Michael Ennis Movies

Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Hopper, Nick Stahl, AnnaSophia Robb, and Deborra-Lee Furness star in a family drama detailing the efforts made by an 12-year-old girl to come to terms with her mother's abandonment. Tara's (Robb) mother, Joleen (Theron), just can't seem to get her life together. Her boyfriend has recently been arrested for growing marijuana, and rather than attempting to create a stable living environment for her daughter, Joleen instead places Tara in foster care before vanishing without a trace. Joleen's brother, James (Stahl), isn't exactly the picture of equilibrium, yet he does feel sympathetic toward his niece and obligated to help her though such difficult times. After breaking Tara out of foster care, James and his newly freed niece set out on the open road together. Destination: nowhere. But every road has an end, and before long James and Tara find themselves at James and Joleen's father's farm. James has always avoided thinking about his violent childhood, though he realizes that in order to break the vicious cycle of dysfunction that the family has fallen into he must finally confront the demons of his past. Now, as Tara begins to understand why her missing mother has lived such a tumultuous life, James prepares for the confrontation that could bring his family closer together than ever before, if it doesn't destroy them first. William Maher, who served as visual effects supervisor for the 2005 Sundance film The Chumscrubber, makes his feature directorial debut with a film based on an original screenplay by that film's scribe, Zac Stanford. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Though we didn't see it acknowledged in the opening credits, Baby Doll Murders is a reworking of the 1964 Victor Buono vehicle The Strangler. There's a killer on the loose, preying upon beautiful young women. At the scene of each crime, the police find a damaged baby doll. Detective Jeff Kober detects a subtle pattern emerging. Alas, it leads to the inescapable conclusion that the next victim will be the wife of Kober's partner. Expectedly exploitational, Baby Doll Murders is not bad of its kind. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) arranges a gala celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of Cheers, replete with celebrity guests and 1889 prices. The festivities are brought to an abrupt halt when Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) goes into labor with baby Frederick. Real-life Boston mayor Raymond L. Flynn appears as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this off-beat and stylish mystery by director Wayne Wang, C.C. Drood (Tom Hulce) is an underground cartoonist who is separated from his wife Helen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and daughter Bean (Judith Barsi). When his lover Yolanda (Virginia Madsen) is found murdered, Drood is the main focus of the police investigation. When Drood uncovers a sex scandal involving police chief Gilbert (John Doe) and Detective Smiley (Harry Dean Stanton), he realizes he is being made the fall guy for the crime. Singer Adam Ant plays Drood's buddy Jim. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi