September 2005 Movies

Jason Statham returns in his signature role: ex-Special Forces operative Frank Martin, aka "The Transporter." Now retired in Miami, Martin makes a living driving for a wealthy family, including twin brothers with whom he has unexpectedly bonded. But when the boys are abducted, Martin must use all his skills to bring them to safety and discover the kidnapper's master plan.

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.

Nick Cannon plays Tracy "Tre" Stokes, a streetwise LA cop in "Underclassman" which combines frenetic action with sharp-eared comedy. When a student at an elite private school gets murdered, the rough-edged rookie, Stokes gets assigned as the undercover detective to track down the killer. The resulting culture shock is only one of his difficulties. The ever-resourceful Stokes resorts to using his unique blend of sharkish good cheer and rakish charm to woo his beautiful teacher Karen Lopez (Roselyn Sanchez) to help him pass Spanish and his arrogant athletic prowess to make the school streetball team. Once Stokes gets "in" with the edgy team captain and lead suspect Rob Donovan (Shawn Ashmore) he discovers that Donovan is being coerced into participating in a student car theft operation. Using his talent for hunches, Stokes wastes no time employing unorthodox methods of investigation. Although disapproving of Stokes behavior, Captain Victor Delgado (Cheech Marin) is worried for his safety and assigns two of his detectives as back up – Detective Lisa Brooks (Kelly Hu) and Richard Gallecki (Ian Gomez) to keep an eye on him. With their help, Stokes is able to track down the killer, Headmaster Powers (Hugh Bonneville) who turns out to be trading the stolen cars as payment for drugs.

Margaret Cho performs her stand-up comedy, recorded live in May of 2005 at the Warner Theater in Washington D.C. during her "State of Emergency" tour.

A mother is suspicious when her teenage son brings home a vagabond teen named Buck, and even more alarmed when her husband offer to let the kid move in.

"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.

Jennifer Lopez stars in this drama about a struggling mother who must move in with her father-in-law (Robert Redford), with whom she has an icy relationship, in order to take care of her young daughter. By living together, the woman and older man learn to get along and put the past behind them.

Federal Agent Derrick Vann (Samuel L. Jackson) walks the walk, while affable dental supply salesman Andy Fidler (Eugene Levy) talks and talks in the odd couple action comedy The Man. A case of mistaken identity forces the mismatched duo to team up and sets off an intense and hilarious adventure as they speed through the streets of Detroit to pull off a sting operation and solve the murder of Vann's former partner. Along the way, they uncover much more than they could have ever anticipated.

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.

"Lord of War" is an action adventure story set in the world of international arms dealing. The film, based on fact, follows the globetrotting exploits of arms dealer Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage). Through some of the deadliest war zones, Yuri struggles to stay one step ahead of a relentless Interpol agent (Ethan Hawke), his business rivals, even some of his customers who include many of the world's most notorious dictators. Finally, Yuri must also face his own conscience.

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.

A voodoo horror tale set deep in the swamps of Louisiana centered around a group of teenagers fighting for their lives against a mysterious evil force.

The directorial debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who also penned the script, features characters played by Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson and Rupert Everett trapped in a moral maze with no exit in sight. Anne and James (Watson and Wilkinson) seemingly have an ideal marriage until the arrival of Bill (Everett) and a tragic accident in their idyllic country village threaten to unravel their lives forever.

A devoted daughter comes to terms with the death of her father, a brilliant mathematician whose genius was crippled by mental insanity, forcing her to face her own long-harbored fears and emotions. She adjusts to his death with the help of one of her father's former mathematical students, who searches through her father's notebooks in the hope of discovering a bit of his old brilliance. While she comes to terms with the possibility that his genius, which she has inherited, may come at a painful price, her estranged sister arrives to help settle their father's affairs.

Nobody believes a liar—even when they're telling the truth. When a young woman is found murdered, a group of local high school students decide to further scare their classmates by spreading online rumors that a serial killer called "The Wolf" is on the loose. By describing "The Wolf's" next victims, the students' game is to see how many people they can convince—and if anyone will uncover the lie. But when the described victims actually do start turning up dead, suddenly no one knows where the lies end and the truth begins. As someone or something begins hunting the students themselves, the game turns terrifyingly real.

