Sean Astin

Spanish company Dygra Films presents this eco-friendly animated film chronicling the revolt of the plant and animal community against a dastardly businesswoman looking to bulldoze the forest. Sean Astin, Giovanni Ribisi, Ron Perlman and Anjelica Huston provide the voices for the computer animated production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

A talented but troubled high-school rugby star gets a second shot at redemption after being sentenced to serve time in a Salt Lake City boys' home and landing a coveted spot on the famed Highland High School rugby team in this inspirational sports drama from director Ryan Little (Saints and Soldiers, Everything You Want). Rick Penning (Sean Faris ) was the star player on his Arizona rugby team until his life took a turn for the worse. Now, after a fateful brush with the law, Rick finds himself out of the spotlight and forced to ponder the consequences of his actions in a Salt Lake City juvenile detention center. As fate would have it, however, Salt Lake's famed Highland High rugby team could use a player like Rick. With a little help from coach Larry Gelwix (Gary Cole), Rick may even be able to lead the Highland High team to the national championships. When Rick discovers that the team they'll be competing against is none other than his old team from Arizona, which is coached by his father, Richard Penning (Neal McDonough), the deciding game takes on a newfound sense of gravity in the eyes of the ambitious young athlete. Arielle Kebbel and Sean Astin co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Director Zev Berman teams with screenwriter Eric Poppen to explore the occult-based Mexican border town murder spree that claimed the lives of sixty innocents between January and March of 1989 alone. Graduation is drawing near and the spring breeze is blowing, what better time for three thrill-seeking Texas University students to make a run for the border to celebrate with one last wild weekend of drinking and debauchery? Though all the elements were in place for the perfect weekend getaway, this hard-partying trio is about to find out just how quickly things can take a turn for the worse when you're a stranger in a strange land. Upon running afoul of an ancient blood cult in search of the perfect human sacrifice, the three unsuspecting students are abducted and prepared for the ritualistic execution that will give Mexican drug runners supernatural protection that reaches above and beyond the laws of man. Sean Astin, Rider Strong, and Jake Muxworthy star in an ominous tale of occult bloodletting inspired by actual events. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A place where baseball is more than just a game fights to hold on to the national pastime in this drama inspired by a true story. Norway, Iowa is a little town where folks take baseball seriously -- so much so that even though Norway's high school boasts less than a hundred students, their baseball team has brought home the state championship nineteen times. Jim Van Scoyoc (Powers Boothe), Norway High's baseball coach, has received national attention for his skill with players, and when passionate baseball fan Kent Stock (Sean Astin) lands a teaching position nearby, he volunteers to work as an assistant for Van Scoyoc. While Stock cherishes his time with Van Scoyoc, he takes a job working in Saint Louis, where he plans to move with his fiancée. However, he changes his plans when he gets some unexpected news -- due to shrinking enrollment and budget cuts, Norway's high school is soon to close, and their upcoming baseball season is likely to be their last. Over the fierce objections of his girlfriend, Stock passes on the job in St. Louis to spend one last spring in Norway and help Van Scoyoc as he takes one last shot at taking his team to the state championship. Meanwhile, the citizens of Norway wage a legal battle to keep the school open, and the state sends a lawyer, Polly Hudson (Rachael Leigh Cook), to Norway to represent them. While Stock and Hudson are bitter enemies at the start of the season, with time she begins to understand the sense of tradition and love of the game that fuels Stock and the people of Norway. Also featuring Larry Miller, Tom Arnold and Michael Angarano, The Final Season received its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Monk (Tony Shalhoub) agrees to investigate the "accidental" deaths of a wealthy couple who lived next door to Natalie's parents. The assignment requires Monk to go undercover as the butler for the couple's closest relative, obnoxious young billionaire Paul Buchanan (Sean Austin). His new job is perfectly suited to Monk's obsessive-compulsive nature, and soon he emerges as the "perfect" gentleman's gentleman, maintaining order in Buchanan's household with a firm but steady hand. However, Monk might not be so secure in this position were he aware that his predecessor, the late Mr. Stilson (David St. James), had been "fired" by Buchanan with a hunting pistol. Incidentally, this is the episode in which Mr. Monk discovers that he has a brand-new phobia: Frogs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A workaholic architect, frustrated in his job but determined to make a better life for his family, is bestowed with a powerful universal remote that allows him more control over his life than he ever knew possible in director Frank Coraci's high-concept fantasy comedy. On the surface, Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) seems to have it all, yet with all the demands forced upon him by his ungrateful boss (David Hasselhoff), Michael finds that setting aside time to spend with his loving wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale), and two picture-perfect children, Ben (Joseph Castanon) and Samantha (Tatum McCann), has grown increasingly difficult. When a frustrating bout with the television remote leads the overworked husband and father to a nearby Bed, Bath & Beyond in search of a universal remote with the power to control all of his electronic devices, a curious peek into the back room leads Michael into the company of eccentric employee and talented inventor Morty (Christopher Walken). It seems that Morty has created a device that will not only allow Michael complete control over his television and stereo, but his entire life as well. As Michael discovers that the remarkable device has the power to muffle the barks of the family dog, zoom himself past an irritating quarrel with his wife, and even allow him to travel back and forth through time to different points in his life, the rush of being able to skip straight to the good parts in life soon leaves him feeling as if he's missing out on the total experience. Only when Michael begins to realize that the he has lost control of his life and the remote is now programming him does he finally learn that life is as much about the moments he'd rather forget as it is the moments he will always remember. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the sprawling six-part, 12-hour TV miniseries Into the West covers 65 years of American history, from the first major migration westward in the mid-1820s to the massacre at Wounded Knee in the early 1890s. The story is largely seen through the eyes of two protagonists (and their families): Jacob Wheeler (Matthew Settle), a wheelwright who leaves his Virginia hometown and his family's business in 1827 to seek his destiny in the company of legendary mountain man Jedediah Smith (Josh Brolin); and Loved by the Buffalo (George Leach), a Lakota Sioux holy man who spends a lifetime seeking the answers to his profound and disturbing images about the future of his country -- and his people. Eschewing the usual "old-age makeup" route often pursued in epic tales of this nature, the main characters are played by progressively older actors in the course of the story: for example, Loved by the Buffalo is portrayed by no fewer than four different performers! In a more traditionalist How the West Was Won vein, the miniseries is festooned with major stars, some cast in very brief roles: among these are Josh Brolin, Keri Russell, Matthew Modine, Beau Bridges, Gary Busey, Tom Berenger, and Judge Reinhold. Nor is How the West Was Won the only inspiration for the multi-plotted storyline: other films echoed and emulated throughout the saga include The Iron Horse, The Big Trail, Westward the Women, The Searchers, and Dances With Wolves. As mentioned, the story is divided into six parts: "Wheel to the Stars," in which the fates of Jacob Wheeler and Loved by the Buffalo become forever intertwined; "Manifest Destiny," chronicling the first major trek to California; "Dreams & Schemes," wherein the Lakota lands are despoiled by Gold Fever and war breaks out between the North and South; "Hell on Wheels," chronicling the postwar chaos and the coming of the railroad; "Casualties of War," wherein the conflict between Native Americans and the white man results in wholesale bloodshed -- and, surprisingly, a "counter-revolution" of compassion and understanding; and "Ghost Dance," the last great stand of the Lakota, which brings the story full circle. Largely filmed in the Canadian Rockies over a six-month period, and utilizing the talents of six directors, Into the West premiered June 10, 2005, on the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young woman struggles to reconcile her dreams, her ambitions and her family in this coming-of-age drama. Jordan (Gina Philips) is a teenager from Miami whose father is Hispanic and whose mother is Jewish; feeling the tug of both cultures, Jordan has rarely felt comfortable anywhere but at the podium during a debate. Jordan's skills as a high school debater are so strong that she's offered a scholarship to study at Harvard and debate on the team led by Coach Amal (Sean Astin). Jordan accepts, but after a heated competition, Jordan meets socially with a member of an opposing team and is assaulted. Disillusioned, Jordan quits debate and tries to put her life back in order. Over the next two years, she's torn between her feelings for two guys -- Chris (Brian Greenberg), who is sweet but insincere, and Elias (Adam Rodriguez), who spends too much time trying to be cool to allow her to realize how much he really cares for her. Eventually, Jordan comes to terms with ambitions and rejoins the debate team, but when she takes the podium for one of the most important contests of her life, she discovers the leader of the opposing team is the man who attacked her years before. Also starring Joaquim de Almeida, Shirley Knight, Azura Skye and Eve Gordon, Thanks To Gravity was the first feature film from writer and director Jessica Kavana. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

An ordinary scientist finds himself caught in a vicious cycle after harnessing the power of time travel in this sci-fi tale starring Lord of the Rings' Sean Astin and Snatch heavy Vinnie Jones. Mild mannered scientist Stuart Conway (Astin) has just made the discovery of the century. Deep within the confines of a secret military base, Conway has created the Slipstream device - a miniature time travel machine that allows him the ability to travel ten-minutes into the past at the push of a button. When Conway decides to use his new discovery to make a few illicit withdrawals from his local bank, the arrival of a violent group of bank robbers throws a serious wrench in his plan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

One woman's unusual relationship with rock & roll's greatest icon leads her into an unexpected romance in this comedy. Harmony Jones (Kim Basinger) saw Elvis Presley in concert when she was a child, and the event had a profound impact on her, as she communicates with the youthful spirit of the King of Rock 'n' Roll on a regular basis. However, Harmony has notoriously bad luck with Elvis impersonators, who tend to drop dead when she's around. After accidentally running into a carload of Elvis tribute performers, Harmony abandons her career selling cosmetics door to door and hits the road, hoping to outrun the lawmen who are now on her trail. As Harmony roams the highways, she meets Miles Taylor (John Corbett), a lawyer from New York City trying to escape some troubles of his own. Directed by Joel Zwick, who made the surprise hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Elvis Has Left the Building also stars Annie Potts, Sean Astin, and Billy Ray Cyrus. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Explore the influence of author J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings on modern popular culture in this revealing documentary narrated by Lord of the Rings star Dominic Monaghan. For over fifty-years fans of Tolkien's literary masterpiece have bonded over tales of brave hobbits and evil wizards, and with the release of Peter Jackson's awe-inspiring Lord of the Rings trilogy, even fans who had previously claimed a film could never do the book justice sat in stunned silence when the final credits of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King rolled. So sit back, kick up your feet, and take an intimate look at the die-hard fans affectionately known as "Ringers" and the worldwide community they have built on the foundation of one of fantasy fiction's most beloved titles. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Now that his soul has been removed, Angel (David Boreanaz) reverts to his demonic self, Angelus, for the first time since season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Locked in a cave in the hotel basement, Angelus taunts Angel's comrades but refuses to offer any information about his connection to The Beast (Vladimir Kulich). Biding his time until he can escape, the fiend amuses himself by revealing everyone's secrets, including the illicit tryst between Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Connor (Vincent Kartheiser). The resulting tension among the ranks gives Wesley (Alexis Denisof) the opportunity to step up his romantic pursuit of Fred (Amy Acker); Gunn (J. August Richards), of course, is anything but pleased. Angelus finally does cough up the dirt, but only after Cordelia secretly promises to submit to his every desire in exchange for the information he has. It seems that more than 200 years ago, The Beast sought Angelus' assistance in battling the mystics known as the Svea Priestesses. Out only for himself, Angelus refused, allowing the enchantresses to banish The Beast from this dimension. Learning that the current Svea Priestesses live nearby, the Angel Investigations team rushes to consult with them. Instead, they find only the women's corpses. Realizing that Angelus' one bit of wisdom is now useless, the gang prepares to restore Angel's soul -- but find it's gone missing from the hotel safe. Originally broadcast February 5, 2003, on the WB network, "Soulless" marked season four, episode 11 of the supernatural soap opera. This episode was directed by actor Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings fame. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide