- SUSPENSE IS ON THE LINE! After getting a frantic call on his cell phone from a kidnapped woman, a young man must battle his way through a ruthless world of lies and murder to rescue her. A fast-paced thriller in the vein of Phone Booth and Speed that will keep you riveted with edge-of-your-seat car chase scenes.Running Time: 95 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:Â ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating:&nbs
On the gritty streets of LA, the destinies of four people desperate for connection and redemption are about to collide. Jessica Biel, Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker and Eddie Redmayne lead a top-notch cast in this powerful thriller about an overwhelmed erotic dancer, a grieving husband who has lost his will to live, a terminally ill ex-con and a pathologically shy mortician. With Kris Kristofferson, Lisa Kudrow and Patrick Swayze in unforgettable supporting roles, this film movingly chronicles the imperfect lives! of people teetering on the edge of despair and the miracles that bring them back.
Stills from Powder Blue (Click for larger image) Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ben Barnes bring Noël Coward's witty comedy of manners magnificently to life in this "deliciously cheeky" (Ella Taylor, The Village Voice) adaptation from director Stephan! Elliott (
The Adventures of Priscilla,
Queen of the ! Desert). When British playboy John brings his new wife Larita - a race car-driving feminist from Detroit - home to meet the family at their country estate, pretty much everyone's expectations are disappointed. His snooty mother is offended by Larita's carefree American ways, while Larita does everything she can to get her mother-in-law to loosen up, which only annoys her even more. John's sisters have diametrically opposed feelings about their new sister-in-law, but his father is intrigued to have finally found another who sees through the family's façade - and takes great perverse pleasure in watching his wife meet her match.A lighthearted adaptation of a Noel Coward play set in the late 1920s, Easy Virtue stars Jessica Biel as Larita, an adventurous American who marries John, the naive, British heir (Ben Barnes) to a crumbling family estate. Whisked into the less-than-receptive bosom of John's kin, Larita soon finds herself drawing the scorn of her mother-in-law (Krist! in Scott Thomas), who would have preferred John marry a longtime sweetheart from his own genteel community rather than a brash Yankee. Eager to move to London, Larita knows the longer a post-honeymoon John visits his family the harder it will be for the newlyweds to live on their own terms, and she's right. Giving up on any notion of fitting in, Larita suffers a few embarrassments before fighting back. But nothing can help her once a past scandal encroaches on her dream of happiness. Co-writer and director Stephan Elliott (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) keeps everything breezy and fun, though the clashes between Larita and her malicious mother-in-law are keenly felt. Elliott's period sensibility is very strong, not least of all his appreciation of John's father (Colin Firth), a restless intellectual and member of the so-called Lost Generation of World War I veterans. Firth's performance as a man distanced from his family's preoccupations and mat! erial woes is a real highlight of Easy Virtue. When he ! dances a tango, late in the story, one can see years of repressed desire erupt in him. --Tom Keogh
Stills from Easy Virtue (Click for larger image)
LONDON - DVD Movie
London, a film written and directed by Hunter Richards, warns against the allure of cocaine as protagonist Sid (Chris Evans), loses his girlfriend, London, and also loses his mind from drug use. Set mostly in a bathroom at London's going ! away party, the film features Sid doing coke with various mode! l-type c hicks, while mustering up courage to go downstairs and make peace with his ex-girlfriend. London (Jessica Biel) instigates their breakup after sleeping around and failing to help Sid's depression, culminating in his suicide attempt. Sid's angst builds in the bathroom, as he gets higher, creating a tortured scenario reminiscent of
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Finally, Sid faces London and starts a chaotic brawl. A side-plot involves Bateman (Jason Stathham), the coke dealer devoted to counseling Sid. Bateman soothes Sid's pain by describing the real frustration of impotency, manifesting itself in a love for S&M clubs. With such a simplistic plot,
London is as devoid of logic as the lifestyle it glamorizes, making its pointlessness ingeniously vapid. Sid's quest for sanity is difficult to empathize with, since he’s an egotistical, drug-addled loser. Sid repeatedly questions the existence of God between scenes of his failed relationship with London, obviously! linking his heartbreak and his loss of faith. At its worst,
London portrays a shallow, juvenile couple's inability to resolve personal issues. At best,
London cleverly pits cocaine's sex appeal against the doomed fates of those who fall prey to it.
