Brett Ratner Movies
The only child to Jewish parents in Miami, FL, Brett Ratner was accepted to N.Y.U. at the age of 16. Attending the Tisch School for the Arts, he received funding from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment for his senior project Whatever Happened to Mason Reese?, a documentary about a child star. After forming a friendship with Def Jam producer Russell Simmons, Ratner began directing music videos for stars such as Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, and Madonna. It was Simmons who helped him get his first big break, directing Money Talks with Chris Tucker and Charlie Sheen. Ratner worked with Tucker again for his sophomore effort, Rush Hour, a Jackie Chan comedy that broke box-office records for New Line Cinema. A brief departure into romantic comedy with The Family Man was not very well received, but the wild success of Rush Hour 2 brought him back into the limelight, and he soon landed the director's chair for The Silence of the Lambs prequel Red Dragon. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, RoviEddie Murphy stars in this new incarnation of Richard Matheson's classic adventure, this time portrayed with a comic slant in the tale of a magician who must break a shrinking hex that's been thrown on him before he grows so small that he ceases to exist. The Reno 911! screenwriting duo of Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant provide the script, with Brett Ratner taking on directing duties. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy
Another Hanna-Barbera cartoon character gets his big-screen debut in this Alcon Entertainment production starring the voice talents of Eddie Murphy as Penry, the pup who is transformed into a kung-fu fighting canine. Alex Zamm directs this mix of live-action and animation from a script by Family Guy's David Goodman. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy

- 2012
- PG
- Add Mirror Mirror to Queue
The timeless fairy tale Snow White gets a dazzling makeover by visionary director Tarsem Singh in this fantasy adventure starring Oscar winner Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen and newcomer Lily Collins as the fair-skinned Princess Snow White. When handsome Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) falls for angelic Snow White, the jealous Evil Queen seizes control of a magical kingdom and casts the orphaned princess into exile. Meanwhile, as the diabolical queen schemes to win the heart of handsome Prince Alcott with the help of her bumbling servant Brighton (Nathan Lane), Snow White befriends a gang of pint-sized thieves who will help her to reclaim her rightful place on the throne and win back the man of her dreams. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, (more)
This stand-up comedy release from entertainment superstar Nick Cannon captures the performer's first ever stand-up comedy special, recorded live in front of a sold-out crowd at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and featuring Cannon's own sidesplitting commentary about everything from married life, to the music industry. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi
The workers at a posh Central Park condominium plot to steal back their pensions from the thieving Wall Street billionaire who's about to get away with the ultimate white-collar crime in this heist comedy starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. Financial giant Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) has just been placed under house arrest in his luxury New York City penthouse for cleaning out his investors to the tune of two billion dollars. Meanwhile, on the complete opposite end of the financial spectrum, Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) earns a modest living as the manager of The Tower -- the luxurious building where Shaw resides. Upon learning that the building staffers who entrusted Shaw with their retirement funds are about to lose their life savings, and that the thief will likely get off scot-free, Josh convinces a small group of Tower employees and a downtrodden former resident that Shaw has stashed a million-dollar safety net somewhere in his opulent penthouse, and that it's theirs for the taking if they can just slip past security. With dim-witted concierge Charlie (Casey Affleck), under-educated electrical engineer Enrique (Michael Peña), safecracking maid Odessa (Gabourey Sidibe) and downtrodden former resident Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick) to back him, Josh recruits crafty swindler Slide (Eddie Murphy) to help get their money back. Although the security in Arthur's condo is unusually tight, between Josh's knowledge of the building and Slide's sleight of hand, this ragtag gang of thieves just might have what it takes to get the job done. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, (more)
When a powerful force of supernatural evil threatens to destroy Hyboria, legendary Cimmerian warrior Conan (Jason Momoa) raises his sword against mythical monsters and treacherous enemies. Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, and Rachel Nichols co-star in a sweeping fantasy adventure based on the character created by Robert E. Howard, and directed by Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, (more)
Director Brett Ratner teams with screenwriters Richard Potter and Matthew Stravitz for a second screen adaptation of Ira Levin's paranoid novel concerning a South American Nazi plot to revive the Third Reich. Originally filmed in 1978 with actors Laurence Olivier and Gregory Peck in the leads, Levin's novel is slightly altered for this version in which the action plays out in the present day. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, and Charlie Day star in this workplace comedy about three frustrated employees who hatch a plan to kill their micromanaging bosses, only to find their murderous plot snowballing into disaster. Seth Gordon (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters) directs a screenplay written by Michael Markowitz, Jonathan Goldstein, and John Francis Daley. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, (more)
A passionate affair leads to danger and excitement for two young lovers with nothing to lose. J (Hrithik Roshan) was left to die in the Mexican desert. Handsome and resourceful, he's one step ahead of certain death when Natasha (Bárbara Mori) blows into his life like an electrical storm. In a flash, he's smitten. Somehow, despite the deep cultural and language barriers that separate them, J and Natasha form a powerful connection. But Natasha is engaged to another man, a powerful figure who's none too pleased that his prize got away, and who would rather see her dead than in the arms of another man. Perhaps if J and Natasha can just manage to escape, they can find a place to start over, and begin a new life together. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hrithik Roshan, Bárbara Mori, (more)
A series of blindingly bright lights appear all over Los Angeles, mesmerizing the citizens of the city while luring them to an uncertain fate in this sci-fi thriller from sibling filmmakers Greg and Colin Strause. As speculation regarding the origin of the mysterious lights runs rampant, a Los Angeles entrepreneur (Donald Faison), his best friend, Jarrod (Eric Balfour), and Jarrod's frightened girlfriend (Scottie Thompson) struggle to resist temptation as they seek out the source of the luminous threat. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, (more)
Love and identity become twisted across the lines of the Internet in this documentary from filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Nev Schulman is a photographer who one day received a surprising e-mail message -- Abby, an eight-year-old girl in Michigan, had seen his picture in a newspaper and wanted permission to paint a portrait from it. Nev gave his OK, and when he was given a copy of the painting, he was struck by how good it was, assuming that the girl was either a genius or a fraud. Nev tried to contact Abby's family, and somehow ended up in contact with Megan, Abby's sexy 19-year-old sister. As Nev fell into an increasingly complicated on-line relationship with Megan, he decided it was time to meet her in person, but when he traveled to Michigan and tracked her down, Nev learned that Abby and Megan's family were not at all what he expected them to be. Ariel Schulman, Nev's brother, began filming his brother's adventures from his first contact with Abby, and in Catfish he and Henry Joost tell this strange story from beginning to end. Catfish received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Director Brett Ratner brings Bollywood to Hollywood with this alternate cut of director Anurag Basu's romantic action thriller. A passionate affair leads to danger and excitement for two young lovers with nothing to lose. J (Hrithik Roshan) was left to die in the Mexican desert. Handsome and resourceful, he's one step ahead of certain death when Natasha (Bárbara Mori) blows into his life like an electrical storm. In a flash, he's smitten. Somehow, despite the deep cultural and language barriers that separate them, J and Natasha form a powerful connection. But Natasha is engaged to another man, a powerful figure who's none too pleased that his prize got away, and who would rather see her dead than in the arms of another man. Perhaps if J and Natasha can just manage to escape, they can find a place to start over, and begin a new life together. In addition to condensing the running time to 90 minutes from the original 130 minutes, Ratner also jettisoned most of the musical numbers, used alternative footage, added action sequences, commissioned a new score by Graeme Revell, and used English-language takes simultaneously with the Hindi-language version in order to appeal to American moviegoers. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hrithik Roshan, Bárbara Mori, (more)
Veteran Saw franchise helmer Darren Lynn Bousman continues his foray into the macabre with this remake of the 1989 Troma B-film classic Mother's Day. The revamp will still center on a demented mother (Rebecca De Mornay) and her two sons, but will focus on them terrorizing a couple that is residing in their old home rather than the original's theme of a group of hikers being tortured in the woods. Jaime King, Shawn Ashmore, Briana Evigan, and Deborah Ann Woll topline the cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jaime King, Patrick Flueger, (more)
John Cazale's resume as a film actor isn't long, but it's distinguished. Cazale appeared in five feature films, and each one received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, while three of them -- The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and The Deer Hunter -- won the category. Al Pacino, who made three films with Cazale, considered him one his finest acting partners, and many film buffs cite Cazale as one of the best actors of his generation. But Cazale was thirty-seven years old before making his film debut after distinguishing himself in the New York theater community, and shortly after completing work on The Deer Hunter, cancer claimed his life in the spring of 1978. I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale is a short documentary celebrating the life and art of Cazale, featuring clips from his memorable performances and interviews with friends, colleagues and fans, including Meryl Streep (who was also Cazale's wife), Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman and many others. I Knew It Was You was an official selection at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
A collection of music videos directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand. Featured artists include Dru Hill, Foxy Brown, Jessica Simpson, LL Cool J, Madonna, Mariah Carey, P. Diddy, and Public Enemy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Chris Tucker and Brett Ratner join forces once again on the New Line production based on the book Mr. S: My Life With Frank Sinatra, a tell-all from the perspective of Sinatra's longtime valet and good friend George Jacobs, whom Tucker is set to play. William Stadiem is adapting the memoirs that he co-wrote with Jacobs, with Ratner handling producing and directing duties. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

- 2008
- PG13
- Add 21 to QueueAdd 21 to top of Queue
Director Robert Luketic adapts Ben Mezrich's best-seller Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions to tell the true-life tale of six genius students who used their brains to beat considerable odds. Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) may be shy, but his wallflower reputation betrays his inner brilliance. As smart as Ben may be, however, if he can't pay his tuition he'll be kicked out of M.I.T. Fortunately, the answer to all of Ben's problems is right there in the cards. Recruited to join a team of extremely gifted students who have used their mastery of numbers to beat the odds at blackjack, Ben procures a fake identity in order to join the casino scammers and their brilliant leader -- eccentric math professor and stats genius Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) -- in some highly profitable weekend excursions to Las Vegas. Counting cards isn't illegal, and by using a complex series of signals, this team has cracked the code. Of course, it doesn't take long for Ben to become seduced by the glamorous Las Vegas lifestyle, and the attention afforded to him by his sexy teammate Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth) finds him pushing his luck to the absolute limits. Laurence Fishburne stars as Cole Williams, the Sin City security chief who catches on to the group and makes it his mission to expose their lucrative blackjack scam. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, (more)
Some of the world's most-respected directors align forces to pay tribute to the city of the New York in this unconventional omnibus sister film to 2006's Paris, Je T'Aime. Broken into short segments, New York, I Love You is comprised of ten films, most choosing to take a down-to-earth approach to the stories of the countless lives lived in the city on a given day. The segments are as follows, chronologically:
Segment 1 -- Directed by Jiang Wen; written by Hu Hong and Meng Yao; starring Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia, and Rachel Bilson.
Segment 2 -- Directed by Mira Nair; written by Suketu Mehta; starring Natalie Portman and Irfan Khan.
Segment 3 -- Written and directed by Shunji Iwai; adaptation by Israel Horovitz. Starring Orlando Bloom and Christina Ricci.
Segment 4 -- Directed by Yvan Attal; written by Olivier Lécot and Yvan Attal; starring Robin Wright Penn, Ethan Hawke, Maggie Q, and Chris Cooper.
Segment 5 -- Directed by Brett Ratner; written by Jeff Nathanson; starring Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thirlby, and Blake Lively
Segment 6 -- Directed by Allen Hughes; written by Xan Cassavetes and Stephen Winter; starring Drea de Matteo and Bradley Cooper.
Segment 7 -- Directed by Shekhar Kapur; written by Anthony Minghella; starring Julie Christie, John Hurt, and Shia LaBeouf.
Segment 8 -- Written and directed by Natalie Portman; starring Taylor Geare, Carlos Acosta, and Jacinda Barrett.
Segment 9 -- Written and directed by Fatih Akin; starring Burt Young, Ugur Yucel, and Shu Qi.
Segment 10 -- Written and directed by Joshua Marston; starring Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman.
Transitions in between segments -- Directed by Randall Balsmeyer; written by Israel Horovitz, James Strouse, and Hall Powell; starring Emilie Ohana, Eva Amurri, and Justin Bartha. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
Segment 1 -- Directed by Jiang Wen; written by Hu Hong and Meng Yao; starring Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia, and Rachel Bilson.
Segment 2 -- Directed by Mira Nair; written by Suketu Mehta; starring Natalie Portman and Irfan Khan.
Segment 3 -- Written and directed by Shunji Iwai; adaptation by Israel Horovitz. Starring Orlando Bloom and Christina Ricci.
Segment 4 -- Directed by Yvan Attal; written by Olivier Lécot and Yvan Attal; starring Robin Wright Penn, Ethan Hawke, Maggie Q, and Chris Cooper.
Segment 5 -- Directed by Brett Ratner; written by Jeff Nathanson; starring Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thirlby, and Blake Lively
Segment 6 -- Directed by Allen Hughes; written by Xan Cassavetes and Stephen Winter; starring Drea de Matteo and Bradley Cooper.
Segment 7 -- Directed by Shekhar Kapur; written by Anthony Minghella; starring Julie Christie, John Hurt, and Shia LaBeouf.
Segment 8 -- Written and directed by Natalie Portman; starring Taylor Geare, Carlos Acosta, and Jacinda Barrett.
Segment 9 -- Written and directed by Fatih Akin; starring Burt Young, Ugur Yucel, and Shu Qi.
Segment 10 -- Written and directed by Joshua Marston; starring Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman.
Transitions in between segments -- Directed by Randall Balsmeyer; written by Israel Horovitz, James Strouse, and Hall Powell; starring Emilie Ohana, Eva Amurri, and Justin Bartha. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia, (more)
Based on a series of popular mystery novels by James Patterson, the ABC crime show Women's Murder Club received an abudance of pre-release publicity not so much because of its source material, but because it represented the long-overdue return to television of former Law&Order regular Angie Harmon. The actress was cast as San Francisco police homicide detective Lindsay Boxer, a woman whose near-obsessive dedication to her job had caused the breakup of her marriage to Lt. Tom Hogan (Rob Estes), who thanks to the machinations of the scriptwriters was now her boss at the department. Joining forces with three other women in the crimefighting profession, Lindsay specialized in solving allegedly unsolvable murder cases. Her collaborators included medical examiner Claire Washburn (Paula Newsome), who despite her "workaholic" habits was able to approach her job objectively, and to devote ample time to her wheelchair-bound husband Ed (Jonathan Adams) and her sons Derek (Neilan Benvegnu) and Nate (Drew Matthews); assistant DA Jill Bernhardt (Laura Harris), whose mystery-solving activities occasionally took a back seat to her romantic entanglements with defense attorney Hanson North (Kyle Secor) and doctor Luke Bowen (Coby McLaughlin); and newspaper reporter Cindy Thomas (Aubrey Dollar), who was tolerated by her colleagues--albeit just barely--because she possessed a photographic memory (It was Cindy who insisted upon referring to the foursome as the "Women's Murder Club", much to the discomfort of the other three. Other regular characters included Lindsay's steadfast police partner Warren Jacobi (Tyrees Allen), Jill's no-nonsense superior, Deputy DA Linda Park (Denise Kwon), and Tom Hogan's new bride Heather Donnelly (Ever Carradine), a kindergarten teacher. Combining CSI-style procedural drama with Grey's Anatomy-style soap opera, Women's Murder Club" debuted October 12, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Angie Harmon, Paula Newsome, (more)
As Vince negotiates an indecent proposal with a shady prince interested in financing the production of "Medellin," Drama rides the wave of his recent television success straight to Brett Ratner's backyard pool and Turtle's date with dream girl Kelly turns into a nightmare thanks to the beauty's overbearing parents. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A man who has lost his memory has a new and dangerous life thrust upon him in this comedy thriller. Jake (Cedric the Entertainer) is a janitor who finds himself stricken with a crippling case of amnesia. While Jake struggles to regain his memory and identity, he becomes convinced that he's an undercover spy who is trying to ferret out a ring of underground arms dealers wanted by the FBI and the CIA. As Jake is thrown into the world of international intrigue, he gains an unlikely ally in Gina (Lucy Liu), an actual U.S. intelligence agent who is tracking the same bad guys and develops a liking for the janitor. The Cleaner also stars Nicollette Sheridan, DeRay Davis, and Callum Keith Rennie. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cedric the Entertainer, Lucy Liu, (more)
