Andrew Z. Davis Movies

A pair of irresponsible energy drink salesmen realize that serving a month of hard time is nothing compared to spending 150 hours in a community mentorship program after they trash the company truck and find themselves at the mercy of the court in this comedy starring Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd. Wheeler (Scott) and Danny (Rudd) wouldn't necessarily be the first people a parent would turn to when seeking out a babysitter, in fact, they probably wouldn't even make the list in the first place. After slamming a few too many Minotaur energy drinks and crashing the company truck, however, the two loose-living pals narrowly avert jail when the court decides to let them become mentors to a group of young misfits. But how is the recently dumped Danny supposed to help bashful, role-playing geek Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) become a man when all he can offer the boy is bitter sarcasm, and is beer-chugging man-child Wheeler really the best choice to help foul-mouthed fifth-grader Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson) develop more respect for his elders? Probably not, but they'll have to do their best anyway when the center's ex-con director (Jane Lynch) confronts them with a harsh ultimatum. Now, if Wheeler and Danny can just make it through the rest of their probation without getting tossed in jail, maybe there's hope for the boys -- and Danny's relationship with his fed-up girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) -- after all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Following the phenomenal success of The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, Anthony Hopkins returns as brilliant madman Hannibal Lecter in this thriller based on the novel in which author Thomas Harris introduced the character. Will Graham (Edward Norton) is an FBI agent with a rare gift for tracking serial killers who brought Hannibal Lecter to justice; however, his confrontation with Lecter proved to be a bloody, near-death experience, and afterward Graham retired from the Bureau, moving to Florida to spend his time with his wife, Molly (Mary-Louise Parker), and their son. However, a particularly grisly killer is on the loose, and Jack Crawford (Harvey Keitel), Graham's one-time mentor at the Bureau, asks him to return to duty to find him. The "Tooth Fairy" is a vicious murderer who kills entire families at once, covering the eyes of his victims with bits of a shattered mirror. Graham finds he needs help putting together the pieces of the "Tooth Fairy" case, and he calls upon Lecter looking for advice. Lecter, at once vaguely helpful and self-serving, as usual, offers scraps of information to Graham which help him zero in on the killer. But Lecter knows more than he's telling; the "Tooth Fairy" is actually Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes), a troubled and withdrawn man who admires Lecter's violent panache and corresponds with him. Dolarhyde works at a film processing lab, where one of his co-workers, a blind woman named Reba McClane (Emily Watson), seems to be quite attracted to him. As Dolarhyde wrestles with both his murderous impulses and his feelings for McClane, Lecter plays Graham and Dolarhyde against one another so that, as the FBI agent comes closer to catching "the Tooth Fairy," Dolarhyde moves in on his next victim -- Graham's family. Red Dragon marked the second time Harris' novel of the same name had been brought to the screen; five years prior to The Silence of the Lambs, Michael Mann adapted the book for the screen as Manhunter, which starred William Petersen as Graham and Brian Cox as Lecter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A young African-American couple navigates the tricky paths of romance and athletics in this drama. Quincy McCall (Omar Epps) and Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan) grew up in the same neighborhood and have known each other since childhood. As they grow into adulthood, they fall in love, but they also share another all-consuming passion: basketball. They've followed the game all their lives and have no small amount of talent on the court. As Quincy and Monica struggle to make their relationship work, they follow separate career paths though high school and college basketball and, they hope, into stardom in big-league professional ball. Love and Basketball was the first feature film for writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who previously helmed several comedy specials for Dave Chappelle. Spike Lee co-produced. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The action producing-directing team of Jerry Bruckheimer and Tony Scott is back with another thrill-a-minute ride called Enemy of the State. Taking its "innocent man accidentally caught up in political corruption" story from such films as Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Sydney Pollack's Three Days of the Condor, they turn up the high-tech volume in an attempt to create the ultimate action film. Robert Clayton Dean, played by Will Smith, is a devoted father, husband, and attorney shopping for a sexy gift for his wife. What he doesn't know is that he was given a videotape from a friend (Jason Lee) regarding the recent murder of a U.S. senator led by corrupt National Security Agency official Thomas Reynolds (Jon Voight). Now Reynolds is after Dean to cover his tracks or, as the audience soon finds out, frame Dean for Rachel's murder. Since Dean isn't up on his high-tech gadgetry, he needs the aid of ex-intelligence operative Brill (Gene Hackman). Between the explosions and chases is the subtext of George Orwell's 1984 mantra "beware of big brother," as Dean realizes that in the modern world, there is no such thing as total privacy. ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide

The 1939 Irene Dunne-Charles Boyer romance Love Affair, remade with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in 1957 as An Affair to Remember, became a vehicle for real-life couple Warren Beatty and Annette Bening in this 1994 rendition. The well-worn story remains the same, as a man and a woman, both engaged to other people, fall madly in love while traveling, indulge in a brief but intense affair, then agree to part and sort out their feelings. They are to meet again at the top of the Empire State Building if their feelings persist, but a series of unfortunate circumstances threatens to keep the lovers apart. Despite polished visuals and a time-tested narrative, this variation suffers in comparison to its two predecessors, not to mention the previous year's Sleepless in Seattle, which had drawn on An Affair to Remember for several of its most memorable sequences. It does features Katherine Hepburn's first film appearance in 13 years. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

In this high-energy satire of the music biz, Ivan Alexov (John Cusack) and Josh Tager (Tim Robbins) lose their jobs as security guards, and they decide to start their own video production company. Their first gigs are less than inspiring, including a rappin' commercial for a chicken-and-waffle place, a living will, and a right-wing Presidential-hopeful's (Clu Gulager) gala dinner. Eventually, they get to direct a heavy-metal music video which becomes a huge surprise success. But now the politician needs to get back a private videotape from the boys, and the Secret Service is put on their trail. This chaotic romp has cameos from more music celebs than you can shake a tape reel at, as well as a hopping little soundtrack by Fishbone. This is also the film that introduced a conservative folksinger/politician character who later got his own movie, Bob Roberts. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide

This mundane sequel to New World Pictures' surprise horror hit bears little connection with its predecessor apart from the participation of writer Ethan Wiley, who also assumed directorial duties. This time around, the title abode is an old mansion inherited by the great-great-grandson of its original owner, a legendary frontier outlaw. The new owner, Jesse (Arye Gross), whose parents were murdered in the mansion 20 years ago, unwisely searches the premises for a cache of gems believed to be hidden there. With the aid of girlfriend Kate (Lar Park Lincoln) and buddy Charlie (Jonathan Stark), Jesse stumbles upon the original owner himself (Royal Dano), who is remarkably still alive (albeit in particularly decrepit condition) and cantankerous as all get-out. Great-great-grandpa has been preserved by the supernatural powers of an Aztec crystal skull, which is also capable of reanimating the dead and opening portals into other dimensions. Its true powers are tested readily when the skull falls into the wrong hands, leading our heroes on a wacky supernatural chase. The horror-comedy formula that kept the original film's shaky premise afloat is far less functional here, filling the story with silly contrivances that include a collection of pet monsters and a time-travel romantic subplot. Still, the film has some clever moments, mainly from Dano, who makes the most of his difficult character by adding a cartoonish flair, and from Cheers alum John Ratzenberger's amusing cameo turn as a plumber strangely accustomed to cross-dimensional travel. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide