Exclusives

My Brilliant Career and Oscar and Lucinda director Gillian Armstrong explores the final feat of the greatest illusionist ever to deceive a live audience in this docudrama concerning Harry Houdini's obsessive quest to find proof of an afterlife. The year is 1926, and Houdini (Guy Pearce) is an international superstar. Not only does the illusionist's otherworldly ability to bend reality hold audiences completely enthralled, but his easy charm finds him winning the hearts of his growing legion of fans as well. Yet behind Houdini's winning smile resides the restless heart of a tortured soul. Isolated by fame and drowning in regret over having not been present to hear his mother's last words, Houdini sets out in tour of Scotland and announces that he will pay 10,000 dollars to anyone who can prove spiritual contact with his deceased mother. But in his determination to prove that there is life after death, Houdini also becomes the target of countless charlatans, scam artists, and self-proclaimed spiritualists. Of course, stunning psychic Mary McGregor (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and her daughter/sidekick, Benji (Saoirse Ronan), seem remarkably sincere in their supernatural talents, yet that doesn't mean that the pair doesn't have their own ulterior motives for making a connection with the world-famous magic man. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The writers and director of the original Feast follow the horror from the dive bar of the first film to a nearby town as the flesh-eating beasts prepare to dine on the unsuspecting locals before dashing off to the next well-populated desert buffet. The survivors of the initial attack have lived to see another day, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they'll make it through another night. Upon joining-up a desperate band of locals that include an all-girl biker gang and a tag team of fearless luchadors, the battle-weary survivors brace themselves for another bloody round of flesh-ripping, limb-hacking mayhem. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Adapted from the nonfiction book by Natalie Robins and Steven M.L. Aronson, Tom Kalin's Savage Grace recounts the true crime tale of the death of Barbara Baekeland. Stephen Dillane stars as Brooks Baekeland, the son of the man who invented Bakelite, one of the early forms of plastic. As the family fortune begins to decrease after years of wealth, Brooks marries Barbara (Julianne Moore), who desires to mingle in the highest social circles. They have a child, Antony, who is homosexual. Antony grows up to kill Barbara, in part because Barbara takes a personal interest in "curing" her son of his orientation. This was Kalin's first film since 1991's Swoon, a film about the infamous Leopold and Loeb murders. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

As Anti-French rebellion spreads throughout 1920s-era Vietnam and colonialist sanctioned units of Vietnam agents attempt to track down and destroy the rogue cells, a French educated Vietnamese agent finds his loyalty put to the ultimate test in this martial arts action drama starring Johnny Nguyen. Le Van Cuong (Nguyen) was rooting out Vietnamese rebels from French occupied Vietnam when be began to resent the fact that he was spilling the blood of his fellow countrymen. When a high ranking French official is assassinated, Coung is assigned the task of finding and killing the notorious rebel leader responsible for the hit. Cuong's conscience is stirred, however, when he happens across Vo Thanh Thuy - the daughter of the elusive rebel leader. Though Cuong's superior wants to use Thuy as a pawn to get to their intended target, Thuy would rather commit suicide than betray her father. Touched by the Thuy's undying devotion to both her father and her country, Cuong vows to help the girl escape to safety even if it means sacrificing his own life in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

After beginning the witchy tale of the malevolent "Three Mothers" at a secretive ballet academy in Freiburg, Germany (Suspiria), and later tracking the supernatural goings-on to a doomed tenement building in New York City (Inferno), Italian horror icon Dario Argento draws his long-running trilogy to a close with this third and final installment, set in the Italian capital. Co-scripted by Toolbox Murders screenwriters Adam Gierasch and Jace Anderson, Mother of Tears stars Asia Argento as an American art student who unknowingly unleashes a demonic plague of witches on Rome by breaking the seal of an ancient urn. Udo Kier, Adam James, Philippe Leroy, and Daria Nicolodi also appear in the eagerly anticipated tale of Mater Lachrymarum -- the third and most powerful witch in the terrifying trilogy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

For the follow-up to his feature debut, 1999's The Big Split, filmmaker Martin Hynes took on this bittersweet road movie about a teenager responding to the untimely death of his mother. Overcome with grief that he's unequipped to deal with, Mercer (Lou Taylor Pucci) decides to steal a car and hit the open road. Along the way, he discovers himself with the help of a seductress (Jena Malone) and the owner of the car (Zooey Deschanel). The Go-Getter had its premiere at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

