Drama Movies 2009 List

With Yosuke Eguchi • Kazuaki Kiriya • Takashige Ichise • Tetsurô Takita

A highly stylized movie based on the life of legendary 16th century ninja and bandit Ishikawa Goemon.

With James Marsden • Cameron Diaz • Gillian Jacobs • Frank Langella • Richard Kelly • Ted Field • Sue Baden-Powell • Terry Dougas • Basil Hoffman • Richard Matheson • Paris Kasidokostas Latsis

What if someone gave you a box containing a button that, if pushed, would bring you a million dollars...but simultaneously take the life of someone you don't know? Would you do it? And what would be the consequences? The year is 1976. Norma Lewis is a teacher at a private high school and her husband, Arthur, is an engineer working at NASA. They are, by all accounts, an average couple living a normal life in the suburbs with their young son...until a mysterious man with a horribly disfigured face appears on their doorstep and presents Norma with a life-altering proposition: the box. With only 24 hours to make their choice, Norma and Arthur face an impossible moral dilemma. What they don't realize is that no matter what they decide, terrifying consequences will have already been set in motion. They soon discover that the ramifications of this decision are beyond their control and extend far beyond their own fortune and fate.

With George Clooney • Kevin Spacey • Jeff Bridges • Ewan McGregor • Peter Straughan • Rebecca Mader • Grant Heslov • Paul Lister

Reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is in search of his next big story when he encounters Lyn Cassady (Academy Award winner George Clooney), a shadowy figure who claims to be part of an experimental U.S. military unit. According to Cassady, the New Earth Army is changing the way wars are fought. A legion of “Warrior Monks” with unparalleled psychic powers can read the enemy’s thoughts, pass through solid walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it. Now, the program’s founder, Bill Django (Oscar® nominee Jeff Bridges), has gone missing and Cassady’s mission is to find him.

Intrigued by his new acquaintance’s far-fetched stories, Bob impulsively decides to accompany him on the search. When the pair tracks Django to a clandestine training camp run by renegade psychic Larry Hooper (two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey), the reporter is trapped in the middle of a grudge match between the forces of Django’s New Earth Army and Hooper’s personal militia of super soldiers. In order to survive this wild adventure, Bob will have to outwit an enemy he never thought possible.

With Paula Patton • Lee Daniels • Lenny Kravitz • Sherri Shepherd • Amina Robinson • Damien Paul • Gary Magness • Sarah Siegel-Magness • Nealla Gordon • Chyna Layne • Gabourey Sidibe

With sheer audacity and utter authenticity, director Lee Daniels tackles "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire" and creates an unforgettable film that sets a new standard for cinema of its kind. Precious Jones (Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe) is a high-school girl with nothing working in her favor. She is pregnant with her father's child - for the second time. She can't read or write, and her schoolmates tease her for being fat. Her home life is a horror, ruled by a mother (Mo'Nique) who keeps her imprisoned both emotionally and physically. Precious's instincts tell her one thing: if she's ever going to break from the chains of ignorance, she will have to dig deeply into her own resources. Don't be misled - "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire" is not a film wallowing in the stillness of depression; instead, it vibrates with the kind of energy derived only from anger and hope. The entire cast are amazing; they carry out a firestorm of raw emotion. Daniels has drawn from them inimitable performances that will rivet you to your seat and leave you too shocked to breathe. If you passed Precious on the street, you probably wouldn't notice her. But when her story is revealed, as Daniels does in this courageous film, you are left with an indelible image of a young woman who - with creativity, humor, and ferocity - finds the strength to turn her life around.

With Ray McKinnon • Hal Holbrook • Scott Teems

An aging Tennessee farmer returns to his homestead and must confront a family betrayal, the reappearance of an old enemy, and the loss of his farm.

With John Cusack • Danny Glover • Thandiwe Newton • Woody Harrelson • Amanda Peet • Mark Gordon • Oliver Platt • Roland Emmerich • Harald Kloser • Dean Semler • Chiwetel Ejiofor • Michael Wimer • Larry Franco • Volker Engel • Marc Weigert • Aaron Boyd • Ute Emmerich

Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. "2012" is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

With Paula Patton • Lee Daniels • Lenny Kravitz • Sherri Shepherd • Amina Robinson • Damien Paul • Gary Magness • Sarah Siegel-Magness • Nealla Gordon • Chyna Layne • Gabourey Sidibe

With sheer audacity and utter authenticity, director Lee Daniels tackles "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire" and creates an unforgettable film that sets a new standard for cinema of its kind. Precious Jones (Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe) is a high-school girl with nothing working in her favor. She is pregnant with her father's child - for the second time. She can't read or write, and her schoolmates tease her for being fat. Her home life is a horror, ruled by a mother (Mo'Nique) who keeps her imprisoned both emotionally and physically. Precious's instincts tell her one thing: if she's ever going to break from the chains of ignorance, she will have to dig deeply into her own resources. Don't be misled - "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire" is not a film wallowing in the stillness of depression; instead, it vibrates with the kind of energy derived only from anger and hope. The entire cast are amazing; they carry out a firestorm of raw emotion. Daniels has drawn from them inimitable performances that will rivet you to your seat and leave you too shocked to breathe. If you passed Precious on the street, you probably wouldn't notice her. But when her story is revealed, as Daniels does in this courageous film, you are left with an indelible image of a young woman who - with creativity, humor, and ferocity - finds the strength to turn her life around.

