Mike Werb Movies

Hollywood's hottest canine commodity has gotten hopelessly lost after wandering away from his master, and now the former movie star has become the beacon of hope for a small-town firehouse on the verge of collapse. Rex is the dog that every child in America has fallen in love with. A pompous A-list barker whose list of perks overshadows that of even the most esteemed Hollywood actor, Rex 's fate takes an unexpected turn when a skydiving stunt goes awry and his handlers assume that their cash-canine has perished as a result. Now, despite being very much alive, the former doggie diva has become just another mangy stray wandering the streets in search of a home. Lost in an unfamiliar city and pursued by animal control, Rex seeks refuge in a run down building that soon goes up in flames. Shane Fahey (Josh Hutcherson) is a rebellious preteen whose single-parent father, Connor (Bruce Greenwood), is struggling to care for his son and cope with the death of his brother, the former captain of the local fire department. Pressed with the responsibility of getting the crumbling inner-city fire house back in working order while helping his 12-year-old son deal with the untimely loss of a beloved family member, Connor just can't seem to convince Shane to keep his grades up and stop ditching school. Upon rescuing the unidentified Rex from the four-alarm blaze, Connor attempts to teach young Shane the meaning of responsibility by charging him with the task of locating the dog's owner. Despite an initial clash of personalities, the headstrong mutt and the disobedient adolescent soon form a strong bond. Subsequently adopted as the scrappy fire department's new mascot, Rex proves just the catalyst needed to reenergize the dejected firefighters and reform the once-tenuous bond between father and son. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A popular video game comes to the screen with this big-budget adventure starring Angelina Jolie as a buxom heroine recalling equal parts Indiana Jones and James Bond. Jolie is Lara Croft, a proper British aristocrat groomed at schools for the children of the elite. Croft leads a double life, however, as an acquirer of lost antiquities through questionable means, highly trained in combat skills with the help of a robotic opponent called Simon. Despite her exciting profession and a life of wealth and breeding, Lara pines for her father, Lord Croft (Jon Voight), whose passing left her orphaned. On the eve of a celestial event that will also mark the anniversary of Lord Croft's death, Lara comes up against an ancient organization called the Illuminati, represented by the sinister Powell (Iain Glen), who's in pursuit of an ancient relic with power over time and even death itself. With the aid of her high-tech support team, Lara travels to some exotic locales in search of the artifact, including a foray into a decrepit Asian temple guarded by lethal stone apes and other creatures that spring to life. Filmed at various locations in Great Britain as well as Iceland and the Angkor Wat temples of Cambodia, Tomb Raider co-stars Noah Taylor, Chris Barrie, Daniel Craig, Rachel Appleton, Leslie Phillips, Mark Collie, and Julian Rhind-Tutt. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Dr. Westlake/Darkman (Arnold Vosloo) is up to his old tricks, stealing from the bad and keeping for himself while still trying to perfect his synthetic skin which only lasts 99 minutes in the light. After stealing from industrialist and mobster/drug dealer Peter Rooker (Jeff Fahey), Westlake is approached by Dr. Bridget Thorne (Darlanne Fluegel) who is engaged to perform an operation to relieve his pain, but instead she implants in his brain a special device that enables his enemies to control him by inducing unbearable pain. With the help of double-crossing Dr. Thorne, Rooker wants to create a new drug based on Darkman's research. But Darkman strikes back by infiltrating Rooker's gang and his life. Darkman even starts to feel drawn to Rooker's wife Angela (Roxann Biggs-Dawson) and her daughter, who are neglected by the real Rooker. But in disguise, Darkman is able to cling to a normal life, posing as a family man. Even though this sequel was filmed before Darkman II: The Return of Durant, it was ultimately decided that it should be bumped back to part three. This direct-to-video sequel is however, in many ways, superior to the first sequel. Fahey makes an excellent villain combining the best of what made Larry Drake and Colin Friels so enjoyable in the original. Vosloo still can't capture the essence and power of Liam Neeson's character portrayal, but he does a good enough job. Fans of the saga will go feverish over this sequel and others with find it fun as well. ~ Sean D. MacLaggan, Rovi