Captivity

Vatel director Roland Joffé teams with screenwriters Larry Cohen and Joselh Tura to adapt an original story by Cohen concerning a fashion model (Elisha Cuthbert) and her chauffer who are kidnapped and held captive by a sadistic serial killer. Jennifer Tree (Cuthbert) is America’s Sweetheart; a top fashion model and ubiquitous cover girl who is adored by millions, Jennifer possesses all of the wealth and power that comes with being a natural, world class beauty. Every girl wants to be Jennifer, and every man wants to have her - one more than all others combined. That man has been lying in wait for precisely the right moment to strike, and when Jennifer makes the fateful mistake of stepping out on her own at a Soho charity event he finally sees the opportunity to take possession of his most prized object. Drugged, taken, and placed in a cell where she is forced to endure unspeakable mental and physical torture, Jennifer struggles against her twisted tormentor with every ounce of courage and fight that she has - but will it be enough for her to endure should her captor continue to maintain the upper hand? A controversial film long before it ever went into wide release, Captivity caused quite a stir when graphic, unapproved ads for the film appeared on billboards and taxi cabs in New York and Los Angeles. Though representatives from Captivity’s releasing company After Dark Films claimed that the wrong materials were shipped to the printers and put up before they realized what had happened, public outcry was such that the MPAA saw fit to suspend the ratings process for the film. As a result, it quickly became apparent that Captivity would fail to procure an MPAA rating before its original target release date.

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License to Wed

An engaged young couple finds their lifetime of happiness unexpectedly compromised by a pushy minister who insists they successfully complete his comprehensive marriage-prep course before exchanging wedding vows in a matrimonial comedy starring John Krasinski, Mandy Moore, and Robin Williams. Sadie Jones (Moore) has always longed to marry the man of her dreams in her family church. Though she found her lifetime companion in Ben Murphy (Krasinski), Sadie is distressed to learn that St. Augustine’s has only one wedding slot available over the next two years. While Sadie and Ben do qualify for the slot, charismatic St. Augustine’s minister Reverend Frank (Williams) won’t wed the couple until they agree to attend his two-week prenuptial course. Now, as their wedding date draws near, Sadie and Ben must attend every one of Reverend Frank’s exhausting classes and complete a series of rigorous homework assignments designed specifically to test their dedication to one another and ensure that their union will have a sound foundation.

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The Wendell Baker Story

Owen, Luke, and Andrew Wilson combine their fraternal filmmaking talents to tell the character-driven tale of a small-time con man who gets a fortuitous shot at redemption while working in a run down retirement community. Wendell Baker (Luke Wilson) is a con man whose large heart betrays his criminal mind. Confident to a fault and consistently cool-headed, Baker is the kind of grifter who’s always quick with a comeback and never lets the law get in the way of making a quick buck. When Wendell is busted for selling counterfeit Texas driver’s licenses to undocumented Mexican migrant workers, he coasts through his prison sentence with the same unflappable attitude that made him the perfect swindler in the outside world. In order to pass the time behind bars without causing waves, mellow convict Wendell buries his nose in books about hotel management checked out from the prison library. Upon release the optimistic ex-con is distraught to discover his girlfriend Dorren (Eva Mendes) has taken up with a quick-tempered grocer (Will Ferrell) and his former partner Reyes (Jacob Vargas) has been forced into retirement by his law-abiding wife. Looking to put his hotel management know-how to good use and determined to win Doreen back, Wendell soon takes a job at the Shady Grove retirement hotel. Little does Wendell realize that scheming Shady Grove head nurse Neil King (Owen Wilson) has been dabbling in fraudulent Medicare payments and forced labor, and has no qualms about pinning his crimes on the carefree ex-convict. Now, if benevolent knave Wendell has any hope of turning the tables on his unscrupulous nemesis and proving that nice guys don’t always finish last, he’ll have to enlist the aid of fed-up Shady Grove residents Boyd (Seymour Cassel), Skip (Harry Dean Stanton), and Nasher (Kris Kristofferson), who are all more than willing to strike back at their casually cruel caretaker.