A little blue elephant with enormous dreams discovers the true power of courage in this uplifting animated film featuring the voices of Carl Reiner, Martin Short, and Miranda Cosgrove. Lovable elephant Khan has been separated from the herd, and now in order to find his family and realize his royal destiny he will have to enlist the aid of some loyal new friends. Along the way, Khan learns the value of trusting others and the importance of remaining brave even in the face of great danger. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A bored suburban husband finds his affair with a high-school babysitter fast snowballing out of control in this black comedy from first-time screenwriter/director David Ross. Shirley (Katherine Waterston) is a brainy honors student who is always thinking about the future, and works part-time as a babysitter in order to save up for college. Among Shirley's regular charges are spirited youngsters Adam and Mikey, the offspring of respected father Michael (John Leguizamo) and his pretty wife, Gail (Cynthia Nixon). Shirley has always had an innocent crush on Michael, but one night after her regular shift, things take a serious turn when the pair sneaks a furtive kiss. Lately Michael has become noticeably depressed by the suburban routine, longing for the days before family responsibility weighed him down and his wife turned into the typical minivan-driving soccer mom. Shirley's kiss makes Michael feel alive again, and as a result he gives her a substantial tip that night. Before long, however, a fleeting kiss has turned into a full-fledged affair, with Michael and Shirley using the babysitting shifts as cover. When Michael's married friends catch wind of his extramarital exploits, they, too, express the want for a babysitter who is willing to earn a healthy tip. Recognizing the potential for profit in such a situation, Shirley soon assumes the role of teenage madam -- matching up her high-school friends with otherwise upstanding men who have grown bored with married life. Of course, Shirley isn't above skimming a bit of the profits for her college fund, but then again it's only a matter of time before their carefully crafted cover is blown. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A teenage skateboarder has a run-in with a security guard that results in the man's death. Confused, fearful, and evasive, the teen wanders the streets of Portland as his life takes a turn for the worse in director Gus Van Sant's screen adaptation of author Blake Nelson's grim coming-of-age tome. Alex (Gabe Nevins) is a withdrawn 16-year-old boy who has recently discovered Paranoid Park -- a massive skate park in Portland, OR. The Portland skate punks built Paranoid Park so they could have a place to cruise the concrete without being hassled by the cops. One day, after befriending a local skater and anarchist at the park, Alex decides that a little adventure might be just the thing to help him forget about his problems back home. When Alex and his new friend attempt to hop a train and a security guard gives chase, tragedy strikes so quickly that the two teens are barely able to comprehend what has just happened. In the aftermath of the fatal accident, one man is robbed of life and two teens are left to ponder the consequences of their youthful recklessness. Alex doesn't think that anyone will believe him if he explains how events really unfolded that night, but why would anyone have cause to think he wasn't telling the truth in the first place? As the police launch an investigation into the death and Alex begins to express himself in a deeply personal diary, the audience is able to experience the pain and confusion of adolescence from the perspective of a young boy who was only seeking to escape from reality when suddenly confronted by the concept of mortality. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Seven adventurous partygoers find themselves trapped in a sadistic game of death after accepting an invitation to a mysterious party. It's New Year's Eve, and a group of revelers are living it up on the roof of an abandoned skyscraper when five of the partiers receive an intriguing text message. According to the sender, there's an exclusive VIP party happening on the twenty seventh floor, and they're all invited. Once on the floor, however, the five guests and two party crashers quickly realize that they have fallen into a trap. The only way off of this floor is to follow a series of morbid clues left by a murderous psychopath. But who conceived these deadly games, and why have they targeted this specific group? As the contestants begin to die a series of spectacularly staged deaths, each precious clue becomes a genuine matter of life and death. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Dominic Swain, Master P, Tom Sizemore, and Danny Trejo star in this flashy action thriller about a beautiful mental patient who embarks on a violent killing spree after learning that her own father has put a bounty on her head. Anyone who gets in this lethal lady's way is sure to pay with their lives, whether it be the nightclub owner, the bartender, the call girl, or even the exotic dancer. Who will be alive when her violent rampage has ended, and what will be left of them but a fleshy bag of broken bones? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Eighteen years after seeing their mother overdose in a seedy Hollywood motel room, a pair of permanently warped siblings attempts to fulfill their mother's dying wish that they both become world class ventriloquists. The son hasn't said a word since the day he watched his mother die, and daughter is determined to make it to Las Vegas by whatever means possible. They both come from a long line of talented ventriloquists, but these days the balance of power has shifted in the dummy's favor. Now, as these twisted siblings embark on a murderous desert rampage, it's plain to see who's really in control here. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Filmmaker Grant Gee speaks with now-deceased Factory Records founder Tony Wilson; legendary producer Martin Hannett; surviving Joy Division band members Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, and Peter Hook; and the late Ian Curtis's Belgian lover Annik Honore in order to offer a vivid snapshot of the fleeting moment in time when Manchester's Joy Division changed the face of modern music. Born in the bleak landscape of industrialized Manchester -- a city that once thrived as a center of 19th century manufacturing but was far removed from its halcyon days by the time the band was founded -- Joy Division combined the energy of punk rock with the anger and alienation of their generation to stunning effect. When he wasn't pouring every ounce of his personal energy into penning poetic lyrics for a band that seemed to thrive on chaos, volatile frontman Curtis supported his family by working in the civil service as an Assistant Disablement Resettlement Officer. In 1980, as the band was set to embark on their first-ever North American tour, Curtis took his own life at the age of 23. In addition to offering the remarkable story of Joy Division as told by the very people who were privileged enough to have been there at that crucial moment in musical history, Gee's film also offers a meditation on the city that was struggling to reinvent itself following a devastating collapse. While Curtis's widow Deborah does not appear onscreen, text from her biography Touching from a Distance appear as a constant reminder of her presence in the talented musician's brilliant but fleeting life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide