The Spy Next Door

Release Date: January 15, 2010 

Genre: Action, Comedy

Lionsgate's family action comedy "The Spy Next Door" stars Jackie Chan as Bob Ho, an undercover CIA superspy who decides to give up his career in espionage to settle down with his next-door neighbor and girlfriend, Gillian (Amber Valletta). But Bob has one more mission to complete before Gillian agrees to marry him: winning over her three opinionated kids.

When Gillian suddenly has to leave town, Bob volunteers to babysit the children so he can earn their approval. But when one of the kids mistakenly downloads a top-secret formula from his computer, Bob's archenemy, a Russian terrorist, moves in for the attack, forcing Bob to juggle the roles of spy and prospective stepfather in the most challenging mission of his career!

Studio: Lionsgate

Director: Brian Levant

Screenwriter: Jonathan Bernstein, Jim Greer

Starring: Jackie Chan, Madeline Carroll, Alina Foley, George Lopez, Billy Ray Cyrus, Amber Valletta, Katherine Boecher

Book of Eli

Release Date: January 15, 2010

Genre: Action, Adventure

"The Book of Eli" revolves around a lone warrior (Washington) who must fight to bring society the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption. Oldman has been set to portray the despot of a small makeshift town who's determined to take possession of the book Eli's guarding.

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes

Screenwriter: Gary Whitta, Anthony Peckham

Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals, Evan Jones

Daybreakers

Release Date: January 8, 2010 

Genre: Horror

Two-time Academy Award nominee® Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019, in which an unknown plague has transformed the world's population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.

Studio: Lionsgate

Director: Peter Spierig, Michael Spierig

Screenwriter: Peter Spierig, Michael Spierig

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Claudia Karvan, Michael Dorman, Vince Colosimo, Isabel Lucas, Sam Neill

Case 39

Release Date: January 1, 2010 

Genre: Horror

"Case 39" is a horror film starring Renée Zellweger as family services social worker Emily Jenkins. Emily thinks she has seen it all until she meets her newest, most mysterious case, troubled 10-year old Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland). Emily's worst fears are confirmed when the parents try to kill Lilith, their only daughter. Emily saves her and decides to take her in herself until the right foster family comes along.

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Director: Christian Alvart

Screenwriter: Ray Wright

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane, Bradley Cooper, Kerry O'Malley, Callum Keith Rennie, Adrian Lester, Georgia Craig, Cynthia Stevenson

Sherlock Holmes

Release Date: December 25, 2009 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery 

In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, "Sherlock Holmes" sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: Guy Ritchie

Screenwriter: Michael Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Guy Ritchie

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Release Date: December 25, 2009 (limited)

Genre: Drama, Fantasy

"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present day. It tells the story of Dr Parnassus and his extraordinary 'Imaginarium', a traveling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Dr Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. Long ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr Nick, in which he won immortality. Many centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his first-born reached its 16th birthday he or she would become the property of Mr Nick.

Valentina is now rapidly approaching this 'coming of age' milestone and Dr Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. Mr Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls. Enlisting a series of wild, comical and compelling characters in his journey, Dr Parnassus promises his daughter's hand in marriage to the man that helps him win. In this captivating, explosive and wonderfully imaginative race against time, Dr Parnassus must fight to save his daughter in a never-ending landscape of surreal obstacles - and undo the mistakes of his past once and for all.

Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Director: Terry Gilliam

Screenwriter: Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown

Starring: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Verne Troyer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law

A Town Called Panic

Release Date: December 16, 2009 (NY) 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Animation 

Audience Award Winner at Fantastic Fest 2009 and the first stop-motion animated feature selected to Cannes, "A Town Called Panic" follows the wacky, hilarious and often surreal adventures of three plastic toys named Cowboy, Indian and Horse who share a rambling house in a rural town which never fails to attract the weirdest events. Each speedy character is voiced--and animated--as if they are filled with laughing gas. With hysteria a permanent feature of life in this papier-mâché burg, will Horse and his equine paramour-flame-tressed music teacher Madame Longray (Jeanne Balibar)-ever find a quiet moment alone? A sort of Gallic Monty Python crossed with Art Clokey on acid, "A Town Called Panic" is zany, brainy and altogether insane-y!

Studio: Zeitgeist Films

Director: Stephane Aubier, Vincent Pata

Screenwriter: Stephane Aubier, Vincent Pata

The Last Station

Release Date: December 4, 2009 (NY, LA) 

Genre: Drama, Historical

After almost fifty years of marriage, the Countess Sofya (Helen Mirren), Leo Tolstoy's (Christopher Plummer) devoted wife, passionate lover, muse and secretary—she’s copied out War and Peace six times...by hand!—suddenly finds her entire world turned upside down. In the name of his newly created religion, the great Russian novelist has renounced his noble title, his property and even his family in favor of poverty, vegetarianism and even celibacy. After she's born him thirteen children!

When Sofya then discovers that Tolstoy's trusted disciple, Chertkov (Paul Giamatti)—whom she despises—may have secretly convinced her husband to sign a new will, leaving the rights to his iconic novels to the Russian people rather than his very own family, she is consumed by righteous outrage. This is the last straw. Using every bit of cunning, every trick of seduction in her considerable arsenal, she fights fiercely for what she believes is rightfully hers. The more extreme her behavior becomes, however, the more easily Chertkov is able to persuade Tolstoy of the damage she will do to his glorious legacy.

Into this minefield wanders Tolstoy's worshipful new assistant, the young, gullible Valentin (James McAvoy). In no time, he becomes a pawn, first of the scheming Chertkov and then of the wounded, vengeful Sofya as each plots to undermine the other's gains. Complicating Valentin's life even further is the overwhelming passion he feels for the beautiful, spirited Marsha (Kerry Condon), a free thinking adherent of Tolstoy's new religion whose unconventional attitudes about sex and love both compel and confuse him. Infatuated with Tolstoy's notions of ideal love, but mystified by the Tolstoys' rich and turbulent marriage, Valentin is ill equipped to deal with the complications of love in the real world.

A tale of two romances, one beginning, one near its end, "The Last Station" is a complex, funny, rich and emotional story about the difficulty of living with love and the impossibility of living without it.

Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Director: Michael Hoffman

Screenwriter: Michael Hoffman

Starring: Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Paul Giamatti, Anne-Marie Duff

Avatar

Release Date: December 18, 2009 (conventional 3D theaters and IMAX 3D) 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

"Avatar," a live action film with a new generation of special effects, takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads an epic battle to save a civilization. James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of "Titanic," first conceived the film years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist. Now, after four years of actual production work, "Avatar" delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.

The story's hero is Jake Sully, a former Marine confined to a wheelchair. Bitter and disillusioned, he's still a warrior at heart. All Jake ever wanted was something worth fighting for, and he finds it in the place he least expected: on a distant world. Jake has been recruited to join an expedition to the moon Pandora, which corporate interests are strip-mining for a mineral worth $20 million per kilogram on Earth. To facilitate their work, the humans use a link system that projects a person's consciousness into a hybrid of humans and Pandora's indigenous humanoids, the Na'vi. This human-Na'vi hybrid – a fully living, breathing body that resembles the Na'vi but possesses the individual human's thoughts, feelings and personality – is known as an "avatar."

In his new avatar form, Jake can once again walk. His mission is to interact with and infiltrate the Na'vi with the hope of enlisting their help – or at least their acquiescence – in mining the ore. A beautiful Na'vi female, Neytiri, saves Jake's life, albeit reluctantly, because even in his avatar body, Jake represents to her the human encroachment on the Na'vi's unspoiled world.

As Jake's relationship with Neytiri deepens, along with his respect for the Na'vi, he faces the ultimate test as he leads an epic conflict that will decide nothing less than the fate of an entire world.

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Director: James Cameron

Screenwriter: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Peter Mensah, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi, Stephen Lang, Matt Gerald

The Strip

Release Date: December 4, 2009 (limited) 

Genre: Comedy 

"The Strip" is a character-driven comedy dissecting the lives of five employees of a low-end electronics chain called, Electri-City. The ensemble of colorful, yet grounded, characters takes us deeper into the monotonous world of working at a strip mall. Bound by the constraints of suburban life and a ¼ mile of strip mall, they, like everybody else, dream of something more. As their stories interweave their friendships are tested. Ultimately they struggle together to find that some dreams are not worth chasing.

Studio: Fortress Products

Director: Jameel Khan

Screenwriter: Jameel Khan

Starring: Dave Foley, Noureen DeWulf, Billy Aaron Brown, Frederico Dordei, Jenny Wade, Cory Christmas, Chelcie Ross, Gail Rastorfer Amy Stock-Poynton, Tenique Mathieu

The Slammin' Salmon

Release Date: December 11, 2009 (limited) 

Genre: Comedy

In the latest comedy from Broken Lizard (the creators of "Super Troopers" and "Beerfest"), "Slammin" Cleon Salmon (Michael Clarke Duncan) is a former Heavyweight Champion of the World turned celebrity owner of a high end Miami seafood restaurant, The Slammin' Salmon.

A terrifying bull of a man, Salmon uses fear to rule over his misfit waitstaff (Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, as well as Cobie Smulders and April Bowlby) and on this particular night, he takes his bullying skills to a new level. In an effort to pay off a gambling debt to the Japanese Yakuza, Salmon sets up a contest to 'inspire' his waitstaff to sell more food than they ever have before: the top selling server wins $10,000 while the waiter in last place gets served with a broken rib sandwich—courtesy of the Champ himself.

Spurred on by greed and panic, the staff resort to backstabbing, bribery and indecent proposals in an attempt to upsell their patrons while simultaneously sabotaging their co-workers. As the hours pass, the dining room action becomes more frenzied as the contest escalates into a brawl for first place in order to win the money.

Studio: Anchor Bay Films

Director: Kevin Heffernan

Screenwriter: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske

Starring: Michael Clarke Duncan, Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Cobie Smulders, April Bowlby, Olivia Munn, Vivica A. Fox, Morgan Fairchild

Transylmania

Release Date: December 4, 2009 (limited) 

Genre: Comedy, Horror 

In "Transylmania," a motley group of college students embark on the wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever at Razvan University. Located deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan isn't your typical institution of higher learning – and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start. It seems Castle Razvan was overtaken by a band of vampires led by the feared Vampire King Radu in the dark ages who's come back to reclaim it.

A bubbling cauldron of wacky horror spoof, vampire action-adventure, and naughty college comedy, "Transylmania" culminates in a hilarious climax that just might leave our bumbling heroes not Euro-trashed, but Euro-slashed. "Transylmania" will be sure to slay audiences with its biting wit and bring a welcome levity to the air of heavy drama typically found in the midst of awards season.

Transylmania is directed by David and Scott Hillenbrand from a script by Patrick Casey and Worm Miller. The film stars Patrick Cavanaugh, James DeBello, Tony Denman, Paul H. Kim, Jennifer Lyons, Oren Skoog, Irena A. Hoffman, David Steinberg, Musetta Vander, Natalie Garza and Nicole Garza.

Studio: Full Circle Releasing

Director: David Hillenbrand, Scott Hillenbrand

Screenwriter: Patrick Casey, Worm Miller

Starring: Patrick Cavanaugh, James DeBello, Tony Denman, Paul H. Kim, Jennifer Lyons, Oren Skoog, Irena A. Hoffman, David Steinberg, Musetta Vander, Natalie Garza, Nicole Garza

Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Release Date: December 18, 2009 

Genre: Comedy

The comedy "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" follows a highly successful Manhattan couple, Meryl and Paul Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant), whose almost-perfect lives have only one notable failure – their dissolving marriage. But the turmoil of their romantic lives is nothing compared to what they are about to experience: they witness a murder and become targets of a contract killer. The Feds, protecting their witnesses, whisk away the Morgans from their beloved New York to a tiny town in Wyoming, and a relationship that was on the rocks threatens to end completely in the Rockies... unless, in their new BlackBerry-free lives, the Morgans can slow down the pace and rekindle the passion.

Studio: Columbia Pictures (Sony)

Director: Marc Lawrence

Screenwriter: Marc Lawrence

Starring: Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen, Elisabeth Moss, Michael Kelly, Wilford Brimley

Everybody's Fine

Release Date: December 4, 2009 (limited) 

Genre: Comedy, Drama

"Everybody's Fine," a remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's "Stanno Tutti Bene," follows a widower (De Niro) who embarks on an impromptu road trip to reconnect with each of his grown children only to discover that their lives are far from picture perfect.

Studio: Miramax Films

Director: Kirk Jones

Screenwriter: Kirk Jones

Starring: Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell

Brothers

Release Date: December 4, 2009 

Genre: Drama, War

When a decorated Marine goes missing overseas, his black-sheep younger brother cares for his wife and children at home—with consequences that will shake the foundation of the entire family.

"Brothers" tells the powerful story of two siblings, thirtysomething Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), who are polar opposites. A Marine about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, the aptly named Grace (Natalie Portman), with whom he has two young daughters (Bailee Madison, Taylor Grace Geare). Tommy, his charismatic younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail who's always gotten by on wit and charm. He slides easily into his role as family provocateur on his first night out of prison, at Sam's farewell dinner with their parents, Elsie (Mare Winningham) and Hank Cahill (Sam Shepard), a retired Marine.

Shipped out to Afghanistan, Sam is presumed dead when his Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in the mountains. At home in suburbia, the Cahill family suddenly faces a shocking void, and Tommy tries to fill in for his brother by assuming newfound responsibility for himself, Grace, and the children.

But Sam is not dead; he and a fellow soldier have been captured by Taliban fighters. In Afghanistan's harsh, remote Pamir Mountains, Sam is subjected to traumas that threaten to rob him of his very humanity. At the same time that Sam's sense of self is being destroyed overseas, Tommy's self-image is strengthening at home. And in the grief and strangeness of their new lives, Grace and Tommy are naturally drawn together. Their longstanding frostiness dissolves, but both are frightened and ashamed of the mutual attraction that has replaced it.

When Sam unexpectedly returns to the States, a nervous mood settles over the family. Sam, uncharacteristically withdrawn and volatile, grows suspicious of his brother and his wife. Their familiar roles now nearly reversed, Sam and Tommy end up facing the ultimate physical and mental challenge when they confront each other. In the shifting family dynamics, who will dominate? And how will the brothers come to terms with issues of love, loyalty, and manhood—and with the woman caught between them?

Studio: Lionsgate

Director: Jim Sheridan

Screenwriter: David Benioff

Starring: Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bailee Madison, Taylor Geare, Patrick Flueger, Sam Shepard, Mare Winningham, Clifton Collins Jr., Josh Berry

Armored

Release Date: December 4, 2009

Genre: Action, Thriller

A crew of officers at an armored transport security firm risk their lives when they embark on the ultimate heist... against their own company. Armed with a seemingly fool-proof plan, the men plan on making off with a fortune with harm to none. But when an unexpected witness interferes, the plan quickly unravels and all bets are off.

Studio: Screen Gems (Sony)

Director: Nimrod Antal

Screenwriter: James V. Simpson

Starring: Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Skeet Ulrich, Amaury Nolasco, Andre Jamal Kinney, Milo Ventimiglia, Fred Ward, Columbus Short

The Missing Person

Release Date: November 20, 2009 (NY)

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery

John Rosow is a private detective prone to sardonic wit, gin, and the endless repercussions of what happens when you mix the two. Powerful lawyer Drexler Hewitt wants Rosow to tail a mysterious middle-aged man who is traveling with a Mexican boy from Chicago to Los Angeles. Hewitt's loyal, stern assistant, Miss Charley, waits at the door with cash and instructions. But when Rosow hits Santa Monica, his objective changes: now he has to bring the man back to New York—for a cool half mil. Through his various dealings with an odd cast of characters—a cabdriver who knows his Catholic saints, a Segway-riding L.A. cop, meddling FBI agents, and femme fatales—Rosow begins to unravel the strange tale of the missing middle-aged man and learns something about himself along the way. 

Studio: Strand Releasing

Director: Noah Buschel

Screenwriter: Noah Buschel

Starring: Michael Shannon, Frank Wood, Amy Ryan, Margaret Colin

Dare

Release Date: November 13, 2009 (limited) 

Genre: Drama 

Emmy Rossum ("The Day After Tomorrow"), Zach Gilford (TV's "Friday Night Lights") and Ashley Springer ("Teeth") head up a stellar cast including Ana Gasteyer ("Mean Girls"), Rooney Mara ("A Nightmare on Elm Street"), comedienne Sandra Bernhard (TV's "Roseanne") and Alan Cumming ("X2: X-Men United") in this captivating story of high school seniors at the crossroads of their adult lives. When a pompous actor tells good girl Alexa (Rossum) that she hasn’t lived, she embarks on a bold journey that takes her to mysterious bad boy Johnny (Gilford). Envious, her shy best friend Ben (Springer) also dares to pursue Johnny, complicating Alexa's romance and pushing the boundaries among the three friends.

Director: Adam Salky

Screenwriter: David Brind

Starring: Emmy Rossum, Ashley Springer, Ana Gasteyer, Alan Cumming, Sandra Bernhardt, Tricia Mara, Cady Huffman, Zach Gilford

Oh My God

Release Date: November 13, 2009 (NY, LA) 

Genre: Documentary

In every corner of the world, there's one question that can never be definitively answered, yet stirs up equal parts passion, curiosity, self-reflection and often wild imagination: "What is God?" Filmmaker Peter Rodger explores this profound, age-old query in the provocative non-fiction feature "Oh My God." This visual odyssey travels the globe with a revealing lens examining the idea of God through the minds and eyes of various religions and cultures, everyday people, spiritual leaders and celebrities. His goal: to give the viewer the personal, visceral experience of some kind of reasonable, meaningful definition of one of the most used—some might say overused--words in most every language.

Rodger's quest takes him from the United States to Africa, from the Middle East to the Far East, where such fundamental issues as: "Did God create man or did man create God?, "Is there one God for all religions?" and "If God exists, why does he allow so much suffering?" are explored in candid discussions with the various Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and even atheists the filmmaker meets along the way.

Studio: Gussi S.A., Mitropoulos Films

Director: Peter Rodger

Screenwriter: Peter Rodger

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Seal, Ringo Starr, Sir Bob Geldof, Princess Michael of Kent, David Copperfield, Jack Thompson

Women In Trouble

Release Date: November 13, 2009 (limited)

Genre: Comedy

Plot Summary: A serpentine day in the life of ten seemingly disparate women: a porn star, a flight attendant, a psychiatrist, a masseuse, a bartender, a pair of call girls, etc. All of them with one crucial thing in common. Trouble.

Studio: Screen Media Films

Director: Sebastian Gutierrez

Screenwriter: Sebastian Gutierrez

Starring: Carla Gugino, Adrianne Palicki, Connie Britton, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Planet 51

Release Date: November 20, 2009 

 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Animated sci-fi tale set on "Planet 51," whose inhabitants live in fear of an alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when astronaut Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker arrives from Earth. Befriended by a young resident, the astronaut has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and return home.

Studio: TriStar Pictures (Sony)

Director: Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad, Marcos Martinez

Screenwriter: Joe Stillman

Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman, John Cleese

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Release Date: November 20, 2009 (NY, LA; expands: Dec. 4) 

Genre: Crime, Drama

In Werner Herzog's new film "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs -- while playing fast and loose with the law. He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (played by Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion, and conscience. The result is a singular masterpiece of filmmaking: equally sad and manically humorous.

Studio: First Look Studios

Director: Werner Herzog

Screenwriter: William Finkelstein

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Fairuza Balk, Jennifer Coolidge, Vondie Curtis Hall, Shawn Hatosy, Denzel Whitaker, Xzibit, Shea Wigham, Katie Chonacas, Brad Dourif

The Box

Release Date: November 6, 2009

Genre: Thriller

What if someone gave you a box containing a button that, if pushed, would bring you a million dollars...but simultaneously take the life of someone you don't know? Would you do it? And what would be the consequences? The year is 1976. Norma Lewis is a teacher at a private high school and her husband, Arthur, is an engineer working at NASA. They are, by all accounts, an average couple living a normal life in the suburbs with their young son...until a mysterious man with a horribly disfigured face appears on their doorstep and presents Norma with a life-altering proposition: the box. With only 24 hours to make their choice, Norma and Arthur face an impossible moral dilemma. What they don't realize is that no matter what they decide, terrifying consequences will have already been set in motion. They soon discover that the ramifications of this decision are beyond their control and extend far beyond their own fortune and fate. 

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: Richard Kelly

Screenwriter: Richard Kelly

Starring: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella

Twilight Saga: New Moon

Release Date: November 20, 2009 


Genre: Romance, Thriller

In the second installment of Stephenie Meyer's phenomenally successful "Twilight" series, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of—only to find herself in greater peril than ever before.

Following Bella's ill-fated 18th birthday party, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his family abandon the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect her from the dangers inherent in their world. As the heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, she discovers Edward's image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.

With the help of her childhood friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella refurbishes an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Bella's frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own.

When a chance encounter brings Bella face to face with a former nemesis, only the intervention of a pack of supernaturally large wolves saves her from a grisly fate, and the encounter makes it frighteningly clear that Bella is still in grave danger. In a race against the clock, Bella learns the secret of the Quileutes and Edward's true motivation for leaving her. She also faces the prospect of a potentially deadly reunion with her beloved that is a far cry from the one she'd hoped for. With more of the passion, action and suspense that made "Twilight" a worldwide phenomenon, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is a spellbinding follow-up to the box office hit.

Director: Chris Weitz

Screenwriter: Melissa Rosenberg

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Edi Gathegi, Rachelle Lafevre, Billy Burke, Charlie Bewley, Jamie Campbell Bower, Daniel Cudmore, Christopher Heyerdahl, Dakota Fanning, Cameron Bright, Noot Seer, Michael Sheen, Graham Greene, Tinsel Korey

The FAntastic Mr. Fox

Release Date: November 25, 2009 

Genre: Animation

The stop-motion film, marking Anderson's first foray into animation, is an adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's story, centering on a clever fox who must outwit three mean, dimwitted farmers who try their hardest to hurt Mr. Fox and his family. Clooney will voice Mr. Fox, while Blanchett voices his wife.

Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Director: Wes Anderson

Screenwriter: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach

Starring: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Meryl Streep

Me and Orson Welles

Release Date: November 25, 2009 (limited)

Genre: Drama

The screenplay by Holly Gent Palmo and Vincent Palmo Jr. is based on the novel by Robert Kaplow, a coming-of-age story set in the heady world of New York theatre. Efron plays a teenage student who lucks his way into a minor role in the 1937 Mercury Theatre production of "Julius Caesar," directed by 22-year-old genius Orson Welles. In the words of Kaplow's protagonist: "This is the story of one week in my life. I was seventeen. It was the week I slept in Orson Welles's pajamas. It was the week I fell in love. It was the week I fell out of love." 

Studio: Freestyle Releasing

Director: Richard Linklater

Screenwriter: Holly Gent Palmo, Vincent Palmo Jr.

Starring: Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay, Ben Chaplin, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan, Leo Bill, Imogen Poots, Aidan McArdle

The House of Devil

Release Date: October 30, 2009 (limited) 

Genre: Horror, Thriller

From writer-director Ti West comes "The House of the Devil," a satanic thriller set in the 1980s starring Jocelin Donahue (JT Petty's forthcoming "The Burrowers"), indie ingénue Greta Gerwig ("Hannah Takes the Stairs," "Baghead"), Tom Noonan ("Snow Angels," "Manhunter"), Mary Woronov ("Eating Raoul," "The Devil's Rejects"), AJ Bowen ("The Signal") and Dee Wallace ("E.T.," "Rob Zombie's Halloween").

Sam (Donahue) is a pretty college sophomore, so desperate to earn some cash for a deposit on an apartment that she accepts a babysitting job even after she finds out there is no baby. Mr. and Mrs. Ulman (cult actors Noonan and Woronov) are the older couple who lure Sam out to their creeky Victorian mansion deep in the woods, just in time for a total lunar eclipse. Megan (Gerwig) is Sam's best friend, who gives her a ride out to the house, and reluctantly leaves her there despite suspecting that something is amiss. Victor (Bowen) at first seems like just a creepy guy lurking around the house, but quickly makes it clear that Sam will end this night in a bloodyfight for her life...

Studio: Magnet Releasing

Director: Ti West

Screenwriter: Ti West

Starring: Jocelin Donahue, Greta Gerwig, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, AJ Bowen, Dee Wallace

Do Knot Disturb

Release Date: October 2, 2009 (limited) 

 Genre: Comedy, Musical

This film is a zany comedy of errors. A rich businessman (Govinda) tries to hide his extramarital affair with a supermodel (Lara Dutta). To save his skin, he bribes a waiter (Riteish Deshmukh) into pretending to be the supermodel's boyfriend. What follows is a series of mistaken identities and misunderstandings, culminating in one mammoth laugh riot.

Studio: Big Pictures

Director: David Dhawan

Screenwriter: Yunus Sejawal

Starring: Govinda, Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta, Riteish Deshmukh, Sohail Khan

Up in the Air

Release Date:December 4 , 2009 (limited; expands: Nov. 25)

Genre: Drama 

From Jason Reitman, the Oscar® nominated director of "Juno," comes a comedy called "Up in the Air" starring Oscar® winner George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate hatchet man who loves his life on the road but is forced to fight for his job when his company downsizes its travel budget. He is required to spend more time at home just as he is on the cusp of a goal he's worked toward for years: reaching five million frequent flyer miles and just after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Director: Jason Reitman

Screenwriter: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Tamala Jones, Chris Lowell

The Blind Side

Release Date: November 20, 2009 

Genre: Drama, Sports 

Based on the book 'The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game" by Michael Lewis. "The Blind Side" depicts the remarkable true story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: John Lee Hancock

Screenwriter: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, Quinton Aaron, Lily Collins, Jae Head

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

Release Date: October 30, 2009 (limited)

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

"The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day" is the highly-anticipated sequel to indie cult classic, "The Boondock Saints." The film is the continuation of writer & director Troy Duffy's tough, stylized cutting edge saga of fraternal twins, the MacManus brothers (Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery). The two have been in deep hiding in the quiet valleys of Ireland, far removed from their former lives or modern technologies. When word comes that a priest has been killed by sinister forces in the tough underworld of Boston, they return to mount a violent and bloody crusade to bring justice to those who must now suffer the consequences, with a new partner in crime (Clifton Collins) and a sexy FBI operative (Julie Benz) hot on their trail!

Studio: Apparition

Director: Troy Duffy

Screenwriter: Troy Duffy

Starring: Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery, Clifton Collins, Julie Benz, Judd Nelson, Robert Cochrane Marley Jr., Brian Mahoney, David Ferry, David Della Rocco, Peter Fonda, Billy Connolly

Nine

Release Date: November 25, 2009

Genre: Drama, Musical

"Nine" is a vibrant and provocative musical that follows the life of world famous film director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he reaches a creative and personal crisis of epic proportion, while balancing the numerous women in his life including his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his film star muse (Nicole Kidman), his confidant and costume designer (Judi Dench), a young American fashion journalist (Kate Hudson), the whore from his youth (Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson) and his mother (Sophia Loren). The original 1982 Broadway production of "Nine," nominated for twelve Tony Awards and winning five, including Best Musical, was directed by Tommy Tune, choreographed by Thommie Walsh, starred Raúl Juliá with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and book by Arthur Kopit. The 2003 Broadway revival of "Nine" received eight Tony Award nominations and won two, including Best Revival of a Musical.

Studio: The Weinstein Company
Director: Rob Marshall
Screenwriter: Michael Tolkin, Anthony Minghella
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Stacy Ferguson, Sophia Loren

Pirate Radio

Release Date: November 13, 2009

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Inspired by the British pirate radio revolution in the '60s, the majority of the film's shoot will take place in a large rusty metal fishing trawler moored off the coast of England in the very waters that kept the rock of the '60s booming into the U.K.

In 1966 -- arguably British pop music's finest era -- the BBC played only two hours of rock and roll every week. But pirate radio blasted rock and pop from the high seas 24 hours a day. And 25 million people -- more than half the population of Britain -- listened to these pirates every single day.

"Pirate Radio" is an ensemble comedy in which the romance takes place between the young people of the '60s and pop music. It's about a band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that, incomprehensibly, preferred jazz.

Leading the cast are Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Count, a big, brash, American god of the airwaves; Bill Nighy as Quentin, the boss of Radio Rock -- a pirate radio station in the middle of the North Sea that's populated by an eclectic crew of rock and roll DJs; Rhys Ifans as Gavin, the greatest DJ in Britain who has just returned from his drug tour of America to reclaim his rightful position; Nick Frost as Dave, an ironic, intelligent and cruelly funny co-broadcaster; and Kenneth Branagh (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hamlet) as British Minister Dormandy, a fearsome government official out for blood against the drug takers and lawbreakers of a once-great nation.

Studio: Focus Features
Director: Richard Curtis
Screenwriter: Richard Curtis
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Sturridge, Jack Davenport, Ralph Brown, Chris O'Dowd, January Jones

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D

Release Date: October 23, 2009 (re-release) 

Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy, Musical 

A holiday tradition continues this Halloween when Tim Burton's classic, "The Nightmare Before Christmas," makes a return to the big screen in stunning Disney Digital 3D. The dazzling new make-over of the musical-fantasy was led by the film's original filmmaking team of Academy Award® nominated writer/producer Tim Burton ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Corpse Bride") and director Henry Selick ("James and the Giant Peach") as well as the talented technical wizards at Industrial Light + Magic in collaboration with In-Three, Inc." Audiences will get closer than ever to Halloweentown's beloved Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington (voice of Chris Sarandon), as he attempts to take over the Christmas holiday. Against the advice of Sally (voice of Catherine O'Hara), a lonely rag doll who has feelings for him, Jack enlists three mischievous trick-or-treaters - Lock, Shock, and Barrel - to help him kidnap Santa Claus. Jack eventually realizes his mistake but has to contend with the evil Oogie Boogie before he can make things right and restore the Christmas holiday. Fueled by an unforgettable soundtrack featuring ten ghoulishly delightful songs by Danny Elfman ("Corpse Bride," "Big Fish") who also provided the singing voice for Jack, Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D" combines the artistry of stop-motion animation with state-of-the-art digital technology to create a unique and entertaining movie-going experience that has become annual holiday event for the entire family.

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Director: Henry Selick

Screenwriter: Caroline Thompson, Tim Burton, Michael McDowell

Starring: Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page

Ninja Assassin

Release Date: November 25, 2009

Genre: Action

Raizo (Rain) is one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them...and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge. In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has stumbled upon a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Defying the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), Mika digs into top secret agency files to learn the truth behind the murders. Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi (Rick Yune), to silence her forever. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, but he knows that the Clan will not rest until they are both eliminated. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive...and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan.

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: James McTeigue

Screenwriter: Matthew Sand, J. Michael Straczynski

Starring: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Sho Kosugi, Rick Yune

The Princess and the Frog

Release Date: November 25, 2009 (NY, LA; wide: Dec. 11) 

Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Musical

Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical "The Princess and the Frog," an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin" comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. "The Princess and the Frog" marks the return to hand-drawn animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements, with music by Oscar®-winning composer Randy Newman ("Monsters, Inc.," "Cars," "Toy Story"). 

