Drama Movies 2008 List

With James Franco • Sean Penn • Josh Brolin • Emile Hirsch • Diego Luna • Dustin Lance Black • Gus Van Sant • Michael London • Bruce Cohen • Dan Jinks

In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans. During the last eight years of his life, while living in New York City, he turns 40. Looking for more purpose, he and his lover Scott Smith relocate to San Francisco, where they found a small business, Castro Camera, in the heart of a working-class neighborhood. Then, with support from Scott and from new friends like young activist Cleve Jones, Milk plunges headfirst into the choppy waters of politics. Bolstering his public profile with humor, Milk's actions speak even louder than his gift-of-gab words. When Milk is elected supervisor for the newly zoned District 5, he tries to coordinate his efforts with those of another newly elected supervisor, Dan White. But as White and Milk's political agendas increasingly diverge, their personal destinies tragically converge.

With Sam Rockwell • Kevin Bacon • Brian Grazer • Michael Sheen • Ron Howard • Toby Jones • Tim Bevan • Eric Fellner • Matthew Macfadyen • Frank Langella • Peter Morgan

For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost's team harbored doubts about their boss' ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation's greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who'd built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity--ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth. "Frost/Nixon" not only re-creates the on-air interview, but the weeks of around-the-world, behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the two men and their camps as negotiations were struck, deals were made and secrets revealed--all leading to the moment when they would sit facing one another in the court of public opinion.

With Gabrielle Union • Adrien Brody • Jeffrey Wright • Columbus Short • Cedric the Entertainer • Darnell Martin • Emmanuelle Chriqui • Mos Def • Tammy Blanchard

Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright will portray blues/R&B record exec Leonard Chess and blues musician Muddy Waters, respectively. Leonard Chess launched the Chicago blues label Chess Records and traveled throughout the south, discovering artists and selling records from the back of his Cadillac.

With Tessa Thompson • Mary Elizabeth Winstead • Duane Adler • Riley Smith • Ashley Roberts • Anthony Mosawi • Brad Luff

"Make It Happen" stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the role of Lauryn, a young woman from a small town who moves to Chicago with dreams of entering the Chicago School of Music and Dance. But after rejection and a series of misfortunes she finds herself working in a burlesque club. The club proves to be a place of conflict and self-discovery, helping Lauryn to realize that even though plans may change, dreams never do.

With Kate Winslet • Ralph Fiennes • Karoline Herfurth • Scott Rudin • Anthony Minghella • David Kross • Sydney Pollack • Stephen Daldry • David Hare • Bruno Ganz • Linda Bassett • Robert Fox

"The Reader" opens in post-WWII Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair.

Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from "The Odyssey," "Huck Finn," and "The Lady with the Little Dog." Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken.

Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life – this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna's past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives. "The Reader" is a haunting story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another.

With Will Patton • Michelle Williams • Kelly Reichardt • Larry Fessenden • John Robinson • Jon Raymond • Will Oldham

Wendy Carroll (Michelle Williams) is driving to Ketchikan, Alaska, in hopes of a summer of lucrative work at the Northwestern Fish cannery, and the start of a new life with her dog, Lucy. When her car breaks down in Oregon, however, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she confronts a series of increasingly dire economic decisions, with far-ranging repercussions for herself and Lucy.

With Nacho Vigalondo • Karra Elejalde • Eduardo Carneros • Flavio Martínez Labiano

A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.

With John Leguizamo • Michael Caldwell • Richard Hutton • Salvatore Stabile • Daniel Edelman

A failed boxer struggles to find a job and an apartment for his family on Christmas Eve.

With Priyanka Chopra Jonas • Aditya Chopra • Yash Chopra • Shahrukh Khan

A middle-aged man who has lost his love for life recovers it through the love of a vivacious young girl.

With Ryan Gosling • Benicio Del Toro • Javier Bardem • Steven Soderbergh • Terrence Malick • Benjamin Bratt • Julia Ormond • Franka Potente

Based on the life of revolutionary Che Guevara (played by Benicio Del Toro), this film follows the Argentinian from his beginnings as a doctor to his involvement in Cuban politics and his eventual murder in Bolivia.

With Amy Adams • Viola Davis • Meryl Streep • Philip Seymour Hoffman • Scott Rudin • Susan Blommaert • Celia Costas • Alice Drummond • John Patrick Shanley • Mark Roybal • Carrie Preston • Audrie Neenan • Joseph Foster • Michael Roukis

It's 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A vibrant, charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Academy Award® winner Philip Seymour Hoffman), is trying to upend the schools' strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep), the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James (Academy Award® nominee Amy Adams), a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence.

With Mark Ruffalo • Ethan Hawke • Bob Yari • Amanda Peet • Rod Lurie • Brian Goodman • Donnie Whalberg • Marc Frydman • Brad Jenkel • Paul T. Murray

Brian and Paulie are two young punks running loose on the hard streets of South Boston. Coming from separate but equally broken homes, the boys bond of friendship makes them brothers. They do whatever it takes to survive, living by the code of their dog eat dog neighborhood.

As Brian (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie (Ethan Hawke) get older, petty crimes and misdemeanors grow into more serious offenses. Eventually, they fall under sway to the organized crime boss Pat Kelly (Brian Goodman) who runs the felonious backroom businesses and illicit trades in Southie. They also find themselves the targets of unwanted attention from Detective Moran (Donnie Wahlberg) one of Boston’s finest. And Brian in particular becomes lost in haze of drugs and rebellion. Even the love he has for his wife Stacy (Amanda Peet) and his children isn't enough to redeem him.

In time, the friends find themselves in jail – just a part of doing business on the mean streets they call home. Although not gone away forever Brian and Paulie are incarcerated long enough to learn a few lessons, but will they lead to changed lives on the outside? A storm of trouble is brewing: Paulie has big plans to liberate them from their life of crime – just one more job – one last heist – a bold and potentially violent daylight robbery. But Brian has used his time in jail to make amends to his family and get clean. When Paulie comes to him for help, Brian must face the biggest challenge to his code of honor that he could ever imagine: stand by his friend or salvage his family … he cannot do both!

"What Doesn't Kill You" reveals the true life drama that writer/director Brian Goodman underwent in his struggle to honor the people he loved – on both sides of the law.

With Clint Eastwood • Brian Howe • Jenette Kahn • Nick Schenk • Cory Hardrict • Billy Gerber • Rob Lorenz • Adam Richman • Dave Johannson • Brian Haley • Dreama Walker • Christopher Carley

Clint Eastwood stars in the drama "Gran Torino," marking his first film role since his Oscar-winning "Million Dollar Baby." Eastwood also directs the film in which he plays Walt Kowalski, an iron-willed veteran living in a changing world, who is forced by his immigrant neighbors to confront his own long-held prejudices. .

With Guillermo del Toro • Kim Basinger • Lukas Haas • Don Murphy • Susan Montford • Kirk Shaw • Luis Chavez • Leonard Wu

A suburban housewife is forced to fend for herself when she becomes stranded in a desolate forest with four murderous thugs. What starts off as a quick trip to the mall ends in the woods with a fight for her life. All she has is a toolbox and her will to survive.

With Angela Bassett • Kate Beckinsale • Vera Farmiga • Matt Dillon • David Schwimmer • Edie Falco • Bob Yari • Rod Lurie • Alan Alda • Noah Wyle • Marc Frydman

Washington, DC political journalist Rachel Armstrong writes an explosive story about a government scandal in which she reveals the name of a covert CIA agent. When a special government prosecutor demands she divulge her source, she refuses and finds herself behind bars, struggling to defend the principles she has based her career upon.

With Kristen Stewart • Maria Bello • Eddie Redmayne • William Hurt • Udayan Prasad

The story is about a convict released from prison for an old murder who is thinking about returning to his ex-wife and his former life.

With Mickey Rourke • Darren Aronofsky • Evan Rachel Wood • Robert Siegel • Marisa Tomei • Ernest Miller • Todd Barry

Back in the late ‘80s, Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey. Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life -- trying to reconnect with his daughter, and striking up a blossoming romance with an exotic dancer (Marisa Tomei) who is ready to start a new life. Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy “The Ram” back into his world of wrestling. Director Darren Aronofsky presents a powerful portrait of a battered dreamer, who despite himself and the odds stacked against him, lives to be a hero once again in the only place he considers home – inside the ring.

With Will Smith • Rosario Dawson • Woody Harrelson • James Lassiter • Steve Tisch • David Crockett • Michael Ealy • Barry Pepper • Gabriele Muccino • Todd Black • Jason Blumenthal • Grant Nieporte • Dominico Procaci

Academy Award® nominee Will Smith reunites with the directors and producers of "The Pursuit of Happyness" for the emotional drama "Seven Pounds." In the film, Smith plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent with a fateful secret who embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.

