Nigel Sinclair Movies

A cop's personal code of justice begins to change after a number of incidents lead his city to a tragic wave of violence in this police drama. Eldon Perry (Kurt Russell) is a veteran cop with the LAPD's Special Investigations unit, a man who isn't above bending the law if it means putting people behind bars who deserve the treatment. As Los Angeles waits on the verdict in the Rodney King police beating trial, Perry is presenting testimony to Assistant Chief of Police Arthur Holland (Ving Rhames), who is well aware of the corruption in the SIS unit and wants to stop it. Perry, however, twists some facts as he speaks in the defense of his new partner, Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman), who is being investigated for inappropriate use of deadly force. For lack of honest testimony, Keough is let off the hook, and soon he and Perry have a new case to investigate -- a robbery at a liquor store than turned into a quadruple homicide. Perry and Keough quickly track down two likely suspects, Orchard (Kurupt) and Sidwell (Dash Mihok), but Perry is surprised when the head of SIS, Van Meter (Brendan Gleeson), tells him to let Orchard and Sidwell go, and instead points the finger at two ex-cons who should be taken off the street, even though they're innocent of this crime. Perry follows Van Meter's orders, despite Keough's misgivings, but in the wake of the L.A. riots, Perry has a change of heart, and decides to start working with Holland against Van Meter's corrupt methods. In the midst of it all, Perry is trying to hold together his troubled marriage to Sally (Lolita Davidovich), while Keough finds himself romancing a fellow officer, Beth (Michael Michele). Dark Blue was adapted from an original screenplay by noted crime novelist James Ellroy; originally set against the backdrop of the 1965 Watts riots, the story was later updated to 1992. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Finnish-born Hollywood filmmaker Renny Harlin directs the suspense thriller Mindhunters with a screenplay by writer/director Wayne Kramer. Val Kilmer stars as Harris, an FBI official teaching a group of trainees the art of profiling serial killers. He takes them on a weekend retreat to a deserted island for some supplemental simulation exercises in which they catch a fake killer. When some FBI trainees get killed for real, the rest figure the murderer must be one of them. Class leader Sara (Kathryn Morris) must try to stay alive long enough to figure out if one of her colleagues is the murderer. Is it Gabe (LL Cool J), J.D. Reston (Christian Slater), Bobby (Eion Bailey), Rafe (Will Kemp), Lucas (Jonny Lee Miller), Vince (Clifton Collins Jr.), or Nicole (Patricia Velazquez)? ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Oscar-winning filmmaker Murray Lerner and co-director Paul Crowder draw on the essential themes of The Who's music and lyrics to craft a definitive audio-visual document of the influential band's timeless legacy. From their origins as a 1960s R&B cover band to their transformation into the band that changed the course of rock and roll history, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon, and John Entwistle's unstoppable, arena shaking juggernaut is followed as the men behind the music experience triumph and tragedy over the course of the following decades. Authorized by the band, the film speaks with family and friends to explore the meteoric rise of The Who as unreleased performance footage from Monterey, Woodstock, The Concert for NYC and other landmark concerts show fans the scenes that, until this release, they have only been able to read about. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A small band of multicultural convicts stages a daring escape from a World War II-era Siberian gulag, and embarks on a treacherous journey across five countries in a desperate race for freedom and survival. Adapted from author Slavomir Rawicz's gripping memoir The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom, writer/director Peter Weir's sweeping POW drama stars Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, and Saoirse Ronan. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The football program at Manassas High School in Memphis, TN, has earned a powerful reputation during the school's 110-year history, but unfortunately it doesn't happen to be a positive one. The Manassas team has never been eligible for a single play-off game, and no one expected this to change before Bill Courtney entered the picture. Courtney was a businessman and football fan who took it upon himself to do something about the Manassas football program; he volunteered his services as coach and began shaping a hapless team into one with genuine prospects. Filmmakers Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin followed Courtney and his players through the 2009 season, and their documentary Undefeated examines the coach's efforts to give the school a winning record, as well as the sometimes complex relationship between Courtney, a white, wealthy businessman, and his players, who are all black and mostly come from communities stuck in a cycle of poverty and crime. Undefeated received its world premiere at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

John Ajvide Lindqvist's celebrated vampire novel makes the leap to the big screen once again with the second feature adaptation in so many years (Tomas Alfredson's critically acclaimed 2008 hit Let the Right One In, being the first). The sensitive target of vicious bullying at school, 12-year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a social misfit from a broken home. By day Owen dreams about laying waste to his classroom tormentors; by night his attentions turn to his reclusive neighbors in their austere apartment complex. One evening, as Owen takes out his pent-up aggressions on a tree, his new neighbor Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz) appears over his shoulder. A young girl wise beyond her years, Abby just moved in next door to Owen with her stoic caretaker (Richard Jenkins), who seems to harbor a sinister secret. Compelled by Abby's apparent imperviousness to the harsh winter elements, her frail disposition, and the fact that she's nowhere to be found before the sun falls, Owen senses a kindred soul, and strikes up a friendship with the girl, despite her repeated attempts to maintain an emotional distance. Simultaneously, their community grows vigilant following a series of vicious murders, and Abby's caretaker vanishes without a trace. Later, as Abby begins to grow vulnerable, her bond with Owen strengthens. By the time Owen begins to suspect that his evasive new friend is something other than human, it starts to seem as if Abby could use a good friend after all. Given that his bullies are growing more emboldened by the day, so too could Owen. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Martin Scorsese turns his documentary skills on former Beatle George Harrison in this documentary centering on the musician's time with the Fab Four as well as his solo career, spiritual beliefs, and time working in the movie business. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Recently separated from her husband and seeking to start a new life in the city, single doctor Juliet (Hillary Swank) rents a spacious apartment in Brooklyn and finds herself beset on all sides by a mysterious, unseen force of evil. Is there a rational explanation behind the unsettling events unfolding all around Juliet, or could it be that she is being pursued by forces beyond human comprehension? From acclaimed horror studio Hammer Films (Let Me In, The Woman in Black) comes this unrelentingly tense thriller co-starring Christopher Lee and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A tomboy private investigator goes undercover as a sorority girl to protect a coed whose father is set to testify against a dangerous mobster in this comedy starring Miley Cyrus. Molly (Cyrus) is a teenage private eye who gets the evidence most sleuths can't. But when the FBI asks her to pose as a rich sorority girl, she's not sure she'll be able to convincingly shed her gruff exterior. With a little make-up and a new wardrobe, however, Molly fits right in on campus. Before long she's best friends with the girl who has information that could bring down the mob. Meanwhile, the obnoxious antics of Molly's hopelessly spoiled sorority "sisters" repeatedly test both her patience, and willingness to maintain her cover. Jeremy Piven and Kelly Osbourne co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A widowed lawyer travels to a secluded village on an important assignment, and encounters a vengeful ghost with mysterious motives. After losing his beloved wife in childbirth, young barrister Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) was nearly consumed by grief. A haunted widower father, he raises his young son with the help of his devoted nanny. Arthur is on the verge of losing his job when an important client of the firm dies, and his boss offers him one last opportunity to prove his worth by settling the woman's affairs. Determined to succeed, Arthur travels to the remote village and receives a chilly welcome. Something horrible once happened here, and it seems that the locals are determined to ensure Arthur never finds out what it was. Now, the more time Arthur spends in his client's crumbling estate, the more aware he becomes of a presence that isn't quite human. In this house dwells a woman's ghost. In life she lost something precious, and now in death she'll do whatever it takes to get it back. Until she does, her spectral presence will serve as a harbinger of doom, always to be followed by the death of an innocent. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A desperate father infiltrates a powerful drug cartel in order to save his son from a 10-year prison sentence in this crime drama based on actual events. Arrested on charges of drug distribution after he's caught with a package of Ecstasy, 18-year-old Jason Collins (Rafi Gavron) faces a mandatory ten-year sentence in a federal prison. But Jason's father John (Dwayne Johnson) knows that his son is no drug dealer, and vows to do whatever it takes to win back his freedom. When Jason refuses an offer to reduce his sentence by setting someone up to take a big fall, John pleads with U.S. Attorney Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon) to let him go undercover, and gather enough evidence to convict the real power players. With the help of ex-con-turned-family man Daniel (Jon Bernthal), John is hot on the trail of Malik (Michael Kenneth Williams), a vicious drug dealer and the leader of a notorious street gang. Meanwhile, in his efforts to free his son, John may have inadvertently put Daniel's family in jeopardy. Later, when the growing trail of clues leads John to ruthless cartel leader Juan Carlos "El Topo" Pintera (Benjamin Bratt), the loyal father vows not to let his fate be dictated by the ambitious powers that be on either side of the law. Barry Pepper also stars. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi