novel by Anne Tyler, "A Slipping Down Life" is the story of the peculiar courtship of an awkward young woman and a charismatic singer/songwriter, and the profound effect that their unlikely relationship has on eachother's lives and futures. Evie Decker (Lili Taylor) is a painfully timid young woman whose monotonous life consists of living with her reclusive widower father (Tom Bower) and working a dead-end job dressed in a rabbit costume at a rundown amusement park. Evie's quiet existence is shattered when she hears a late-night radio interview with struggling musician Drumstrings Casey (Guy Pearce). Evie is fascinated with his seductive voice and sultry lyrics and convinces her best friend Violet (Sara Rue) to go with her to the local roadhouse to see him perform. Seeing him in person, Evie becomes even more mesmerized by the handsome and brooding musicians. During one of Drum's shows, Evie's growing infatuation blends with obsession when she becomes so entranced by his singing that she actually cuts his name into her forehead with a piece of glass. Instead of regretting her action, she considers this her first step towards taking more control of her life. The stunt brings her to Drum's attention and he and his manager David Elliot (John Hawkes) decide to use her as a marketing gimmick at future shows. Evie's total faith in Drum's talent inspires and intrigues him while her role as his "muse" imparts Evie with uncharacteristic self-assurance. The physical attraction between Evie and Drum increases as their emotional need for one another becomes more and more apparent. The inspiration they find together to break out from the confines of low expectations and the ordinariness of small town life begins to conflict with the pursuit of their individual dreams. Together or apart they must decide which path will lead to the fulfillment of their newfound strength.

Alain (François Morel) runs a small hi-tech engineering company; he is married to teacher Cecile, and they seem to be a blissfully happy couple. But Alain has come to the conclusion that he's terminally ill. A chronic worrier, he's convinced that some minor symptoms which he's experiencing are the beginning of the end. Alain decides not to tell his wife the bad news. So, on the night she holds a surprise birthday party for him, he goes to see his doctor, a family friend, and makes a lame excuse for this late return home that makes Cecile instantly suspicious. Cecile seeks help from Pascal, who agrees to follow Alain to see if he's meeting another woman. When he does, indeed, see him embrace a young woman (Raphaële Godin) in a city park, he thinks the mystery is solved; but the girl turns out to be Louise, the daughter of Alain and Cecile. Cecile then considers the possibility that Alain is having an affair with his secretary, Claire (Valérie Mairesse), but when Agnes asks her if she can borrow her chalet for a few days because she's met a man, Cecile immediately assumes that Agnes is her husband's secret mistress. But by this time Alain has come to the conclusion that Cecile is hiding something from him. The two begin to lie to each other and suspect one another as their paranoid delusions escalate.

In "Spanglish", the beautifully observed comedy/drama from acclaimed multiple Oscar-winning writer/director/producer James L. Brooks ("As Good As It Gets", "Terms of Endearment"), Flor (Paz Vega), a beautiful, native Mexican woman becomes the housekeeper for the affluent, yet troubled, Clasky family (headed by Adam Sandler and Téa Leoni). The result is a wittily perceptive collision of cultures and values, and a refreshingly honest look at such life-altering commitments as marriage, parenting and devotion to family.

Walter, a convicted sex offender, is trying to put his life back together. He lands a steady job, he sees an earnest therapist, and he spends time with his sympathetic brother-in-law. Still, he cannot escape his past--his sister shuns him, and he lives in fear of being discovered. Walter finds unexpected comfort in Vicki, a tough-talking woman who doesn't judge him for his history, but even her love is not enough to keep the demons away. As he discovers, it is hard to resist old temptations.

Set in early 19th-century London. The daughter of a starving English artist and a French chorus girl, Becky is orphaned at a young age. Even as a child, she yearns for a more glamorous life than her birthright promises. As she leaves Miss Pinkerton's Academy at Chiswick, Becky resolves to conquer English society by any means possible. She deploys all of her wit, guile, and sexuality as she makes her way up into high society during the first quarter of the 19th century. Becky's ascension to the heights of society commences when she gains employment as governess to the daughters of eccentric Sir Pitt Crawley. Becky wins over the children, and the Crawley family's rich spinster Aunt Matilda as well. The rural Hampshire household comes to find her indispensable, and Matilda comes to confide in the bright young woman. But Becky knows that she cannot be a true part of English society until she moves to the city. When Matilda invites her to come live in London, Becky eagerly accepts. There, Becky is reunited with her best friend Amelia Sedley, who-having grown up comfortably—does not share Becky's more brazen ambitions. Hewing close to the family she already knows so well, Becky secretly marries dashing heir Rawdon Crawley but when Matilda discovers their union, she casts the newlyweds out. When Napoleon invades Europe, Rawdon bravely reports to the front lines. Pregnant Becky stands by distraught newlywed Amelia, whose own husband George Osborne is also called to fight. When George does not survive the Battle of Waterloo, Becky's friendship with Amelia is strained beyond repair. Becky is reunited with Rawdon and gives birth to a boy, but, post-war, money and comforts are sparse for the trio. More intent than ever on gaining acceptance into London society and living well, Becky finds a patron in the powerful Marquess of Steyne. Steyne's whims enable Becky to realize her dreams, but the ultimate cost may be too high for her.

Today is the biggest day in the super-organized life of uptight overachiever Jane Ryan (Ashley Olsen). She's due to give a major speech at Columbia University for a competition to win a prestigious scholarship to Oxford University. Meanwhile, her rebellious sister Roxy (Mary-Kate Olsen) is planning to ditch school and go backstage at a Simple Plan music video shoot in Manhattan, where she'll slip her demo tape to the band's A & R team. Despite having so little in common and so much emotional distance between them, the adversarial sisters reluctantly journey together to the Big Apple, but their plans go wildly awry when a mix-up involving Jane's all-important dayplanner lands them in the middle of a shady black market music piracy scheme. Sidetracked, sideswiped and hotly pursued from Chinatown to Harlem by whacked-out truancy officer (Eugene Levy) and a wannabe gangster (Andy Richter), Jane and Roxy reluctantly join forces and find unexpected romance with a charming Senator's son (Jared Padalecki) and a handsome bike messenger (Riley Smith). If Jane doesn't recover her dayplanner – and the crucial speech inside it – she can kiss her college scholarship goodbye. If Lomax finally catches up with Roxy, she'll be drummed out of high school for good. Roxy and Jane seem to have everything going against them…but anything can change in a "New York Minute"!