With Jim Carrey • Dana Goldberg • Bruce Berman • David Heyman • Zooey Deschanel • Marty Ewing • Sasha Alexander • Molly Sims • John Michael Higgins • Peyton Reed • Danny Masterson • Richard D. Zanuck • Jarrad Paul • David Iserson • Andrew Mogel • Danny Wallace

"Yes Man" stars Jim Carrey as Carl Allen, a guy whose life is going nowhere - the operative word being "no" - until he signs up for a self-help program based on one simple covenant: say "yes" to everything and anything. Unleashing the power of "YES" begins to transform Carl's life in amazing and unexpected ways, getting him promoted at work and opening the door to a new romance. But his willingness to embrace every opportunity might just become too much of a good thing.

With Emma Watson • Dustin Hoffman • Ciaran Hinds • Stanley Tucci • Christopher Lloyd • William H. Macy • Sigourney Weaver • Tony Hale • Matthew Broderick • Tracey Ullman • Kevin Kline • Ryan Kavanaugh • Will McRobb • Gary Ross • Robbie Coltrane • Sam Fell • Robert Stevenhagen • Allison Thomas • Tracy Shaw • David Lipman • Kate DiCamillo • Chris Viscardi • Robin Bissell • William Sargent

Once upon a time, in the faraway kingdom of Dor, there was magic in the air, laughter aplenty and gallons of mouthwatering soup. But an accident left the King broken-hearted, the Princess filled with longing and the townsfolk without their soup. Sunlight disappeared. The world became gray. All hope was lost in this land...until Despereaux Tilling was born.

A modern fairy tale from visionary filmmaker Gary Ross, together with directors Sam Fell & Rob Stevenhagen, The Tale of Despereaux tells the story of several unlikely heroes: Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), a brave mouse banished to the dungeon for speaking with a human; Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), a good-hearted rat who loves light and soup, but is exiled to darkness; Pea (Emma Watson), a Princess in a gloomy castle who is prisoner to her father's grief; and Mig (Tracey Ullman), a servant girl who longs to be a Princess, but is forced to serve the jailer (Robbie Coltrane).

Tiny and graced with oversized ears, Despereaux was born too big for his little world. Refusing to live his life cowering, he befriends a Princess named Pea and learns to read (rather than eat) books—reveling in stories of knights, dragons and fair maidens. Banished from Mouseworld for being more man than mouse, Despereaux is rescued by another outcast, Roscuro, who also wants to hear the tales. But when the Princess dismisses Roscuro's friendship, he becomes the ultimate rat and plots revenge with fellow outsider Mig.

After Pea is kidnapped, Despereaux discovers he is the only one who can rescue her...and that even the tiniest mouse can find the courage of a knight in shining armor. In this tale of bravery, forgiveness and redemption, one small creature will teach a kingdom that it takes only a little light to show the truth: what you look like doesn't equal what you are.

With Domenico Procacci • Matteo Garrone • Salvatore Abruzzese • Simone Sacchettino

Made up of six short episodes with six main characters--all revolving around the four-sided criminality between the port of Naples, Scampia, Castelvolturno and Terzigno.

With Willem Dafoe • Jeff Goldblum • Derek Jacobi • Ayelet Zurer • Paul Schrader • Noah Stollman • Ulf Israel

The story focuses on a former Nazi collaborator who later becomes the head of an asylum.

With Angela Bassett • Kate Beckinsale • Vera Farmiga • Matt Dillon • David Schwimmer • Edie Falco • Bob Yari • Rod Lurie • Alan Alda • Noah Wyle • Marc Frydman

Washington, DC political journalist Rachel Armstrong writes an explosive story about a government scandal in which she reveals the name of a covert CIA agent. When a special government prosecutor demands she divulge her source, she refuses and finds herself behind bars, struggling to defend the principles she has based her career upon.

With Brad Pitt • Cate Blanchett • Taraji P. Henson • David Fincher • Frank Marshall • Kathleen Kennedy • Tilda Swinton • Elias Koteas • Jason Flemyng • Ceán Chaffin • Eric Roth • Madisen Beaty • Julia Ormond • Robin Swicord

"I was born under unusual circumstances." And so begins "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be. Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond, "Benjamin Button," is a grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time.

With Amy Adams • Viola Davis • Meryl Streep • Philip Seymour Hoffman • Scott Rudin • Susan Blommaert • Celia Costas • Alice Drummond • John Patrick Shanley • Mark Roybal • Carrie Preston • Audrie Neenan • Joseph Foster • Michael Roukis

It's 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A vibrant, charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Academy Award® winner Philip Seymour Hoffman), is trying to upend the schools' strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep), the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James (Academy Award® nominee Amy Adams), a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence.

