Director: Max Makowski
Genre: Horror
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: R

Six young adults struggle with their personal demons while staying at a secluded mansion during a dark and stormy night where a seemingly innocent game of 'taboo' brings out their inter-most secrets which soon leads to murder.

Director: Matt Sobel
Genre: Drama

Ronnie Scheib of Variety says this is writer-director Matt Sobel's, first full length film. 'Take Me to the River' unfolds in an atmosphere of mystery and dread that contrasts with its surroundings' bucolic serenity. A gay Californian teenager's visit to Nebraskan relatives turns more nightmarish than he anticipated, for reasons that he never could have imagined, as clouds of displaced sexuality hover over flowing rivers, fertile fields and little girls on big horses. Told uniquely through the kid's (Ryder, played by Logan Miller) largely uncomprehending point of view, this Midwestern gothic tale maintains sufficient visual distance to suggest alternative narratives from other perspectives. This superlatively acted indie film promises more than it delivers, but chillingly evokes sufficient primal dread to intrigue all audiences. The film debuted at the Sundance festival on January 26, 2015.

Director: Pierre Morel
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Rated: PG-13

What could be a skillful but ordinary action flick gets a surprising emotional heft from the presence of Liam Neeson as the hero. Bryan Mills (Neeson) has given up his career as a spy to form a relationship with his estranged teenage daughter--but when, on a trip to Paris, she's kidnapped by slavers, Mills uses all his connections and skills to turn the city of lights upside down and rescue her. Like most of the movies that writer/producer Luc Besson has a hand in (such as La Femme Nikita, The Transporter, Unleashed, and many other French action movies), Taken drips with lurid violence (a bit toned-down to get a PG-13 rating, but there's still plenty of it), deranged sentimentality, and stereotypes of all kinds. But this doesn't stop his movies from being effective thrill-rides, and Taken is no exception. Taken pays just enough attention to the illusion of procedure--making it seem like Mills knows all the right steps to track down his daughter--that the movie cheerfully seduces your suspension of disbelief, despite many plot holes and scenes where Mills doesn't get scratched despite bullets flying in all directions or pretends to be a French policeman despite not speaking French or even adopting a French accent. What holds it all together is Neeson; his gravitas and emotional availability make his character--the usual action fantasy of impossible competence and righteous fury--somehow seem real and relatable. --Bret Fetzer

Stills from Taken (Click for larger image)

Director: Tony Scott
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Rated: R

In early afternoon, four armed men hijack a subway train in Manhattan. They stop on a slight incline, decoupling the first car to let the rest of the train coast back. Their leader is Ryder; he connects by phone with Walter Garber, the dispatcher watching that line. Garber is a supervisor temporarily demoted while being investigated for bribery. Ryder demands $10 million within an hour, or he'll start shooting hostages. He'll deal only with Garber. The mayor okays the payoff, the news of the hostage situation sends the stock market tumbling, and it's unclear what Ryder really wants or if Garber is part of the deal. Will hostages, kidnappers, and negotiators live through this?

Director: Matteo Garrone
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Studio: Archimede
Rated: R

The film serves as Garrone's English-language debut and will interweave three separate story strands bookended by brief bits in which Italians Alba Rohrwacher and Massimo Ceccherini will play a street circus family. In one tale Salma Hayek will play a jealous queen who forfeits her husband's life. In another, Vincent Cassel plays a king whose passion is stoked by two mysterious sisters.

Director: Artie Mandelberg
Genre: Drama
Studio: Starlight Video
Rated: NR

Park Overall (TV's "Empty Nest", "Reba") plays a mother whose son is abducted by her ex-husband who keeps the boy hidden for five years. The boy (Hairy Tale, TV's "Geppetto") is finally returned, but he is intellectually and emotionally stunted and lacks all social skills. His adjustment to a normal life meets with failure. His mother must now make the decision of whether to give up her new husband, family and career to help her son become a normal boy again, or send her son to an institution and lose him forever. Drama. 91 Minutes.

Director: Ben Falcone
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: R

Tammy: EXT&TH (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD UltraViolet Combo Pack)

Director: Nick Gillespie
Genre: Action, Horror, Thriller
Studio: Belstone Pictures
Rated: Not Rated

With nowhere else to hide, a group of mercenaries and their two prisoners take cover inside a long abandoned Bulldog tank. But, while they try to keep the forces outside at bay, the real enemy is already among them, locked inside the 'Belly of the Bulldog'.

Director: Jonathan Caouette
Genre: Drama
Studio: Fox Lorber
Rated: Unrated

A dark and troubling dream that David Lynch must envy, made all the more unsettling because it's true, "Tarnation" can only be called at auto-documentary. It's a self-portrait of the family life of Jonathan Caouette, whose mother Renee (a former child model) was forced to undergo electric shock treatment repeatedly in her youth, leading to erratic behavior throughout her life. But though the events of Caouette's life are sad, horrific, or a testament to human resilience, what makes the movie striking is how it was made: Caouette cobbled the movie together from photographs, tape recordings, and home movies that he's shot throughout his life, ranging from footage of himself at 11 years old imitating a battered wife to trashy horror movies he made as an adolescent to the first time he met his father. The unique and fluid result is mesmerizing and eerily intimate, like stepping into someone else's stream of consciousness--though few of our dreams have such a killer indie rock soundtrack. "--Bret Fetzer"

Director: Jeff Davis
Genre: Short, Action, Comedy, Drama
Studio: MTV
Rated: NR

Teen Wolf is the hot, supernatural series that follows Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) - a high school student and social outcast that gains supernatural abilities after being bitten by a werewolf!

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

After an action-packed end to its premiere season, Teen Wolf jumps full force into season two with even more suspenseful drama. Scott McCall, an ordinary teenager with a wild secret, continues to find himself caught in a supernatural war between hunters and werewolves. While navigating the complicated roadways of high school, Scott must keep his forbidden romance with Allison a secret and protect himself from new Alpha wolf Derek. Scott will have to trust his instincts above all else if he hopes to end the war in Beacon Hills and keep his friends and family safe.

Director: Larry Clark
Genre: Horror
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: R

This is one abysmal, pathetically boring film. In it a tribe of "teenage cavemen" discover a few monstrous hedonists living with modern conveniences. They are taken in by it all, a girl explodes while fondling herself, people turn into rubber monsters, etc. Other than this, the film really has no plot. Unjaded viewers might find the film offensive or shocking -- jaded viewers however will simply take it as further evidence that LARRY CLARK IS A PEDOPHILE!! Some people think his movies are bold. I do not. Bold films have points to them. Sorry Larry.

Director: David Wain
Genre: Comedy
Studio: City Lights Pictures
Rated: R

Quirky inter-related stories. Standing by two tablets, Jeff promises to introduce ten short stories, each about one of the commandments. A man survives a fall from a plane and his fiancée marries someone else before falling in love with a marionette; a surgeon causes the death of a patient and in prison tries to choose his mate; a woman encounters Jesus in Mexico and later confronts her husband on the Sabbath; twins and their mother reflect on fatherhood; covetous neighbors miss a chance to be heroes; and, between each story, Jeff's love triangle with Gretchen and Liz plays out. In the end, all the characters join in singing that it's all about love.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Rated: PG-13

Like an airport running at peak efficiency, "The Terminal" glides on the consummate skills of its director and star. Having refined their collaborative chemistry on "Saving Private Ryan" and "Catch Me if You Can", Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks mesh like the precision gears of a Rolex, turning a delicate, not-very-plausible scenario into a lovely modern-age fable (partly based on fact) that's both technically impressive and subtly moving. It's Spielberg in Capra mode, spinning the featherweight tale of Victor Navorski (Hanks, giving a finely tuned performance), an Eastern European who arrives at New York's Kennedy Airport just as his (fictional) homeland has fallen to a coup, forcing him, with no valid citizenship, to take indefinite residence in the airport's expansive International Arrivals Terminal (an astonishing full-scale set that inspires Spielberg's most elegant visual strategies). Spielberg said he made this film in part to alleviate the anguish of wartime America, and his master's touch works wonders on the occasionally mushy material; even Stanley Tucci's officious terminal director and Catherine Zeta-Jones's mixed-up flight attendant come off (respectively) as forgivable and effortlessly charming. With this much talent involved, "The Terminal" transcends its minor shortcomings to achieve a rare degree of cinematic grace. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Jonathan Mostow
Genre: Action
Rated: R

John Connor is now in his 20's, and a female terminator, called T-X or Terminatrix, is after him. Another T-101 is sent back through time to protect John once again on the verge of the rise of the machines.

Director: Alan Taylor
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Rated: PG

When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future...

Director: McG
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13

Terminator Salvation restores some of the balance of huge freakin' explosions and emotionally compelling plot to the Terminator series. Set entirely after the nuclear assault that left the computer system Skynet in control of the world, Terminator Salvation follows John Connor (Christian Bale) as he grapples with both murderous robots and his superiors in the resistance, who aren't sure they believe the prophecies that Connor is destined to save humanity. Into the midst of this struggle tumbles Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington, who would later star in James Cameron's Avatar); the last thing he remembers was being executed in prison decades before. Baffled, he falls into company with Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, Star Trek) and a mute little girl, who soon get captured--but Wright then meets and bonds with Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood, Eight Below), a resistance fighter who remains loyal to the confused Wright even though Connor suspects he's not what he seems--or what he believes himself to be. Terminator Salvation isn't the astonishing synthesis of action and feeling that either The Terminator or T2 were; the plot threads are poorly woven and fray completely in the last third of the movie. Despite this, Terminator Salvation has at least two skillfully orchestrated action sequences that will get your heart racing, and Worthington’s beguiling mixture of toughness and vulnerability gives his relationship with Bloodgood a genuine pulse. It's imperfect, but compared with the hollow carcasses that most action movies (including Terminator 3) turn out to be, it's worth seeing. --Bret Fetzer

Director: Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Roger Corman, Jack Hill
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Inspired Corporation
Rated: PG

Back when Jack Nicholson was a Hollywood unknown appearing in Roger Corman quickies such as "Crybaby Killer" and "Little Shop of Horrors", it wasn't unusual for Corman to make a movie in just a few days. That was the case with this nifty little thriller, which was filmed in just three days using the same sets that Corman had used in his Boris Karloff thriller "The Raven", which Corman had finished ahead of schedule. In fact, the sets were being torn down almost as fast as Corman could film them, but that hasn't stopped this moody little gem from acquiring a modicum of cult status over the years. Karloff plays the alleged baron of an isolated castle on the Baltic coast, where a Napoleonic officer (played by Nicholson!) appears after becoming intrigued by the presence of a mysterious and beautiful woman. Karloff's baron has a dark history, of course, and creepy atmosphere makes up for the minimal plot, which makes "The Terror" a vintage treat for horror fans. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Tobe Hooper
Genre: Horror
Studio: Dark Sky Films
Rated: R

This sensational, extremely influential, 1974 low-budget horror movie directed by Tobe Hooper ("Poltergeist", "Lifeforce", "Salem's Lot"), may be notorious for its title, but it's also a damn fine piece of moviemaking. And it's blood-curdling scary, too. Loosely based on the true crimes of Ed Gein (also a partial inspiration for "Psycho"), the original Jeffrey Dahmer, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" follows a group of teenagers who pick up a hitchhiker and wind up in a backwoods horror chamber where they're held captive, tortured, chopped up, and impaled on meat hooks by a demented cannibalistic family, including a character known as Leatherface who maniacally wields one helluva chainsaw. The movie's powerful sense of dread is heightened by its grainy, semi-documentary style--but it also has a wicked sense of humor (and not that camp, self-referential variety that became so tiresome in subsequent horror films of the '70s, '80s, and '90s). OK, in case you couldn't tell, it's "not for everyone." But as a landmark in the development of the horror/slasher genre, it ranks with "Psycho", "Halloween", and "A Nightmare on Elm Street". "--Jim Emerson"

Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Genre: Horror
Studio: New Line Home Video
Rated: NC-17

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" is a prequel to the recent remake of Tobe Hooper's classic 1974 splatter film, with an emphasis on the vogue for torture and bottomless depravity that characterize contemporary horror. As one might expect, "The Beginning" is just that, an origins tale about the Hewitt family of backwoods Texas. Step by step, we discover the source of their taste for human flesh, penchant for snaring young people passing through, and, most of all, how young Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski) came to choose his favorite power tool and wear a mask made of someone else's flesh. R. Lee Ermey is very effective in his perverse authority figure mode as Hoyt, the lawman who earned his badge through unorthodox means and now supplies specialized food to the Lone Star cannibals. Much less interesting than Hooper's two "Massacre" films, "The Beginning" (on which Hooper has a production credit) is not so much a tribute to the films he directed but a more sadistic continuation of the franchise. "--Tom Keogh"

Director: Jason Reitman
Genre: Comedy
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: R

WARNING: Thank You For Smoking "just might make you laugh your head off!" (MAXIM). Aaron Eckhart stars as Nick Naylor, a sexy, charismatic spin-doctor for Big Tobacco who'll fight to protect America's right to smoke -- even if it kills him -- whil

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R

Every relationship has that “so” moment. For a guy like Jason (Zac Efron), that’s where things always end. He’s firmly committed to non-commitment. When the marriage of his friend Mikey (Michael B. Jordan) falls apart, Jason takes it as proof that the single life is for the better. To get Mikey back in the game, Jason enlists him and drinking buddy Daniel (Miles Teller) to take a shared vow: together, they’ll stay single as long as humanly possible. Then along comes Ellie (Imogen Poots), the unpredictable, unforgettable one-night hook-up who changes all the rules. Despite all his instincts, Jason just can’t let her go... and his status is about to get very complicated.

Director: Michael Pavone
Studio: WWE Studios
Rated: PG

Andy Nichol, 12, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict in fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his peers. Unfortunately for Andy, that's all about to change. Andy is put to the test when his English teacher, Mr. Simon (Ed Harris), pairs him up with the school's biggest outcast, Stanley. However, what Andy will soon learn is that there truly was a method behind Mr. Simon's madness as to why he teamed these two up... Not only does Andy discover that being different is acceptable in the end, but most importantly, he starts to understand the value of tolerance and culpability.

Director: Naji Abu Nowar
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Studio: Bayt Al Shawareb
Rated: Not Rated

In the Ottoman province of Hijaz during World War I, a young Bedouin boy experiences a greatly hastened coming-of-age as he embarks on a perilous desert journey to guide a British officer to his secret destination.

Director: Jeff London
Genre: Drama
Studio: 10% Productions
Rated: Unrated

A reunion of family and friends becomes an unforgettable vacation when two teenage boys discover their secret feelings toward one another. The relationship is eventually exposed to their families, leading to denial and the questioning of self-worth for each of the boys. The exposed relationship soon brings to light that one of the boys’ families is hiding a secret regarding their son.

Director: Stephen Fisher, Floyd Mutrux
Genre: Comedy
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Rated: R

I first watched this movie a couple of years ago and automatically it became my all-time favorite movie. It made me cry, laugh, everything. I have watched this movie over and over again, and have not become tired of it yet. I know practically every word in it, and the music is awsome aswell. I have nothing negative to say about this movie. Its a good feeling film that helps us understand what it was like in that generation, in our parents generation. I would recommend this movie to anyone. It's quite a chick flick, no lie, but i think everyone could relate to it in some way or another.

Director: Elliott Hong
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Madacy Records
Rated: PG

Wow the picture quality is just awful, sound is muffled. The DVD looks way worse than the old VHS version. I would buy VHS if you like this movie. The movie is pretty funny even though the gags are really dated. There is a scene where Marsha Warfield (from Night Court) is in jail and she rubs cocaine on her teeth.

Director: Robin Campillo
Studio: Haut et Court
Rated: NR

One morning, a small French city wakes up to discover thousands of recently dead people walking into town. The reason why is a mystery and there is no time to look into it. Hasty reunions - some passionate, some strained - occur with their survivors. But can they be reintegrated into society when their jobs have been filled and their partners have moved on? As officials try to figure out what to do with them, the dead begin behaving in bizarre ways and it becomes apparent that the returnees are not exactly who they used to be. Robin Campillo's (co-writer of Time Out) directorial debut is a provocative look at how society copes with grief and just how hard it is to let go.

Director: Steve Beck
Genre: Horror
Rated: R

Cool sets, gory make-up, and frantic energy are given high priority in this glossy remake of William Castle's 1960 haunted-house chiller. The original boasted its "Illusion-O" ghost-viewing gimmick, so this remake's producers--as they did with 1999's "The House on Haunted Hill"--up the ante on Castle's showmanship by spilling ample amounts of blood, guts, and ghoulish glory. The plot's essentially the same: An impoverished family inherits a luxurious haunted mansion, only this time it's an elaborate, maze-like mechanism of glass, gears, and Latin incantations--"designed by the devil and powered by the dead"--with a cellar full of tormented, undead souls. As the family (including Tony Shalhoub and "American Pie"'s Shannon Elizabeth) enlists the aid of a psychic ("Scream" alumnus Matthew Lillard) and a ghostbusting paranormal (Embeth Davidtz), this updated "13 Ghosts" grows loud and ludicrous, trading shocks for yuks and nuance for nonsense. It's fun, to a point, after which it's just exhausting. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Ron Oliver
Studio: Liberation Ent
Rated: Unrated

A gay detective is hired to find who has been been threatening a notorious member of the gay community noted for outing people. First in a series, based on the novels by Richard Stevenson and set in Albany, NY, rather than in "the big city."

Director: Josef Rusnak
Genre: Horror
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: R

Computer scientist Hannon Fuller (Armin Mueller-Stahl) finds something extremely important. Knowing that he's marked for assassination, he leaves a message in the virtual reality world he's designed, hoping it will be found by colleague Douglas Hall (Craig Bierko). Hall is a suspect in Fuller's murder and indeed finds a bloody shirt in his house, with no recollection of what he did the night before. Hall plunges headlong into Fuller's world (a re-creation of 1937 Los Angeles) to try to unravel the slaying and is soon knee-deep in confusion and trouble. What this film lacks in character depth and plot cohesiveness it makes up for in special effects and high concept. Fans of films like "Blade Runner", "Dark City", "eXistenZ", and even the game Sim City should find this appealing. Of course, there's the question of letting the computers do all the heavy lifting in films while the humans walk through the plot (an all-too-familiar scenario in 1999), but the re-creation of '30s Los Angeles is certainly something to see, pallid script and acting or not. "The Thirteenth Floor" is a stylish modern-day noir that raises questions about technology versus reality, all the while wrapped up in a murder-mystery story line. "--Jerry Renshaw"

Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R

While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.

Director: Martin McDonagh
Genre: Crime, Drama
Studio: Blueprint Pictures
Rated: R

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI is a darkly comic drama from Academy Award nominee Martin McDonagh (In Bruges). After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson), the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon (Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell), an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated.

Director: Mathias Ledoux
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: First Look Pictures
Rated: R

Thomas, a computer programmer, enjoys visiting webcam sites on the internet. One of his favorite sites is that of Cathy, a girl with whom he has developed a friendship, and fallen in love. But while the two are chatting, an intruder enters her room. Thomas has her website address - nothing more - and can only watch in horror as Cathy is brutally murdered. As the only witness, Thomas also becomes a suspect until he and the beautiful detective assigned to the case, Claire, begin to fall in love. In order to draw out the true killer, they start their own website using Claire as bait. But are they setting themselves up to be the next victims and risking a chance at a relationship beyond the computer screen and key pad?

Director: Gaël Morel
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Tla
Rated: NR

This explosive film from Gaël Morel, award winning French writer-director (Full Speed, Under Another Sky) and actor (Wild Reeds), is a harrowing, intense drama of destruction, rebellion, redemption and love. Set against the backdrop of a sultry countryside near the French Alps, three motherless brothers collectively face the challenges of adulthood. There is Marc (Nicolas Cazale), a burgeoning criminal; Christophe (Stephane Rideau, Come Undone), who is trying to re-start his life after prison; and Olivier (Thomas Dumarchez), a capoeira fighter in love. As the young brothers wrestle with their transitions into manhood, they must each escape the tyrannical rule of their father to carve out their own places in life. Stunning cinematography and powerful performances help make Three Dancing Slaves an erotic, breathtaking film about family and the struggle of making your mark on the world around you.

Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: PG

The Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, Curly) are on a mission. Left on a doorstep of an Orphanage run by nuns, the young Trio grows up finger-poking, nyuk-nyuking and woo-woo-wooing their way into trouble. Now years later, with the Orphanage forced to close its doors, the Three Stooges embark on a wacky mission to save the Orphanage. Hilarious Mischief and Mayhem ensues.

Director: Mike Mills (II)
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: R

A sterling cast--including Vince Vaughn, Keanu Reeves, Vincent D'Onofrio, and especially Tilda Swinton--lifts this coming-of-age story above the norm. Justin (Lou Pucci, "Personal Velocity") is 17, yet he still sucks his thumb. Depressed, he frets that his parents (D'Onofrio, "Full Metal Jacket", and Swinton, "Orlando") are going to split up, that he has no focus in life, and that the girl he longs for can never love him--until his orthodontist (Reeves, "The Matrix") hypnotizes Justin into quitting his thumbsucking, and a questionable diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder results in medication that launches him into a wave of over-achievement. The script, though it has some clever flourishes, never lifts beyond typical adolescent turmoil, but thanks to wonderfully vivid and multi-layered performances (including Vaughn, "Wedding Crashers", as a debate teacher with hair issues), the movie never flags. Swinton also executive-produced the movie; she clearly saw in this suburban mother a character she could invest with as much emotion and intensity as the angel Gabriel ("Constantine") or the White Witch of Narnia ("The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"). It's rich, intricate acting, never showy, yet mesmerizing. "Thumbsucker" also features Benjamin Bratt ("Pinero") and Kelli Garner ("Man of the House"). "--Bret Fetzer"

Director: George Lucas
Genre: Drama
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: R

Two-Disc Special Edition:
* Digitally remastered with THX certified sound
* Commentary by George Lucas and co-writer/sound effects editor Walter Murch
* "Theatre of Noise" sound-effects track with branching segments to 13 master sessions with Walter Murch
* 2 New documentaries: "A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope" and "Artifacts from the Future: The Making of THX 1138"
* George Lucas's original student film "THX-11384EB"
* "Bald": 1971 production featurette
* Five new trailers from the 2004 theatrical release
* Original theatrical trailer

Director: Simon Wells
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Rated: PG-13

While the 1960 version of "The Time Machine" remains a science fiction classic, this adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel benefits from a dazzling CGI facelift. Digital wizardry shows us the awesome splendor of eons passing in an eye blink, while Wells's heroic time traveler--played with appealing conviction by "Memento"'s Guy Pearce--is given a stronger motivation for piloting his time machine 800,000 years into the future. Long after New York City has crumbled and the moon shattered by a nuclear accident, Pearce finds a new home with the peacefully primitive Eloi, after confronting the subterranean Morlocks (courtesy of Stan Winson's monster shop) and their evil overlord (Jeremy Irons in wicked, pigmentless makeup). Trading Wells's social commentary for pure adventure, director Simon Wells (the author's great-grandson) maintains the story's legacy of wonder, despite a few hokey embellishments. Catering to a younger audience, this "Time Machine" is fun without being particularly distinguished--a treat for the eyes, if not the brain. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Richard Donner
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13

Just enough of Michael Crichton's novel survives in "Timeline" to make it a passable popcorn thriller. It's likely that Crichton fans will lament the shallowness of director Richard Donner's film, and its gee-whiz style of acting lays waste to any scientific credibility that Crichton's scenario might have retained. Still, the Crichton formula is a sturdy one, following the model of "Westworld" and "Jurassic Park" by involving a small band of adventurers in a fantastical realm of danger and death. In this case, a group of archaeologists and combat experts (led by Paul Walker and Frances O'Connor) use a "3-D fax machine" (so much for technobabble!) to time-travel back to France in 1357, in hopes of retrieving Walker's father (Billy Connolly) and returning safely to the present. No such luck! Fending for themselves against marauding hordes of medieval French warriors at war with the invading British, these semi-intrepid travelers find their body count rising, and the deadline for their return home is rapidly approaching. All well and good, so far, and the castles-and-crossbows action reaches a fever pitch, but it's obvious that Donner's too lazy to make the much better film that this could and should have been. Despite its enjoyable highlights, "Timeline" is perfunctory entertainment. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Brianne Murphy
Genre: Drama
Studio: Peacock Films
Rated: PG-13

Director: Keith Froelich
Genre: Drama
Studio: Picture This
Rated: Unrated

A modest knockoff of "My Own Private Idaho", "The Toilers and the Wayfarers" rests heavily on the well-sculpted shoulders (and more) of its young hero, Dieter (Matt Klemp). Dieter and his friend Phillip (Andrew Woodhouse) are outcasts in the German-American town of New Ulm, Minnesota. Phillip, who knows that he's gay, runs away to Minneapolis. Dieter starts to hang out more with Udo (Ralf Schirg), a recent immigrant from Germany who's a bit of a boozer and a loose cannon. The two of them also flee New Ulm for the big city, where Dieter discovers that Phillip has become a street hustler. But Dieter has also discovered his own sexuality, and the two friends become lovers. Grainy black-and-white cinematography gives "The Toilers and the Wayfarers" a striking look. The script meanders a bit but has a forthright charm, much like its star. "--Bret Fetzer"

Director: Xavier Dolan
Genre: Drama, Thriller, TV Movie
Studio: MK2 Productions
Rated: Unrated

The story of Tom, who is in the grip of grief and depression following the death of his lover. When he meets the family of the deceased, it is revealed the mother was not aware of her son's sexual orientation, or his relationship with Tom either, for that matter.

Director: Jo Kastner
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, TV Movie
Studio: cine-partners
Rated: PG-13

The adventure unfolds as Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn - Tom's friend from the streets - witness a murder in the graveyard. Tom and Huck flee to Jackson Island and make a pact never to tell anyone about the incident. However, when the good-natured Muff Potter, who has been blamed for the murder is sentenced to death by hanging, Tom breaks his promise and returns to exonerate Muff Potter. In jun Joe, the actual murderer, makes a hasty exit from the courtroom during the trial. A short time later, Tom and Huck find references to a treasure and have to face In jun Joe again.

Director: Brad Bird
Genre: Action, Adventure, Family, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Rated: PG

Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as "Tomorrowland."

Director: Len Wiseman
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: Unrated

Director: Gregg Araki
Genre: Drama

Gay teen angst...

Director: Nelson McCormick, Michael Waxman, Stephen Williams
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: NR

Kiefer Sutherland (24) makes a triumphant return to TV in this smart and hopeful drama about the ties that bind all of us together. Single father Martin Bohm (Sutherland) struggles to raise his emotionally challenged son Jake. But Martin soon discovers that Jake possesses an amazing gift: the ability to see the hidden patterns of numbers that connect every life on the planet. With the help of a brilliant professor (Danny Glover), Martin learns to communicate with Jake and help people around the world. Blending science and spirituality, this unique series will touch you in ways you never thought possible.

Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner
Genre: Drama
Studio: Lions Gate
Rated: R

"Trade", a controversial drama that aims to enlighten viewers to the horrors of the international sex slave trade, functions in a somewhat documentary mode due to its purposefully repellent nature. Written by Jose Rivera, who also adapted to screen the "Motorcycle Diaries", Trade opens in Mexico City where a tourist, Weronika (Alicja Bachleda-Curus), is kidnapped right before a thirteen year-old Mexican girl, Adriana (Paulina Gaitan) is yanked off her bike and pushed into a black Mercedes. Quickly, the two young women meet in various squalid conditions, alternating turns of abuse and rape with sleazy men who prepare them for international sale over the Internet. A vengeful plot kicks in once Adriana's brother, Jorge (Cesar Ramos) and Texas policeman, Ray Sheridan (Kevin Kline), fatefully unite to rescue Adriana in hopes of eliminating this repugnant operation. "Trade" is nothing short of a melodrama; the script is overwrought, and many scenes are morbid and graphic. When Adriana has been captured by U.S. border patrol, sits in prison, and a Texas high school student offers her, in Spanish, friendship and an issue of Glamour magazine, one feels the soap opera line being crossed. However, the political message in "Trade" is strong and preaching aside, viewers may realize that any exposure of women's rights violations is for the greater good. —"Trinie Dalton"

Director: Danny Boyle
Studio: Fox Searchlight
Rated: R

From ACADEMY AWARDr-Winning director Danny Boyle* (Slumdog Millionaire) comes an 'exhilarating brain-twister' (New York Post)! After a blow to the head during his attempted robbery of a $27 million Goya painting, Simon (James McAvoy, X-Men: First Class), a fine-art auctioneer, awakens to find that the painting - and his memory - are missing. Forced by his ruthless crime partner Franck (Vincent Cassel, Black Swan) to undergo hypnosis, Simon enters into a deadly love triangle with his seductive hypnotist (Rosario Dawson, Sin City). As the plot twists, the line between reality and dream becomes blurred in this fast-paced, unpredictable, 'sexy and suspenseful' (Empire) thriller.

Director: Duncan Tucker
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Weinstein Company
Rated: R

Felicity Huffman deserves every award she's received for her outstanding performance in "Transamerica", a small but rich movie about Bree--formerly Stanley--a pre-operative male-to-female transexual awaiting gender-reassignment surgery who learns she has a wayward teenage son named Toby. When her therapist (Elizabeth Peña, "Jacob's Ladder") strongarms Bree into facing her past, she bails Toby (Kevin Zegers, "Dawn of the Dead") out of jail and they end up on a road trip across the country. Such a premise could feel forced, but the script and performances make it persuasive and natural. Bree wrestles with discomfort and compassion as she learns about Toby's own troubles, even while her own grow worse when she's forced to ask for help from her hostile parents (the superb Fionnula Flanagan, "The Others", and Burt Young, "Rocky"). "Transamerica" doesn't push for any great catharsis, but instead slowly peels away the layers of Bree's defenses, laying bare her basic struggle for respect and a chance at happiness. In many ways it's a showy role, but Huffman ("Desperate Housewives") keeps her acting simple, direct, and thoroughly compelling. "--Bret Fetzer"

Director: Luis Mandoki
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: R

Kevin Bacon and Charlize Theron square off in a smarter-than-average kidnapping thriller. Joe (Bacon), Cheryl (Courtney Love), and Marvin (Pruitt Taylor Vince) are a kidnapping team with the perfect plan. Perfect, that is, until they pick on the wrong wholesome but incredibly feisty young family. There's the plot, and boom--you're off. Though it certainly hits all the right buttons, "Trapped" is far from a by-the-numbers suspense movie. There are a few genuinely surprising plot twists, and while many movies dull their villains' edges by cartoonishly over- or underplaying their evil, "Trapped" is refreshingly unafraid to make Joe realistically, skin-crawlingly vile. Even our heroes turn out to have surprising sadistic streaks. Toward the end, the movie takes a sharp right turn toward the ludicrous, with nearly every major character making at least one completely illogical decision, but by that point you're already strapped in, so you may as well just sit back and enjoy. "--Ali Davis"

Director: Erik Poppe
Genre: Drama, Music
Studio: Paradox Spillefilm
Rated: See all certifications

A man convicted in his teens for killing a child is released on parole. He finds work as a church organist and develops a rewarding relationship with a priest and her young son. However, his caring for the boy catches the attention of his old victim's mother, bringing to the surface her bad memories and unanswered questions. This draws them both into troubled waters, having to learn when to hold on and when to let go.

Director: Michael J. Saul
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Water Bearer Films, Inc

I must admit that when this DVD arrived in the mail I took one look at the cover art and thought "what the hell have I wasted my money on?" But, to my surprise, this wonderful compilation of short films (that felt incredibly true to life) turned out to be a great purchase! All the stories are gay themed, and all deal with topics that will resonate with damn near anyone, gay or straigt. They run the gamut from the emergernce of gay identity through youthful innocence to the horror of child molestation (my personal favorite story). The writing is impeccable and very, very credible. Michael J. Saul, the film's impassioned and smart director, has a magnificent way with actors that shows throughout this impressive production. What's most amazing, though, is he made this film for $10,000 using two digital cameras, final cut pro, and a lot of love and dedication from an all volunteer cast and crew. This is a success story of talent, sweat equity and very sound decisionmaking paying off. I applaud Mr. Saul for a job well done and urge anyone reading this review to purchase his DVD, make some popcorn, invite a few friends over and enjoy a remarkably touching show.

Director: Rupert Goold
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Regency Enterprises
Rated: R

Jonah Hill plays Michael Finkel, a recently terminated New York Times journalist who's struggling for work after a story gone wrong. One day, he receives a phone call from a man regarding an FBI Most Wanted individual named Christian Longo, who's been captured and claimed to be living as Finkel. Longo and Finkel meet and form a potentially marriage shattering bond while Longo is in prison awaiting his trial. Finkel exchanges journalism tips for the real events behind Longo's alleged heinous acts of murdering his family. Through the twists and turns in the movie, only at the end will Finkel uncover the True Story.

Director: Eli Craig
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Studio: Reliance Big Pictures
Rated: R

Two lovable West Virginian hillbillies are headed to their "fixer-upper" vacation cabin to drink some beer, do some fishin', and have a good time. But when they run into a group of preppy college kids who assume from their looks that they must be in-bred, chainsaw-wielding killers, Tucker & Dale's vacation takes a bloody and hilarious turn for the worse.

Director: John Stockwell
Genre: Drama
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: R

If not for "Hostel", we'd never have been treated to the gory, horrific delights so lovingly captured with sadistic detail in "Turistas". Together, these movies could be spawning a radical new Hollywood-pedigreed sub-genre of extreme horror. Like "Hostel", "Turistas" concerns a group of American hardbodied kids on an exotic foreign vacation--this time in Brazil. After a suspense-filled opening sequence of a speeding bus careening off a dangerous mountain (it's also tinged with just the right kind of humor), the kids wander into the seeming paradise of a secluded beachfront resort where they think nothing of locals who lure them one by one to their gruesome and shocking deaths. Hey, they're here to party! These excruciatingly graphic scenes unfold in the lair of a madman doctor named Zamora, who harvests organs of the still-living as a way of exacting revenge on American turistas to "give back" to the locals they exploit with their capitalist dollars. One such scene has the donor undergoing surgery without the help of anesthesia wherein the lovely young "patient" has the chance to see her still thriving innards pulsing warmly on her well-formed chest to the tune of her own screams. This stuff is not for the faint of heart (or liver, or kidney, or lungs, for that matter). But there is a fair amount of nicely staged tension, especially a "foot" chase scene in a water-filled cave that will give claustrophobics a whole new way to experience nightmares. The two most familiar faces are Melissa George and Josh Duhamel, from TV's "Alias" and "Vegas" respectively. Fans of this new world of extreme gross-out horror should be thankful that TV has plenty of cute young bodies waiting for their big screen break, no matter how many organs they have to donate to get there." --Ted Fry"

Director: Kevin Smith
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Horror
Studio: Demarest Films
Rated: R

When podcaster Wallace travels to Canada to interview someone, he winds up meeting a strange man named Howe who has many stories to tell about his past life during his interview. Wallace wakes up the next day finding out Howe isn't the person he thought he was. Howe has plans to surgically and mentally turn Wallace into a walrus.

Director: Sam Maccarone
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Xenon
Rated: R

National Lampoon's TV: The Movie is a celebration of the ever-increasing ridiculousness of society reflected through television…oh, who are we trying to kid? We just wanted to break stuff, throw Steve-O off a building and get some chicks naked. Biting sketch comedy combined with "Jackassian" stunts form the basis of this demented channel-surfing adventure for the unfocused youth of the world. This spoof comedy stars pop-culture icons of the past and present Lee Majors, Judd Nelson and the cast of "Jackass"! From "Fear Factor" to "Wife Swap" to "The Apprentice" to "Girls Gone Wild", nothing is off limits. So sit back, relax and let us change the channel for you.

