All the King's Men (2006)

Release Date: September 22, 2006
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Director: Steven Zaillian
Screenwriter: Steven Zaillian
Starring: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, Anthony Hopkins
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for an intense sequence of violence, sexual content and partial nudity)

Based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "All the King's Men" tells the story of an idealist's rise to power in the world of Louisiana politics and the corruption that leads to his ultimate downfall.

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Nacho Libre (2006)

Release Date: June 16, 2006
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Jared Hess
Screenwriter: Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess, Mike White
Starring: Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Héctor Jiménez, Richard Montoya, Peter Stormare
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG (for some rough action, and crude humor including dialogue)

Plot Summary: Jack Black stars as Ignacio (friends call him Nacho), a Mexican priest who moonlights as a lucha libre wrestler to raise money for his orphanage in this comedy from the creators of "Napoleon Dynamite" and the writer and star of "School of Rock."

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The Road to Guantanamo (2006)

Release Date: June 23, 2006 (limited)
Studio: Roadside Attractions
Director: Michael Winterbotton, Mat Whitecross
Screenwriter: Not Available
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Ewan Bailey, Steven Beckingham, George W. Bush, Nancy Crane, Christopher Fosh, Jacob Gaffney, Demetri Goritsas, Farhad Harun, Duane Henry, Mark Holden, Naser Nawaz Ranjha, Donald Rumsfeld, Sara Stewart, Arfan Usman
Genre: Documentary, Drama
MPAA Rating: R (for language and disturbing violent content)

Plot Summary: Winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross' "The Road to Guantanamo" is the terrifying first-hand account of three British citizens who were held for two years without charges in the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Known as the "Tipton Three," in reference to their home town in Britain, the three were eventually returned to Britain and released, still having had no formal charges ever made against them at any time during their ordeal. Part documentary, part dramatization, the film chronicles the sequence of events that led from the trio setting out from Tipton in the British Midlands for a wedding in Pakistan, to their crossing the Afghanistan border just as the U.S. began its bombing campaign, to their eventual capture by the Northern Alliance and their imprisonment in Camp X-Ray and later at Camp Delta in Guantanamo.

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Night at the Museum (2006)

Release Date: December 22, 2006
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Shawn Levy
Screenwriter: Ben Garant, Daniel Goldin
Starring: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Ricky Gervais, Kim Raver, Robin Williams
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
MPAA Rating: Not Available

Plot Summary: "Night at the Museum" is an action-adventure-comedy that comes to life by night. Good-hearted dreamer Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), despite being perpetually down on his luck, thinks he's destined for something big. But even he could never have imaged how "big," when he accepts what appears to be a menial job as a graveyard-shift security guard at a museum of natural history. During Larry's watch, extraordinary things begin to occur: Mayans, Roman Gladiators, and cowboys emerge from their diorama to wage epic battles; in his quest for fire, a Neanderthal burns down his own display; Attila the Hun pillages his neighboring exhibits, and a T-Rex reminds everyone why he's history's fiercest predator. Amidst the chaos, the only person Larry can turn to for advice is a wax figure of President Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), who helps our hero harness the bedlam, stop a nefarious plot, and save the museum.

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John Tucker Must Die (2006)

Release Date: July 28, 2006
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Betty Thomas
Screenwriter: Jeff Lowell
Starring: Jesse Metcalfe, Brittany Snow, Ashanti Douglas, Sophia Bush, Arielle Kebbel, Jenny McCarthy
Genre: Comedy, Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sexual content and language)

Plot Summary: When three popular girls from different cliques discover they've all been dating the school stud, they band together to seek revenge. Despite the jerk’s charm and ever-growing popularity, the girls cleverly scheme with the help of the inconspicuous new girl in town, to soil his reputation and break his heart.

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jackass number two (2006)

Release Date: September 22, 2006
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Jeff Tremaine
Screenwriter: Sean Cliver, Preston Lacy
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Steve-O, Jason "Wee Man" Acuña, Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: R (for extremely crude and dangerous stunts throughout, sexual content, nudity and language)

Plot Summary: After smearing the world with all sorts of ridiculous crap, the original creators and cast of the MTV series "jackass" and "jackass the movie" go one louder in "jackass: number two." Significantly raising the stakes and lowering the bar, "jackass: number two" unleashes a spirited mess of absurdity as the cast and crew gets even more ugly around the globe.

Review:

laughs over politics
people want laughs not politics

At the age of 18, JOHNNY KNOXVILLE moved his hillbilly ass out to California from his native Tennessee to pursue a career in acting. He supported himself by appearing in commercials and freelance writing jobs. In 1998, Knoxville teamed up with Jeff Tremaine of Big Brother, and the two went on to create and produce the cultural blight forever known as “jackass.”

From the notoriety and success of the MTV series “jackass” and feature film of the same name, Knoxville finally graduated to a series of big screen roles. He recently starred as Luke Duke in “The Dukes of Hazzard” and appeared in “Daltry Calhoun,” “Lords of Dogtown,” and “The Ringer.”

When “jackass the movie” was released in 2002, people were outraged. Critics called it “a new low,” “a plunge into depravity,” “a sad commentary on our degenerating culture,” and “a disgusting, repulsive, grotesque spectacle.” Unfortunately for them, here comes “jackass number two.”

When “jackass number 2” was released it opened at #1. It out performed “All The King’s Men” which had an all star cast. Could it be, at the time of it’s release, people wanted laughs not politics? Like duh!

If politics is the circus, then jackass represents the clowns
When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained.
--Edward R. Murrow

THE IMPORTANCE OF LAUGHTER
Think of what would happen to us in America if there were no humorists; life would be one long Congressional Record.
-- Tom Masson
Total absence of humor renders life impossible.
-- Colette

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Trust the Man (2006)

Release Date: August 18, 2006 (limited; wide release: September 1)
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director: Bart Freundlich
Screenwriter: Bart Freundlich
Starring: Billy Crudup, David Duchovny, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julianne Moore, Eva Mendes, James LeGros
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: R (for language and some sexual content)

Plot Summary: A smart, sophisticated comedy about the challenges of love and marriage among modern day New Yorkers, "Trust the Man" features the romantic escapades of two couples: a successful actress (Julianne Moore) and her stay at home husband (David Duchovny); and her slacker younger brother (Billy Crudup) and his aspiring novelist girlfriend Maggie Gyllenhaal). The film follows these four on their pointed, often surprising and frequently hilarious search for love in the midst of careers, family, infidelity and the ever-daunting search for Manhattan street parking.

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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Release Date: August 4, 2006
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Director: Adam McKay
Screenwriter: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch
Genre: Action, Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for crude and sexual humor, language, drug references and brief comic violence)

Plot Summary: Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) has always dreamed of driving fast - real fast - like his father, Reese Bobby, who left the family to pursue his racing dreams. Early on, Ricky's mother, Lucy Bobby worried that her boy was also destined to end up as a professional daredevil on wheels.

Ricky Bobby first enters the racing arena as a "jackman" for slovenly driver Terry Cheveaux and accidentally gets his big break behind the wheel when Cheveaux makes an unscheduled pit stop during a race to gorge on a chicken sandwich. Ricky jumps into the car and... so begins the ballad of Ricky Bobby.

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Superman Returns (2006)

Release Date: June 28, 2006
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Bryan Singer
Screenwriter: Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint, Parker Posey, Sam Huntington, Kal Penn, Kevin Spacey
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some intense action violence)

Plot Summary: Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes back to Earth in the epic action-adventure Superman Returns, a soaring new chapter in the saga of one of the world's most beloved superheroes. While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman's bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space.

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Invincible (2006)

Director: Ericson Core
Screenwriter: Brad Gann
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rispoli, Kevin Conway
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG (for sports and some mild language)

Plot Summary: From the studio that brought you "The Rookie" and "Remember the Titans" comes "Invincible," inspired by the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a man with nothing to lose who ignored the staggering odds and made his dream come true. When the coach (Greg Kinnear) of Papale's beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time -- no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way. Certainly no one like Papale -- a down-on-his-luck, 30 year-old, substitute teacher and part-time bartender who never even played college football. But against these odds, Papale made the team and soon found himself living every fan's fantasy -- moving from his cheap seats in the upper deck to standing on the field as a professional football player.

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The Illusionist (2006)

Studio: Yari Film Group Releasing
Director: Neil Burger
Screenwriter: Neil Burger
Starring: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell, Eddie Marsan, James Babson, Brian Caspe, Tom Fisher, Aaron Johnson, Erich Redman, Ellen Savaria, Jake Wood
Genre: Mystery, Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some sexuality and violence)

Plot Summary: A supernatural mystery that combines romance, politics and magic, "The Illusionist" is the latest film from the producers of the Oscar winners "Crash" and "Sideways." The film stars Academy Award nominees Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti as two men pitted against each other in a battle of wits: Norton as mysterious stage magician Eisenheim, and Giamatti as Vienna's shrewd Chief Inspector Uhl, with Jessica Biel sharing the screen as the beautiful Sophie von Teschen.

When word of Eisenheim's astounding illusions reaches the powerful and pragmatic Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), the ruler attends one of the magician's shows in order to debunk Eisenheim during the performance. But when the Prince's intended, Sophie von Teschen, assists the magician onstage, Eisenheim and Sophie recognize each other from their childhoods—and a dormant love affair is rekindled. As the clandestine romance continues, Uhl is charged by Leopold to intensify his efforts to expose Eisenheim, even while the magician gains a devoted and vocal public following. With Uhl doggedly searching for the reasons and the man behind the trickery, Eisenheim prepares to execute his greatest illusion yet.

"The Illusionist" is written and directed by Neil Burger, and features top-notch production values, including a haunting score by master contemporary composer Philip Glass.

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How to Eat Fried Worms (2006)

Release Date: August 25, 2006
Studio: New Line Cinema
Director: Bob Dolman
Screenwriter: Bob Dolman
Starring: Luke Benwald, Tom Cavanaugh, Kimberly Williams, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Adam Hicks
Genre: Drama, Family
MPAA Rating: PG (for mild bullying and some crude humor)

Plot Summary: Based on the hugely popular Thomas Rockwell book, "How to Eat Fried Worms" brings the classic story of a boy whose bravado lands him in a difficult predicament. The film revolves around 11-year-old Billy, who inadvertently challenges the school bully on his first day at a new school. In order to save face and earn the respect of his new classmates, Billy agrees to a bet that calls for him to eat 10 worms in one day. As the pressure mounts, Billy must summon all his strength to keep his younger brother from blabbing, his weak stomach from betraying him, and his big mouth from getting him in even more trouble.

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Hollywoodland (2006)

Release Date: September 8, 2006
Studio: Focus Features
Director: Allen Coulter
Screenwriter: Paul Bernbaum
Starring: Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins, Molly Parker, Lois Smith, Robin Tunney, Kathleen Robertson, Steve Adams, Jordan Barker, Donald Burda, Larry Cedar, Brad William Henke, Joe Spano, Jeff Teravainen
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R (for language, some violence and sexual content)

Plot Summary: "Hollywoodland" is a uniquely compelling exploration of fame and identity, inspired by one of Hollywood's most infamous real-life mysteries. The film is the feature directorial debut for Allen Coulter (Emmy and DGA Award nominee for his work on "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City").

June 16, 1959. The glamour of Tinseltown permanently fades for actor George Reeves, the heroic Man of Steel on TV's "Adventures of Superman," as the actor dies in his Hollywood Hills home. Felled by a single gunshot wound, Reeves (portrayed in "Hollywoodland" by Academy Award winner Ben Affleck) leaves behind a fiancée - aspiring starlet Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney) - and millions of fans who are shocked by his death. But it is his grieving mother, Helen Bessolo (Lois Smith), who will not let the questionable circumstances surrounding his demise go unaddressed. Helen seeks justice, or at least answers. The Los Angeles Police Department closes the case, but Helen hires - for $50 a day - private detective Louis Simo (Academy Award winner Adrien Brody). Simo soon ascertains that the torrid affair Reeves had with Toni Mannix (Academy Award nominee Diane Lane), the wife of MGM studio executive Eddie Mannix (Academy Award nominee Bob Hoskins), might hold the key to the truth.

But truth and justice are not so easily found in Hollywood. Simo pursues dangerous and elusive leads in both high and low places and, in trying to turn up the heat, risks getting burned. The detective also uncovers unexpected connections to his own life as the case turns more personal and he learns more about Reeves himself. Behind the icon was a complex man who gave his life to Hollywood in more ways than one.

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Snakes on a Plane (2006)

Release Date: August 18, 2006
Studio: New Line Cinema
Director: David Ellis
Screenwriter: John Heffernan, David Loucka
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Nathan Phillips, Byron Lawson, Julianna Margulies, Rachel Blanchard, Bobby Cannavale, Kenan Thompson, David Koechner
Genre: Action, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R (for language, a scene of sexuality and drug use, and intense sequences of terror and violence)

Plot Summary: Samuel L. Jackson stars in the intense action feature "Snakes on a Plane" from director David Ellis ("Final Destination 2," "Cellular"). Jackson plays an FBI agent who is escorting a witness on a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles when an assassin releases hundreds of deadly snakes on a commercial airplane in order to eliminate the witness. The FBI agent, along with a rookie pilot, frightened crew and passengers must then band together in a desperate attempt to survive.

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A Scanner Darkly (2006)

Release Date: July 7, 2006 (top 25 markets; wider release: July 28)
Studio: Warner Independent Pictures
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriter: Richard Linklater
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, Rory Cochran
Genre: Action, Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: R (for drug and sexual content, language and a brief violent image)

Plot Summary: "A Scanner Darkly" is set in suburban Orange County, California in a future where America has lost the war on drugs. When one reluctant undercover cop is ordered to start spying on his friends, he is launched on a paranoid journey into the absurd, where identities and loyalties are impossible to decode. It is a cautionary tale of drug use based on the novel by Philip K. Dick and his own experiences.

Like a graphic novel come to life, "A Scanner Darkly" will use live action photography overlaid with an advanced animation process (interpolated rotoscoping) to create a haunting, highly stylized vision of the future. The technology, first employed in Richard Linklater’s 2001 film "Waking Life," has evolved to produce even more emotional impact and detail.

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Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Release Date: July 26, 2006 (limited)
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Screenwriter: Michael Arndt
Starring: Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Greg Kinnear
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: R (for language, some sex and drug content)

Plot Summary: "Little Miss Sunshine" tells the story of the Hoovers, one of the most endearingly fractured families ever seen on motion picture screens. Together, the motley six-member family treks from Albuquerque to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in Redondo Beach, California, to fulfill the deepest wish of 7-year-old Olive, an ordinary little girl with big dreams. Along the way the family must deal with crushed dreams, heartbreak, and a broken-down VW bus, leading up to the surreal Little Miss Sunshine competition itself. On their travels through this bizarrely funny landscape, the Hoovers learn to trust and support each other along the path of life, no matter what the challenge.

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An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

Release Date: May 24, 2006 (NY, LA; wider release: June 2; wider release: June 9; wide release: June 16)
Studio: Paramount Classics
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Starring: Al Gore
Genre: Documentary
MPAA Rating: PG (for mild thematic elements)

Summary: Humanity is sitting on a time bomb. If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet's climate system into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced- a catastrophe of our own making.

If that sounds like a recipe for serious gloom and doom -- think again. From director Davis Guggenheim comes the Sundance Film Festival hit, "An Inconvenient Truth," which offers a passionate and inspirational look at one man's commitment to expose the myths and misconceptions that surround global warming and inspire actions to prevent it. That man is former Vice President Al Gore, who, in the wake of defeat in the 2000 election, re-set the course of his life to focus on an all-out effort to help save the planet from irrevocable change. In this eye-opening and poignant portrait of Gore and his "traveling global warming show," Gore is funny, engaging, open and downright on fire about getting the surprisingly stirring truth about what he calls our "planetary emergency" out to ordinary citizens before it's too late.

With 2005, the worst storm season ever experienced in America just behind us, it seems we may be reaching a tipping point – and Gore pulls no punches in explaining the dire situation. Interspersed with the bracing facts and future predictions is the story of Gore's personal journey: from an idealistic college student who first saw a massive environmental crisis looming; to a young Senator facing a harrowing family tragedy that altered his perspective; to the man who almost became President but instead returned to the most impassioned cause of his life – convinced that there is still time to make a difference.

With wit, smarts and hope, "An Inconvenient Truth" ultimately brings home Gore's persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue – rather, it is the biggest moral challenge facing our global civilization.

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The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Release Date: June 30, 2006
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: David Frankel
Screenwriter: Aline Brosh McKenna
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Emily Blunt, Adrian Grenier
Genre: Comedy, Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some sensuality)
Official Website: DevilWearsPradamovie.com

Plot Summary: In the dizzying world of New York fashion, where size zero is the new 2, six is the new 8, and a bad hair day can end a career, Runway Magazine is the Holy Grail. Overseen with a finely manicured fist by Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) – the most powerful woman in fashion – Runway is a fearsome gauntlet for anyone who wants to make it in the industry. To make Runway the fashion bible of New York and therefore the world, Miranda has let nothing stand in her way ... including a long line of assistants that didn’t make the cut. It’s a job no self-respecting person can survive, yet it’s an opportunity a million young women in New York would kill for.

A stint as Miranda’s assistant could blast-open the doors for recent college graduate Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway). More college drab than haute couture, she stands alone among the small army of “Clackers” on staff at Runway – superslim fashion divas clacking their stilettos down the halls of the magazine’s Manhattan headquarters. But when Andy comes in for the job, it dawns on her that making it in this industry will take more than drive and determination.

And her ultimate test stands before her in head-to-toe Prada.

Miranda can spin the fashion world like a basketball but has a devil of a time finding and keeping a good assistant. Andy is completely wrong for the job. But she has something the rest of them don’t: she refuses to fail.

To become the perfect assistant, Andy will need to make herself over in Miranda’s image. Soon, much to her boyfriend’s (Adrian Grenier) dismay, she can talk the talk, walk the walk (in flawless Manolo’s) and never again confuse Dolce with Gabbana. But the more of life she sees through Miranda’s eyes, the more she begins to grasp that Miranda’s world is a fabulous but lonely one – and that sometimes great success depends on great sacrifice ... but at what cost?

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Clerks 2

Release Date: July 21, 2006
Studio: MGM, The Weinstein Company
Director: Kevin Smith
Screenwriter: Kevin Smith
Starring: Brian O'Halleron, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman, Jennifer Schwalbach, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jason Lee
Genre: Comedy, Drama
MPAA Rating: R (for pervasive sexual and crude content including aberrant sexuality, strong language and some drug material)

Plot Summary: At the age of 33, New Jersey mini-mart clerks and best friends Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halleron) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) have it made. They work with each other, slack off all day, and get paid for it. But when the local Quick Stop that has been their entire life and livelihood suffers a cataclysm, Dante and Randal have to do the unthinkable: find new minimum-wage jobs. Now, they're bringing their rapid-fire one-liners, bad attitudes and unbridled love of fun at the customer's expense to Mooby's burger joint, where the only other employees are an uber-nerd (Trevor Ferhman) and an entirely too sexy manager (Rosario Dawson). But when Dante announces that he's going to leave Jersey forever and marry Emma Bunting (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith), his co-workers plan one last send-off that quickly goes awry. As unbridled debates rage over such burning matters as Return of the King v. Return of the Jedi; George Lucas v. Peter Jackson v. Jesus; and how far is too far in every area from teenage sex to "customer relations," Dante has to figure out an even bigger riddle: just how friendship, love, work and having a great time every single day can all come together in one humble adult existence.

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Borat: Cultural Learnings of America (2006)

Release Date: November 3, 2006
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Larry Charles
Screenwriter: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Daniel Castro
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: R (for pervasive strong crude and sexual content including graphic nudity, and language)

Plot Summary: In "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," Sacha Baron Cohen - star of HBO's hit comedy "Da Ali G Show," takes his outrageous Kazakhstani reporter character Borat to the big screen. In this hilariously offensive movie, Borat travels from his primitive home in Kazakhstan to the U.S. to make a documentary. On his cross-country road-trip, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences.

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The Black Dahlia (2006)

Release Date: September 15, 2006
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: Josh Friedman
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Mia Kirshner, Mike Starr, Fiona Shaw
Genre: Thriller
MPAA Rating: R (for strong violence, some grisly images, sexual content and language)

Plot Summary: Master storyteller Brian De Palma, known for such classic crime dramas as "The Untouchables," "Scarface" and "Carlito's Way," as well as his suspense thrillers "Carrie," "Dressed to Kill" and "Blow Out," directs this adaptation of James Ellroy's ("L.A. Confidential," "American Tabloid") best-selling crime novel.

"The Black Dahlia" weaves a fictionalized tale of obsession, love, corruption, greed and depravity around the true story of the brutal murder of a fledgling Hollywood starlet that shocked and fascinated the nation in 1947 and remains unsolved today. Two ex-pugilist cops, Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett), are called to investigate the homicide of ambitious silver-screen B-lister Betty Ann Short (Mia Kirshner) A.K.A. "The Black Dahlia"-an attack so grisly that images of the killing were kept from the public.

While Blanchard's growing preoccupation with the sensational murder threatens his marriage to Kay (Scarlett Johansson), his partner Bleichert finds himself attracted to the enigmatic Madeleine Linscott (two-time Oscar® winner Hilary Swank), the daughter of one of the city's most prominent families-who just happens to have an unsavory connection to the murder victim.

True crime meets urban legend when De Palma brings Ellroy's "The Black Dahlia" to the big screen.

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Babel (2006)

Release Date: November 10, 2006 (limited)
Studio: Paramount Vantage
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Screenwriter: Guillermo Arriaga
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal, Koji Yakusho, Elle Fanning
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R (for violence, some graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use)

Plot Summary: Armed with a Winchester rifle, two Morrocan boys set out to look after their family's herd of goats. In the silent echoes of the desert, they decide to test the rifle... but the bullet goes farther than they thought it would.

In an instant, the lives of four separate groups of strangers on three different continents collide. Caught up in the rising tide of an accident that escalates beyond anyone's control are a vacationing American couple (Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett), a rebellious deaf Japanese teenager and her father, and a Mexican nanny who, without permission, takes two American children across the border. None of these strangers will ever meet; in spite of the sudden, unlikely connection between them, they will all remain isolated due to their own inability to communicate meaningfully with anyone around them.

From Alejandro González Iñárritu comes a film that is at once intimate and epic, shot in four countries, cast with actors and non-actors, and concludes his trilogy that started with "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams."

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Apocalypto (2006)

Release Date: December 8, 2006
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Director: Mel Gibson
Screenwriter: Mel Gibson, Farhad Safinia
Genre: Action, Adventure
MPAA Rating: Not Available

Plot Summary: From Academy Award® winning filmmaker Mel Gibson ("The Passion of The Christ," "Braveheart"), comes "Apocalypto": a heart stopping mythic action-adventure set against the turbulent end times of the once great Mayan civilization. When his idyllic existence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, a man is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression where a harrowing end awaits him. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and his family he will make a desperate break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life.

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Alpha Dog (2007)

Release Date: January 12, 2007
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Screenwriter: Nick Cassavetes
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin, Dominique Swain, Charity Shea, Heather Wahlquist
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R (for pervasive drug use and language, strong violence, sexuality and nudity)

Plot Summary: Inspired by actual events, "Alpha Dog" revolves around a mid-level drug dealer from the San Gabriel Valley whose thirst for power led him to become, at 19, the youngest man ever to appear on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Emile Hirsch stars as teenage suburban drug dealer Johnny Truelove, an ambitious young man whose lifestyle is a mecca for guns, sex and drugs. When a "client" cheats Johnny and a deal goes bad, he devises a plan to get his money back by kidnapping the client's younger brother - but it's not a typical kidnapping when it turns out that everyone knows and likes the kid. So what now? Things take an unexpected twist as Johnny and his crew get caught up in the dangerous and violent world they once idealized.

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Aeon Flux (2005)

Release Date: December 2, 2005
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Karyn Kusama
Screenwriter: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
Starring: Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, Jonny Lee Miller, Sophie Okonedo, Pete Postlethwaite, Amelia Warner, Caroline Chikezie, Frances McDormand
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of violence and sexual content)

Based on the MTV animated series created by Peter Chung, Aeon Flux is set 400 years in the future, when disease has wiped out the majority of the earth's population except for one walled, protected city-state, Bregna, ruled by a congress of scientists.

The story centers on Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron), the top operative in the underground 'Monican' rebellion - led by The Handler (Frances McDormand). When Aeon is sent on a mission to kill a government leader, she uncovers a world of secrets.

When government agents murder her family, Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) swears revenge. A highly trained soldier on the front lines of a war against the perfect society, Aeon is one of the few to suspect that this perfect life is hiding a perfect lie. Set in 2415, “Aeon Flux” is a startling vision of a future in flux.

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Accepted (2006)

Release Date: August 18, 2006
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Steve Pink
Screenwriter: Mark Perez, Adam Cooper, Bill Collage
Starring: Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Blake Lively, Adam Herschman, Maria Thayer, Anthony Heald, Columbus Short, Lewis Black
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for language, sexual material and drug content)

Plot Summary: Armed with a Winchester rifle, two Morrocan boys set out to look after their family's herd of goats. In the silent echoes of the desert, they decide to test the rifle... but the bullet goes farther than they thought it would.

In an instant, the lives of four separate groups of strangers on three different continents collide. Caught up in the rising tide of an accident that escalates beyond anyone's control are a vacationing American couple (Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett), a rebellious deaf Japanese teenager and her father, and a Mexican nanny who, without permission, takes two American children across the border. None of these strangers will ever meet; in spite of the sudden, unlikely connection between them, they will all remain isolated due to their own inability to communicate meaningfully with anyone around them.

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10th and Wolf (2006)

Release Date: August 18, 2006 (limited)
Studio: THINKFilm
Director: Robert Moresco
Screenwriter: Robert Moresco, Allan Steele, Chazz Palminteri
Starring: James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi, Brad Renfro, Piper Perabo, Brian Dennehy, Lesley Ann Warren, Dennis Hopper, Tommy Lee, Val Kilmer
Genre: Crime, Drama
MPAA Rating: R (for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some drug content and sexuality/nudity)

Plot Summary: Inspired by the true-life accounts of FBI Special Agent Joseph D. Pistone, otherwise known as "Donnie Brasco," "10th & Wolf" tells the story of Marine Sgt. Tommy Santoro (Marsden), who in 1991, thought he had left behind his family's ties to organized crime. Returning home to South Philly, he faces the biggest moral dilemma of his life as he reconnects with his brother, Vincent (Renfro), and cousin Joey (Ribisi), who both have become something he vowed never to be. His homecoming turns him into something much worse.

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The Covenant (2006)

Release Date: September 8, 2006
Studio: Screen Gems (Sony)
Director: Renny Harlin
Screenwriter: J. S. Cardone
Starring: Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, Laura Ramsey, Taylor Kitsch, Toby Hemingway, Jessica Lucas, Chace Crawford, Wendy Crewson
Genre: Horror, Thriller
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, sexual content, partial nudity and language)

Plot Summary: In 1692, in the Ipswich Colony of Massachusetts, five families with untold power formed a covenant of silence. One family, lusting for more, was banished - their bloodline disappearing without a trace. Until now.

Directed by Renny Harlin and written by J.S. Cardone, "The Covenant" tells the story of the Sons of Ipswich, four young students at the elite Spenser Academy who are bound by their sacred ancestry. As descendants of the original families who settled in Ipswich Colony in the 1600's, the boys have all been born with special powers. When the body of a dead student is discovered after a party, secrets begin to unravel which threaten to break the covenant of silence that has protected their families for hundreds of years.

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Crank (2006)

Release Date: September 1, 2006
Studio: Lionsgate
Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Screenwriter: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Starring: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Efren Ramirez, Jose Cantillo, Jay Xcala, Carlos Sanz, Keone Young
Genre: Action, Drama
MPAA Rating: R (for strong violence, pervasive language, sexuality, nudity and drug use)

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