Archive for May, 2008

The Last Legion

The Last Legion

“The Last Legion.” Rome, AD 475. The Roman Empire is under threat. A mighty force for almost 800 years, at its height Rome’s power spread from Mesopotamia in the east to the Iberian peninsula in the west, from the Rhine and Danube in the north to Egypt in the south. This story follows the events surrounding the historical capture of Romulus Augustus and his imprisonment on the island of Capri.

On the eve of the ceremony to crown twelve-year-old Romulus Augustus as the new emperor, the Barbarian general Odoacer arrives in Rome to make a deal with Orestes, patrician and father of the young Caesar. Odoacer makes demands on the power of the Roman Empire, in fair exchange for his decade-long support of the Roman legions in the east. Orestes refuses.

On the day of the coronation, as the whole of Rome gathers to watch the proceedings, Ambrosinus, the shaman who is a mentor and tutor to Romulus, predicts danger. Orestes is worried for his son’s safety and appoints Aurelius, the tribune of the fourth legion, as his personal guard. That night Aurelius and his legionnaires are confronted by a real danger—Odoacer and his army of Goths have returned to the outskirts of Rome to conquer the city.

With a deafening roar, the Barbarian army storm the city. A terrible battle ensues, the brutal invaders show no mercy and blood flows through the streets.

With Orestes and his wife Julia slaughtered, Romulus is captured along with Ambrosinus and both are taken to the island fortress of Capri built by the emperor Tiberius. It is there that Romulus finds the mythical sword of Caesar that holds the prophecy ‘One edge to defend, one to defeat; In Britannia was I forged…to fit the hand of he…who is destined to rule’.

But not all the Roman legionnaires are dead. Aurelius is alive and when he learns that the Byzantine Empire will give Romulus sanctuary, he embarks on the journey to the coast accompanied by a small group of his men and a mysterious, black-clad Byzantine warrior. On the journey, Aurelius discovers what lies behind the black clothing — a young, beautiful woman called Mira.

Thanks to the strategic cunning of Ambrosinus and the fighting skill of Aurelius and Mira, Romulus is freed. But when the group arrive on shore, they learn that the Byzantines have joined forces with the Goths. Faced with such betrayal, the only course of action is to reach the one legion still loyal to Rome—the ninth legion in Britannia.

As they set off on their dangerous trek North in search of the last legion, Romulus discovers a new father figure in his protector Aurelius and together they embark on a new beginning.

STARRING: Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Aishwarya Rai, Thomas Sangster, Rupert Friend, Peter Mullan, Rory James, Lee Ingleby, Owen Teale, Ferdinand Kingsley
DIRECTOR: Doug Lefler
STUDIO: The Weinstein Co.
RATING: PG-13 (For sequences of intense action violence)

The Last Legion trailer


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September Dawn

September Dawn

“September Dawn” is a fictional Romeo and Juliet relationship love story set against the background of the controversial real-life massacre of 120 men, women and children traveling through Utah in the nineteenth century. The Mountain Meadows Massacre, as it is known, occurred on September 11, 1857, and was the first known act of religious terrorism on U.S. soil. A group of Mormons, many disguised as Paiute Indians, slaughtered all but 17 small children on a wagon train on its way to California. One man, the adopted son of Mormon leader Brigham Young, was eventually executed for the crime — 20 years after the event. The film is deemed controversial because it presents a point of view held strongly by hundreds of direct descendants of the massacre: that the iconic Brigham Young had complicity in the massacre, a view denied by the Mormon Church, even today.

STARRING: Jon Voight, Trent Ford, Tamara Hope, Terence Stamp, Lolita Davidovich, Dean Cain, John Gries, Taylor Handley, Krisinda Cain, Shaun Johnston
DIRECTOR: Christopher Cain
STUDIO: Slowhand Releasing
RATING: R (For violence)

September Dawn trailer

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Right At Your Door

Right At Your Door

In “Right At Your Door,” after multiple dirty bombs are detonated, spreading deadly toxic ash across Los Angeles, Brad (Rory Cochrane) inadvertently quarantines his wife, Lexi (Mary McCormack) outside their new home by safely sealing himself inside. With the city under siege and Martial Law in affect, Brad and Lexi struggle to survive with little supply, limited time and no information—all the while separated by thin doors and thinner sheets of plastic. When “help” finally does arrive, it appears to be anything but…”Right At Your Door.”

STARRING: Mary McCormack, Rory Cochrane, Tony Perez, Scotty Noyd Jr., Jon Huertas
DIRECTOR: Chris Gorak
STUDIO: Roadside Attractions
RATING: R (For pervasive violence, language)

Right At Your Door trailer


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Illegal Tender

Illegal Tender

After the gangsters who killed his father come to settle a score, a teenage boy and his mother turn the tables on the killers - in “Illegal Tender.”

Producer John Singleton (”Four Brothers,” “Hustle & Flow”) and writer/director Franc. Reyes (”Empire”) join forces to tell the story of one Latino family’s quest for honor and revenge as the hunted become the hunters in the new thriller “Illegal Tender.”

Wilson De Leon, Jr. (Rick Gonzalez) is an exceptional college student with an adoring girlfriend, doting mother and a future full of promise. He has never wanted for anything, and he has never been forced to stand his ground. But when ghosts from his mother’s past come back to haunt his present, he must defend his family…and quickly turn into the strong man his father prayed he’d become. Nothing could stop Wilson’s mother, Millie (Wanda De Jesus), from protecting her two boys. Forced to flee her home after gangsters killed her husband, she made an oath to give her children only the best. But all that changes when an enemy from the past catches up with them. It’s finally time to take action–and now, they’re done running. Weapons at the ready, Wilson, Jr. and Millie prepare for a final showdown with the murderer who robbed him of a father and her of a husband. Now, in a battle fueled by family ties and blood feuds, it will become very clear what happens when anyone tries to come between this son and his mother.

STARRING: Rick Gonzalez, Wanda De Jesus, Dania Ramirez, Tego Calderon, Manny Perez, Gary Perez
DIRECTOR: Franc Reyes
STUDIO: Universal Pictures
RATING: R (For violence, language and some sexuality)

Illegal Tender trailer


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Resurrecting The Champ

Resurrecting The Champ

Erik (Josh Hartnett), an up-and-coming sports reporter, rescues a homeless man only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend (Samuel Jackson), believed to have passed away. Erik sees an opportunity to resurrect the Champ’s story and escape the shadow of his father’s success. Directed by former movie critic Rod Lurie, whose last two movies were box office bombs.

STARRING: Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Teri Hatcher, Kathryn Morris, Dakota Goyo, Alan Alda, Rachel Nichols, Glenn Hunter, David Paymer, Ryan McDonald, Harry J. Lennix, Peter Coyote, Chris Ippolito, Stephen Strachan, Eugene Clark
DIRECTOR: Rod Lurie
STUDIO: Yari Film Group
RATING: PG-13 (For some violence and brief language)

Resurrecting The Champ trailer


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The Hottest State

The Hottest State

Adapted by Ethan Hawke from his own novel of the same name, “The Hottest State” is a bittersweet romance that distills the joy, pain, erotic highs, and emotional lows of first love. Ethan Hawke directs and co-stars in the film along with Mark Webber, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Laura Linney. Days before his 21st birthday, William (Mark Webber), an actor, meets and quickly falls madly in love with Sara (Oscar-nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno), a seductive yet elusive singer/songwriter. The film follows William from a Lower East Side tenement to a Mexican hotel room to a snowbound weekend in Connecticut to a sweltering homecoming in the hottest state of all - Texas - in the pursuit of Sara. His stubborn and sweetly innocent quest to find someone who loves him as much as he loves her may not lead to happiness, but surely leads to newfound maturity.

STARRING: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Laura Linney, Mark Webber, Michelle Williams, Sonia Braga, Ethan Hawke
DIRECTOR: Ethan Hawke
STUDIO: THINKFilm
RATING: R (For sexual content and language)

The Hottest State trailer


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Deep Water

Deep Water

“Deep Water” is a documentary (recreation) about the disastrous 1968 round-the-world yacht race made famous.

“Deep Water” is the stunning true story of the first solo, non-stop, round-the-world boat race, and the psychological toll it took on its competitors. Sponsored by the Sunday Times of London, the much ballyhooed event attracted a field of nine, including amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst, who set out to circumnavigate the globe in late 1968. Battling treacherous seas and his own demons, Crowhurst almost immediately comes apart as he faces the isolation of nine months on the high seas. Part adventure yarn and part metaphysical mystery, “Deep Water”is an unforgettable journey into one man’s heart of darkness.

Deep Water trailer


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Revenge Of The Nerds

Revenge Of The Nerds

It seems the world needs a new, updated “Revenge of the Nerds” movie. This 2007 version of “Revenge of the Nerds” is a raucous re-imagining of the comedy classic. Adams College is turned upside down by a group of freshmen misfits who redefine the term “nerd.” As they try to form their own frat, the nerds incur the wrath of the ultimate alpha males, the infamous Alpha Beta fraternity. The nerds refuse to go down without a fight, waging an all-out battle against the notorious jocks during Greek Week.

STARRING: Jenna Dewan, Ryan Pinkston, Nick Zano, Katie Cassidy, Christopher Marquette, Kristin Cavallari, Dan Byrd, Efren Ramirez
DIRECTOR: Kyle Newman
STUDIO: Fox Atomic
RATING: R (For nudity, sexual situations, drug use, and strong language)

Revenge Of The Nerds trailer


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Mr. Bean’s Holiday

Mr. Bean’s Holiday

Rowan Atkinson returns to the iconic role that made him an international star in “Mr. Bean’s Holiday.” In his latest misadventure, Mr. Bean - the nearly wordless misfit who seems to be followed by a trail of pratfalls and hijinks - goes on holiday to the French Riviera and becomes ensnared in a European adventure of cinematic proportions.

Tired of the dreary, wet London weather, Bean packs up his suitcase and camcorder to head to Cannes for some sun on the beach. Ah…vacation. But his trip doesn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped when the bumbling Bean falls face first into a series of mishaps and fortunate coincidences, far-fetched enough to make his own avant-garde film.

Wrongly thought to be both kidnapper and acclaimed filmmaker, he has some serious explaining to do after wreaking havoc across the French countryside and arriving at his vacation spot with a Romanian filmmaker’s precocious son and an aspiring actress in tow. Will Bean be arrested by the gendarmes or end up winning the Palme d’Or? It’s all caught on camera as Atkinson again applies his awkward athleticism to a comedy of errors - “Mr. Bean’s Holiday.”

STARRING: Rowan Atkinson, Willem Dafoe, Emma de Caunes, Jean Rochefort
DIRECTOR: Steve Bendelack
STUDIO: Universal Pictures

Mr. Bean’s Holiday trailer


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The Nanny Diaries

The Nanny Diaries

Based on Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin’s popular satirical novel, “The Nanny Diaries” stars Scarlett Johansson as a working-class woman from New Jersey who becomes a nanny to a wealthy Manhattan family - “The Nanny Diaries.”

STARRING: Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, Donna Murphy, Alicia Keys, Chris Evans
DIRECTORS: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
STUDIO: MGM & The Weinstein Co.
RATING: PG-13 (For strong language, adult situations)

The Nanny Diaries trailer

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