Movie Listings (August 18, 2006)

Movie Listings (August 18, 2006)
Accepted Release Date: August 18, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 30 min. Rating: PG-13 - language, sexual material and drug content Cast: Justin Long, Blake Lively, Lewis Black Director: Steve Pink Genre: Comedy Synopsis: High school senior Bartleby B Gaines is on his way to scoring eight out of eight rejection letters from colleges--which isn't going to go over big with Mom and Dad. At least he's not alone in the exclusion. Several of his crew of outcast friends are in the same, college-less boat. So, how does a guy facing a bleak career please his parents, and get noticed by dream girl Monica? Simple: open his own university. B and his band of misfit freshmen take liberal arts literally when they fool their parents and peers and create the esteemed South Harmon Institute of Technology. Just as they are settling in, B and company realize they've done their jobs too well. Dozens of other college rejects show up for classes at this less-than-lofty institute. Under the scornful eyes of the privileged students from the neighboring college, B and his friends forge ahead with maintaining a fake, functioning university. With his future in the balance, it's going to take more than just sleight of hand to keep B out of jail as he strives to get the girl, impress his parents and just become 'accepted'. Barnyard: The Original Party Animals Release Date: August 4, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 23 min. Rating: PG - some mild peril and rude humor Cast: Kevin James, S. Scott Bullock, Courteney Cox Director: Steve Oedekerk Genre: Animated, Comedy, Family Synopsis: Down on the farm, the farmer thinks he's in charge, keeping all the animals safe and sound. But when the farmer is out of sight, the lookout sheep shouts Clear! and all of the barnyard animals spring up on two legs, walk, talk, watch TV, and orchestrate practical jokes. For Otis the cow that last one is the most important. He and his best friends--Pip the mouse, Freddy the ferret, Peck the rooster, and Pig the pig--are world-class pranksters and always in the mood for a laugh. Otis is in the state of arrested development and quite happy that way. Otis's dad, Ben, is the cow who makes sure the farm is running on all cylinders. Each morning, Ben leads a meeting to take care of farm business and to issue warnings about their common enemy, the coyotes. (It's a position that Ben takes seriously: As long as I'm still kickin', he says, no animal will be harmed inside that fence!) Ben wants Otis to grow up and take responsibility. Much to Ben's chagrin, Otis's main project comes to life every evening. As soon as the Farmer hits lights out, the barn is transformed into Party Central. On this night, there's even a pretty new cow, Daisy--Otis hams it up for her, and she can't help but be attracted to his fun-loving personality. That world is not for Ben. He's outside, guarding the fence and protecting the farm from the coyotes. When Otis explains to Ben that being on watch isn't his thing. Ben responds: Otis, a strong man stands up for himself, a stronger man stands up for others. When Ben is no longer able to lead, Otis tries to keep order but the role of leader does not come as naturally for him. Without Ben to keep everyone in line, absolute mayhem breaks loose and it isn't long before the farmer begins to get to the bottom of the animals' secret--and the scheming coyotes begin to think that the farm could be theirs for the taking. The Descent Release Date: August 4, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 33 min. Rating: R - strong violence/gore and language Cast: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid Director: Neil Marshall Genre: Horror, Suspense/Thriller Synopsis: On a daredevil caving holiday in the Appalachian Mountains, six women friends are unexpectedly trapped underground when a rock fall blocks their exit. Searching the maze of tunnels for a way out, they find themselves hunted by a race of fearless, hungry predators, once humanoid but now monstrously adapted to live in the dark. As the others battle for their lives, Sarah, still recovering from a mental collapse brought on by the recent deaths of her family, is fighting for her sanity. When old secrets are revealed, the friends turn on one another, causing the group to implode. Betrayed and desperate, Sarah realizes that to make it back to the surface, she must become as savage as the creatures themselves. John Tucker Must Die Release Date: July 28, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 27 min. Rating: PG-13 - sexual content and language Cast: Jesse Metcalfe, Sophia Bush, Ashanti Director: Betty Thomas Genre: Comedy, Romance Synopsis: When three popular girls from different cliques discover they've all been dating the school stud, they band together to seek revenge. Despite the jerk's charm and ever-growing popularity, the girls cleverly scheme with the help of the inconspicuous new girl in town, to soil his reputation and break his heart. Lady in the Water Release Date: July 21, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 50 min. Rating: PG-13 - some frightening sequences Cast: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright Director: M. Night Shyamalan Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Synopsis: Cleveland Heep has been quietly trying to disappear among the burned-out light bulbs and broken appliances of the Cove apartment complex. But on the night that irrevocably changes his life, Cleveland finds someone else hiding in the mundane routine of this modest building--a mysterious young woman named Story, who has been living in the passageways beneath the building's swimming pool. Cleveland discovers that Story is actually a Narf--a nymph-like character from an epic bedtime story who is being stalked by vicious creatures determined to prevent her from making the treacherous journey from our world back to hers. Story's unique powers of perception reveal the fates of Cleveland's fellow tenants, whose destinies are tied directly to her own, and they must work together to decipher a series of codes that will unlock the pathway to her freedom. But the window of opportunity for Story to return home is closing rapidly, and the tenants are putting their own lives at great risk to help her. Cleveland will have to face the demons that have followed him to the Cove--and the other tenants must seize the special powers that Story has brought out in them--if they hope to succeed in their daring and dangerous quest to save her world--and ours. Little Miss Sunshine Release Date: July 26, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 42 min. Rating: R - language, some sex and drug content Cast: Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette Director: Jonathan Dayton,Valerie Faris Genre: Comedy Synopsis: The Hoover family puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling into a VW bus and heading to California to support a daughter in her bid to win a children's beauty pageant. Accompanying her to the Little Miss Sunshine con-*test*-('") are dad -- a foundering motivational speaker -- exasperated mom, a suicidal uncle, a silently seething brother and a junkie grandfather. Material Girls Release Date: August 18, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 37 min. Rating: PG - language and rude humor Cast: Hilary Duff, Haylie Duff, Anjelica Huston Director: Martha Coolidge Genre: Comedy Synopsis: Ava and Tanzie Marchetta have it all. The heiresses to a multi-million dollar cosmetics company, the girls approach life as one big party. But when a scandal involving one of their products emerges, the girls are left penniless, homeless, and seemingly helpless. They could, of course, take the easy way out and listen to the board of directors who want to sell the company to their biggest competitor, but that would forever taint the name of their late father, who built it from the ground up. Instead, Ava and Tanzie decide to protect what is rightfully theirs. What it's going to take to do that will require them to do some things they've never really considered--growing up, taking initiative and responsibility, and asking for help from others, rather than expecting it to fall into their laps. If they can find their inner strength, they might be able to clear their father's name. If not, the party might be over--for good. Miami Vice Release Date: July 28, 2006 Run Time: 2 hr. 12 min. Rating: R - strong violence, language and some sexual content Cast: Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li Director: Michael Mann Genre: Action/Adventure Synopsis: Ricardo Tubbs is urbane and dead smart. He lives with Bronx-born intel analyst Trudy, as they work undercover transporting drug loads into South Florida to identify a group responsible for three murders. Sonny Crockett is charismatic and flirtatious until-while undercover working with the supplier of the South Florida group-he gets romantically entangled with Isabella, the Chinese-Cuban wife of an arms and drugs trafficker. The intensity of this case pushes Crockett and Tubbs out onto the edge where identity and fabrication become blurred, where cop and player become one-especially for Crockett in his romance with Isabella and for Tubbs in the provocation of an assault on those he loves. Monster House Release Date: July 21, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 31 min. Rating: PG - scary images and sequences, thematic elements, some crude humor and brief language Cast: Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mitchell Musso Director: Gil Kenan Genre: Action/Adventure, Animated, Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Synopsis: Twelve-year-old DJ Walters, who is caught in that awkward moment between childhood and the onset of puberty, has too much time on his hands and has taken it into his head that there's something weird about old man Nebbercracker's house across the street. Things keep disappearing into the dilapidated structure: basketballs, tricycles, toys and pets. Come to think of it, whatever happened to Mrs. Nebbercracker? It's the day before Halloween and DJ and his candy-friendly pal Chowder have a run-in with Mr. Nebbercracker after their basketball wanders onto his lawn and is mysteriously swept into the house. When the house tries to swallow their new friend Jenny and no one believes the frightened trio's claims that the house is up to no good, it's up to them to investigate. They turn for his advice to the only person on the planet who might even remotely understand what's going on, the wise one they call Skull, a 20-something slacker pizza chef and master of the arcade machine who once played a video game for four days straight on one singly quarter, a gallon of chocolate milk and an adult diaper. I have heard tell of man-made structures becoming possessed by a human soul, Skull tells them. You mean the house is alive? Yikes! Skull tells them the only way to stop the house from gulping down everything in sight is by striking at its heart, which the kids figure out must be the perpetually-fueled furnace in the basement. They come up with what seems to be a foolproof plan--a vacuum cleaner disguised as a human dummy filled with cold medicine. The kids offer up their bait to the house, figuring that once it's asleep, they can sneak in and put out the furnace with their squirt guns. Their little plan goes awry, though, and when the house starts chasing them down the street--that's right, chasing them down the street!--they must join forces to once again make the neighborhood safe for trick or treaters. The Night Listener Release Date: August 4, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 30 min. Rating: R - language and some disquieting sexual content Cast: Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Rory Culkin Director: Patrick Stettner Genre: Drama, Suspense/Thriller Synopsis: A psychological thriller that revolves around the celebrated writer and popular late-night radio show host, Gabriel Noone, who develops an intense relationship with a young listener named Pete and his adopted mother, just as his own domestic life is undergoing changes. When a troubling question arises regarding the boy's identity, it causes Gabriel's ordered existence to spin wildly out of control as he sets out on a harrowing journey to find the truth. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Release Date: July 7, 2006 Rating: PG-13 - intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley Director: Gore Verbinski Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Family Synopsis: Captain Jack Sparrow is caught up in another tangled web of supernatural intrigue. Although the curse of the Black Pearl has been lifted, an even more terrifying threat looms over its captain and scurvy crew: it turns out that Jack owes a blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones, Ruler of the Ocean Depths, who captains the ghostly Flying Dutchman, which no other ship can match in speed and stealth. Unless the ever-crafty Jack figures a cunning way out of this Faustian pact, he will be cursed to an afterlife of eternal servitude and damnation in the service of Jones. This startling development interrupts the wedding plans of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, who once again find themselves thrust into Jack's misadventures, leading to escalating confrontations with sea monsters, very unfriendly islanders, flamboyant soothsayer Tia Dalma and even the mysterious appearance of Will's long-lost father, Bootstrap Bill. Meanwhile, ruthless pirate hunter Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company sets his sights on retrieving the fabled Dead Man's Chest. According to legend, whoever possesses the Dead Man's Chest gains control of Davy Jones, and Beckett intends to use this awesome power to destroy every last Pirate of the Caribbean once and for all. For times are changing on the high seas, with businessmen and bureaucrats becoming the true pirates--and freewheeling, fun-loving buccaneers like Jack and his crew threatened with extinction. Pulse Release Date: August 11, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 30 min. Rating: PG-13 - violent and disturbing images Cast: Kristen Bell, Steve Talley, Ian Somerhalder Director: Jim Sonzero Genre: Horror, Suspense/Thriller Synopsis: High speed data transfers, super wide-band, wifi--this is the wireless landscape. Huge volumes of information are traveling through the air. As we continue to explore these frequencies, we expose ourselves to realms we didn't even know existed. We only fear what we can touch, hear, see or taste, but there is potentially so much more out there. What if our wireless technologies made a connection to a world beyond our own? What if, when you turn on your cell phone or log on to your email, you exposed yourself to forces beyond your worst fears? What if every connection = infection? Scoop Release Date: July 28, 2006 Rating: PG-13 - some sexual content Cast: Woody Allen, Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman Director: Woody Allen Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance Synopsis: The late U.K. journalist Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) is being mourned by his colleagues - even as, stuck in limbo, Joe remains committed to pursuing a hot tip on the identity of "the Tarot Card Killer" at large in London. But how can his legwork get done now? Via the very much alive Sondra Pransky (Ms. Johansson). Sondra is an American journalism student visiting friends in London. During a stage performance by another American, magician Sid Waterman (Mr. Allen), Sondra is shocked to find herself able to see and hear Joe. From beyond, he gives her the scoop of a lifetime and urges her to pursue it. Sondra immediately starts chasing the big story, enlisting the aid of a reluctant Sid. That chase leads right to handsome British aristocrat Peter Lyman (Mr. Jackman). Soon, Sondra finds that the romance of her life may well be the dangerous scoop she's looking for. Snakes on a Plane Release Date: August 18, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 46 min. Rating: R - language, a scene of sexuality and drug use, and intense sequences of terror and violence Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Benjamin McKenzie, Nathan Phillips Director: David R. Ellis Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror, Suspense/Thriller Synopsis: When a young man witnesses a brutal mob murder, it falls to FBI agent Neville Flynn to escort his charge safely from Hawaii to Los Angeles to -*test*-('")ify. But in an act of self-preservation, the crime boss facing prison smuggles hundreds of poisonous snakes onto the commercial aircraft in a crate timed to release its deadly cargo halfway over the Pacific. Flynn, along with a frightened flight crew and passengers, must then band together in a desperate attempt to survive. Step Up Release Date: August 11, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 38 min. Rating: PG-13 - thematic elements, brief violence and innuendo Cast: Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, Mario Director: Anne Fletcher Genre: Drama, Music/Performing Arts Synopsis: Tyler Gage has grown up all his life on the rough streets of the city and he knows he's unlikely to ever make it out of there. But after a brush with the law lands Tyler with a community service gig at the city's Maryland School of the Arts, everything changes. That's when he meets Nora, the school's prima ballerina, an alluring diva who is desperately searching for someone to replace her injured partner before the school's all-important Senior Showcase. Spying Tyler's moves, Nora can't help but notice he's got a raw but natural gift. She decides to take a chance on Tyler, but as they begin to train, the tension between them, and their polar opposite backgrounds, skyrockets. The only thing standing between Tyler and the void are his dreams of making it off the streets--and the only thing standing in the way of Nora's obviously brilliant future is the Senior Showcase. Now, with everything on the line, Tyler will have just one performance to prove to Nora, and to himself, that he can step up to a life for larger than he ever imagined. Strangers With Candy Release Date: June 28, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 37 min. Rating: R - sexual content, language and some drug material Cast: Amy Sedaris, Deborah Rush, Carlo Alban Director: Paul Dinello Genre: Comedy Synopsis: Runaway Jerri Blank returns home at the age of 47 ready to pick up where she left off. This means the ex-con and former drug addict is returning to high school as a freshman. Going through adolescent doldrums and temptations is tough enough for any student, but as a middle-aged drug abuser, Jerri discovers her return to education is more challenging than she ever imagined. This film is a prequel to the Comedy Central series of the same name. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Release Date: August 4, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 50 min. Rating: PG-13 - crude and sexual humor, language, drug references and brief comic violence Cast: Will Ferrell, David Koechner, Sacha Baron Cohen Director: Adam McKay Genre: Comedy Synopsis: Ricky Bobby has always dreamed of driving fast--real fast--like his father, Reese Bobby, who left the family to pursue his racing dreams. Early on, Ricky's mother, Lucy Bobby worried that her boy was also destined to end up as a professional daredevil on wheels. Ricky enters the racing arena as a jackman for slovenly driver Terry Cheveaux and accidentally gets his big break behind the wheel when Cheveaux makes an unscheduled pit stop during a race to gorge on a chicken sandwich. Ricky jumps into the car and so begins the ballad of Ricky Bobby. Ricky quickly becomes one of NASCAR's top stars, supported by his pit boys--the impressively large crew chief Lucius Washington, a trio of lovably moronic but loyal crew members, Herschell, Kyle and Glenn, as well as racing partner and boyhood best friend, Cal Naughton, Jr. They are all part of the Dennit Racing team, headed by wealthy Dennit Senior and his petulant son, Dennit Junior, whose jealousy of Ricky Bobby increases with every victory. In a short time, Ricky Bobby is on top of the world. He has everything a championship NASCAR driver could ever want--a gorgeous wife, Carley, a lakeside mansion, two hell-raising sons, Walker and Texas Ranger, huge sponsor endorsements and a string of victories from Daytona to Darlington. Ricky Bobby's win at all costs approach had made him a natural hero. But after a frightening crash sends Ricky Bobby to the hospital, he loses his nerve and falls on hard times. When his career and his wife are taken over by his friend Cal, Ricky Bobby turns his back on racing and takes his sons back to his small hometown to live with his mother. But Ricky just isn't cut for the slow life away from the race track and soon hits rock bottom. His mother reluctantly turns to the only person she can think of to help her son--his estranged father Reese Bobby. Ricky Bobby will do anything to find a way back to the top, no matter how many speed bumps life throws his way. Who Killed the Electric Car? Release Date: June 28, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 32 min. Rating: PG - brief mild language Cast: Martin Sheen, Dave Barthmuss, Jim Boyd Director: Chris Paine Genre: Documentary Synopsis: Following a strict air emissions mandate in California, General Motors launches the EV-1 in 1997. It is an electric automobile that requires no gas, oil, muffler or brake changes and is, seemingly, the world's first perfect car. Yet six years later, GM recalls and destroys the EV-1 fleet. Filmmaker Chris Paine examines the birth and death of a revolutionary vehicle. World Trade Center Release Date: August 9, 2006 Run Time: 2 hr. 5 min. Rating: PG-13 - intense and emotional content, some disturbing images and language Cast: Nicolas Cage, Michael Pena, Maria Bello Director: Oliver Stone Genre: Drama Synopsis: September 11, 2001 was an unusually warm day in New York. Will Jimeno, an officer with the Port Authority Police Department, was tempted to take a personal day to enjoy his hobby of bow hunting, but ultimately decided that he would go to work. Sergeant John McLoughlin, a respected veteran of the PAPD, had been up for hours--a requirement of his daily, 1 ½ hour trek to the city. They and their colleagues made their way to midtown Manhattan, just like they did any other day. Only this wasn't any other day. A team of PAPD first responders drove from mid-town Manhattan to the World Trade Center. Five men, including McLoughlin and Jimeno, went into the buildings and were trapped when the towers collapsed. Miraculously, McLoughlin and Jimeno survived, but were buried and pinned beneath slabs of concrete and twisted metal, 20 feet below the rubble field. Though they couldn't see each other, each could hear that the other had survived, and for the next 12 hours, McLoughlin and Jimeno kept each other alive--talking about their families, their lives on the force, their hopes, their disappointments. You, Me and Dupree Release Date: July 14, 2006 Rating: PG-13 - sexual content, brief nudity, crude humor, language and a drug reference Cast: Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon Director: Anthony Russo,Joe Russo Genre: Comedy Synopsis: Newlyweds Carl and Molly are anxious to start their lives together, but the pair soon become a trio when Carl invites his jobless buddy, Randy, to crash at their place until he gets back on his feet. At first, Carl is happy to have him around, but that soon turns to annoyance when Randy threatens to become a permanent fixture in their home. Zoom Release Date: August 11, 2006 Run Time: 1 hr. 23 min. Rating: PG - brief rude humor, language and mild action Cast: Tim Allen, Courteney Cox Arquette, Chevy Chase Director: Peter Hewitt Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Family Synopsis: Many years ago, there was a colossal battle between the Team Zenith (led by the faster-than-light Captain Zoom) and their arch-nemeses, Concussion. Zoom finally destroyed Concussion, but not before his entire team was slain at the hands of Concussion's sonic blasts. As the dust settled, secret departments within the military were already disseminating an official story: The turbulence was caused by an earthquake. When it was discovered that Captain Zoom had sacrificed all his powers to defeat his enemy, the military no longer had any use for him, and he once again became simply Jack Shepard. After many years, the masterminds behind the old Zenith Program, General Larraby and Dr. Grant, have reunited after detecting alarming patterns of disruption from the dimensions beyond that could threaten the fabric of human life. Their only hope is to reactivate the Zenith Program. A new talent in the studies of latent supernatural abilities, Marsha Holloway, finds four youngsters with the potential to be superhero fighters. But the reluctant quartet needs someone to teach them how to save the world--and fast!--and there's only one man for the job, Jack Shepard.

View Full Version: Movie Listings (August 18, 2006)