With Woody Harrelson • Ben Foster • Jena Malone • Samantha Morton • Oren Moverman • Alessandro Camon

In his most powerful performance to date, Ben Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Samantha Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband's death, Will’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival.

With Emmy Rossum • Alan Cumming • Rooney Mara • Zach Gilford • Ana Gasteyer • Mary Jane Skalski • Adam Salky • David Brind • Jason Orans

Three very different teenagers discover that, even in the safe world of a suburban prep school, no one is who she or he appears to be.

With Joseph Gordon-Levitt • Lynn Collins • Scott McGehee • David Siegel (II)

A young couple find one seemingly ordinary July 4th cleaved in two by the flip of a coin on the Brooklyn Bridge.

With Tony Leung • Chow Yun-Fat • Chang Chen • John Woo • Zhang Fengyi

In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minister Cao Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale, led by the Prime Minister, himself. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance. Numerous battles of strength and wit ensued, both on land and on water, eventually culminating in the battle of Red Cliff. During the battle, two thousand ships were burned, and the course of Chinese history was changed forever.

With Sandra Bullock • Lily Collins • Tim McGraw • Quinton Aaron • Kathy Bates • Broderick Johnson • Molly Smith • Gil Netter • Jae Head • John Lee Hancock • Andrew Kosove • Erwin Stoff • Tim Bourne

"The Blind Side" depicts the remarkable true story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

With Dakota Fanning • Kristen Stewart • Taylor Lautner • Robert Pattinson • Jackson Rathbone • Cam Gigandet • Graham Greene • Michael Sheen • Daniel Cudmore • Cameron Bright • Chris Weitz • Peter Facinelli • Gillian Bohrer • Wyck Godfrey • Alex Meraz • Christopher Heyerdahl • Charlie Bewley • Edi Gathegi • Patrick Wachsberger • Erik Feig • Melissa Rosenberg • Chaske Spencer • Bronson Pelletier • Kiowa Gordon • Tyson Houseman • Jamie Campbell-Bower

In "New Moon", Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested.

With Paula Patton • Lee Daniels • Lenny Kravitz • Sherri Shepherd • Amina Robinson • Damien Paul • Gary Magness • Sarah Siegel-Magness • Nealla Gordon • Chyna Layne • Gabourey Sidibe

With sheer audacity and utter authenticity, director Lee Daniels tackles "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire" and creates an unforgettable film that sets a new standard for cinema of its kind. Precious Jones (Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe) is a high-school girl with nothing working in her favor. She is pregnant with her father's child - for the second time. She can't read or write, and her schoolmates tease her for being fat. Her home life is a horror, ruled by a mother (Mo'Nique) who keeps her imprisoned both emotionally and physically. Precious's instincts tell her one thing: if she's ever going to break from the chains of ignorance, she will have to dig deeply into her own resources. Don't be misled - "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire" is not a film wallowing in the stillness of depression; instead, it vibrates with the kind of energy derived only from anger and hope. The entire cast are amazing; they carry out a firestorm of raw emotion. Daniels has drawn from them inimitable performances that will rivet you to your seat and leave you too shocked to breathe. If you passed Precious on the street, you probably wouldn't notice her. But when her story is revealed, as Daniels does in this courageous film, you are left with an indelible image of a young woman who - with creativity, humor, and ferocity - finds the strength to turn her life around.

With Woody Harrelson • Ben Foster • Jena Malone • Samantha Morton • Oren Moverman • Alessandro Camon

In his most powerful performance to date, Ben Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Samantha Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband's death, Will’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival.

With Penelope Cruz • Blanca Portilla • Angela Molina • Pedro Almodovar • Kiti Manver • Chus Lampreave

"Broken Embraces" is a four-way tale of amour-fou, shot in the style of '50s American film noir at its most hard-boiled, and will mix references to works like Nicholas Ray's "In a Lonely Place" and Vincente Minnelli's "The Bad and the Beautiful," with signature Almodóvar themes such as Fate, the mystery of creation, guilt, unscrupulous power, the eternal search of fathers for sons, and sons for fathers.

With Charlize Theron • Viggo Mortensen • Robert Duvall • Steve Schwartz • Guy Pearce • John Hillcoat • Nick Wechsler • Paula Mae Schwartz • Joe Penhall

Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen, Academy Award winners Robert Duvall and Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and 12-year-old Kodi Smit McPhee star in the big-screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "The Road" – the story of a man (Mortensen) and his young son (Smit-McPhee) traveling through a desperate, post-apocalyptic world.

With Zac Efron • Claire Danes • Ben Chaplin • Christian McKay • George Coulouris • James Tupper • Richard Linklater

Zac Efron will star as high school senior Richard Samuels—an age and grade level the actor knows well—who, while walking the streets of Manhattan one day, comes across Orson Welles' still unopened Mercury Theater, where the Shakespearean auteur, pre-Citizen Kane, is staging a production of Julius Caesar. Richard lands a bit part in the play and does a lot of growing up during his brief time under Welles' tutelage.

With Paddy Considine • Julia Stiles • Jamie Thraves

A troubled young man retreats from the big city and his ex-wife for the tranquility of a small town. He is drawn into a relationship with a young woman whose boyfriend ends up dead, leaving the new arrival as a suspect.