Milk

"Harvey Milk" - (Official title of this movie is "Milk") - "Harvey Milk" (1930-1978) was an activist and politician, and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in America; in 1977, he was voted to the city supervisors' board of San Francisco. The following year, both he and the city's mayor George Moscone were shot to death by another city supervisor, Dan White. Harvey Milk, the man, was previously the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary feature "The Times of Harvey Milk" (1984), directed by Rob Epstein and produced by Richard Schmiechen. Oscar nominated director Gus Van Sant's "Milk" is the first non-documentary feature to explore the man's life and career.

STARRING: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Diego Luna, Victor Garber, Denis O'Hare, Stephen Spinella
DIRECTOR: Gus Van Sant
STUDIO: Focus Features
RATING: R (For strong language, violence, sexual situations)

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Four Christmases

"Four Christmases" in one day.

As they brace themselves for a marathon of homecomings, Brad and Kate expect the worst--and that's exactly what they get. But as Brad counts down the minutes to their freedom, Kate surprisingly finds herself tuned to the ticking of a different clock.

At the end of the day, each will gain a new perspective on where they came from...and where they're going. Getting to know themselves and each other as they really are could finally give them a chance at the kind of love they've only been playing at.

STARRING: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Voight, Sissy Spacek
DIRECTOR: Seth Gordon
STUDIO: Warner Bros.
RATING: PG-13 (For language, adult situations)

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Australia

"Australia: The Movie" - A romantic action-adventure set in northern "Australia" prior to World War II, the movie "Australia" centers on an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) who inherits a ranch the size of Maryland. When English cattle barons plot to take her land, she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle driver (Hugh Jackman of the upcoming "Wolverine") to drive 2000 head of cattle across hundreds of miles of the country's most unforgiving land, only to still face the bombing of Darwin, "Australia" by the Japanese forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor only months earlier. With his new film, "Australia," Baz Luhrmann (who catapulted Nicole Kidman to fame in "Moulin Rouge") painted on a vast canvas, and created a cinematic experience that brings together romance, drama, adventure and spectacle.

Perhaps Baz Luhrmann will have better luck with Nicole Kidman in this epic than Ron Howard did with her in the dreadful "Far And Away." Although, Wild About Movies grade for "Australia" isn't much better than the grade Tim Nasson, publisher of Wild About Movies, gave "Far And Away" over a decade ago.

STARRING: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown
DIRECTOR: Baz Luhrmann
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox
RATING: PG-13 (For language, sexual situations, violence)

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Bolt

"Disney's Bolt 3D" - A TV star dog (voiced by John Travolta) drinks martinis with starlets and showboats on sets until he is suddenly abandoned in his trailer in the Nevada desert where he meets up with a radioactive rabbit and a one-eyed cat who are trying to find new homes. "Disney's Bolt 3D" has been renamed. The original title was "American Dog." Perhaps Disney didn't want the movie confused with their movie box office bomb of Summer 2007, "Underdog."

STARRING The Voices of: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Mark Walton, Susie Essman, James Lipton, Malcolm McDowell, Diedrich Bader
DIRECTORS: Byron Howard, Chris Williams
STUDIO: Walt Disney Pictures
RATING: PG (For mild crude humor)

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Twilight

"Twilight" - Director Catherine Hardwicke brings a worldwide literary phenomenon to life on the big screen in Twilight, the story of the passionate and unexpected romance between a teenage girl and a mysterious and irresistible vampire. Kristen Stewart (Into the Wild) and Robert Pattinson (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) star as a post-modern Romeo and Juliet in an action-filled and suspenseful adventure with a supernatural bite.
Based on the best-selling novel by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight focuses on two young lovers, swept away by destiny, who destroy the delicate balance between the hunter and the hunted with dangerous consequences. The film also stars Taylor Lautner ("My Own Worst Enemy"), Billy Burke ("24"), Peter Facinelli ("Damages," The Scorpion King), Elizabeth Reaser ("The Ex List"), Nikki Reed (Thirteen), Ashley Green ("Desire"), Jackson Rathbone ("Beautiful People"), Kellan Lutz (Prom Night), Cam Gigandet (Never Back Down), Edi Gathegi (Gone, Baby, Gone) and Rachelle Lefevre ("Swingtown").

STARRING: Kristen Stewart, Peter Facinelli, Robert Pattinson, Justin Chon, Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Rachelle Lefevre, Michael Welch
DIRECTOR: Catherine Hardwicke
STUDIO: Summit Entertainment
RATING: PG-13 (For violence, language, adult situations)

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Quantum of Solace

In "Quantum Of Solace," betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (JUDI DENCH) interrogate Mr White (JESPER CHRISTENSEN) who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Forensic intelligence links an Mi6 traitor to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille (OLGA KURYLENKO), a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene (MATHIEU AMALRIC), a ruthless business man and major force within the mysterious organisation.

On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world's most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano (JOAQUIN COSIO). Using his associates in the organisation, and manipulating his powerful contacts within the CIA and the British government, Greene promises to overthrow the existing regime in a Latin American country, giving the General control of the country in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of land.

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How About You

"How About You" - Starring Academy Award Winners Vanessa Redgrave and Brenda Fricker, and Academy Award Nominee Imelda Staunton, the movie "How About You?" is based on a short story by Maeve Binchy. Ellie (Hayley Atwell), a free-spirited and headstrong young woman, is left in charge of a residential home, owned and operated by her older sister Kate (Orla Brady), over the Christmas holidays. Her youth and inexperience bring her into bitter conflict with the four grumpy old residents known as the “Hard Core”: retired screen beauty Georgia (Vanessa Redgrave), spinster sisters Hazel (Imelda Staunton) and Heather (Brenda Fricker), and a reformed alcoholic judge, Donald (Joss Ackland). The film deals with the hilarious antics of these uncivilized seniors, the gradual solidarity that develops between the residents and Ellie, and an unlikely romance.

STARRING: Vanessa Redgrave, Brenda Fricker, Joss Ackland, Imelda Staunton, Orla Brady, Hayley Atwell
DIRECTOR: Anthony Byrne
STUDIO: Strand Releasing
RATING: Not Rated (Language, adult situations)

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Slumdog Millionaire

The Danny ("Trainspotting") Boyle movie "Slumdog Millionaire" tells the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Intrigued by Jamal's story, the jaded Police Inspector begins to wonder what a young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out...

The movie "Slumdog Millionaire" won the Best Picture Award at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival.

STARRING: Mia Drake, Imran Hasnee, Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto
DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle
STUDIO: Fox Searchlight
RATING: R (For language, adult situations, violence)

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Soul Men

The comedy "Soul Men" is not the sequel to the 1980s film "Soul Man," rather the late Bernie Mac's last motion picture.

In the movie "Soul Men," the two remaining members of the popular soul band, The Real Deal, from the 1970's, Floyd Henderson, now a retired businessman, and ne'er-do-well, ex-convict, Louis Hinds, take a road trip to the Apollo Theater for a musical tribute to their recently deceased front man, Marcus Hook.

As they travel cross country in a series of adventures and misdventures, they air old grievances about thirty year old betrayals and learn the music's still in them.

STARRING: Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Sharon Leal, Affion Crockett and P.J. Byrne
DIRECTOR: Malcolm D. Lee
STUDIO: MGM
RATING: PG-13 (For adult situations, language)

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Eden Lake

In the British horror movie "Eden Lake" nursery teacher Jenny and her boyfriend Steve, escape for a romantic weekend away. Steve, planning to propose, has found an idyllic setting: a remote lake enclosed by woodlands and seemingly deserted. The couple's peace is shattered when a gang of obnoxious kids encircles their campsite. Reveling in provoking the adults, the gang steals the couple's belongings and vandalizes their car leaving them completely stranded. When Steve confronts them, tempers flare and he suffers a shocking and violent attack. Fleeing for help, Jenny is subject to a brutal and relentless game of cat-and-mouse as she desperately tries to evade her young pursuers and find her way out of the woods. Exhausted and distraught, she finally arrives back to the safety of the town. And meets the parents...

STARRING: Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Thomas Turgoose, Bronson Webb, Finn Atkins, James Gandhi
DIRECTOR: James Watkins
STUDIO: The incompetents at The Weinstein Co. who couldn't even produce a US poster - or website - for the movie they are releasing in the United States
RATING: R (For strong brutal violence, pervasive language, nudity, drug use)

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Splinter

In the movie "Splinter" a young couple retreats to the wilderness for a romantic camping weekend, but their idyll is shattered when they are carjacked by an escaped convict and his girlfriend on the run from the police. As the foursome travel the back roads together, each plotting their next move, they find themselves in deeper trouble than any of them could have imagined -- a blood-crazed, parasitic creature that absorbs the corpses of its victims has laid claim to the woods, and the two couples are now in its sights. Finding shelter at an abandoned gas station, they must use their wits and every weapon at their disposal to stave off the onslaught, not only from the insatiable creature, but also each other.... The feature film debut from award-winning British horror director Toby Wilkins, "Splinter" is an exhilarating ride of jolts and laughs, and a throw back to the classic creature features of the early 70s and 80s.

STARRING: Charles Baker, Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo, Shea Whighham, Rachel Kerbs, Laurel Whitsett
DIRECTOR: Toby Wilkins
STUDIO: Magnolia Pictures
RATING: R (For graphic violence, language, nudity)

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Passengers

"Passengers" - After a plane crash, a young therapist, Claire (Anne Hathaway), is assigned by her mentor (Andre Braugher) to counsel the flight's five survivors. When they share their recollections of the incident -- which some say include an explosion that the airline claims never happened -- Claire is intrigued by Eric (Patrick Wilson), the most secretive of the passengers. Just as Claire's professional relationship with Eric -- despite her better judgment -- blossoms into a romance, the survivors begin to disappear mysteriously, one by one. Claire suspects that Eric may hold all the answers and becomes determined to uncover the truth, no matter the consequences.

STARRING: Anne Hathaway, Patrick Wilson, David Morse, Dianne Wiest, Andre Braugher, Clea DuVall
DIRECTOR: Rodrigo Garcia
STUDIO: Columbia Pictures
RATING: PG-13 (For thematic elements including

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Pride and Glory

The big screen movie "Pride And Glory" is a saga centered on a multi-generational family of New York City police officers. The family's moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney (Edward Norton), investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law (Colin Farrell). For Ray, the truth is revelatory, a Pandora's Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD.

The theatrical release of "Pride & Glory" was originally scheduled for a March 2008 theatrical release and then pushed back one year to a TBD 2009 slot. Not a good sign. Currently, "Pride and Glory" has a release date of October 24, 2008 - according to the official website - and two new "Pride & Glory" movie posters, featured on this Wild About Movies page.

STARRING: Colin Farrell, Ed Norton, Jon Voight, Noah Emmerich
DIRECTOR: Gavin O'Connor
STUDIO: New Line Cinema
RATING: R (For language, violence, drug use)

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Let the Right One In

"Let The Right One In" - A fragile, anxious twelve year old boy, Oskar, is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates but never fights back. The lonely boy's wish for a friend seems to come true when he meets Eli, also twelve, who moves in next door to him. But Eli's arrival coincides with a series of gruesome deaths and attacks. Though Oskar realizes that Eli is a vampire, his friendship with her is stronger than his fear. The movie "Let The Right One In" is an instant classic and is one of - if not 'the' most critically acclaimed vampire movie ever. In the movie "Let The Right One In," Swedish filmmaker Tomas Alfredson weaves friendship, rejection and loyalty into a disturbing, darkly atmospheric, yet unexpectedly tableau of adolescence.

Forget about "Twilight" and "Let The Right One In."

STARRING: Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson
DIRECTOR: Tomas Alfredson
STUDIO: Magnolia Pictures
RATING: R (For language, violence, nudity)

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Changeling

In the film "Changeling" Christine Collins' (Angelina Jolie) prayers are met when her kidnapped son is returned. But amidst the frenzy of the photo-op reunion, she realizes this child is not hers. Facing corrupt police and a skeptical public, she desperately hunts for answers, only to be confronted by a truth that will change her forever.

Los Angeles, 1928: On a Saturday morning in a working-class suburb, Christine said goodbye to her son, Walter, and left for work. When she came home, she discovered he had vanished. A fruitless search ensues, and months later, a boy claiming to be the nine-year-old is returned. Dazed by the swirl of cops, reporters and her conflicted emotions, Christine allows him to stay overnight. But in her heart, she knows he is not Walter.

As she pushes authorities to keep looking, she learns that in Prohibition-era L.A., women don't challenge the system and live to tell their story. Slandered as delusional and unfit, Christine finds an ally in activist Reverend Briegleb (John Malkovich), who helps her fight the city to look for her missing boy. Based on the actual incident that rocked California's legal system, "Changeling" tells the shocking tale of a mother's quest to find her son, and those who won't stop until they silence her.

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Sex Drive

In the movie "Sex Drive" eighteen-year-old Ian Lafferty sets out on a cross country drive with his best friends Lance and Felicia in order to lose his virginity to a red-hot babe he met on the Internet. But the journey, filled with hilarious misadventures and raunchy escapades, teaches all three more than they expected about life and love. Randy, raucous and unexpectedly romantic, "Sex Drive" follows three friends on the road trip of a lifetime!