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Spider-Man 3

Your friendly neighborhood web-slinger is back, only this time his sunny outlook has become partially overcast in the third chapter of director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man saga. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco return to reprise their roles from the previous two installments, with Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, and Bryce Dallas Howard making their first appearances in the series as Flint Marko (aka Sandman), Eddie Brock (aka Venom), and Gwen Stacy, respectively. Peter Parker (Maguire) has finally leaned to walk the middle ground between being the superhero that his city needs, and the man that Mary Jane (Dunst) loves. All is well in New York City until one night, as Peter and M.J. set gazing at the stars, a falling comet streams across the sky and crashes into the ground close by. But this isn’t any ordinary shooting star, and upon impact the mysterious space rock is split open to reveal a shape-shifting symbiote with the power to overtake anything that it comes into contact with. Later, as Harry Osborn acquires his late father’s flying board, engineers a powerful new Goblin outfit, and takes to the sky to avenge dad’s death, the mysterious space sludge infects both Peter’s Spider Man suit and ambitious street photographer Eddie Brock (Grace). His strange new suit giving him a newfound sense of power as it gradually overpowers his personality, Peter discovers that escaped convict Flint Marko was in fact the man responsible for the death of Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson). Unfortunately for Peter, Marko has recently acquired the power to morph at will and quickly completes his transformation into the dreaded Sandman. As the Sandman gives in to his darkest criminal instincts and the slithering space symbiote transforms Eddie Brock into the nightmarish fanged villain known as Venom, the citizens of New York City must once again call on Spider Man to fend off destructive forces that are far too powerful for the likes of mortal man.

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Mysteries of the Bible: Prophets - Soul Catchers

This video is part of a series that examines some of the most important stories and figures in the Bible. In this volume, the subject is prophecy. In Biblical times, men and women who could see and predict the future were very important and powerful figures. This program examines the words of Biblical prophets, including John, Elijah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Deborah. Biblical scholars discuss the meaning behind the prophets’ words and imagery, their impact, and their accuracy. The film features on-location footage, religious art, and readings from the works of the prophets.

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Mysteries of the Bible: Abraham - One Man, One God

This 50-minute video tells all about the life and enduring faith of Abraham. Learn why Christians, Jews and others revere the purity of Abraham’s belief that God is always loving and would always stand by him. Scholars are interviewed who have spent their professional lives searching for proof that Abraham truly existed. They discuss what they have learned from the 1,500 cuneiform tablets discovered at the ancient city of Ebla. The narrator repeats the basic Old Testament story in which Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son. Viewers will hear many things that can help them decide whether they fully believe that it was Abraham’s covenant with God that led to the birth of Israel. Also includes an informative visit to a number of historic and beautiful areas of Israel.

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The Poseidon Adventure

A luxury liner has capsized in the middle of the ocean, and it’s up to the few remaining survivors to navigate through the treacherous, upside-down maze of terror and make their way to safety in the made-for-television remake of the 1972 disaster film. A terrorist has boarded the luxury liner Poseidon during a lavish New Year’s Eve celebration, and when the blast of his bomb causes the immense ship to capsize, the struggle to make it out alive turns into a waterlogged nightmare as the ship slowly continues to take in water. But sinking isn’t the only thing the survivors have to worry about, because within their midst the diabolical terrorist is waiting for just the right moment to finish the job he started when he planted the bomb.

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Grey’s Anatomy: Season 01

Launched as a mid-season replacement on ABC in spring 2005, this sex-soaked medical soap opera quickly became a hit during its nine-episode inaugural run. Creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes, who wrote the first three episodes herself, wasted no time in setting up the central conflicts at Seattle Grace. In taking an internship at the hospital where her mother once enjoyed great renown as a surgeon, beautiful Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) must suffer through not only heightened expectations, but also the terrible secret that her mother now suffers from Alzheimer’s. As if that’s not enough, Meredith also enters into an unlikely romance with her boss, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), aka “”Dr. McDreamy.”" Once word gets out, the affair irks most of Meredith’s co-workers: no-nonsense senior resident Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), who toes the party line regarding resident/intern romance; nice-guy intern George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), who harbors a not-so-secret crush on Meredith; and ultra-competitive intern Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), who believes Shepherd is playing favorites with Meredith. Much to her own surprise, however, Cristina soon finds herself hooking up with Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), who’s not only her supervisor but also Shepherd’s rival for chief resident. As for surgeons-in-training Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), they’re too busy loathing each other to get caught up in any inter-office romance. Chief of Surgery Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), too, remains above the fray — until, during the cliffhanger season finale, he inadvertently affects the course of Meredith and McDreamy’s relationship by hiring a new pediatric surgeon (guest star Kate Walsh) with a surprising link to Derek’s past.

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The Prestige

Obsession, jealousy, and deceit define the tense relationship shared between two turn-of-the-century magicians in Memento and Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan’s dizzying tale of sleight of hand. Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are London-based magicians of the highest order, both blessed with spectacular powers of deception and both cursed with unrelenting envy for one another’s skills. When Alfred performs an awe-inspiring trick for which there seems no logical explanation, the friendly competition shared between the pair turns to deadly rivalry as the enraged Rupert determines to uncover his rival’s deepest secrets. In the world of illusion, however, nothing is ever quite as it seems, and the rules of the physical world simply don’t apply. Now, as bitter competition quickly begins to consume the souls of both performers, the firestorm birthed by their anger threatens to consume all who surround them. Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, and David Bowie co-star in a feature that finds director/screenwriter Nolan reuniting with brother and Memento story author Jonathan Nolan to adapt author Christopher Priest’s original novel.

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Lake Placid

So what’s under the water in that lake deep in the Maine woods? No one is sure what it could be, but a dead and severely mutilated body was found near the shore, and the only clue is a large tooth which appears to be from a prehistoric animal resembling a huge crocodile. Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), the local fish and game warden, is investigating the case when he’s assigned a helper, paleontologist Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda). Kelly generally does office work since she hates the outdoors (a drawback in her line of work) and is recovering from a breakup with one of her co-workers. Jack would just as soon handle this matter without Kelly’s help, but with time, the two get used to each other and something beyond a working relationship begins to develop. Meanwhile, Jack and Kelly also have to deal with Sheriff Hank Keogh (Brendan Gleeson), who would like to find the mystery creature and kill it; Hector Cyr (Oliver Platt), a quirky mythology expert who wants to capture and study the beast; and Mrs. Bickerman (Betty White), an eccentric older woman with dubious stories about her missing cattle — and missing husband. Blending suspense, humor, and romance, Lake Placid was written by David E. Kelley, creator of the popular TV shows Ally McBeal and The Practice, and directed by Steve Miner, whose credits range from TV’s The Wonder Years to the films Forever Young and Halloween: H20.

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I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

I Know What You Did Last Summer was one of the two teenaged horror movies responsible for bringing the horror genre into the 90’s (the other being Wes Craven’s Scream). Both of those films came from the pen of screenwriter Kevin Williamson, and both of them generated sequels. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is the continuation of Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), a tortured college co-ed who accidentally almost killed a man and left him for dead one night. One year later, that man, named Ben Willis, came back to kill all of Julie’s friends. Now, another year later, she still suffers from nightmares over the horrible incidents. When Julie’s roommate Kate (Brandy) wins an all-expenses paid trip to the Bahamas on a radio promotion by guessing the capital of Brazil, she decides to take her roommate Julie, her boyfriend (Mekhi Phifer), and their new friend (Matthew Settle) on the retreat. Once there, they discover that besides being the rainy season, they were also followed by Julie’s nemesis who is still seeking revenge. Slowly the islanders turn up murdered, leaving Julie no choice but to explain her past actions to her friends and fight to stay alive. It will entail the final showdown between her and Ben Willis once and for all.

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House of Wax

A bunch of college students are stranded in a small town where suffering for art takes on a whole new meaning in this tale of terror. Carly (Elisha Cuthbert) and her boyfriend, Wade (Jared Padalecki), have hit the road with a handful of their friends to attend a championship college football game; tagging along with them are Carly’s bratty friend Paige (Paris Hilton, Carly’s trouble-making twin brother Nick (Chad Michael Murray), and Blake (Robert Ri’chard), Paige’s latest boy toy. While camping out for the night, the gang makes the mistake of getting on the wrong side of a mysterious local redneck, and the next morning they discover that Wade’s car no longer works. As the others continue on to the big game, Carly and Wade make their way into the closest town, Ambrose, and discover it’s all but deserted, except for a local tourist attraction, the House of Wax. However, it isn’t long before they find out why the wax sculptures at the museum look so freakishly real, and discover a pair of murderous brothers are keen on making them part of the next exhibit. House of Wax is an in-name-only remake of the well-remembered 1953 3-D horror outing starring Vincent Price, which was in turn based on the 1933 picture Mystery of the Wax Museum.

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