Helmut Newton (1920-2004) was one of the most celebrated photographers of his generation, the master of a singular visual style in which the famous and the unfamiliar where made part of Newton's visual netherworld of uneasy glamour, kinky sex and unspoken perversity. While Newton worked regularly for some of the world's best known fashion magazines, his work walked a fine line between art and commerce, and even his simplest images carried an undertow that was both witty and disturbing. Newton frequently worked with supermodels and major entertainment figures, but one of his favorite photographic subjects was his wife of fifty-six years, June Newton, and while he worked his photo shoots, she would often take candid photographs of her husband as he immersed himself in the creative process. June Newton offers viewers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the work that went into Newton's images and glimpse into the private life of the artist who created them in Helmut by June, a documentary directed by June which features footage of the master photographer at home and on the set. Featuring appearances by Cindy Crawford, Sigourney Weaver, Helena Christiansen, Luciano Pavarotti, Billy Wilder, Claudia Schiffer and many other friends and colleagues, Helmut by June received its world premiere at the 2007 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival; it was produced with the participation of the premium cable network HBO. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Oscar-winning Hollywood visionary Steven Spielberg teams with reality television pioneer Mark Burnett for an unscripted series in which undiscovered filmmakers compete for the opportunity to win a development deal at DreamWorks -- the production company behind such major box-office hits as Dreamgirls and War of the Worlds. Each week the contestants are provided with the best resources that the film industry has to offer, provided with a limited budget, and given the assignment of completing various types of film projects. After completion, each film is screened in a one-hour episode and critiqued by three judges: director Garry Marshall, actress and screenwriter Carrie Fisher, and a special guest judge, such as Brett Ratner, Michael Bay, and D.J. Caruso. Though the professional critiques allow the contestants an opportunity to gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses as filmmakers, the final outcome of the competition rests in the hands of the viewing audience -- who are given the opportunity to vote for their favorite film each week. The results of the vote are announced during the next week's episode, and the filmmaker(s) behind the feature with the fewest votes are sent home. In the end, the one director left standing is granted a one-million-dollar development deal at DreamWorks, which could allow the filmmaker the opportunity to realize his or her dream of becoming a major Hollywood director. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
In this third installment of the popular action comedy franchise, LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) and Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) book a flight for Europe and prepare to clean up the streets of Paris after discovering that Chinese triads have extended their criminal influence to the City of Lights. Chinese Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma) is in Los Angeles and about to reveal the details of a clandestine triad conspiracy to the World Criminal Court when an assassin takes aim and pulls the trigger. Though Carter has been demoted to directing traffic at the time of the shooting, Lee is acting as a bodyguard to Han when the bullets begin to fly. Lee quickly gives chase, but hesitates when he realizes that the gunman is Kenji (Hiroyuki Sanada), his old friend from the orphanage. When triads steal an envelope containing vital information regarding the conspiracy from Soo Yung's (Zhang Jingchu) Chinatown kung fu studio, Carter and Chief Inspector Lee race to reach Genevieve (Noémie Lenoir), an underground entertainer who could prove the key to bagging the bad guys. During the course of their investigation, however, triads clash with the French police, threatening to turn the romance capitol of Europe into an explosive hotbed of crime and violence. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, (more)

















