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June 2005 Releases
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Be Cool
In this sequel to the 1995 mobster comedy GET SHORTY, John Travolta returns as Chili Palmer, a smooth-talking loanshark turned successful movie producer. But he's tired of the film industry, and so he sets his sights on the music business, teaming up with music producer Edie (Uma Thurman)--the widow of a recently murdered colleague. Seeing great potential in an up-and-coming singer named Linda Moon (Christina Milian), Chili makes it his goal to rescue the young talent from her sleazy manager Raji (Vince Vaughn), and make her a star. But it doesn't take long for Chili to realize that in the music industry, not everybody plays by the rules. Combining organized crime and record label know-how as they infiltrate the music industry, Chili and Edie (Thurman) must free Moon from her contract with Raji and record label exec Nick Carr (Harvey Keitel), while fending off the Russian mafia and a whole slew of enemies, played by Cedric the Entertainer, and Andre Benjamin (of OutKast), among others.
Street Date 6/7/2005
Genre:
Comedy
Rating:
PG-13
Starring:
Vince Vaughn, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Cedric the Entertainer
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Seed of Chucky
Everyone's favorite plastic slasher doll, Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif), returns for a fifth installment of this popular horror series. Apparently Chucky and his equally murderous bride, Tiffany (voiced by Jennifer Tilly), had a child, which has grown up in a cage as part of a heavy-metal ventriloquist act in England. Eventually it (one never learns its exact gender) escapes to Los Angeles to revive mom and pop, whose doll corpses are being used for a movie based on their previous killing spree. Jennifer Tilly shows up as herself, and she's great--hamming it up as an actress so desperate for the part in rapper Redman's latest film that she lures him home for an interview, with hilarious (and fatal) results.
Street Date 6/7/2005
Genre:
Horror/Suspense
Rating:
R
Starring:
Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Billy Boyd, Redman, Hannah Spearritt
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Beyond the Sea
Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey does it all in this swinging biopic: he directs, he writes, he produces, he stars, and he even sings in his own voice. He plays legendary crooner Bobby Darin, whose 1950s hits included "Splish Splash" and "Mack the Knife." Left with a bad heart after a childhood fever, Darin nonetheless seeks out the high-pressure world of stardom, performing every number like his life depended on it. Along the way up the ladder, he falls for Hollywood starlet Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth) but their problems are many, including Dee's domineering stage mom (Greta Sacchi) and the constant demands of their respective careers. Through it all Darin keeps reinventing himself, going from Elvis-style rocker to Vegas crooner, and even becoming a long-haired '60s folkie. Death dogs his heels every step of the way, but it only serves to fuel Darin's artistic fire, and Spacey uses this dramatic velocity to catapult his obviously inspired performance.
Street Date 6/7/2005
Genre:
Drama
Rating:
PG-13
Starring:
Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Brenda Blethyn, Caroline Aaron, Bob Hoskins, John Goodman, Greta Sacchi
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The Machinist
THE MACHINIST takes place in a bleak and nondescript American city, where Trevor Reznick (Bale) is quite literally withering away to nothing. During the day Trevor works in a colorless industrial factory, while at night he seeks refuge in the bed of a tender prostitute, Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh). For reasons unknown even to Trevor, he hasn't been able to sleep for an entire year. In the process, he has shed over sixty pounds, making him look like a walking skeleton. After an accident at the factory costs Trevor his job, he finds himself tracking a mysterious figure that may or may not, in fact, provide some answers to his confusion. Meanwhile, he begins to connect with a pretty airport waitress, Marie (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), who shows Trevor some much-needed sympathy. By the time the film builds to its revelatory conclusion, it becomes quite clear just what has been tormenting Trevor all along.
Street Date 6/7/2005
Genre:
Drama
Rating:
R
Starring:
Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Michael Ironside
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Imaginary Heros
When a teenager commits suicide, the other members of his seemingly perfect family are forced to cope with his shocking death. His brother (Emile Hirsch) is lost, his father (Jeff Daniels) is in denial, and his mother (Sigourney Weaver) responds with childish rebellion.
Street Date 6/7/2005
Genre:
Drama
Rating:
R
Starring:
Sigourney Weaver, Emile Hirsch, Jeff Daniels, Deirdre O'Connell
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The Prophecy: Uprising
It's nonstop thrills when a ritualistic murder is connected to an ancient manuscript foretelling future doom.
Street Date 6/7/2005
Genre:
Horror/Suspense
Rating:
R
Starring:
Sean Pertwee, John Light, Kari Wuhrer, Jason London, Doug Bradley
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Hellraiser: Deader
The long awaited seventh film in the series, HELLRAISER: DEADER continues horror master Clive Barker's vision of the denizens of hell roaming the Earth. Originally conceived as an independent horror film, screenwriter Neal Stevens' (13 GHOSTS) script was adapted for the HELLRAISER mythos. Tough female reporter Amy Klein (Kari Wuhrer) begins investigating a bizarre cult gaining ground in Bucharest. The group promotes suicide with the claim that it can bring the dead back to life. In order to verify these wild claims, Amy has no other option but to join the cult, and what she discovers will shock her to the core.
Street Date 6/7/2005
Genre:
Horror/Suspense
Rating:
R
Starring:
Doug Bradley, Kari Wuhrer, Paul Rhys
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D.E.B.S
The plot revolves around four coeds handpicked to work at an exclusive spy academy on the basis of their S.A.T. scores and their superior ability to lie, cheat, steal, and kill. The squad consists of feisty team-leader Max (Meagan Good), goodie-goodie Janet (Jill Ritchie), apathetic chain-smoker Dominique (Devon Aoki), and good-natured Amy (Sara Foster)--who wonders if being a spy is truly her destiny. Decked out in ultra-mini plaid skirts, the D.E.B.S. (stands for Discipline, Energy, Beauty, and Strength) prepare for their most important mission yet--capturing the deadly criminal mastermind Lucy Sky (Jordana Brewster). As it turns out, Lucy is little more than a helpless romantic, and when Lucy develops as crush, the plot takes yet another twist. Over-the-top and self-referential, D.E.B.S. pokes fun at the CHARLIE'S ANGELS formula in a good-natured way, ultimately succeeding by not taking itself too seriously.
Street Date 6/7/2005
Genre:
Comedy
Rating:
PG-13
Starring:
Jordana Brewster, Sara Foster, Devon Aoki, Jill Ritchie, Meagan Good
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Direct Action
Frank Gannon (Dolph Lundgren) is nearing retirement from his job on the police force. Sick of the corruption that runs rife throughout the department, he decides to shop his fellow officers to the powers that be. His final days on the force subsequently turn into a nightmare for Gannon, whose colleagues decide to set him up in a drug scam that threatens to tarnish his impeccable reputation. The thrill ride really begins when Gannon tries to prove his innocence, and given just one day to clear his name, he battles against the clock and his fellow officers to ensure that justice is served.
Street Date 6/7/2005
Genre:
Action
Rating:
(not rated)
Starring:
Dolph Lundgren, Polly Shannon, Conrad Dunn
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Hitch
Will Smith stars as Alex Hitchens, an urban "date doctor" who helps the common man woo the woman of his dreams. Hitch will use any means necessary--dance lessons, back waxing--to instill romantic confidence in his clientele. Why? He was once a lonely wallflower himself, who learned about love and heartbreak the hard way. His latest project, Albert Brennaman (Kevin James), may be his most difficult. Brennaman, a junior accountant prone to clumsiness, has fallen head-over-heels for one of his clients, Allegra Cole (Amber Valleta), a well-known celebrity. To complicate things further, Hitch's dating dogma is shaken when he meets and falls for a beautiful gossip columnist, Sara Melas (Eva Mendes), whose sharp wit easily pierces his cool façade. Conflict arises when Melas uncovers Hitch's true profession and blames him for her best friend being dumped.
Street Date 6/14/2005
Genre:
Comedy
Rating:
PG-13
Starring:
Will Smith, Kevin James, Eva Mendes, Amber Valletta, Adam Arkin, Michael Rapaport
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A Dirty Shame
Sylvia Stickles's (Tracey Ullman) Baltimore neighborhood is becoming overrun with deviants, and she is very concerned. But that changes when Sylvia gets in a car accident, receiving a hard blow to the head that leaves her randy. Luckily, she gets a quick fix from Ray Ray (Johnny Knoxville), a tow-truck driver whom she soon discovers to be a high priest of deviance. In the midst of searching indiscriminately for satisfaction and finally relating to her overly buxom, exhibitionist teenage daughter, Clarice (Selma Blair), Sylvia finds herself on the opposite side of a war for decency being waged by the neighborhood "neuters," in which every encounter is an act of revolution!
Street Date 6/14/2005
Genre:
Comedy
Rating:
(not rated)
Starring:
Johnny Knoxville, Selma Blair, Tracey Ullman, Chris Isaak, Patricia Campbell Hearst, Ricki Lake
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Tarzan II
Disney brings several familiar characters back to life for a series of new adventures in this animated sequel to the 1999 film TARZAN. Worried that his mere existence is putting his family in danger, Tarzan leaves home in an attempt to spare them any more trouble. But through his encounters with the notorious Zugor, Tantor, and Terk, Tarzan realizes that the most important thing of all is family. Will he end up right back where he started? TARZAN II features the voices of Glenn Close, Brad Garrett, and George Carlin, with new music by Phil Collins.
Street Date 6/14/2005
Genre:
Kids
Rating:
G
Starring:
George Carlin, Brad Garrett, Glenn Close
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Coach Carter
Samuel L.Jackson portrays real-life figure Ken Carter, who graduated from California's Richmond High only to return there and take over as head coach of the boys' basketball team. Unfortunately, the troubled school he remembered as a teenager is an even more insufferable place in his adulthood. Determined to make a change in his players' lives, Carter makes each young man sign a contract that ensures he will maintain a 2.3 GPA, attend every class, and wear a jacket and tie on game day. Of course, the players reject the contract at first, but when they realize that they don't have any other choice, they give in. And when it appears that their tough-as-nails coach is actually turning them into winners on the court, they embrace their coach's philosophy even further. But when Coach Carter receives the incomprehensibly awful progress reports of his players, he does the unthinkable: he benches the entire team.
Street Date 6/21/2005
Genre:
Drama
Rating:
PG-13
Starring:
Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Richard, Rob Brown, Debbi Morgan
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Hostage
Bruce Willis plays Jeff Talley, a traumatized ex-LAPD hostage negotiator whose new career as small town sheriff doesn't turn out to be as restful as he had hoped; a hostage situation breaks out on "low crime Tuesday" and he is thrown right back into the business he knows all too well. Some punk kids have shot a cop and are holed up in a local mansion inhabited by crooked accountant Walter Smith (Kevin Pollack), his two kids, and a lot of surveillance cameras. Walter's young son (Jimmy Bennett) escapes his bonds and reports to Talley from the air shafts via his sister's cell phone. The sister--a Goth teen played by Michelle Horn--draws the romantic attention of Mars (Ben Foster), the sociopath in the gang, thus adding a unique twist to the damsel-in-distress factor. Meanwhile, amid the buzzing helicopters and mobilizing S.W.A.T. teams, another group of bad guys has kidnapped Talley's wife and daughter, in order to force him to retrieve a secret disc in Walter's study.
Street Date 6/21/2005
Genre:
Action/Adventure
Rating:
R
Starring:
Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollack, Jonathan Tucker, Serena Scott Thomas, Ben Foster
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Cursed
With CURSED, screenwriter Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven (SCREAM) take another playful trip to the dark side. This time around, their sights are set on one of the horror genre's most popular subjects: werewolves. Set in an ultra-hip modern Los Angeles, the film tells the tale of siblings Ellie (Christina Ricci) and Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg), who have yet to fully come to terms with the loss of their parents. Ellie works at "The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn" and dates ladies' man Jake (Joshua Jackson), while Jimmy is a less-than-popular high school student with a crush on the prettiest girl in school (Kristina Anapau). But one night, after Ellie and Jimmy get into a car accident on Mulholland Drive, they are bitten by what appears to be a bona fide werewolf. Soon, both brother and sister are exhibiting behavior that can only mean one thing--that they, too, have been cursed.