With Scarlett Johansson • Samuel L. Jackson • Eva Mendes • Frank Miller • Michael E. Uslan • Gabriel Macht • Deborah Del Prete • Will Eisner • Gigi Pritzker

"The Spirit" is a classic action-adventure-romance genre-twister written for the screen and directed by Frank Miller. It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as the Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) has a different mission: he's going to wipe out Spirit's beloved city as he pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City's rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront ... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Surrounding him at every turn are Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next-door; Sliken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), a punk secretary and frigid vixen; Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; Lorelei (Jaime King), a phantom siren; and Morgenstern (Stana Katic), a sexy young cop. Then of course, there's Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves. She's the love of his life turned bad. Will he save her or will she kill him?

With Sam Rockwell • Kevin Bacon • Brian Grazer • Michael Sheen • Ron Howard • Toby Jones • Tim Bevan • Eric Fellner • Matthew Macfadyen • Frank Langella • Peter Morgan

For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost's team harbored doubts about their boss' ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation's greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who'd built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity--ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth. "Frost/Nixon" not only re-creates the on-air interview, but the weeks of around-the-world, behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the two men and their camps as negotiations were struck, deals were made and secrets revealed--all leading to the moment when they would sit facing one another in the court of public opinion.

With Emma Thompson • Dustin Hoffman • James Brolin • Jawal Nga • Kathy Baker • Tim Perell • Richard Schiff • Eileen Atkins • Joel Hopkins • Nicola Usborne • Liane Balaban

Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson reunite in "Last Chance Harvey", a hopeful romance that celebrates new beginnings—at any age. The film is directed and written by Joel Hopkins.

New Yorker Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is on the verge of losing his dead-end job as a jingle writer. Warned by his boss (Richard Schiff) that he has just one more chance to deliver, Harvey goes to London for a weekend to attend his daughter’s (Liane Balaban) wedding but promises to be back on Monday morning to make an important meeting—or else. Harvey arrives in London only to learn his daughter has chosen to have her stepfather (James Brolin) walk her down the aisle instead of him. Doing his best to hide his devastation, he leaves the wedding before the reception in hopes of getting to the airport on time, but misses his plane anyway. When he calls his boss to explain, he is fired on the spot. Drowning his sorrows at the airport bar, Harvey strikes up a conversation with Kate (Emma Thompson), a slightly prickly, 40-something employee of the Office of National Statistics. Kate, whose life is limited to work, the occasional humiliating blind date and endless phone calls from her smothering mother (Eileen Atkins), is touched by Harvey, who finds himself energized by her intelligence and compassion.

The growing connection between the pair inspires both as they unexpectedly transform one another’s lives.

With Tom Cruise • Tom Wilkinson • Carice van Houten • Chris McQuarrie • Terence Stamp • Bryan Singer • Bill Nighy • Eddie Izzard • Halina Reijn • Paula Wagner

Superstar Tom Cruise heads an international cast as Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the aristocratic German officer who led the heroic attempt to bring down the Nazi regime and end the war by planting a bomb in Hitler's bunker. The "July 20 Plot" on Hitler's life is one of the most heroic but least known episodes of World War Two. Severely wounded in combat, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg returns from Africa to join the German Resistance and help create Operation Valkyrie, the complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler's once he is dead. But fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg from one of many in the plot to a double-edged central role. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation's government... He must kill Hitler himself.

With Ari Folman • Serge Lalou • Gerhard Meixner • Yael Nahlieli • Roman Paul

One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs.

With Leonardo DiCaprio • Kate Winslet • David Harbour • Sam Mendes • Kathy Bates • Michael Shannon • Scott Rudin • Justin Haythe • Zoe Kazan • Bobby Cohen • John N. Hart

Set in the 1950's, a happy suburban couple with two children find themselves caught between their true desires and the pressure to conform -- with explosive consequences.

With Daniel Craig • Jamie Bell • Edward Zwick • Liev Schrieber • Alexa Davalos • Allan Corduner • Pieter Jan Brugge • Clayton Frohman • Sam Spruell

Based on an extraordinary true story, "Defiance" is an epic tale of family, honor, vengeance and salvation in World War II. The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star as brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential -- a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others.

With Viggo Mortensen • Mark Strong • Jason Isaacs • John Wrathall • Miriam Segal • John Palermo • Vicente Amorim

The story about one man's journey during the Nazi regime set against his chaotic private life.