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Director: Ron Clements, John Musker

Screenwriter: Ron Clements, John Musker

Starring: Anika Noni Rose, Terrence Howard, John Goodman, Keith David, Jim Cummings, Jenifer Lewis, Oprah Winfrey

Old Dogs

Release Date: November 25, 2009

Genre: Comedy

Two best friends -- one unlucky-in-love divorcee (Robin Williams) and the other a fun-loving bachelor (John Travolta) -- have their lives turned upside down when they're unexpectedly charged with the care of six-year-old twins while on the verge of the biggest business deal of their lives. The not-so-kid-savvy bachelors stumble in their efforts to take care of the twins (newcomers Ella Bleu Travolta and Conner Rayburn), leading to one debacle after another, and perhaps to a new-found understanding of what's really important in life.

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Director: Walt Becker

Screenwriter: David Diamond, David Weissman

Starring: John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Ella Bleu Travolta, Lori Loughlin, Matt Dillon

Broken Embraces

Release Date: November 20, 2009 (NY; LA release: Dec. 11) 

Genre: Drama, Thriller 

A man writes, lives and loves in darkness. Fourteen years before, he was in a brutal car crash on the island of Lanzarote. In the accident, he not only lost his sight, he also lost Lena, the love of his life.

This man uses two names: Harry Caine, a playful pseudonym with which he signs his literary works, stories and scripts, and Mateo Blanco, his real name, with which he lives and signs the film he directs. After the accident, Mateo Blanco reduces himself to his pseudonym, Harry Caine. If he can't direct films he can only survive with the idea that Mateo Blanco died on Lanzarote with his beloved Lena.

In the present day, Harry Caine lives thanks to the scripts he writes and to the help he gets from his faithful former production manager, Judit García, and from Diego, her son, his secretary, typist and guide.

Since he decided to live and tell stories, Harry is an active, attractive blind man who has developed all his other senses in order to enjoy life, on a basis of irony and self-induced amnesia. He has erased from his biography any trace of his first identity, Mateo Blanco.

One night Diego has an accident and Harry takes care of him (his mother, Judit, is out of Madrid and they decide not to tell her anything so as not to alarm her). During the first nights of his convalescence, Diego asks him about the time when he answered to the name of Mateo Blanco, after a moment of astonishment Harry can't refuse and he tells Diego what happened fourteen years before with the idea of entertaining him, just as a father tells his little child a story so that he'll fall asleep.

The story of Mateo, Lena, Judit and Ernesto Martel is a story of "amour fou," dominated by fatality, jealously, the abuse of power, treachery and a guilt complex. A moving and terrible story, the most expressive image of which is the photo of two lovers embracing, torn into a thousand pieces.

Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Screenwriter: Pedro Almodóvar

Starring: Penelope Cruz, Lluis Homar, Blanca Portilla, Rossy de Palma, Kiti Manver, Chus Lampreave, Lola Duenas, Angela Molina

Red Cliff 2

Release Date: November 20, 2009 (limited) 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama 

From the acclaimed director of "Mission: Impossible II," "Face/Off" and "The Killers," comes a dazzling, visionary epic based on the legendary Battle of Red Cliff, in which a force of fifty thousand defeated an army of nearly one million.

In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minister Cao Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale, led by the Prime Minister, himself. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance. Numerous battles of strength and wit ensued, both on land and on water, eventually culminating in the battle of Red Cliff. During the battle, two thousand ships were burned, and the course of Chinese history was changed forever.

Studio: Magnet Releasing (Magnolia Pictures)

Director: John Woo

Screenwriter: Khan Chan, Cheng Kuo, Heyu Sheng, John Woo

Starring: Tony Leung, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Chi-Ling Lin

Motherhood

Release Date: October 16, 2009 (limited)

Genre: Comedy

Eliza Welch (Thurman) is like any other mom with two kids, a loving but absent-minded husband (Edwards), and her own mom-blog ("The Bjorn Identity") - yet she's having a day that would challenge even the toughest multi-tasker. Eliza has to throw her daughter's 6th birthday party while a movie crew takes over her block, chase her tireless two-year-old son, navigate playground politics, walk an incontinent dog, juggle a new career opportunity, and realize what is truly valuable in her life... all in one day.

"Motherhood" is a comedy that embraces the joys and heartache of female parenthood. Sometimes hilarious but always touching in its discovery of what one woman loses and gains in choosing to be a mother.

Studio: Freestyle Releasing

Director: Katherine Dieckmann

Screenwriter: Katherine Dieckmann

Starring: Uma Thurman, Anthony Edwards, Minnie Driver