Street Date 6/21/2005
Genre:
Horror/Suspense
Rating:
PG-13
Starring:
Christina Ricci, Michael Rosenbaum, Shannon Elizabeth, Bambi Allen, Scott Baio, Portia De Rossi
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The Jacket
Oscar-winner Adrien Brody (THE PIANO) stars in THE JACKET, an intense psychological thriller about a Gulf War veteran who finds himself trapped inside another terrifying scenario. Shot in the head while in Iraq, Jack Starks (Brody) has returned home only to be convicted of a murder that he didn't commit. Still reeling from his wartime trauma, Jack is found not guilty by reason of insanity and is committed to an institution for the criminally insane. Once there, he is drugged by the evil Dr. Becker (Kris Kristofferson) and placed into a coffin-like drawer on a nightly basis. Inside the drawer, after being tormented with horrific war flashbacks, Jack is mysteriously transported to the future, where he forms a tender relationship with the hardened, beautiful Jackie (Keira Knightley). Aware that he is destined to die in four days, Jack must use his new gift to figure out what happened to him, with the hopes of altering the course of history.
Street Date 6/21/2005
Genre:
Horror/Suspense
Rating:
(not rated)
Starring:
Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Daniel Craig, Kris Kristofferson, Jennifer Jason Leigh
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The Pacifier
Vin Diesel is great as a navy seal turned babysitter in this kid-friendly action comedy. A botched rescue mission (brimming with stunts) results in the death of a scientist and the hospitalization of seal team-leader Shane Wolf (Diesel). Once he recovers, he is assigned to duty as a bodyguard for the dead man's family. But even for a seal--toughened to the point of stoniness--dealing with the chaos, smells, noises, and complexities of a large, fatherless family proves to be a heavy challenge. The kids don't like his authoritative ways and they have no problem defying him at every turn. Eventually everybody bonds and while the family teaches him to listen and relax, he teaches them the combat skills they need to succeed in suburban Los Angeles.
Street Date 6/28/2005
Genre:
Comedy
Rating:
PG
Starring:
Vin Diesel, Lauren Graham, Faith Ford, Carol Kane, Brad Garrett
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Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Genres and genders collide in this unusual mix of Christian soap opera and comedy. Tyler Perry adapts his own play--one of a series wherein he personally portrays Grandma Madea, an overweight, no-nonsense, old, Christian, African-American woman. In DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN, the main character is Helen (Kimberly Elise), whose wealthy, abusive husband Charles (Steve Harris) kicks her out of their mansion after 18 years of marriage. Luckily Grandma Madea is there to offer some tough love. When a gangster's bullet later makes Charles a cripple, Helen has to decide between love (i.e. wreaking Madea-sanctioned old testament vengeance) and Christian duty. The movie then progresses in two directions: the well-acted dramatic side, with Helen getting her life together thanks to the love of the dreamy Orlando (Shemar Moore) and her hospitalized momma (Cecily Tyson); and the go-for-broke humor side, with Harris whooping it up in unfettered glee as the chainsaw-wielding, pistol-packing Madea (he also plays several other roles).
Street Date 6/28/2005
Genre:
Drama
Rating:
(not rated)
Starring:
Kimberly Elise, Tyler Perry, Steve Harris, Cicely Tyson
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7 Seconds
Tamzin Outhwaite (formerly of EASTENDERS) and Wesley Snipes star in this independent action film from director Simon Fellows. When novice thief John Tuliver steals a highly valuable Van Gogh painting by mistake, it is his partner Kelly Anders who takes the heat. As gangsters in search of the artwork kidnap Kelly, John becomes her only hope for survival.
Street Date 6/28/2005
Genre:
Action/Adventure
Rating:
R
Starring:
Wesley Snipes, Tazmin Outhwaite, Tamer Hassan
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