"The Thing About My Folks", starring Peter Falk and Paul Reiser, is a semi- autographical film that Reiser wrote specifically for Falk, his all-time favorite actor. A sudden family crisis throws a befuddled writer and his "loose cannon" dad together for an unexpected road trip. Family secrets are uncovered and in a few surprising days, the two men learn more about each other—and have more fun—than either imagined possible.

Capturing the essence of the Halloween Carnival, 'Hellbent' follows four young men through a night where flamboyant costumes, beautiful people, drugs, music, dancing and sex are everywhere. Authentic footage from the West Hollywood Halloween Carnival lets filmgoers experience the most exciting night of the year.

Justin Cobb (Lou Pucci) is seventeen, and he still sucks his thumb. Even though it worries his mother (Tilda Swinton), irritates his father (Vincent D'Onofrio), and threatens his prospects with debate team crush Rebecca (Kelli Garner), he can't stop sucking until his "guru" orthodontist (Keanu Reeves) hypnotizes him. Hypnosis frees Justin from his thumbsucking problem, but he still doesn¹t feel "normal."

He experiments with Ritalin, pot, and sex as substitutes for his thumb but they only provide temporary solutions, as he remains unable to shake his feelings of alienation. Justin looks for guidance from his parents, his debate team coach (Vince Vaughn), and even TV star Matt Schramm (Benjamin Bratt), before he finally comes to understand that no one has an easy answer, everyone is struggling to

Steven Chesterman (Kenneth Branagh), a physics lecturer, has just discovered how to move an object from one side of the room to another. Years of research into teleportation have finally borne fruit. Elated, he returns home to tell his wife, Alice (Courteney Cox-Arquette). Alice has some rather fantastic news of her own: she tells Steven that she is a male alien trapped in a human female body. Her signal has finally been intercepted and she will soon be returning to the planet Nulark. As Steven's life falls apart around him, the doorbell rings. Elizabeth (Heather Graham) enters. She has green skin and pointy ears and she is wearing a space suit. To make matters worse, she has come to take her husband, Alice, back home.

When David (Mark Ruffalo) sublet his quaint San Francisco apartment, the last thing he expected—or wanted—was a roommate. He had only begun to make a complete mess of the place when a pretty young woman named Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon) suddenly shows up, adamantly insisting the apartment is hers. David assumes there's been a giant misunderstanding…until Elizabeth disappears as mysteriously as she appeared. Changing the locks does nothing to deter Elizabeth, who begins to appear and disappear at will—mostly to rebuke David for his personal living habits in her apartment. Convinced that she is a ghost, David tries to help Elizabeth cross over to the "other side." But while Elizabeth has discovered she does have a distinctly ethereal quality—she can walk through walls—she is equally convinced that she is somehow still alive and isn't crossing over anywhere. As Elizabeth and David search for the truth about who Elizabeth is and how she came to be in her present state, their relationship deepens into love. Unfortunately, they have very little time before their prospects for a future together permanently fade away.

Heather's parents drop her off at a remote, all-girls boarding school deep in the forest. Watched over by sinister headmistress Ms. Traverse and her staff, Heather is tormented by her classmates and is desperate to go home. But when students start disappearing and she begins to have horrifying visions, Heather realizes that things at school are not quite what they seem. She only knows there's something out there in the woods—and it won't be letting her leave anytime soon.

Sometimes a girl has to get a little down and dirty before she can find pure love. In the slapstick comedy, "Dirty Love", Jenny McCarthy is gorgeous, goofy, and gross all at once in this hilarious take on one woman's chaotic quest for true love. It's a knowing, funny, trashy, guilty pleasure, in the spirit of "Porky's" and "National Lampoon", only this time, it's through the eyes of one of America's covergirl: Jenny McCarthy.

Blonde bombshell Rebecca (Jenny McCarthy) thinks she is walking on sunshine in the arms of her super hot model boyfriend, Richard (Victor Webster). But one night she comes home from a long day at work and finds Richard engaged in sexual acrobatics with another woman in their bed.

Rebecca's struggle to understand how a good love could turn so bad begins hilariously and appropriately on the Hollywood Walk of Fame when she falls flat on her face among the hookers and the bums. She gets not so helpful words of wisdom from a pushy psychic (Kathy Griffin) who tells her that true love will NOT ride in on a virile white stallion but rather a white pony. Rebecca is bummed out. The psychic tells her that first she has a lot of difficult lessons to learn about the meaning of pure love.

Throughout her series of funny lessons on love, Rebecca finds support from her posse of off- beat friends. Michelle (Carmen Electra), a wanna-be-black girl, breaks the mold as a hip-hop hair-waxing beautician. Carrie (Kam Haskin), a ditsy sexy actress, struggles to navigate around the casting couch. John (Eddie Kaye Thomas), the nicest guy Rebecca knows, harbors secret feelings for Rebecca.

With the help of her friends, Rebecca flails and fails while looking for another man in hopes of making Richard jealous. Their crazy matchmaking schemes backfire. Rebecca travels a strange and wild trip of funny sexual encounters that includes putting basses in asses and pulling hanker-chiefs out. Discouraged by the series of losers she meets, Rebecca swears off finding true love and settles for good old cheap meaningless sex.

Meanwhile John musters up the courage and professes his love to Rebecca. However, afraid and unsure, Rebecca foolishly finds excuses for why it can't work. A wounded John retreats into the lonely night and wanders the city streets. Now, it's Rebecca's turn to do the chasing. In a send up of the Cinderella story, John loses his shoe and Rebecca retrieves it. To her surprise she finds her white pony in the form of his white Pony brand tennis shoe. Remembering what the psychic told her, she sees the meaning of the shoe and declares her love to John.

Set in a 19th century European village, this stop-motion, animated feature follows the story of Victor, a young man who is whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride, while his real bride, Victoria, waits bereft in the land of the living. Though life in the Land of the Dead proves to be a lot more colorful than his strict Victorian upbringing, Victor learns that there is nothing in this world, or the next, that can keep him away from his one true love.

Set in the small town of Estherslope, this is the tale of an 18-year-old outsider named Dick, who having recently lost his father, finds comfort and friendship in the unlikely form of a pistol. He and his gang, the Dandies, name their weapons—his is "Wendy"—but they have sworn never to draw them.

A one-time golf mogul (Johnny Knoxville) works to maintain his failing business when his 14-year-old daughter, a talented musician whom he hasn't seen in years, comes to live with him.

Flying at 40,000 feet from Berlin to New York, Kyle Pratt (Foster) faces every mother's worst nightmare when her young daughter Julia (Lawston) vanishes mid-flight. Already emotionally devastated by the unexpected death of her husband, Kyle desperately struggles to prove her sanity to the disbelieving flight crew and passengers, while facing the very real possibility that she may be losing her mind. Though neither Captain Rich (Bean), nor Air Marshal Gene Carson (Sarsgaard) want to doubt the bereaved widow, all evidence indicates that her daughter was never on board, resulting in paranoia and doubt among the passengers and crew of the plane. Desperately alone, Kyle can only rely on her own wits to solve the mystery and save her daughter.

In this adaptation of the novel "Everything Is Illuminated", a young Jewish man (Elijah Wood) travels from the United States to the Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis.

A young boy, Oliver Twist, whose mother has passed away and whose father is estranged, lives a tough life in London, working under tough conditions just to survive. On the street Oliver meets Fagin, a thief. Fagin invites Oliver to live with him and join a crew of pick-pockets. But it's not long before Oliver is caught thieving by Mr. Brownlow, who, instead of punishing Oliver, decides to raise him.

From the producer of "Scarface" and "Carlito's Way", comes the action thriller "Carlito's Way: The Rise to Power". This is the gripping tale of the early years of gangster legend Carlito Brigante. Seduced by the power of the brutal New York underworld, he enters a deadly circle of greed and retribution. Carlito, with his two brothers in crime, is on the fast track to becoming Spanish Harlem's ultimate kingpin, but quickly learns that the only way to survive at the top is through loyalty to his friends and respect for the rules of the street. Starring Jay Hernandez, Mario Van Peebles, Luis Guzman and Sean Combs.

In the late ‘70s when roller skating was a way of life, X (Bow Wow) and his pals ruled supreme. But when the doors of their local skating rink close, it marks the end of an era and the beginning of another that sees the boys venture into foreign territory - uptown's Sweetwater Roller Rink, complete with its over-the-top skaters and beautiful girls. Through his preparation for the showdown of the season - the Roller Jam skate off with the Sweetwater crew - X manages to find himself and also help his dad (Chi McBride) get back on track.

From the studio that brought you "The Rookie" and "Miracle" and director Bill Paxton, comes a story of courage, passion and of the greatest American sports hero you have probably never heard of... An amateur player from a working class family, Francis Ouimet - played by Shia LaBeouf - shocked the golf world when at the 1913 U.S. Open, flanked by his 10-year-old caddie, he defeated his idol, the defending British champion Harry Vardon - played by Stephen Dillane. An unlikely match-up - "the ingenue versus the seasoned champ" - theirs was the greatest match the sport had ever known. Caught between a world of hardship and a beckoning life of privilege, Francis needed to prove his unfailing will and ability to make it to the tournament. Elias Koteas plays Francis' tough, hardworking father. Newcomer Peyton List is Sarah Wallis, the beautiful young woman, who catches Francis' heart. Joshua Flitter is Eddie Lowery, the pint sized caddie who helps Francis find his way through the troublesome fairways to victory.

On November 15, 1959, the brutal murder of a family in a small Kansas town sent shockwaves through the nation - and captured the attention of one of the most distinctive minds of our time. One-of-a-kind author Truman Capote was sent to Kansas to pen an article about the crimes for "The New Yorker" magazine. He ended up writing one of the most celebrated books of the century.

"Capote" follows Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) on his odyssey to create the landmark bestseller "In Cold Blood". With signature style and mordant wit—and his friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) in tow—Capote attempts to charm the locals and work his way into the story behind the murders. He's soon shocked, however, to find himself forming a friendship with one of the killers, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins, Jr.). As the book nears completion and execution day approaches, Capote finds himself torn in directions he never anticipated and is forever changed by his experiences.

"Into the Blue" is a thriller set in the deep, shark-infested waters of the Bahamas. When four young divers discover a legendary shipwreck rumored to contain millions in gold at the bottom of the sea, they believe their dream of buried treasure has come true. But nearby on the ocean floor, a sunken plane full of illegal cargo threatens their find. The friends make a pact to keep quiet about both discoveries so they can excavate the shipwreck before a rival treasure hunter uncovers their secret and beats them to the gold. But their plan goes awry when they realize dangerous smugglers are already closing in on the missing plane, and one of the friends makes a fatal decision that quickly turns the treasure hunters into the hunted.

Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is living a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife (Maria Bello) and their two children in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana, but one night their idyllic existence is shattered when Tom foils a vicious attempted robbery in his diner.

Sensing danger, he takes action and saves his customers and friends in the self-defense killings of two-sought-after criminals.

Heralded as a hero, Tom's life is changed overnight, attracting a national media circus, which forces him into the spotlight.

Uncomfortable with his newfound celebrity, Tom tries to return to the normalcy of his ordinary life only to be confronted by a mysterious and threatening man (Ed Harris) who arrives in town believing Tom is the man who's wronged him in the past.

As Tom and his family fight back against this case of mistaken identity and struggle to cope with their changed reality, they are forced to confront their relationships and the divisive issues which surface as a result.

The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family - squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

When Mal takes on two new passengers-a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister-he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space. Hunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board Serenity herself.

Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore) is a devoted housewife and mother of ten in the 1950s. Her husband (Woody Harrelson) can't seem to make ends meet, but that doesn't stop the car from breaking down, the mortgage coming due and the bills from piling up. It falls to Evelyn to defy the conventions of the day and find a way to keep her family together with the odds stacked against them. Applying her remarkable resourcefulness and an uncommon wit, Evelyn finds her own way in the profitable jingle contests popular in the 1950s and ‘60s.

New York City is the most romantic place in the world – even if you're only 10 years old and falling in love for the first time. That's what young Gabe discovers as he pursues the object of his affections, his classmate Rosemary, in "Little Manhattan". The romantic comedy is about life, love and the Big Apple, as seen through the eyes of a fifth-grader.

"MirrorMask" centers on Helena, a 15 year old girl in a family of circus entertainers, who often wishes she could run off and join real life. After a fight with her parents about her future plans, her mother falls quite ill and Helena is convinced that it is all her fault. On the eve of her mother's major surgery, she dreams that she is in a strange world with two opposing queens, bizarre creatures, and masked inhabitants. All is not well in this new world - the white queen has fallen ill and can only be restored by the MirrorMask, and it's up to Helena to find it. But as her adventures continue, she begins to wonder whether she's in a dream, or something far more sinister.