--Trinie DaltonA rich girl whose family summers on Cape Cod has a romance with a local boy who hopes to become a major league baseball player.Fans of Freddie Prinze Jr. will no doubt enjoy
Summer Catch, which features Freddie running through sprinklers on a baseball diamond wearing nothing but an orange thong. Freddie plays Ryan, an aspiring pitcher at baseball camp. Ryan grew up in the New England town that hosts the camp, mowing lawns with his landscaping father, so he's torn between his local friends and his new baseball buddies. Meanwhile, he's being pursued by a rich and beautiful local girl with the odd name of Tenley (Jessica Biel), whose father doesn't approve of her cavorting with the lawn boy! . Ryan's an incredibly talented pitcher--everyone agrees, espe! cially h is bartending brother who also wanted to play ball but lacked the gift--but he's haunted by fear of failure and the recent loss of his mother. The strong supporting actors (including Matthew Lillard, Brittany Murphy, Brian Dennehy, Fred Ward, and Bruce Davison) do their best, but the script doesn't help.
--Bret Fetzer On the gritty streets of LA, the destinies of four people desperate for connection and redemption are about to collide. Jessica Biel, Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker and Eddie Redmayne lead a top-notch cast in this powerful thriller about an overwhelmed erotic dancer, a grieving husband who has lost his will to live, a terminally ill ex-con and a pathologically shy mortician. With Kris Kristofferson, Lisa Kudrow and Patrick Swayze in unforgettable supporting roles, this film movingly chronicles the imperfect lives of people teetering on the edge of despair and the miracles that bring them back.
Stills from Powder Blu! e (Click for larger image) Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel join forces to bring you the heart-pounding thriller that is
Next. Cris Johnson (Cage) earns his living in a seedy Las Vegas magic act, but his ability to see a few minutes into the future is authentic. Government agent Callie Ferris (Oscar nominee Moore) knows this, and relentlessly recruits him! to help thwart a terrorist group from detonating a nuclear bo! mb in th e heart of Los Angeles. Will the reluctant hero join the desperate race against the clock by daring to see what is
Next? Featuring non-stop action, explosive special effects and adrenaline-charged Special Features, this is an exciting adventure you won't want to miss!
Special Features
Making The Best Next Thing
The Next "Grand Idea"
Two Minutes In The Future With Jessica Biel
Visualizing The Next MoveThe weirdness of actor Nicolas Cage and the weirdness of science-fiction author Philip K. Dick seem like a natural fit. The premise, taken from a short story by Dick, is a good one: A mediocre Las Vegas magician named Chris Johnson (Cage) can see into the future--but only about two minutes at the most. Just enough to pull off his act and to make some money at the gambling tables, so long as he's discreet. Unfortunately, he hasn't been discreet enough; a government agent (Julianne Moore) has sussed out his precognitive talent and wants to use him t! o track down terrorists. But all Johnson cares about is a beautiful young woman (Jessica Biel, The Illusionist) that he can see in his future--much further in his future than he's ever seen before. Next has flashes that point to a much, much better movie than it turned out to be. A sequence in which Johnson, clairvoyantly explores all the different permutations of how he might approach his mystery woman is both funny and thought-provoking, and when Johnson avoids pursuers by knowing just the right moment to turn a corner or duck his head, it's smart and suspenseful. Unfortunately, the terrorist part of the plot is utterly perfunctory and precognition is reduced to an action movie gimmick. Somewhere in there is the kernel of a romantic comedy about precognition that's just waiting to be made. Cage gives a solid if unsurprising performance, Moore is basically earning a paycheck, but Biel is unexpectedly good (and her part is considerably better-written than your! usual romantic interest); her performance suggests a better f! uture th an anyone might have predicted. --Bret Fetzer
Beyond Next
More Nick Cage on DVD | 
The Author that Inspired the Movie | 
The Soundtrack |
Stills from Next (click for larger image) Unlock the ! mysterie s of the year's most spellbinding film from the producers of Crash and Sideways! Oscar(r) nominees Paul Giamatti and Edward Norton lead an all-star cast in this "stunning" film (USA Today) that conjures an exhilarating blend of suspense, romance and mind-bending twists. The acclaimed illusionist Eisenheim (Norton) has not only captured the imaginations of all of Vienna, but also the interest of the ambitious Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). But when Leopold's new fiancée (Jessica Biel) rekindles a childhood fascination with Eisenheim, the Prince's interest evolves into obsession...and suddenly the city's Chief Inspector (Giamatti) finds himself investigating a shocking crime. But even as the Inspector engages him in a dramatic challenge of wills, Eisenheim prepares for his most impressive illusion yet in this "mesmerizing" (Entertainment Weekly) and "beautifully acted" (Good Morning America) film that "teases you until the very end!" (The New York Times).First screened! in Europe and scheduled for limited release in the U.S.,
The Illusionist offers welcome proof that "arthouse" quality needn't be limited to the arthouses. Set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, this stately, elegant period film benefited from a crossover release in mainstream cinemas, and showed considerable box-office staying power--granted, teenage mallrats and lusty males may have been drawn to the allure of
Seventh Heaven alumna Jessica Biel, who rises to the occasion with a fine performance. But there's equal appeal in the casting of Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti, who bring their formidable talents to bear on the intriguing tale of a celebrated magician named Eisenheim (Norton) whose stage performance offends the Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), a vindictive lout who aims to marry Duchess Sophie (Biel), Eisenheim's childhood friend and now, 15 years later, his would-be lover. This romantic rivalry and Eisenheim's increasingly enigmatic craft of illusio! n are investigated by Chief Inspector Uhl (Giamatti), who's un! der Leop old's command and is therefore not to be trusted as Eisenheim and Sophie draw closer to their inevitable reunion. Cleverly adapted by director Neil Burger from Steven Millhauser's short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist," and boasting exquisite production values and a fine score by Philip Glass,
The Illusionist is the kind of class act that fully deserved its unusually wide and appreciative audience. --
Jeff Shannon
Beyond The Illusionist
"Eisenheim the Illusionist" and Other Stories | 
Paul Giamatti in a More Lovea! ble Role | 
Magic Kits & Accessories |
Stills from The Illusionist Inspired by a true story and the cla! ssic 197 4 film. A group of teenagers take a detour from a road trip and what happens next is beyond anyone?s darkest fears and raw nightmares.The 2003 version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre adheres to the pure and simple slasher movie formula: Introduce a gaggle of sexy young people, make vague gestures to distinguish them--Jessica Biel (Summer Catch) wants to get married and doesn't like pot, so she's our moral compass--then start hacking them to pieces one by one. The visual palette includes grimy crucified dolls, fly-specked pig carcasses, body parts floating in murky jars, a tobacco-chewing redneck sheriff, and many slender beams of sunlight cutting through dank, dusty interiors. The camera lovingly photographs Biel's tank-topped bosom and sculpted abs as she's running in terror from a bloated, chainsaw-wielding, human-skin-wearing maniac. This remake lacks the macabre comedy of the original; it's all about the nauseating sensation of waiting for something to jump ! out of the dark. Also featuring Eric Balfour (Six Feet Under) and R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket, Mail Call). --Bret FetzerSUSPENSE IS ON THE LINE! After getting a frantic call on his cell phone from a kidnapped woman, a young man must battle his way through a ruthless world of lies and murder to rescue her. A fast-paced thriller in the vein of Phone Booth and Speed that will keep you riveted with edge-of-your-seat car chase scenes.
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:with Director David Ellis, writers Larry Cohen and Chris Morgan
DVD ROM Features:Script-to-Screen
Deleted Scenes:w/optional Director commentary
Featurette:3 Exciting Featurettes! "Celling Out"A look at cellphones in today's culture "Dialing Up Cellular"Making of The Film "Code of Silence: Inside the Rampart Scandal"
Theatrical Trailer
Just when you think it's getting silly,
Cellular serves up another tantalizing ! twist. In the time-honored tradition of
Sorry, Wrong Number! and
Wait Until Dark, Kim Basinger is well-cast as a resourceful damsel-in-distress who thwarts her kidnappers by connecting with a n'er-do-well cell-phone user (Chris Evans, later seen in
The Fantastic Four) who races against time to rescue her from afar. One good cop (William H. Macy) assembles clues to uncover conspiracy, while first-time writer Chris Morgan and pulp-movie master Larry Cohen (who conceived the plot, similar to his own
Phone Booth screenplay) serve up a consistently satisfying string of high-tension surprises. Jason Statham continues to prove his rising-star status as the film's tenacious villain, and director David Ellis (
Final Destination 2) takes advantage of his experience as a veteran stunt coordinator and second-unit director, making good use of locations in his native Santa Monica, and wringing credible suspense from a deliriously far-fetched premise.
--Jeff Shannon
6:44 AM
Blog Fasion
is a Western spoof about two women, Maria Alvarez (Penelope Cruz) and Sara Sandoval (Salma Hayek), who seek to avenge the tragedies befallen both their fathers under robber baron, Tyler Jackson (Dwight Yoakam). Jackson, employed by the Bank of New York, is sent to Mexico to buy land and open banks to the detriment of local culture. Jackson kills Sara's corrupt father, Don Diego, while ban! dits burn down Maria's home. The two ladies band together for ! the comm unity's cause. Under the tutelage of Bill Buck (Sam Sheperd), Sara and Maria develop bank robbery skills. When criminologist, Quentin Cooke (Steve Zahn), hunts them, they convert him with their strong moral sense and good looks. Like any Thelma and Louise-ish tale of women who take charge, Maria and Sara are foil characters who eventually become an invincible, sisterly team. This comedy is built around their bickering. For Sara, with European education and penchant of designer clothing, Maria is a hick who lacks refinement, yet Maria, horse whisperer, can fire a gun. The slapstick is overkill, for example when Sara wonders whether a bandana is Gucci or Prada. However, viewers will love Penelope Cruz on horseback and the two actresses practice-kissing their foe in a brothel. Bandidas is a light film with some laughs and mucho sex appeal. -- Trinie Dalton