Ian Lafferty (Josh Zuckerman) can’t seem to catch a break. He’s taunted by his cocksure older brother Rex, shown up in the romance department by his 14-year-old younger brother and humiliated by his job at a mall donut shop. But Ian’s biggest problem is that he’s about to start college as a virgin!

Getting nowhere with the girl of his dreams and longtime “best friend” Felicia (Amanda Crew), Ian resorts to the Internet for dates. He soon hooks up with Ms. Tasty, a flaming hot blonde who can’t wait to get busy. The only catch: Ian has to drive 500 miles from Chicago to Knoxville to consummate the deal.


STARRING: James Marsden, Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew, Clark Duke, Alice Greczyn, Cole Petersen, Camille Guaty, Seth Green, Dave Koechner
DIRECTOR: Sean Anders
STUDIO: Summit Entertainment
RATING: R (For language, sexual situations, nudity)


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The Secret Life of Bees

Set in South Carolina in 1964, the film version of "The Secret Life of Bees" is the moving tale of Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), her black caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping, honey and the Black Madonna.

STARRING: Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Sophie Okonedo, Alicia Keys, Paul Bettany, Hilarie Burton, Nate Parker
DIRECTOR: Gina Prince-Bythewood
STUDIO: Fox Searchlight
RATING: PG-13 (For adult situations, language)

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Max Payne

"Max Payne" - Based on the legendary, hard-hitting interactive video game, (from Rockstar Games), the movie "Max Payne" tells the story of a maverick cop determined to track down those responsible for the brutal murder of his family and partner. Hell-bent on revenge, his obsessive investigation takes him on a nightmare journey into a dark underworld. As the mystery deepens, "Max Payne" (Mark Wahlberg) is forced to battle enemies beyond the natural world and face an unthinkable betrayal.

STARRING: Mark Wahlberg, Chris O'Donnell, Beau Bridges, Ludacris, Mila Kunis, Donal Logue
DIRECTOR: John Moore
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox
RATING: PG-13 (For violence, language, adult situations)


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Filth and Wisdom

"Filth And Wisdom" - Madonna's comedy/drama - yes, she directed this 'movie' - "Filth And Wisdom," centers on three flatmates living desperate lives in London - and was initially intended as a short film, the kind that never sees the darkness of movie theaters or given a respectable DVD release. And the movie, in its current version, is short, coming in at under 90 minutes. Nonetheless, "Filth And Wisdom" will get an exclusive NYC theatrical run, at the IFC Film Center - (where it will undoubtedly sell out, thanks to all the NYC queens who presumably will show up wanting to see another Madonna movie on the big screen no matter how horrid) - coinciding with video-on-demand availability. In the movie "Filth And Wisdom" the intertwining plotlines track, among other characters, a man who spanks for money, a chemist and a pole dancer.

STARRING: Ade, Olegar Fedoro, Gogol Bordello, Richard E. Grant, Eugene Hutz, Vicky Mclure, Holly Weston
DIRECTOR: Madonna
STUDIO: IFC
RATING: Not Rated (Foul language, nudity, adult situations, sexual situations)

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Flashbacks of a Fool

"Flashbacks Of A Fool" - Hollywood movie star Joe has it all; looks, fame, money, but there's a demon inside him that his Babylonian debauches can't kill. On a one way ticket to self destruction Joe realizes the only way to save himself is by returning to a place he's been running from his entire life, his childhood, a place ruled by a love he desperately wants to remember and a catastrophe he'll do anything to forget. Starring Daniel Craig ("007"), "Flashbacks Of A Fool" is a tender ode to first love, a shocking fable of soul wrenching tragedy, and a poignant, powerful journey of forgiveness, redemption and healing in the heartbreaking tradition of "Prince of Tides."

STARRING: Daniel Craig, Harry Eden, Olivia Williams, Helen McCrory, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Eve, Miriam Karlin, Claire Forlani, Keeley Hawes, Emilia Fox, Felicity Jones, James D'Arcy, Alfie Allen, Sid Mitchell, Julie Ordon, Gina Athans, Max Deacon, Jodie Tomlinson, Mia Clifford
DIRECTOR: Baillie Walsh
STUDIO: Anchor Bay Films
RATING: R (For language, sexual situations, violence)

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