Director: Eric Johnson
Genre: Drama
Studio: Maverick
Rated: NR

I recieved "Tweek City" off of amazon.com last week and spent my Friday night with it. (I have a bit of a thing for Giuseppe Andrews and have been waiting for this movie for awhile.) I honestly can say that I enjoyed the movie very much. A lot of it I didn't expect at all, but who really purchases a film in hopes of seeing a girl get puked on or a "Cleveland Steemer"? Some of it reminded me of the times I used to get messed up with friends...and made me appreciate that I'm not living that lifestyle anymore. Still, it felt like a love story for the demented at heart...because if a past love crashed my wedding and put a gun in my face, I'd probably have to shag him. Random events of random people's lives, it felt more like a documentary than fiction. Because the truth is, somebody out there is living that life. It's 2007, a large percentage of the world is living that life.

Director: Wade Radford, Jason Impey
Studio: Live Wire
Rated: Unrated

Director: Jacob Tierney
Genre: Drama
Studio: Strand Home Video
Rated: R

Twist is a calmly lucid re-telling of Charles Dickens' classic Oliver Twist, updated to current times and moved out of the poor house and onto the streets of Toronto. Told from the point of view of The Artful Dodger (Nick Stahl), Twist is no longer a tale of the misfortunes of boys, but rather about the prosaically beautiful Oliver who falls into the hands of down-and-out young men. Dodge takes the young man under his wing and instructs him in the unforgiving arts of drug abuse and prostitution. As Oliver's innocence dissolves, both young men confront inner and outer demons and, strangely, it is Dodge who finds he cannot escape his past.

Director: Philip Kaufman
Genre: Mystery & Suspense
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R

With a tawdry plot and a short list of suspects, "Twisted" gives armchair detectives an easy chance to figure out whodunit. Critics roasted this pulpy potboiler, in which Ashley Judd (attempting to repeat the thriller success she had with "Double Jeopardy" and "High Crimes") plays a San Francisco homicide detective who is her own prime suspect in an ongoing serial murder case, in which all of the victims are men she recently slept with. These one-night stands, and a problem with alcoholic blackouts, make Judd's wine-drinking character the loose cannon on the case, and her partner (Andy Garcia) and police commissioner mentor (Samuel L. Jackson) have their own reasons for wanting the case to close. Apparently nobody bothered to point out numerous weaknesses in Sarah Thorp's B-movie screenplay, and with no apparent interest in the proceedings, director Philip Kaufman ("The Right Stuff") allows Judd to look silly, Garcia to overact, and the whole movie to unfold in murky darkness and dimly lit rooms. Kaufman, Judd, and her costars are capable of better. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Otis Turner
Genre: Music Video & Concerts
Studio: Razor & Tie
Rated: NR

Twisted Sister ruled the airwaves and MTV in the 1980's with such monster hits as "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock." To date, the band has sold over 12 million albums worldwide and boasts 34 silver, gold and platinum certifications from 22 countries! Building on the band's huge fan base and the success of last year's "A Twisted Christmas" Holiday album, this DVD is the perfect stocking stuffer for all your rockers!
And now, Christmas just got a little more twisted!
Twisted Sister's "A Twisted Christmas Live" DVD captures the band's holiday 2006 show at New Jersey's Legendary Starland Ballroom, featuring performances of their greatest hits as well as Christmas songs from last year's holiday breakout album "A Twisted Christmas". Twisted sister's "...Live" DVD release will ignite the passions of the press and fans again - expect more madness this holiday season!

Director: Peter Jackson
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: New Line Home Video
Rated: PG-13

The extended edition of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" was perhaps the most comprehensive DVD release to date, and its follow-up proves a similarly colossal achievement, with significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features. The extended version of "The Two Towers" adds 43 minutes to the theatrical version's 179-minute running time, and there are valuable additions to the film. Two new scenes might appease those who feel that the characterization of Faramir was the film's most egregious departure from the book, and fans will appreciate an appearance of the Huorns at Helm's Deep plus a nod to the absence of Tom Bombadil. Seeing a little more interplay between the gorgeous Eowyn and Aragorn is welcome, as is a grim introduction to Eomer and Theoden's son. And among the many other additions, there's an extended epilogue that might not have worked in the theater, but is more effective here in setting up "The Return of the King". While the 30 minutes added to "The Fellowship of the Ring" felt just right in enriching the film, the extra footage in "The Two Towers" at times seems a bit extraneous--we "see" moments that in the theatrical version we had been told about, and some fleshed-out conversations and incidents are rather minor. But director Peter Jackson's vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's world is so marvelous that it's hard to complain about any extra time we can spend there.
While it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended "Fellowship", the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on "The Two Towers" remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version. Highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations, and the creation of Gollum, and--most intriguing for rabid fans--the film's writers (including Jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. Providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches, and a sound-mixing demonstration. Again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including John Noble, whose Denethor character only appears in this extended cut). The first two installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition DVD sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already-epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features. "--David Horiuchi"