January 2009 Movies

With Anne Hathaway • Kate Hudson • Jonathan Filley • Bryan Greenberg • Julie Yorn • Kristen Johnston • Alan Riche • Gary Winick • June Raphael • Casey Wilson • Greg DePaul

Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma (Anne Hathaway) are best friends who since childhood have planned every detail of their respective weddings. At the top of their bridal "must have" list: a ceremony at New York's ultimate bridal destination, the Plaza Hotel.

Now, at age 26, they're both about to get married; they're about to realize their dreams; and they're about to live happily ever after.

Or maybe not...

When a clerical error causes a clash in wedding dates - they're now to be married on the same date! - Liv, Emma and their lifelong friendship are put to the ultimate test. Liv, a successful lawyer who is used to getting what she wants, including the perfect job and the perfect man, won't settle for anything less than the perfect wedding she has dreamed of for years. Emma, a schoolteacher who has always been good at taking care of others, but not so much in looking after herself, discovers her inner Bridezilla and comes out swinging when her own dream wedding is imperiled.

Now, the two best friends who'd do anything for each other, find themselves in a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners struggle that threatens to erupt into all-out war.

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

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 Michael Bay • Cam Gigandet • Gary Oldman • Carla Gugino • Meagan Good • Andrew Form • David S. Goyer • Jane Alexander • Odette Yustman • James Remar • Bradley Fuller

Casey Bell (Odette Yustman) hated her mother for leaving her as a child. But when inexplicable things start to happen, Casey begins to understand why she left. Plagued by merciless dreams and a tortured ghost that haunts her waking hours, she must turn to the only spiritual advisor, Sendak (Gary Oldman), who can make it stop.

With Sendak's help, Casey uncovers the source of a family curse dating back to Nazi Germany—a creature with the ability to inhabit anyone or anything that is getting stronger with each possession. With the curse unleashed, her only chance at survival is to shut a doorway from beyond our world that has been pried open by someone who was never born.

With Kevin Hart • Brian Bird • Wood Harris • Morris Chestnut • Maeve Quinlan • Cannon Jay • Bill Duke • Clint Culpepper • T.D. Jakes • Aaron Norris • Curtis Wallace

The faith-themed drama revolves around a couple whose strength and faith are tested after the wife is injured in a car crash and the husband becomes attracted to another woman.

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

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

With Mickey Rourke • Marisa Tomei • Darren Aronofsky • Evan Rachel Wood • Robert Siegel • 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 Ryan Gosling • Javier Bardem • Benicio Del Toro • 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 Mushtaq Sheikh • Irfan Khan • Priyadarshan • Manisha Korde

A humble small town barber with a wife, and a famous friend. Their unlikely friendship is rooted in Indian mythology about lord Krishna’s childhood friendship with mortal Sudama.

With Chazz Palminteri • Christine Lahti • Trent Othick • Robert Celestino

"Yonkers Joe" is an exciting, high-stakes con film and moving family drama written and directed by Robert Celestino, and starring Academy Award-nominee Chazz Palminteri, Academy Award-winner Christine Lahti, Tom Guiry ("The Black Donnellys"), Golden Globe-nominee Linus Roache, and Academy Award-nominee Michael Lerner. An ode to old time gamblers, now outdated in an age of powerful upscale casinos, "Yonkers Joe" tells the story of a dice hustler (Palminteri) whose determination to make one last grab for a big score in Vegas is complicated by the reappearance of his estranged, mentally challenged son into his life.

With Daniel Craig • Jamie Bell • Liev Schrieber • Alexa Davalos • Allan Corduner • Edward Zwick • 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 Anthony Mackie • Angela Bassett • Derek Luke • George Tillman, Jr. • Mark Pitts • Jamal Woolard • Antonique Smith • Naturi Naughton • Dennis White • Julia Pace Mitchell • Voletta Wallace • Wayne Barrow • Cheo Hodari Coker

"Notorious" is about the life of rapper Christopher Wallace a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. In just a few short years, The Notorious B.I.G. rose from the streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time. B.I.G. was a gifted storyteller; his narratives about violent life on the streets were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect and credibility. His stories were universal and gave a voice to his generation.

With Kevin James • Barry Bernardi • Jack Giarraputo • Jeff Sussman • Bobby Cannavale • Jayma Mays • Keir O'Donnell • Stephen Rannazzisi • Shirley Knight • Steve Carr • Todd Garner • Nick Bakay

In Columbia Pictures' comedy "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," Kevin James stars as the title character, a single, suburban dad, trying to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. Though no one else takes his job seriously, Paul considers himself on the front lines of safety. When a heist shuts down the megaplex, Jersey's most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day.

With Emma Roberts • Don Cheadle • Lauren Shuler Donner • Lisa Kudrow • Thor Freudenthal • Jimmy Bennett • Johnny Simmons • Chloe Dan • Jeff Lowell • Ivan Reitman • Tom Pollock • Lois Duncan • Marc Haimes

"Hotel for Dogs", stars Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon and Don Cheadle in a smart, funny comedy adventure that shows how far love and imagination can take you. When their new guardians forbid 16-year old Andi (Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Austin) to have a pet, Andi has to use her quick wit to help find a new home for their dog, Friday. The resourceful kids stumble upon an abandoned hotel and using Bruce's talents as a mechanical genius, transform it into a magical dog-paradise for Friday--and eventually for all Friday's friends. When barking dogs make the neighbors suspicious, Andi and Bruce use every invention they have to avoid anyone discovering "who let the dogs in."

With Dustin Hoffman • Emma Thompson • James Brolin • Tim Perell • Richard Schiff • Kathy Baker • Eileen Atkins • Joel Hopkins • Nicola Usborne • Jawal Nga • 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 Jaime King • Jensen Ackles • Tom Atkins • Marc Macaulay • John Dunning • Jack Murray • Kerr Smith • Patrick Lussier • Mike Paseornek • John Sacchi • Zane Smith • Andre Link

Ten years ago, a tragedy changed the town of Harmony forever. Tom Hanniger, an inexperienced coal miner, caused an accident in the tunnels that trapped and killed five men and sent the only survivor, Harry Warden, into a permanent coma. But Harry Warden wanted revenge. Exactly one year later, on Valentine's Day, he woke up...and brutally murdered twenty-two people with a pickaxe before being killed. Ten years later, Tom Hanniger returns to Harmony on Valentine's Day, still haunted by the deaths he caused. Struggling to make amends with his past, he grapples with unresolved feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Sarah, who is now married to his best friend, Axel, the town sheriff. But tonight, after years of peace, something from Harmony's dark past has returned. Wearing a miner's mask and armed with a pickaxe, an unstoppable killer is on the loose. And as his footsteps come ever closer, Tom, Sarah and Axel realize in terror that it just might be Harry Warden who's come back to claim them.

With Akshay Kumar • Nikhil Advani • Shridhar Raghavan

From Chutney in India to Chow Mein in China, "Chandni Chowk to China" follows one man's passage from simple cook to kung fu fighter on a thrilling, madcap journey from the by-lanes of Chandni Chowk in Delhi, India, to the grandeur of the Great Wall of China and beyond. The first-ever Bollywood kung fu action comedy, the film brings together the two largest Asian communities, India and China, on one cinematic canvas.

Starring Bollywood's biggest action star, Akshay Kumar, the film parallels the actor's own journey to fame: Kumar worked as a cook before pursuing his passion for martial arts.

"Chandni Chowk to China" also stars stunning model-turned-actress Deepika Padukone, Bollywood veteran Mithun Chakraborty, Ranvir Shorey, and Chinese martial arts expert and actor Gordon Liu ("Kill Bill: Vols. 1 and 2").

Nikhil Advani ("Kal Ho Na Ho") directed the film from a screenplay by Shridhar Raghavan ("Bluff Master," "Khakhee"). Ramesh Sippy, Mukesh Talreja and Rohan Sippy are the producers.

The film also features stunts choreographed by veteran martial arts stunt coordinator Huen Chiu-Ku, whose credits include "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Kill Bill: Vols. 1 and 2" and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." The musical trio Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy composing the eclectic score, an eclectic Indo-Chinese fusion inspired by the music of China and India.

"Chandni Chowk to China" focuses on the epic heroic journey of Sidhu (Kumar), a simple cook from Chandni Chowk who longs to escape his dreary existence and looks for shortcuts with everything from astrologers and tarot readers to a magic potato, believing in anything and everything except himself. His fate changes when two strangers from China claim him to be a reincarnation of a war hero from the past and enlist him to come back with them to their village in China.

His opportunistic translator, Chopstick (Ranvir Shorey), tells Sidhu of the women, wine and princely existence that await him in foreign lands; what Chopstick doesn't tell him is that he has become the village's best hope to take on the vicious gangster Hojo (Gordon Liu), who has been terrorizing them. Along the way, Sidhu meets Sakhi, played by Deepika Padukone ("Om Shanti Om"), a stunning TV model who has embarked on her own adventure to pay homage to the land of her birth, her dead father and twin. Padukone also portrays Sakhi's long-lost twin sister, Meow.

Soon, Sidhu realizes he is in way over his head and faces imminent defeat without a miracle. Only at his lowest point does he meet a Kung Fu master (Roger Yuan) who can help Sidhu find his inner hero, set the village free, and pursue the love of his life.

With Terence Davies • Roy Boulter • Sol Papadopoulos • Tim Pollard

The film is both a love song and a eulogy to the directors birthplace of Liverpool. It is also a response to memory, reflection and the experience of losing a sense of place as the skyline changes and time takes it toll.

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

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 Helen Mirren • Brendan Fraser • Mark Ordesky • Andy Serkis • Eliza Hope Bennett • Rafi Gavron • Paul Bettany • Jim Broadbent • Diana Pokorny • Ileen Maisel • Iain Softley • Toby Emmerich • Cornelia Funke • David Lindsay-Abaire

"Inkheart" is a thrilling adventure that stars Brendan Fraser as Mo Folchart, a father who possesses a secret ability to bring characters from books to life when he reads them aloud. But when Mo accidentally brings a power-hungry villain from a rare children's fable to life, the villain kidnaps Mo's daughter and demands Mo bring other evil fictional characters to life. In an attempt to rescue his daughter, Mo assembles a disparate group of friends - both real and magic - and embarks on a journey to save her and set things right.

With Danny McBride • Michael Sheen • Len Wiseman • Rhona Mitra • Tom Rosenberg • Henry Winterstern • Bill Nighy • Steven Mackintosh • Gary Lucchesi • Skip Williamson • Kevin Grevioux • Patrick Tatopoulos

"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle to free the Lycans from their brutal enslavement.

With Mark Herbert • Oliver Blackburn • David Bloom • Robin Gutch • Angus Lamont • Nichola Burley

After meeting at a nightclub in a Mediterranean resort, seven young adults decide to continue partying aboard a luxury yacht in the middle of the ocean. But when one of them dies in a freak accident, the others argue about what to do, which leads to a ruthless fight for survival.

With Mickey Rourke • Quentin Tarantino • Johnny Knoxville • Rosario Dawson • Joseph Gordon-Levitt • Hossein Amini • Lawrence Bender • Christopher McQuarrie • Thomas Jane • Diane Lane • John Madden • RIchard Gladstein • Elmore Leonard • Steve Barancik

In the thriller, based on the Elmore Leonard novel, a woman and her blue-collar husband become the targets of two killers after they stumble on an extortion plot hatched by the bad guys. Carmen (Lane) saw the scam and now she and Wayne (Jane), her ironworker husband, have to pay.

Blackbird (Rourke) kills smart and deadly. Richie kills stupid and crazy. Both are out to erase any living evidence--and when these lethal partners take up the chase, a safe place from killing is awfully hard to find.

With Jim Caviezel • Ron Perlman • Jack Huston • John Schimmel • Sophia Myles • John Hurt • Christopher Eberts • Kia Jam • Chris Roberts • Andreas Schmid • Don Carmody • Dirk Blackman • Howard McCain • Don Carmody Christopher Eberts • Karen Loop • Pierre Gill

"Outlander" begins when a space craft crashes into the majestic fjords of ancient Norway and into the time of the Vikings. From the wreckage emerge two bitter enemies: a soldier from another world – Kainan – and a bloodthirsty creature known as the Moorwen. Man and monster both seeking revenge for violence committed against them. As the Moorwen ravages the Viking world, killing everything in its path, Kainan forms an unlikely alliance with the primitive but fierce warriors. Combining his advanced technology with ancient Iron Age weapons, the hero leads a desperate attempt to kill the monster - before it destroys them all.

With Christopher Nolan • Christian Bale • Morgan Freeman • Charles Roven • Aaron Eckhart • Michael Jai White • Michael Caine • Maggie Gyllenhaal • Eric Roberts • Gary Oldman • Heath Ledger • Anthony Michael Hall • David S. Goyer • Nestor Carbonell • Melinda McGraw • Nathan Gamble • Michael E. Uslan • Benjamin Melniker • Jonah Nolan

Batman (Christian Bale) raises the stakes in his war on crime in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight." With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker (Heath Ledger).

With Chelah Horsdal • Lee Pace • Sarah Michelle Gellar • William B. Davis • Joel Bergvall • Sonny Mallhi • Nigel Sinclair • Alex Brunner • Won-mi Byun • Michael Petroni

A woman's life turns surreal after an automobile accident leaves both her husband Ryan and her brother-in-law Roman in a coma. Things take an even darker turn when Roman wakes believing that he is Ryan. As Jess tries to deal with these increasingly disturbing events, she also struggles with the possibility that either the spirit of her husband has returned to her or that something very sinister is at work.

With Liam Neeson • Luc Besson • Katie Cassidy • Famke Janssen • Robert Mark Kamen • Maggie Grace • Pierre Morel • Pierre-Ange Le Pogam • India Osborne

"Taken" stars Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills, an ex-government operative who has less than four days to find his kidnapped daughter, who has been taken on her first day of vacation in Paris.

With J.K. Simmons • Rashida Jones • Nathan Fillion • Ken Rance • Renée Zellweger • Harry Connick Jr. • Peter Safran • Jonas Elmer • Darryl Taja • Tracey Edmonds • C. Jay Cox

Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger) is an ambitious, up and coming executive living in Miami. She loves her shoes, she loves her cars and she loves climbing the corporate ladder. When she is offered a temporary assignment - in the middle of nowhere - to restructure a manufacturing plant, she jumps at the opportunity, knowing that a big promotion is close at hand. What begins as a straight forward job assignment becomes a life changing experience as Lucy discovers greater meaning in her life and most unexpectedly, the man of her dreams (Harry Connick, Jr.).

With Elizabeth Banks • Emily Browning • Arielle Kebbel • Doug Davison • John Prowse • Roy Lee • Walter Parkes • David Strathairn • Laurie MacDonald • Ivan Reitman • Kim Jee-woon • Tom Guard • Charlie Guard • Tom Pollock • Carlo Bernard • Doug Miro • Craig Rosenberg • Michael Grillo

"The Uninvited" revolves around Anna (Emily Browning), who returns home after spending time in the hospital following the tragic death of her mother. Her recovery suffers a setback when she discovers her father (David Strathairn) has become engaged to her mother’s former nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). That night, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her of Rachel's intentions. Together, Anna and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) try to convince their father that his current fiancée is not who she pretends to be, and what should have been a happy family reunion becomes a lethal battle of wills between stepdaughters and stepmother.

With Zoya Akhtar • Farhan Akhtar • Ritesh Sidhwani

A struggling actor comes from Delhi to Bombay and enters the Hindi film industry.

With François Bégaudeau • Laurent Cantet • Robin Campillo • Caroline Benjo • Carole Scotta • Pierre Milon • Nassim Amrabt • Laura Baquela • Cherif Bounaïdja Rachedi • Juliette Demaille

"The Class" is based on an autobiographical novel by Francois Begaudeau, a drama that follows the year in the life of a French schoolteacher working at a high-school in a tough neighborhood of Paris. Ethnicities, cultures and attitudes often clash in the classroom. As amusing and inspiring as the teenage students can be, their difficult behavior can still jeopardize any teacher's enthusiasm for the low-paying job. Francois insists on an atmosphere of respect and diligence. Neither stuffy nor severe, his extravagant frankness often takes the students by surprise. But his classroom ethics are put to the test when his students begin to challenge his methods.